The Body Sect didn’t remain quiet for long. They strongly condemned the indiscriminately murderous mission issued by the Illustrious Virtue Hall, and also firmly stated that they had nothing to do with the incident. They then stated that whoever dared to exact revenge on them would have to bear the consequences of their actions.
However, regardless of what the Body Sect said, their standing on the continent had increased greatly. They now seemed even more powerful than Shrek Academy or the Illustrious Virtuous Hall, and appeared to be the top power on the continent.
Huo Yuhao only learned of these things when he woke up. He slept for four days straight before finally waking up in the infirmary. It hadn’t been an act; he’d truly been asleep the entire time.
However, when he woke up, Huo Yuhao felt an odd sensation. It was as if a door in his spiritual world had been opened, as his mind was unusually clear compared to before. His understanding of previously-blurry profound concepts of Necromancy had also improved greatly.
Electrolux was asleep when he woke up, as was the Snow Empress. The Ice Empress and Skydream told Huo Yuhao that the Snow Empress’ seal had been completed, but that her power could only be unsealed once Huo Yuhao had achieved the level of a Soul Sage. In her sleep, the Snow Empress was trying to regain her spiritual awareness.
Everything else appeared to be normal. Huo Yuhao hadn’t become stronger because of the Snow Empress’ successful sealing, but he looked forward to the moment that he would ‘evolve’ like Electrolux had said. How would the Snow Empress fuse with him? What would the evolution reject? If not for the fact that Electrolux was asleep, he would’ve demanded an answer.
The internal chaos within the Illustrious Virtue Hall had nothing to do with Huo Yuhao. However, he was still extremely worried when he woke up. After all, the huge starlight sapphire storage-type soul tool and the giant metal figure were both still inside his storage-type soul tool! He didn’t even have to think to know their significance to the Illustrious Virtue Hall. They’d definitely spare no effort to find them.
Huo Yuhao was extremely worried that they’d search everyone’s storage-type soul tools. If that happened, there was nowhere he could hide them.
“I’m fine now. Can I return to my dormitory?” Huo Yuhao asked the doctor on duty.
The doctor checked his body, nodded his head, and said, “It seems you really are fine. Strange, your brain doesn’t appear to have suffered any trauma, so why were you out for so long?”
Huo Yuhao grimaced and replied, “I don’t know either. Teacher, can I ask what happened that day? How could anyone have the guts to attack the Illustrious Virtue Hall?”
“Shh.” The doctor quickly shushed him and placed a finger to his lips. He then said in a low voice, “We can’t discuss it. The Hallmaster has issued a gag-order. The entire school is feeling jittery, and none of the students or teachers are permitted to leave the school right now.
“Everyone has to undergo interrogation. If not for the fact that you were unconscious, you would’ve been interrogated too. I’ll inform my superiors now that you’ve recovered from your wounds. You can only return to your dormitory once you’ve been questioned. Wait here, I’ll go inform someone.”
The thing he feared the most had come true. Huo Yuhao became noticeably more tense.
What can I do? As Huo Yuhao tensed up, his brain began to spin rapidly.
“The interrogation could be either light or severe,” Huo Yuhao told himself, “I have to consider the worst-case scenario.” At that moment, he took note of his surroundings and then acted immediately.
The doctor soon returned with a strict-looking teacher in tow. Huo Yuhao thought he recognized from the Illustrious Virtue Hall.
“Your name is Huo Yuhao?” The teacher asked coldly as he took out a register.
“Yes.”
“You’re from Shrek Academy?” The teacher continued.
“Yes.”
“On the day that the Illustrious Virtue Hall was attacked, what did you see? What were you doing?” When the teacher asked this question, he waved his hand at the doctor, signalling for him to leave them.
After some thought, Huo Yuhao replied, “That day, I was in the middle of making a soul tool. Just as I finished up one of the component, there was a huge explosion. I’m a spirit-type soul master, thus I have a very astute sense of danger. The moment I sensed that something was amiss, I immediately hid underneath the table. I heard an explosion from outside, while the following terrifying soul power shockwave prevented me from venturing outside. After the battle outside had quieted down, I snuck a peak, and then ran to the side of the Illustrious Virtue Hall. Then, I felt a strong force strike me, then I blacked out.”
Huo Yuhao was able to avoid lying as he answered. What he’d said was the truth of the matter. While he didn’t know if they’d survived the battle, he did knew that there were surveillance type soul tools in the underground facility of the Illustrious Virtue hall. There was no point in arousing the other’s suspicions for a few meaningless details.
After he heard what Huo Yuhao had said, the teacher nodded his head and said, “Anything else? For example, did you discover anything special?”
Huo Yuhao shook his head with a blank look on his face.
In the Ultimate Soldier Plan, they had undergone intensive interrogation training. When he answered these questions, Huo Yuhao’s heart rate and tone were all perfectly normal. Even his eyes didn’t give him away.
The teacher stared at him carefully for a while before slowly shaking his head. He took out a metal stick from the storage-type soul tool on his wrist, and then said, “I have to do a complete sweep of you. Please put all of your soul tools into a storage-type soul tool. When you’re done, pass them to me. You can’t leave anything out.”
Huo Yuhao’s expression turned dark and he replied, “Sorry, teacher, but I have a right to my privacy. I can’t let you search them. I’m an exchange student from Shrek Academy. Even if I’m just an ordinary student here, you have no right to search me.”
The teacher chuckled coldly and replied, “No right? Don’t forget our school’s name: ‘The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.’ We fall under direct imperial jurisdiction. As such, all of our students have sworn loyalty to the imperial family, and our management is semi-military. This is a personal order from His Majesty. Anyone who refuses to be interrogated and searched shall be dealt with as a traitor. I don’t care where you’re from, but since you were in our school at the time of the incident, you must be searched thoroughly. The fact that we didn’t search you while you were recovering is already a gesture to preserve your dignity.”
