After treating the Auspicious Beast to a good meal, Meng Hongchen and Huo Yuhao took her around Rising Sun City for a few days. They helped tidy up her hair, custom-ordered some fine, well-fitted clothes, and let her slowly settle into her new life. In just a few short days, the Auspicious Beast had transformed from a vagrant into a noble young lady who looked like she had walked out of a prestigious clan.
With her emerald-green hair and eyes laced with flecks of gold, she radiated a sense of natural nobility. Outsiders would likely assume she was the young mistress of some hidden soul master sect or aristocratic family.
But as lovely as this leisurely time had been, Huo Yuhao realized he had already been away from Mingdu for fifteen days—half a month. Although he wasn't exactly eager to return to his studies and responsibilities, he couldn't help but worry. After all, the education reforms in Mingdu were likely in full swing, and he wanted to understand how things were progressing.
And so, the trio departed Rising Sun City and made their way back to the capital.
Along the way, they "conveniently" acquired two decent hundred-year-old soul rings for the Auspicious Beast—unaware, of course, that she didn't actually absorb them. The soul skills she displayed naturally stemmed from the life-attributed powers of her first and second soul rings.
"Ready to head home?"
"Mm."
The brief exchange between Huo Yuhao and Meng Hongchen marked the end of their journey. Meanwhile, the Auspicious Beast looked toward the two with sparkling eyes—she was still very eager to see the home of this human envoy of life.
"This is where we live."
Upon hearing Huo Yuhao's introduction, the Auspicious Beast remained stunned. Ever since arriving in Mingdu, her expression hadn't changed.
Why? Simple—Mingdu's grandeur had completely exceeded her imagination of the human world.
It was much like how a villager might feel upon entering a city filled with towering skyscrapers—utter awe.
In the Auspicious Beast's mind, the difference between soul beast life and human life was like heaven and earth. 'How is it even possible for life to be this comfortable?' she thought. The creativity of humans once again shook her understanding of the world.
When it came to housing arrangements, Huo Yuhao decided to let her stay in the Hongchen estate. That way, she could remain close to both him and Meng Hongchen.
"Senior Meng, take Xiao Rui upstairs and help her settle in, get familiar with the house. I'm going to inform my teacher about everything. I'm sure he won't object."
"Okay, Yuhao. Come, Xiao Rui, follow big sister."
With that, Huo Yuhao watched with a smile as Meng Hongchen led the Auspicious Beast by the hand up to the second floor. Then he left the residence and made his way to Jing Hongchen's office.
"Oh?"
Jing Hongchen looked at Huo Yuhao with visible surprise and delight. "Yuhao, has Xiao Meng already advanced to Soul Emperor?"
Huo Yuhao nodded affirmatively.
"Yes, teacher. And not just any ordinary ten-thousand-year soul ring, but—"
He then proceeded to explain Meng Hongchen's newly formed soul spirit and the experience of forming a soul contract.
As Jing Hongchen listened, he couldn't remain calm. Huo Yuhao had spoken of soul spirits before, but he never expected the process to be so simple, nor that a soul spirit could enable such a leap in ring absorption!
A revolutionary breakthrough in the domain of soul ring acquisition was now in Huo Yuhao's hands—and that meant, in Jing Hongchen's eyes, it was also in the hands of Mingde Hall.
Noticing this, Huo Yuhao smiled and struck while the iron was hot.
"So, teacher... now that the soul spirit system has matured, I think it's time for Mingde Hall to seize this opportunity. If we monopolize soul spirit contract services, we can become the only organization on the continent capable of assisting soul masters in forging such contracts. Over time, Mingde Hall's influence and organizational strength will reach unprecedented levels. Combined with the stream of advanced technologies we've developed, I daresay that in the near future, Mingde Hall will stand on par with the Spirit Hall from ten thousand years ago!"
Huo Yuhao's tone burned with passion. His goal was simple: build an all-encompassing supergroup that could dominate the continent.
The Douluo Continent was not a place where democracy could flourish. Imperial systems only led to bloated, backward bureaucracies. What the land needed was a de facto federal system ruled by a powerful conglomerate overseeing military, scientific, and educational affairs. In fact, this was quite similar to how the original Douluo Continent's future played out—with organizations like Shrek Academy, Tang Sect, and the Spirit Transferring Tower holding authority greater than the federal government.
Now, Huo Yuhao wanted to turn Mingde Hall into that kind of entity: a combination of the Spirit Transferring Tower, the empire's top research institute, and its highest academy.
Jing Hongchen, a true visionary himself, had founded and developed Mingde Hall with that same ambition. Of course he desired for Mingde Hall to become peerless—but he had never dared dream so boldly.
But now? With the advent of new technologies and a complete soul spirit system in place, world-class dominance no longer felt like a fantasy.
His breath quickened. He forced himself to calm down and said slowly, "Good. Very good. Yuhao, I'll do everything I can to support your vision. I may be old now, but such responsibility... it truly rests on the shoulders of young idealists like you."
Jing Hongchen knew his limits. Supporting Huo Yuhao's work behind the scenes was more than feasible. Especially now, with the early success of the education reforms underway in Mingdu and surrounding cities, he already viewed Yuhao as "a brilliant future leader of Mingde Hall."
"You don't need to be so modest, teacher. I'm still just one person. It's your foundation that makes all this possible. The soul spirit system's development under Mingde Hall isn't something we need to rush—it may even require help from other factions, like the soul beasts."
Huo Yuhao paused before shifting the topic.
"But that aside, teacher... I want to know: how are the education reforms progressing while I've been away? What are the results so far?"
Jing Hongchen fell silent for a moment, then leaned back against his chair. A lot had happened as a result of the education reforms—complex issues that needed to be sorted before they could be properly explained.
"Yuhao, here's how things stand—"
Huo Yuhao straightened up on the sofa, listening with rapt attention as his teacher began to speak.
(End of Chapter)
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