Wang Dong was already stretched out on the bed. The dry and cool smell from the blanket being basked in the sun helped him relax. He took a deep breath, and he felt as if he could smell a scent that belonged uniquely to Huo Yuhao.

“Silly boy. We aren’t that young anymore, I will definitely help you relax. However, do you know what it means for me to take you back home?” he muttered under his breath, and couldn’t help but blush. Fortunately, the sky was dark and helped him cover up, so it wasn’t so obvious.

Huo Yuhao took a little longer than Wang Dong in the shower. When he came out from the bathroom with a clean body and mind, he realized that Wang Dong had already fallen asleep. He’s sleeping so soundly. He must have been tired after journeying for the entire day.

He pulled up Wang Dong’s blanket gently and laid back on his own mattress. He placed his hands behind his head, and suddenly realized that quietly listening to Wang Dong’s rhythmic breathing was actually very relaxing.

He recalled something that Xuan Ziwen had remarked about him some time ago: “Daydreaming must be the most luxurious thing for you on normal days, eh?”

Yes! Daydreaming was a form of luxury for him. If not for Wang Dong’s arrival, how could he just be laying here and listening to Wang Dong’s breathing? Huo Yuhao suddenly realized that he seemed to have fallen in love with this peace and tranquility.

He unknowingly drifted into dreamland while he counted Wang Dong’s breaths. The corner of his mouth was curled upwards, and there was a faint smile on his face from beginning to end.

One was sleeping on the bed, while the other was sleeping on the floor. These two youths had the same calm and balanced breathing, and all this became the night’s rhythm.

Huo Yuhao was still fast asleep when he suddenly felt something press down on his back. He shifted subconsciously, and the pressure on his back moved along with him.

He opened his eyes in a daze before he discovered, to his surprise, that sunlight was already flooding the entire room.

“Eh? What time is it?”

The answer came from the pressure on his back. “The sun is already burning your butt, and you’re asking about the time?”

Huo Yuhao was still lying on the mattress as he forced out a smile and said, “All I know is that if you continue sitting on my back, my shit is going to be squeezed out.”

“Tch, you’re so disgusting. I wouldn’t sit on others even if they wanted me to.” Wang Dong stood up proudly to hide his embarrassment and went into the bathroom to wash up.

Huo Yuhao reached behind and stroked his back as he muttered under his breath, “His butt is quite big. It didn’t feel so frightening when he sat on me.” He leapt off the mattress and suddenly realized that his brain was a little dizzy. He bathed himself in the sunlight that poured in through the window, and his entire body just felt so lazy.

This must be what it feels like to relax.

He stood up, but he immediately collapsed back onto the mattress. His blanket wasn’t folded up yet and there was a fragrant and crisp smell emanating from it.

“Ugh. If only I could sleep like this and wake up naturally every day. Oh, wait, I was woken up by someone sitting on my back.” Huo Yuhao mumbled to himself, and he couldn’t help but laugh at his own words.

They bathed in succession and ate a meal that wasn’t really breakfast or lunch, before they leisurely sauntered out of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.

Nobody could really stop Huo Yuhao if he wanted to leave. Furthermore, Jing Hongchen didn’t suspect him much – he only walked between the laboratory and the dormitory every day, he never strolled around the place, and he never really asked much of his teachers, either. What was there to doubt and suspect from his orderly behavior?

The two of them proceeded out into the city once they left the academy. Wang Dong heaved a sigh of admiration as they walked and said, “I have to say the Sun Moon Empire’s Radiant City is magnificent and wonderfully constructed. This Radiant City is quite unlike any other country I have seen. Soul tools are already pervasive among their citizens!”

Huo Yuhao said, “This is the Sun Moon Empire’s advantage, and it’s also because they have many precious minerals. Has eldest senior brother received the rare metals that I sent back?”

Wang Dong nodded. “We have given half to the academy and kept the remaining half for the Tang Sect, according to your instructions.”

Huo Yuhao said, “That’s good. Oh, yes, I haven’t asked you yet – where exactly is your home? We have known each other for so long, but I have never heard you bring up anything about your home. You only bring up your sister from time to time.”

Wang Dong grinned mysteriously and said, “My home is hidden away in the clouds. You’ll know when you reach it.”

