Chapter 107: Racial Talent?

Regaining the light and seeing the world around him again, Fire Lion Douluo was so overwhelmed he nearly cried. Only those who had experienced that terrifying darkness seal firsthand would understand how tormenting it was to the soul.

Looking at Long Xiaoyao smiling not far away, Fire Lion Douluo said with a trace of fear and reverence, "You're the second most powerful soul master I've seen in my entire life. May I ask your name?"

Unlike most Title Douluos who spoke with formalities and old-fashioned phrases, Fire Lion Douluo, having lived in seclusion in the mountains for years, spoke in a very straightforward and simple manner.

Long Xiaoyao chuckled. "You don't need to know. Just go back to wherever you came from."

With that, his figure flashed and disappeared into the sky.

Fire Lion Douluo gazed at the direction Long Xiaoyao vanished toward, deep in thought. After a moment, he seemed to make a decision and shot off in that same direction.

At that moment, Long Xiaoyao had already returned to stand before Huo Yuhao. Just as he was about to continue his lecture, they both heard a rushing wind in the distance. Then, with a loud boom, a figure slammed into the ground not far in front of them, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Huo Yuhao and Long Xiaoyao: '?'

As the dust cleared, Fire Lion Douluo appeared, kneeling on both knees and bowing his head toward Long Xiaoyao. Before either of them could say a word, he shouted,

"Master!!"

Huo Yuhao, Long Xiaoyao: '???'

Then, Fire Lion Douluo bowed even deeper.

That completely dumbfounded both of them. Clearly, this "master" was aimed at Long Xiaoyao. After a moment of processing, Long Xiaoyao's face twitched as he asked dryly, "...You're trying to become my disciple?"

Fire Lion Douluo didn't rise. "Yes! With your strength, you absolutely deserve to be my master!"

Huo Yuhao tried hard not to laugh. Long Xiaoyao was completely speechless at the man's absurd logic. 'Should I call this wild man pure-hearted? Or just a fool?'

"What kind of logic is that? Do you think a person of my level just accepts disciples willy-nilly?"

Only then did Fire Lion Douluo lift his head, looking anxious.

"But..."

Long Xiaoyao waved his sleeve, visibly annoyed. "No more 'buts'! Just get going already!"

But Fire Lion Douluo stubbornly continued bowing. Long Xiaoyao, seeing he couldn't get rid of the man and that his attitude was so earnest, felt awkward about using force and sighed, "How long have you been stuck at the bottleneck of Rank 95 without breaking through to Super Douluo?"

"...About twenty years."

Fire Lion Douluo replied with his head still down.

Long Xiaoyao let out a deep sigh. 'No wonder he's so desperate to find a stronger master. Being stuck for that long would drive anyone frantic.'

"To be honest, if you've focused solely on cultivation for twenty years and still haven't broken through, you likely never will in this lifetime."

This sentence hit Fire Lion Douluo like a death sentence. Having devoted his entire life to cultivation, he looked devastated.

"Please, Master, guide me!"

"Stop calling me that. I'm not taking you in. Given your situation, your only hope is to seek out opportunities—lucky encounters."

With that, Long Xiaoyao pulled over Huo Yuhao, who had been quietly spectating the drama. Huo Yuhao's face said it all. 'Why am I being dragged into this!?'

"So instead of staying holed up in the wilderness where nothing ever happens, go mingle with humanity. This is my student, Huo Yuhao. Follow him around as a guard or something. Maybe you'll stumble upon some opportunity that way. What do you think, Yuhao?"

Huo Yuhao: 'Are you seriously dumping this mess on me, Elder?'

Fire Lion Douluo finally looked up and studied Huo Yuhao's complicated expression. 'A kid?'

To someone like him, unfamiliar with modern society and basic common sense, the logic was simple: 'If this boy can be Long Xiaoyao's student and I can't, that means he's stronger than me!'

