Douluo: Dragon King Huo Yuhao Lives Ten Thousand Years Later

Chapter 197 How can this burning anger in my heart be released? (4000 words)

Huo Yuhao felt a chill run down his spine for no apparent reason.

Is someone talking about him behind his back?

Oh, wait, there are probably quite a few people talking about him at today's celebration.

"Yuhao, is the food made from this stuff really delicious?"

Gu Yuena looked at the exhibit in front of her with a strange expression. "The generated cookies taste like my favorite food from my memory... It doesn't seem very reliable."

Huo Yuhao snapped out of his reverie upon hearing this and looked at the exhibits in front of Gu Yuena.

They and Xue Di are currently on the third floor of the Spirit Pagoda, which showcases the latest achievements of the Spirit Pagoda, mostly related to spirits.

The one in front of Gu Yuena was one of them.

It was a completely black cube-shaped device, with no seams or buttons on its surface, as if it had been cut from a single piece of unknown material. When the lights of the exhibition booth swept across it, silver patterns resembling a star map would briefly appear on the surface of the box before quickly disappearing into the darkness.

A line of small print is engraved on the side of the box: "[Taste Projector First Prototype]". There is no control panel or display screen, only a palm-sized recess and button on the top, which is where ingredients are added and the machine is started.

"You can try it; you'll know once you try it."

Huo Yuhao looked at the staff member next to him and said, "We want three cookies."

Since it was a ceremony, they couldn't remain invisible forever, but their identities would attract the attention of the staff wherever they went. So, to be more comfortable, he slightly altered the appearance of the three of them using his spiritual domain. Those at the Spirit Abyss Realm could see through it, but ordinary Soul Masters wouldn't recognize them.

"Okay, please wait a moment, all three of you."

The staff member smiled slightly and began to operate the equipment.

Under his control, the box suddenly trembled slightly, its dark surface rippling as if another space folded inside. After a very soft hum, a thin crack silently slid open on the top of the box, and three perfectly shaped cookies were lifted out by some invisible force, suspended in the air, emitting a faint aroma.

—There is no heating process, no mechanical noise, it's like the finished product was "taken" directly from the void.

"Please taste it."

Huo Yuhao took the cookies and shared them with Xue Di and Gu Yuena, and also took a bite himself.

The moment the crispy outer layer of the biscuit melts on the tongue, a burst of hot, spicy, and savory flavor explodes in the mouth.

This is... hot pot?
Hot pot flavored cookies... While not exactly a culinary disaster, they're still quite strange, but also rather interesting.

Huo Yuhao popped the rest of the biscuit into his mouth and swallowed it. "By deceiving the sense of taste, making people feel like they are eating their favorite food... in a sense, it's like tasting one's own memories. The prototype is a plant-type spirit beast that affects the mind, right? And the plant related to taste buds, is it the Memory Vine?"

The staff looked at him with some surprise, astonished by his erudition, and then smiled:

"Yes, the design of this machine is based on the function of the Memory Vine. It is a masterpiece created by the collaboration between the spirit of the Memory Vine and the researchers..."

On the other side, after Gu Yuena ate the biscuit, her purple eyes widened slightly, and her biscuit transformed into the taste of Starry Honey Baked Pancake.

Those were pastries made by Huo Yuhao using special products from the Star Dou Great Forest. They were baked with century-old royal jelly and moonlight pine nut powder, and sprinkled with her favorite silver laurel petals...

Ice mist rose from Xue Di's fingertips. She tasted the frost sugar ice crystal cake made by Huo Yuhao, which Huo Yuhao made for her when they went out together ten thousand years ago... The main ingredients were snow honey and syrup made from snow ginseng, special products of the far north. Every bite seemed to carry the pure sweetness of ice and snow.

Gu Yuena and Xue Di savored the strange taste on their taste buds for a long time. Gu Yuena commented, "Because it deceives the sense of taste, the flavor can be replicated, but the texture cannot. It's still a biscuit. And ultimately, it's a deception. If a Soul Master wants to, they can use their Soul Power to get rid of this effect..."

Upon hearing Gu Yuena's comments, which sounded like she was appreciating food, the staff member looked embarrassed, saying, "This is a technology exhibition, not a food exhibition."

Huo Yuhao smiled and transmitted his voice to Gu Yuena and Xue Di, "I'll make it for you when we get back."

Xue Di smiled gently. Gu Yuena was about to say something when a familiar voice came from the side.

"Putting the taste aside, from a technical standpoint, it combines space compression with the unique soul technology of the Spirit Pagoda, which has great potential. I'd like to talk to the manufacturer. If we could add tactile deception to the taste deception, it might be able to break through the current limitations in taste."

An elderly figure walked over, looked at Huo Yuhao and the other two, and commented with a smile.

With his mental strength, he could certainly see through Huo Yuhao's pretense that he wasn't using his full strength. However, since the three of them were acting this way, they obviously wanted to participate in the ceremony normally, so he naturally wouldn't expose them. He simply nodded slightly to the Snow Emperor to show his respect.

"President Yi?"

