Chapter 3 Target: Shrek Academy!
Scenes from the past flashed before my eyes.
Huo Qing tried to hide the tears welling up in her eyes, and when she raised her head again, her face had returned to calm.
He slowly walked to Huo Ling'er's side, placed his palm on the back of her right hand, and covered the lotus-shaped birthmark in his palm.
"Ling'er," his voice was incredibly gentle, "put your martial spirit away."
"Dad, is my martial spirit... the White Tiger?"
Looking up at her father with clear eyes, Huo Ling'er's eyes were filled with deep hope.
"Um."
Huo Qing gave a noncommittal reply and gently patted her shoulder.
"Child, this is not important..."
Before he could finish speaking, Huo Jiang's eyes flashed, and he preemptively offered Huo Ling'er some words of 'comfort':
"The White Tiger Martial Soul is the number one Martial Soul in the Star Luo Empire, even more powerful than the Netherworld Cat!"
"However, women who inherit the White Tiger Martial Soul find it difficult to cultivate."
Huo Qing's eyes darkened, and his expression became serious as he faced his daughter's expectant gaze.
"Ling'er, remember this: in this world, there are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters."
He said that because he couldn't bear to hurt the child's self-esteem.
In truth, deep down, he didn't care at all whether Huo Ling'er could cultivate.
On the contrary, he would prefer that she was just an ordinary child.
She was a gift from God when he was at his most desperate. All he wanted was to raise her well and protect her for the rest of his life.
If he could, he would prefer to keep this secret to himself forever.
·
One year later.
After finishing her meditation, Huo Ling'er pushed open the door, walked into the courtyard, and stared blankly at a twin lotus in the pond.
She was confused as to why her father wouldn't teach her cultivation.
The method she uses for meditation was something Su Chengyu secretly taught her after she asked him for advice.
"Brother Cheng Yu, I've reached level nine!"
A soft, sweet voice came from behind them. She pulled Su Chengyu towards the pond, becoming more and more excited as she spoke.
"My dad said that once I break through to level ten, he will take the two of us to the Star Luo Forest to hunt soul beasts."
"Once we have spirit rings, we can become true spirit masters!"
Su Chengyu nodded perfunctorily, but his gaze involuntarily drifted to Huo Ling'er, who was leaning against the pond railing.
"When the time comes, let Uncle take Ling'er with him. She's already level ten..."
Before he could finish speaking, Huo Yao interrupted him, retorting unhappily:
"My father said that the women of the White Tiger family are incapable of cultivation, so even if they have a soul ring, it won't help them."
"Besides, all the white tigers in the Star Luo Empire are kept by the White Tiger Duke's family, so it's impossible to encounter them in the Star Luo Forest."
But Su Chengyu's gaze wouldn't leave Huo Ling'er; he frowned slightly, "But..."
Su Chengyu's mother was the eldest daughter of the Huo family. He inherited his mother's martial spirit and grew up in the Fengying Lingmao family with Huo Ling'er and Huo Yao.
Huo Yao enjoyed playing with him, but he always silently paid attention to Huo Ling'er, which made Huo Yao increasingly dislike Huo Ling'er.
"Brother Cheng Yu, don't worry about Xin'er! She's different from us. Her martial soul means she can't cultivate. My dad said he'll arrange a marriage for her when she turns fifteen, so she can get married and have children like an ordinary person. But we will become real soul masters in the future, and our paths are completely different from hers."
Upon hearing Huo Yao's words, Huo Ling'er couldn't help but turn around.
A stubborn glint flashed in his clear eyes as he spoke to her, word by word:
"One day, I will become a true Soul Master, and then we'll see who's stronger!"
Huo Yao sneered and pretended to be generous, saying:
"Sure, if you want to compete, then compete. There's no need to wait until 'someday'."
"Aren't you a genius with 'innate full soul power'? Come, let me see how much you've improved in the past year?"
Over the past year, with Huo Jiang's help, Huo Yao took a Soul-Boosting Pill, which rapidly increased her soul power. Moreover, Huo Jiang also taught her the practical combat technique, 'Cat Shadow Step'.
She was full of confidence when facing Huo Ling'er.
"No!" Su Chengyu grabbed Huo Yao, trying to sabotage the situation.
"Yaoyao, why are you fighting? The adults will scold us..."
"Hmph, Brother Chengyu, she provoked me first," Huo Yao said angrily, pushing him away. "Whose side are you on?"
She didn't want to listen to his nonsense anymore, and with a move called "Wind Shadow Flowing Clouds," she darted out like a black shadow.
Although the Wind Shadow Cat is not as fast as the Netherworld Cat, it is still an agility-based attacker and remains one of the fastest in the Douluo Continent.
A long, bluish-gray cat claw shot out from its fingertips and mercilessly grabbed at Huo Ling'er's back.
Huo Ling'er did not move.
She was even stunned for a moment.
Just as Huo Yao's cat paw was about to touch her back, she looked down and noticed a faint red light shining on the back of her right hand.
Danger!
