Douluo Dalu 2




The Unrivaled Tang Sect




(斗罗大陆2绝世唐门)


Book 26





Hidden Danger




Tang Jia San Shao


(唐家三少)





Story Description:





The legend of the continent, the battle that brought fame; the Sacred Phoenix Lady, the Windfire Meteor Godrealm saber-art; the pair that ascend and fuse, the golden sun and the blue moon, the fury of the crashing thunder. There is no magic, no battle qi, nor any martial arts in this land. However, there are martial spirits. Ten thousand years have passed since the founding of the Tang Sect on the Douluo continent, and it has declined. A new, proud generation of heaven’s chosen has been born. Can the new generation of Shrek’s Seven Devils rally the Tang Sect and once more compose the song of the Unrivaled Tang Sect?





A million-year-old spirit beast, a sacred deathgod that holds the sun, the moon, and the stars in his hands, and a brand new spirit tool system which caused the fall of the Tang sect. One miracle shall occur after another.Can the Tang Sect’s hidden weapons rally the winds, and can the glory of the Tang Sect ascend once more? All of this will be continued in the second installment of Douluo Dalu—The Unrivaled Tang Sect!





Original Story can be found here: Link





Chapter 243.1: Representing the Tang Sect to Fight?


Wang Dong’er snapped, “Don’t try to change the topic. So how?”

Huo Yuhao laughed bitterly. “I told you that was a misunderstanding? Don’t you trust my character?”

Wang Dong’er wanted to smile, but straightened her expression. “I only believe what I see.”

Huo Yuhao was helpless as he said, “About that, what do you think I should do? I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”

Wang Dong’er snorted and said, “Come in.” As she spoke, she dragged him into her room before locking the door. There were some things that shouldn’t be said outside. Her room was also pretty soundproof.

As she looked at Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong’er almost burst out laughing. This helpless-looking guy was really the guy that she liked?

“Huo Yuhao!”

“I’m here!” Huo Yuhao almost greeted her formally, and he acknowledged her words cautiously.

Wang Dong’er thought her words over before saying, “Owing to your performance last night, I decided that you are my man from today onwards. I’ll be responsible for you. Do you understand?”

“What?” Huo Yuhao’s tone varied greatly as he muttered this one word. He looked at Wang Dong’er in a daze and didn’t understand.

Wang Dong’er was furious, “What? You’ve hugged, touched, and slept with me. Are you going to shirk your responsibility? You’re my man from now on. You can’t look, like, or even touch other ladies. Do you understand?”

“Uh…” Huo Yuhao seemed to have understood her point.

Wang Dong’er was pleased as she said, “Don’t worry, I’ll treat you very well. I’ll feed you and give you water every day. You can also follow me. However, you need to listen to me. Do you understand?”

Huo Yuhao was in a daze. “Why do I feel like you’re keeping a dog instead?”

Wang Dong’er chuckled. “Yes, I am. You are the dog.”

“Aren’t you angry?” the look in Huo Yuhao’s eyes turned clearer.

Wang Dong’er straightened her expression once again. “Who said I’m not? I’m very angry!”

“Are you?” Huo Yuhao’s expression changed. He was no longer as cautious as before. He wasn’t a fool, either. Although love could make one foolish, he couldn’t possibly be relegated to the level of a dog!

“Yes! What, what are you going to do? Don’t mess around!” Wang Dong’er was shocked to realize that a certain dog was walking towards her. This dog had also turned vicious.

“Nice! Wang Dong’er, how dare you trick me! See how I’m going to deal with you!”

“Stop playing around, I’m going to shout!”

“If you’re not scared of embarrassment, then shout all you want. No one will come and save you even if you shout until you lose your voice! I have a legendary soul skill called Hungry Tiger Pouncing on its Prey!”

“Ah!”

In the next moment, the bed became the battlefield. Huo Yuhao was given a good kick by Wang Dong’er, and he flew back onto the wall before sliding down.

As she was frightened, Wang Dong’er had kicked him forcefully. Huo Yuhao almost lost consciousness.

“Yuhao, are you alright?” Wang Dong’er was frightened and rushed to his side. She caressed his chest with an anxious look on her face. “It wasn’t intentional. Who asked you to be so naughty…?”

“I was naughty…?” Huo Yuhao’s eyes widened, and he looked at her as if she had reversed the truth. Who was the one scaring me? I was so afraid that my heart was beating extremely quickly.

“I can’t make it. My stomach is aching from your kick.” Huo Yuhao leaned on Wang Dong’er and refused to get up.

Wang Dong’er became even more anxious, “What do we do? Do I carry you to the infirmary?”

“No need. You have medicine with you. Give me some.” Huo Yuhao’s voice sounded even weaker.

“What medicine?” Wang Dong’er was stunned.

Huo Yuhao’s voice suddenly turned weird. “Magical medicine.” After he finished speaking, he suddenly hugged Wang Dong’er and tried to kiss her.

Wang Dong’er was a Soul Emperor, and her reactions were quick. When Huo Yuhao moved, she reacted immediately, and subconsciously turned around. However, it didn’t work. Her lips still met his.

When their lips met, they both froze in place.

Huo Yuhao hadn’t planned on kissing Wang Dong’er on the lips! It was accidental…

Wang Dong’er’s lips were soft and refreshing. When their lips met, Huo Yuhao felt his soul shaking. He couldn’t describe that feeling with words. Their pupils dilated at the same time, and they maintained this position for several seconds.

“Oo…” Wang Dong’er reacted first. She quickly moved back, and her face could be seen blushing red like an apple.

Huo Yuhao remained where he was, and even licked his lips.

“You!” Wang Dong’er pursed her lips. It was hard to tell if she was furious or being coquettish.

“It wasn’t deliberate…” Huo Yuhao muttered almost immediately. However, he wanted to slap himself after he spoke. Even if it wasn’t accidental, he still took advantage of her.

Indeed, Wang Dong’er raised her brows and said furiously, “Get out!”

“Dong’er, listen to me…”

Wang Dong’er didn’t give him a chance to defend himself, and dragged him to the door of her room. Huo Yuhao didn’t even struggle, and was thrown out in a matter of seconds.

Bang! The door slammed shut. Wang Dong’er leaned on the door after she closed it and held her face with her hands. She stomped on the ground with her right foot, “This idiot, he stole my first kiss just like that. So unromantic.”

Huo Yuhao was locked out, and could only scratch his head helplessly. He probably couldn’t enter her room anymore. However, he could tell that she wasn’t really angry. He was prepared to whip up some delicacies before coming back to coax her.

“Yuhao, Yuhao!” At this moment, an anxious voice sounded. Huo Yuhao turned around and saw vice-Dean Cai Mei’er walking towards him.

“No wonder I couldn’t find you. So you came here to find Dong’er. Quick, follow me!” Cai Mei’er approached him and dragged him away immediately.

Huo Yuhao was confused. “Dean Cai, what’s going on? What happened?”

Cai Mei’er replied, “You’ll know after you follow me. After we returned yesterday, I reported our findings to Elder Xuan. He was very concerned about your suggestion for soul masters to learn how to use soul tools, and asked you to report to him. Elder Song, Shaozhe and Xian Lin’er are all there. We’ll discuss it first before bringing the matter up in the Conference in the Sea God’s Pavilion. Go and prepare.”

“Alright.” Huo Yuhao’s eyes brightened. This was an important matter that he was pushing for. If he succeeded, it would be very beneficial for Shrek Academy’s future development.

The two of them came to the first level of the Sea God’s Pavilion. Indeed, Elder Xuan was seated at the conference room table with his wine gourd beside him. However, it was evident that he hadn’t drunk anything today. While he was old, he was still full of energy.

Elder Song, Xian Lin’er, Yan Shaozhe, Huo Yuhao and Cai Mei’er sat in the other seats. They constituted slightly less than half of a proper Conference of the Sea God’s Pavilion.

Everyone smiled kindly when they saw Huo Yuhao. Elder Xuan asked, “Yuhao, did you get enough rest?”

Huo Yuhao’s face was blushing slightly. Of course he had slept well. He had hugged Wang Dong’er to sleep!

“It was rather good. Thank you for your concern, Elder Xuan.”

As he spoke, he took his seat along with Cai Mei’er. Cai Mei’er sat one seat from Yan Shaozhe, whereas Huo Yuhao sat one seat from her.

Elder Xuan said, “Mei’er has already told me about what happened. It seems like there’s really going to be a huge change in the world of soul masters on the continent! First it was the Holy Ghost Church. Then the Dragon Emperor Long Xiaoyao appeared. Now it’s the three evil soul masters’ turn. I’m afraid we’re going to face more trouble in the future. But let’s forget about that for now, we’ll talk about it in the next conference. These evil soul masters can’t be resisted by ordinary Shrek Guardians anymore. We’ll have to deal with the matter prudently. Yuhao, tell me about your suggestion.”

“Yes!” Huo Yuhao acknowledged his words. “In fact, this suggestion wasn’t initially made by me, but Teacher Wang Yan. The future development of the world of soul masters is bound to involve strong soul masters developing soul tools to their fullest. I’m an experimental product of Teacher Wang. After years of learning about soul tools and increasing my cultivation, I discovered that the abilities of soul masters and soul tools are not mutually exclusive.

“The Sun Moon Empire is able to attract so many people to become soul engineers mainly because soul engineers aren’t restricted by martial souls. As long as they have soul power, they can use soul tools and become soul engineers. It’s precisely this idea that has made our idea seem deviant, too.”

“In my opinion, soul masters without strong martial souls can be considered soul engineers if they use soul tools. However, they are just basic soul engineers. They aren’t strong. They won’t be able to unleash the full power of their soul tools. In fact, it’s not only us that took a roundabout way, even the Sun Moon Empire did the same thing. They are too focused on soul tools, and have neglected the influence of a soul master on soul tools. Our Ultimate Soldier Plan has indeed made some breakthroughs, but we are unable to distinguish them clearly yet.”





Chapter 243.2: Representing the Tang Sect to Fight?


“What’s Shrek’s greatest advantage? It’s that we have the best soul master educational system and the best soul masters. Like I mentioned earlier, soul masters and soul engineers are not mutually exclusive.

“Let me give a simple example. Imagine we have a Class 4 soul cannon with a firing range of three hundred meters in the hands of both an ordinary soul master and a member of our academy. The effect of this soul tool will be different for both sides. An ordinary soul master will try to increase his soul power and soul skills in order to continue using this soul cannon. Their abilities will become more and more negligible as a result, and they’ll need to rely on the soul cannon to attack. However, how can their judgment, senses, agility, and strength compare to our soul masters?”

“If I were an agility-type soul master carrying the same soul cannon, I could kill my opponent, who wouldn’t be able to put up any resistance. He won’t even be able to lock onto me. If I were a control-type soul master, I could control the situation and close the distance while finding the most appropriate opportunity to attack. If I were an assault-type soul master, I could use the firepower of the soul cannon to suppress my opponent, and use my physically strong body to fight. If my opponent is at the same level of cultivation, how could he possibly beat me?

“That’s why ordinary soul masters will be much inferior to our soul masters if both sides use the same soul tools and are at the same level of cultivation. There’s an even wider gap in terms of the potential to grow even stronger.”

As he concluded, Huo Yuhao stood up and said, “Everyone, please take a look.”

As he spoke, he stood up and retreated a few steps. He lifted his right hand and revealed his Starlight Sapphire ring.

A streak of blue light flashed, and an entirely grey, three-and-a-half-meter-tall metallic man was presented in front of everyone.

Although this metallic man looked a little simple, Dean Xian Lin’er couldn’t help but jump up from her seat when it appeared. She lost her voice as she said, “Human-shaped soul tool!…”

Huo Yuhao nodded and pointed at it with his right hand. The center of the soul tool cracked open, revealing an empty space.

Xian Lin’er was already very eager. She raced up in front of the metallic man and was appalled as she looked it over. “Yuhao, this is from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy…”

Huo Yuhao shook his head and replied, “No, I invented this myself. It contains some of Tang Sect’s secret techniques. If I commanded such a soul tool, I could attack up to one kilometer away, and its speed can be increased to the maximum using my twelve Class 6 soul thrusters. It can fly at a high altitude for some time, too! I even installed enough Milk Bottles to provide it with independent soul power. Even if I deplete my own soul power, the Milk Bottles can sustain the fighting strength of a Soul Emperor for some time. However, all this isn’t the most important thing.”

Huo Yuhao stepped forward in front of the human-shaped soul tool. He stepped inside of it, and it closed up. Under his control, the metallic man took a step forward.

“The most important thing is that it has the potential to be enhanced further. This is the future development path of soul tools. A suitable soul master using a suitable soul tool that can exhibit all types of fighting skills will become the future trend. Human-shaped soul tools won’t be left out. However, some problems will arise as human-shaped soul tools develop.

“Soul tools aren’t everything on their own. The more unique they are, the greater their requirements on the person controlling them. Simply put, if a medicinally-boosted five-ringed Soul King controlled this metallic man, he would directly lose his fighting ability and even his life from the instantaneous thrusting force when it flies at high altitudes. However, this won’t happen to me. I can even use my spiritual power to lock onto my target, and tap into my various soul skills to aid it, complementing it to unleash greater fighting strength. Even if it is damaged, I can still fight on the battlefield, since I’m a strong soul master in my own right.”

As he finished, Huo Yuhao exited the metallic man from the clanging metal doors. He returned to the table and said respectfully, “Elders, my final conclusion is that soul tools are only weapons that can be used by soul masters. They are external items. Their presence won’t affect a soul master’s status. On the contrary, they might even make us stronger. Think about it. If our soul masters were equipped with the Illustrious Virtue Hall’s soul tools, we’d be invincible. However, can they do the same thing? No. That’s because they lack the most basic thing. Soul tools can be created and enhanced through research, but what about strong soul masters? Who has a foundation like Shrek Academy?!”

As he reached this last sentence, his voice was determined and resolute. Everyone was moved by his words. Even Yan Shaozhe’s eyes changed continuously.

The strength of Huo Yuhao’s speech was that he evaluated soul tools from the perspective of soul masters, and at the same time addressed their greatest worry.

Yan Shaozhe asked, “Yuhao, I have a question. According to what you say, I’d like to know how long it’ll take for a soul master to learn how to use these various soul tools?”

Huo Yuhao answered without hesitation, “If you’re talking about controlling different categories of soul tools, it’ll take two to three years.”

After hearing his reply, Yan Shaozhe heaved a sigh of relief. He thought that that wasn’t a very long time. However, his eyes brightened when Huo Yuhao continued, “However, I think that’s too long. In my opinion, I think it’s easy for soul masters to use soul tools. However, being eclectic isn’t a good choice. That’s because different soul masters are bound to have different soul tools that suit them. It’s like how soul engineers have to choose their future path when they develop soul tools. When soul masters use soul tools, they should also make their own choices.

“For example, assault-type soul masters are most suited to use this human-shaped soul tool in front of me. That’s because their bodies are very strong and more tolerant. Their fighting strength will greatly increase when using such a soul tool. This is especially so for five-ringed Soul Kings and six-ringed Soul Emperors, as they’ll directly gain the ability to fly over long distances. The effect of this on the battlefield will be immense!

“For auxiliary-type soul masters, they’ll need other soul tools. First, soul tools that suit them need to be sufficiently offensive. Then they’ll also need soul tools that they can use to defend themselves. The size of the soul tools will be bigger than this metallic man in front of us, and will be able to guarantee their survival on the battlefield.

“For agility-type soul masters, soul thrusters would suit them. Their speed would be greatly increased. Along with close-combat soul tools, they’ll become very strong. From this, we can conclude that the best thing would be for every soul master to have a custom-made soul tool, and only use that category of soul tool. It’ll then take only a month or two to become familiar with and control one specific category of soul tools. For deeper familiarization, it’ll depend on one’s intelligence and learning speed.”

All the elders couldn’t help but nod as they listened to Huo Yuhao’s explanation. Elder Xuan revealed a comforted look, reassured by these words.

“Everyone, what do you think about Yuhao’s proposal?” Elder Xuan asked.

Elder Song sighed slightly and commented, “In the future, our world will belong to young people like them. The difference in our thinking actually led to such a huge discrepancy in our ideas. However, I must admit that I’m convinced.”

Elder Xuan and looked at Yan Shaozhe before saying, “Shaozhe, what about you?”

Yan Shaozhe said, “Elder Xuan, Elder Song, everyone else. After hearing Yuhao’s words, I have a lot of feelings. I’m most shocked not by this metallic man, but his analysis of Shrek’s advantage. All this while, my biggest mistake was to look at others’ advantages, and I forgot about our own advantages. Yuhao has also convinced me. I reckon that we can try his method out. We can add two more lessons for the Martial Soul Department’s outer courtyard students, introduction to soul tools, and use of soul tools. The younger students can start interacting with soul tools during their learning process. The inner courtyard disciples can be equipped with custom-made soul tools, like Yuhao suggested. In this way, our Shrek Guardians will undoubtedly become stronger. Lin’er, I’ll need you to be in charge of educating the Martial Soul Department’s inner courtyard students on using soul tools.”

“Of course” Xian Lin’er looked at Yan Shaozhe with a slightly weird expression. But that was no surprise; in her heart, Yan Shaozhe was a stubborn old man! Who would have expected him to accept Huo Yuhao’s suggestion?

Although Huo Yuhao had only mentioned the advantages to the Martial Soul Department, his proposal would also make the Soul Tool Department more important in Shrek Academy!





Chapter 243.3: Representing the Tang Sect to Fight?


Xian Lin’er said, “It’s not that simple either. One or two months is a very short time. After everyone discovers a suitable category of soul tool, they will need time to study and understand it. They will also need to learn how to use soul tools without affecting their own abilities. This is very important.”

Elder Xuan said, “Yuhao and Shaozhe are already responsible for the research of Spirits. Lin’er, you shall be in charge of this matter. You can test it out in the inner courtyard first. The extra two lessons that Shaozhe mentioned can be directly implemented in the outer courtyard.”

Xian Lin’er answered unhappily, “Elder Xuan, this is a little unfair.”

“Oh?” Elder Xuan was a little puzzled as he looked at her and asked, “What’s so unfair?”

Xian Lin’er replied, “Yuhao is also one of us. I can tell you for sure that no one in the Soul Tool Department can make this human-shaped soul tool like him. I can’t, either. This proposition was also made by him. We can leave the matter about Spirits and let him help me first.”

“We can’t do that.” Yan Shaozhe replied without hesitation. “Lin’er, you should know how important Spirits are to the future world of soul masters. There are different degrees of importance. We need you to helm things over at the Soul Tool Department!”

Xian Lin’er snorted and replied, “Didn’t you hear Huo Yuhao? What’s the future development trend? Spirits are a new discovery, but we don’t know if they can really replace soul rings in the future. We still need to carry out more experiments. Allowing our inner courtyard students to use soul tools and increasing their fighting strength is more important.

“You… can’t put it this way. Spirits are the future.” Yan Shaozhe’s expression turned gloomy.

Elder Xuan furrowed his brow and said, “Alright, the two of you squabble every time you meet. We shall leave it like that temporarily. Lin’er, you can find Yuhao if you need help in the area of soul tools. Furthermore, isn’t He Caitou here too? According to Fan Yu, He Caitou’s research ability in terms of soul tools is not inferior to Yuhao.”

Xian Lin’er and Yan Shaozhe finally quieted down after Elder Xuan persuaded them both.

Huo Yuhao’s expression turned gloomy. He had found more problems for himself! There was another matter that he had to monitor now… there were too many things he had to settle right now!

“Elder Xuan, what do we do about the two Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear cubs I brought back?” Huo Yuhao asked.

Elder Xuan replied, “They are your private property and have nothing to do with the academy. You can decide yourself.”

“What?” Huo Yuhao was shocked as he looked at Elder Xuan. What was going on? Did Elder Xuan’s words mean that the academy didn’t want the two cubs? They were Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bears!

Elder Xuan was amused and said, “What? Is there a problem? They really are your private property. Take good care of them. As one of the top soul beasts, they can grow very quickly in the future with sufficient nutrition. They might be very helpful to you in the future.”

“Also, I heard from Mei’er that you obtained three soul bones. Those three soul bones were obtained by you and Wang Qiu’er, so they naturally belong to the two of you. You can decide how you want to divide them. However, tell me how you feel about Wang Qiu’er.”

Undoubtedly, Elder Xuan was slightly biased towards him. Theoretically speaking, he couldn’t have achieved such gains without the entire team following him deep into the forest. But at this point, Elder Xuan deviated from the topic.

Huo Yuhao didn’t reject his offer either. After pondering for a while, he said, “Wang Qiu’er is indeed very strong. Her Golden Dragon is one of the strongest martial souls I’ve ever seen. I already think that I’m very strong and have an advantage in terms of my twin martial souls. However, I don’t have any confidence of beating her in a duel.”

“In terms of personality, she’s a lady who’s cold on the outside, but warm on the inside, even though she’s unwilling to get close to anyone. Without her help, I would’ve been gravely injured even if I survived. She has unlimited potential.”

Elder Xuan squinted and said, “This means you think she’s credible even though she’s just entered the inner courtyard?”

Huo Yuhao nodded without any hesitation.

Elder Xuan nodded slightly and appeared pensive. “Alright, we’ll end things here today. All of you can return. Lin’er, return and prepare for what was proposed today. Tomorrow, we’ll confirm things during the Sea God’s Pavilion conference. Yuhao, call the rest of Shrek’s Seven Monsters. I have something to tell all of you.”

“Yes.” Huo Yuhao acknowledged his words respectfully.

—

Shrek’s Seven Monsters were usually in the inner courtyard. Even though their cultivations weren’t low, the inner courtyard was responsible for nurturing elite students like them. There were things to learn at every level. That’s why they only gathered at the Tang Sect on the weekends.

Huo Yuhao found them very easily. When he finally approached Wang Dong’er’s door anxiously, her door directly opened on its own.

Wang Dong’er, who was decked in the inner courtyard’s red uniform, looked fiery. She was stunned when she saw Huo Yuhao in front of her door, and almost punched him.

“Surely you haven’t been standing here all this while?”

Huo Yuhao said honestly, “Yes! I’ve been standing here as a punishment so that I can earn your forgiveness.”

Wang Dong’er snapped, “Nonsense. I heard Dean Cai dragging you away. Your lies are not good enough.”

Huo Yuhao chortled and said, “Let’s go. Elder Xuan is looking for us. He seems to have something important to tell us.”

“Alright.” Wang Dong’er acknowledged his words before she closed the door to her room. After that, she followed Huo Yuhao to the first level of the Sea God’s Pavilion.

As they walked, Huo Yuhao said softly, “Dong’er.”

“What?”

“Are you still angry?”

“Yes”

“How angry?”

“Very angry!”

“What can I do to appease you?”

“Hmph!”

“Can two wrongs make a right?”

“……”

Wang Dong’er stared furiously at him as she stopped. However, she was greeted with Huo Yuhao’s burning gaze. He was even looking at her lips!

“You…” Wang Dong’er placed her hands on her hips and was about to erupt.

Huo Yuhao hurriedly twisted his head and said, “Let’s go. Elder Xuan is waiting for us.” After he finished speaking, he quickened his footsteps as they proceeded downstairs.

Wang Dong’er mimicked a whacking action as she looked at him before following after him. She even pinched his waist a few times.

Bei Bei, He Caitou, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, Xiao Xiao, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong’er had all arrived. However, they were not qualified to sit at the table. They lined up in a row and stood in front of Elder Xuan.

As a member of the Sea God’s Pavilion, Huo Yuhao could sit. However, how could he sit when the rest of them were standing?

Elder Xuan complimented them in his heart as he looked at these vibrant youths. They had grown much faster than he had expected. Undoubtedly, they were going to be the future pillars of Shrek Academy. This future was coming quickly, too.

“Alright, all of you are present. I called all of you here because I have something important to discuss with all of you.” Elder Xuan lifted his wine gourd and took a sip. As long as it wasn’t some formal gathering, he would drink. Fortunately, he didn’t act like a beggar now.

Bei Bei said respectfully, “Elder Xuan, please enlighten us.”

Elder Xuan replied, “It’s less than three months to the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament. I believe all of you should be quite ready?”

Bei Bei answered, “Yes. We were going to report to you too. After Yuhao and Caitou returned, we practiced many times together. When are you free? You can check out our progress.”

Elder Xuan observed the seven of them. When Bei Bei said this, all seven of them revealed their self-confidence. Their confidence naturally originated from their abilities.

“I don’t need to check on the seven of you yet. I called all of you here today because I wanted to brief all of you regarding the tournament. Not long ago, we received news that’s not good for the academy… however, it’s an opportunity for all of you. The new edition of the tournament will be held in the Sun Moon Empire. Undoubtedly, all of you will be under great pressure, since you will be competing on the home ground of our main competitor. The Sun Moon Empire discussed some changes to the tournament system with the three empires earlier. They sought the opinion of the various academies and sects regarding their proposed changes.”

“Change to the system?” Bei Bei’s gaze turned cold. As competing members of the top academy on the continent, changes in the system were likely to neutralize some of Shrek Academy’s advantages. No wonder Elder Xuan said that this wasn’t a good thing for the academy.

Elder Xuan, “Yes, changing the tournament system. First, they want to change the qualification requirements. The age restriction doesn’t change, the upper limit will still be twenty years old. However, they’ve expanded it to include all sects. This means that the tournament will now be renamed to the Continental Soul Master Youth Tournament. The number of teams will greatly increase. If this change is approved, there will be twice the number of competing teams.”

Attracting sects to participate? What was the purpose of doing so? All seven of them were stunned, but they couldn’t tell what the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy’s goal was.

Huo Yuhao asked, “Elder Xuan, is it likely for it to be approved?”

Elder Xuan said without any hesitation, “Very likely! When this change was suggested, it received the support of many sects, especially the stronger sects. The tournament is a good way to showcase themselves to the masses. To these sects, it’s a good way to advertise themselves, so they were quite willing. For example, the Body Sect is confident in becoming champions.”





Chapter 244.1: Qiu'er, I'm Not One Who Picks on Others


After hearing Elder Xuan’s words, everyone went silent. If sects were allowed to participate in the tournament, they might no longer be odds-on to be the champions anymore. Just like Elder Xuan had said, there would be a lot of trouble if the Body Sect also competed in the tournament, not to mention the rest of the sects on the continent. The Body Sect wasn’t the only capable sect. In Huo Yuhao’s heart, the Clear Sky Sect was not inferior to the Body Sect.

Bei Bei said, “Elder Xuan, it’ll be much more difficult for us in this tournament. You called for us because you want us to up our training intensity over the next few months?”

Elder Xuan waved his hand and replied, “No matter how the system changes, I’m confident in all of you. In the last tournament, the seven of you brought back the title of champions even under such unfortunate circumstances. Five years on, the seven of you are even better than before. So what if the other sects compete? Although this spells more trouble, I’m sure you’ll emerge as champions. However, have the seven of you ever considered the fact that a change in the system will be beneficial for you even if it’s a bad thing for the academy? The seven of you belong to the same sect.”

After hearing his words, everyone was stunned. As members of Shrek’s Seven Monsters, they naturally treated themselves as part of Shrek Academy. They were the main competing members of the academy. However, Elder Xuan’s words made it sound a little different!

Xu Sanshi was stunned as he asked, “Elder Xuan, are you saying that you are allowing us to compete in the tournament as part of the Tang Sect…?”

Elder Xuan smiled and replied, “I’m not approving anything. It depends on whether the seven of you are willing.”

Their expressions changed as they looked at one another.

Elder Xuan said, “If the seven of you compete as part of the Tang Sect, the academy will send another team to compete. All of you will still be recognized as Shrek’s Seven Monsters. This means that everyone will still know that you are from Shrek Academy even though you are representing the Tang Sect. In this way, it’s equivalent to our academy sending two teams out. This is double insurance for the academy.”

Bei Bei hesitated, “However, if we win, the legacy of Shrek Academy’s glory in the tournament will…”

Elder Xuan replied, “When Elder Mu passed away, he once told me that glory can’t be your restraint. What’s a little glory compared to the better development of the academy and your futures? Don’t tell me that Shrek Academy will stop being the top academy on the continent just because we are not champions?” As he spoke till here, there was a look of pride in his eyes.

Bei Bei pondered for a moment before saying, “If we represent the Tang Sect, we’ll still face some problems. For example, we don’t have any substitutes. In addition, can the academy send a suitable team in our place?”

Elder Xuan replied, “You look down on the academy too much. I was still hesitating over this matter. However, didn’t Yuhao tell all of you that there’s a new talent in the academy?”

Huo Yuhao said immediately, “Wang Qiu’er?”

Elder Xuan nodded and said, “That’s right. If the seven of you represent the Tang Sect, Wang Qiu’er will assume the role of team leader to represent Shrek Academy. There are still other outstanding students below the age of twenty in our academy. Although they aren’t as good as the seven of you, they aren’t that much inferior. I’ll give you a few days to think about it. Let’s make it three days. Within three days, you must give me a definite answer.”

“Yes.” Bei Bei acknowledged his words. From the way he clenched his fist, it was evident that he wasn’t calm. He was even slightly agitated.

