If it had been anyone else saying this, Huo Yuhao definitely wouldn't have given them the time of day. But Du Busi was different—he had given Huo Yuhao the inheritance mark, helped him awaken his martial soul a second time. He was Huo Yuhao's master, after all.
"Alright, I'll give it a try. But I can't promise how effective it'll be, so don't get your hopes up too much." Just in case, Huo Yuhao didn't go overboard with his words.
"Good, that's settled then. I'll be going now." With that, Du Busi vanished on the spot.
Huo Yuhao froze. He left just like that? Wasn't he supposed to bring them back to the Body Sect? And I still had questions to ask him! Damn old man runs fast.
The next afternoon, Huo Yuhao descended onto the peak of Sky Vault Peak on his flying sword, with Ye Lingling tagging along. His sword could only carry one passenger for now, so naturally, it was this weakest little girl of the bunch.
Song Ming and Lin Xi had been left far behind.
To be fair, this was Huo Yuhao's first time openly appearing at the Body Sect. Last time, since he was still part of Shrek, he'd kept a low profile.
So most people in the sect didn't recognize him. And sure enough, the moment Huo Yuhao landed, trouble found him.
Several gatekeeping disciples surrounded him. One of them, a Soul Ancestor level leader, barked, "Who dares trespass on the sacred grounds of our sect?"
Huo Yuhao couldn't be bothered to explain. He casually pulled out a token from his storage ring and tossed it over to the leader.
This token had been given to him by Du Busi. Within the Body Sect, only Titled Douluo elders were permitted to carry such a token.
Of course, that was before. Now? Huo Yuhao was an exception.
The leader caught the token, glanced down at it. The token was silver, with an image on the front—a solitary figure standing atop a mountain peak with hands behind their back, radiating a transcendent aura of looking down on all others. The details were a bit blurry, so the figure's face wasn't clearly visible.
The back of the token was simpler: three six-pointed stars arranged in a triangular formation.
"Greetings, Elder."
The leader bowed the moment he recognized the token.
"Greetings, Elder," the others echoed quickly, also bowing.
Tokens in the Body Sect came in four tiers. From lowest to highest: Black Iron One-Star Token, held by every regular disciple; Bronze Two-Star Token, for elders at the Soul Douluo level; Silver Three-Star Token, like the one the leader held now—exclusively for Titled Douluo elders.
Above that was the Gold Four-Star Token, the highest authority token in the sect. Only one existed, held by the sect master, Du Busi.
"Mhm."
Huo Yuhao nodded lightly and ordered, "Go summon Elder Qingyang. Tell him, I'm Huo Yuhao."
"Yes, sir." The leader didn't doubt him and turned to carry out the order. Just then, a blue shadow swept toward them from within the sect. In a blink, the figure appeared before them.
"Greetings, Lingyin Douluo." The disciples immediately recognized her—Lingyin Douluo Ran Hongyue.
"Welcome, Young Master." But Ran Hongyue ignored the disciples and gave a small nod to Huo Yuhao.
Even though Huo Yuhao was the sect master's disciple, and she was a Titled Douluo, she wasn't going to go full-on kneel-and-bow to a Soul Ancestor. This was mostly about letting the sect disciples recognize his identity.
Huo Yuhao didn't mind in the least.
"Senior Ran, what's this all about?"
"The sect master instructed me to welcome the Young Master. If you need anything, just let me know."
"I see." Huo Yuhao nodded slightly. "Last time I was here, everything was so rushed that I didn't get familiar with the sect. Looks like I'll have to trouble you, Senior Ran."
Ran Hongyue smiled. "No need to be so formal, Young Master. There's no trouble at all. And please, stop calling me 'senior'—if you don't mind, just call me 'Sister.'"
"Alright, Hongyue... Sister." Huo Yuhao returned her smile, though inwardly he was roasting her. Typical woman. This Ran Hongyue is probably nearing a hundred years old, yet still has the nerve to ask me to call her sister.
Of course, he wasn't stupid enough to say that out loud. Women—especially powerful ones—are super sensitive about their age.
Still, Ran Hongyue wore an elegant sky-blue long dress, her glossy black hair neatly coiled up, her movements graceful and composed. That gentle smile did give her a kind of "neighborly big sis" vibe.
"Young Master, you've had a long journey. You must be tired. I've already prepared a room for you—come rest." Ran Hongyue naturally didn't know what Huo Yuhao was thinking.
"Alright. Oh, and this little girl has nowhere else to go. Arrange a place for her in the sect too. There's also someone else coming with Senior Song Ming—he's with me too. I'll trouble you to sort that out."
Huo Yuhao's request wasn't unreasonable. Normally the Body Sect didn't take in outsiders, but as the Young Master, he did have some special privileges.
Sure enough, Ran Hongyue replied right away, "No problem at all. I'll make the arrangements shortly. For now, let me take you to your quarters."
Huo Yuhao nodded. The prolonged sword flight had consumed a lot of his soul power and mental energy. With Ye Lingling along for the ride, the drain was even heavier. He was indeed feeling a bit worn out.
His residence wasn't on the main peak but rather in the bamboo forest behind the mountain—a small, refined wooden building, about half the size of his villa back in Shrek City. The entire structure was made from bamboo and wood, with matching furnishings, exuding an antique and peaceful aesthetic.
After getting used to living in city high-rises, Huo Yuhao found this closeness to nature refreshing.
More importantly, it was quiet here. Within a kilometer radius, no one else lived nearby. Anyone dedicated to cultivation preferred solitude—and Huo Yuhao was no exception.
The next morning, Ran Hongyue knocked on Huo Yuhao's door.
"Sister Hongyue, what's the matter?" asked Huo Yuhao, opening the door in loose pajamas.
"Yuhao, I've brought the disciples the sect has selected for the upcoming All-Continent Elite Soul Master Tournament. When would you like to meet them?" asked Ran Hongyue.
Huo Yuhao glanced past her at the ten teenagers standing behind her. Really? You've already dragged them here and now you ask if it's convenient? Did I ever even get a choice?
(End of Chapter)