Listening to Xu Jiawei and Xu Jiujiu gradually leave, Huo Yuhao breathed a sigh of relief.
Naturally, he wasn't listening with his ears. This room, being for imperial use, had excellent soundproofing. He was eavesdropping using his spiritual detection.
From what he had overheard, at least for a short time, he didn't need to worry about Xu Jiawei making a move against him.
At this moment, Huo Yuhao noticed a gaze and found that the girl sitting opposite him was staring at him intently.
If he remembered correctly, Xu Jiawei had just called her "Senior Night Rain"?
Just as Huo Yuhao was about to ask about the situation, Night Rain spoke first.
"Feeling relieved?"
"What?"
Her abrupt question made Huo Yuhao's heart skip a beat.
Could this girl be saying what he thought she was?
Night Rain said seriously:
"For your level, your spiritual power is very strong, probably only Soul Emperors and above could surpass you. However, your control over spiritual power is lacking. In the eyes of people at our level, your spiritual power fluctuations are too obvious. You were just using a detection-type soul skill, wasn't that right?"
"..."
Huo Yuhao was speechless for a moment.
It seemed this was the first time his spiritual detection had been seen through.
Although Ice Empress had told him before that the other party was very strong, it wasn't until this moment that he truly felt the disparity in their strength.
He respectfully asked:
"May I ask for your esteemed name?"
Night Rain slightly curved her lips and stood up.
Then, a pair of incredibly magnificent azure wings suddenly grew from her back, and nine soul rings—two yellow, two purple, three black, and two red—appeared around her. The temperature in the air began to drop at an extremely exaggerated speed.
"I am Night Rain, Title Azure Luan, Hall Master of the Hall of Elders in the Star Luo Empire."
"!"
Huo Yuhao was startled.
He had heard of the Hall of Elders. It gathered the Star Luo Empire's truly strongest experts and could be said to be the most powerful force in the empire. The weakest among them were at the Title Douluo level, and there was more than one Super Douluo present.
This girl in front of him claimed to be the Hall Master of the Hall of Elders, which meant she was the strongest person in the current Star Luo Empire.
Her status in the Star Luo Empire was no less than that of Xu Jiawei, the Emperor.
Night Rain came before him, extended her hand with a calm expression, and as a ray of light flashed, a small item appeared in her hand.
This was surprisingly another small soul bone. From its appearance, it was a skull bone, its texture like a bright mirror, reflecting dazzling light under the illumination of the lamp.
Night Rain said simply and directly:
"A hundred-thousand-year Mirror Reflection Beast skull bone, in exchange for you becoming my disciple. Are you willing?"
Against the backdrop of the light reflected from the skull bone, her smile looked incredibly sweet.
Huo Yuhao's eyes became somewhat vacant.
He had actually guessed what Night Rain stayed behind to tell him, but he never expected the other party to take out something of such significance.
What had happened to him recently? He gained two top-tier soul bones from the Extreme North Ice Plains, and upon returning to the Star Luo Empire, he was offered two more. Soul bones that others couldn't obtain even if they wanted to, yet within a short period, he was about to acquire his fourth, and they were all top-tier soul bones that were rarely encountered.
Night Rain frowned and waved her hand in front of his eyes.
"What are you thinking about? What's your answer, are you willing or not?"
"...Thank you, Master."
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and bowed in apprenticeship to Night Rain.
What he valued most wasn't the hundred-thousand-year skull bone itself, but Night Rain's attitude.
Her willingness to exchange a treasure of such caliber for him as a disciple showed that she valued him highly enough.
This level of importance was far more precious than the soul bone itself.
"Good, get up, get up quickly."
Night Rain immediately beamed with joy, pulled Huo Yuhao up, placed the soul bone in his hand, and said with great emotion:
"This soul bone has been with me for almost two hundred years. I've finally found someone I can pass it on to."
"What do you mean?"
Huo Yuhao was a little curious.
Since Night Rain hadn't absorbed this soul bone for two hundred years, it meant she already had another skull bone. So why did she keep it?
Although soul masters generally wouldn't sell soul bones, thinking from another perspective, soul bones could be exchanged. A powerful person like Night Rain would certainly have a way to trade this unusable skull bone for another top-tier soul bone.
Night Rain smiled slightly.
"The origin of this soul bone is quite special. Back then, my Master took me to the Extreme North to hunt in order to help me obtain a hundred-thousand-year level ninth soul skill. As a result, we happened to encounter this hundred-thousand-year Mirror Reflection Beast. Although it was a hundred thousand years old, its cultivation was actually close to the level of a fierce beast. In the end, although my Master successfully defeated it and allowed me to absorb its soul ring, he was also severely injured. Before leaving, he specifically instructed me to keep this soul bone for my future disciple, which is why I have kept it for so many years."
Speaking of this, her eyes were filled with satisfaction.
During these two hundred years, she had also been looking for a candidate to take as a disciple.
Who knew that those with suitable talent either had the wrong attribute or already had a lineage? Their lineage emphasized a single line of transmission and prioritizing quality over quantity, treating disciples almost like their own family. Even if they didn't take a disciple, they couldn't just take in any random person, which was why she had held onto this soul bone for two hundred years.
Fortunately, today she finally found a suitable candidate: an ultimate martial soul, twin martial souls, and from the conversation with Xu Jiawei just now, his character was also excellent. Furthermore, he was an unpolished gem that no one else was competing for. She was absolutely delighted now.
She instructed:
"Oh right, I suggest you don't absorb this soul bone right now. I heard you just acquired a torso bone, right? Plus the left arm bone the Emperor gave you, that's two top-tier soul bones. Eating too much at once will upset your stomach. I hope you can wait another month until this competition begins. When you come to Star Luo City to participate, you can absorb it under my protection. How about that?"
"I have no problem."
In fact, Skydream Iceworm and Ice Empress in his Spiritual Sea also advised Huo Yuhao this way.
After all, what Night Rain didn't know was that with this hundred-thousand-year skull bone, Huo Yuhao now had a total of four top-tier soul bones in his possession. Absorbing so many good things at once could easily destabilize his foundation, so it was better to let them settle first.
"Alright, good child."
Night Rain happily laughed again. She stood on her tiptoes and patted Huo Yuhao's head, then took out a black card and handed it to him.
"Here, as a reward for being obedient, here's some pocket money. This is the exclusive black card for the Hall Master of the Hall of Elders, it has one hundred million gold soul coins inside. You can spend it freely within the Star Luo Empire. If it's not enough, just ask your teacher for more."
"..."
Huo Yuhao was completely speechless.
How much?!