Western border of the Star Luo Empire.
It was already so deep into the night that you couldn't see the stars or the moon anymore. In fact, it was so dark that, in the wilderness, you couldn't even see your hand if you were to hold it up in front of your face. This time of night was the darkest part of the night, as it was right before the sun would rise in the faraway east, and a new day would begin.
But at that instant, a white light cut through the sky, leaving behind a magnificent glowing tail; it seemed as if the sky had suddenly been cleaved in two.
This white light looked like a meteor that was descending towards the earth. However, it seemed to be slowing down as it fell.
Suddenly, it grew larger, and the white light transformed into a huge platform that was dozens of meters in diameter. Afterwards, several black forms slowly descended to the earth from the platform.
"Ou…"
"Ou—"
The sound of people retching continuously echoed in the night air. Once the white light had disappeared, the dozen-or-so figures that had appeared were either staggering, squatting on the ground, or leaning against tree trunks. Furthermore, over half of them were in the process of vomiting.
"You all have some skills after all." A hoarse voice echoed. An old man with greasy clothes came forwards, a large calabash in hand. Afterwards, he took a large swig of alcohol. This man was one of the elders of the sacred Sea God's Pavilion of Shrek Academy, and was also the commander of the Shrek Guardians, Elder Xuan.
All of the pale-faced figures who were currently puking were obviously the students he'd brought along.
Even the likes of Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng were in a sorry state; they were having a hard time suppressing their gastric fluids.
He Caitou and Xu Sanshi were in the worst state of those with a higher level of cultivation; they were almost unable to suppress their bile. Who told them to have the largest bodies amongst the disciples of the outer courtyard?
Xiao Xiao, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong all threw up several times. Luckily, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had the protection of the latter's Golden Light Left Arm Bone, which had sustained itself with their Haodong Power that they had continuously circulated during their turbulent journey. As such, they were slightly better off than the others.
Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and the others on the preparatory team had thought that their schoolmates were extremely strong. Yet, compared to Elder Xuan, everyone from the official team were nothing.
Elder Xuan had carried the fifteen of them here by himself; he'd maintained that incredible speed for over four hours, crossing what appeared to be over 1500 miles. Furthermore, if you were to compare his current appearance to that of before he'd begun, you wouldn't find any differences. This might have something to do with his flying-type soul tool, but the main reason was due to Elder Xuan's boundless soul power! Of course, his soul tool had been an important factor too; even if it was Elder Xuan, he wouldn't have been able to fly whilst carrying more than ten people for so long with just his power alone. From this, it should be seen just how important soul tools were for the Douluo Continent.
"Little Dai!" Elder Xuan lazily called out.
Dai Yueheng's face twitched, but he still stepped forward and respectfully said, "Elder Xuan."
Elder Xuan said, "When I descended to the ground just now, it created a large ruckus. The army should've discovered us by now. We're currently only about 25 kilometers away from the western army of the Star Luo Empire. They'll probably send someone over here in soon. Go and take care of it while I take a nap. Your body will become weak when your old like me! Luckily, today's food was quite good." Once he'd finished speaking, his muttering figure disappeared without a trace.
As expected, several figures descended from the sky not long afterwards. They were headed towards them.
Dai Yueheng raised his hand towards the sky, then punched the air. Immediately afterwards, a ball of white light appeared around three meters above his head, then slowly spread upwards and morphed into a white halo.
The figures that were descending from the sky immediately locked onto their position, and a total of thirty men clad in tight-fitting black leather armor landed on the ground.
The flying-type soul tools they wearing were also black, although they were slightly different from the ones that Shrek's group had previously received from the army. Their quality seemed comparable to the one manufactured by He Caitou.
When they'd reached the ground, they quickly encircled Shrek's group. Their leader, an old man with a cold expression, then stepped forward.
"Who are you and why did you use a flying-type soul tool to approach our army?" After he'd said this, the old man and the soldiers all released their martial souls.
The surrounding area was instantly lit up from the dazzling radiance of their soul rings. What was surprising was that the old man in front was a Soul Sage. He had three yellow soul rings, two purple, and two black. Even though it wasn't the best combination, it was still quite incredible.
All of the soul masters he'd brought along all had at least four soul rings as well. Furthermore, there were also several Soul Kings among them. However, the youngest of them appeared to be in their thirties.