After bidding Elder Xuan goodbye, everyone gathered at Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi’s dormitory.

Xu Sanshi said, “Guys, what should we do? Should we represent Shrek or the Tang Sect?”

He Caitou said, “I’m fine with both. To me, there’s not much difference. Elder Xuan was right. No matter who we represent, everyone will know that we’re from Shrek. If we represent the Tang Sect, it’s equivalent to Shrek sending two teams for the tournament.”

Jiang Nannan furrowed her brow and said, “I’m only worried. If we represent the Tang Sect, it’ll be very difficult for Shrek Academy to become champions. Whether they lose to us or others, it’ll represent the end of Shrek’s glory in the tournament. We fought so hard to preserve this glory during the last tournament. If we lose it just like that, I’ll be very indignant. While Elder Xuan appeared to be very calm about the matter, the influence of this glory will impact Shrek greatly!”

Xiao Xiao didn’t mutter a word. She rarely opened her mouth during discussions.

Bei Bei turned his attention towards Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, “What about the two of you?”

Huo Yuhao pondered for a moment before replying, “I feel that we should represent the Tang Sect. In terms of selfish motives, I want to do this for Teacher Xiao Ya and do my best to help the Tang Sect prosper. Disregarding selfish considerations, we can’t rely on the academy forever. We need to make a name for ourselves too. As for the academy’s glory, I don’t think there’ll be any conflict even if we represent the Tang Sect.”

“No conflict?” Bei Bei was puzzled as he looked at him.

Huo Yuhao whispered something, and everyone’s gazes turned perplexed.

“Isn’t this a little shameless? Will the committee allow this?” Wang Dong’er couldn’t help but say. She looked at Huo Yuhao with a weird look on her face.

Huo Yuhao asked confusedly, “How is it shameless? We’re only showcasing our identities. No matter how the system changes, there shouldn’t be any special restrictions in this aspect.”

Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi looked at each other. Bei Bei was relieved, while Xu Sanshi clapped his hands and said, “Sixth junior, you’re impressive. I didn’t expect you to inherit eldest senior’s slyness. Impressive.”

Bei Bei snapped and kicked, “Get lost. How am I sly?”

Xu Sanshi avoided his kick and said, “How dare you kick me? Be careful, or I won’t give my best during the tournament.”

Bei Bei snorted and replied, “Then I’ll send Nannan up to deal with the most troublesome opponent around.”

“You!” Xu Sanshi opened his eyes wide and was filled with condemnation.

Bei Bei acted like he didn’t see anything and said, “I think that little junior’s suggestion is very good. Since this is the case, we’ve solved our greatest problem. I also agree that we should represent the Tang Sect to compete.”

Undoubtedly, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi and Huo Yuhao were the core of this team. Xu Sanshi didn’t say anything, but he appeared to be fine with the suggestion. Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei had already agreed, and thus there was technically a conclusion already.

Bei Bei took in a deep breath and said seriously, “Then let’s do our best for the Tang Sect’s glory in this tournament.”

As he spoke, he reached out with his right hand.

Everyone reached out their right hands and they stacked their hands together. A strong camaraderie surrounded the dormitory hall they were in.

“Yuhao, let’s go. Let’s tell Elder Xuan what we think. The academy can also prepare.” Bei Bei told Huo Yuhao, and they prepared to leave the dormitory.

After leaving, Bei Bei hugged Huo Yuhao’s shoulder. “Thank you.” He knew that everyone would have hesitated without Huo Yuhao’s support, since they were clearly aware that they were all members of Shrek’s Seven Monsters.

Among the seven of them, Bei Bei was undoubtedly the most eager to represent the Tang Sect. It was all for the Tang Ya.

Tang Ya had been missing for close to five years, and there had been no news of her yet. What was the probability that she was still alive? Although Bei Bei had never mentioned it over the past five years, he knew the internal pressure that he felt. He just wanted to do something for the Tang Ya now, and he also prayed every day in the hopes that she was still alive.

Undoubtedly, the modified Continental Soul Master Youth Tournament was a good way to find Tang Ya. If the Tang Sect eventually emerged as champions, Tang Ya would learn of the good news, and perhaps she would return. Even if they couldn’t find her, Bei Bei’s promise to her could still be fulfilled.

Huo Yuhao shook his head slightly and said, “Eldest senior, I would have died in the Great Star Dou Forest if not for you and Teacher Xiao Ya. The two of you are my benefactors. I was also given the chance to enter Shrek Academy because of the Tang Sect. Although I’m a Shrek Academy student, I’m also a part of the Tang Sect. Without affecting the academy’s glory, I’m willing to fight for the Tang Sect’s glory and Teacher Xiao Ya. When we emerge as champions, she’ll know about it and return.”

Bei Bei said with confidence, “Yes. Xiao Ya will be back. I will wait for her for my entire life.”

After receiving their report, Elder Xuan looked as if he knew this was going to happen. He only instructed them to make their preparations. When the change to the system was confirmed, he would inform them about the registration method again.

After exiting the Sea God’s Pavilion, Bei Bei seemed to recall something. He asked Huo Yuhao, “Oh yes, a few people were here to find you yesterday. They came to the academy directly. Since you weren’t around, the academy wasn’t able to host them. They came directly to me. I asked them to proceed to the Tang Sect first. If you are not in a rush, you can go and find them first. They seem to come from the Sun Moon Empire. Na Na knows them too.”

After hearing Bei Bei’s words, Huo Yuhao was elated. It was good news! He immediately guessed who was here to find him.

“Eldest senior, was it a soul engineer named Xuan Ziwen who was here to find me?” Huo Yuhao asked immediately.





Chapter 244.2: Qiu'er, I'm Not One Who Picks on Others


Bei Bei thought for a moment before replying, “I think there was such a person. I was busy with other things then, and didn’t bother to converse with them properly.”

Huo Yuhao was delighted. “It’s good if it’s Teacher Xuan. Eldest senior, he’s a Class 8 soul engineer! He’s also a chief researcher in the Illustrious Virtue Hall. If he’s willing to join the Tang Sect, our reputation in soul tools will soon grow in the continent!”

“Oh? What’s going on?” Bei Bei was interested after hearing his words.

Huo Yuhao recounted his bet with Xuan Ziwen, and how he had attracted him to join the Tang Sect.

After hearing his explanation, Bei Bei finally understood, and was also surprised. Undoubtedly, it was very difficult to find someone of Xuan Ziwen’s caliber! Huo Yuhao was greatly strengthening the sect by poaching someone as capable as him.

“Alright, that’s great. No, I must go with you. Oh, wait, the seven of us should go together. Teacher Xuan is very important. We need to show our respect for him.” Bei Bei said decisively.

Huo Yuhao said, “Eldest senior, did you mention that there were a few of them? Besides Teacher Xuan, who else is here?”

Bei Bei laughed, “Why are you asking me? If you don’t know, why would I know? Don’t think about it. You’ll know when we see them.”

“Alright.” Huo Yuhao acknowledged his words, and the two returned to the dormitory to brief the rest before proceeding to the Tang Sect. They had great freedom in the academy. They only needed to consult their teachers when they had any queries. There weren’t any rules restricting their freedom.

—

The seven of them rushed over to the Tang Sect. After entering the courtyard, Huo Yuhao saw two familiar figures. He was stunned as he saw them, and mumbled, “The two of you really can’t be shaken off!”

Bei Bei stared at him and asked, “Yuhao, what do you mean?”

Huo Yuhao laughed bitterly. “I have to say this about these two! Eldest senior, you don’t know how much they pestered me. Why are they here with Teacher Xuan to find me?”

The two individuals that Huo Yuhao mentioned were sparring as Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei entered the courtyard, but they stopped when the two of them entered. As they saw Huo Yuhao’s annoyed look, they revealed smiles on their face.

These two were Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan, Huo Yuhao’s old foes when he was at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy! Huo Yuhao certainly didn’t expect the two of them to be here in Shrek City.

Jing Ziyan placed her hands on her waist and taunted him, “Why Huo Yuhao, why don’t you welcome us? You’re acting tough just because we’re in your territory? If you’re unconvinced, why don’t you fight us?”

Seeing these two pests, Huo Yuhao placed his hands on his waist and answered, “Okay! Are the two of you challenging the seven of us, or are we whacking the two of you?”

Jing Ziyan was joking, but Ji Juechen took it for real! He had found another pitch-black iron sword. He pointed it forward, and his aura soared. He wasn’t called a sword fanatic for nothing.

As they felt the sharp and vicious sword intent, the rest of the seven were stunned. What was going on? Were they enemies?

“Stop fooling around. Let’s clear things up before sparring.” Huo Yuhao looked helpless as he approached them. After that, he turned to the rest behind him and said, “Let me introduce you guys. These two guys are Jing Ziyan and Ji Juechen. They are my “good pals” from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy…”

Jing Ziyan grinned when she heard Huo Yuhao’s introduction. When he said ‘good pals’, he sounded extremely furious!

“They are my seniors and juniors in the Tang Sect. Surely the two of you didn’t come all the way from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy to Shrek City to fight me, right?” Huo Yuhao didn’t know what the two of them were up to.

Ji Juechen shook his head immediately.

Huo Yuhao heaved a sigh of relief. That’s right, they couldn’t possibly travel thousands of kilometers to fight him.

However, Jing Ziyan followed with, “We came here to fight many, many rounds with you!”

“What!” Huo Yuhao almost choked on his saliva. “Many rounds? Don’t you need to study?”

Ji Juechen replied, “We’ve quit the academy.”

Jing Ziyan said seriously, “When you were about to leave, we discussed and agreed that we learned more from sparring with you than anything we’ve learned from the academy. We are both more like soul masters. That’s why we believe this place might be more suitable for us, and why we’re here. We don’t really have anything over there that we’ll miss anyway. You can just give us a roof over our heads and fight us every day. You can also choose not to fight us, but we’ll stick to you wherever you go.”

Huo Yuhao was stunned as he stared at them. It was quite miraculous that they could actually pester him to such a standard!

Ji Juechen waved his sword and said, “Since we’ve cleared things up, can we fight now?”

The rest of Shrek’s Seven Monsters, including Wang Dong’er, had no intention of helping Huo Yuhao. They all moved to one side to watch the show that was about to start. Wang Dong’er whispered to the rest in a bid to explain Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan’s background.

Just as everyone was ready to watch the sparring, a voices sounded out from the gate. “Huo Yuhao, come out.”

This voice was very familiar. Huo Yuhao was stunned for another moment. He signaled to Ji Juechen before walking out.

It was Wang Qiu’er, who was standing outside.

Huo Yuhao was at a loss for words as he asked her, “Qiu’er, why are you here?”

She replied, “Why can’t I come? Are there terrifying beasts in the Tang Sect? I went to the inner courtyard to find you, but I heard you were out. I guessed that you returned to the Tang Sect, so I came to find you. Dean Cai told me that the three soul bones can be shared between the two of us. What do you plan to do with them?”

Huo Yuhao said, “I have something to deal with over here. Come in first. We’ll talk about the soul bones later. Since you want them, I can give them all to you.” As he spoke, he ushered Wang Qiu’er inside.

Jing Ziyan rubbed her eyes as she saw Wang Qiu’er entering. After that, she turned to the other side and asked, “Twins?”

Wang Qiu’er replied, “No.”

Wang Dong’er also answered, “We are not twins.”

They were both so ravishing, and were even lookalikes. Even Ji Juechen couldn’t help but take more glances at the two of them.

“Huo Yuhao, come.” Ji Juechen lifted his sword again. After he had stopped sparring, he had felt his improvement stalling. This also made him more certain that giving up his education at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy to find Huo Yuhao was the correct decision.

Huo Yuhao snapped, “Come, what come? Don’t you see that I have guests? Also, where’s Teacher Xuan?”

Ji Juechen’s eyes were already filled with the light of competition, and couldn’t be bothered. “Let’s fight first.” As he spoke, he lifted his blade, and a vicious sword intent was released. At this point, his soul power seemed different from before. It surfaced as a dim silver, and even his eyes shone with silver light. It was evident that his powers had improved.

Ji Juechen said, “Yuhao, I developed a deeper understanding of sword intent, which I have named Dragonslayer. Come on.”

“Dragonslayer?” Huo Yuhao’s expression turned weird, and he immediately twisted his head to look at Wang Qiu’er. He muttered, “I’m not someone who picks on others, but someone has named his ability Dragonslayer. Qiu’er, can you accept that?”

Wang Qiu’er coordinated with him and snorted, “Of course not. Let me fight him instead.”

As she spoke, she took a step forward. She let out a deep roar, and the entirety of Tang Sect seemed to shake momentarily. Following this, a strong competitive will rose from her.

She didn’t have any sword or fist intent, but only possessed an unprecedented and domineering fighting will. Her deep dragon roar shook the air, and intense golden light started to surround her entire body in layers.

The rest of Shrek’s Seven Monsters widened their eyes as they looked at her. This works? Yuhao still dares to say that he’s not a picky person? What is considered picky then? He passed on his hatred too easily.

Ji Juechen was also stunned when his opponent suddenly changed. However, he recovered very quickly. To him, it didn’t matter who his opponent was. The key was that his opponent was able to give him pressure. He couldn’t find someone like that in the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. Otherwise, why would he travel all the way here?

It was easy to tell whether one was capable after they made their first move. Qiu’er only stepped forward, but she immediately repressed Ji Juechen’s aura. This simple action already left him very impressed.

Ji Juechen squinted his eyes, but the sword intent that he had unleashed suddenly turned gentle.

While Huo Yuhao had passed on the trouble to Wang Qiu’er, he didn’t cease observing Ji Juechen. As his sword intent changed, his expression also changed slightly.

This… is he pulling off a reversal? No, it isn’t at that standard yet. How does he hide it? A hidden sword intent is the most terrifying weapon. I didn’t expect his improvement to be so great. He has already understood sword intent to such a standard.





Chapter 244.3: Qiu'er, I'm Not One Who Picks on Others


It seemed like it wouldn’t be easy for him to deal with Ji Juechen. After all, he was focused only on swords, while Huo Yuhao had to learn many things. Perhaps he could beat him in overall abilities, but it would become increasingly difficult for him to tackle Ji Juechen’s sword intent with just his own fist.

At this point, Wang Qiu’er moved. She didn’t care about his sword intent or whatever tricks he had up his sleeve. In her eyes, her opponents would only meet with one result: destruction!

Wang Qiu’er burst towards Ji Juechen like a golden shooting star. Her right fist also turned completely golden, and she attacked without using any flowery skills.

Ji Juechen held his sword with both his hands. He made half a step with his left leg and thrust forward. As this sword pierced out, the silver light around him was sucked into the sword, eventually gathering at the tip. The moment it stabbed out, the surrounding air seemed to overlap.

As a boom sounded, her fist and his sword collided, and an explosion rang out.

No one had expected Wang Qiu’er’s fist to change at the last moment.

Yes, it changed. Her fist turned into a palm. She tore through space just like that, and avoided Ji Juechen’s sword. Her right palm struck the blade instead.

Her body turned as the sword aimed for her vitals. The vicious sword intent that shot out struck the wall and caused a huge explosion, blowing apart a hole at least three meters wide. Ji Juechen’s sword also started to crack at this point.

Wang Qiu’er crushed his sword with her palm. As she made a turn, her left fist punched straight towards Ji Juechen!

Ji Juechen subconsciously lifted his hands to block. Another boom sounded, and Ji Juechen flew back like a broken sack, slamming into the wall.

Two strikes! From the start to the end, Wang Qiu’er only unleashed two strikes. The fight ended just like that.

As she stood straight, a gust of violent wind seemed to blow beside her. Her sleeves and hair were blown backward, and the golden light around her body was withdrawn.

She was extremely strong! Everyone was stunned as they watched the fight.

Jing Ziyan was the most shocked. She understood Ji Juechen’s abilities the best. After he gained a deeper understanding of sword intent, his own sword intent seemed to have undergone a huge transformation. However, he lost so pathetically to Wang Qiu’er, even more pathetically than the first time he had fought Huo Yuhao. She also only had six soul rings, just like him!

Was this Shrek Academy’s ability?

Only Huo Yuhao could tell that Wang Qiu’er didn’t win easily, even though she appeared to be very relaxed. She seemed to have transcended space and avoided Ji Juechen’s sword intent. Her sleeves and hair were not blown back because she was trying to act cool. She was trying to neutralize the shockwave from Ji Juechen’s sword intent.

She stood there for five seconds before the wind around her calmed down and disappeared. She was slightly stunned as she looked at Ji Juechen, who had formed a human-shaped hole in the wall. She nodded at him and said, “Bring a better sword next time.”

Ji Juechen was covered in dust now, and even looked slightly pathetic. However, his eyes were especially bright. He looked back at Qiu’er and nodded.

Wang Qiu’er turned around to look at Huo Yuhao and said, “Find me after you return to the inner courtyard.” After she finished speaking, she didn’t bother with the others and left just like that, as if she had just done something insignificant.

Jing Ziyan’s facial muscles were cramping slightly as she muttered, “This, this is too much. Huo Yuhao, where did you find that lady?”

Huo Yuhao placed his hands behind his back and said carefreely, “Those from the Tang Sect are all of this standard. Don’t bother finding me in the future. Have you seen? These are my seniors. What are your plans?”

Ji Juechen didn’t bother with the dust on his body, and nodded at Huo Yuhao. He said, “Staying!”

Jing Ziyan also said, “We’re definitely going to stay here. Give us a place to stay and eat. That’ll be enough.”

Huo Yuhao furrowed his brow and said, “You can’t stay. The Tang Sect doesn’t accept outsiders. You will only be fed and given a place to stay if you join us.”

Cough cough! Bei Bei coughed twice and hurriedly walked over. He said, “Since the two of you have come from afar, you can stay as long as you want. Of course, our doors will always be open to you. We are not as pathetic as little junior described us. Our sect has our own Martial Soul Department. I believe both of you know about the glory of the Tang Sect from thousands of years ago. We’re rebuilding the Tang Sect because we want to regain that glory again.”

Huo Yuhao immediately added on, “Eldest senior, we can’t just accept anyone! Their abilities are a bit weak. Furthermore, we won’t accept outsiders. Once they learn from our sect, they can’t leave easily. Otherwise, we’ll have to get back what they’ve learned.”

Jing Ziyan glared and asked, “Huo Yuhao, who’s weak?”

Huo Yuhao answered, “I’m talking about you. Can you beat me? I’m ranked sixth in the Tang Sect, but you can’t even best me. Aren’t you weak?”

“You…”

As the two of them bickered, Ji Juechen’s eyes flashed for a moment before he nodded and said, “We’re staying. We won’t go.”

Jing Ziyan snorted and said, “We’ll stay. When we learn the Tang Sect Secret Techniques, we’ll deal with you again.”

Huo Yuhao laughed bitterly. “You’re welcome anytime. Alright, we are all Tang Sect brothers and sisters now. Let me introduce you.”

He introduced all his seniors to them. Ji Juechen was still a little stunned, and only nodded at everyone. However, Jing Ziyan made up for what he was lacking, greeting everyone properly.

Bei Bei secretly gave Huo Yuhao a thumbs-up. They could obviously tell that the two of them had rather strong abilities. While Wang Qiu’er won beautifully, did Ji Juechen actually lose so heavily? Change his sword, and it would be difficult to tell.

Huo Yuhao said, “Brother Ji, have you been unable to find a suitable sword?”

Ji Juechen nodded.

Huo Yuhao replied, “Try this.” As he spoke, he took out a sword from his storage-type soul tool and offered it to Ji Juechen.

There was a reason why Ji Juechen was called a sword fanatic. When he saw swords, he had the same reaction as Xu Sanshi when he saw beauties. His eyes immediately brightened, and he was filled with passion. He received the sword without any hesitation.

Once the sword entered his hand, he immediately said, “It’s a good sword, thank you.”

This sword’s blade surfaces were two different colors; one was black, and the other was white. Wasn’t this the Judgment Sword that had sparked the evil fire within Ma Xiaotao during the last Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament?

Elder Mu had eventually given this Judgment Sword to Huo Yuhao. But Huo Yuhao didn’t use swords, and thus he took this opportunity to give it to Ji Juechen.

Ji Juechen poured his soul power into the sword as he held it. A stunned look arose on his face. The combination of light and darkness was something he had never experienced before, but it was present in this sword. It was a truly strong sword!

Huo Yuhao said, “This sword is a close-combat soul tool. It’s also the strongest close-combat soul tool that I’ve ever seen. It’s called the Judgment Sword. It caused huge problems for us during the last tournament. I’m giving it to you now because I hope that you can unleash its full power. It doesn’t have many requirements of its user, and possesses great strength. I can feel that even the person who molded this sword was unable to unleash its full power. Just to reclaim this sword, Jing Hongchen came to Shrek Academy personally. From this, I’m sure you can tell how great it is.”

“Alright, thanks.” Ji Juechen thanked him for the second time, which showed how much he liked this sword. “A room for me?”

Huo Yuhao replied, “Okay. However, the two of you will need to shoulder some responsibility since you’ve joined Tang Sect.”

“Oh?” Ji Juechen was startled for a moment.

Huo Yuhao wore a serious expression on his face as he said, “At least you’ll need to be responsible for your own actions. Fix the wall.”

He was right. Two of the walls had been damaged. The courtyard of the Tang Sect was now exposed.

Ji Juechen’s expression stiffened, and he looked at Jing Ziyan as if he were begging for help.

Jing Ziyan was also in a daze. She snapped, “Why are you looking at me? You’re a big man. You want me to fix the wall for you? Do you still have face?”

Ji Juechen’s expression turned bitter, and he asked Huo Yuhao, “Where are the bricks?”

Huo Yuhao’s lips twitched, and he tried his best not to laugh, “I’ll find some for you.”

Jiang Nannan commented as she saw what happened, “Yuhao, don’t bully an honest person. I’ll arrange your living quarters. Regarding the wall, let the few of them think about it.”

“Thanks.” Ji Juechen felt as if he had met his benefactor.

Xu Sanshi was a little worried as he saw Ji Juechen’s handsome looks and felt his naturally woody aura. He rushed to say, “I’ll go too, I’ll go too.”

Huo Yuhao was speechless as he said, “None of you saw how they tortured me in the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy! I’m just exacting a little revenge on them.”

Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan brought Jing Ziyan and Ji Juechen away to their living quarters.

Bei Bei watched as they left and didn’t hide his delight anymore, “Little junior, it seems like the Tang Sect is becoming more and more prosperous! Those two aren’t ordinary.”





Chapter 245: The Tang Sect Grows Stronger


Huo Yuhao chortled, “They’re both fanatics. All of you are in for some trouble in the future. However, they’re also very direct people. They’ll be happy as long as you spar with them. I never expected Juechen’s sword intent to reach such a standard. He’s indeed very focused! Eldest senior, let’s find Teacher Xuan quickly. He’ll be pivotal in the future development of soul tools in the Tang Sect!”

When they found Xuan Ziwen, he was beside the soul tool forge at the back of the Tang Sect. In addition, he didn’t look like a Class 8 soul engineer.

He was dressed very simply, and there were even oil stains on his clothes. As he squatted outside the forge and watched the workers forging the soul tools, his gaze never even moved slightly.

“Teacher Xuan!” Huo Yuhao called out.

Xuan Ziwen continued to squat as he turned around to look. He waved his hand before turning his attention back to the soul tools.

Huo Yuhao quickly walked towards him before squatting down as he reached him, “Teacher Xuan, don’t peek! They’re our secrets.”

Xuan Ziwen snapped, “Stop spouting nonsense. What procedures are needed to join the sect? Tell me quick. Did you know that waiting for you here the past few days was equivalent to wasting my life?”

Bei Bei was in a daze. This guy is even more direct than the previous two. Evidently, his passion was for soul tools. For people like Xuan Ziwen and Ji Juechen, who could be so devoted to a single thing, they were either lunatics or geniuses among geniuses!

Huo Yuhao naturally knew that Xuan Ziwen wanted to join the Tang Sect since he had volunteered to come on his own. He shot a look at Bei Bei immediately.

Bei Bei still didn’t understand, and quickly walked up to him before squatting down beside Xuan Ziwen. He said, “Hello Teacher Xuan, I am currently the eldest senior of the Tang Sect. Welcome to the Tang Sect. Let’s do it this way; you’ll be our deputy sect master from now on. You’ll be in charge of soul tools.”

Xuan Ziwen wasn’t bothered about such things. Otherwise, why would he leave the Illustrious Virtue Hall?

“Oh, alright. Yuhao, give it to me.” As he spoke, he gestured to Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao naturally knew what he wanted, “Do you want the earliest set of information regarding the Tang Sect’s secret weapons or do you want them with my research?”

Xuan Ziwen replied, “The earliest set please. If I see your research, my train of thought might be disrupted. Oh, leave that metallic man with me, too. Can I enter now?” Although he was a soul tool fanatic, he was more in touch with the world compared to Ji Juechen. Otherwise, he would have rushed into the forge already.

Huo Yuhao said, “Guys, bring one complete Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon for Teacher Xuan to study. Eldest senior, give one set of the hidden weapon manuals to Teacher Xuan.”

“Alright.” Bei Bei retrieved a set of hidden weapon manuals for Xuan Ziwen. “Teacher Xuan, let us arrange your living quarters.”

Xuan Ziwen’s gaze was fixated on the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon that came out from the forge. His eyes brightened. “No rush, no rush. Go and get busy. You don’t have to bother with me. Yuhao, don’t leave today. I’ll find you tonight for a talk.”

“Alright.” Huo Yuhao tugged Bei Bei and gestured to the rest of them before leaving. He understood Xuan Ziwen. He lost his sense of time once he entered his research state.

When they returned to the meeting hall, Jiang Nannan and Xu Sanshi had also returned. Their expressions were very weird. After Ji Juechen received the Judgment Sword, he took it and went into retreat. Jing Ziyan also went to rest.

Bei Bei said, “Youngest junior, it’s not really a good idea to leave Teacher Xuan there on his own, right?”

Huo Yuhao shook and said, “Don’t worry, eldest senior. He came to the Tang Sect for proper reasons. Just let him do what he wants.”

Xiao Xiao was a little worried. “Yuhao, surely he’s not here to steal confidential information before leaving, right?”

Huo Yuhao shook his head and answered, “He’s not that kind of person. He’s only interested in soul tools. At least before he fully completes his research into soul tools, he won’t do anything. The Tang Sect is different from the Illustrious Virtue Hall. The Illustrious Virtue Hall is already the best place to create soul tools on the continent. Everything there is advanced. However, we’ve only just gained traction here, although we have developed things in a new direction. To Elder Xuan, this is the place that will bring him a greater sense of achievement. That’s why he chose to come over. There are many possibilities to combine the Tang Sect’s hidden weapons and soul tools; it’s practically impossible to calculate all of them. Under such a circumstance, he won’t leave anytime soon. I can also vouch for his character.”

Bei Bei nodded and said, “If you doubt someone, don’t use him. If you use him, don’t doubt him. Teacher Xuan is already the deputy sect master of the Tang Sect. Everyone, please make sure not to spout such words in the future. Yuhao, what do you think we should do to coordinate with him?”

Yuhao thought for a moment and said, “Give him the rare materials that I brought back. Eldest senior, does our sect have money?”

Bei Bei smiled and replied, “We have some money. The academy is very supportive of us, and paid us beforehand when they ordered the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon. They also offered a good price.”

Huo Yuhao said without any hesitation, “Then let’s think of a way to exchange our money for rare metals. In this way, I’ll ask teacher Xuan whether he has any special needs before I make a list of them. After that, we can think of ways to obtain what he needs.”

“Alright.”

Wang Dong’er laughed. “Why do I feel that your friends made a bad choice in befriending you? You’re obviously squeezing whatever value you can from them.”

Huo Yuhao wore a maligned look on his face, “What? I’m just catering to their interests.”

He Caitou stood up and said, “I’ll go to Teacher Xuan’s side to take a look. I only listened to how Yuhao complimented his capabilities, but didn’t have a chance to consult him. Now that we’re on the same side, I won’t stand on ceremony anymore.” After he finished speaking, he eagerly turned around and left.

Although Fan Yu and Xuan Ziwen were both Class 8 soul engineers, there were still big gaps in terms of their experience and thinking. He Caitou was quite pleased to see Xuan Ziwen here. Furthermore, he was also a Class 7 soul engineer himself, and was very familiar with the Tang Sect. With him around, Xuan Ziwen’s research would also be expedited.

Huo Yuhao said, “Eldest senior, let’s stay in the Tang Sect tonight and return tomorrow. Oh wait, I can’t. I still have to make a return trip. I also have a present for the Tang Sect.”

Wang Dong’er stood up and said, “I’ll go with you.”

Bei Bei smiled even wider as he observed his juniors. As he looked at the sky outside, he muttered to himself, “Xiao Ya, if you’re still around, you’d be very delighted to see the improvements the Tang Sect has made.”

“Hey! Are you feeling emotional again? Don’t be like a girl,” Xu Sanshi taunted him.

