Along the Town Road
Huo Yuhao exchanged the basic living subsidy he received for copper soul coins, then bought a few steamed buns and a pancake from a roadside stall.
He found a stone step at the corner of the street, sat down quietly, and ate while replenishing his hunger.
He had learned about the civilian subsidy policy of Wuhun Palace in Shrek Academy's history classes in his previous life. The main funding pool actually came from the two great empires. Wuhun Palace merely acted as the executor, gaining reputation in the process.
Of course, there was another interpretation.
The nobles of the two empires were deeply corrupt. Naturally, they would never subsidize civilian soul masters out of kindness. This policy was clearly the result of high-level political maneuvering—an exchange of interests and compromises. By spending money to boost the prestige of Wuhun Palace, the rulers of the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires lost nothing. The heads of great empires were never fools.
Although Wuhun Palace was branded as an evil villain force thousands of years later, its early policies were undeniably beneficial to civilian soul masters. It opened a clear promotion path, provided stable income, and offered generous treatment. This was one of the fundamental reasons why so many soul masters were willing to swear loyalty to Wuhun Palace.
So why was Wuhun Palace ultimately labeled an evil faction?
Huo Yuhao was no longer the naïve youth he once was. He understood clearly that history is written by the victors. The Spring and Autumn style of historical writing avoided key truths while emphasizing selective narratives. He understood all of it now.
What was recorded was not necessarily the truth.
If one wanted to understand reality, one had to dig into it personally—not blindly believe what others claimed.
This was the Douluo Continent of ten thousand years ago.
He had not met Brother Tianmeng yet.
He had not met Sister Xiaoya or Senior Brother Beibei.
Shrek Academy was still unknown to the world, not yet risen.
The White Tiger Duke's Mansion that he loathed so deeply did not yet exist. At this time, it was still part of the Star Luo royal family.
And he—
Was merely a lone outsider wandering the world.
After finishing his meal, Huo Yuhao stood up and looked at the bustling streets around him.
His thoughts were extremely clear.
First priority: find elixirs to nourish Yi Lao's soul.
In this era, there were no hundred-thousand-year immortal herbs guarding the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eyes. That greatly increased the probability of successfully harvesting fairy grass.
The only uncertainty was whether those immortal herbs had already been taken by Tang San.
If Tang San had already removed them, Huo Yuhao would head directly to Shrek Academy and take them back. Even if Tang San was secretly protected by Haotian Douluo, Yi Lao's methods would be more than sufficient to succeed without alerting anyone.
If they were still there, he would calculate the timing and head directly to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eyes to harvest them himself.
Thus, what he needed to confirm now was the timeline—specifically, Tang San's age in the current era.
He could not immediately go to Shrek Academy to verify this, but he could confirm it indirectly.
"Excuse me, when was the last Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition held?"
Huo Yuhao asked politely, his expression humble.
"About three years ago," the passerby replied, slightly surprised. "Why do you ask?"
Major continental events held once every five years were naturally memorable to ordinary citizens.
"Which team won the championship that year?" Huo Yuhao continued.
"It should have been the Star Luo Royal Team," the passerby said after thinking for a moment.
Huo Yuhao: ? ? ?
Shouldn't it have been Wuhun Palace?
"I see. Thank you."
He thanked the passerby politely.
After watching him leave, Huo Yuhao stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Shrek Academy was still unknown, meaning they had not yet won the championship.
The Elite Competition was held every five years, and there were still roughly two years until the next one.
Tang San participated in the competition at around fourteen years old.
That meant the competition timeline placed Tang San's trip to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eyes after this period.
For now, the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eyes were still firmly within the territory of Poison Douluo—Dugu Bo.
"Two years…"
Huo Yuhao flexed his fingers slightly.
His current condition:
Martial Soul: Spirit Eyes
Age: Eleven
Soul Power: Level 10
Innate Soul Power: Level 1
The gap was indeed significant.
Brother Tianmeng was still sleeping in the Far North. It was impossible for him to come and help open a soul ring now. But that wasn't fatal—he didn't need a million-year soul ring to survive.
Spirit Eyes belonged to the spiritual-type martial souls, which required matching spiritual soul beasts.
Unfortunately, spiritual-type soul beasts were extremely rare, making suitable targets very difficult to find.
The limitation of innate soul power could not be overcome by time alone.
Meanwhile, Yi Lao urgently needed soul-nourishing elixirs.
Thus, the first destination was clear—
Sunset Forest · Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eyes.
"Yi Lao, are you still awake?"
Huo Yuhao asked within his mind.
"Yes."
A weak voice responded.
"We're going somewhere dangerous," Huo Yuhao said seriously. "There are immortal herbs there that can nourish your soul."
"I can take action three times at most… after that, I'll fall into deep sleep again…"
"That's enough."
Huo Yuhao's gaze hardened with resolve.
Now—
The problem was transportation.
Walking to Sunset Forest was obviously unrealistic.
The subsidy from Wuhun Palace was only enough for basic food, occasionally adding some meat.
He needed money—enough money—to reach Sunset Forest as quickly as possible.
Standing at the street corner, Huo Yuhao pondered briefly before his eyes suddenly lit up.
He immediately began searching through the city.
...
Blacksmith Shop
"Clang—clang—clang!"
A burly middle-aged man hammered iron fiercely with a black iron hammer, sparks flying in all directions.
He raised his head and glanced at the ragged boy standing outside the stall.
"Young man, looking to customize a weapon?"
"I need hundred-forged refined iron," Huo Yuhao replied calmly.
"Huh?"
The hammer paused midair before slowly lowering.
The blacksmith raised his head and stared at the young man with clear eyes and calm expression.
"Are you joking?"
He grinned. "Thirteen forges is already the limit. That's top-grade iron."
"Hundred-forged refined iron is used for divine weapons. Only those three legendary divine craftsmen on the continent can do that."
I can.
Huo Yuhao replied silently.
"I can help you reach twenty-forged refined iron," he said aloud, his tone steady.
"Just you?"
The blacksmith looked him up and down, eyes filled with doubt.
"It's about guidance," Huo Yuhao explained. "Strength application requires precision. Differences in muscle control, posture stability, and rhythm prevent perfect force output."
The blacksmith's expression turned serious.
"Are you a soul master?"
"Yes."
Huo Yuhao raised a finger and pointed to the corner of his eyes. "My martial soul allows me to see details you can't."
"If you don't believe me, try it. You lose nothing."
After some hesitation, the blacksmith followed Huo Yuhao's instructions—adjusting posture, fire temperature, striking rhythm, and strength control.
In the end—
A piece of twenty-forged refined iron was born.
Staring at the snowflake-like steel纹纹 patterns, the blacksmith was stunned.
"What… what do you want?"
He looked at Huo Yuhao seriously.
Huo Yuhao examined the materials and confirmed they lacked spirituality, making them unsuitable for soul tool forging.
"How about three pieces of twenty-forged refined iron?"
He asked calmly.
The blacksmith hesitated.
"Xiangbi," Huo Yuhao smiled faintly, "you wouldn't want other blacksmiths learning this technique, would you?"
"…Fine."
The blacksmith nodded. "But you must—"
"Don't worry," Huo Yuhao interrupted lightly. "I'm not that idle."
Thus—
Huo Yuhao spent not a single copper coin and obtained three pieces of twenty-forged refined iron.
"What are you going to do with it?"
The blacksmith asked.
"Lend me your furnace and tools."
Huo Yuhao took the twenty-pound hammer from the blacksmith's hand.