Even sensing that Huo Yuhao was only at the Soul Emperor level, Fire Lion Douluo still didn't doubt this conclusion for a second. After all, now is now, and the future is the future. There wasn't a trace of condescension in his gaze.

He brightened, stood up, and beamed at Huo Yuhao.

"Senior Brother!"

'...Okay then, so he still insists he's a disciple.'

Long Xiaoyao sighed in resignation. "Fine, fine. If you insist on considering yourself my student, I'll let you sit in when I teach Yuhao. But don't expect me to be responsible for you. Understood? Yuhao, how about it—having a Title Douluo-level bodyguard at your side?"

To everyone's surprise, Huo Yuhao quickly accepted it. He looked solemnly at Fire Lion Douluo. "Greetings, Junior Brother. From today onward, we're fellow disciples."

Then the two of them began enthusiastically introducing themselves like old friends, leaving Long Xiaoyao dumbfounded. 'Seriously? How are you two already this chummy?'

Long Xiaoyao squinted suspiciously at Huo Yuhao. 'This kid... definitely not ordinary.'

Letting a Title Douluo follow around a Soul Emperor? That should be a joke, yet neither seemed uncomfortable with it. Long Xiaoyao had long sensed the powerful aura that had recently started lingering around Huo Yuhao—something even he wouldn't casually provoke.

Indeed, it was the aura of the Snow Empress. Even though she was still recovering and had only regained two-fifths of her former strength, that was still more than enough to suppress a fire-attribute Title Douluo. And with Yuhao's life essence, she could force herself to regain her peak temporarily.

So for Huo Yuhao, having a powerful, easy-to-command, simple-minded Title Douluo like this around was quite a bonus.

"Alright, alright. Enough chit-chat. Chifeng, go sit off to the side. I'm continuing Yuhao's lesson."

After another round of teaching, Long Xiaoyao finally departed, leaving the old and young pair alone.

While Long Xiaoyao was teaching, the thick-skulled Yan Chifeng understood absolutely nothing. He was used to cultivating by instinct alone—no surprise he couldn't break through to Super Douluo.

After Long Xiaoyao left, the two were left staring at each other.

Huo Yuhao looked at the rough-looking old man, dressed plainly, and thought helplessly, 'Of all the Title Douluo, why is it only this one who lost all his awe after his flashy entrance?'

"Senior Brother, let's head into the human world already!"

Now that he'd heard opportunities could be found among humans, Yan Chifeng was eager. He didn't seem to hate humans anymore and was practically ready to sprint into the city.

"Wait up, Junior Brother!"

Yuhao stopped him with a sigh.

First, he didn't want to bring this wild man directly back to Mingdu.

"Can you change your appearance to your younger self?"

Calling someone who looked like an old hermit "Junior Brother" was just too weird.

Yan Chifeng looked confused but obeyed. He used soul power to transform into his younger self—still rugged, but acceptable.

Satisfied, Huo Yuhao nodded. "Second, sit down. I need to clean you up and teach you some basic etiquette. Don't embarrass me when we go out together."

Back in Mingdu, Yuhao found him a suite in a hotel to stay in. As he was about to leave, Yan Chifeng stopped him.

"Senior Brother! Let's go find that... uh, chance? Yes! Let's go find the chance!"

Yuhao rubbed his temples. "Do you even know what a chance is?"

Yan Chifeng shook his head blankly.

"A chance is not something you can just go find. Sometimes, it finds you. Sometimes you search your whole life and never find it. Understand?"

Yan Chifeng nodded as if he did.

"Anyway, stay here and get used to living among people. I'll help look for a breakthrough method for you. But let me make this clear—if I help you, there'll be conditions."

"For my Senior Brother, I'd become a horse or ox if needed!" Yan Chifeng declared sincerely.

"That's a bit much. Just be ready to help when I need something done."

'You're a Title Douluo, how are you this simple?' Yuhao sighed inwardly.

"Here, take this tool. It'll let me contact you when I find something helpful or need you. You'll sense it and come find me, got it?"