“What’s wrong with girls?” Jiang Nannan and Xiao Xiao were both displeased as they stared at Xu Sanshi.

Xu Sanshi coughed. “Girls are great! Girls are gentle, passionate, and sentimental. However, guys are different.”

Jiang Nannan stood up and said, “I’ll go find a gentle and passionate guy!”

“Don’t! My wife, I was wrong.” Xu Sanshi was deservedly the owner of the Shield of the Xuanwu Turtle. He greatly encapsulated the true meaning of a turtle, adaptable!

“Who’s your wife? Watch your mouth.” After Jiang Nannan had established her relationship with Xu Sanshi, she stated that their status would develop according to the situation. Xu Sanshi had to be tested frequently. He was tormented and happy at the same time. In fact, he was even a bit of a masochist.

Bei Bei also stood up and added, “Sanshi, let’s go and workout. I’ve not whacked you in ages. I’m itching to do so.”

Xu Sanshi stopped cajoling Jiang Nannan and started to laugh coldly. “It’s still too early to tell who will lose. Nannan, let’s whack him together.”

Bei Bei wouldn’t allow himself to be disadvantaged like that and immediately said, “Two versus two, who’s scared of who? Xiao Xiao, pair up with me.”

“Yes.” Xiao Xiao was very obedient, and immediately agreed.

—

Two hours later, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er saw how pathetic two of them were when they brought the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear cubs back.

Jiang Nannan and Xiao Xiao were fine, but Xu Sanshi and Bei Bei looked pitiful. A bruise had even swelled up on Bei Bei’s forehead, and he was attending to it.

Xu Sanshi was in an even worse state, as half of his face was swollen.

Xu Sanshi was furious as he claimed, “Bei Bei, are you still human? We agreed not to hit one another’s faces, but you still did so. It was definitely deliberate.”

Bei Bei snapped, “Deliberate? Didn’t you do the same? Look at my head. Look how bad you hit it. The bruise is so big. You are completely inhumane. How can I show myself to others anymore?”

“Stop quarreling, stop quarreling! Seniors, we are back.” Huo Yuhao saw the two of them the moment he entered. He almost burst out in laughter, and rushed over to mediate.

“Oh, Yuhao. You’ve brought the two cubs back?” Xu Sanshi saw the two cubs immediately. His eyes brightened as he said, “Dog meat hotpot, right? Our diet will change tonight! Yuhao’s cooking is unrivalled! I’ll not pick on you anymore. Yuhao, let me give you a hand. Tell me how you want to kill them, cut their bellies or throats?”

As he spoke, Xu Sanshi had already wandered over. He was even salivating.

Huo Yuhao said helplessly, “Third senior, they can’t be eaten! They are treasures given to the Tang Sect.”

Perhaps they felt that Xu Sanshi was going to harm them, but the two cubs started to roar furiously at him.

Xu Sanshi was startled as he exclaimed, “These two are really like bears, even though they aren’t mature yet!”

Huo Yuhao replied, “What do you mean they are like bears? They are bears, Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bears! They are the biggest reward from our trip to the Great Star Dou Forest!”

Everyone had already gathered at this point. Xiao Xiao and Jiang Nannan couldn’t help but touch them as they saw how cute they were.

However, these two cubs were very aggressive even though they were still young. They were ready to bite back at whoever got close to them.

Xu Sanshi was the most domineering. He used each of his hands to grab the thick skin at the cubs’ necks and pick them up.

“They’re pretty strong! I’ve not eaten the meat of Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bears before. I’ll make the both of you into hotpot if you continue to throw tantrums.”

Perhaps they understood his threat. As he picked them up, they immediately toned down, and whimpered non-stop.

“Piak!” Jiang Nannan slapped Xu Sanshi’s back. “You’ve hurt them.” As she spoke, she snatched one of the cubs.

It was weird, but they seemed to understand humans. The cub immediately submitted to Jiang Nannan as it compared her to the ‘bad guy’ Xu Sanshi. It didn’t continue to bite her, and only stared at Xu Sanshi with an unfriendly look in its eyes.

Xiao Xiao also took this opportunity to snatch the other cub.

Bei Bei was in a bit of a daze, and whispered to Huo Yuhao, “What’s going on? Didn’t you go with the others from the academy? Even if there are rewards, shouldn’t they belong to the academy?”

Huo Yuhao replied, “Elder Xuan gave us these two cubs. Although they’re still small, they might become the Tang Sect’s secret weapons if we tame them well.”

Bei Bei glanced at the two of them and laughed bitterly. “Little junior, do you think Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bears are so easy to tame?”

Huo Yuhao replied helplessly, “I don’t know either! At least they have yet to exhibit their destructiveness. I’ll ask the teachers from the Beast Dueling Area when I return to the academy and see how I can control them.”

Bei Bei nodded, “You can only do it this way. Settle them down first. I’ve asked someone to buy dinner from the restaurant outside. Let’s take it as a celebration since we have three new members.”

“Great! I’ll inform them. However, I don’t know how deep Ji Juechen’s closed-door cultivation will be.”

—

Huo Yuhao’s conjecture was right. Ji Juechen was very deep in his closed-door cultivation, and didn’t attend the celebration dinner.

The dinner was sumptuous. In order to host Xuan Ziwen and Jing Ziyan better, Huo Yuhao even grilled some fish personally.

This wasn’t just a celebration dinner. Shrek’s Seven Monsters hadn’t gathered together for quite some time. They enjoyed a full meal, and spontaneously decided to stay at the Tang Sect tonight.

After the dinner, Xuan Ziwen called Huo Yuhao to his room…





Chapter 246.1: The Soul Tool Hall is Formed


Xuan Ziwen scratched his head as he sat on the sofa. He had also drank quite a lot, as he was hosted by Shrek’s Seven Monsters earlier.

Huo Yuhao poured a cup of water for him. Xuan Ziwen received the cup and said, “Thank you.”

Huo Yuhao smiled slightly and said, “I should be the one thanking you. You gave up your privileges at the Illustrious Virtue Hall to come to the Tang Sect. I’m very grateful to you.”

Xuan Ziwen waved his hand and replied, “You don’t need to be grateful. I’m only pursuing what I like. Other things are less important. Before I left the Illustrious Virtue Hall, I submitted my Sealed Milk Bottle research. At least I managed to fulfil my responsibility to the Illustrious Virtue Hall.”

Huo Yuhao was stunned. Teacher Xuan managed to complete his research for the Sealed Milk Bottle! Undoubtedly, the Illustrious Virtue Hall would benefit greatly from this.

However, he didn’t say anything much. He could sense that Xuan Ziwen was still very attached to the Illustrious Virtue Hall. It was logical that he would repay them.

Xuan Ziwen looked at Huo Yuhao calmly and smiled. “You indeed didn’t disappoint me. I decided to come to the Tang Sect not because I was drawn by what you showed me. There are other reasons.”

As he spoke until here, he revealed a slightly disappointed look on his face, “There have been great changes in the Sun Moon Empire in the last two years. Jing Hongchen is about to go to war.”

Huo Yuhao furrowed his brow and said, “He must be on Xu Tianran’s side.”

Xuan Ziwen was stunned, and he asked, “You know?”

Huo Yuhao laughed. In fact, he was one of the causes. How would he not know?

Xuan Ziwen said, “As the Hallmaster of the Illustrious Virtue Hall, Jing Hongchen’s status in the Sun Moon Empire is extremely high. He’s like an advisor. His involvement in the imminent war means that the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy will be dragged in, too. Even though the Crown Prince was at an advantage, the throne was the sole target of some people. They would either succeed or die trying. Why would they give up so easily? The Illustrious Virtue Hall will no longer give me a quiet research environment.”

“More importantly, the Crown Prince has always been very active. Once he succeeds to the throne, a huge war will start in the near future. I’m only a soul engineer researcher. I don’t want to be involved with and stuck in a war. I don’t want to be ambushed by the Body Sect again, either. My research requires stability. I’m not willing to rely on anyone either, even if it’s on Jing Hongchen. I hate politics.

“The Tang Sect’s atmosphere is very good and relaxed. Shrek City also holds a special position on the continent. I think I’m liking it here already.” As he spoke to this point, Xuan Ziwen revealed a smile on his face.

Huo Yuhao smiled too. “We’re more glad that you’re here. Maybe we’ll be involved in a war in the future. However, no one will force you to do anything. It’s fine if you do what you like in the Tang Sect. We’ll do our best to handle external matters.”

Xuan Ziwen nodded and replied, “That’s great.”

He stopped for a moment at this point and looked at Huo Yuhao. After a brief moment of silence, he said, “Yuhao, have you thought of a future?”

Huo Yuhao was stunned for a moment, and didn’t understand what Xuan Ziwen meant.

Xuan Ziwen looked at him seriously and asked, “Don’t you think that you are too complex? No one is omnipotent.”

Huo Yuhao finally understood what he meant, and nodded. “Yes, I understand. However, I don’t wish to give up on being both a soul master and soul engineer. I just proposed to Shrek Academy today that soul masters should be taught how to use soul tools.” He explained his proposition to Xuan Ziwen.

Xuan Ziwen nodded and said, “That’s right, but it’s different from your situation. You aren’t just using soul tools; you are learning and developing them. You have even reached a deep level. I know it’s very difficult for you to give up everything now. However, everyone’s energy is limited. No one can be a master of all trades. You’ll need to make a choice.

“You are talented in the aspect of soul tools. You have become a Class 6 soul engineer, even though you are still so young. You are even on the verge of reaching Class 7. I am almost certain that you will become at least a Class 9 soul engineer if you continue to work hard. You won’t take more than twenty years, either. You might even become the youngest Class 9 soul engineer ever! However, I am also almost certain that every step from Class 7 onwards will become extremely difficult. I’ve been a Class 8 soul engineer for eight years, and I’m only just approaching Class 9. My cultivation is still sorely lacking.”

“If you want to become a Class 9 soul engineer, you’ll be restricted by time in terms of your soul master capabilities. With your talent, it won’t be long before you become a Titled Douluo. However, it’ll be very difficult to develop further if you invest your time in soul tools. Although a Titled Douluo Class 9 soul engineer is very strong, and you might even choose to become a Class 10 soul engineer, do you want that?”

Xuan Ziwen stood up and stepped forward slowly. “Your previous performance was too outstanding, and concealed some problems. However, these problems still exist. I saw everything that you’ve done in the Illustrious Virtue Hall. Kid, you are too tired.”

His words seemed to touch Huo Yuhao’s soul. His body shuddered slightly.

Xuan Ziwen walked up to him and patted his shoulder. He said, “I invested all my energy in soul tools. As an eight-ringed Soul Douluo, I don’t even remember what my soul skills are. However, I had plenty of time to think. What about you? Do you have plenty of time? You don’t. You don’t even have time to think. In your case, you might not even reach your peak in both aspects. The worst case scenario is that you’ll collapse.

“You’re already a Soul King. It’s time for you to choose. From the fighting style that you always use, I can tell that you see yourself more as a soul master deep in your heart, and not a soul engineer. Am I right?”

Huo Yuhao nodded slightly.

Xuan Ziwen said, “It’s nothing much. I also think that you are more suitable to be a soul master. Compared to your talent as a soul engineer, your twin martial souls are undoubtedly more outstanding in the world of soul masters. Tapping into your greatest advantages is the correct path you should choose.”

Huo Yuhao laughed bitterly. “However, I can’t forgo certain things.”

Xuan Ziwen walked in front of him and patted his shoulder, “I won’t make you forget them. Your research into soul tools will not be wasted, either, because you’ll understand them better. The person on the spot is baffled, while the onlooker sees clearly. How did you propose to Shrek Academy? Why have you become lost when it comes to you?”

Huo Yuhao was in a daze, and asked, “Are you suggesting that I should stop researching soul tools, and only use them?”

Xuan Ziwen shook his head and said, “You’re only half right. I’m not asking you to stop researching, but to stop developing soul tools. With your foundational knowledge of soul tools, it’s fine if you come up new concepts when inspiration arrives. However, don’t expend too much of your energy in this area. Since you have become a Soul King, you’ll need to expend more energy and effort in the future cultivation of your martial souls. If you want to be one of the best on the continent, you have to be focused. At least eighty percent of your time needs to be spent on that most important aspect.”

Xuan Ziwen’s gaze started to turn passionate as he spoke until this point. “Do you know why I’m trying to persuade you?”

Huo Yuhao was slightly moved, but he didn’t mutter a word.

Xuan Ziwen said, “That’s because I’ll be the person to design your soul tools in the future, when you reach the peak of the continent. The stronger and more complex the soul tools are, the stronger a soul master has to be in order to use them. There’s one thing about you that moves me the most… your knowledge. You are correct, the strongest individuals on the continent in the future will be the best soul masters equipped with the strongest soul tools. After seeing your human-shaped soul tool, my conception has changed slightly. Purely creating patterns and concepts of certain soul tools can no longer satiate my desire in the area of soul tools anymore. What I really want is to create the strongest soul tool in the world and create the ultimate combination of soul masters and soul engineers; the Ultimate Soldier.”

Huo Yuhao couldn’t help but open his eyes wide as he heard the words ‘Ultimate Soldier’. This was too coincidental!

Xuan Ziwen looked at him with a burning gaze and said, “This is also another reason why I was so willing to come here. Traditional soul masters don’t accept soul tools and don’t understand them. Soul masters at the peak of the continent will not be my test subjects. However, you are different. You possess the outstanding talent of a soul master, and you are enrolled in the best soul master academy. Your passion for soul tools is also very great, and you have a deep foundation there, too. Are you willing to be my test subject?”

Hui Yuhao laughed and bowed to Xuan Ziwen respectfully. “Teacher, it would be my honor!”

Xuan Ziwen rubbed his hands and said, “Alright then, take out all your new inventions over these past few years! I’m very eager!”

Huo Yuhao was puzzled. “Didn’t you say you wanted to research on your own, in case you were affected by my research?”





Chapter 246.2: The Soul Tool Hall is Formed


Xuan Ziwen glared at him and said, “Don’t you think I sounded very noble in front of others when I said that? Do you really think that I’d be unaffected? It’s an embarrassing thing for a teacher to ask his student for his research products.”

Huo Yuhao’s lips twisted a little. He didn’t expect Teacher Xuan to have such a side to him.

“Alright, I’ll give them to you now. However, there’s a lot of content. It’s not early, either.”

Xuan Ziwen glared at him and asked, “What? Are you planning to sleep tonight? It’s a waste of time to sleep on such a beautiful night. Cut the crap and hurry up.”

To Huo Yuhao, he had no choice but to burn the midnight oil. However, Xuan Ziwen was very eager. As they discussed more about soul tools, Huo Yuhao also entered the same zone. They didn’t sleep for the entire night.

—

When the first ray of sunlight shone into the Tang Sect the next morning, the entire the Tang Sect was dyed with a layer of dim gold.

A youth was standing not far away from the Tang Sect, pacing up and down. There was a slightly nervous expression on his face, but it looked more like enthusiasm.

“Am I too early?” The youth muttered to himself. “Let me wait for a while.”

As he spoke, he raised his head to look at the sky. His eagerness was evident.

Finally, he couldn’t take it any further as the sun rose further. He walked a few steps to the gate before knocking with the door clapper.

Even though the Tang Sect had made significant developments in soul tools, they still used the most traditional and ancient gate.

Knock, knock, knock. The crisp sound of the clapper rang out.

It wasn’t long before the door was opened. A youth in white poked his head out.

“Who are you looking for?” The Tang Sect disciples were divided into official disciples and disciples-in-name. Official disciples didn’t have any specific regulations for their attire, but disciples-in-name had to wear white warrior robes. They looked very neat and tidy.

The youth outside replied, “I’m looking for Huo Yuhao. Is he around?”

The Tang Sect’s disciple-in-name nodded and answered, “Senior Huo is around.”

The youth was jolted, and said, “I’ll have to trouble you to inform him that Mo Xuan is looking for him.” In order to garner more respect from this disciple-in-name, he added, “I’m from Shrek.”

Indeed, the disciple-in-name started to act more prudently. “Please wait a minute. I’ll inform him now.”

While Huo Yuhao was still young, the Tang Sect was founded by the seven of them. The disciples that had entered the sect later all called him ‘senior’, apart from some special situations.

The youth who was pacing up and down outside the gate was Mo Xuan, who had entered and risked his life in the Great Star Dou Forest with Huo Yuhao not long ago. He was one of the inner courtyard disciples valued and nurtured by Shrek Academy.

Ever since he had returned, he had not felt calm. The all-terrain self-driving fort had left an extremely deep impression in his mind.

On the way back to the academy, Huo Yuhao had taught him a few control methods. Mo Xuan also tried them out himself. It was his first time feeling that he didn’t need anyone to protect him.

In fact, even Huo Yuhao didn’t know how important Mo Xuan was to Shrek Academy.

In terms of abilities, an advanced student from the outer courtyard was able to easily defeat Mo Xuan. However, his abilities were too special.

At that point in time, Zhang Lexuan and Cai Mei’er had only briefly mentioned how his auxiliary capabilities could be unleashed at long range. However, they didn’t specifically state how great that range was. Even Huo Yuhao had neglected this point.

With Mo Xuan’s fighting strength, or rather, the lack thereof, how did he manage to enter Shrek Academy? Apart from Huo Yuhao, who had entered the academy by pulling strings, he had been the one who passed the test the most easily. He only had one ring then, and had only exhibited one soul skill before he was admitted by the academy.

He only demonstrated an ordinary enhancement soul skill, which was called Halo. How strong could his soul ring be? Its effect was naturally very average. However, it covered a circle a kilometer wide!

This also meant that Mo Xuan could enhance everyone within this area if he was willing to. What kind of concept was that?

The enhancement was very negligible if only one person was enhanced that way. However, what if there were ten thousand people? If a certain aspect of everyone’s abilities were enhanced by ten percent, it would make for frightening numbers.

As a result, he was greatly valued by the academy as soon as he exhibited his first soul skill. Not only was he directly admitted to the academy, but he was even immediately nurtured as a core disciple of the outer courtyard.

Over the years, Mo Xuan’s cultivation had increased steadily under the special care of Shrek Academy’s teachers. Although he couldn’t compare to some other students of the same age from the inner courtyard, the rate of increase of his cultivation was faster than other soul masters outside of the academy. His innate talent was also slowly realized under such circumstances.

Every soul ring he added would increase the region that he could cover with his Halo. It was terrifying! After he obtained six soul rings, his soul skills could be used within a circle that spanned six kilometers!

Shrek Academy had once formed a research group to discuss his special martial soul further. Their conclusion was that Mo Xuan’s martial soul had mutated, and created something that couldn’t be duplicated. When he exhibited his soul skill, the Halo that he unleashed would resonate with the various elements in the air before assimilating them. His Halo would be turned into a domain-type ability that was very weak, but covered a huge area.

If he fought in a war, how much would the overall abilities of those on his side increase?

Mo Xuan’s Halo’s enhancement effect was very ordinary to soul masters. It couldn’t compare to an outstanding tool soul like the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda. However, his strength became more and more evident when there were more and more people around. His martial soul was born for war.

As a result, Shrek Academy didn’t value him any less than Huo Yuhao. They had even decided to allow him to enter the Sea God’s Pavilion when he gained eight rings.

However, Mo Xuan had his own ideas after he was valued by the academy.

He was still a youth, a passionate youth! As a soul master in Shrek Academy, how could he possibly not yearn to fight?

Whenever he went out to train with his partners, he was always protected. He would practically do nothing as his partners went out to fight and kill. He could only unleash his Halo that wasn’t too effective for his partners.

Mo Xuan often imagined how he would charge his way into the enemies’ fortresses along with the other inner courtyard students. However, could he do so? No, he couldn’t. Among soul masters at the same level, he was one of the weakest. He didn’t even possess any fighting soul skills. How could he charge into enemy territory? How could he fight his enemies?

This was the biggest pain that Mo Xuan held in his heart.

However, he saw a glimmer of hope when he was in the Great Star Dou Forest, something that could change his life.

Huo Yuhao’s words moved him greatly. The shock that he received from learning about the all-terrain soul fort was also unprecedented.

Under Huo Yuhao’s guidance, he had released a soul ray with a button and chopped down a thick tree. At that point in time, Mo Xuan was so excited that he almost screamed. This was the first attack that he had ever unleashed as a soul master.

Soul tools. Yes, I can try soul tools! Soul tools wouldn’t clash with his Halo, either.

After being back for two days, his heart felt as if it were being scratched by a cat’s claws. He spent the entire night without sleep. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. In the morning, he went to find Huo Yuhao with black rings around his eyes, but he found out that Huo Yuhao wasn’t in the academy.

Mo Xuan knew that Huo Yuhao and the rest of Shrek’s Seven Monsters were from the Tang Sect. He also found out the exact location of the Tang Sect from the other inner courtyard students before he made his way over. However, he didn’t inform Cai Mei’er about his intentions. After all, he didn’t know how the academy would react if they found out he wanted to learn about soul tools. What if they weren’t agreeable?

Mo Xuan had always been very grateful towards the academy for nurturing him. However, it was always his dream to become a warrior on the battlefield! Eventually, his dream trumped his rationality, which was why he was here. He first wanted to ask Huo Yuhao whether he could become a soul engineer, and what kind of soul engineer he could become.

Just as Mo Xuan was formulating his approach, Huo Yuhao walked out. Huo Yuhao also had black rings around his eyes, which were also slightly red.

“Senior Mo Xuan, what you are here for? Please come in.” Huo Yuhao was confused by Mo Xuan’s sudden appearance. If he were in his normal state, he might have been able to guess. However, he was too tired now. The entire night of discussion had turned his voice slightly hoarse.

Mo Xuan was a little embarrassed as he said, “Yuhao, apologies for coming so suddenly. If the Tang Sect isn’t convenient, we can speak outside.”

Huo Yuhao dragged him in and laughed, “What’s there to be inconvenient? There is no difference between the Tang Sect and the academy. Senior Mo Xuan, you don’t have to be so formal. Come on, let’s talk inside. Ah—” As he spoke, he couldn’t help but yawn.





Chapter 246.3: The Soul Tool Hall is Formed


Mo Xuan was a little stunned as he looked at the younger student. He couldn’t help but ask, “You didn’t rest well last night?”

Huo Yuhao laughed bitterly. “I didn’t rest at all. I was discussing soul tools with a teacher until morning. Senior Mo Xuan, it seems like you didn’t sleep well either?”

Mo Xuan laughed bitterly too. “My mind was filled with soul tools! You gave me a huge biscuit, and this biscuit is absolutely delicious.”

Although Huo Yuhao was a little lost, he quickly understood after he heard Mo Xuan’s words. “Senior Mo Xuan, you want to learn how to use soul tools, am I right? That’s not a problem. I’ve already suggested it to the academy, and Elder Xuan, Dean Yan, and Dean Xian have all approved it. The academy is about to start teaching everyone how to use soul tools.”

Mo Xuan’s eyes lit up. He knew he hadn’t made a wasted trip after hearing this news!

As Huo Yuhao spoke, he walked into the hall. It was still early. Even if everyone was up, they were still washing up and having breakfast. The front courtyard was very quiet.

Huo Yuhao offered Mo Xuan a seat and poured him a cup of water. After that, he said, “Senior Mo Xuan, you can ask me anything you want. As long as I know, I will answer you.” Although he was tired, he had a good impression of Mo Xuan, and was willing to give him a hand.

Mo Xuan also said without any hesitation, “Yuhao, you don’t have to keep calling me senior either. I feel very embarrassed in front of you. As a senior, I’m not that capable. If you treat me as a friend, you can call me directly by my name.”

Huo Yuhao smiled and replied, “Alright then. Mo Xuan, you can ask me anything if you have any doubts.”

Mo Xuan said, “Yuhao, can you tell me what level I’ll be able to reach if I start learning about soul tools now? You should know that my martial soul is slightly special. When I exhibit my soul skills, I don’t really need to control them, since they’re all domain-type soul skills. I’ve also learned many things in the academy, but I’m restricted by my martial soul. This knowledge only serves to enrich me. I want to be a soul engineer. I want to be like all of you, fighting against our enemies and not hiding behind everyone’s backs.” When he reached this last sentence, he sounded much more agitated.

Huo Yuhao thought for a moment before asking, “Senior Mo Xuan, how old are you now?”

Mo Xuan said, “Twenty-five.”

Huo Yuhao said, “You are already pretty old if you want to start learning about soul tools. All the aspects of knowledge regarding the creation of soul tools are very complex. You need to have a strong foundation first. It’s very difficult.”

Mo Xuan was anxious after hearing his words, “However, didn’t you tell me that…”

Huo Yuhao lifted his hand to interrupt him and said, “Don’t be anxious. Let me finish speaking. You are indeed a little too old to learn about creating soul tools. However, it’s not too late for you to start using them. For soul masters like the two of us, using and creating soul tools are completely different things. My suggestion earlier was for you to try using soul tools to protect yourself and increase your fighting strength.”

Mo Xuan continued to probe, “What standard can I reach if I only choose to use them?”

Huo Yuhao replied, “If you are just using them, I recommend you use all-terrain soul forts because of your situation. Not only will they help you raise an all-around defense, but they are also very strong, since they are quite large. With sufficient Milk Bottles, you’ll greatly enhance your survivability and fighting stamina on the battlefield.”

After Xuan Ziwen’s research of Sealed Milk Bottles was completed, many soul tools could be greatly transformed. This was especially applicable for soul tools that were sizable. Even though it would take some time to charge them, they could be used for a long time without worrying about when the soul power in the Milk Bottles would be depleted. Furthermore, a soul master wouldn’t have to worry about the depletion of their own strength.

With the appearance of such Milk Bottles and the Tang Sect’s techniques, it was no longer a dream for ordinary people to use soul tools in the future.

Mo Xuan nodded and said, “Does this also mean that my fighting strength will increase as such soul tools become stronger? How long will it take me to learn how to use them?”

Huo Yuhao replied, “You’ll need at least a month to learn basic control of them. If you want to master them, you’ll need at least three months. Controlling soul tools is a matter of practice. You are a Soul Emperor, meaning that you’ll have sufficient time to practice every day.”

Mo Xuan clapped his hands in excitement and said, “Great, I’ll learn how to control this all-terrain self-driving fort then. After I return, which teacher from the Soul Tool Department should I find to help me with my learning?”

Huo Yuhao was stumped by this question, and replied helplessly, “You won’t be able to learn all this in the academy now. The academy can only start from the basics, so that you can learn how to use a greater variety of soul tools in the future. Furthermore, the all-terrain self-driving fort was the product of my research on all-terrain exploration soul tools when I was in the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. I made refinements and eventually came up with it. There should only be one of it in existence here.”

Mo Xuan was in a daze. “One only? Can you sell it to me then? I know it’s not going to be cheap, but I’ll try my best to come up with the money.”

Huo Yuhao replied, “I’m sorry, Mo Xuan. It’s not that I don’t want to sell it to you, but because there’s still a lot of confidentiality surrounding the techniques that were used in the creation of this soul tool. We must keep it a secret. In addition, there’s still further research and development to be done. It’s a first model for us. If we give it to you, we won’t have anything to work with anymore. Let me drop you a suggestion; I’ll give you priority to get one when Tang Sect starts to mass produce it in the future.”

Mo Xuan was filled with disappointment. “How long will I have to wait? I still have to learn how to use it!”

Huo Yuhao couldn’t answer this question. Xuan Ziwen was the only one who could answer how long it would take to produce this soul tool. There were many materials involved in making an all-terrain self-driving fort. There were even a few problems regarding its production that had to be rectified in various aspects. Furthermore, mass production would also reduce the quality of an all-terrain self-driving fort, since cheaper materials would be used for production. In addition, all this could only be completed after continuous tests. Huo Yuhao couldn’t give him an exact time.

Mo Xuan furrowed his brow upon seeing how Huo Yuhao was being put in a spot. He was like a helpless person drifting in the ocean right now, who had found a life buoy; but the life buoy belonged to someone else, and he couldn’t use it.

Huo Yuhao asked, “Actually, you can strengthen your foundation by starting to learn how to use basic soul tools first.”

Mo Xuan replied, “I understand what you mean. I’ll learn how to use basic soul tools. However, your self-driving fort is too attractive. I’m already too eager. Yuhao, do you think this could work…?”

He paused for a moment at this point, as if he were very determined. He said, “Let me join the Tang Sect. In this way, I’ll also have the responsibility of guarding the Tang Sect’s secrets. I can also learn about the self-driving fort at the same time. Will this work?”

Huo Yuhao jumped in shock. “Mo Xuan, are you certain? Although we’ve just been re-established, we are still a sect. It’s easy to enter a sect, but it’ll be slightly more troublesome if you want to leave.”

Mo Xuan said, “Since I’ve chosen to join the sect, why would I want to leave? However, will the Tang Sect be willing to accept a trashy person like me, who has no fighting strength?”

“Trashy? Stop kidding. There are no trashy characters in our inner courtyard. If you are willing to join the Tang Sect, I’ll welcome you with open arms and legs!” Huo Yuhao was delighted, and his fatigue seemed to have disappeared. Although he didn’t know the effective range of Mo Xuan’s Halo, he guessed that it must be very strong given how greatly the academy valued him. Strong soul masters would also be very useful for his future plans!