The white tiger's head engraved on their leather armor gave off a pale white glow beneath the radiance of their soul rings. It's head was very large, and covered the majority of the leather armor. It looked lifelike and was quite awe-inspiring.
Thirty men, all of which were at least Soul Ancestors… this was quite the display of power. It wasn't surprising that they'd been able to arrive so quickly using flying-type soul tools.
"Old Du, you don't recognize me?" Dai Yueheng smiled as he stepped forward.
The old man was immediately taken aback. He shone his soul ring's light on Dai Yueheng's face and carefully scrutinized it. When he confirmed who it was, he was slightly surprised. "Ah! It's the young master! What are you doing here? And who are these people…?"
"They're also students of Shrek Academy," Dai Yueheng replied with a faint smile, "I sent a letter to father earlier. Is he here right now?"
The old man in front of Dai Yueheng's was a member of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion known as Du Leisi. He'd accompanied the White Tiger Duke through several different fronts, and had obtained outstanding achievements. Besides his great power, he also possessed the title of Viscount in the Star Luo Empire. The reason he'd called Dai Yueheng 'young master' rather than 'young duke' was due to the Dai Family's strict rules. For one to inherit the duke's title, they needed to be the most outstanding out of all of the the Duke's consanguineous sons. Therefore, even though he'd already grown up, Dai Yueheng still needed to rely on his own ability to inherit the title. This was also why the other two sons of the Dai Family were trying so hard to become stronger, as they were the only two sons of the Duke's main wife. As for the sons of concubines, only Huo Yuhao existed. However, at this point, even the White Tiger Duke himself must've forgotten about him.
Du Leisi raised his hand, after which all of the soldiers withdrew their martial souls. "I see. The commander should be in the military camp. He should already be up for his morning exercise. I'll lead you and your friends to him."
Dai Yueheng smiled bitterly. "Just look at us, do you really think that we can travel as we are? Let us rest a bit; we'll see father once we've recovered."
Du Leisi said, "Fine. I'll send someone to make a report to the Duke," then called over a Soul King-ranked subordinate and told him a few things to relay. The Soul King jumped up after Du Leisi had finished and used his flying-type soul tool to return to the military camp.
Even though his insides were currently a mess, when Huo Yuhao heard the discussion between Dai Yueheng and Du Leisi, Huo Yuhao's mood changed drastically. His pale face had become red due to the excitement he felt.
He hadn't imagined that he'd be able to meet that person whilst participating in the Elite Continental Soul Master Academy Tournament. Would he really be able to see him?
Half of his life had come from this man. Yet, ever since the day he'd been born, he'd never once seen this 'father' of his.
Huo Yuhao's memory regarding him consisted of a single picture: It was the picture of him that his mother used to draw on the ground with a tree branch. When she had, his mother's eyes would become full of gentleness and devotion
Huo Yuhao remembered his mother say that the fact that she'd been able to stay together with him and bear his son were the best things that had happened in her life. She wouldn't regret her actions, even if she wasn't ever able to see him again.
Was he really such a great person? Huo Yuhao clenched his fist so tightly that his nails left deep marks in his palms.
"Will he recognize you?" Wang Dong gently whispered into Huo Yuhao's ear. Only he was privy to Huo Yuhao's background. As such, he was a little anxious right now; he was worried for Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao shook his head lightly. How could he possibly recognize him if he hadn't ever seen him? Inside of the Duke's Mansion, he was nothing more than a small handyman inferior to even the domestic servants. Moreover, his appearance had gone through an earth-shaking transformation over the last year.
Wang Dong could see that Huo Yuhao's body was as taut as a wire. Thus, he reminded him in a low voice, "Waiting ten years to take revenge isn't too long for a wise man. Yuhao, try to calm down a bit."
"I know." Huo Yuhao nodded. He knew that he had to stay calm. However, doing so was easier said than done!
After two hours of rest, they'd more or less recovered from the aftereffects of their flight. Their complexions were still ugly, but they'd recovered most of their soul power and physical strength. Currently, even if a true delicacy were placed front of them, they wouldn't even be able to touch it.
Dai Yueheng informed everyone of Du Leisi and the other soul masters' background. They were all soldiers who'd been personally chosen by the White Tiger Duke, the White Tiger Bodyguards. They only followed the Duke's orders, and also resided in the Duke's Mansion.
