Chapter 322

In the blink of an eye, the Third Elder had already made up his mind; he was determined to bring this young man and woman into the Holy Spirit Sect.

He said gently:

"If you two want to join the Holy Spirit Sect, follow me; I can now help you with the initiation ceremony."

However, to his surprise, Huo Yutong frowned and shook her head.

"No, I still don't trust you now; for the time being I don't want to join the sect."

"—"

A flash of light passed through the Third Elder's eyes as he smiled and asked:

"What would it take for you to believe us?"

If anyone else had spoken to him like that, he would have already acted to let them know what the Holy Spirit Sect elders' methods are.

First, Huo Yutong's talent was outstanding, making him reluctant to use force casually; second, Tang Wulin had just proven his strength, and with their combined combat power they might not be able to defeat the Third Elder, but they could still cause a huge commotion before being subdued.

Now the situation in Mingdu is different from usual, with elites from all countries gathered here, and Regent Xu Tianran also has his own plans; if he carelessly disturbed Xu Tianran's layout, who knows what punishment he would incur.

So the Third Elder decided to follow Huo Yutong's lead for now.

To his question, Huo Yutong answered without hesitation, obviously having prepared beforehand.

"At the very least, you must hand over the championship prize of this tournament—that nine‑level soul guide device—to us."

To be honest, when Huo Yutong learned that the championship prize of the Mingdu Soul Master Elite Tournament was a nine‑level soul guide device, she was genuinely startled.

A nine‑level soul guide device is a strategic weapon; the fact that the Ri Yue Di Guo sets it as the championship prize in the continent‑wide Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament is already enough to drive ordinary people mad, let alone underground matches.

The Third Elder nodded without hesitation.

"No problem."

If Huo Yutong could really help them win the championship, then giving her a mere nine‑level soul guide device would be nothing.

The Holy Spirit Sect held this tournament precisely to scout for promising seedlings; they never intended to keep the nine‑level soul guide device offered as the prize.

Huo Yutong's expression eased considerably.

"Besides that, you must swear an oath on your own martial soul that your Holy Spirit Sect will not act against me and Tang Wu."

The Third Elder frowned, displeased, and said: "I cannot agree to that; at most I can promise to guarantee your and Tang Wu's safety during this tournament."

For a soul master, an oath sworn on one's martial soul is the most vicious vow; one would never dare to break it unless absolutely necessary.

If he were to swear casually here, then should Huo Yutong ever become a traitor in the future, he would be in serious trouble.

Huo Yutong heard his words, hesitated for a while, and then nodded rather unwillingly.

"All right, then swear now."

The Third Elder raised his hand and said: "I hereby swear on my martial soul……"

After hearing the Third Elder's oath in full, Huo Yutong nodded satisfactorily.

At least with the Third Elder's oath, her and Tang Wulin's safety during this tournament could be greatly increased.

The Third Elder lowered his raised hand and asked: "Any other demands?"

Huo Yutong lightly shook her head.

"Let's discuss the rest after this match ends; then we can carefully talk about my and Tang Wu's treatment."

The Third Elder revealed a meaningful smile.

"Rest assured, the treatment we offer will absolutely not disappoint you."

To his words, Huo Yutong merely gave a light smile.

"Hopefully so." Having said that, she led Tang Wulin away from the alley.

Upon reaching the street, Tang Wulin and Huo Yutong had no further conversation; both remained very silent.

After walking a few hundred meters forward, they turned around, entered a small alley, and their figures gradually faded away.

As their figures disappeared, a silhouette quickly appeared—it was the Third Elder.

At this moment his expression was grim; he had not expected that even his personal pursuit would lose them.

After taking several deep breaths repeatedly, the Third Elder forced himself to calm down.

Looking on the bright side, Huo Yutong and Tang Wulin even had the ability to make him lose track, which shows their strength.

If he hadn't guessed wrong, Tang Wulin's main combat style likely relies on body techniques, so it's probable they could slip away from under his nose thanks to Huo Yutong's ability.

Thinking of this, the Third Elder's mood brightened considerably, even becoming somewhat fervent.

"No, I must quickly inform the Vice Patriarch of this news."

Muttering to himself, the Third Elder's body flickered and he left the small alley.

At the same time, Tang Wulin and Huo Yutong also returned to the hotel where they were staying for the competition.

The Third Elder's guess was correct; their escape was due to Huo Yutong's ability.

First, they used a mental projection to fabricate a false body; while creating the false body they simultaneously employed a mimic soul skill to conceal their true forms, and the false body then used the mimic soul skill to forge a fake Tang Wulin.

Thus, the two could easily slip away from under the Third Elder's nose.

Moreover, the false body fabricated by them and Huo Yutong went in the opposite direction, so no matter how the Third Elder searched where the false body vanished, he could never find their residence.

Entering Huo Yutong's room, Tang Wulin finally breathed a sigh of relief, then earnestly asked: "Yutong, do you want to go undercover in the Holy Spirit Sect?"

Huo Yutong hesitated a moment, but seeing Tang Wulin's expression she realized she couldn't hide it, and she nodded openly.

"Well, this is one of the options moving forward."

"I disagree." Tang Wulin firmly rejected her idea: "It's too dangerous."

The Third Elder is merely an elder of the Holy Spirit Sect, yet he possesses the strength of an Honored Douluo; no one dares claim the Holy Spirit Sect lacks even stronger beings.

Although Tang Wulin thinks it unlikely, if the Holy Spirit Sect truly had Super Douluo or even Limit Douluo‑level evil soul masters, then Huo Yutong's trip could be said to be more perilous than promising.

Huo Yutong pursed her lips.

"You don't trust me? Don't forget, in the Extreme Single‑Soldier Plan, my grades in the undercover‑related courses are better than yours."

Tang Wulin shook his head seriously.

"I don't distrust you; I'm just worried about you."

"Um, but, but..."

Under Tang Wulin's concerned gaze, Huo Yutong could no longer hold out.

Her pretty face flushed slightly, and she turned her face to the other side.

"Okay, alright, since you've said all that, I won't go—does that work?"

"Mm." Seeing Huo Yutong agree, Tang Wulin immediately breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you, Yutong."

"... Hmph."

Huo Yutong let out a soft hum, then revealed a happy smile and said softly:

"Same here, thank you."

Thank you, Tang Wulin, for caring so much about her.

(End of chapter)