Mo Xuan asked, “After joining the Tang Sect, does that mean that I can…?”

Huo Yuhao nodded his head immediately. “Of course. You don’t have to only use it in the Tang Sect either. I’m the only one in Tang Sect who knows how to use it. When we are in the inner courtyard, I can teach you.”

Mo Xuan was elated, and said, “That would be great! I’ll learn it first! When you come up with a better one in the future, you must sell me one!”

Huo Yuhao chortled. “You’re part of the Tang Sect too, now. Don’t mention anything about selling. I’ll make it a priority to construct one for you first.”

Mo Xuan answered eagerly, “That’s a deal! What kind of administrative procedures will I need to go through to join the Tang Sect?”

Huo Yuhao replied, “Wait a minute. I’ll call eldest senior first.”

—

“What? You dragged someone else over? Inner courtyard too? Mo Xuan, why does he sound so familiar? Don’t tell me that he’s the one that can enter the Sea God’s Pavilion when he obtains eight rings? Yuhao, how did you do it?” Bei Bei spoke extremely quickly. He looked at Huo Yuhao as if he were looking at a freak.

It had only been a few days! Huo Yuhao had brought several members into the sect. They included Na Na, the soul engineers who were victimized by the Holy Ghost Church, Ji Juechen, Jing Ziyan, the two Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bears, and even the chief researcher of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. What could he not do?

After one more night, another member came knocking on the door. He was even one of the future members of the Sea God’s Pavilion!

Bei Bei had been in the academy for a long time already, and was even Elder Mu’s descendant. He naturally understood more about the situation in the inner courtyard then Huo Yuhao, so he naturally knew more about Mo Xuan than Huo Yuhao.

Seeing that Bei Bei was shocked, Huo Yuhao touched his nose and said, “Eldest senior, I really didn’t do anything. Mo Xuan was just attracted by my all-terrain self-driving fort. However, you know that this thing can’t spread. I didn’t say anything before he offered to join the Tang Sect. Can’t he do so?”





Chapter 247.1: The Continuously Strengthening Tang Sect


“Yes! Of course! Of course!” Bei Bei confirmed his decision thrice. “Yuhao, do you know what Mo Xuan’s nickname in the inner courtyard is?”

Huo Yuhao shook his head. However, he could make a rough guess, especially after Bei Bei pointed out that Mo Xuan could enter the Sea God’s Pavilion in the future.

Bei Bei said, “His nickname was given to him by Dean Yan. He’s called the War Controller.”

War Controller! What a domineering name!

Huo Yuhao was stunned as he asked, “He’s so strong? I’ve been enhanced by his Halo before. To be honest, its effect isn’t that great.”

Bei Bei laughed coldly and said, “For soul masters of our standards, his enhancement isn’t that great. However, have you ever considered the cumulative effect if thousands of soul masters were enhanced at the same time? The overall strength of an entire army can soar instantly. Whether it’s in terms of speed, strength, or defense, they’ll all be greatly enhanced. If abilities like Bloodlust were used to supplement it further, can you imagine how a battle will turn out?”

Huo Yuhao was stunned. “What? His Halo can enhance thousands of people at the same time? That is so unreal!”

Bei Bei replied firmly, “It’s so strong precisely because it’s unreal.” He explained what he knew about Mo Xuan’s Halo to Huo Yuhao.

“Mo Xuan’s abilities are a secret even in the inner courtyard. I heard about them from my grandfather. Even he was very impressed with Mo Xuan’s abilities, and decided that Xuan should join the Sea God’s Pavilion in the future.”

After Bei Bei mentioned Elder Mu, Huo Yuhao was even more astonished. For Elder Mu to be impressed, Mo Xuan’s Halo must be very strong indeed!

Bei Bei said, “Let’s go, let’s not make him wait. Heaven is really helping us!”

There wasn’t any complicated process involved in joining Tang Sect. In fact, it was even much simpler, as Bei Bei was worried about delaying Mo Xuan’s admission into the sect.

“I’m willing to join the Tang Sect and observe the rules of the sect. The sect’s glory will be my glory, and the sect’s humiliation will be my humiliation. I’m willing to use my life to protect the sect. If I violate any of its rules, let me die a horrible death.”

“The swear-in ceremony is over. Welcome to the Tang Sect, Mo Xuan.”

Bei Bei opened his arms wide open and gave Mo Xuan a big hug.

As Mo Xuan hugged him back, he smiled. “Bei Bei, I should call you eldest senior in the future too.” In terms of age, he wasn’t much older than Bei Bei.

Bei Bei laughed. “You won’t have to call me soon. You are also an official disciple. You can call me by my name. Yuhao, don’t hide your all-terrain self-driving fort anymore. Teach Mo Xuan after you return.”

Huo Yuhao laughed. “I’ll do that. However, I want to sleep first. I spent the entire night discussing soul tools with Teacher Xuan. He has gone to meditate, and I’m extremely exhausted now.”

Mo Xuan smiled and said, “No rush, no rush. We can talk about it after we return to the inner courtyard. You can tell me if the Tang Sect needs any help. After all, I’m now a part of the Tang Sect.”

Bei Bei retrieved a script and said, “Mo Xuan, this script records some of our Tang Sect abilities. You can start practicing them. I know that you don’t have any offensive soul skills. However, our Tang Sect techniques are not much inferior to soul skills if you practice them well.”

Mo Xuan received the copied script and looked at it. There were only four huge words on it, “Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record.”

This was the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record without the Hidden Weapon Hundred Separation, but it recorded the cultivation methods of the other Tang Sect Secret Techniques.

Bei Bei said seriously, “Memorize it before returning it to me. These are our secret techniques. Without our approval, you cannot spread them to anyone else. Otherwise, we’ll have to take back your powers.”

Mo Xuan turned serious too. “I know. Don’t worry.”

After sending Mo Xuan off, Huo Yuhao heard something loud resonating from the Sparring Arena. There seemed to be someone cheering loudly.

“Eldest senior, who’s at the Sparring Arena?” Huo Yuhao asked.

Bei Bei replied, “Caitou and Xiao Xiao. Nannan has lessons today and returned to the inner courtyard before daybreak. Sanshi didn’t leave, and Dong’er is around too. They’re also likely to be there. Let’s go and take a look.”

Huo Yuhao laughed bitterly. “I was looking for Dong’er too.” Although he was exhausted from staying up the entire night, he wouldn’t go to sleep immediately. He needed to meditate to recover first. Cultivating with Wang Dong’er was naturally going to make his restoration faster.

After discussing things with Xuan Ziwen last night, Huo Yuhao felt that the burden on his shoulders had been lightened. Just like Xuan Ziwen had said, he couldn’t reach the peaks of both a soul master and soul engineer. He didn’t need to become a powerful soul engineer, he just needed to be a soul master who used soul tools. At least in the aspect of soul tools, Huo Yuhao knew that it was an unknown whether he could surpass Xuan Ziwen even if he gave his all to do so.

It was difficult to make such a choice, but he didn’t need to ponder any further once he made it. He could put more of his energy into cultivating his twin martial souls and researching Spirits. Along with Xuan Ziwen’s various experiments, this was the more meaningful and valuable choice.

Bei Bei and Huo Yuhao felt the undulations of soul power the moment they entered the Sparring Arena. They saw that it was surrounded by Tang Sect disciples.

After years of development, the Tang Sect was no longer as sparse as before. Besides Shrek’s Seven Monsters, there was still Na Na and the young soul engineers that came with her. Bei Bei had also recruited some graduates from the outer courtyard. Of course, there were disciples from the inner courtyard, too. Mo Xuan was a good example.

Besides these official disciples, there were still some students and disciples in name that had come from Shrek City. They mainly cultivated and helped in the development of soul tools. The structure of the entire Tang Sect was becoming more and more complete. All of this was mainly settled by Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi. They weren’t just strong in their cultivations; they were also very talented in management! Along with Shrek Academy’s secret support, the Tang Sect’s development was proceeding quickly.

They also had their own source of income after they sold some secretly-developed soul tools. After some experiments, Shrek Academy also affirmed the utility of the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon designed by Huo Yuhao and He Caitou. The demand for the cannon thus soared greatly, giving a healthy financial boost to their development.

Xuan Ziwen’s arrival was also bound to greatly improve the Tang Sect. Xuan Ziwen told Huo Yuhao last night that he could start using his Sealed Milk Bottle. Although he left the method of developing the Sealed Milk Bottle with the Illustrious Virtue Hall, he was the only one who really understood its true meaning. The night wasn’t wasted, as Xuan Ziwen and Huo Yuhao confirmed the plan that they could combine the Sealed Milk Bottle and Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon.

Once this plan was realized, the cannon would become the strongest soul tool that could be used by an ordinary person. Even though it could only be fired a limited number of times, it could still be used for a long period of time as long as there were enough Milk Bottles to charge it.

What better place was there for them than Shrek Academy to charge these Milk Bottles? There were many strong soul masters in the academy!

After Huo Yuhao and Xuan Ziwen made their calculations, they concluded that Class 4 Sealed Milk Bottles had the best value, mostly because Class 5 and above Sealed Milk Bottles required costly, rare metals. Class 4 Sealed Milk Bottles required cheaper, more standard materials. One Class 4 Sealed Milk Bottle would power five shots of the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon. Of course, the prerequisite was that the cannon shell couldn’t be above Class 3. However, this was already enough!

There were different classes of the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon, too. Consideration of this also led to the formation of problems. The most ordinary cannons could only fire up to a distance of one kilometer, and only used Class 3 and below stationary soul cannon shells.

Intermediate-level cannons could fire Class 5 and below stationary soul cannon shells up to a distance of three kilometers. As for advanced-level cannons, they could fire Class 7 and below stationary soul cannon shells. Of course, these cannons were also at least Class 7.

Currently, the Tang Sect was developing low- and intermediate-level Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannons. They weren’t considering advanced-level cannons yet. After all, the cost of developing such cannons was too high. Furthermore, their cannons could fire anywhere from six to eighteen cannon shells at once. Although the cost of such cannons wasn’t low, they were acceptable to most ordinary sects. The cost was even less of a concern for Shrek Academy. However, the stationary soul cannon shells could only be used once. They were expended the moment they were fired, and needed to be replenished. Even if they were replenished by Class 3 stationary soul cannon shells, firing eighteen shells at one go was equivalent to spending three thousand gold coins!

That was why advanced-level Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannons would be developed in the future, but not in large quantities. If the supply of cannon shells couldn’t match the demand, what was the use of these cannons?

After discussing it with Huo Yuhao, Xuan Ziwen was more confident in some of Huo Yuhao’s strange ideas. There were many things that caught his eye and aroused his curiosity. However, Xuan Ziwen realized that there were many things that he wanted to do after discussing things all night.

After his discussion with Huo Yuhao, Xuan Ziwen decided to complete the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon first. There were two reasons. First, the completion of the cannon would undoubtedly profit the Tang Sect greatly. Secondly, with more money, they could invest more in their future research funds!





Chapter 247.2: The Continuously Strengthening Tang Sect


Another reason was Xuan Ziwen’s own problems. He had only just started learning how to develop Tang Sect’s hidden weapons. The contents involved were different from the formation arrays of soul tools that he had researched before. He needed time to adapt and experiment. It was naturally a good thing to start with something as simple as the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon.

As a result, Xuan Ziwen set two goals for himself. First, he wanted to complete the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon and combine it with his Sealed Milk Bottle. Second, he wanted to design and produce more economical low-level stationary soul cannon shells, a crucial matter.

Huo Yuhao directly told him that the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannons would be more popular if cheaper and more powerful cannon shells were produced. When that happened, he would have more money to carry out other activities!

—

In the Sparring Arena, there was a fight going on. The two parties involved were Jing Ziyan and Xu Sanshi.

Xu Sanshi was standing in the center of the Sparring Arena. He flipped the Shield of the Xuanwu Turtle into the air, which resisted Jing Ziyan’s attack. No matter how magical Jing Ziyan’s fog was, she couldn’t force him from his spot.

Huo Yuhao slapped his hand to his forehead and said, “They really can’t take a break! It’s so early in the morning, but they are already fighting.”

Bei Bei smiled, “This is a good thing. It’s a form of motivation for everyone. If you don’t want to lose, you’ll have to work hard. Am I wrong?”

Those who were watching the fight weren’t just the ordinary disciples. Wang Dong’er and Ji Juechen were present, too.

Ji Juechen was watching the fight quietly, the Judgment Sword behind his back. He was still using his original sheath for it, which looked slightly unsuitable.

Bei Bei and Huo Yuhao walked over. Ji Juechen looked at Huo Yuhao, and his eyes brightened. However, Huo Yuhao immediately said before he even opened his mouth, “Don’t find me for anything. I didn’t sleep last night; I was discussing soul tools with Teacher Xuan. My mind isn’t in the right state now, and my fighting strength is at a low point. Even if you defeat me in this state, I don’t think it’s honorable for you, right? How’s my third senior?”

Ji Juechen replied without any hesitation, “Impressive!”

Xu Sanshi and Jing Ziyan both had six rings. As an agility-type soul master, she didn’t stand a chance against the defense-type Xu Sanshi. The sparring had been going on for more than ten minutes already. Xu Sanshi hadn’t moved a single inch, and only defended against Jing Ziyan’s attacks. If this continued, Jing Ziyan’s soul power was bound to run out.

Ji Juechen appeared to be in good spirits, a passionate gaze in his eyes at this moment. After coming to Shrek City, he became more and more satisfied with his decision. If he had never come to Shrek City, he would never known how strong soul masters could become. They were at the same level, but Ji Juechen knew that Huo Yuhao’s seniors weren’t easy to deal with. Using Xu Sanshi as an example, he had no confidence of breaking through the Black Turtle defense using his sword intent. Furthermore, he could also tell that Xu Sanshi was holding back slightly. Of course, Jing Ziyan was holding back, too. But overall, Xu Sanshi still had an advantage over her.

Huo Yuhao chuckled and replied, “Of course he’s impressive. My eldest senior is also very impressive. He even mentioned that we should all help to improve one another in the future.”

Bei Bei glared at him. Rascal, he sold me out the moment we arrived. He smiled before saying to Ji Juechen, “Brother Ji, your sheath isn’t very suitable. I’ll get the Soul Tool Hall to make you a new one when we return.”

Ji Juechen nodded and said, “Thanks. I would like to challenge you.”

Bei Bei knew that he couldn’t escape. He naturally wouldn’t shrink away from the challenge, either. Even though Ji Juechen had lost to Wang Qiu’er yesterday, Bei Bei could tell how strong he was. With his sharp eyes, he could also tell that Wang Qiu’er didn’t win the fight easily, either. Just like Wang Qiu’er had mentioned, the outcome might be completely different if Ji Juechen had changed his sword.

“Alright, let’s wait for them to finish fighting,” Bei Bei agreed readily. He was also getting a little itchy.

Xu Sanshi was very cooperative. As he stood in his spot, he shouted suddenly, “Sister Jing, I’m exhausted. Let’s stop now, okay? It’s not easy being your sandbag! Have you had your fill?”

The purple fog consolidated and revealed Jing Ziyan’s figure. She was panting heavily, and perspiration had already formed on her forehead. On the contrary, Xu Sanshi appeared to be very calm, and didn’t look tired at all.

Jing Ziyan snapped, “You are such a dishonest fellow. Why aren’t you attacking?”

Perhaps it was because Jiang Nannan was not present, and thus Xu Sanshi couldn’t help but flirt a little when he saw a lady.

“Hey, Sister Jing, how am I dishonest? People call me an honest, reliable guy. I’m holding a shield. How am I supposed to retaliate? I’m getting whacked so pitifully by you. I’m conceding defeat.”

Jing Ziyan rolled her eyes at him and retracted her martial soul. She said, “Alright, let’s end it for today. I’ll challenge you again when we return.”

Xu Sanshi chortled and replied, “Great! I’ll be ready to fight you anytime.”

In fact, Jing Ziyan had put a lot of pressure on him. After sparring with Huo Yuhao, Ji Juechen wasn’t the only who had improved. Jing Ziyan’s martial soul was already very strange. Furthermore, her actual fighting abilities were getting stronger and stronger. Her attacks were quite incisive.

Xu Sanshi only defended and didn’t attack. It wasn’t that he couldn’t, but rather because he knew that he would give her an opportunity to exploit if he did so. In that way, it would be difficult to predict the victor. This was only sparring, and not a life-and-death battle. That’s why he decided to defend all the way and created the stalemate.

Jing Ziyan and Xu Sanshi stepped down. Ji Juechen drew his Judgment Sword, “Bei Bei, it’s our turn.”

Bei Bei smiled and gestured for him to enter the arena first. The two of them walked towards the center of the arena.

Xu Sanshi smiled, “Please be gentle. Don’t destroy the place any further. Brother Ji, do your best. Destroy him.”

Jing Ziyan revealed a weird look in her eyes and asked confusedly, “Why are you cheering Juechen on, and not Bei Bei?”

Xu Sanshi retracted his smile and appeared melancholic. “I have an enmity with him, thus I can’t cheer him on. I can’t wait for Brother Ji to give him a good whacking.”

Jing Ziyan snapped, “I don’t understand the messy relationships between guys.”

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er laughed as they stood at one side.

Wang Dong’er said softly, “Yuhao, go and rest. Didn’t you stay awake the entire night?” She knew that Huo Yuhao hadn’t slept at all. Otherwise, he would have found her to cultivate together.

However, she hadn’t gone and disrupted him, either. She prepared breakfast for him at the canteen when she woke up. When Mo Xuan came to find him earlier, Huo Yuhao had already consumed his breakfast.

Huo Yuhao replied, “I’ll rest when this fight finishes, but you’ll need to accompany me.”

“Alright.” Wang Dong’er understood that he wanted to cultivate with her.

However, someone objected immediately. Xu Sanshi twisted his head and said in shock, “Dong’er, you agreed?”

Wang Dong’er was stunned, and asked, “Why can’t I agree?”

Xu Sanshi appeared depressed as he said, “Why? The Heavens, you are really unfair towards me…”

Not only was Jing Ziyan confused by his words, but even Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er were completely lost. They didn’t know what he was doing.

Jing Ziyan asked doubtfully, “What’s wrong?”

Xu Sanshi was both sad and furious as he replied, “We are both dating, but why is Nannan so cold towards me? Yuhao is younger than me, and he’s not as developed as me. He’s also not as handsome as me! However, Dong’er agreed to his advances in broad daylight. I’m pitiful. It’s difficult for me to even hold Nannan’s hand.”

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er were instantly annoyed. Wang Dong’er said furiously, “Third senior, your thinking is too dirty. I’m returning with Yuhao to cultivate later. We have twin martial souls, thus it’s much easier for us if we cultivate together.”

Xu Sanshi appeared as if he understood what she meant, and replied, “I understand, I understand. Ah, the sun shines brightly outside while the two of you draw the curtains and lay under the blanket in the room. Why don’t I have such a good life?”

Wang Dong’er wanted to explain further, but Huo Yuhao pulled her away. For such a matter, it would become more and more ambiguous the more they tried to explain themselves. Xu Sanshi was obviously mocking them. The best thing to do was to ignore him.

Jing Ziyan looked at Xu Sanshi deeply, and didn’t say anything.

Xu Sanshi was puzzled as he looked at the three of them, as he realized no one was bothering with him anymore. Huo Yuhao was holding Wang Dong’er’s hand as he turned towards the arena. Only Jing Ziyan was watching him with a burning gaze in her eyes.

Xu Sanshi was confused as he asked, “What are you looking at me for? Sister Jing, I’m already taken, even though I have to admit that you are pretty. No matter how harsh Nannan is towards me, my feelings for her are real. You’ve come too late. We can’t be together in this lifetime. Let’s see whether we are destined to be together in other lifetimes.”

Jing Ziyan sighed suddenly and gave a regretful look. She shook her head and turned her gaze towards the arena.

Xu Sanshi was stunned, and asked, “Why are you sighing? What’s wrong with me? Do you think it’s a pity that I already have a girlfriend?”

Jing Ziyan turned her attention towards him again and said seriously, “When I sparred with you earlier, I still thought that you were quite strong, and that you have a bright future. However, I realized there’s something wrong with a part of your body after everything that you’ve just said.”

As she spoke, she lifted her finger to point at Xu Sanshi’s forehead.

Xu Sanshi replied furiously, “What, what’s wrong with my brain?”





Chapter 247.3: The Continuously Strengthening Tang Sect


Jing Ziyan said, “You are so narcissistic, of course there’s something wrong with your brain! What kind of dirty stuff do you have in your brain? Stay far away from me in the future! Don’t infect me.” As she spoke, she even shifted a few steps away from Xu Sanshi.

Although Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er were watching what was going on in the arena, their shoulders were twitching slightly as they hid their laughter.

A wicked person would be afflicted by a similar personality. Xu Sanshi was mocking everyone, but Jing Ziyan gave him a taste of his own medicine.

Xu Sanshi was in a daze as he stood there. After a while, his lips started to twitch and he flung his head to one side. “A strong person doesn’t need anyone to understand him.”

As they were conversing, the fight between Bei Bei and Ji Juechen began.

The two of them were standing in the Sparring Arena, separated by fifty meters. Their soul rings rose at around the same time.

While Bei Bei appeared gentle and refined most of the time, he turned serious when he was going to fight. Two yellow, two purple, and two black soul rings rose from his feet. He also looked slightly bigger. Bluish-purple electricity surrounded his body, and dragon scales started to surface on his skin.

As his cultivation increased, the scales didn’t just cover his arms anymore.

The left side of his face was completely covered in scales, and his right arm ballooned in size. As the scales spread, they quickly engulfed his entire body. His shirt was almost torn apart as he grew in size.

As electricity sparkled, Bei Bei seemed to be filled with boundless strength. He slowly lifted his right claw in front of his chest, and his eyes turned bluish-purple. As electricity revolved around his body, the space around him also started to distort. It became very difficult to tell where his actual position was.

Ji Juechen’s fighting style never changed. He grabbed the hilt of his Judgment Sword with both hands and slowly lifted it up.

Initially, this sword was used by Ma Rulong against Ma Xiaotao during the tournament. Its power had activated Ma Xiaotao’s evil fire completely, causing her to eventually be overcome. The results were tragic.

Right now, the situation appeared to be different, as the Judgment Sword was in Ji Juechen’s hands.

The auras of darkness and light surged out from this sword at the same time. The sharp sword intent from Ji Juechen’s body rose and combined with the aura of darkness and light.

A strong sense of danger caused Huo Yuhao and the rest to turn serious.

Huo Yuhao hadn’t expected Ji Juechen to activate both the strength of darkness and light from the Judgment Sword at the same time. He didn’t plan to use the skills that came with this Judgment Sword, but intended to combine the strength contained within the sword with his sword intent. Huo Yuhao had to admit that Ji Juechen was indeed a madman in terms of cultivation.

The words ‘madman’ and ‘genius’ were usually synonyms. At least, that was the case for Ji Juechen.

The sword radiance that shot into the sky was unpredictable. It extended more than ten feet into the air, and was much stronger than Ji Juechen’s original sword intent. This was the strength of a Class 8 soul tool!

However, darkness and light were opposing forces. When they appeared at the same time, they were bound to conflict with each other. If one party gained the upper hand, it was bound to swallow the other party.

The powers of darkness and light covered different sides of the Judgment Sword. To ensure the balance of the sword, the strengths of both forces were equal. At this point, they were activated by Ji Juechen and there was no conflict between them. However, it was more dangerous like that.

The powers of darkness and light were about to cause an explosion.

At this point, a layer of silver light shot out from the sword tip. It squeezed in between the powers of darkness and light, segregating both forces. The unstable sword intent a moment ago slowly started to stabilize. The sword radiance also started to turn golden, silver and black. The sword radiance changed into a tri-colored blade in the air.

Only one day had passed! Ji Juechen had actually understood the Judgment Sword to such an extent. Huo Yuhao hadn’t expected this to happen.

He had passed the Judgment Sword to Ji Juechen because he had thought that Ji Juechen was more suited for it. As for Huo Yuhao, using a Class 8 soul tool would greatly restrict his freedom, as he had various other abilities.

Elder Mu had once told Huo Yuhao that the Judgment Sword wasn’t ordinary. Although it was a Class 8 soul tool, its brilliance wasn’t inferior to Class 9 soul tools. Otherwise, why would Jing Hongchen make a sudden trip to Shrek Academy to demand the sword back?

At this moment, the Judgment Sword gave off a different feeling in Ji Juechen’s hands. The pure sword intent segregated the forces of darkness and light. However, these two forces were attracted to it like it was a magnet. The two forces wanted to overwhelm the opposing force, but this only served to consolidate Ji Juechen’s sword radiance.

Ji Juechen was like a stone statue as he stood there quietly. Only the sword radiance was unleashed. At this instant, Bei Bei felt a great sense of danger. He knew that the might of that sword was going to be extremely great once it was unleashed.

Solitary Sword Domain!

When he had faced Wang Qiu’er yesterday, Ji Juechen didn’t use his strongest offensive ability, as he was unfamiliar with his opponent. Once he entered his domain state, his spirit, energy and mind would fuse together. It was impossible for him to show any mercy then. That was why he had used his evolved Dragonslayer sword intent. However, Wang Qiu’er had been much stronger than he had expected, and thus he suffered greatly at her hands.

However, he wasn’t going to hold back today. As the eldest senior of the sect, Bei Bei’s abilities were immense. Ji Juechen had just received his Judgment Sword, and thus he was raring to go. He was giving his all the moment he appeared!

The last time Huo Yuhao had faced this domain, Ji Juechen had needed Jing Ziyan to help protect him. That was because incubating the domain required time. But this time, he used the domain immediately, as if he wasn’t afraid of being disrupted by his opponent.

Bei Bei moved!

Just as Ji Juechen settled into place, Bei Bei initiated his attack.

Bei Bei’s abilities had been increasing steadily over these past few years. His fighting will had been affected by Tang Ya’s disappearance, and there were changes compared to the past. He had slowly infused his yearning for Tang Ya and his internal sorrow into his fighting strategy, complementing it with his soul skills. Although it didn’t involve a fusion of spiritual and soul power as great as the Sovereign’s Descent, his own comprehension was getting better and better. He was slowly seeing the path that belonged to him alone.

Bei Bei stomped on the ground with his right leg, and his body shot forward like a bolt of lightning. In the air, he waved his right hand in Ji Juechen’s direction. His Thunderous Dragon Claw enlarged in the air and swept towards Ji Juechen.

Even though his Dragon Claw was formed using soul power and lightning, it still projected a vivid form in the air. When it was about to hit Ji Juechen, the size of the claw was just at the right size to envelop Ji Juechen completely.

At this point, the electricity surrounding Bei Bei’s body retracted. However, his scales turned bluish-purple. A bright bluish-purple light that undulated slightly emanated from beneath his feet. He also let out a deep dragon’s roar.

It was very easy to tell if one was strong. Although Bei Bei had only unleashed his first soul skill, his control and judgment left Jing Ziyan extremely impressed.

Ji Juechen’s Solitary Sword Domain needed to have some accumulation before it could be unleashed. However, he had reached a level where he could unleash an attack without accumulating very long.

Undoubtedly, his domain would be stronger if the accumulation was greater. Bei Bei sensed this threat, and thus he immediately made his move. If it were any other soul master, he might delay because of Ji Juechen’s weirdness. But every second of delay would strengthen the Solitary Sword Domain.

With Ji Juechen’s current cultivation, he could accumulate his strength for fifteen seconds straight. Once these fifteen seconds were over, he would have gathered his entire cultivation into one strike. After this strike, he would lose all fighting strength. However, even a Titled Douluo would find it difficult to deal with such a strike.

When Huo Yuhao had faced this domain in the past, Ji Juechen hadn’t made it so extreme yet. After modification, he had carved out an extreme path for himself, and developed an extreme attack. He had turned all his strength into a single attack. He wanted an explosive strength that was lethal.

Bei Bei didn’t give him the full fifteen seconds. To be accurate, the Thunderous Dragon Claw reached him after only two seconds had passed.

The Solitary Sword Domain was unleashed!

The radiance on the Judgment Sword dimmed. The original tri-colored sword radiance was covered by a dim layer of grey. As the sword radiance swept out, it converted into a streak of flowing light that dragged Ji Juechen’s body along.

The Thunderous Dragon Claw couldn’t stop it from moving forward. In Bei Bei’s eyes, Ji Juechen had disappeared at this moment. What was left was only a sword blade without any aura, shining with a tri-colored glow.

Shit! Bei Bei cursed in his heart. It was his first time seeing such a sword intent. However, he was much more acute than others. When Ji Juechen’s sword swept out, he knew that he couldn’t resist it head-on. However, it was impossible to dodge it!

When Ji Juechen’s sword was unleashed, it completely locked onto Bei Bei. The sword radiance pursued Bei Bei, so fast that it couldn’t be avoided.





Chapter 248.1: Old and New Battle Teams, and New Rules


At this time, Bei Bei fully revealed his powers as the eldest brother of the Tang Sect.