Of those in the White Tiger bodyguards, everyone was at least a Soul Elder. Moreover, one's families needed to have held a position inside the Duke's Mansion for at least three generation before one was eligible to become one of the White Tiger Bodyguards. Therefore, besides them being very strong, they were also extremely loyal.
The White Tiger Bodyguards had a total of five hundred members and were the White Tiger Duke's biggest trump card. They had several different types of soul tools, and they were always present at the Duke's side. Wherever he went, they went. Of course, the treatment they received was also the best. Every single one of them had their own residences inside of the Duke's Mansion. As such, it was obvious how important they were to the Duke.
When he'd lived inside of the Duke's Mansion, Huo Yuhao had also seen the White Tiger bodyguards a few times. But because of his status at the time, it had been impossible for him to even approach them.
Now that they'd recovered, everyone once again ascended into the air. After being tormented by Elder Xuan, they all began to enjoy the feeling of flying slowly. At the very least, their complexions improved somewhat from doing so. If one were to use Elder Xuan's previous speed along with both his strength and his flying-type soul tool as references, they'dd be able to calculate that Elder Xuan would be able to travel to any corner of the entire Douluo continent within a week. Huo Yuhao was growing more and more curious about Elder Xuan's true strength. The latter shouldn't be just any Titled Douluo; it was likely that even Dean Yan Shaozhe wouldn't be able to compete with Elder Xuan in cultivation alone.
At that moment, the sky had already begun to brighten; the sun had risen from the east and bathed their bodies in a faint golden glow.
A large military camp slowly appeared in front of them. This camp was set up right next to the mountains, while a few more camps were visible in the Ming Dou Mountain Range itself.
The word 'military camp' was somewhat inaccurate; the undulating cotton walls to the west of the camp were over thirty meters tall and nearly fifty meters wide. Just how large of a project was this!?
Even though it wasn't quite daytime yet, an endless number of military carriages that were carrying blocks of stone away from the mountains could still be seen.
At that moment, Dai Yueheng was flying relatively close to Huo Yuhao. Their relationship had deepened slightly after their previous talk. He smiled and asked, "Yuhao, is this your first time visiting an army camp?"
Huo Yuhao nodded.
Seemingly familiar with the matter, Dai Yueheng explained, "The southern, eastern, and southeastern regions of our Star Luo Empire borders the ocean. We're second only to the Sun Moon Empire in size. Our army consists of two sub-armies: the Eastern Army and the Northern Army. Of these, the Eastern Army is the most important, as it has to guard against the Sun Moon Empire. Its total military strength numbers around five hundred thousand."
"The Ming Dou Mountain Range has treacherous and ever-changing terrain, making it extremely hard for troops to march through. Furthermore, every country now has specialised soul masters who scout the mountain range every day. Both the Sun Moon Empire and our empire station our troops at a relatively low-lying part of the mountain range that's advantageous for them, of which there are only three in the entire mountain range. The mountain range itself spreads towards the south, and takes up almost two-thirds of the border; the other third is a soul beast-containing forest that's around half the size of the Great Star Dou Forest. This forest is known as the Great Ming Dou Forest, and is an area populated by a variety of soul beasts. It isn't as dangerous to us soul masters as the Great Star Dou Forest, but it's even more dangerous than the former to an army. This is due to the fact that the soul beasts there are even more aggressive than the ones in the Great Star Dou Forest. It's because of this, that we've stationed our troops at relatively low-lying parts of the Ming Dou Mountain Range.
"Oh, right. Yuhao, I haven't asked you this yet, but where are you from?"
Huo Yuhao had originally calmed down somewhat when he heard Dai Yueheng's explanation, but his expression changed yet again when he heard this question. He lowered his head and said, "I'm also a citizen of the Star Luo Empire."
"Oh? Which part of the Star Luo Empire? I didn't think that we'd be fellow citizens!" The smile on Dai Yueheng's face grew much larger.
"A small village near Star Luo City," Huo Yuhao replied, "I'm sure that you wouldn't have heard of it."
Dai Yueheng chuckled. "Even better! Not only are we fellow citizens, we're even from the same area. I also grew up near Star Luo City!"