“Hidden away in the clouds?” Huo Yuhao repeated, amused. “Are you trying to be mysterious?”

Radiant City was big, but the two of them chatted happily and didn’t really feel the passage of time. They finally left the Radiant City, and Huo Yuhao suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“Let’s go!” Wang Dong urged him. He didn’t know what was going on.

“Wait. Come help me.” Huo Yuhao grasped Wang Dong’s slender and tender hands that resembled those of a girl, and connected them through the Haodong power. Wang Dong immediately felt Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Detection extending outward.

His awe made him forget to continue asking questions. He realized, to his surprise, that Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Detection could cover a much greater area than before – so much more! He could control his Spiritual Detection to incredible precision at a whim, and he could detect the most minute detail.

With Wang Dong’s aid, Huo Yuhao’s spiritual power could reach more than three thousand meters in a single direction. He gradually turned his head, and his Spirit Eyes scanned the Radiant City like radar. He gradually withdrew his spiritual power only after he confirmed that nothing was amiss.

“What are you doing?” Wang Dong asked curiously.

Huo Yuhao said, “Let me help you equip this.” He took out a soul tool from his Twenty Four Moonlit Bridges while he spoke.

It was a blue soul tool that was shaped like a fan. It wasn’t that big, and it wouldn’t protrude from either side if attached to one’s back. The metal buckle could control its size, and it stretched from the shoulder and under the armpit to secure the item, while there was even a piece of leather on the area attached to the user’s back.

“What’s this? A flying-type soul tool?” Wang Dong asked in surprise.

“Yes. I made this just for you – it’s a Class 6 flying-type soul tool, and you can use it right now. I won’t explain the principles to you, because you won’t understand anyway. This item will allow you to change directions smoothly and agilely in the sky, and all you have to do is control the handle attached to the shoulder. When you’re more familiar with it, you can even infuse soul power into it to control it. It flies extremely quickly, and is also very nimble. Even Class 6 soul engineers from the Illustrious Virtue Hall may not be able to achieve this standard.”

Wang Dong didn’t resist, and put the soul tool on with Huo Yuhao’s help.

He infused soul power into the fan-like soul tool, and a pair of folded wings sprang out from both sides. Each wing had three sections, and every section grew from the center and gradually extended outwards. There was a small opening at the end of each wing section– this tiny flying-type soul tool actually had a total of six openings.

Huo Yuhao gave Wang Dong a brief explanation on how to use this soul tool. He had initially thought that Wang Dong was still a Soul King, so he had pieced six small Class 5 soul tools together when was forging this item, so a Soul King would be able to control it. His own soul power wasn’t inferior to that of a Soul King, so he had a similar model for himself, except it was white.

Wang Dong gave it a simple try, and immediately fell in love with his present. He used his soul power to control it nimbly, and it wasn’t difficult at all to grasp this soul tool’s controls. It didn’t take long before he was extremely comfortable with it.

Even though his Radiant Butterfly Goddess’ wings let him fly, it was far slower than this flying-type soul tool, and they weren’t suitable for prolonged flying, either. The flying-type soul tool produced by Shrek’s Soul Tool Department that he had used on his way here was a little heavy and clumsy. Huo Yuhao’s product not only boosted his flying speed, but his model’s agility and ease of control was much, much better. It was definitely the optimal item for travelling long distances.

“It’s impressive.” Wang Dong gave Huo Yuhao a satisfied nod.

Huo Yuhao chuckled and said, “I only hope that you don’t reject soul tools like you did before.”

Wang Dong’s expression changed a little and he said, “Oh, I have to remind you that my family doesn’t really approve of soul tools, so you shouldn’t use them in front of them if you can help it.”

Huo Yuhao was momentarily stunned. “So, your dislike for soul tools came from your family. Alright, I’ll remember that.”

“Let’s go, then. Let me try this new thing’s flying prowess.” Wang Dong was still a youth, after all, and he had just obtained an exquisite flying-type soul tool. He was as excited as a little child that had just received a gift, and couldn’t wait to try it out.

Huo Yuhao stopped him and said, “Don’t be hasty. I have something else for you.” His face grew solemn as he spoke, and he scanned his surroundings subconsciously once more before he reached for something around his waist and produced a tiny ring.