Huo Yuhao’s face turned red, and he said angrily, “Fine, go ahead and search. Please tell Hallmaster Jing Hongchen that I will report this incident to Shrek Academy. You can only pray that your students will not undergo such treatment at my school!”
As he said that, he placed all his soul tools, including Hongchen’s Blessing, into his belt storage-type soul, which was an imitation of the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges, and the storage-type tool on his wrist. Then, he passed them to the teacher.
When he heard Huo Yuhao’s threat, the teacher’s face softened as he sighed. He said, “Please don’t be too angry. We have no choice here. Even if a prince is in the academy, he’ll be interrogated and searched, too.”
As he said that, he carefully searched Huo Yuhao using the metal stick. Then, he did a sweep of the bed Huo Yuhao slept on just now to ascertain that he had no soul tools concealed there. Only then did he take the few soul tools from Huo Yuhao to search them.
It was easy to search a storage-type soul tool. All he needed to do was direct his spiritual power inside. Of course, more advanced storage-type soul tools could be sealed by their owner’s spiritual power. But Huo Yuhao could not make one at his current level.
“Eh? Why do you have a Rank 9 soul tool on you?” Hongchen’s Blessing quickly caught the teacher’s attention.
Huo Yuhao snorted coldly. “Go and ask Hallmaster Jing Hongchen.”
The teacher took Hongchen’s Blessing from Huo Yuhao’s storage-type soul tool and said, “Come with me.” As he said that, he took out a soul tool that had left an indelible mark on Huo Yuhao’s memory.
A pair of golden handcuffs… Huo Yuhao held his hands out in front of him and said, “You can cuff me and seal my soul power.”
The teacher looked at him suspiciously, but still cuffed Huo Yuhao immediately.
Huo Yuhao said coldly, “Now I’m unable to resist. Good. Now, please ask Hallmaster Jing Hongchen to escort me out. I won’t go with you. I’ll report all unfair treatment to Shrek Academy. Also, please return to me the items that you have checked.”
The teacher never expected Huo Yuhao to be so difficult. If he were not an exchange student, he would have slapped him and dragged him away. However, Huo Yuhao had a unique identity. Before he came, Lin Jiayi had specifically told him to be careful of his attitude regarding Huo Yuhao and avoid causing unnecessary trouble.
After he pondered it for a while, he said, “Wait here.” With that, he turned and left.
Huo Yuhao held his storage-type soul tools, and a faint smile crossed his face. He walked slowly to the edge of the wall and made a gesture, as if he were picking something out of thin air. Then, he put it away in his Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges belt.
That’s right. He had brazenly placed the map he drew of Illustrious Virtue Hall, as well as the starlight sapphire storage-type tool, on the floor.
His Imitation soul skill had been activated the whole time. However, he did not conjure anything, but instead used it to conceal the starlight sapphire and the map, which he had placed on the floor.
Who knew that he would hide the item on the floor in plain view? The teacher would definitely not search the corners of the room like a madman.
Huo Yuhao liked these handcuffs. Their ability to seal his soul power was powerful, indeed. He could not use any of his soul power. However, as a spirit-type soul master, especially one who possessed a second spiritual sea, he could use his spiritual power as a replacement for his soul power when he wanted to use a soul skill.
This referred to his Spirit Eyes, and would not work with his second martial soul, the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion.
Hence, he continued to use Imitation. At the same time, he used his spiritual power to open his storage-type soul tool to put the items away. With the handcuffs, his opponents would not worry about him.
His Hongchen’s Blessing was a decoy for his opponent. It was possible that Jing Hongchen would take this Rank 9 soul tool back. However, compared to the metal man and the map, it was hardly worth anything. Furthermore, Jing Hongchen might not even take it away.
The reason he did not leave with his opponent was that once he left the range of his power, the items would be exposed! With him as the center, Imitation would only work in a five-meter range.
Imitation, which appeared to have no offensive abilities, could be described as a divine skill. Even if his opponents knew that he had this ability, its many uses would leave them careless.
Soon, the teacher was back, along with Lin Jiayi.
“Eh, Yuhao, who cuffed you?” When Lin Jiayi saw the golden handcuffs on Huo Yuhao, he asked that question despite knowing the answer perfectly well.
Huo Yuhao replied, “Please ask this teacher here.”
Lin Jiayi looked at the teacher, vexed, and said, “What an outrage! Uncuff him immediately!”
The teacher nodded and went over to uncuff Huo Yuhao. However, Huo Yuhao shimmered to the side and withdrew his hands, saying, “Don’t! Director Lin, your arrival is timely indeed. I am an exchange student from Shrek Academy, not a convict. Earlier, I was already arrested once. After I discussed the incident with Hallmaster Jing Hongchen, I decided to bear the humiliation. And what a humiliation it was! Why did I do it? For the friendship between our two schools, of course. However, I can’t take this humiliation. What right do you have to search me? Why do you treat me like a convict? If you can’t give me an answer, I shall keep the handcuffs on and save the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy the worry that I am out to harm you guys.”
Lin Jiayi had an ugly expression on his face. He did not expect Huo Yuhao to be so difficult. He coughed and said, “Yuhao, please understand our dilemma. Days ago, you were attacked with us as a bunch of men in black attacked our Illustrious Virtue Hall. We suffered heavy losses, and even the principal was punished by His Majesty. We have no choice but to do a thorough investigation. Furthermore, we found a Rank 9 soul tool that is evidently from Illustrious Virtue Hall. As long as you can answer for it clearly and properly, we will not trouble you any further.”