Chapter 56 – Xu Jiawei: Huo Yuhao Was Originally a Star Luo Citizen?!
Star Luo Imperial Palace.
Emperor Xu Jiawei gazed intently at the soul beast embryo before him, a creation so flawless it seemed almost divine. His eyes carried a trace of obsession.
"Elder Brother, are we truly going to auction off this hundred-thousand-year soul beast embryo?"
Beside him, Xu Jiuling's voice held disbelief.
This was equivalent to throwing away a hundred-thousand-year soul ring and a hundred-thousand-year soul bone. Did her imperial brother really have such resolve?
Xu Jiawei retracted his gaze, stepping toward the palace entrance. The muffled roar of the crowd outside reached his ears, growing more fervent by the moment. He gave a faint smile.
"Jiuling, the Douluo Continent now stands at the brink of a great upheaval unseen for a thousand years."
"The rise of soul guidance devices has completely shattered the balance of power. The Sun Moon Empire already possesses the foundation to unify the entire continent."
"Dou Spirit Empire, Heavenly Soul Empire, and even our Star Luo Empire… we have all fallen far behind in this new era. Since ascending the throne, I have worked tirelessly day and night, yet the aristocracy—those parasites—are entrenched in every corner of the empire."
"I can feel my strength being drained. Reform from within is too slow. Only outward expansion can delay the Sun Moon Empire's advance."
So why auction this embryo? Because Xu Jiawei knew better than anyone—the Sun Moon Empire, the wealthiest nation on the continent, would inevitably claim it in the end.
And that was exactly what he wanted.
Once the Sun Moon acquired the embryo, it would attract countless covetous eyes. Their genius competitors, their teachers, even their imperial envoys would become prey to the wolves lurking in the shadows, falling one by one in Star Luo territory.
Even if they succeeded in smuggling the embryo back to the Sun Moon Empire, it would not matter. He could always leak the news. Shrek, the Body Sect, or other great factions would eagerly seize the chance to make the Sun Moon Empire suffer.
When that time came—how would the Sun Moon Empire cope?
Xu Jiuling, raised in the imperial family, was no stranger to politics. She fell silent for a moment before asking softly:
"Brother, you also instructed the Starlight Auction House to sell Sun Moon Empire–made soul guidance devices. Was that meant to sow discord within their upper ranks?"
Xu Jiawei nodded, his eyes glinting coldly.
"Compared to the Three Kingdoms of Douluo, the Sun Moon Empire is far too united."
"In trade with us, the losers are always the Star Luo Empire, Dou Spirit Empire, and Heavenly Soul Empire. We spend vast amounts of rare metals and resources, only to receive low-level soul guidance devices—never anything above the seventh rank. It is laughable."
"They call it a black market, but in truth it is nothing more than an unspoken rule permitted by the Sun Moon Empire authorities, designed to drain our wealth in exchange for their trash."
"To break this pattern, their unity must be fractured. Imagine: if a Douluo Kingdom auction suddenly offered seventh- or even eighth-rank soul guidance devices clearly forged by Illustrious Virtue Hall, would the Sun Moon Empire high command not turn on each other in suspicion?"
"Once the purge begins, it will not stop easily. At that point, all we need to do is sit back and reap the fisherman's profit."
Finishing, Xu Jiawei sighed lightly. The words tasted too heavy, too sinister on his tongue. He chuckled to soften the mood.
"Jiuling, how is the intelligence gathering on Shrek and the Sun Moon academies' teams?"
Understanding her brother wished to change the subject, Xu Jiuling withdrew a dossier from her storage-type soul guidance device and handed it over.
"Brother, most of the Sun Moon Empire's records are as expected. However, there is one individual you must pay particular attention to—Huo Yuhao."
"Oh?" Xu Jiawei raised a brow. "Huo Yuhao?"
He recalled an old report, flipping directly to the marked page bearing that name. His expression grew grave.
"Twelve years old… already hailed as the Sun Moon Empire's number one prodigy. In just three months, he advanced to a Level 2 soul engineer, then to Level 3 four months later. His soul power is currently at rank thirty-four."
"A true genius. The title of 'number one prodigy' is no exaggeration."
Just as Shrek and others infiltrated the Sun Moon Empire, the Star Luo Empire too had its ways of acquiring intelligence. Yet most of it was shallow—publicly known scraps. Critical secrets such as martial souls, soul rings, and techniques remained sealed tight.
But Huo Yuhao's background… That was no secret.
Xu Jiawei's eyes froze as he reached the final line of the report, then he slammed the table furiously.
"This Huo Yuhao… he was originally a Star Luo Empire citizen?!"
Xu Jiuling had expected this reaction. Calmly, she produced another document.
"Indeed, Brother. At eleven years old, he crossed the Mingdou Mountain Range alone, fleeing into Sun Moon Empire territory."
Xu Jiawei's face twisted with fury, veins throbbing on his forehead.
"Investigate! I want the full truth uncovered!"
He swallowed down the curses on his tongue. Damn it all—what could have driven a peerless genius like this to defect?
Eleven years old. That meant Yuhao had left barely a year ago. How had the border troops failed to stop him? Were they all idiots?
There was no way a child would risk his life to escape to the Sun Moon Empire unless he had been forced.
Xu Jiawei's heart ached—an ache so sharp it nearly suffocated him. If Yuhao had remained, he might have become a pillar of the empire, a sword for the royal family.
Instead, he had slipped away.
If Xu Jiawei ever discovered who had driven the boy to this, that person would pay dearly.
Taking a deep breath, he forced down his rage and continued reading.
"Descendant of the Hongchen Family, related to Jing Hongchen, Dean of Illustrious Virtue Hall. Even before Huo Yuhao appeared, his elder grandson was already hailed as a once-in-a-millennium prodigy of the Sun Moon Empire…"
Xu Jiuling noticed the calculating gleam in her brother's eyes and sighed inwardly. As expected, he was already scheming again.
Sure enough, Xu Jiawei suddenly asked:
"In the royal treasury, there should still be that seventy-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion left arm bone, the one no one could absorb, correct?"
"Bring it out. Place it in the Starlight Auction. And remember—conceal the fact that only those with Ultimate Ice can absorb it. Let the Sun Moon Empire taste the agony of losing their own genius."
Truth be told, he loathed parting with both the hundred-thousand-year embryo and the seventy-thousand-year soul bone. But the embryo could not be preserved, and the soul bone had already cost the lives of several imperial geniuses. Better to use it as bait than let it rot.
"…Very well."
Xu Jiuling was about to leave when her brother added:
"Oh, and that Soul-Devouring Engraving Knife—put it up as well. It has failed to sell countless times. The Sun Moon Empire claims to be the cradle of soul engineers—let's see if they can resist its lure."
After all, that carving knife ranked ninety-ninth among all famed tools. If Sun Moon bought it out of curiosity, so much the better.
When it came to scheming against the Sun Moon Empire, Xu Jiawei never tired.
Xu Jiuling hesitated briefly but held her tongue.
Still, her thoughts lingered on Huo Yuhao. If her brother truly intended to draw the boy back to Star Luo Empire, and if Yuhao still harbored even the faintest attachment to his homeland… perhaps she could play a role.
She would try. Though the known intelligence was far too scarce, one could only begin from somewhere.
(End of Chapter)