The ring was entirely silver-white, and there were finely-drawn, simple patterns on its surface.

Wang Dong stared at the ring, shocked. “Yuhao, you’re.. you’re giving me a ring?”

Huo Yuhao snapped, “What are you thinking? It’s not a normal ring, it’s a storage-type soul tool.”

Wang Dong said unbendingly, “It’s still a ring.”

Huo Yuhao was a little taken back by his stubbornness. “Alright, take out the things inside.”

“Alright.” Wang Dong looked down at the ring, and carefully placed it on his left hand’s middle finger. The ring was a little big, and just when he frowned in response, the ring contracted when he infused soul power to extract the item contained inside. It closed around the base of his finger nicely.

Wang Dong was shaken by the item in his hands before he had a chance to gape at the soul tool.

It was an entity that was slightly bigger than his palm, similar to a round breastplate. It was ornamented with silver-white decorations around the item, and there was an enormous jewel that resembled the shape of a magnifying glass at the very center.

This jewel was pale-blue in color, and there were six sparkling lines across its surface. The peculiar hues gave people a dazzling and dizzying feeling, while the riveting radiance was extremely lifelike as sunlight shone upon it, reflecting a layer of blue back on Wang Dong’s face.

“Wow! It’s so beautiful!” Wang Dong’s eyes were filled with pleasant surprise. When he raised his head and looked at Yuhao, his eyes were completely different – it was a look that made Huo Yuhao feel something weird in his heart.

“When.. when you did you find out?” Wang Dong stammered shakily.

Huo Yuhao was perplexed. “Find out what? Help me keep this item for now. You have to be extremely careful, and you can’t let anyone see it. This is a starlight sapphire, and it’s the first time I’ve seen a starlight sapphire this huge. It is also known as a Spatial Jewel, and it’s possibly the largest storage-type soul tool in the world. Don’t ever attempt to take out the item stored inside, and return it to me after we return to Shrek.”

Wang Dong stared at Huo Yuhao with wide eyes. “Does that mean this thing isn’t for me?”

“Ah?” Huo Yuhao was confused. “Of course not. The flying-type soul tool is my gift to you.”

“You..” Wang Dong’s face flushed red, and the look in his eyes suddenly became extremely vicious. “Go and die. You wait..” With that, he returned the dazzling starlight sapphire to the ring and sprang into the air. He unleashed as much soul power as he could, and transformed into a beam of light as he soared into the sky.

“Hey! Wait for me! Where’s your humanity? This is the attitude you give me when I just gave you a present?!” Huo Yuhao didn’t know what was happening at all as he surged into the sky in pursuit.

Wang Dong was actually flying with all his might. Huo Yuhao was still much weaker than Wang Dong in terms of soul power. His dense volume of soul power ensured that he could use his flying-type soul tool for a prolonged period of time, but his explosiveness couldn’t compare to Wang Dong. He could never achieve Wang Dong’s burst of speed when raised to the maximum, and thus he had a really tough time chasing his friend.

Huo Yuhao’s understanding was that they were supposed to fly towards the east and enter the Heavenly Soul Empire’s borders. However, Wang Dong wasn’t changing directions at all as he flew straight towards the north. Huo Yuhao had started only one step behind, but Wang Dong had already become a tiny black dot in front of him.

Why is he throwing such a tantrum?! Huo Yuhao was exasperated. He would be happy to give any normal item to Wang Dong, but the starlight sapphire contained a tremendous secret! That item was considered top-secret even inside Illustrious Virtue Hall, and could be considered an enormous treasure trove. If he could decrypt and understand it thoroughly, he would be able to learn thousands of years’ worth of the Illustrious Virtue Hall’s soul tool techniques and knowledge! He thought it would be safer to let Wang Dong take it back to Shrek than keep it with him, but who knew that Wang Dong would misunderstand him? Wang Dong wasn’t avaricious, so why would he have such a vigorous and exaggerated reaction?