As the two conversed with each other, they arrived at the army camp. However, the White Tiger Bodyguards who were leading the way didn't descend. Du Leisi, who'd led the pack, raised his right hand and released something similar to a flare that released a multicoloured array of light. Afterwards they continued forwards unobstructed.
However, Huo Yuhao was able to tell with his visual acuity that a large number of defensive fortifications had immediately reacted the moment they'd approached the barracks. A somber atmosphere seemed to have pervaded the entire camp. Even though it was still early in the morning, a large number of soldiers had already begun their training drills. Not only were they orderly, but they also released an awe-inspiringly murderous air; they seemed like a pack of iron-blooded lions.
"The Eastern Army has the most elite troops within the Star Luo Empire," Dai Yueheng proudly said. "The hundred thousand men from the Central Legion you see in front of us are elites amongst elites."
Even though Huo Yuhao hadn't ever seen his biological father before, he was still somewhat aware of the inner workings of the White Tiger Dukedom. As the marshal of the empire, the White Tiger Duke commanded the Eastern Army. At the same time, he was also the Legion Commander of the Eastern Army's Central Legion. The amount of trust that the Star Luo Empire's imperial family had in him could be seen from this. Supposedly, the hundred thousand men in the Central Legion were enough to rival the combined fighting strength of all of the other soldiers in the Star Luo Empire. Although this was somewhat of an exaggeration, the strength of the Central Legion could be clearly seen with a single glance.
They flew past one barrack after another. Once they'd flown for nearly fifteen minutes more, a large, leather tent appeared in their field of vision.
This leather tent was much larger than the other army tents. Furthermore, it was hexagonal in shape, and was made entirely of dark-brown leather. There weren't too many guards around it. Only two squads of the White Tiger Bodyguards, each of which numbering about thirty, patrolled the perimeter.
Huo Yuhao's gaze quickly landed on a single person who was standing in front of the large tent. Although their figure was somewhat unclear, he was still able to sense a startling pressure from them; it was the sort of tyrannical pressure that came from the combination of a powerful cultivation and an aura of slaughter. That person seemed to be training his fists, though he hadn't released his martial soul. His movements were simple and succinct, yet a muffled explosion of air would appear whenever he punched outwards.
Du Leisi, who'd been flying in front, slowed down, then descended along with everyone behind him. They began to sense the violent fluctuations in the air when they were a hundred or meters in the air.
Huo Yuhao focused his gaze and was able to clearly see the man in front of them. He was currently facing towards them, his golden hair fluttering freely about in the wind. His upper body was naked, which revealed his rugged, copper-colored muscles. His tall figure was almost two meters in height, and one could see just how stalwart his chiseled face was from the side.
His seemingly slow movements had a very natural and flowing tempo to them. Every step he took and every punch he released were followed by a muffled explosion of air. The valiant undulations of qi and blood he was releasing had reached the very pinnacle, which in turn caused Huo Yuhao to feel his blood roil about somewhat as he continued to stare.
That man slowly pulled back his fist, then stood up straight as if he'd sensed their arrival. He exhaled, inhaled deeply, then released a lion-like roar. A gale instantly erupted in the several hundred meters surrounding the leather tent; it truly resembled the descent of an actual lion. The stern aura coming from him caused every single disciple of Shrek Academy to feel their hair stand on end.
The pressure that Ma Xiaotao emanated during battle was already relatively astonishing, but she was still quite a ways away from the tall man in front of them.
Is that him? Huo Yuhao was stunned, and all sorts of mixed feelings suddenly arose in his heart. He'd never expected to meet his father in such a situation. Was this the man that his mother could never forget? The man who she held no regret for, even when she lay on her deathbed?
As everyone slowly landed, the foremost Du Leisi had already stepped forward. He bowed slightly and said, "Marshal, the young master and people from Shrek Academy have arrived."
Everyone was able to see his full appearance at this point: He didn't look a day over thirty, and his facial features were proper. His deep azure eyes each contained flickering pupils. He looked somewhat thin, yet his entire body gave off a metallic feeling. This was especially true of his gaze, which flickered like an enormous blade as it swept across everyone, which caused them to involuntarily stop moving. However, his gaze quickly turned warm.