His body, which had been charging forward, suddenly froze and became illusory. With his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, he suddenly moved to the side.

Even though the sword light summoned by the sword fanatic was extremely fast, Bei Bei’s Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track had reached a new level. In an instant, the sword light flashed past him, and the move that should have struck him was slowed by a single beat.

Within this small amount of time, Bei Bei’s eyes glowed with light. With a clear draconic roar, the five soul rings around his body shone with a brilliant radiance. His thick right arm swung out as he struck the sword light from behind.

In an instant, the dragon scales all over Bei Bei’s body started to change. They turned a brilliant shade of gold, and each bolt of lightning brimmed with bright energy.

He waved his right dragon claw, which disappeared into the sky. When it re-appeared, there was a second golden dragon claw in the sky, which clashed head-on with the sharp sword light.

Bei Bei, however, took this time to quickly retreat.

Crackle! It was as if lightning bolts from the nine heavens had struck the earth. The brilliant golden light turned into countless sparks of electricity.

Bei Bei’s golden dragon claw in the sky was unable to block the terrifying sword light, and was blasted apart. However, the speed of the sword light dropped rapidly, too. Following that, the countless rays of electric light that had been blown apart quickly congregated together, enveloping Ji Juechen and displaying the might of thunder and electricity.

While Ji Juechen was using his domain, he was still a soul master, not a rock. The power of his domain was unable to resist Bei Bei’s attack. He paused, but his remaining sword intent exploded out in that instant, blocking the golden lightning around him.

“Good!” Bei Bei bellowed. While he had moved back earlier, he suddenly changed course again and charged forward once again. A golden halo suddenly shone from his body, and as it shone forth, his entire body was basked in a brilliant golden nimbus. No one could even see his body within the golden light as he charged toward Ji Juechen mercilessly.

Ji Juechen did not show any sign of fear. He gripped his Judgement Sword tightly and swung it upward. The Dragonslaying Sword Intent quickly assembled, and another sharp sword light slashed toward Bei Bei. His attacks were always so simple and straightforward.

The ball of golden light that was Bei Bei started to change too. It took the form of a huge dragon head, which was obviously his fourth soul skill, Thunderous Dragon Head. However, his Thunderous Dragon Head was different from before.

Boom! A powerful explosion sounded, and a ball of golden lightning started to spread from the point of their clash. It extended outward for more than 30 meters, and in that area, the air was sizzling with electricity. Countless arcs of golden lightning crackled and buzzed. Some of them even started to resemble liquid, while some ball-shaped lightning clusters shook violently.

Tyrannical Emperor’s Thunderous Domain! This was Bei Bei’s powerful domain after he evolved his Radiant Holy Dragon!

The electricity crackled for a few more seconds before it slowly died down.They could slowly make out the figures of Bei Bei and Ji Juechen.

Bei Bei had a new layer of purplish-blue dragon scales all over him. The golden light around his body quickly faded away, and around seven to eight meters in front of him, Ji Juechen stood with his sword in hand. While his grip was still stable, his body trembled non-stop. The clothes on his body were more or less destroyed.

The side which represented light still shone brightly on his Judgement Sword, giving off a thick, bright aura. A drop of blood trickled down from the corner of Ji Juechen’s mouth. However, there was no sign of pain on his face. All there was, was a look of deep contemplation.

Bei Bei nodded his head at Ji Juechen and said, “Brother Ji, your sword intent is powerful indeed. What’s the first move called?”

Ji Juechen appeared to have been jolted awake as he responded, “It’s a domain I came up with. It’s called the Solitary Domain. I lost.”

While he liked to fight, he knew when he had lost and when he had won.

When Bei Bei used his Thunderous Dragon Head and attacked with his Tyrannical Emperor’s Thunderous Domain, he had used seven moves rapidly. However, the power of these seven moves was devoured by the powerful domain. Had Bei Bei not shown mercy, there was no way he would still be alive.

Bei Bei shook his head and said, “No, you did not lose. Instead, in terms of innovation, I’ve lost. Brother Ji, after you familiarize yourself with your Judgement Sword, it will be hard for me to defeat you. Your sword can limit my power.”

Regardless of whether it was Huo Yuhao, Xu Sanshi or Wang Dong’er, they all knew that Bei Bei was not lying.

While Ji Juechen had lost once more, his domain was able to directly force Bei Bei to use his most powerful Radiant Holy Dragon. If not, Bei Bei may not have been able to retreat intact from that attack.

While Bei Bei had won, Ji Juechen’s Judgment Sword had absorbed a large amount of light type soul power from Bei Bei. Ji Juechen was still not very sure how could he use his soul tool sword. If he knew, even if Bei Bei had won, it would not have been so easy.

Ji Juechen said, “Thank you for your guidance, I’ll spend more thought on it.” With that, he nodded at Bei Bei and turned to leave. He would not dilly-dally; this was not his style.

Jing Ziyan rushed up to him and asked, “Juechen, are you injured?”

Ji Juechen shook his head. When he looked at Jing Ziyan, a smile crossed his face. Then, he stopped and turned to look at Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er and said seriously, “Coming to the Tang Sect is the best decision I’ve ever made. In the future, I’m afraid I’ll continue to trouble you.”

As he said that, he bowed to everyone and then left, gripping his Judgement Sword tightly.

Xu Sanshi looked at Ji Juechen’s disappearing figure as he mumbled to himself, “Everyone says I’m crazy, but that guy is crazier than I am. In his eyes, nothing is more important than his sword.”

Bei Bei said, “That’s why he is so scary. His choice is a special path. He specializes in one thing and one thing only, and that’s his sword. He doesn’t even add a single soul skill to it. However, because of this, he’ll be able to reach a level none of us could in the future.”

Xu Sanshi said, slightly unimpressed, “So what? His way of cultivation is too inflexible. Furthermore, while he has a lot of explosive power, he can’t maintain it for long. As long as we fight him by targeting his weaknesses, he can’t display the full extent of his powers.”

Bei Bei laughed. “It’s not easy to be the most powerful in any one area. Everyone has his or her own path, and we must respect his choice. Furthermore, don’t you think that his presence can help us train?”

Xu Sanshi’s mouth twitched, and he said, “That’s for you only. You were forced into a corner like a dog, and had to use your Radiant Holy Dragon. Shameful, shameful indeed.”

Bei Bei said unkindly, “You yourself said that his explosive power is strong. Had I not used the Radiant Holy Dragon, there was no way for me to beat him. Next time, you try to fight him after you’ve been targeted by his sword intent.”

Huo Yuhao said from the side, “Big Senior, Third Senior, I’ll go and train with Wong Dong’er.”

Ji Juechen’s love for the sword had moved Huo Yuhao greatly. He felt a sense of urgency, as Ji Juechen was improving too quickly. Huo Yuhao feared that if he did not improve as quickly, he would be left behind.

An odd smile appeared on Xu Sanshi’s face as he said, “Go, go, stay safe…”

Without waiting for him to finish, Bei Bei interrupted him, “Nothing good can come from his mouth. Yuhao, Dong’er, ignore him and go. Today, we aren’t returning to the academy. Remember to come back for dinner.”

After they bade their Big Senior and Third Senior farewell, Huo Yuhao dragged Wang Dong’er back into their room.

Wang Dong’er appeared deep in thought. Huo Yuhao took off his coat, sat down by the bed and said, “What are you thinking of, Dong’er?”

Wang Dong’er replied, “What do you think of Ji Juechen, as well as Big Senior’s and Third Senior’s analysis?”

Huo Yuhao said, “Both Big Senior and Third Senior are right. However, they don’t understand him well enough. In reality, Ji Juechen’s stamina is decent. However, when he faces powerful opponents, he likes to use his most powerful attack first. Hence, this affects Big Senior’s analysis of him. If he changes his battling style, he’ll still be just as powerful. However, his weakness is that he is not flexible enough. If we target his weaknesses, there are ways to beat him. For example, there’s a trick to beat the domain he used just now.”

Wang Dong’er asked curiously, “What’s that?”

Huo Yuhao chuckled, “Think about it, if I run away the moment he uses his domain, what will happen? The moment he tries to use his domain, his entire body will enter a certain state. He has to lock in on an opponent and slowly accumulate energy. Looking at things today, it is clear that his opponent must attack him first. Only then can he use his domain. If his opponent doesn’t attack, he will continue to accumulate energy and after a while, his power will be extremely strong. However, if I run away from the start, his domain power would be maximized. However, even after he accumulates all that energy, how powerful can his attack be? Let’s not talk about anything else, but if I escape with a flying-type soul tool, I can clear three kilometers in 15 seconds. No matter how powerful his domain is, he can’t attack someone three kilometers away.”

Wang Dong’er laughed, “Your plan is tricky indeed!”

Editor’s Note: Three kilometers/two miles in 15 seconds is 720 kph (500~ mph). Or 150 meters/second.





Chapter 248.2: Old and New Battle Teams, and New Rules


Huo Yuhao said, “He probably went back to do more closed-door cultivation, I’ll remind him later. Actually, he really should change his fighting style. He is powerful enough in this aspect, but he needs to choose when he should unleash his power. For example, if he can immobilize his opponent at the start of the fight, or even cause them to lose their ability to move, and then accumulate and release his energy, I believe the effects will be vastly different. A mere second or two of accumulation would greatly injure his opponent.”

Wang Dong’er said, “Don’t you think he needs a partner? For example, if he partners with you, he can start accumulating energy from the start. Then, you’ll be in charge of pinning the enemy down and preventing him from running away. When he accumulates enough energy, you can use your Spiritual Shock to make your opponent lose control. Doing so will ensure that Ji Juechen’s Solitary Domain will become deadly.”

When he heard what Wang Dong’er had said, Huo Yuhao was stunned. Then, his eyes lit up and he jumped up. He rushed toward Wang Dong’er and hugged her tightly as he spun her around.

Wang Dong’er gasped in shock. She blushed as she tapped his shoulder and asked, “What are you doing?”

Huo Yuhao put her down and said excitedly, “The bystander has the best perspective! You are right! I am a control-type soul master, and his style of attacking is extremely offensive and even deadly. If we can work together, we can fight those who are above our level. I can complement his weakness, is that what you’re saying?”

Wang Dong’er nodded.

Huo Yuhao wrung his hands and said, “I have always viewed him as an opponent, but I have never imagined that we could cooperate like this. With his sure-kill attack, we can even incorporate him into our team. He’ll be in charge of delivering the killing blow while we can help to control our opponent from the start. With his Solitary Domain as our coup de grâce, there are so many different ways to attack. For example, the moment he starts to accumulate energy, but before he has enough to release it, Third Senior can use his Mysterious Underworld Displacement to transport our most powerful enemy over. Then, he can unleash his deadly attack. Hehe.”

Wang Dong’er’s pupils shone brightly as she said, “Right, this can work too. However, he is overage. If not, he could have joined us for this Continental Elite Youth Soul Master Tournament.”

Huo Yuhao smiled and said, “This is fine, he’s now part of the Tang Sect. After all, a competition is just a competition. What is more important is the future of our Tang Sect. Looking at it now, it isn’t a bad thing for him and Jing Ziyan to tag along. Come, Dong’er, let’s take the time to cultivate. You all are six-ringed, and I need to get my sixth ring as fast as I can.”

With that, he took off his shoes and climbed onto his bed. He sat cross-legged and waited for Wang Dong’er to join him.

Wang Dong’er’s face turned sullen as she stood by the bed and asked, “Wait, I haven’t had the chance to ask you something yet. Yesterday, why did Wang Qiu’er look for you? How do you plan to split the soul bones with her after you return to the inner courtyard? Why do I feel that there’s something off about the way she treats you!?”

Huo Yuhao was stunned. He smiled bitterly and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Wang Dong’er snorted and said, “We are both women, and I can tell that when she looks at others, her gaze is icy cold. However, when she looks at you, her gaze will become gentle. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Elder Brother and the rest. They all noticed it too. I think Wang Qiu’er likes you.”

Cough cough! Huo Yuhao put on an angelic expression and said with a smile, “My dear Dong’er, don’t you believe me? I only have you in my heart.”

Wang Dong’er snorted and said, “I believe you. However, I still need to remind you. After all, she’s so pretty, and after a while, you’ll develop feelings for her. To prevent something like this from happening, you should avoid her as much as you can in the future. Give her the three soul bones so she won’t have a reason to keep looking for you.”

Huo Yuhao said with a smile, “Why do I feel that you are cute when you get jealous? Furthermore, there’s no reason for you to get jealous.”

Wang Dong’er’s face turned red, and she tugged her ear as she said, “Who’s the one getting jealous?! Is there a reason for me to get jealous?”

“I’m in the wrong!” Huo Yuhao said with a bitter look on his face. “Let’s cultivate, if not, I’ll sleep.”

Wang Dong’er snorted, and only then did she take off her shoes and climb onto the bed. After she sat down, she noticed that Huo Yuhao’s ears were turning red. While keeping a poker face, she leaned over to give his ear a rub.

Huo Yuhao chuckled bitterly. “Trouble comes to find me.”

Wang Dong’er said, “You have to promise me to interact with her less.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll interact with her less,” Huo Yuhao replied without hesitation.

“Are you lying to me?” Wang Dong’er asked suspiciously.

Huo Yuhao bellowed instantly, “May heaven be my witness as I swear this to you from the bottom of my heart. If not, I’ll…”

“Fine, I believe you.” Wang Dong’er placed her hand over his mouth.

Huo Yuhao instantly pulled her hand off and pulled her into his embrace. Having Wang Dong’er, with her light fragrance, in his arms was too comfortable. This even made his blood go wild.

Huo Yuhao’s promise to interact less with Wang Qiu’er was genuine. How could he not know how special Wang Dong’er was to him? While he could not be certain that Wang Qiu’er liked him, his heart was already full of Dong’er. Regardless of how similar the two of them were, they were still separate people. Huo Yuhao would never hurt his beloved Dong’er.

“Dong’er,” Huo Yuhao said quietly.

“Eh?” Wang Dong’er replied.

Huo Yuhao said, “I suddenly feel that Third Senior is right. Today’s weather is fine. Why don’t we pull the curtains open and sleep for a while? Didn’t you say that it’s fine for us to relax too? I’ll hug you to sleep, and I promise I won’t touch anywhere I’m not supposed to, alright?”

“No!” Wang Dong’er wriggled free from Huo Yuhao’s embrace, blushing. She raised her hands and said, “Let’s cultivate!”

While she was willing to lie in his embrace, they were not yet married! It was fine if they cultivated together in the day, but if they fell asleep together and were discovered, it would be very embarrassing! Furthermore, the last time they fell asleep together was because they were drowsy. She was still unwilling to sleep with Huo Yuhao. After all, she was just a seventeen year-old girl. Her sense of restraint and shame was more than enough to let her rational side take over.

Huo Yuhao looked at her face, which was both blushing and filled with determination, and was stunned. “Dong’er, you are so pretty.”

Wang Dong’er did not give him anymore chances as she said, “Cultivate! Look at you, your eyes are red.”

“Alright, let’s cultivate.” Haplessly, Huo Yuhao raised his hands.

Their palms came into contact with each other as they closed their eyes. The Haodong Power flowed through both of them.

Light-type soul energy entered them and started to flow like a great river. This energy made all the pores in Huo Yuhao’s body open up. It was extremely comforting.

He still felt the best next to Wang Dong’er! He could not help but think about the time when he fused his martial soul with Wang Qiu’er. Perhaps that fusion could increase his powers to a greater extent, but Wang Qiu’er’s forceful cultivation would make their fused martial souls extremely violent. Not only would they injure their opponents, but they would also injure themselves.

As their soul power flowed and the Haodong Power kicked in, Huo Yuhao was able to catch some of the subtler changes. After the challenge of the Great Star Dou Forest, his overall strength had increased, including his control over his soul power. As the pressure increased, a soul master would be more be motivated to improve too.

A day passed by quickly, and the Tang Sect became busier. Xuan Ziwen’s inclusion changed the dynamics of the sect. Under his guidance, the Soul Tool Hall was becoming more efficient. Of course, money was spent like water. While Xuan Ziwen personally made many exquisite tools for making soul tools, materials were still required. Huo Yuhao had brought many types of precious metals back, but they lacked ordinary metals, which had to be bought.

Xuan Ziwen was the go-to guy for making soul tools. However, he was no master of economics. After a single day, Bei Bei seemed extremely worn-out and flustered. Even so, he tried to fulfill all of Xuan Ziwen’s requests. If the Tang Sect wanted to continue bettering itself, the Soul Tool Hall had to get its act together. This was not the time to save money. To purchase enough materials, he had to borrow a lot of money from the main businesses of Shrek City.

They would never doubt the honor of the Tang Sect, as Bei Bei also brought with him the guarantee from Shrek Academy. Hence, the Tang Sect’s Soul Tool Hall was finally able to take off. According to Xuan Ziwen’s plan, the Soul Tool Hall’s next step was expansion. Only by getting enough space could they continue to recruit people. Of course, they had to recruit experienced soul engineers! Only then could the Soul Tool Hall of the Tang Sect really take off!

As for this point, thanks to the communication between Bei Bei and He Caitou, the path for Xuan Ziwen to teach at Shrek Academy’s Soul Tool Department was cleared. While others might not know how powerful Xuan Ziwen was, how could Fan Yu and He Caitou, both of whom had visited the Illustrious Virtue Hall, not know? As a Class 8 soul engineer, Fan Yu was clear about the difference between Xuan Ziwen and himself. If not for the fact that Xuan Ziwen’s cultivation was not yet at the level of a Titled Douluo, he would have long since ascended to the level of a Rank 9 soul engineer. For him to instruct the Soul Tool Department was a privilege that money could not buy!





Chapter 248.3: Old and New Battle Teams, and New Rules


Going forward, all Soul Tool Department students, and even some teachers, were all assigned over to the Tang Sect. To demonstrate the sincerity of the Soul Tool Department, they even brought some money over and gave some ordinary metals to be used as materials for the students to use for practical lessons.

Undoubtedly, Xuan Ziwen had brought about a complete overhaul of the Tang Sect’s Soul Tool Hall. Here, he was the undisputed leader!

Not long after after Bei Bei discussed things with his comrades, and they decided to thank Xuan Ziwen for his contributions to the Tang Sect by changing the name of the Soul Tool Hall to Xuan Hall, which would be personally led by him.

These were all formalities. With Xuan Ziwen, the foundation of the Tang Sect was secure.

—

Dawn…

In the morning, Bei Bei woke Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er up. Last night, only the three of them had stayed in the Tang Sect to rest. While Bei Bei tried to fulfill all of Xuan Ziwen’s requests, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er had cultivated for the entire day.

“Elder Brother, why did you wake us up so early?” Just as Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er finished their cultivation on a good note, Bei Bei arrived. Right now, the sky was barely bright. It was very early.

Bei Bei said, “It is not I who called you. Teacher Xuan wants us to go with him early, and I suspect it has something to do with the new tournament. It’s likely that we’ll represent the Tang Sect for this tournament. Let’s go and eat first. After breakfast, we’ll head back. Everyone else is waiting for us back in the inner courtyard.”

The three of them had breakfast, then left the Tang Sect for Shrek Academy.

This was the benefit of being nearby. After a while, they were back in the inner courtyard. The other four members of Shrek’s Seven Monsters were already waiting for them on the path back to Shrek Academy. After they linked up, they headed as a group toward the Sea God Pavilion.

When they reached the Sea God Pavilion, many people were already waiting there. They knew all of them.

Elder Xuan, Yan Shaozhe, and Cai Mei’er stood at the front. Next to them, there was a line of students. Not only were there disciples of the inner courtyard, but there were also a few from the outer courtyard. However, Huo Yuhao was familiar with all of them.

Among these students, Wang Qiu’er stood at the front. Next to Wang Qiu’er stood Dai Huabing, Ning Tian, Zhu Lu, Wu Feng, Xie Xuanyue, Cao Jinxuan, Zhou Sichen, Lan Susu, and Lan Luoluo. In total, there were ten of them.

Among them, Wang Qiu’er, Dai Huabing, Ning Tian, Wu Feng and Xie Xuanyue were inner courtyard disciples. The other five of them were outer courtyard disciples. Other than Zhu Lu, the other four of them were from Huo Yuhao’s class. How could they not know each other?

As he looked at them, they naturally looked back.

Cao Jinxuan, Zhou Sichen, Lan Susu, and Lan Luoluo looked at Huo Yuhao rather normally. However, when their gazes fell on Wang Dong’er, they couldn’t help but turn to look at Wang Qiu’er. Their gazes flitted between the two of them, and expressions of shock crossed their faces. Some of them, including Cao Jinxuan and Zhou Sichen, even looked excited. No one knew what they were thinking.

Bei Bei brought everyone before the three elders and lined everyone up smartly before bowing.

Elder Xuan nodded and said, “Good, everyone is here. Let us begin.”

As he said that, his gaze fell onto Shrek’s Seven Monsters, and he said, “Yesterday, we received a formal notice from the organizing committee of the tournament that the rules of the tournament have been finalized and confirmed by all four countries on the continent. Hence, I can now tell you that the sects will take part in the new tournament. If you want to change your minds, this is your last chance.”

Bei Bei turned to look at his comrades. Everyone had a look of resolve in their eyes.

Bei Bei turned back and said respectfully to Elder Xuan, “Elder Xuan, Dean Yan, Dean Cai, we’ve decided that we are willing to represent the Tang Sect in this tournament.”

Elder Xuan nodded and said, “Good. Since you’ve decided, I wish you all the best. However, I must remind you that as you are representing the Tang Sect, you won’t receive any assistance in the tournament from the Academy. Your substitutes can only be chosen from the Tang Sect. You will be completely self-reliant, and your victory, or your loss, will have nothing to do with the Academy.”

“Yes,” the seven of them replied in unison. Naturally, they understood that Elder Xuan was not trying to absolve himself of responsibilities. Instead, he wanted to them to enter the competition properly.

Elder Xuan said, “Next, I’ll tell you about the specifics of the competition. Remember, this competition is unlike those that took place before it. As the tournament seeks to attract sects, there will be an explosive increase in the number of teams taking part. Hence, competition will be stiff. After research by the Sun Moon Empire, they decided to set the following rules…

“The new tournament will be named the ‘Continental Elite Youth Soul Master Tournament’. As there are many teams taking part in it, there will be elimination rounds until only 32 teams are left. The top 32 teams will be divided into four groups. The top two teams from each group will enter the top eight. Then, the progression will be preliminary rounds, group matches and finally, the final match. All rounds will have individual elimination and group components.

“In each round, every participating team can send out seven participants, and only seven. Once the name list has been confirmed, it cannot be changed. First, there’ll be individual elimination rounds. The two opposing teams will each send a competitor. Once the competitor defeats their opponent, they will continue to fight until they lose, or the participant may choose to forgo the match voluntarily. A victory will net you one point, and the winning team from the individual elimination round will be awarded 2 points. After the individual elimination round, we’ll progress to the seven-on-seven group round. The participants will still be the seven who took part in the individual elimination, with no rest in between. Even if a team has injured participants and cannot send seven members, there will be no replacements. The winning team from the group round will earn 5 points. In the preliminary rounds, the team with the higher number of points will win.”

When they heard the rules of the competition, Shrek’s Seven Monsters fell into deep thought.

Elder Xuan continued, “I believe that you have realized that in the new rules, what is important is individual prowess. The individual elimination round is extremely important. If you can win all the points from the individual elimination round, then you’ll win the match without having to enter the group round. Hence, the order of deployment is extremely important. So you’ll need to go back and do some research, and find what suits you best.”

Here, Elder Xuan turned his gaze to the side, looking at Wang Qiu’er and the rest, and said, “Standing before you are those who took part in the last Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament. I can tell you that because of their exceptional performance then, they brought glory to the academy, and were bestowed the title of ‘Shrek’s Seven Monsters’. In this match, they will still participate, but not on behalf of the school. As for the ten of you, you will represent the school as either members of the main team, or as substitutes. I hope you won’t let the school down and obtain good results. Shaozhe!”

“Yes!” answered Yan Shaozhe. He took a step forward and said, “The new team will be headed by Wang Qiu’er. The main team members include Dai Huabing, Ning Tian, Zhu Lu, Wu Feng, Xie Xuanyue, and Cao Jinxuan. The replacement team members are Zhou Sichen, Lan Susu, and Lan Luoluo. Due to the special nature of this competition, the school will not send lower-leveled participants, so as to give ourselves a fighting chance.”

Only then did Huo Yuhao and the rest know that the ten of them who were called might not even have known why were they summoned.

Indeed, after they heard Elder Xuan’s explanation, as well as Yan Shaozhe’s announcement, their faces all changed.

Cao Jinxuan, Zhou Sichen, and the Lan Sisters were all excited. For them to represent Shrek Academy was an unimaginable honor! Even though it was because Shrek’s Seven Monsters could not take part, it was still an excellent opportunity that they should endeavor to seize.

However, the others wore uglier expressions.

As a student of the inner courtyard, Dai Huabing and Ning Tian had some news about it. From their perspective, they should naturally represent the Academy. After all, they fell within the age range, and could be said to be the best among their peers.

However, they had never expected the Academy to pick a girl who resembled Wang Dong’er to be their captain.

Among them, Dai Huabing and Ning Tian, both of whom were hoping to be captain, wore ugly expressions on their faces. Ning Tian’s expression was not as bad, as she looked only slightly unnatural. Of course, this was also because of her relationship with Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er. Dai Huabing’s face, however, was as black as a pot. He was never apt at concealing his emotions, and hence, he clenched his fists tightly.

“If there’s no other matter, it shall be set as such. From today onward, all of you will undergo special training,” said Yan Shaozhe.

“Sir!” Dai Huabing took a step forward.

“Eh?” Yan Shaozhe arched his eyebrows slightly as he looked at this talented, albeit hot-headed, student.

Dai Huabing said, “Dean Yan, may I ask what the criteria was for the selection of our new captain?”

Yan Shaozhe smiled slightly and said, “Strength, of course. Wang Qiu’er just joined the inner courtyard as a disciple this year, and she is an assault-type soul emperor. Among you, she is the strongest, and hence, she’ll be your captain.”

Dai Huabing protested, “Rank doesn’t represent everything.” As he said that, he glanced over at Huo Yuhao.

He was right. Huo Yuhao was proof of his point. He did not know how many times had he proven it to others.

Yan Shaozhe said coldly, “Go back to your spot.”

In front of the Dean of the Martial Soul Department, Dai Huabing did not dare to say anything else no matter how displeased he was. All he could do was fall back in line.





Chapter 249.1: The Powerful Wang Dong'er


Yan Shaozhe said in a low voice, “To familiarize everyone with the new rules, as well as to assess everyone’s skill, we shall now have a match between the old and the new team. As the new team has just been formed, they still need some time to learn to work together. Hence, we’ll only have the individual elimination round for today. The first team to be completely eliminated loses. As there is a strength disparity between the two teams, the new team can send 10 members.”

Individual elimination? Shrek’s Seven Monsters were emotionless.

The new team, including Wang Qiu’er, looked extremely excited to try it out.

Evidently, they did not believe that the old team was better than them.

“This match will be held at Soul Duelling Area. Let’s go.”

A ferry was already waiting for them at the Sea God Pavilion. Everyone boarded the ferry as it headed in the direction of the outer courtyard for the Soul Duelling Area. It was a bigger place, and hence, they could better demonstrate their powers there.

Dai Huabing stared intensely at Huo Yuhao across from him, a light swirling in his pupils. While he was confident in his own abilities, he had never beaten Huo Yuhao once in all these years. In particular, during the Sea God’s Fated Blind Date, the group of them were still unable to beat Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er. They had barely stood a chance back then. It was a huge blow to his confidence.

While he tried to convince himself that it was because of Huo Yuhao’s and Wang Dong’er’s martial soul fusion skill, he did not know if he could have beaten them even if he used the martial soul fusion skill he had with Zhu Lu.

Once again, another chance had presented itself to him. This time, they would be competing in an individual elimination round. There would be no martial soul fusion skills. Could he beat Yuhao in a one-on-one fight?

Huo Yuhao sat opposite him, but he did not look at Dai Huabing. Naturally, he would not concern himself with what he was thinking. With respect to this mortal enemy of his who had killed his mother, hate would always surface in Huo Yuhao’s heart whenever he saw him, no matter how much calmer he had become. He feared that he could not control this emotion, and might kill him in the Academy.

I’m a five-ringed soul king, mother, can you see it? I’m already a soul king. In the future, I’ll head to the White Tiger Duke’s Mansion and avenge you. I’ll make those who caused us to suffer so much pay for what they did.

With this thought in his mind, Huo Yuhao’s eyes glazed over slightly. However, he was still looking straight ahead, but in the direction of Wang Qiu’er.

Wang Dong’er gently pinched his hand. Huo Yuhao’s body froze, and then he regained his senses.

“Are you that engrossed?” Wang Dong’er asked him half-jokingly.

Huo Yuhao smiled bitterly and replied, “No, I’m thinking of other things.”

Wang Dong’er nodded and looked at the clear surface of the lake. “You don’t have to explain.”