Huo Yuhao was somewhat surprised, "You're here so early?"

"We've come to support the Spirit Pagoda and also to see its technology exhibition. My cousin is here too." Yi Hongchen pointed in a certain direction and laughed, "It's a rare celebration, so we two old bones have come to relax a bit."

Huo Yuhao looked in the direction he pointed and saw Wang Hongchen testing some of the props at a booth.

That's a Soul Orb.

Due to suggestions from some Soul Masters, the Spirit Pagoda has also modified the Soul Orb, developing more functions and effects, and even colors, on the basis of the previous version.

Examples include the Red Flame Orb, which can attract fire-type spirits and make them feel more comfortable, and the Dark Orb, which is for dark-type spirits.

Hmm, I'm getting further and further down the path of Soul Pokémon...

Well, congratulations!
Beside her, Yi Hongchen also took a biscuit. After tasting it, she smiled and said, "It really has a wonderful taste. It would be a comfort to put it in some secret research institutes or in the army guarding the frontier."

The staff member smiled and said, "I'm glad you like it. Would you like to try it again?"

Yi Hongchen waved his hand, walked to Huo Yuhao and the other two, and said with emotion: "The replacement of soul rings by soul spirits is an inevitable thing that will happen with the changes of history. Resources are always in short supply. If we continue to follow the ancient methods, sooner or later, soul masters will disappear into history. The appearance of soul spirits has prevented this from happening. However, in my opinion, the value of soul spirits is far more than that."

"The spirits in the Spirit Pagoda are countless. Researchers draw inspiration from these spirits, and the soul tools they design always bring unexpected surprises. I'm quite envious of this, and I've even thought about going to the Spirit Pagoda after I retire to study the spirits."

"If you are truly willing to come, then you will have to be treated with the highest level of hospitality," Huo Yuhao said. "However, I'm afraid Hall Master Wang Hongchen will not allow it."

"I am the president of the Mech Pilots Association. I'm retired and want to come to the Spirit Pagoda to conduct research. What is my relationship with the head of the Mingde Hall?"

Yi Hongchen smiled and shook her head. "Alright, let's not talk about things that are still uncertain. I came here for two reasons: first, to greet you all, and second, to ask Your Majesty about something."

At this point, his gaze turned towards the Snow Empress, "I wonder if Her Majesty the Holy Spirit will participate in today's Spirit Ice Ceremony? I have something I'd like to ask her." The Snow Empress's eyes flickered slightly, and she shook her head.

"I don't know that, after all, she's not strictly a member of the Spirit Pagoda. And you know her wish: if she has a patient, she will never abandon them. Whether she participates in the ceremony depends entirely on what she encounters on her journey."

Upon hearing this, Yi Hongchen smiled helplessly, "That's true. I forgot about that person's style. I hope the Holy Spirit Douluo can come this time."

After saying this, Yi Hongchen looked at Wang Hongchen, who had finished their visit, and said, "We plan to go to the sixth floor to visit the history exhibition area. Would you all like to come along?"

Huo Yuhao fell silent.

A history exhibition area? Are you sure this isn't just unofficial history? Seriously, Mingdetang already has enough unofficial history, why bother coming to Chuanling Pagoda? (Forget the Mortal World: Given the abundance of unofficial history at Mingdetang, is it a problem that we need to come to Chuanling Pagoda to see the official history?)

Xue Di glanced at Huo Yuhao and politely declined, saying, "No need, we plan to go and see other places first."

When it comes to the history of Lingbing Douluo, no one knows it better than her and Huo Yuhao. Heading to the history exhibition area… is just to see unofficial historical accounts; they've already seen enough of that, and neither she nor Huo Yuhao has any interest in looking at them.

"See you on the first floor during the worship ceremony."

Yi Hongchen nodded slightly, then turned and left.

……

Yi Hongchen and Wang Hongchen were the earliest representatives of the forces to arrive. As time went by, more and more representatives gathered at the Spirit Pagoda.

The First War God of the War God Hall, Hao Ri Douluo; the Blazing Dragon Douluo of Shrek Academy; a member of the Federation's parliament; the Blacksmith Association...

After Xu Xiaoyan strolled around the celebration and met up with her companions on the first floor of the Spirit Pagoda, she saw a group of important figures who had already arrived before the worship ceremony and were talking with the high-ranking members of the Spirit Pagoda, including Qian Gu Dongfeng, Xiong Jun, Leng Yaozhu, and Xue Di.

As for the younger generation, they could only watch from afar.

Xu Xiaoyan stood on the periphery of the crowd, her gaze piercing through the layers of figures to land on the imposing group of important figures in the center, and clicked her tongue:
"The impact of this celebration is greater than I imagined."

"Don't you even know whose grand ceremony this is commemorating?" Xie Xie said with an air of pride. "That's the first Tower Master who created the Soul Spirit Technique. Isn't it only natural that he has such influence?"

Wang Jinxi nodded in agreement, then looked at Huo Yuhao, whose expression was strange, and asked, "Yuhao, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, just a slight feeling of emotion."