Handsome, stalwart, tall, and an iron-blooded temperament. When they saw him, even the Heaven's Chosen of Shrek Academy felt like serving him. An extraordinary splendor repeatedly flickered through Ma Xiaotao's eyes; a steel-like man like this was just her type.
Dai Yueheng stepped out of line, then took a few quick steps forward. He kneeled down in front of that tall man, then said respectfully, "Father."
There was no doubt about it—the tall man in front of them was definitely the current Iron-Blooded War God who stood above everybody in the Star Luo Empire, Dai Hao. He was also Dai Yueheng and Dai Huabin's father, as well as Huo Yuhao's…
The moment Dai Yueheng said the word 'father', Huo Yuhao felt all the blood in his body surge towards his head. His eyes instantly turned red, and he was nearly unable to control the flood of emotions he felt.
It's him, it's him! This is the person my mother was harmed by, yet couldn't forget. He's the father I've never seen before! It's truly him…
His mother's smiling face instantly filled every corner of Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, and he nearly began to cry.
Wang Dong silently stepped to the side, blocking Huo Yuhao from view. At the same time, he stretched his right hand out, planning to sober him up by grabbing his sleeve. However, he didn't think that his hand would just so happen to grab Huo Yuhao's special area.
Wang Dong's body stiffened, and he immediately let go as if he'd been electrocuted. His pretty face instantly turned bright red, but luckily everyone else had been captivated by the White Tiger Duke.
Oddly enough however, his grab was incredibly effective. Huo Yuhao only felt his lower body tighten up, and his originally teary eyes vanished. The mixed feelings in his eyes subsequently transformed into those of astonishment. Even though Wang Dong hadn't used much force, the feeling of being assaulted caused him to wake with a shudder.
"What're you doing?" Huo Yuhao whispered astonished.
Wang Dong acted as if nothing had happened. "Waking you up a bit."
"Then do you want me to grab that part of your body when I wake you up next time?"
"Screw off…"
Despite what had happened, Huo Yuhao's heart had stabilised quite a bit after this interruption. Furthermore, he and Wang Dong were standing in the back, which had made their actions difficult to notice.
At that moment, Dai Yueheng stood up and whispered a few words to the White Tiger Duke Dai Hao, who then took a few large strides and smiled. "Greetings to Teacher Wang Yan and the various talented students from Shrek Academy."
"Greetings to the lord Duke." Wang Yan lead the inner courtyard disciples and outer courtyard disciples behind them in bowing to the White Tiger Duke. The Duke wasn't just the marshal; he also stood at the apex of nobility on the entire continent. Naturally, they're manners couldn't be lacking.
The White Tiger Duke shook hands with Wang Yan, then said, "Everyone, please step inside. Let this Marshal act as a host now."
Wang Yan smiled, then replied in a neither servile nor overbearing manner, "There's no need for Lord Duke to be so polite. We've come this time to carry out our mission. It'll be enough if Lord Duke can just give us some clues to help us out. We know that you have a multitude of problems to deal with every day, so we won't bother you too much."
The White Tiger Duke didn't attempt to remain, he simply nodded slightly. "Since that's the case, Elder Du, you're in charge of taking care of these distinguished guests. If any of you wish to join the army once you've graduated, the Central Legion of my Star Luo Empire's Western Army will always have its gates' open to you. You might not get paid very well here. However, this is the best choice for men who want to accomplish something in life."
Ma Xiaotao suddenly spoke up, "Lord Duke, are you looking down on us women?"
The White Tiger Duke was slightly stunned. He couldn't help but reveal a trace of astonishment on his face when saw Ma Xiaotao; from his point of view, the young and beautiful woman in front of him held a wild aura. Furthermore, she clearly wasn't weak.
"It's not that I'm looking down on you, but because there are many inconveniences for women within the barracks. However, your cultivation is another cup of tea. If you're willing to follow this marshal after graduating, I'd be honored to accept you."
Ma Xiaotao revealed a brilliant smile, then remained silent; she looked very pleased.
Wang Yan was somewhat helpless. Even though he was the leader of the group in name, he was still inferior to Ma Xiaotao when it came to cultivation. Naturally, he couldn't restrict a brilliant student like her. He apologetically said, "Lord Duke, we won't bother you anymore then."