“I…”

Cao Jinxuan chortled, “Class monitor, why don’t you introduce to us this beauty next to you? Hello, beautiful, I’m Cao Jinxuan. I used to be the class monitor’s classmate.”

Wang Dong’er looked at him coolly and said, “What’s there to introduce? Don’t you recognize me after I changed my hairstyle?”

After she said that, the four people from the class were all stunned. Why did this voice sound so familiar, as well as its tone?

Cao Jinxuan’s pupils contracted as he exchanged a look with Zhou Sichen. Then, they exclaimed in unison, “Wang Dong?”

Wang Dong’er stifled a laugh and said, “That’s me.”

Cao Jinxuan stared in shock and said, “You, you, you are a woman? And you resemble our captain exactly! What is going on, what the heck is going on? Class monitor, class monitor, tell us now, what is going on? What’s your deal?”

Huo Yuhao chuckled, “She dressed up like a boy!”

Zhou Sichen pointed at Huo Yuhao and then at Wang Dong’er. “Dressing up like a boy? So the two of you cohabited together in the past! Did you know about this? Heavens The two of you were living together at such a young age. Heavens!”

Wang Dong’er stood up suddenly, her face flushed red with anger. She said, “What do you mean by living together at such a young age? At that time, I was still a male student. We, we didn’t live together.”

Zhou Sichen chortled and said, “Right, right, you did not live together. All you did was sleep in the same room together.”

With that, everyone around them could not help but smile.

Wang Dong’er’s eyes narrowed into slits. She gritted her teeth and said, “Zhou Sichen, if you have the guts, go up first later. If I don’t beat you to a pulp, my surname is not Wang!”

Zhou Sichen did not fall for her trick. He immediately adopted a serious tone and said, “It is not I who decides when I should go up later. I’ll listen to my captain.”

“Eh, in that case, you’ll go up first.” Wang Qiu’er’s clear voice drifted over.

“Er… captain?” Zhou Sichen looked at Wang Qiu’er in shock.

Wang Qiu’er ignored him. No one knew why she suddenly decided to help Wang Dong’er.

Wang Dong’er’s expression changed immediately. “Very good. In the match later, I want to be the first to fight, senior brother.”

Bei Bei smiled and nodded.

Zhou Sichen looked crestfallen as he mumbled to himself. “How can I forget that she resembles our captain exactly? They must be sisters. I’m a fool! Cao Jinxuan, it’s all your fault. You coerced me into this! Class monitor, I’ve been wronged!”

Wang Dong’er was the class monitor back then. He was evidently not calling for Huo Yuhao here.

—

As the spectacle concluded, the ferry reached the shore of the lake, and everyone leapt out onto the shore. Led by Elder Xuan, Yan Shaozhe, and Cai Mei’er, they headed toward the Soul-Dueling Arena. Zhou Sichen’s expression looked as repressed as an eggplant.

Preparations had already been completed in the Soul-Dueling Arena. It was quiet inside. The only spectators for the individual elimination round would be Elder Xuan and the two deans. Naturally, they would act as the judges.

Elder Xuan and Cai Mei’er stood at the side. Yan Shaozhe said to both teams, “You will each take the north and south sides. The captains will decide the order of battle. After a while, send your first teammate out. I’ll be the judge. You have ten minutes.”

The two sides stood at opposite ends. Shrek’s Seven Monsters naturally said nothing. After some thinking, Bei Bei started to split them into teams. Like he had said earlier, Wang Dong’er was the first to go.

The other side was more boisterous.

“You’ll be the first later,” Wang Qiu’er said as she pointed at Zhou Sichen.

Zhou Sichen had a bitter expression on his face as he said, “Captain, we are going up against them! If we want to confuse them, you should send someone with the ability to rival Wang Dong’er. I don’t think I can do that!”

Wang Qiu’er frowned and said, “What good is a dishonest person? Since I’ve promised them, you’ll be the first to go. Do you have any more questions?”

Zhou Sichen was normally a person with little self-control. However, upon noticing how domineering Wang Qiu’er was, he said nothing.

However, just because he kept silent did not mean the rest had no objections.

Dai Huabin snorted coldly and said, “As the captain, how can you deploy your teammates without seeking our approval first? Is this how you want to win? To me, I think you want us to lose deliberately because you have good ties with them.”

Wang Qiu’er glared at him. Suddenly, Dai Huabin felt his heart constricting. It was as if a terrifying beast was staring him down.

“I don’t understand you. This is a spar, and the objective is to get everyone to know each other. Is there any problem in sending a particular person out first? Is an intra-academy spar so important? What we want is to beat them in the Continental Elite Youth Soul Master Tournament. If you can’t respect my command, you’re free to quit.”

“You…” Dai Huabin was on the verge of exploding from rage. However, Zhu Lu, who was at his side, pulled him back.

Everyone had become older, and they were no longer as impulsive as Dai Huabin was. His impulsiveness had ended his studies in Class 1. While he was treated well in Class 2, he was still weaker than Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, even though it was only by a bit. Zhu Lu knew how important this tournament was to Dai Huabin. Hence, he could not be allowed to do anything rash or impulsive now.

Dai Huabin said nothing. However, Wu Feng said mysteriously, “Captain, your resemblance to Wang Dong’er is uncanny. Are you sisters?”

Wang Qiu’er’s eyes turned cold and she said, “I’ll only say it once. I’m not related to her by blood. We are opponents. Other than that, we have no other ties. Is that clear?”

Wu Feng glared at her. “What’s wrong with you? Can’t you talk nicely?”

Wang Qiu’er turned around and faced Wu Feng. In that instant, a powerful energy surged from her body.

Wu Feng had a dragon-type martial soul. However, in front of Wang Qiu’er, she could not calm herself even if she released her martial soul.

She took a step back in shock, looking at Wang Qiu’er in a completely different light. “Superior suppression, how is that possible? What’s your martial soul?”

Wang Qiu’er ignored her. She turned her head to look at Zhou Sichen and said, “Go, don’t worry about winning or losing. Just try your best.”

“Ok,” Zhou Sichen replied in agreement. He turned and walked toward the arena. At this moment, he suddenly felt that Wang Qiu’er was even scarier than Wang Dong’er! Dai Huabin and Wu Feng were no weaklings, but she was still able to dominate both of them. No wonder the school made her captain. It was best not to get on her bad side!

He quickly walked out to the center of the arena. From the other side, Wang Dong’er also appeared.





Chapter 249.2: The Powerful Wang Dong'er


Zhou Sichen wore a pained expression as he said, “Class monitor, please show mercy! Don’t damage my handsome face, my life’s happiness depends on it!”

Wang Dong’er laughed. “That can’t be right. I feel that your face is a let-down for all humanity! Let me do some cosmetic surgery for you…”

Yan Shaozhe, who was standing at the center of the arena, said, “That’s enough, let’s start.” With that, he slowly took a few steps back.

Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong’er, Zhou Sichen, and Cao Jinxuan were classmates. However, they had not trained together for quite some time already. They no longer knew each other well, and their memories of each other were stuck in the past.

The moment Yan Shaozhe said ‘start’, Zhou Sichen immediately released his martial soul.

A thick Treasure Bible hung in mid-air. The light emitted by the Treasure Bible was much more powerful than in the past. Two yellow and two purple rings spun around the thick book, Zhou Sichen was now a four-ringed soul ancestor! However, his soul power was already at Rank 48, and he wasn’t far away from becoming a soul king. In Class 1, he was considered exceptional.

Just as he was releasing the Treasure Bible, Wang Dong’er moved. She did not rush to release her martial soul, but instead she leapt up and dashed toward Zhou Sichen.

As Zhou Sichen released his Treasure Bible, he was also retreating quickly. While he was an Assault System Battle Soul Master, his strategy was in summoning. His Treasure Bible’s specialty was that as it obtained soul rings, it could trap slain soul beasts within it. While he could only personally obtain a single soul skill from the soul beast, he could also summon the soul beast with its own characteristic soul skill. This was the advantage of his Treasure Bible. Few Assault System Battle Soul Master had such a summoning ability, and his Treasure Bible was one of the best.

Wang Dong’er was fast, but Zhou Sichen was no sluggard. They were all taught how to run by Zhou Yi. Zhou Sichen retreated quickly, but his Treasure Bible was already open. His first soul ring started to shine.

A ray of yellow light appeared, dropping from the Treasure Bible onto the ground in front of him. A huge bear materialized and blocked Wang Dong’er’s path. This was Zhou Sichen’s first soul skill, where he summoned the Earthen Bear.

Wang Dong’er continued to charge forward. When the Earthen Bear appeared, it immediately raised its paws and slammed them ferociously down.

Zhou Sichen did not call on it to hit Wang Dong’er. He was clear that with Wang Dong’er’s agility, the Earthen Bear could not strike her. All he wanted to do was slow her down.

The Earthen Bear’s paws hit the ground, and a loud blast sounded. A powerful earthquake headed toward Wang Dong’er.

Just as the Earthen Bear’s paws hit the ground, Wang Dong’er leapt up. Her battle experience could easily rival Huo Yuhao’s.

In mid-air, bright blue and gold light started to shine. The wings of the Radiant Butterfly Goddess comfortably spread open from her back, allowing her to soar upward immediately. In mid-air, they suddenly flapped, and picked up speed as she flew above the Earthen Bear’s head, heading straight for Zhou Sichen.

Zhou Sichen did not waste any time. After he called upon the Earthen Bear, his second, third, and fourth soul rings all started to shine with light.

He summoned the Flaming Demon Tiger, the Bramble Forest, and the Netherworld Python. The three soul skills were released almost simultaneously.

Zhou Sichen’s way of summoning soul skills had its own restriction. Chiefly, he could only release one soul skill once. For example, there could only be one Earthen Bear, he could not summon Earthen Bears non-stop. Only when it died could he call upon another one.

The Flaming Demon Tiger roared, and a huge ball of fire flew from its mouth as it bombarded Wang Dong’er in mid-flight. Zhou Sichen disappeared into the Bramble Forest.

In just a few seconds, the Bramble Forest was already twenty meters wide. It had grown to a huge size, and its brambles extended out extremely quickly. Soon, it was as tall as a single person. The brambles on it came for Wang Dong’er like a huge wave, with some of them creeping across the ground before shooting upward. Looking at it, as long as Wang Dong’er approached it, the thorny vines would strike her!

Protected by the Bramble Forest, Zhou Sichen was no longer visible. His intentions were clear: he knew that he was no match for Wang Dong’er, who was a soul emperor. All he could do was slowly wear her down. This was an individual elimination round, and the winner had to have the stamina to continue. However, a soul master’s cultivation was limited.

Yan Shaozhe nodded his head from the sidelines. Zhou Sichen was a student with a very clear mind. He could maximize his own strengths, and he was not scared of depleting his soul power. The key was to make his opponent deplete her soul energy, too!

Wang Dong’er, still suspended in mid-air, extended her wings further. As her second soul ring started to shine, the entire sky became basked in golden light. She carpet-bombed the Bramble Forest with her Light of the Butterfly Goddess.

The Flaming Demon Tiger’s fireballs continued to fire up at her. Also, while there many brambles, they were not powerful. The Light of the Butterfly Goddess was able to block many of them, and the rest were blocked by Wang Dong’er’s defensive soul power.

Wang Dong’er snorted, and suddenly back-flipped. She no longer flew ahead, but instead descended toward the Earthen Bear, which was slowly standing up.

Her body turned sharply, and the points of her wings made straight for the Earthen Bear’s shoulder. At the same time, she slammed her palms together, and a huge ball of light flew out, aimed straight at the Flaming Demon Tiger.

The Earthen Bear was controlled by Zhou Sichen. As he noticed Wang Dong’er coming, he did not hesitate to instruct the bear to strike her with its paws.

However, Wang Dong’er was a soul emperor! The difference in power was shown at this moment.

Blue and golden light flashed. Wang Dong’er landed on the ground, and the Earthen Bear behind her froze. Two huge wounds, one blue and one golden, extended from the shoulders of the Earthen Bear all the way to its back legs, criss-crossing in the center of its back. Before the razor-sharp butterfly wings, its defensive abilities were evidently insufficient.

Wang Dong’er accelerated at this moment. The ball of light headed toward the Flaming Demon Tiger exploded and turned into countless sharp blades, trapping the tiger within them. While this was only her third soul skill, it was supported by her Class 60 soul power. Every single knife brimmed with sufficient destructive energy. The Flaming Demon Tiger was torn apart.

Among the four soul skills summoned, two had been destroyed.

However, Wang Dong’er did not charge toward the Bramble Forest. Instead, her wings changed.

Her wings, which were blue like the ocean at first, suddenly shone with golden light. Following that, a golden fire started to burn at the tips of her wings. As the fire blazed, it spread to every corner of her wings, eventually cloaking Wang Dong’er’s body in a layer of golden light. The bright golden fire was as bright as daylight.

Wang Dong’er struck as she charged straight for the Bramble Forest.

Zhou Sichen did not try to summon his two soul skills again, as he was very clear that there was no way they could stop her. Hence, he decided to save his soul energy for his last two soul skills.

The Netherworld Python hid in the Bramble Forest, which was now thirty meters across, and continuing to expand.

As Wang Dong’er approached, the huge Bramble Forest started to curl up and try to entangle her.

Wang Dong’er snorted coldly, and her form turned ethereal.

Tang Sect Secret Technique, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track!

Her butterfly wings, shining with golden fire, became as breathtaking as the Raiment of Light when combined with the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. Her powdery-blue hair flew in the wind behind her, and her two wings were like two flaming scythes slashing in a sideways motion.

The moment the resilient brambles touched her flaming wings, they retreated. With her Guillotine Wings, Wang Dong’er charged into the Bramble Forest like a combine harvester. Anywhere she touched, brambles would be sent flying. The golden fire started to spread in the bramble forest. It was an extremely powerful attack!

Zhou Sichen was depressed, this was a superior form of suppression! He believed that if he were a six-ringed soul emperor, it would not be so easy for Wang Dong’er to charge into his Bramble Forest. However, before Wang Dong’er, the Bramble Forest was far too weak. In particular, the fire on her wings was a natural trump card against his forest.

The only thing he could do was wear her down. Zhou Sichen tried to replenish his bramble forest while changing positions, preventing her from finding him. At the same time, the huge Netherworld Python slowly crept toward her.

Wang Dong’er’s fire derived its power from its golden radiance. She was also using her Spiritual Power to track Zhou Sichen down. However, Zhou Sichen was crafty indeed. He replenished the brambles as quickly as she destroyed them.

Wang Dong’er nodded tacitly at his actions. If she did not want to use a high-level soul skill, the only way for her to defeat Zhou Sichen was to wear him down until he ran out of soul power! If that’s the case, let’s see who’ll be worn down first!

At this moment, an illusory silhouette suddenly appeared behind Wang Dong’er. The silhouette was half-transparent, but huge. It wrapped itself around Wang Dong’er and constricted even her Guillotine Wings. While its resilient body crackled under the heat from her fire, it was able to buy some time for Zhou Sichen.





Chapter 249.3: The Powerful Wang Dong'er


Success! Zhou Sichen rejoiced in his heart. Without a moment’s hesitation, Zhou Sichen directed his Bramble Forest to head straight for her. If he could score a victory due to her carelessness, it would be glorious indeed!

However, while dreams may be nice, they were rarely real.

Just as Zhou Sichen tried to swamp Wang Dong’er with a huge amount of brambles in the hopes of suppressing her utterly and forcing her to acknowledge defeat, a powerful soul energy started to shake.

A ray of golden light about thirty meters long suddenly surged forth. The Netherworld Python was cleansed by this golden light, and all the surrounding brambles were reduced to dust.

Wang Dong’er’s fourth and fifth soul rings shone intermittently. The moment the Hexagram Array kicked in, Wang Dong’er, who was above it, started to change too. She pointed out with her right hand, and the Hexagram Array suddenly flew up. A giant golden pillar of light a hundred meters long, swept out. The terrifying power reduced the rest of the brambles to dust. Even Zhou Sichen was swept up by the bright golden light.

Immobilized by the light, there was no way he could move anymore. He tried to raise his hands to admit defeat.

Wang Dong’er’s fifth soul skill, Hexagram Control. This was not the full extent of her power, but instead, she just borrowed some power from the Hexagram Array. If she released this power herself, its magnitude would be different. Of course, the way she released this power allowed her to save some soul power.

When the golden light dissipated, Zhou Sichen lay on the ground with a pained expression on his face. The Fire of Light had drained his soul power. If Wang Dong’er had not retracted her power in time, his clothes might have been burned off.

Yan Shaozhe said with a smile, “Sichen’s performance was decent. Go, send the next one.”

Zhou Sichen rejoiced. It was not a bad thing to leave a good impression on his dean. He quickly bowed to Yan Shaozhe, gave a thumbs-up to Wang Dong’er, and headed back to his team’s corner.

Wang Qiu’er looked at her teammates, pointed with her ring hand, and said, “Your turn.” The rest of them looked at her and realized that she was choosing at random. The next teammate she wanted to send out was one of the Lan Sisters, Lan Susu.

Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo were both soul ancestors. They were Control System Battle Soul Masters, and their martial souls were their hair. However, the reason they were selected as substitutes for the main team was because of their martial soul fusion skill. In a one-on-one fight, how could they fight Wang Dong’er?

Evidently, they could not, as they were quickly defeated by Wang Dong’er after they were sent to battle her one by one.

Three to zero. The Shrek’s Seven Monsters had a score of three.

“You.” The fourth person Wang Qiu’er pointed to was Xie Xuanyue.

Compared to the Lan Sisters, Xie Xuanyue was much more powerful. After all, in terms of cultivation, he was considered one of the most powerful alongside Dai Huabing and Ning Tian when he first joined the Academy. At that time, Huo Yuhao had not yet shown his skills.

When Xie Xuanyue went up, the tides of the battle changed. While he was eventually defeated, he was able to deplete a huge amount of Wang Dong’er’s soul energy.

“Dong’er, come back. We’ll admit defeat this round and switch you out.” After Wang Qiu’er sent out her fifth teammate, Ning Tian, Bei Bei recalled Wang Dong’er.

Wang Dong’er’s performance had been excellent as she had managed to win four battles consecutively.

“Caitou.” Bei Bei made a gesture at He Caitou.

He Caitou strode onto the arena. His big bald head was unique indeed. Furthermore, he had left a deep impression on everyone during the Sea God’s Fate. On that day, Ning Tian had been another participant at the blind date. In the end, she lost…

Ning Tian was an auxiliary-type soul master, but she was a clever girl. While Wang Qiu’er picked her without knowing her power, she nevertheless strode up. While she could not fight with her martial soul, she could use soul tools. The Seven Treasures Glazed Sect’s use of soul tools was different and superior to other sects.

However, Bei Bei was experienced and cunning too. During the Sea God’s Fate, he had already seen Ning Tian use her soul tool before. Coupled with his understanding of her Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, he decided to send out his most experienced soul engineer.

“Admit defeat,” He Caitou said unkindly.

Ning Tian snorted coldly and said, “How do you know I’ll lose before we even fight?” As she said that, a pair of wings extended behind her back, and light burst out from them. This carried her petite body into the air. It was a flying-type soul tool.

Not only that, Ning Tian’s entire body became weaponized.

A soul cannon positioned itself on her shoulder, and many soul tools turned into armor all over her body. Her soul power congregated, and the soul cannon blasted in He Caitou’s direction.

He Caitou looked on helplessly. He lifted his right hand, and a white light flashed past. The cannon shell Ning Tian had released exploded in mid-air.

Then, He Caitou’s pupils started to shrink.

Like a transformer, metallic sounds resonated from He Caitou’s body. He seemed to have implanted himself in the ground as countless thick cannons appeared all over his body. They locked in on Ning Tian, who looked like a target in the sky…

Among Shrek’s Seven Monsters, who was the strongest?

If one asked Huo Yuhao, he would reply that under certain conditions, when the distance between the combatants was more than two hundred meters, his second senior was the strongest.

He Caitou’s research specialized in Soul Tool Fortresses and Stationary Soul Cannons. His aim was to inflict the greatest amount of damage possible. As the rest had yet to reach the seven-ringed soul sage level, He Caitou, as a soul engineer, was undoubtedly the most powerful.

Of course, he only had an advantage if he was sufficiently far away. Once other soul masters approached him, his advantage would be nullified. In other words, if Bei Bei fought He Caitou and they were two hundred meters apart, He Caitou might beat him. However, if they were only a hundred meters apart, no one knew who would win. If they were only fifty meters apart, then Bei Bei had a higher chance of winning.

For Ning Tian, while her style was auxiliary-type, she was battling as a soul engineer. Against He Caitou, the top soul engineer of Shrek Academy, how could she stand a chance?

He Caitou released a barrage of highly-concentrated attacks against her. Just as he was about to follow up, Yan Shaozhe stopped him. Ning Tian was defeated.

Wang Qiu’er stood by the side. Other than her, everyone else on her team wore ugly expressions on their faces.

From the start of the competition, while they had superiority in terms of numbers, they had already lost five rounds. On the other side, only Wang Dong’er had forfeited a match. He Caitou’s powerful soul tools stunned everyone.

On Wang Qiu’er’s side, only Dai Huabing, Zhu Lu, Wu Feng, and Cao Jinxuan were left.

Wang Qiu’er turned to look at her teammates and sighed in her heart. The disparity in strength was vast indeed! Huo Yuhao’s team still brimmed with energy. It would be extremely difficult for them to win this spar. Even so, she could not allow her team’s morale to be completely depleted. She had to raise their spirits.

At this point, Wang Qiu’er said calmly, “I’ll go up next.”

With that, she strode to the center of the arena.

As they watched Wang Qiu’er stride out, Dai Huabin and the rest who had yet to battle were stunned. From their perspective, they thought that Wang Qiu’er’s arrangements had been random, and that they would be the last to be deployed. They never expected this to happen.

When Wang Qiu’er appeared, He Caitou’s relaxed expression turned serious. That day, he had personally witnessed how Wang Qiu’er had defeated Ji Juechen. While it could be said to be due to Ji Juechen’s choice of weapon, it was sufficient to show how powerful she was.

During dinner that night, everyone tried to inquire about Wang Qiu’er’s powers. Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er had given them short descriptions. Now, as she approached him, he naturally became more alert.

When Yan Shaozhe saw Wang Qiu’er striding out, he nodded silently in his heart. This girl was not one with all brawn and no brain. Choosing to fight now was evidently her way of boosting morale.

Wang Qiu’er looked at He Caitou and then nodded at Yan Shaozhe to indicate that she was ready.

Yan Shaozhe announced, “Start!”

To ensure that the competition was fair, He Caitou, who was a soul engineer, had to retrieve all his soul tools after the last round. Hence, he needed to release his soul tools once again in the new round.

The moment Yan Shaozhe said ‘start’, Wang Qiu’er sprang into action. Blinding golden light shone from her body. She stomped down onto the ground with her right foot, and the ground burst with a heart-chilling sound as if a huge dragon had just trod on it. Within a two meter radius, the ground collapsed completely. Cracks extended out for more than ten meters.

With that stomp, Wang Qiu’er’s body flew into the sky like a bolt of lightning. Her speed was so fast that others could barely see her.

Zhou Sichen and Cao Jinxuan opened their mouths in shock. They did not follow Wang Qiu’er’s airborne body, but instead looked at the ground she had just stomped on.

Zhou Sichen mumbled to himself, “Is, is she still human? The amount of strength required to accomplish that feat is incredible! It’s beyond horrifying!”

Cao Jinxuan’s voice trembled, “Yes! It’s terrifying, indeed! When she released her energy, she did not even release her martial soul!”





Chapter 250.1Huo Yuhao VS Wang Qiu'er


He Caitou could feel the fear, too.

While the Soul Duelling Arena was large, both combatants had to keep an initial distance of a hundred meters from each other. If the distance was too large, it would cause the competition to drag out. It was also unfair to soul masters who did not specialize in long-range attacks.

He Caitou tried to use his Soul Tool Fortress like before, attempting to suppress Wang Qiu’er with a powerful bombardment. However, he soon realized that Wang Qiu’er was already in front of him. He had never expected her to move at such a terrifying speed.

However, he was trained under the Ultimate Soldier Plan too. He was shocked, but he reacted quickly.

He immediately abandoned his plan to use his Soul Tool Fortress. A powerful ray of light shot out from his chest, and at the same time, he quickly retreated. At the same time, he raised his arms, and six cannons flipped out. A powerful blast of soul power went straight for Wang Qiu’er’s body.

Creating distance, suppression with firepower. This was the most common fighting style of soul engineers.

However, Wang Qiu’er was exceptional even by the standards of Shrek Academy.

Faced with He Caitou’s attack, she didn't even try to dodge. She lifted her right hand and was instantly wielding her Golden Dragon Spear. She completely ignored the lines of soul power that were coming for her. She shrieked a battle cry, and a powerful golden light enveloped her body. The shadow of a golden dragon flashed behind her, and then disappeared. Following that, with a clear dragon’s roar, the Golden Dragon Spear turned into a bolt of golden lightning as it was hurled toward He Caitou.

Screw me! He Caitou’s face drained of color. That day, when Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er were discussing Wang Qiu’er’s abilities, they had both mentioned her weapon, which was almost as powerful as a Divine Weapon!

The moment that golden lightning appeared, He Caitou felt the hairs on his body standing up. He released a powerful Class 7 protective soul barrier almost instantly. At the same time, he felt his body hurtling toward the ground. He fired two thick cannons, which he had just released from his shoulder, instantly. Two high-explosive cannon shells flew straight toward the golden bolt of lightning.

Even so, He Caitou did not relax. Another white cannon shell blew up in mid-air, from which a round protective shield with a diameter of three meters appeared. This was another Class 7 protective soul barrier that was released in the form of a cannon shell, allowing it to be placed at any corner of the battleground. It was a special soul tool He Caitou could also use for his own defense.

With a boom, the two cannon shells split apart. However, while they were powerful, they could not compare to the Golden Dragon Spear. The bolt of lightning pierced through the layers of fire as it hit the round protective shield.

White ripples appeared on the round protective shield. After it was deployed, this shield could exist in mid-air for as long as 30 seconds. While it was not a stationary soul tool, it was still one of the top Class 7 soul tools in existence, called the Protective Angel Cannon Shield. If it was used well, its role in saving one’s teammates during a battle was remarkable.

However, the Protective Angel Cannon Shield was breaking apart now.

The Golden Dragon Spear stopped, and the shape of a golden dragon flashed on top of the spear. The dragon’s roar became louder and louder. Following that, it pierced through the Protective Angel Cannon Shield. The Golden Dragon Spear did not slow down as it continued on its path toward He Caitou at an even faster speed.

What shocked everyone was the fact that Wang Qiu’er suddenly stopped. She seemed to be mumbling to herself, as if she were praying to the heavens.

He Caitou, however, sighed in relief.

While the Golden Dragon Spear was powerful, he could feel, at that moment, that its deadliness was gone. The Golden Dragon Spear no longer exerted any pressure on him. The Protective Angel Cannon and his two high-explosive rounds had diminished much of its power.

As he noticed that the golden ray of lightning was almost in front of him, He Caitou changed too. A pair of hammers appeared in his hands.

It was even Huo Yuhao’s first time seeing He Caitou using a close-combat soul tool. However, he had to admit that these hammers fit He Caitou well.

The hammers were only about 50 cm long, but their heads were more than half of the length, their entire bodies crackling with electricity. They were the Thunderous Warhammers, Class 6 soul tools!

With He Caitou’s physique, it was no issue for him to wield these hammers. Even though he had a food-type martial soul, he had studied the Tang Sect Secret Techniques too! His special favorite was the Chaotic Splitting Wind Hammer Technique.

At this moment, as the Golden Dragon Spear approached him, He Caitou turned his body vigorously, his two hammers were like a shooting star and moon. He smashed them at the Golden Dragon Spear. He believed firmly that with the explosive thunder power in his two Thunderous Warhammers, as well as his Class 7 protective soul barrier, there was no problem in him meeting the Golden Dragon Spear head-on.

He Caitou’s reaction could not be described as bad. Even the other six Shrek’s Seven Monsters could not find any fault with it. However, Wang Qiu’er was no ordinary girl! Even Huo Yuhao, who understood her best, did not expect her to have such a fighting style.

Clang! The sharp sound of metal hitting metal resounded in everyone’s ears. He Caitou’s hammers smashed into the Golden Dragon Spear.

While the Golden Dragon Spear was powerful, the intense golden light that it gave off was able to reduce much of the warhammers’ thunder. Bits of the golden light even crept onto them.

The Golden Dragon Spear that was already severely weakened was still capable of forcing He Caitou to take three steps back. However, this was the last of its strength. Smashed away by the hammers, it flew into the air.

He Caitou, however, stared in shock as he noticed that the golden light that flashed from the Golden Dragon Spear had been sent flying into the air. A silhouette appeared next to the spear in mid-air, as if the sky had torn open to get her there, and grabbed onto it. Then, she came crashing down from the sky as she tried to smash He Caitou from above.

