"Hmph. Why should we noble soul engineers care about those commoners who don't even have soul power?"
Wang Shaojie said with a sour face. As a member of the royal family, his arrogance came naturally. And combined with his identity as a soul engineer, he had no intention of taking this so-called public research task seriously.
In the Sun Moon Empire, the class gap between soul engineers and ordinary civilians was like a chasm—one in the heavens, the other in the dirt. One could rake in wealth like scooping it with sacks, while the other had to earn a living through sweat and toil. One enjoyed supreme social status, while the other endured indifference and contempt.
His words, thick with superiority and disdain, earned a sharp look of disgust from Juzi, who came from a commoner background.
As for Ke Ke and Zimu, it was clear they didn't particularly object. As soul engineers benefiting from the status quo, they had no reason to disagree.
But Huo Yuhao wasn't angered. He replied calmly, "Wang Shaojie, you should know that soul tools aren't just tools to enhance our power. They're also tools that can benefit the millions of citizens of our Sun Moon Empire. I believe His Majesty the Emperor, who cherishes his people like his own children, would wish the same."
Hearing this, Juzi, who had been feeling downhearted over the reality of a civilian's position, looked at Huo Yuhao in surprise. Her eyes lit up.
Wang Shaojie furrowed his brow and didn't say anything. Huo Yuhao had cleverly invoked the emperor's name, making any rebuttal dangerous—it could easily be branded as disrespect toward the throne.
"But Teacher Huo, how can civilians even use soul tools? Their soul power is so weak," Ke Ke asked.
"There are already ways to solve that. It's the cutting-edge field I'm working on with Xuan Ziwen. You don't need to worry about that. Just get ready to leave the academy with me. I'll explain how the research task works on the way."
After speaking, Huo Yuhao coolly turned and headed toward the lab's exit, fully embodying the cold, aloof mentor vibe.
"What kind of teacher is that supposed to be? A brat like him?"
His condescending manner ignited the irritation boiling inside Ke Ke, Zimu, and Wang Shaojie. Wang Shaojie gritted his teeth and muttered harshly under his breath.
The insult made Ke Ke and Zimu feel somewhat vindicated. This boy, who was about their age—perhaps even younger—had rubbed them the wrong way from the start.
But when Juzi heard the word "bastard," her heart clenched. She had a bad feeling. Maybe the others didn't know, but having spent time around Xu Tiannan, Juzi knew very well that Huo Yuhao wasn't just Jing Hongchen's final disciple. He was also the god-grandson of Grand Worshipper Kong Deming.
And with Huo Yuhao's finely tuned spiritual power, of course he heard what Wang Shaojie said.
He stopped walking.
Earlier, when Wang Shaojie dismissed the research task as beneath him, Huo Yuhao hadn't cared. He never expected a spoiled royal brat to understand the needs of the people.
But he hadn't expected Wang Shaojie to call him that word—just like in the original timeline. Was this the convergence of the world's fate?
In the original story, Huo Yuhao couldn't endure that kind of insult. The current Huo Yuhao, even less so.
His memories stirred—the loneliness and sorrow right after he transmigrated, and the warmth Huo Yun'er gave him, the only person who had truly cared.
"Wang Shaojie, what did you just say?"
Huo Yuhao turned around, his voice calm—eerily so, like the stillness before a storm.
Wang Shaojie sneered and stared right back.
In the past, as a royal and with his distinct black skin tone signifying his heritage, no one in the academy dared disrespect him. Even Jing Hongchen's golden grandchildren never gave him trouble.
And who was this kid named Huo Yuhao? He'd never even heard of the name. Certainly not some noble of the empire. "Who do you think you are to question me?"
The atmosphere in the lab instantly froze. You could hear a pin drop.
Then, without warning, a crisp and resounding slap echoed through the room.
Ke Ke, Zimu, and Juzi all froze.
All they saw was a flash of movement. Huo Yuhao appeared in front of Wang Shaojie before he could react and delivered a full-force slap to his face.
He had used seventy percent of his strength. Wang Shaojie was sent flying, a vivid, bleeding palm print blooming on his cheek.
The girls gasped. Even though Wang Shaojie was a Soul King-level soul master, the blow hadn't knocked him out. Dazed, he slowly sat up, clutching the burning, swollen side of his face in disbelief.
"You... how dare you!!"
Fury surged through him. His soul rings—three yellow, two purple—flared into view. He was about to unleash his soul tools and blast this arrogant little bastard to ashes.
But a pampered Water-type Soul King like him could never be faster than Huo Yuhao.
Without even using a spiritual attack to disrupt his state, Huo Yuhao was already in front of him, wielding the Blade of Creation and Destruction.
He struck without hesitation.
Wang Shaojie's soul tool shield activated, but it was nothing before the destructive power of the blade. It slashed clean through, severing Wang Shaojie's right arm in one smooth motion.
His attempt to attack was instantly cut short. The searing pain left him incapacitated, screaming in agony on the ground.
In truth, having an arm severed alone shouldn't have been this painful. But Huo Yuhao was experimenting with an "interesting" use of Destruction and Life forces.
He let the Destruction force corrode the wound inch by inch, then allowed the Life force to restore the flesh just enough.
The result was unrelenting, mind-shattering torment.
While Ke Ke, Zimu, and Juzi stared in horror, Huo Yuhao simply smiled and watched calmly as Wang Shaojie writhed and screamed at his feet.
The lab was sound-sealed by Huo Yuhao. No one was coming to save him.
Frozen in fear, none of the three dared to move. But strangely, as Juzi watched Wang Shaojie—normally so arrogant, so quick to trample others with his status—being reduced to this pitiful state, she felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
Even... delight.
And so, for a full ten minutes, the lab echoed with Wang Shaojie's wails before Huo Yuhao finally withdrew the forces of Destruction and Life from his body.
(End of Chapter)
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