"Alright then. I hope that I'll have the chance to meet all of you again." Once he'd said this, the White Tiger Duke turned towards the leather tent and entered it.
Huo Yuhao felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders when he saw the White Tiger Duke disappear into the leather tent. He'd never felt this nervous before—not even during his fight against Wu Feng when he was much weaker. Currently, he felt like he was about to collapse.
Du Leisi led them to another tent, where he allowed them to rest after he'd arranged for some food to be brought to them. Afterwards, he went to gather the information that they needed. Before he left, he glanced at Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao with a somewhat doubtful look in his eyes.
Wang Yan said, "We'll rest for six hours after we finish eating, then head into the Ming Dou Mountain Range. I'm confident that we'll have the information we need by then."
Everyone was somewhat exhausted after yesterday's journey. Their current task was to ensure that their bodies were in peak condition before they set out for a fight in the mountains.
Xu Sanshi couldn't help but ask, "Teacher Wang, since the White Tiger Bodyguards beneath the White Tiger Duke are so strong, why hasn't the Duke simply sent them to eliminate the bandits?"
"He has," Dai Yueheng replied for Wang Yan, "however, if he sends too many people, they'll catch wind of it and run away. Contrarily, if he sends too few people, it won't be of much use. The bandits from the Hand of Death are both rather strong and extremely crafty. They might even have a few spies planted within the army. Father has sent several people in the past to eliminate them, yet they've all returned without any success and a large number of losses. The area in which the bandits have stationed themselves is an extremely sensitive part of the border, thus the Central Legion can only endure silently, in order to prevent a needless war. As students of Shrek Academy, we're different; we aren't restricted by any countries. As such, we must make sure to thoroughly wipe them out this time."
Once they'd finished eating, everyone immediately began meditating and recuperating. This was already a familiar task to the inner courtyard disciples, while Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, He Caitou, and Jiang Nannan were relatively older, thus they were able to take everything in somewhat quicker. However, Huo Yuhao's trio were merely twelve years old. This task was truly a bit too early for them. From another standpoint, they were just kids.
However, this matter had been decided by Elder Xuan, and nobody present could change that. Wang Yan clearly understood that Elder Xuan hadn't done this in order to allow the preperatory team to directly participate in the massacre. Rather, he wanted them to experience what a mission was like first-hand, and hasten the growth of their mental maturity. No matter how good the academy's tests and live-combat training was, it was still incomparable to the improvements gained from a real battle in a situation like this. In reality, the main combatants in this mission would be the seven from the inner courtyard.
Elder Xuan didn���t enter their barracks, as he wasn't willing to concern himself with government officials. With his strength and status, he alone could represent Shrek Academy. However, an old man like him would never lose track of his students. Furthermore, he was confident that he could carry these young people through a battle if need be.
After six hours of meditation, everyone's exhaustion had been swept away. Noon had already passed, and after they'd eaten the lunch that Du Leisi's men had left for them, Du Leisi himself brought over the information that the Central Legion had gathered over for them.
According to the information he'd gathered, the Hand of Death mainly carried out its activities in and around the central region of the Ming Dou Mountain Range. When they had a designated target, they'd rush down the mountain and plunder them at the greatest possible speed. The entire bandit group numbered around three hundred in total, all of whom were young men in the prime of their lives. Of them, about a tenth of their entire group were soul masters. Unexpectedly, nobody knew who the leader of their leader was; the only thing they knew was that he was at the very least a Soul King. Nobody knew exactly how strong he was.
The reason why there was so little information about them was because the Hand of Death never left any survivors; their methods were extremely brutal.
The most recent piece of information was from roughly half a month ago: They'd fled into the Ming Dou Mountain Range after looting a group of merchants. This report also included the general direction in which they'd fled.
The army only had this much information because there was a possibility of a quarrel if they were to enter the domain of the Sun Moon Empire. As such, the Western Army couldn't help them out at all, to the extent that they couldn't even bring the flying-type soul tools they'd been lent into the mountains.
However, time was of the essence; they still had to participate in the Continental Advanced Academy Soul Duelling Tournament. Hence, they immediately set off once they'd obtained a map. They first flew to the entrance to the mountains under the guidance of the White Tiger bodyguards, then descended and handed back their flying-type soul tools. After that, they immediately entered the Ming Dou Mountain Range and began to utilize the map provided by the army to navigate the mountains.