Wang Dong couldn’t really tell where he was going anymore. He didn’t know why he was so flustered and angry as he continued soaring hysterically through the sky, and neither did he know how long he flew – all he could feel was that things were moving beneath him with blinding speed. Huo Yuhao’s flying-type soul tool was at least three times faster than Wang Dong’s original one, and the soul power required to operate it was only about twenty percent more. He had no clue how far he had gone after flying for a good two hours.

He had consumed too much soul power, and it was time to rest. Wang Dong’s emotions had settled down quite a bit after flying so frenziedly, so he slowed down and waited for Huo Yuhao to catch up. He was soaring through the sky, but he kept looking back to ensure that Huo Yuhao was still following him in the distance before he continued on his course – he didn’t want Huo Yuhao to lose track of him.

Huo Yuhao’s face was a little pale. He could feel that even though his soul power rivaled a Soul King’s, he was almost depleted. Furthermore, he was a four-ringed Soul Ancestor. Wang Dong also had twin martial souls, and so had much more soul power than other soul masters of the same level. Huo Yuhao had already used the milk bottle twice to replenish his soul power during the chase, and he was trying his best. His estimation was that they had flown between four hundred and five hundred kilometers within two hours – if they were flying towards Shrek Academy, they would’ve reached their destination after another four hours.

“You..” Huo Yuhao caught up to Wang Dong in midair, but his breathing and aura was unbalanced, so he couldn’t really talk.

They had been flying too quickly, so the air resistance billowed against them from the front to the point that they had to use soul power to protect themselves. Wang Dong’s method was simple – he released his martial soul, and the Radiant Butterfly Goddess’ wings closed up in front of him, naturally protecting his body. He only had to open up a small crack so that he could see the way forward. Huo Yuhao had to use his protective soul barrier or the Ice Empress’ Armor to continuously fend off the wind resistance.

His soul power had gradually diminished towards the end, so he had had no choice but to reduce his protective mechanisms for fear of losing Wang Dong. The surging wind blew against him until his face turned ghastly white. He was only able to tell the direction they were going with his Spiritual Detection because he couldn’t open his eyes in the strong winds.

“What’s wrong with me?” Wang Dong continued watching him, piqued, but his heart was aching.

Huo Yuhao’s body shuddered in the sky, and his eyes suddenly closed before he plummeted straight down towards the ground.

Wang Dong was terrified and he screamed, “Yuhao!” He plummeted down and released his flying-type soul tool’s maximum capacity. He transformed into a beam of flowing light and immediately caught up with the free-falling Huo Yuhao, hugging him tightly as he felt great regret fill his heart. What am I doing? He only asking me to take care of something, and he even gave me a present. How can I do this to him? His life as an exchange student in the sinister Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy over the past two years has been hard enough. How can I make even more trouble for him ?

He continued hugging Huo Yuhao, and quickly channeled his remaining soul power into Huo Yuhao’s body as they gradually drifted down. It didn’t take long before they both descended to the ground.

“Don’t scare me, Yuhao! How are you feeling? It’s my fault, it’s all my fault! I shouldn’t have taken off like that! Nothing can happen to you!” Wang Dong could no longer be bothered about where they were, and he could no longer be bothered about his religious preference for cleanliness. He sat down on the ground and let Huo Yuhao rest on his thigh as he continued infusing soul power into him. He was so anxious and worried that his eyes turned red.

The truth was that he became a little irrational from excessive concern. With Huo Yuhao’s personality, how could he place himself in such a perilous and dire situation? He did consume a lot of soul power, but it was impossible that he didn’t have enough energy left to drift down to the ground. He wanted to scare Wang Dong and wait for him to come, and then he would flick his head to vent his own frustration.

However, Huo Yuhao felt an unnatural feeling of comfort and ease in Wang Dong’s embrace. Wang Dong’s clean and crisp aura, and this unbelievably “comfortable” pillow behind his head meant Huo Yuhao could no longer bear to tease Wang Dong.

“I’m fine. I have just consumed too much soul power. Next time, just tell me if you are unhappy about something – don’t do that again!” Huo Yuhao forced his eyes open and muttered feebly. “Let me rest for a while. Stop giving me soul power, you should rest too.”

“Yes, yes.” Wang Dong hurriedly agreed, and his obedient manner was starkly different from how he had behaved earlier.

