Chapter 8: Formal Apprenticeship, Netherworld White Tiger Left Arm Bone
"However," Lin Yu's tone shifted, his voice turning icy once more, "the death penalty may be waived, but punishment is inescapable! How can today's humiliation go unpunished?"
His gaze, sharp as lightning, swept over Dai Hao and the Duchess. "Dai Hao, considering you still have some remorse and have acknowledged Yuhao, hand over the Netherworld White Tiger Left Arm Bone—the inheritance of your White Tiger Duke's Mansion—as compensation for the years of debt you owe your son! Bring it forth immediately!"
Dai Hao's entire body shook violently. The Netherworld White Tiger Left Arm Bone!
That was a supreme treasure passed down through the White Tiger clan for tens of thousands of years. It was one of the top-tier soul bones, containing a trace of the ancient Netherworld White Tiger's power, and was a true symbol of the Duke's Mansion's foundation.
To hand it over? The price was... but he glanced at Lin Yu's cold eyes and then at Huo Yuhao's stubborn figure. He had no doubt that if he uttered the word "no," the opponent would crush him without hesitation.
"...Yes." Dai Hao's voice was dry, as if he had aged ten years in an instant. He turned his head with difficulty and spoke hoarsely to the Soul Saint attendant in the corner, who was already paralyzed with fear: "Go... to the secret room... fetch... the Netherworld White Tiger Left Arm Bone... Quick!"
The Soul Saint, as if granted a great reprieve, scrambled out of the room.
"As for you," Lin Yu looked toward the Duchess, "for your malicious words and wicked heart, you shall slap your own face a hundred times as a warning to others! Right here, in front of everyone, do it yourself! If the strikes are too light, I shall help you do it 'properly'!"
The Duchess was so terrified her body went limp, but Lin Yu's command was like divine law.
Under the horrified gazes of the crowd, she tremblingly raised her hand. With endless humiliation and fear, she struck her well-maintained face hard!
Slap!
The crisp sound of the slap echoed in the deathly silent courtyard, accompanied by her suppressed sobbing, sounding exceptionally piercing.
Lin Yu stopped watching the farce and walked over to Huo Yuhao and Huo Yun'er.
Huo Yun'er had long been rendered nearly numb by the series of events, merely clutching her son's hand tightly. Huo Yuhao looked at Lin Yu, his eyes filled with gratitude, awe, and a trace of excitement at having found a true pillar of support.
"Benefactor..." Huo Yuhao's voice was slightly choked.
Lin Yu looked at him with a profound gaze. "Remember today. Remember the suffering your mother endured, and remember the hatred and unwillingness in your heart. Strength is the foundation for protection and for reclaiming justice. From this day forward, you shall be my, Lin Yu's, named disciple."
Hearing this, a surge of joy dispersed the hatred in Huo Yuhao's eyes. Without hesitation, he dropped to his knees and kowtowed heavily three times to Lin Yu:
"Disciple Huo Yuhao pays respects to Master!"
"Mhm."
Lin Yu accepted it calmly.
He glanced at the Duchess, who was still mechanically slapping herself with high, swollen cheeks, and at Dai Hao, who knelt on the ground, lost in despair. Finally, his gaze turned toward the direction where the Soul Saint had gone to fetch the soul bone.
"Once we have the item, we leave. This filthy place is disgusting to stay in for even a moment longer."
Lin Yu's voice carried a trace of imperceptible fatigue. Forcing his power to suppress Dai Hao was no small burden on his recovering body. He needed to find a place to rest quietly as soon as possible and begin unraveling more of his seals.
Aside from the fact that Lin Yu genuinely felt Huo Yuhao's original story was tragic, there was a more important reason for helping him: to make Huo Yuhao utterly devoted to him.
Huo Yuhao was the most significant pawn for dealing with that "God-King Tang" in the future. Imagine when Huo Yuhao eventually ascends to a God-King position, only for Tang San to discover that Huo Yuhao was actually an undercover agent.