After a detailed lecture on how to behave in human society, Yuhao finally left the hotel.

Though this guy would be a hassle, having a Title Douluo openly backing him would be invaluable in the future, especially with war looming.

The next day, after finishing his lesson with Long Xiaoyao, Huo Yuhao once again sat in Jing Hongchen's office for a lecture.

As a Level 9 soul engineer, Jing Hongchen still had much to teach.

During Yuhao's quiet reflection afterward, he noticed Jing Hongchen fiddling with a vibrant red feather, frowning thoughtfully.

"Master, what's that feather?"

Jing Hongchen chuckled. "Oh, this? Hehe, it's a good one I extorted from those Shrek folks during their visit. A feather from a primordial phoenix beast. I'm figuring out how to make a top-tier soul tool with it."

Originally, he'd planned to give it to Kong Deming to try creating a Level 10 soul tool, but later changed his mind. The feather wasn't quite enough for that level.

Yuhao nodded, not asking further. Still, he was impressed his teacher managed to extort such a treasure from Shrek. It reminded him of that hilarious scene where Mu En extorted Jing Hongchen in the original story.

If this phoenix feather could be turned into a powerful fire/light-attribute soul tool, maybe it'd be perfect for his new "Junior Brother," since the empire didn't have many other fire/light users.

Yuhao also told Jing Hongchen about Yan Chifeng, which greatly surprised and delighted the man.

He wasn't concerned about Yuhao's safety at all—between the Snow Empress, Kong Deming, and Long Xiaoyao, no one in the world was better protected than Huo Yuhao.

Jing Hongchen had tried helping find a breakthrough method for Yan Chifeng, but turned up nothing.

The two also discussed whether they should recruit Yan Chifeng into the Imperial Offering Hall. Their conclusion: wait and see. He needed time to adapt to human society.

Still, worried he might stir up trouble, Jing Hongchen secretly assigned people to watch him—after all, this was Mingdu.

After a while, he gave up pondering the phoenix feather and stashed it away.

Then he remembered something. "Yuhao, I heard you'll be inspecting your army in three days?"

"Yes, Master," Yuhao confirmed.

Jing Hongchen looked hesitant. He didn't want his precious disciple going somewhere dangerous. "Yuhao... are you really determined to lead troops into battle?"

"Yes, Master. If I want revenge against the White Tiger Duke, crushing his army and taking his land is the most direct and effective way."

Jing Hongchen sighed. He remembered that face, filled with hatred and resolve, when they first met.

'Fine,' he thought. 'Yuhao's well protected, and talent like his must experience the real world to become truly strong.'

"Alright. Since you're determined, make sure you study military leadership thoroughly. I can't help with that part—you'll have to seek out advice yourself. I'll handle the soul tool logistics for your army."

"Thank you, Master."

Yuhao felt a warmth in his heart. 'Having such a caring elder in this world… really is a blessing.'

"Wrong. You shouldn't gather your Ultimate Ice soul power just in your palm. It's not just your hand that should move, but your entire body."

In the final few days before inspecting his troops, Yuhao paused his research to focus on training.

Today was his dedicated training session with the Snow Empress to learn the techniques: Imperial Palm, Imperial Sword, and Imperial Sky Frost.

On the outskirts of Mingdu, the childlike Snow Empress sternly corrected Yuhao's earlier mistake.

Yuhao felt a little discouraged. 'Why is this self-created soul skill so difficult to learn? With my talent, it shouldn't be this hard...'

The Snow Empress frowned as well, sensing something was off.

Watching from Yuhao's spiritual sea, the Ice Empress said helplessly, "Xue'er, don't be too hard on him. Remember how I failed to learn your techniques back in the day?"

Snow Empress blinked in realization. "That's true, Bing'er."

"This world probably only has one true chosen child of ice and snow like you who can master such powerful soul skills. It's your racial talent, Xue'er."

(End of Chapter)

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