Huo Yuhao laughed a little inside as he continued lying lazily on Wang Dong’s thigh. He felt a cathartic elation when he relaxed after flying frantically for such a long time. Perhaps he was just too exhausted, but he didn’t feel that resting on Wang Dong’s thigh was inappropriate.

This resting and daydreaming feeling is so enjoyable! He thought back to Wang Dong’s speech the previous night, and he felt extremely at ease at this moment. His tightly-wound emotions were smoothed and doused once again, and he unwittingly dozed off just like that.

Wang Dong watched Yuhao’s look of exhaustion and began to feel apologetic as he stroked and combed his hair, which was messy from all that wind, while he began to survey their surroundings.

They were in a hilly region, and there were small hills high and low all around them. These hills were barren, and it felt like they were in a desert. However, the hills were blocking his view, so he couldn’t see too far away. There was a gigantic mountain not far from them, which had blocked Wang Dong’s view even from the air, and made him decide to stop. He couldn’t just keep flying aimlessly; he didn’t know where he would end up if he kept going.

The temperature was conspicuously colder than Radiant City. This meant they were near the northern regions, and that also meant they were quite a distance away from their original destination.

He raised his hand and stared at the silver ring on his left hand. Wang Dong shook his head and smiled faintly – he was picking bones from an egg. Forget it. I’ll return the blue jewel to him, but I’m keeping the ring. He can’t force it out of my hands – hmph!

...

Huo Yuhao was still fast asleep, and Wang Dong was thinking about his own things while they both gradually regained their soul power. Suddenly, the earth seemed to tremble, and faint sounds of thunder could be heard in the distance.

Wang Dong was momentarily stunned. Was it going to rain? But, how could thunder cause the ground to shake?

Huo Yuhao was still sleeping soundly when he was jolted awake, and he sprang up, giving Wang Dong a shock.

“What’s wrong, Yuhao?” Wang Dong asked.

Huo Yuhao placed his index finger on his lips as he began to listen intently. The Ultimate Soldier Plan’s training enabled him to maintain his vigilance under any circumstances, even when he was fast asleep. This wasn’t something that could change easily.

The rolling thunder accompanied by the tremors in the ground appeared once more, it was clearer than the previous instance, and it continued for a longer time.

“Those are soul cannons.” Huo Yuhao immediately stood up and pulled Wang Dong up from the ground. He had recovered some soul power in his deep sleep, and instantly connected with Wang Dong’s soul power, their Haodong power beginning to circulate swiftly.

Their chemistry was just too impressive. Huo Yuhao didn’t have to call it out, but Wang Dong’s Golden Light Left Arm Bone glowed with golden light as all the elements of light swiftly congregated toward him before they were quickly converted into soul power and infused into their Haodong power. Huo Yuhao retrieved two milk bottles that were filled to the brim with soul power, took one for himself, and gave the other to Wang Dong. They replenished their soul power as fast they could.

No matter what was happening, it was best for them to face it in their optimal state.

The rolling thunder continued to boom, and the sounds gradually became louder, as if they were coming closer and closer to them.

Huo Yuhao immediately made a calm but precise judgment. He raised a finger toward a side of the mountain in the distance and said, “The sounds are coming from that direction. I can judge from the scale that there are at least fifty soul cannons over Class 4 firing at the same time. However, the booms are shifting constantly, and it is likely that the person using the soul cannons is running for his or her life.”

He looked up at the sky in that direction. A speck of golden light appeared on his forehead before it stretched into a vertical line and gradually opened up – his Eye of Destiny had been activated.

The Eye of Destiny gazed into the horizon, and Huo Yuhao said with astonishment, “Wow, there are more than ten thousand people’s auras over there.”

Wang Dong glanced at him with a strange look and said, “Yuhao, you’re becoming more and more like a monster. You can see even that?”

Huo Yuhao chortled and said, “I wasn’t able to at first, but my spiritual power was greatly boosted once again, and my Eye of Destiny evolved. The Eye of Destiny’s second mental sea was seamlessly connected with my body’s spiritual sea, so my spiritual power can move around in between them. I have also further developed the Eye of Destiny’s abilities.”

They had a tacit understanding, and neither party talked about the game of catch they had just played. The episode was over, and it wasn’t a big deal anyway. Wang Dong corrected his emotions and mentality, and Huo Yuhao wasn’t the unforgiving kind or the kind to bear grudges.