Wang Qiu’er, who was in the distance, had disappeared. A goddess of war, wielding the Golden Dragon Spear, had appeared before He Caitou.

Her Golden Dragon Spear can teleport her? Huo Yuhao watched with his mouth agape. He could not help but think about how Wang Qiu’er had appeared before him and helped him with his three-in-one martial soul fusion skill.

With such limited time, He Caitou could not react in any other way. He lifted his two warhammers as he tried to clamp onto Wang Qiu’er’s spear.

Boom!

Instantly, He Caitou felt as if he had been hit by a mountain. While he was confident in his own abilities, and was a soul emperor, he was still far from Wang Qiu’er in terms of raw strength.

Everyone who was watching the fight could clearly see He Caitou’s knees buckle and sink down. His entire body appeared to be absorbed by the ground, as the electricity from his Thunderous Warhammers turned golden.

He Caitou felt that his arms no longer belonged to him. Wang Qiu’er used the rebound of her strike to leap back into the air. As she was about to land, she turned around in mid-air and her spear reached out, pointing itself straight at He Caitou’s throat.

Resist? He Caitou could not even lift his arms, much less resist. His joints were immobilized by the massive force that had crashed down on them. How could he resist?

The spear’s tip stopped just an inch away from his throat. He Caitou opened his eyes wide in shock. He could feel that there was a force at the tip of the spear that was absorbing his soul. It was an ominous feeling that told him that he was only inches away from death.

“Wang Qiu’er wins.”

Yan Shaozhe’s voice stopped everything. From Shrek’s side, Xiao Xiao was already running at full speed.

Wang Qiu’er stuck her spear into the ground. She walked forward and chopped down on He Caitou’s arms. Only then did they come down…they had been dislocated.

Wang Qiu’er then tugged at his arms forcefully. Ka! Ka! Instantly, she jerked his arms back in place. The sudden wave of pain made He Caitou sweat, but he was able to regain control over his arms.

“Thank you,” He Caitou said with a bitter smile.

In terms of power, he was not that far from Wang Qiu’er. However, Wang Qiu’er had used her advantages to their fullest.

When Wang Qiu’er approached He Caitou, Huo Yuhao had already closed his eyes. In close-combat, He Caitou stood no chance against Wang Qiu’er.

“Caitou, are you okay?” Xiao Xiao ran up to him and grabbed his arm, her face full of concern.

He Caitou chuckled and said, “It’s nothing, only a dislocation. Wang Qiu’er helped me put it back in place. Powerful indeed! I lost this round fair and square.” He gave her a thumbs-up. While he lost, he was not depressed. He pulled himself out from the ground and returned to his corner with Xiao Xiao. Only Xiao Xiao could feel that even now, He Caitou’s arms were still trembling, a testament to how powerful Wang Qiu’er’s attack had been.

When Wang Qiu’er beat He Caitou, her teammates’ faces showed a variety of expressions.

The one with the biggest change was Dai Huabing.

When he saw Wang Qiu’er’s spear crash against the Thunderous Warhammers, forcing He Caitou into the ground, Dai Huabing’s throat tightened as he swallowed. He did not know what the result would have been had he faced her spear himself!





Chapter 250.2Huo Yuhao VS Wang Qiu'er


One could say that this was their first victory. Wang Qiu’er’s power made all of her teammates lose their doubts about her. The explosiveness and length of the battle caused it to be over in the blink of an eye.

Bei Bei looked at his team and tapped Huo Yuhao lightly on the shoulder and said, “Go, Yuhao.”

“Why me, elder brother?” Huo Yuhao looked at Bei Bei with an innocent face.

Bei Bei said naturally, “You understand her best! Furthermore, when you asked us to help you take care of Ji Juechen, did we reject you? Go, it’s time to let them see how powerful you’ve become. You can do it.”

Huo Yuhao looked at his compatriots as if he was imploring them to do something. However, they all pretended that they did not see him, even Wang Dong’er.

Helplessly and unwillingly, Huo Yuhao walked out.

He did not want to face Wang Qiu’er, not just because of how powerful she was, but also because of the weird relationship the two of them had! He did not know how he should face her.

For the other members of Shrek’s Seven Monsters, the only ones who stood a chance against Wang Qiu’er were Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi. While Wang Dong’er was also a soul emperor, she had already fought, and He Caitou had lost. Jiang Nannan and Xiao Xiao, both of whom had yet to reach six rings, were obviously weaker than Wang Qiu’er. This was why Bei Bei sent Huo Yuhao out.

When Wang Qiu’er noticed that it was Huo Yuhao who walked out, her expression changed. Then, she flicked her wrist and pulled her Golden Dragon Spear out of the ground, pointing its tip right at Huo Yuhao.

From afar, Elder Xuan and Cai Mei’er nodded. Huo Yuhao versus Wang Qiu’er. This was a fight worth watching.

One wielded the power of Ultimate Ice and was a twin-souled soul master. The other one was one with an Ultimate Strength martial soul. A match between the two of them would naturally be interesting. Even Elder Xuan wanted to see who was the most powerful of the two. After all, only when their strengths were similar could they use the full might of their powers.

When he looked at Wang Qiu’er, Huo Yuhao’s eyes betrayed a tinge of helplessness. He nodded at her and said, “Please be merciful.”

Wang Qiu’er snorted. She slowly raised her Golden Dragon Spear, and her eyes flared up. There was no way she would be showing mercy!

Yan Shaozhe looked at the two of them, and a smile crept across his face. He said, “Remember, don’t actually draw blood. Start!”

The moment he said that, Wang Qiu’er started to move. Like before, her left leg stomped down forcefully on the ground, leaving a deep crevice. Her body was already barrelling straight toward Huo Yuhao.

When he saw the hole she left behind, Yan Shaozhe’s heart ached. We need money to repair the grounds again. With the power of this girl, what materials must we use to prevent her from leaving any more holes?

Huo Yuhao had no desire to pit his speed against Wang Qiu’er’s. With her powerful force, Wang Qiu’er’s short-term explosiveness allowed her speed to exceed that of a seven-ringed soul sage.

As he watched Wang Qiu’er, cloaked in gold, hurtling toward him, Huo Yuhao’s gaze turned sharp.

An orange-golden silhouette appeared behind him, and the adorable Snow Lady appeared once again. She twiddled her index fingers habitually as she looked innocently at Wang Qiu’er, who was rushing toward her at high speed.

Huo Yuhao did not retreat. An intense layer of gold light shone from his body, and his eyes suddenly turned bright.

Can it be? Does he want to meet her head-on? Everyone exclaimed in their hearts. They could not help but admire Huo Yuhao’s bravery.

At this time, the soul rings on Huo Yuhao’s body started to shine.

A white halo expanded. It was Enfeeblement. As a control-type soul master, it was impossible for him to clash head-on with her without first attempting to weaken her.

After Enfeeblement, he used Spiritual Confusion on Wang Qiu’er.

Huo Yuhao was cunning indeed. When he used Enfeeblement, it was still traceable. As she noticed that a white halo was approaching her, Wang Qiu’er gathered her soul power, and with the power of the bloodline of the Golden Dragon, she was able to reduce its power by more than 80%.

However, at this moment, her rampage stopped. She was still 30 to 40 meters away from Huo Yuhao. Just as her legs touched the ground and she was ready to charge forward once again, Huo Yuhao used his Spiritual Confusion on her. This control of time was perfect for him, but terrible for Wang Qiu’er.

She was instantly befuddled. This caused her to lean to one side with each step she took. While each step she took still caused a boom to sound, her addled mental state caused her to lose her center of gravity. Her body leaned to one side, and she was already rushing toward that side. The effects of this off-kilter dash were mitigated considerably by her power. Had she been an ordinary soul master, her legs would have been broken by the amount of force she was using.

At this time, Huo Yuhao used his third soul skill. Two rays of purplish-gold light shot out from his eyes. This was Spiritual Shock.

As a spiritual-type attack, you could not block it even if you knew what it was.

Wang Qiu’er’s head snapped back due to the Spiritual Shock. Just as she was about to resume control over her body, she lost it once more as she fell to the ground.

At this moment, Huo Yuhao moved. Like her, he pushed off with his left leg. While he was not as intense as Wang Qiu’er, the explosiveness of his speed was comparable to hers. This was because he still had four soul thrusters behind him.

His entire body shone with bright, golden light. Huo Yuhao was already flying toward Wang Qiu’er at lightning speed. He punched out with his right fist and sent her flying.

Timing and soul skill control. Huo Yuhao did all this perfectly.

Everyone couldn’t help but fear for Wang Qiu’er. With Huo Yuhao’s control-type abilities, he was at an absolute advantage!

However, just as everyone thought Huo Yuhao had won with his punch, Wang Qiu’er, who had been sent flying down, suddenly turned her body in mid-air. She faced Huo Yuhao, and her left fist went flying toward him. Her body was suspended in a slanted position in mid-air.

Of course, she did not break free from gravity. What supported her body was the Golden Dragon Spear in her right hand.

It turned out that Wang Qiu’er was able to break free from the Spiritual Shock. Then, she quickly steadied her body as she punched Huo Yuhao back.

When Huo Yuhao attacked, he had never expected himself to win immediately. If he could do that, Wang Qiu’er would not be Wang Qiu’er. However, he was shocked at how quickly she was able to free herself from his Spiritual Shock. This girl’s spiritual resistance was strong indeed!

As their fists matched, a low explosion could be heard in mid-air. Huo Yuhao’s body was sent flying. Wang Qiu’er smiled. They were comparing raw strength, and she had a Ultimate Strength martial soul.

However, while Huo Yuhao was sent flying, Wang Qiu’er did not pursue him. Golden light shone from both of their bodies as they clashed against each other. Wang Qiu’er’s Golden Dragon Spear, which she had used to barely maintain her balance, emerged from the ground first. Her body turned, and she landed on the ground.

Huo Yuhao’s body flew, and the Snow Lady, who had been following him, changed. Her deep blue eyes were like a boundless ocean. Her small form expanded, and she reverted to her Snow Empress form.

Wang Qiu’er was shocked as she looked at Snow Empress’ deep eyes. In the next instant, what appeared before her was an endless patch of ice and snow.

The Snow Empress’ Chill merged with Huo Yuhao’s Domain of Perpetual Ice. The Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice!

It was not wise to clash head-on with the pure power of the Golden Dragon. Huo Yuhao knew that he had no chance in a head-on collision. In order to beat Wang Qiu’er, he had to maximize his own advantages. Bei Bei had been correct; amongst everyone present, he knew Wang Qiu’er best.

The spectators could feel a sudden drop in temperature. Even though the Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice only enveloped a radius of about 50 meters, the chill it emitted could be felt in the entire arena. This was because Huo Yuhao’s cultivation was not high enough. As he became more powerful, he would be able to control the chill to an extent whereby it would not leak out. Not only would this save soul power, but its power would also be stronger in the affected area.

Large patches of snow started to dance in the air, and Huo Yuhao disappeared amidst the snow. Countless snowflakes, shaped like knives, encircled Wang Qiu’er, and under the extreme cold, started to attack her.

She stood at her original spot, unmoving. She did not even try to find Huo Yuhao. Wielding her Golden Dragon Spear, she appeared extremely calm. She closed her eyes as she sensed the changes around her.

A rather thin layer of golden light appeared from her body and enveloped her within it. However, this seemingly thin layer of light was able to block the snowflakes that came at her like little knives.

Standing in the center of the Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice, Wang Qiu’er’s soul power was being massively depleted as well. No matter how powerful she was, in the face of this domain, Huo Yuhao was able to combine his power with that of nature to attack her.

The Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice worked better in colder and wetter places. While Shrek Academy was not particularly cold, the presence of Sea God’s Lake nearby ensured a sufficient amount of environmental humidity.





Chapter 250.3Huo Yuhao VS Wang Qiu'er


If someone could see the conditions of Huo Yuhao’s and Wang Qiu’er’s soul power, they would discover that both were dropping.

Wang Qiu’er’s dropped because she was resisting the power of the domain, and Huo Yuhao’s dropped because he was releasing his power.

In comparison, Huo Yuhao’s soul power depletion was less. After all, he was the one releasing his power. Furthermore, in an extremely cold environment, his soul power would recover faster than Wang Qiu’er’s. With the assistance of the Snow Lady, while his cultivation could not compare to Wang Qiu’er’s, his domain was more taxing on her than him.

However, Huo Yuhao was still a five-ringed soul king, and Wang Qiu’er was a six-ringed soul emperor. If they both had Ultimate Strength martial souls, both of them would have similar soul power. However, if they continued to deplete their soul power like this, while Huo Yuhao’s depletion was slower, there was still a big difference between his soul power and Wang Qiu’er’s. No one knew who would be the first to run out of soul power.

Huo Yuhao released his Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice not just to deplete his opponent’s strength. It was also because he knew he could not go against Wang Qiu’er head-on. They had been through thick and thin together, and he didn’t even want to fight her from the start. The other reason was that he was searching for an opportunity as well. In the domain, Wang Qiu’er would be severely affected. This was equivalent to sealing her Golden Dragon’s Perception, while Huo Yuhao could sense her changes at any time.

Huo Yuhao just needed Wang Qiu’er to slip up by a bit, and he would have a chance at defeating her. Hence, he waited.

Even if he did not do that, and he lost to Wang Qiu’er, she would be unable to fight another round because the Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice would have depleted her soul power. As a control-type soul master, Huo Yuhao’s technique in this regard was considered exceptional.

Wang Qiu’er appeared to have fallen into Huo Yuhao’s trap. She stood there, unmoving. Her entire body was like a statue, and her Golden Dragon Spear touched the surface of the ground silently without a single movement.

Under this condition, Wang Qiu’er appeared to be full of weaknesses. However, the more she appeared as such, the more Huo Yuhao dared not touch her.

Wang Qiu’er was in no rush, much less Huo Yuhao. When he released his Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice, he also felt the change in his domain. He was not too familiar with it yet, and hence he could not use all its strength here. This was an excellent chance for him to sense its changes.

They stood there, frozen. The spectators on both sides felt uncomfortable. The longer the Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice lasted, the more the temperature dropped. After a while, the temperature in the entire arena dropped to -20 degrees Celsius. Icicles started to form on the structures of the soul-dueling arena. The other students were forced to use their soul power to resist the cold.

Xu Sanshi asked, “Is Yuhao fighting or dating!? Why is he not doing anything?”

Bei Bei looked at him sideways and said, “Don’t talk nonsense.” As he said that, he motioned toward Wang Dong’er.

Xu Sanshi smirked, “Nothing, nothing, if Yuhao dares to dump you, Dong’er, I’ll… I’ll beat him until all his teeth drop to the ground.” He originally wanted to make a joke, but after Jiang Nannan, who was next to him, touched his waist, Xu Sanshi changed tactics immediately.

Wang Dong’er snorted in laughter and said, “Well done, fourth sister. Look after him well so that he’ll stop spouting nonsense outside every day. Third brother is a Casanova, so you really should keep an eye on him.”

Jiang Nannan snorted, “If he dares, let him run. If he runs, then he doesn’t need to come back anymore. I don’t care.”

Xu Sanshi immediately turned to her and smiled, saying, “Run? Where can I run to? No matter how fast I run, I can’t run away from my Nannan’s palm! If you tug me gently, I’ll come back to your side and accept whatever punishment you want to dish out, right?”

Jiang Nannan said angrily, “Stop trying to use your glib tongue here, don’t stir shit between Yuhao and Dong’er, is that clear?”

“Yes!” Xu Sanshi agreed immediately.

Wang Dong’er was not anxious, as she could understand what Huo Yuhao was thinking. He wanted to wear her down. However, she was still uncomfortable with the fact that Huo Yuhao was not fighting Wang Qiu’er directly. What kind of place did she have in his heart?

Time-wise, Huo Yuhao had released his domain for quite some time. If he continued in this way, he may not be able to sustain it for long.

Wang Dong’er understood Huo Yuhao best. Just when she made this prediction, Huo Yuhao, who was hidden in the Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice, started to move.

Like a snowflake, Huo Yuhao gradually approached Wang Qiu’er. In this domain, he was the master. Naturally, all signs of him would be covered by the domain.

Huo Yuhao reached out with his palms. At this moment, they took on different colors. His left hand was icy-blue, and his right hand was icy-white. Lightly, they came down on Wang Qiu’er’s back.

His soul power could not sustain the domain for long. Defeat and victory lay in this move. If he won, that would be ideal. If he lost, he would have depleted her soul power, and that was still good.

When he saw Wang Qiu’er before him, Huo Yuhao paused momentarily. However, he was about to place his left hand on her back. He could see that his left hand had been completely covered by crystalline diamonds, which gave off a dark, mysterious blue light.

However, at this moment, Wang Qiu’er moved.

That was right. In the domain, Wang Qiu’er could not sense Huo Yuhao’s presence at all. This was the power of the domain. However, as someone with the Golden Dragon martial soul, how weak could her intuition be? In the face of threats, even if she could not sense anything, she could at least sense danger!

Wang Qiu’er’s Golden Dragon Spear, which was in her right hand, pierced outward and shielded her entire back with light. As the spear released its light, a huge dragon roared, and an ear-shattering dragon roar rang out, causing the snowflakes around them to disappear.

However, this was still within Huo Yuhao’s Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice. His Spiritual Detection had always been centered on Wang Qiu’er. When she pulled out her spear, Huo Yuhao’s body had already moved.

With his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Huo Yuhao’s body flashed past. His entire body was like a snowflake as he dodged Wang Qiu’er’s Golden Dragon Spear. His left hand continued on its trajectory toward her, but he now aimed for her waist.

Instantly, Huo Yuhao’s speed was maximized. As Wang Qiu’er had wielded her Golden Dragon Spear with all her soul power, her reaction was slow by half a beat.

With the coverage of his Spiritual Detection, Huo Yuhao’s timing was impeccable.

It hit! Huo Yuhao’s left hand tapped on Wang Qiu’er’s waist. An extreme chill was shot into her body, and the strength of the Ice Empress’ Pincer assaulted her. A powerful energy pushed Wang Qiu’er away the moment his hand made contact with her body. Not only that, but Ice Explosion also entered her body along with the Ultimate Ice. This caused the blood near Wang Qiu’er’s waist to freeze over.

Wang Qiu’er was powerful indeed. For normal people, the waist was a weak point. It was where humans got their strength from. Once the waist was hurt, one could soon be rendered immobile.

However, Wang Qiu’er continued to stand there without moving. As Huo Yuhao’s palm made contact with her waist, he was actually unable to push her away. When his right hand touched her waist, he suddenly felt that it was as hard as steel. The Ice Explosion and Ultimate Ice had been delivered into her body, but his palm was already bouncing back. In that short time, Wang Qiu’er’s body spun around.

The Golden Dragon Spear was gone! Wang Qiu’er’s Golden Dragon Spear had disappeared from her right hand. Her dazzling spear light had disappeared too.

Oh no! I’ve been tricked! Huo Yuhao instantly deduced that something was wrong.

However, at this moment, his wealth of experience in battling came into play too. Had it been anyone else, they would have tried to create distance the moment they realized they had been tricked. However, Huo Yuhao understood that it was no longer possible for him to do so. He had personally witnessed Wang Qiu’er’s speed and strength in close-combat. Even with the cover of his domain, he could not run away. If he lost his momentum, he might not even be able to parry her next blow. One must realize that much of his soul power had been depleted.

Hence, Huo Yuhao did not run. His right hand came out as fast as a bolt of lightning as he tried to slap Wang Qiu’er’s shoulder. He had to hit where it would hurt the most. At the same time, he covered himself with the Ice Empress’ Armor. An intense emerald light flashed as he quickly released the Ice Empress’ Wrath immediately afterward.

In terms of reaction speed, Huo Yuhao could be said to have done all this perfectly. He could also feel that his earlier palm strike had not been completely useless. The Ice Explosion had already been inserted. However, he hesitated, and did not let it explode at the first possible instant, as he did not know if she could handle the power of the Ice Explosion. If it really blew up in her waist, the damage would be extraordinary.

Huo Yuhao did so much, but Wang Qiu’er just did a very simple action. From the moment she acted, her entire action was one smooth movement. She stabbed out with the Golden Dragon Spear in her right hand, and then she let go of immediately. The moment Huo Yuhao tapped her waist, her body froze momentarily. Then, she prepared to punch out.

While resisting the domain, Wang Qiu’er released her first soul skill, Golden Dragon Body, to ensure Huo Yuhao took the bait. When she was hit, she did not reinforce her body. Only by doing this could she truly confuse Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Detection.





Chapter 251.1: All You Know How to Do is Bully Me!


Wang Qiu’er’s aura suddenly changed when she twisted her waist for that punch, and Huo Yuhao felt as if he were really facing an actual Golden Dragon in that moment. The enormous fist arrived before him, driven by an unrivaled and frighteningly huge strength. This was Wang Qiu’er’s punch!

They were about the same height. Wang Qiu’er’s frame was long and slender, and her fist completely covered Huo Yuhao, even temporarily dispelling his Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice. The power of Huo Yuhao’s domain couldn’t even conceal his body at that moment.

It wasn’t hard to imagine how terrifying Wang Qiu’er was at this instant.

Huo Yuhao’s Ice Empress’ Wrath even felt a little stifled from that formidable draconic force, as if it was repressed within his body and he had no way of releasing it. The fist hadn’t even reached him, but he already felt as if his body were about to break apart from that immense pressure. This was absolutely a matter of life and death!

Huo Yuhao’s eyes began to sparkle underneath all that pressure. His abilities were typically increasingly more explosive and ferocious when he was facing great pressure.

Not even Wang Qiu’er expected Huo Yuhao to respond in this manner in a circumstance like this.

She couldn’t even evade his attack; it simply wasn’t possible. She dodged Huo Yuhao’s right palm when she twisted her body and punched out, but an immense gravitational power emerged from the center of Huo Yuhao’s fist at this moment. His right arm trembled at the same time, and his shoulder dislocated just like that, making his arm a few inches longer. Huo Yuhao wanted to rely on that minute difference to strike Wang Qiu’er before she could hit him!

Wang Qiu’er gave her all in this punch. She was as dominant as she could be, and Huo Yuhao’s right fist’s gravitational force was strong, but it couldn’t move her at all. However, Huo Yuhao’s aim wasn’t to use the Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon to pull Wang Qiu’er over. He wanted to use that suction force so that his fist could land on her body before her fist could reach him!

The suction force and dislocation were completed seamlessly. He raised his left hand at the same time and guarded his chest with his palm.

Thwack! Huo Yuhao’s dislocated right arm was ultimately one step ahead. Huo Yuhao couldn’t be bothered with the minor details in such a dire situation. His right palm that was being pulled forward by his Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon touched Wang Qiu’er’s chest on her left side.

Wang Qiu’er’s aura had been raised to its peak condition, but her body now quivered strongly, and her aura immediately plummeted as her entire body froze.

The Empress’ Palm – Snowless Glacier!

Yes, that seemingly harmless and floating palm embodied the Snow Empress’ most powerful strike.

Wang Qiu’er was still too careless after she tricked Huo Yuhao. She had not expected Huo Yuhao to be able to dislocate his shoulder at will; she had not expected him to pull his palm forward with such a unique method, and she had not expected that his palm strike would contain such an effect.

It’s so bouncy… was Huo Yuhao’s first reaction before he was tossed into the air…

Boom…! Wang Qiu’er’s heavy right fist hammered into Huo Yuhao’s left palm before slamming into his chest and sending him flying a hundred meters into the distance. Huo Yuhao’s Ultimate Ice domain was immediately dispelled at the same time.

Boom! Huo Yuhao crashed violently to the ground, and almost vomited a mouthful of blood. He realized to his surprise that Wang Qiu’er’s seemingly fearsome fist contained more propulsion force than explosive impact, which meant she was showing him mercy after all! If she hadn’t held back, her fist would still be weakened by his Snowless Glacier, but she would have still heinously wounded him. He would have vomited several mouthfuls of blood, and several bones would have been broken. Huo Yuhao would still have won, but he would have had to pay a heavy price for that victory.

The snowflakes dissipated, and Wang Qiu’er’s body was revealed. She was just standing there, motionless. Her face was as black as could be, and nobody knew whether it was because she had been struck by Huo Yuhao’s Snowless Glacier, or because some fellow had accidentally touched one of her sensitive parts.

“Ahem, ahem.” Huo Yuhao stood up as he rubbed his chest.

Yan Shaozhe’s looked over, and his eyes showed doubt.

Even he couldn’t determine who had won this round with the Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice blocking his vision.

Huo Yuhao forced a laugh and said, “I won. I froze her over.”

He couldn’t even be bothered with regulating his breathing as he spoke, and he quickly walked towards Wang Qiu’er.

Are you kidding me? The Snowless Glacier landed directly on her chest! Her heart would have been frozen over in an instant no matter how powerful or how strong she is. Her life will be in danger if I don’t help her out of this.

Huo Yuhao walked briskly up to Wang Qiu’er. He discovered that Wang Qiu’er hadn’t lost consciousness. At the very least, her eyes were still flowing with sharp hostility and murderous rage, but she was just standing there, and couldn’t move at all. She was naturally immobile as her heart had been frozen. Any attempt at moving around would cause her veins to explode, and she would die.

“I…” Huo Yuhao suddenly realized that he had messed up. He realized to his surprise that he had frozen Wang Qiu’er’s heart…which meant that he had to start from her heart when withdrawing his Snowless Glacier’s intense coldness. That also meant…

What do I do?

Everyone’s looking. Do I just go up and rub a few times? That’s not very appropriate…

This clearly wasn’t the time for contemplation. He grabbed his right arm with his left hand and fixed his dislocated arm before he retrieved a Class 6 Milk Bottle and speedily absorbed soul power from it. He forced a smile as he said to Wang Qiu’er, “I didn’t mean for that to happen. You seemed like you were going to kill me, so I had to use everything I had. Furthermore, I didn’t think it would have been so coincidental. That… that was an emergency, so you can just pretend nothing happened after this. Why don’t you close your eyes? I’m going to start healing you. I’m extremely worried, and it is my duty to help you, so I’m just healing you! I don’t mean anything else.”

Snowflakes appeared once more as he spoke. However, it wasn’t the Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice anymore, it was just the Empress’ Chill.

The tiny Snow Lady glowed with orangish-golden light as she fluttered behind Huo Yuhao’s back. She pointed into the sky with her little finger, and the snowflakes around her immediately started rippling as they enveloped both Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er’s bodies.

He didn’t dare to heal Wang Qiu’er like that in front of Wang Dong’er, so he had no choice but to provide some cover for himself… Of course, Huo Yuhao would definitely explain this as an attempt to protect Wang Qiu’er’s reputation.

Huo Yuhao grabbed Wang Qiu’er around her waist as the flurry of snowflakes concealed them. He dispelled the Ice Explosion before he pressed his right hand on her left chest as he rubbed gently, and he gradually withdrew his Snowless Glacier’s savage and formidable chill.

He wasn’t having any indecent thoughts at all. She was frozen! It was still bouncy before this, but it suddenly felt as hard as a rock.

The Snowless Glacier’s effects were excessively powerful, and it wasn’t as easy to withdraw as the Ice Explosion was. This was especially so when it had taken effect on the heart, and taking it back was a slow and gradual process.

Huo Yuhao gradually began to feel that the blood in Wang Qiu’er’s body was finally starting to flow and smoothen out. Her physique was just so formidable, and her heart stopping for a short period of time wouldn’t threaten her life. However, he started to feel as if something was wrong, and the hard rock in his hands slowly became a soft and springy steamed bun…

“Are you feeling better?” Huo Yuhao tried his best to make himself sound calm, and his movements began to slow. He realized that there seemed to be a little protrusion shifting around beneath his palm.

“Is it nice to touch?” Wang Qiu’er muttered coldly.

“It feels pretty good after thawing it.” Huo Yuhao carefully shifted his hands away, but his answer was sincere.

“Ah!” Wang Qiu’er screamed at the top of her voice. “Huo! Yu! Hao!”

Her leg swung through the air like a whip.

Huo Yuhao hurtled through the air like a cannonball. He seemed to fly a little further than he did before.

The snowflakes disappeared. The tiny Snow Lady was still hovering in the air, and she seemed a little dazed. Her eyes followed Huo Yuhao’s body through the air, and only then did she turn around and hurriedly chase after him.

Wang Qiu’er was just standing there, her enchanting frame was quivering as tears welled up in her eyes. She screamed once more, “All you know how to do is bully me!” She planted her right foot on the ground after this exclamation, and she made another crater in the Soul Dueling Arena before her entire body transformed into a golden lightning streak as she disappeared in a flash.

Huo Yuhao was flung from that kick to a place not far from his companions. Wang Qiu’er’s kick wasn’t as controlled as before, and even though Huo Yuhao’s arms managed to block it in time, he was kicked until he couldn’t take his next breath, and his eyes turned black as he fainted and collapsed on the ground just like that.

Silence. The entire field was silent.

The same thought surfaced in everyone’s minds when they heard Wang Qiu’er near-hysterical exclamation.

All you know how to do is bully me!?

What did he to do her?