Lin Yu couldn't even imagine how beautiful that scene would be.
Of course, that was all in the future. What Lin Yu needed to do now was build his own faction. Just as the Silver Dragon King had the Great Star Dou Forest and the Great Savage Beasts as her strength, he needed his own. Otherwise, doing everything himself would not only risk exposure but also lose him face as the dignified Golden Dragon King.
As for potential candidates, Lin Yu already had a target. Since the Silver Dragon King chose the Star Dou Forest, he would naturally choose the Far North. However, before going there, Lin Yu planned to take Tianmeng along—regardless of whether he became Huo Yuhao's soul ring or not.
The wilderness outside Star Luo City was as dark as ink.
Huo Yun'er was temporarily settled in a safe residence in a nearby town. Under Dai Hao's strict orders and Lin Yu's deterrence, the Duke's Mansion provided protection and care.
Lin Yu took Huo Yuhao and did not linger. Their figures merged like ghosts into the shadows at the edge of the Star Dou Forest.
The campfire crackled, reflecting off Huo Yuhao's face, which still held some youthful innocence but was now engraved with determination. He carefully held the soul bone he had just obtained from Dai Hao—the Netherworld White Tiger Left Arm Bone.
Deep black patterns flowed over the dark silver bone surface, as if it contained an infinite night sky and the phantom of a roaring white tiger. A sense of majesty originating from bloodlines and a bone-chilling murderous aura radiated faintly, causing the surrounding air to stagnate.
Just by holding it in his hand, Huo Yuhao felt the soul power in his left arm boiling and surging uncontrollably.
"Master, this... this is the Netherworld White Tiger Left Arm Bone?" Huo Yuhao's voice carried uncontrollable excitement and a hint of trepidation. He had never imagined that he, the despised "illegitimate son," would ever touch the core inheritance treasure of the Duke's Mansion.
Lin Yu leaned against a cold rock in a languid posture, as if the person who had just suppressed a Titled Douluo with one hand at the Duke's Mansion wasn't him. He glanced at the soul bone with no ripples in his eyes, as if it were merely a slightly strange stone.
"Mhm. One of the White Tiger lineage's trump cards. It contains a trace of the origin power of the ancient beast 'Netherworld White Tiger.' It has a extremely high compatibility with you, who possesses the White Tiger bloodline."
Lin Yu yawned. "Don't just stare at it like an idiot. While it's fresh, hurry up and fuse with it."
"Now? Here?" Huo Yuhao was stunned. Fusing with a top-tier soul bone usually required an absolutely safe environment and the protection of elders. Out here in the wild...
"What are you afraid of?" Lin Yu didn't even raise his eyelids. "With me here, can this bone revolt against heaven? Stop hesitating. Do you still want to become stronger and settle the score?"
Huo Yuhao felt a chill in his heart; the absolute confidence in his Master's nonchalant words immediately put him at ease. He no longer hesitated and nodded heavily:
"Yes, Master!" He sat cross-legged and focused his mind, guiding his soul power to carefully wrap around that cold, heavy soul bone.
The fusion process was far more painful than Huo Yuhao had imagined. The murderous aura of the Netherworld White Tiger was like countless ice picks stabbing into his marrow. The overbearing power crashed through his fragile meridians as if it wanted to tear his left arm apart and reconstruct it.
The intense pain caused his face to turn pale instantly. Cold sweat soaked his clothes, and his teeth clattered loudly.
Lin Yu appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, but in reality, a thread of divine sense constantly enveloped Huo Yuhao.
He could clearly see how that violent nether power ravaged the young boy's body, and he could also feel Huo Yuhao's willpower as he gritted his teeth and refused to give up.
"Decent temperament," Lin Yu evaluated internally. He did not intervene. The path of a true powerhouse often requires one to wade through the tempering of blood and fire personally. He merely released a sliver of an extremely faint, yet unimaginably high-level aura, quietly surrounding the area where Huo Yuhao was fusing with the soul bone.