“Let’s go. No matter who they are, this is the Sun Moon Empire’s business. Let them fight amongst themselves.” Wang Dong said indifferently.

The Sun Moon Empire was now part of the Douluo Continent, but the tectonic plate collision several thousand years ago still proved that they were outsiders, which led the three empires that originally belonged to the Douluo Continent to reject them. This was also one of the main reasons why the Sun Moon Empire harbored thoughts of invasion.

Huo Yuhao chuckled. “Don’t be hasty – they’re still quite far away. With our speed, they cannot possibly catch up to us. I want to let you feel how mystical and incredible the Eye of Destiny is.”

“Eh? How can I do that?” Wang Dong’s curiosity was piqued.

Huo Yuhao said, “Close your eyes. I will share my Spiritual Detection with you.”

“That far? Isn’t that out of your range? Oh wait, your Eye of Destiny can boost the Spirit Eyes’ soul skills.” Wang Dong finally understood what Huo Yuhao wanted to do. The sounds that were coming from the other side felt like they were only five kilometers away – could he still use Spiritual Detection at that kind of distance?

Huo Yuhao grabbed Wang Dong’s hands. They had recovered about sixty percent of their strength through their Haodong power and the milk bottles.

Huo Yuhao closed his eyes, and the Eye of Destiny on his forehead gradually opened and gazed far beyond the horizon. A layer of soothing golden radiance emanated from it, which permeated outwards before it slowly condensed into a pale beam of golden light that fired into the distance.

Spiritual Detection Sharing with everything he had in the Eye of Destiny.

Huo Yuhao could do it alone, but he was limited by his soul power, and he couldn’t afford to expend a lot of it, and thus he would normally never use this ability so extravagantly. However, he currently had a good partner in Wang Dong beside him, so he wasn’t worried about expending too much soul power, and he was also trying to show off.

The Eye of Destiny operated continuously.

Wang Dong felt as if uncountable images surfaced in his mind. These images were flying past with blinding speed, to the point where everything seemed blurry. Their speed gradually eased, and he realized that he could see the clouds and mist in the sky. His perspective was from the sky roughly two hundred meters above the ground, and he could see everything very clearly as he looked down.

There were throngs of people in the distance. Just as Huo Yuhao had said, there were at least ten thousand pursuing soldiers. His vision became closer, but it became a lot slower, which probably meant that Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Detection was reaching its limit.

Wang Dong whispered, “Don’t force it.”

“Alright,” Huo Yuhao acknowledged. This was the first time he was using Spiritual Detection at such an incredible distance, and he didn’t expect the effects to be this good. Even though his soul power and spiritual power were being consumed at alarming rates, probing at such a far distance made the consumption worth it. Reconnaissance duties were at the top of his responsibilities from his training in the Ultimate Soldier Plan.

They could see with a lot more clarity as their vision became closer and closer.

There were two batches of people. There were about a hundred people running in front, and they were extremely quick. All of them had soul tools, but not a single person was using a flying-type soul tool.

This group’s cultivation levels seemed decent, and Huo Yuhao could tell from the glow of their soul rings that they all had at least three rings. However, the soul tools they were using were more mixed up and uneven. They continued to run while they unleashed their soul tools’ abilities from time to time to fend off their enemies.

However, the biggest problem that low-level soul engineers faced when using soul tools was the effective range of their attacks. Even soul cannons that didn’t lock on to their targets couldn’t reach over five hundred meters before they became Class 4 soul engineers.

The army chasing them from behind were neat and orderly. They didn’t advance that quickly, but they extended in two wings that resembled an enormous pincer as they gradually clamped down on the group of people in front of them.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong quickly understood why people in the first group didn’t use flying-type soul tools – there were soul engineers amongst the group chasing them, and there were quite a few of them as well.

There wasn’t much difference in the soul engineers’ standards. However, in a situation like this, the group with the great army reinforcing them had the absolute advantage, and this was especially so as there were more than two thousand cavalry within the army. This made their pursuit much faster and deadlier.

The soul engineers amidst the pursuing party were meant to assert control. They d-->>

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