The next second,
"Aww—"
The phantom of a white tiger bloomed behind her in an instant, letting out a furious roar.
His cold, malevolent eyes stared at Huo Yao, completely ignoring the five scratch marks her fingertips had left on his left shoulder.
The tiger's paw lifted slightly.
Immediately afterwards, a slap landed, sending Huo Yao flying.
"Yao Yao!"
Su Chengyu gasped in shock.
Huo Yao was seen flying backwards and crashing heavily to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
At this moment, she lay pitifully on the ground, her cat ears and tail bristling with fear.
The next second, the phantom of 'Wind Shadow Cat' could no longer be maintained and shrank back into her body.
Su Chengyu glanced at Huo Ling'er in shock.
With just one slap, she managed to beat Huo Yao like this!
Upon hearing the commotion, the nearby servants immediately rushed over.
Good heavens, what did they see?
Huo Ling'er's left arm was torn, revealing five striking red scratch marks.
And Huo Yao...
She coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground, terrifying everyone into a panic.
Immediately, the servants were in a panic and quickly helped Huo Yao up.
Everyone knew that the young lady was the apple of the family head's eye, so they immediately sent someone to the Protectorate to inform Huo Jiang.
·
One hour later.
Huo Jiang glared at Huo Ling'er, who stood tall and refused to admit her mistake, and roared:
"How dare you lay such a cruel hand on my cousin! The Wind Shadow Cat Clan will not tolerate such a brutal person as you!"
As he spoke, he turned to Huo Qing, his gaze intense and piercing.
"Send her back to the White Tiger Duke's Mansion immediately! She shouldn't have stayed with the Wind Shadow Cat Clan!"
Huo Ling'er bit her lower lip tightly, gently rubbing her palms, which were red from being hit with the ruler. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.
"I did nothing wrong."
Throughout the entire ordeal, she only uttered this one sentence.
The mild-mannered Su Chengyu never dared to interrupt in front of adults. However, looking at Huo Ling'er's restrained expression, his heart suddenly trembled, and he mustered his courage to speak:
"Uncle, in this matter… Ling'er and Yao Yao are both at fault. I, I was wrong too. I should have stopped them in time. Please give Ling'er another chance."
Huo Yao had been crying and making a fuss for a while before Huo Jiang calmed her down. Upon hearing Su Chengyu's words, tears welled up in her eyes again.
"Brother Chengyu, why are you taking the blame upon yourself? She was the one who said she was going to hit me first, why didn't you help me?!"
Compared to others who only saw the results, Huo Yao was the most panicked.
Her tears weren't faked; she was genuinely terrified, her fear reaching its peak.
She had to expel Huo Ling'er from the Fengying Lingmao family immediately, otherwise, she would have nightmares every night from now on.
Before she made her move, she thought Huo Ling'er was just a spineless coward who was using someone else's power to intimidate her. But when the coward's sharp claws came crashing down on her, she almost suffocated.
Huo Yao trembled all over, with only one thought in her mind—
She...has changed!
Even though her soul power is still at level ten, she is no longer the Huo Ling'er she was a year ago!
Huo Jiang, naturally unable to bear seeing his daughter suffer, scolded Huo Ling'er again.
This time, Huo Qing stopped him.
"Alright, I will give you a satisfactory explanation."
As he spoke, Huo Qing turned to Huo Ling'er, whose face was full of stubbornness, and couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.
Both he and Dai Wan were gentle in nature, and they almost never had conflicts with others throughout their lives, always yielding to others when things happened.
Who does this child resemble?
"Ling'er, don't be afraid."
He crouched down, looking directly into Huo Ling'er's clear, bright eyes.
"Since the Wind Shadow Cat family can't tolerate you, then let's leave."
"You have two choices now. One is to send you back to the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, where your blood relatives will be, but... it may not be suitable for you, and your father can't go with you. The other is to go to Shrek Academy. Your father promises to work hard for you and try to get into the inner academy."
Huo Jiang sneered.
"Shrek Academy? Do you think Shrek Academy is a shelter? It's the number one academy on Douluo Continent that only accepts monsters and not ordinary people."
The two brothers had already lost their temper, so Huo Qing saw no need to hold back any longer and retorted in a deep voice.
"Can't Ling'er's martial spirit be considered a monster?"
He could give everything to Huo Jiang in his life, but Huo Ling'er didn't need to do the same.
Since he has decided to become her father, he must cherish her for the rest of his life and let her be her true self.
Huo Qing certainly wouldn't tell Huo Jiang—
Eight years ago, when he had just broken through to the Soul Emperor realm, he had a chance encounter with Elder Bai of the Sea God Pavilion in Shrek City. Elder Bai was impressed by his spirited and righteous nature and wanted to take him as his disciple, but he declined because he had promised to travel the world with Dai Wan.
Now, it's uncertain whether Elder Bai will still accept him, but for Huo Ling'er's sake, he's willing to give it a try.
"Ling'er, tell your father your choice."
Huo Qing gently patted Huo Ling'er's shoulder, encouraging her to speak her true feelings.
"I choose Shrek."
End of this chapter...