Douluo Dalu 2: You are an Evil Soul Master, but also a good person ?

"Pant... Pant..."

Huo Yuhao suddenly jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat, as if he had just awoken from a long nightmare. He opened his eyes.

Above him were towering, canopy-dense trees. Beams of sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled patterns on his face. He instinctively turned his head and raised his hand to shield his eyes.

"Awake?"

A voice sounded nearby.

Huo Yuhao spun around sharply.

Standing beside him was a boy about fourteen or fifteen years old, dressed in black robes, smiling as he looked at him. Next to him was a girl of the same age, strikingly beautiful.

"Oh wow, he's really awake." Tang Ya was idly playing with her scorpion braid. When she saw Huo Yuhao open his eyes, her big, beautiful eyes widened with joy.

Despite joining the Holy Spirit Cult, Xu Cheng's "charity" approach hadn't erased the kindness in Tang Ya's heart.

In fact, it had only deepened it.

This was also why, over the years, Tang Ya's affection for Xu Cheng had grown stronger. Compared to the "hypocrites" of Shrek Academy, Xu Cheng genuinely did good deeds that benefited the common people.

Naturally, she grew increasingly reliant on him...

"You're awake. Go wash your face and then have something to eat!"

Tang Ya skipped over with skewered fish in hand and handed them to Xu Cheng with a proud smile, "Here, hurry up and grill these. I'm starving!"

"Heh, feeling better now?"

Xu Cheng glanced at the bewildered Huo Yuhao, his hand glowing faintly as a wave of spiritual purification enveloped him.

Huo Yuhao instantly felt refreshed, the swollen, dizzy feeling in his head vanishing in an instant.

"Y-You're... a Spirit Master?" Huo Yuhao looked on in awe.

His first impression of Xu Cheng was overwhelmingly positive.

Not only was he handsome and gentle, but he was also likely his savior!

A stream trickled by nearby.

Huo Yuhao quickly went to wash his face and then sat cautiously by the campfire.

"What's your name? Where are you from? Why did you come to the Star Dou Forest all alone?" Tang Ya bombarded him with questions, leaving the boy stunned.

After a while, he finally spoke quietly, "My name is Huo Yuhao. My... my home is in a small village in the Star Luo Empire. No one there could help me awaken my martial soul, so... so I had to come alone..."

"I see..." Tang Ya nodded, sympathy filling her eyes.

Her kind-hearted, big-sister nature instantly made her feel for Huo Yuhao's plight.

Her eyes sparkled, and she glanced slyly at Xu Cheng, who was "focused" on grilling the fish. She whispered to Huo Yuhao, "Yuhao, this guy here is a Soul King! He was the one who found you passed out and saved you..."

"Thank you!"

Not knowing how else to express his gratitude, Huo Yuhao immediately knelt down and kowtowed three times to Xu Cheng.

Tang Ya: "..."

I meant for you to seize the opportunity to get close to him and secure help for your first spirit ring!

Who knew this kid would be so sincere?

"Get up."

Xu Cheng's mouth twitched, inwardly marveling at Huo Yuhao's straightforwardness.

He shot Tang Ya an annoyed look, and she responded by crossing her arms and huffing, turning away.

"Your martial soul is of the spiritual type?" Xu Cheng asked while expertly grilling the fish, his movements fluid like a master chef. His voice remained warm.

"My eyes."

Huo Yuhao had nothing to hide except his family background. He responded earnestly.

A Soul King at such a young age, no older than fourteen or fifteen... Probably even stronger than the Duke's eldest son, the pride of the Duchess, who had joined Shrek Academy and gained early fame...

"What a coincidence. So is mine."

Xu Cheng smiled and looked up, his crimson eyes locking onto Huo Yuhao's gaze.

"Eyes?!"

A sense of kinship surged through Huo Yuhao.

Even their martial souls were similar!

Sunlight bathed his form, slowly melting the coldness within him and filling him with a warmth he'd long missed.

"What a coincidence. Since your martial soul is of the eyes, it's best suited for spiritual-type spirit rings. Since we seem to be fated to meet, I'll help you get your spirit ring." Xu Cheng smiled, handing a piece of grilled fish to Tang Ya and another to Huo Yuhao.

"This..."

Huo Yuhao was so overwhelmed with gratitude that he stuttered.

"Thank you so much!"

"Just call me Brother Cheng."

Xu Cheng waved his hand nonchalantly.

"Brother Cheng!"

Huo Yuhao's eyes sparkled like a loyal little brother who had just found his role model. But his stomach soon rumbled with hunger.

Watching Tang Ya devour her food without a trace of ladylike demeanor, and then looking at the perfectly grilled fish Xu Cheng handed him, his mouth began to water.

"Eat up. There's more if that's not enough."

"Mmm!"

With Xu Cheng's permission, Huo Yuhao dove into his meal.

"This is so delicious! How can it be... this good?!"

While eating, he couldn't help but exclaim.

"Heh..." Xu Cheng watched him eat, chuckling inwardly, Seems like someone will be inheriting the tradition of grilling fish in the future...

"Boom!"

A powerful soul beast, which seemed terrifyingly huge to Huo Yuhao, collapsed to the ground with just a snap of Xu Cheng's fingers.

"Amazing..."

"Humph, it's just a mere hundred-year soul beast. Even Sister Tang Ya could handle that." Tang Ya proudly puffed out her chest.

"Channel your soul power into the Soul Tool and then slash its neck," Xu Cheng instructed with a yawn.

They had spent quite a bit of time finding a suitable soul ring. Spiritual-type soul beasts were rare enough, but they also needed one at the peak of three hundred years.

Any higher, and Huo Yuhao's body wouldn't be able to withstand it.

However, with his protagonist's destiny, he'd likely gain compensation elsewhere in the future...

"Is this thing called a Soul Tool?"

Huo Yuhao was surprised but quickly stepped forward and struck the beast's vital point.

"Heavenly Dream Butterfly, nearly four hundred years of cultivation. You can tell its age by counting the halos on its wings."

Watching Huo Yuhao enter a meditative state, Xu Cheng clicked his tongue.

"What if it's thousands or tens of thousands of years old?" Tang Ya asked curiously, her bright eyes sparkling.

"Then it would have dozens or even hundreds of halos." Xu Cheng shot her a look, as if she'd asked a silly question.

"I meant... can its wings even fit that many?" Tang Ya pouted.

"The halos get smaller as they get older." Xu Cheng chuckled.

"Hmph!"

Tang Ya punched him in annoyance, while Xu Cheng checked his system rewards.

"Congratulations, Host, for completing the hidden quest [Rescue Huo Yuhao]. You have received the reward [I Bet There Are No Bullets in Your Gun]! Whenever you say this line, there will be a 90% chance that the opponent's [any long-range weapon] will have no energy to fire."

Xu Cheng: "???"

He glanced at Huo Yuhao, who was meditating peacefully.

As expected of Heaven's chosen child...

(End of Chapter)