"Maintain your formation. Dai Yueheng, Chen Zifeng, and I will remain in front. Control-type and auxiliary-type soul masters will remain ten meters behind us. Huo Yuhao, come over here. Follow me, and make sure to keep your Spiritual Detection up. Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, you two keep up the rear. Let's set off!"
The person who'd sent out their commands was their leader, Ma Xiaotao. Huo Yuhao felt very depressed when he was expropriated by her. Thus, he could only follow her orders and release his Spiritual Detection Sharing.
His omni-purpose skill once again helped enormously. In complicated terrain such as a mountainous forest, the three-dimensional image provided by his Spiritual Detection was an enormous benefit. Even though Huo Yuhao could only extend it ten meters from him, these ten meters were still enough to allow everyone to enjoy its benefits.
With Ma Xiaotao's trio leading the way, they travelled forwards at an extremely rapid pace. The effectiveness of Chen Zifeng's Soulchasing Sword was extremely evident; as he hold his sword in front of them, the brambles in front of them were all cut apart rather quickly. Combined with Dai Yueheng and Ma Xiaotao's strengths, they were easily able to cut a smooth path through the foliage in front of them. They'd already penetrated deep into the Ming Dou Mountain Range by the time that the sky had begun to dim.
When Wang Yan saw that the sky was beginning to dim, he reminded Ma Xiaotao, "Let's let everyone take a rest and eat something."
Ma Xiaotao nodded. "Everyone, let's rest where we are for now. Don't light a fire, so that we don't alert them inadvertently. I'm afraid that we'll have to continue our search throughout the night."
The students sat in a circle to rest, but Teacher Wang Yan soundlessly left. Ma Xiaotao didn't pay any attention to the fact that he'd left. Instead, she turned towards Dai Yueheng, who was next to her, and said, "Dai Yueheng, your father's rather handsome."
"When my father was young, he was the number one noble of our Star Luo Empire," Dai Yueheng indifferently replied, "it wasn't because of his looks, but because of his ability. He didn't enter our Shrek Academy to study, but rather followed his father onto the battlefield at the age of thirteen. He began as an ordinary soldier, then was able to accumulate enough merits to be promoted to a squadron leader, then a team leader, then a mid-team leader, then a large-team leader, then a battalion commander, then a regimental commander… all the way up until he managed to become a Legion Commander at the mere age of twenty-three. At that time, nobody knew where he'd come from. After a large battle, my father achieved outstanding merits, and was called to the imperial capital to hold a post. When he accepted a reward from His Majesty, His Majesty recognised him due to the similarities in his appearance and my grandfather's. Overjoyed, His Majesty entrusted the Western Army's Central Legion to him. Furthermore, he even stated that 'with Dai Hao, the empire will have no worries for a hundred years' in front of all of the ministers."
Ma Xiaotao's eyes lit up. "If you put it that way, is your father still a hero?"
Dai Yueheng revealed a trace of pride in his eyes. "My grandfather said that father's talent is comparable to that of our ancestor's, the leader of the first generation of Shrek's Seven Monsters. Father is now forty-three years old, and he's commanded the army for twenty years already. How could the number of battles he's participated in be limited to just a thousand? You know how strong the Sun Moon Empire is, but my Star Luo Empire's western border has always been invulnerable to attack. That's all due to the presence of my father! If we were to say that only one person could be called a hero in my Star Luo Empire, then that title definitely deserves to go to my father!"
Ma Xiaotao's eyes immediately brightened even more. "Then how many wives does your father have?"
Dai Yueheng was stunned, and his gaze immediately turned somewhat strange. "Only my mother. In our generation, there's only my brother Huabin and I. My father's extremely self-disciplined in the field of women. He's always said 'if a man can't control his lust towards women, he won't have any large accomplishments'. Why do you ask?"
Ma Xiaotao stared at him, "Can't I admire him? A man like your father is definitely a true man. You should learn from him."
A light flickered through Dai Yueheng's eyes. "Once we've finished this task, I'll have completed thirty Guardian missions. Once I've graduated from the academy, I'll enter the army. However, I won't stay in the Western Army; I'll head to the North, even though there are fewer wars there. I want to follow the same path as my father: I want to carve out my own path, solely relying on myself."