Huo Yuhao shook his head and looked around at the situation.

Gu Ruiqiu, Ling Zichen, Ji Wufeng and others were also there. When they saw him, Ling Zichen and Ji Wufeng reacted normally. One nodded and greeted him, while the other was very excited. Only Gu Ruiqiu... had a somewhat evasive look in her eyes.

This is definitely not normal. Based on Huo Yuhao's understanding of her, she should be looking at him with interest, just like Xiong Jun.

How many bad things have you done? What have you been up to lately, Miss Rachel?

I'm so curious...

“Jin Xi, Xiao Yan, and I ran into Teacher Luo earlier.” Zhang Yangzi’s voice interrupted Huo Yuhao’s thoughts. “I originally thought it would be the Tower Master of Xiaoyao coming to participate in the celebration.”

Gu Yuena explained calmly, "If all the branch tower masters gathered, it would have too much of an impact, so they usually send people they trust to participate. It's actually quite rare for Tower Master Xiong Jun to come in person."

Now that the evil spirit masters have reappeared, if all the tower masters leave their jurisdictions, it's hard to guarantee that the Holy Spirit Cult won't take advantage of the chaos. Naturally, it's impossible for them all to come.

Xiong Jun understood this, of course.

It was still a bit of a pity that Di Tian and the others did not come to pay their respects in person.

Quite a few high-ranking members of the Spirit Pagoda have come to participate in the ceremony today, but what Xiong Jun hopes most is that the soul beasts who know Huo Yuhao's identity will come in person.

Why aren't you all here? Wouldn't it be better to watch Ling Bing make a fool of herself? Or are you worried that Ling Bing will settle scores with you later?
What's so scary about that?

Although our lord is a bit biased towards outsiders, he can't just stand by and watch us get beaten by Lingbing, can he?
Xiong Jun sighed inwardly, surveyed the situation around the arena, and finally fixed his gaze on Huo Yuhao. Suddenly, he grinned, and his gruff voice, amplified by his soul power, echoed throughout the hall:
"Ladies and gentlemen, before the worship ceremony begins, let me introduce someone to you."

He strode up to Huo Yuhao, and amidst the surprised gazes of the crowd, he put his arm around Huo Yuhao's shoulder. "This is Huo Yuhao, the next successor of our Spirit Pagoda!"

Leng Yaozhu and Qian Gu Dongfeng's eyebrows twitched simultaneously.

Mr. Xiong... what are you trying to do?
Leng Yaozhu's gaze subconsciously shifted to Xue Di, whose expression was aloof. Seeing that she had no reaction, she could only look away and wait to see what would happen next.

Since Huo Yuhao's teacher didn't say anything, she had even less grounds to object.

The representatives of various forces were clearly quite interested in Huo Yuhao. After Xiong Jun pulled him out, they smiled warmly and carefully examined him.

Upon seeing this, several people showed expressions of surprise, with Hao Ri Douluo even more astonished, saying:
"Soul Emperor?"

Unlike Wang Hongchen and Yi Hongchen, who often met Huo Yuhao, many people here were meeting Huo Yuhao for the first time. In addition, Huo Yuhao usually kept to himself and rarely went out, so they were all surprised by his progress in cultivation.

A Soul Emperor at the age of thirteen... that's quite rare, not to mention Huo Yuhao also has powerful mental strength and excellent secondary profession abilities. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he's unprecedented.

Hao Ri Douluo narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Huo Yuhao with piercing gaze, seemingly trying to see through his secrets. Shrek Academy's Blazing Dragon Douluo, on the other hand, frowned slightly, feeling uneasy all over.

Although the details are unknown, Huo Yuhao must have been to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well yesterday. Now that the other party's aura is showing, it is clear that he has made a major breakthrough not long ago. This level of cultivation is probably also thanks to the immortal herbs... It's all Cai Yue'er's fault. That spendthrift has made my situation in the Spirit Pagoda even more awkward!
Huo Yuhao glanced at Xiong Jun, who was smiling, took a deep breath, calmly met everyone's gaze, and nodded slightly:

"This junior, Huo Yuhao, is grateful for the kindness of my elders, who bestowed upon me the title of Transcendent Spirit. As for my cultivation, I have only made a breakthrough by chance, which is not worth mentioning."

"Just lucky?" Hao Ri Douluo couldn't help but laugh. "If a thirteen-year-old Soul Emperor is 'lucky,' then everyone in the Soul Master world could be ashamed to death."

"That's right. As the next successor of the Spirit Pagoda, I can't be too modest."

Xiong Jun grinned, "Here, I have a suggestion. Let Huo Yuhao pay homage to Lingbing Douluo first, and we will act as witnesses. What do you all think? Seeing such an outstanding junior, whose cultivation and soul tool are progressing in tandem, someone similar to himself, Lingbing Douluo would be very gratified if he knew in the afterlife."

Huo Yuhao's eyelids twitched, and as he saw Xiong Jun's image reflected in his eyes, a chill ran through him.

How can I release this anger in my heart?

(End of this chapter)