“Yuhao!” Wang Dong’er darted forward and came beside Huo Yuhao. She didn’t touch his body, but grasped his hands and checked his condition and vitals.

Wang Qiu’er’s kick was heavy, but she wasn’t trying to kill him. Huo Yuhao had just fainted on the ground, and he wasn’t severely injured.

Yan Shaozhe was a little speechless with this outcome, and he swiftly came before Huo Yuhao. “How is it? Is he alright?”

Wang Dong’er’s expression was as calm as ever. “He’s fine. The impact was overly forceful, and he fainted from the sudden impact. He should recover after resting for a little while.”

Yan Shaozhe tilted his head and said, “Today’s practice combat will end here. You guys can take him back to rest right now.”

“Yes. Thank you, Dean Yan.” Wang Dong’er began to carry Huo Yuhao over her shoulders. Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and He Caitou wanted to help, but she shook her head and rejected them all. Huo Yuhao was slung over her back, his hands naturally hanging slack in front of her. Wang Dong’er grit her teeth and strode out of the Soul Dueling Arena with a calm expression on her face.





Chapter 251.2: All You Know How to Do is Bully Me!


Her pretty eyes gradually turned red only after she left through the Soul Dueling Arena’s main gate. Tears began to well up in her eyes as the thought of what had just transpired spun around in her head continuously. Even though she didn’t know exactly what had happened, she had interacted with Wang Qiu’er many times, and Wang Qiu’er’s ice-cold personality gave everyone a strong and lasting impression. However, Wang Qiu’er was nowhere near as cold and indifferent then, and that was especially so when she screamed those last words. Wang Dong’er felt as if there was a heavy hammer pounding on her chest.

Yuhao, you…

Tears trickled down her cheeks soundlessly, and Wang Dong’er picked up her pace as she hugged Huo Yuhao’s legs tightly. She didn’t want her companions to see her fragile side. No matter how much faith she had in Huo Yuhao, she had seen everything with her own eyes, and it would only mean he wasn’t in her heart if she still didn’t have any ill-feelings about this. It was only because he meant too much to her that her heartache was so intense.

A girl’s thoughts would be vastly different from a guy once her thoughts started getting into a blind alley. Wang Dong’er felt as if it wasn’t impossible that Huo Yuhao had feelings for Wang Qiu’er. In the end, Wang Qiu’er looked more like the Goddess of Light than she did, and Wang Qiu’er wasn’t inferior to her in terms of looks, figure, or abilities. Wang Dong’er didn’t have any advantage over Wang Qiu’er except for the time that she had spent together with him.

Wang Dong’er deeply believed that Huo Yuhao liked her. However, that didn’t mean he couldn’t like someone else at the same time? Her second uncle had remarked before that men were generally capable of generous affection. But, but I can’t accept that! I have to be the only person in my lover’s heart…

She began to sob even more uncontrollably as she continued to think in this direction. There was no way she could accept sharing a lover with someone else. Huo Yuhao was still unconscious, or, if he had known what Wang Dong’er was thinking, he would have told her exasperatedly, “My dear, you’re thinking too much.”

Wang Dong’er carried Huo Yuhao all the way back to the Sea God’s Pavilion before she placed him down on the bed. She took his outer clothes off and helped him wipe his face, and took care of him so that he could sleep more comfortably.

Wang Dong’er took a chair and sat silently beside him. Her tears were no longer flowing, but her expression was still as dark as ever, and the image of Huo Yuhao interacting with Wang Qiu’er echoed continuously in her mind.

Wang Dong’er’s heart became increasingly confused and disorganized the more she thought about it, because she was sure that Wang Qiu’er looked at Huo Yuhao drastically differently from how she looked at other people. Even though her eyes couldn’t be described as passionate, at least they weren’t as cold as they usually were.

She thought back to when she had found them inside the Great Star Dou Forest, and when Wang Qiu’er was lying on Huo Yuhao’s thigh. Did they develop true feelings for each other through suffering? She hadn’t thought much about it then because she chose to trust him. But what about today? What did Wang Qiu’er mean when she exclaimed like that? Why did Huo Yuhao choose to conceal them by releasing his domain once more? What happened between them when he did that?

Wang Dong’er’s face became paler as she continued to think. At this moment, Huo Yuhao was completely submerged within his spiritual world.

—

What a brutal kick! I just wanted to save her! Huo Yuhao’s thoughts were full of exasperation and frustration.

He didn’t sleep for too long after fainting. However, he was unable to directly control his body when he woke up, and he realized to his surprise that his consciousness had entered his spiritual sea.

His spiritual sea’s vastness was far greater than before, his boundless spiritual sea torrential as tidal waves surged around it, while dense spiritual power undulations circulated like currents.

He had also showed mercy when he fought Wang Qiu’er. Otherwise, the outcome would have been entirely different if he had used his Eye of Destiny with all his controlling abilities at the beginning.

He didn’t know when he could truly wake up. Qiu’er, Qiu’er! Why did you have to shout like that? Your scream will bring me great trouble.

Huo Yuhao didn’t know that Wang Dong’er was thinking in all the wrong directions, but he was absolutely certain that everyone would misunderstand because of her exclamation. More importantly, he actually did touch somewhere that he wasn’t supposed to touch, and he couldn’t blame Wang Qiu’er for that.

“I’ve been wronged!” Huo Yuhao shouted at the top of his lungs within his spiritual sea.

He really hadn’t meant for that to happen. He had felt immense pressure from her, as Wang Qiu’er was the strongest person he had ever faced among others of the same age. Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi were also powerful, but their strength was very different from Wang Qiu’er’s style.

Wang Qiu’er was the kind to achieve victory with a single strike, just like when he battled Ji Juechen. How different could the two of them be? The reason why she was terrifying was because of her explosive power. The frightening offensive force generated from the collision after her explosive attack made Huo Yuhao numb just thinking about it. This wasn’t a sensation that Bei Bei or Xu Sanshi could give him!

He didn’t know what Wang Qiu’er’s attitude toward him was like during this battle. She had saved him at the last minute inside the Great Star Dou Forest, and Huo Yuhao couldn’t develop any negative thoughts about her no matter what happened, as she had saved his life. This was the reason he decided to grind her down with his domain, so that neither of them would be hurt no matter who emerged victorious.

He had never expected Wang Qiu’er to erupt in that fashion, and that instance of explosive anger made Huo Yuhao feel as if his life was in danger.

It was instinctive for him to give everything he had under such circumstances, and he never thought that he would accidentally touch Wang Qiu’er’s heart with his Snowless Glacier. This was a bitter misunderstanding.

The Snowless Glacier was extremely powerful once it took effect on Huo Yuhao’s target. If Huo Yuhao hadn’t saved her, Wang Qiu’er would have been done for. He had had no choice but to save her, and he couldn’t waste a single second. So, he had saved her, but the deed brought great trouble upon himself. But what other choice did he have? Wang Qiu’er’s flying kick made Huo Yuhao feel so aggrieved, and the real reason why he fainted was because of what she had shouted. There was almost no way for him to remedy this misunderstanding.

“How am I going to explain this to Dong’er?” Huo Yuhao stared at the vast spiritual sea before him with a bitter look on his face.

He really didn’t know what to say. Do I have to tell Wang Dong’er the truth, that I touched Wang Qiu’er somewhere I really shouldn’t have? In that case, wouldn’t Dong’er be infuriated? However, how else do I explain it if I don’t tell her the truth?

“What outrageous acts have you committed now, you rascal? Why do you look so despondent?” a lazy voice suddenly rang out from all directions at that moment.

Huo Yuhao’s melancholic frown immediately froze when he heard this voice. In the next moment, an indescribable elation erupted from his eyes. “Brother Skydream, brother Skydream! Where are you?”

He leapt to his feet, and controlled his consciousness to form a body as he flew into the space above his spiritual sea. He didn’t care about anything else as he shouted as loudly as he could.

Yes! That lazy voice belonged to the Skydream Iceworm.

Skydream and Iceworm and the Ice Empress had been hibernating ever since the Snow Empress entered the state of polarity that day, sending Huo Yuhao’s spiritual sea into turmoil, and forcing Electrolux to burn his own divine sense to save the others. A long time had passed since then, and he hadn’t heard anything from either of them.

Huo Yuhao had attempted to awaken them countless times. However, he couldn’t feel the Ice Empress and Skydream Iceworm’s auras inside his spiritual sea anymore. His initial despondence and sorrow immediately vanished when he heard Skydream’s voice at this moment. Skydream was not just a friend and a companion to him, the Iceworm was also his savior, and he wouldn’t be here today if he hadn’t merged with the Skydream Iceworm back then. His martial soul had become increasingly powerful with Skydream’s help, and he had obtained four million-year soul skills and a second martial soul, which allowed him to merge with both the Ice Empress and the Snow Empress afterward. The reason why Electrolux’s divine sense entered his mind was also because Huo Yuhao’s fusion with the Skydream Iceworm had produced intense spiritual undulations which had attracted his remnant.

Skydream’s position in Huo Yuhao’s heart was extremely high and respected. He truly treated Skydream like his own brother. Skydream had truly changed his destiny, even though the Iceworm was just a little too lazy.

“Hehe. I’m still alive. Why are you crying?” Skydream’s voice was tinged with deep emotions. Specks of golden light gradually rose up from Huo Yuhao’s spiritual sea immediately afterwards, and combined to form Skydream’s frame once more. However, the golden halo around his body had completely vanished.

Huo Yuhao only realized that the face that he had conjured with his consciousness was flowing with tears when Skydream mentioned it.

Huo Yuhao flew up before the Skydream Iceworm in a flash, and opened his arms wide before hugging the pudgy body while he leaned forcefully against the immense but soft frame.

“Brother Skydream, teacher Electrolux has…” Huo Yuhao began to bawl when he thought about all the unfortunate things that had happened.

Skydream heaved a faint sigh and said, “I know. Electrolux is truly a human that deserves our respect. Both the Ice Empress and I thought he was going to draw upon our strength to complete that ritual back then, but who could expect that he actually immolated himself in the end? He was the one that saved us all…”

Skydream Iceworm also began to lament and sigh with despair and regret at this point.

Huo Yuhao sobbed for a quite a long while before he recovered. He raised his head and said, “How have you been, brother Skydream? You should be fine by now. The halo around your body…”

A human face appeared on Skydream’s head, and he made a human-like expression of exasperation. “I’ve fused completely with you. Even though my spiritual origin is still sealed away, it’s been completely submerged into your spiritual sea. This body is all that I have left, and this is only a projection of my consciousness. More accurately put, I am only a guest taking up residence in your body at this point, and you can chase me out anytime you want if you wish it. Of course, that also means it’s over for me if that happens.”

Huo Yuhao replied angrily, “Can you not make hypothetical speculations? That will never happen!”





Chapter 251.3: All You Know How to Do is Bully Me!


Skydream chuckled and said, “It’s all right, it’s all right. I don’t think I’ll die even if I leave your spiritual sea now. Electrolux’s ritual is truly miraculous, and it’s made certain transformations to both the Ice Empress and me.”

“Transformations?” Huo Yuhao stared at him with a confused look.

Skydream chided him, “Have you grown stupid? Spirits! Are you trying to say that both the Ice Empress and I are not fusing our strengths and our spiritual imprints with you willingly? The truth is that we completed the spirit seal that day too. However, we are different from the Snow Empress in a way that our process was even more successful. The reason is because we fused together a long time ago, and we were already a part of you.”

Huo Yuhao’s eyes widened and his jaw grew slack. “Brother Skydream, are you saying that you’ve also become my spirit? Does that mean you can leave my body to fight?”

Skydream chortled and said, “I’m not very good at fighting, although I do can take a stroll outside. I’m not entirely your spirit yet, and I will only become one after a certain degree of conversion. Fortunately, I was smart enough back then to let you absorb Imitation. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to release your martial soul when I fully convert into your spirit.”

A thought crossed Huo Yuhao’s mind and he said, “Is that because the soul ring you attached to my body will be different from normal situations after you change into a million-year spirit?”

Skydream nodded and said, “I don’t have a soul ring for you, as my soul ring has long become part of your body. However, once I change to a spirit, the soul ring will also change to a certain extent. It will be different from the Snow Empress’ spirit. There’s no way for me to tell what it will look like, but you’ll find out when it happens.”

Huo Yuhao said, “What else needs to be done before you can change into a Spirit? Do you want to become a spirit, Skydream? Please don’t force yourself if you don’t want that.”

The human face that Skydream had conjured made an annoyed look as he said, “Of course I do, you idiot! I will never be able to go outside if I remain like this, and I can only stay inside you. I can finally get out of here when I become a spirit. My memories and my intelligence were preserved during that ritual back then. I am extremely willing to become a spirit! Nothing much will happen to you when I become a spirit, because I’m not that adept with fighting in the first place. The most I can do is help you use some of the abilities that I have given you when necessary. The ritual is simple, all you have to do is sign the pact and it will be done.”

Huo Yuhao laughed and said, “I won’t be so courteous anymore, then. However, teacher mentioned before that I can’t assimilate too many spirits, as it will consume too much of my spiritual power. You won’t suck me dry, will you?”

Skydream replied angrily, “Why did I choose a fool like you all those years ago? I’ve already said that the ritual has been completed, and all that’s left is the pact! Everything that needs to be absorbed has already been absorbed! Furthermore, my situation and the Ice Empress’ situation is different from the Snow Empress, as we were the first to have fused with you. This is the reason why we completed the fusion long ago, and we have provided our own spiritual power to integrate into your own, so we don’t need your spiritual power anymore. Otherwise, we would have separated your spirit into pieces when you fused with the Snow Empress back then. Quickly now, give me that pact, so I can go outside and roam the world.”

Huo Yuhao wouldn’t reject Skydream’s request, and immediately began to chant the Pact Sealing Spell that Electrolux had imparted to him.

Huo Yuhao’s torrential and tumultuous spiritual sea gradually began to calm during his incantation. Skydream said no more, and just levitated silently in midair.

Huo Yuhao’s eyes slowly turned golden as he raised his right hand, and drew runes in the sky continuously that drifted towards Skydream.

Skydream gradually closed his eyes. His enormous frame became a little smaller with every rune that landed on his body. Gentle spiritual power circulated through his body, and his aura was slowly undergoing mystical transformations.

Huo Yuhao’s senses were the most acute, and the first thing he felt was separation. Skydream was being converted to his vassal spirit, and that meant Skydream was separating himself from his own spiritual origin. It also meant that Skydream was officially leaving his spiritual origin to Huo Yuhao.

The Skydream Iceworm’s virtual body was growing smaller, but it was also becoming more material, and his life energy was becoming increasingly dense.

The Skydream Iceworm’s two supreme treasures were his spiritual origin that he had bestowed upon Huo Yuhao, and his life origin imprint formed by a million years’ worth of life energy. At this moment, his life origin imprint seemed like it was being awakened as the pact took effect. He continually released immense amounts of life energy, which continuously fused with Huo Yuhao. The ripples gradually made Skydream’s body even more solid and material.

Huo Yuhao finally released the final rune successfully, and the pact was complete.

Skydream’s frame had become small enough to fit on a palm, and he suddenly soared into the sky as a white streak of light. His tiny golden eyes were filled with excitement.

There was a golden imprint on his forehead, looking just like a vertical eye. It was the pact that bound him to Huo Yuhao.

Just like Skydream had said before, there was a huge rift between completing the process with the Snow Empress back then and completing the process with Skydream at this moment. Huo Yuhao didn’t feel any abnormal undulations in his spiritual power or his soul power; the pact was already completed. Skydream had officially become Huo Yuhao’s spirit from this moment onwards…Huo Yuhao’s second spirit!

Whoosh! Skydream’s body flashed and disappeared within Huo Yuhao’s spiritual sea just like that. Huo Yuhao’s consciousness returned to his physical body, and he subconsciously opened his eyes.

—

It was already completely dark outside. Wang Dong’er was gone, and Huo Yuhao was the only person left in the room. The chair that Wang Dong’er had sat on while she was watching over him was still beside his bed.

Wang Dong’er had left when the sky turned dark. Huo Yuhao had still been asleep, but his vitals had returned to normal, and everything seemed fine. Wang Dong’er didn’t know how to face him when he woke up, so she chose to run away from this problem. From her perspective, everything might be different when she woke up the next morning, or everyone would just forget about what had happened before. Perhaps Huo Yuhao would give her a reasonable explanation. Despondence and grief was exhausting, and Wang Dong’er had fallen into a deep sleep once she returned to her room.

“Brother Skydream!” Huo Yuhao swiftly sat up on his bed and called out softly.

“Hehe, you can’t find me, you can’t find me!” Skydream’s voice rang out in Huo Yuhao’s mind.

Huo Yuhao chortled and said, “Have you forgotten the Spiritual Detection you gave me?” He activated Spiritual Detection at once and surveyed the entire room.

“You’re cheating!” Skydream’s exasperated and unconvinced voice could be heard once more. Huo Yuhao finally found him using Spiritual Detection – Skydream was on his body, but hidden in the folds of his clothes.

He lifted Skydream from the folds of his clothes. Huo Yuhao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when he saw the Skydream Iceworm’s appearance.

Skydream was like an absolute miniature version of his former body. He was a bit over six inches long, and only as thick as a pinkie finger. His entire body was translucent, like white jade, and his subtle movements gave off a faint aroma.

Skydream’s frame was extremely tiny, but the life energy that he released gave Huo Yuhao the feeling that he had obtained another piece of Life Gold. Skydream’s tiny golden eyes were like yellow diamonds in the night sky as they sparkled brilliantly.

“Skydream, why do I feel like your spirit is different from the Snow Empress’ spirit?” Huo Yuhao asked doubtfully.

The Skydream Iceworm answered proudly, “Of course it is. Don’t forget, I’m a million year soul beast, and I fused with your body a long time ago. I have retained my intelligence in its entirety, and I am now an independent entity, while I do not need to absorb your strength to maintain myself anymore. Come, come, come!” His tiny frame started wiggling in Huo Yuhao’s palm as he spoke.

Huo Yuhao looked on in shock as a streak of light emerged from his storage-type soul tool and rushed in Skydream’s direction.

Huo Yuhao would have forgotten about it if Skydream hadn’t drawn it out. Wasn’t this the layer of skin that Skydream had shed after they fused inside the Great Star Dou Forest back in the day? They had relied on this skin to restrain the Ice Empress before they convinced her to fuse with him.

Skydream’s shed skin glowed with a faint white radiance, and gently covered his body as he continued to wriggle.

Skydream opened his mouth and bit down on the center of the skin. His body shone with a faint layer of white and golden light as he gradually merged with the shed skin.

The light on the skin became more intense, and it began to shrink…just like what had happened to Skydream in Huo Yuhao’s spiritual sea. The skin slowly plastered to and fused with Skydream’s body.

“I understand!” Huo Yuhao suddenly exclaimed, his eyes as wide as ever while he stared at the Skydream Iceworm. His eyes were filled with incredulity; Skydream was almost undergoing a reincarnation, and that meant that the life origin imprint that he had integrated into Huo Yuhao’s body all those years ago was being extracted to fuse with Skydream’s shed skin and form a brand-new Skydream Iceworm. Skydream was making himself a brand-new body, and would be able to survive independently even if he didn’t return to Huo Yuhao’s body. He could even survive easily in a place far away from Huo Yuhao.

“How is this possible? You’re creating life, brother Skydream!” Huo Yuhao exclaimed with wide eyes and a slack jaw.

The skin finally minimized completely, and fused seamlessly with Skydream.





Chapter 252: The Second Spirit


Skydream tossed his head from side to side. “Create life? That’s not possible, and neither am I the Creator. How do I put it? I can call this pseudo life creation, I guess…

“My life origin imprint has been preserved extremely well. Under such circumstances, I can be considered independent after completing the pact with you. The Snow Empress’ life imprint integrated with her embryo when she was converting to it, and her life imprint ultimately dissipated with her divine sense when the polar reversal happened, a situation that will definitely arise when human soul masters assimilate spirits. I’m different, as I had already fused with you beforehand, and I was a lot more powerful than you were back then, so my life origin imprint was excellently preserved. It is the reason why I can rely on my own life energy to absorb the origin energy of heaven and earth to sustain my own life energy after existing independently from our pact. However, that doesn’t mean that I can create life.

“I don’t have to rely on your strength anymore, but I still have to rely on this pact between us. My body will crumble without this pact, and that also means that everyone will still perish if you die: me, the Snow Empress, and the Ice Empress, who has yet to awaken. I’m different from them because I can leave your body for a short period of time, and I don’t have to return to your body on normal days, although these are only the main differences. Of course, I have more autonomy. Even though I’ve given my spiritual imprint to you and I can no longer unleash all those spiritual-type abilities by myself, my life energy has given me another way to help you. I’m a million-year spirit, and also the only million year spirit on the entire Continent. I can’t be entirely useless, can I?”

Skydream was feeling a little proud at this moment.

“Release your martial soul and take a look.”

Huo Yuhao followed his instructions and released his Spirit Eyes.

He was the only person in the room, so there was no need to hide the color of his soul rings.

Five soul rings appeared one after another – one white, and four black soul rings.

His Imitation had become a ten thousand-year soul skill when he absorbed Skydream’s spiritual power.

However, Huo Yuhao had no attention for his four black soul rings. His eyes were immediately fixed upon his first white million-year soul ring.

This white soul ring was clean like jade under normal circumstances, and was not much different from a ten-year soul ring, and it wouldn’t display golden patterns like the Ice Empress’s soul ring.

However, the white soul ring was now different.

A soul ring was a virtual projection of light shaped like a circle. Light was transparent, and only varied in terms of color and how bright it was.

At this moment, Huo Yuhao could clearly feel that his first soul ring was no longer made of light.

The white soul ring drifted into the sky, and Huo Yuhao could immediately feel that his four spiritual-type soul skills could be unleashed at any time. However, this white soul ring seemed like it had become entirely material.

He raised his hand subconsciously and attempted to touch it.

His hand would go through his other soul rings, as how could one touch light? However, Huo Yuhao felt warmth on his fingertips when he touched his first soul ring.

Yes, that was a real sensation…the white ring had become tangible and solid, and felt like it was sculpted from jade. Huo Yuhao touched it gently, and he could feel as if his own spiritual power was being caressed.

Skydream jumped lightly and flew up before Huo Yuhao’s eyes. “The soul ring has become solid! This is the power of my million-year spirit. Watch carefully!”

Skydream’s body contorted as he spoke, and he landed on the solidified soul ring. His body immediately turned golden as he started circling around the solidified soul ring.

Circle after circle of golden light began encircling the first soul ring, and the soul ring actually turned golden in the blink of an eye.

The soul ring drifted into the air and paused for a moment above Huo Yuhao’s head before floating forwards, and a golden layer of light covered the entire soul ring, transforming into a golden shield that was about half a meter in diameter as it hovered in front of Huo Yuhao.

“A shield?” Huo Yuhao asked with astonishment.

“Life Reflecting Shield! This is my spirit’s ability. What do you think? The name is really cool, isn’t it?”

“Sounds pretty normal,” Huo Yuhao answered truthfully.

“Normal?” Skydream’s voice became several pitches higher. “You actually think it sounds normal? Do you know that my Life Reflecting Shield uses my own life energy as its foundations, and it’s completed by using your spiritual sea as a framework. It can reflect any physical and spiritual attack!. If your opponent is weaker than you are, everything will be reflected, and the attack will be partially reflected even if your opponent is stronger than you are. You have to take everything else, but the Life Reflecting Shield will absorb and dispel part of the attack, and my life energy will take the hit. The strike will never touch you unless my life energy can’t take it anymore.”

“Uh…” Huo Yuhao’s eyes widened. This wasn’t just better than normal, that was a godly skill that could protect his life! However, Huo Yuhao immediately thought about a few issues, and hurriedly asked, “Brother Skydream, what’s the surface area that this shield can cover? How many times can I use it in one day? If my opponent’s attack is too strong, will you get hurt?”

Skydream was satisfied with Huo Yuhao’s questions, and he said happily, “You do have a conscience after all, and you’re concerned about me! You can use this shield as many times as you want in theory, but in reality I recommend that you not use this shield more than three times in a day. It isn’t because I’m afraid that too much of my life energy will be expended, it’s actually because this skill uses your spiritual sea as its framework. I am expending life energy when using it, but you will be consuming spiritual power. If you use it too much or inappropriately, you might even damage your spiritual origin. Three times a day is the most reasonable number.

“I don’t think you have to think too much about what happens when the opponent’s attack is too powerful. If your opponent’s strike is so powerful that it can obliterate my immense life energy in its entirety, what chance do you have left to live? We will just die together. The consumption of my life energy is related to the reflection. Do you still remember your Life Guardian Blade? It can absorb other physical beings’ life energy, while my Life Reflecting Shield can absorb any living being’s life energy. More accurately put, when my Life Reflecting Shield reflects the opponent’s attack, the reflected attack will definitely take effect on his or her body and cause harm, which will be converted into life energy to replenish my own. This means that consumption is not a big deal for me unless the opponent is way too powerful. My life energy can also be replenished through you, or if I eat something for restoration. Of course, I only eat good things, and I have been eying and craving that grilled fish of yours. Make a few for me to try when it’s convenient.”

Huo Yuhao’s heart was racing. “The grilled fish is easy. What about the area of effect?”

Skydream answered mildly, “Only in front of you. Were you hoping that I could provide a three-hundred and sixty degree protective barrier for you?”

“No, no. Frontal protection is enough.” Huo Yuhao stared at the shield before him, in awe at his good fortune. He had always been lacking in terms of defense. The Ice Empress’ Armor was no longer enough to satisfy his defensive needs, and this was especially true since the Ice Empress was still in hibernation, so his Ice Empress’ Armor couldn’t evolve any further. He hadn’t dared to meet force with force when he faced off against Wang Qiu’er, but similar circumstances in the future would be a lot different now that he had this Life Reflecting Shield.

“There’s nothing I can do against soul tools. I can only block soul masters’ attacks,” Skydream added thoughtfully.

“You can’t block soul tools? But soul tools are also released by soul masters’ soul power!” Huo Yuhao asked in surprise.

Skydream shook his head and said, “I’ve said before that this is a Life Reflecting Shield, and I can only rely on the sensation on my life energy to reflect attacks to ensure accuracy. Soul tools are fired through metal components, and there’s no way I can sense that. The defensive capability is still there, but there’s no way I can reflect that attack. This is especially true for those stationary soul tools, and my defensive capabilities will probably be worse than normal against them. Therefore, you should try to avoid using this skill when you’re dealing with soul tools.”

“Alright.” Huo Yuhao acknowledged. He was already extremely satisfied despite that limitation. In the end, a soul skill couldn’t be all-powerful, as wouldn’t one be invincible if that was possible? Skydream’s soul skill was already a great boost to his defensive capabilities!

Skydream yawned, “Alright, that’s all. I’m going to sleep now, don’t disturb me.” His body stretched as he spoke, landing on Huo Yuhao’s left hand as he spoke. He wrapped himself five times around Huo Yuhao’s fourth finger, transforming into a multi-spiralled jade ring. If one didn’t know what it was and perceived it with the naked eye, nobody would be able to tell that this was actually a life form.

Huo Yuhao was a little exasperated and at a loss as he stared at Skydream. He decided to pick this place… Huo Yuhao was still wearing his Starlight Sapphire storage-type soul tool on his middle finger on the same hand. He was now wearing two rings on the same hand, and he was starting to look like a parvenu.

“Can you find another place to rest, brother Skydream? Why don’t you return to my spiritual sea to sleep?” Huo Yuhao probed.

“No! I’m not going back there, it’s so boring inside. I will not go back unless you can wake her up. Furthermore, I need to absorb nutrients from heaven and earth to sustain my life energy in my semi-life form state. Are you asking me to absorb your life energy from within your spiritual sea?”

When Skydream mentioned the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, Huo Yuhao hurriedly asked, “How is the Ice Empress, brother Skydream? Is she alright?”

Skydream sounded a little gloomy as he said, “She’s all right, but she expended too much energy when she burned her origin back then, so she needs a longer time in hibernation to recover. If you come across any ice-type herbs or whatnot, you should eat more of them, as that will help her recover. Oh, I miss her so much! I am going to find her in my dreams, so you better not disturb me. When you want to use the Life Reflecting Shield, just release your martial soul and channel soul power into my body. I will release the shield naturally.”

“Alright. You can go ahead and sleep, and I’ll get something delicious for you to eat afterwards.” Huo Yuhao stared a little helplessly at Skydream . He had lived for a million years, but he had probably spent more than nine-hundred and ninety-nine thousand years sleeping.

“Eh, wait a minute.” Skydream was just about to fall asleep when he abruptly sprang up from Huo Yuhao’s finger and hovered before him. His tiny golden eyes were full of doubt and confusion as he silently levitated above Huo Yuhao’s left hand, as if he were trying to sense something.

“What’s wrong, brother Skydream?”

Skydream shook his head and signaled for to him to be quiet.

Skydream’s tiny eyes sparkled with faint golden light, and Huo Yuhao’s Spirit Eyes were naturally released in the next moment. Huo Yuhao felt the waves in his spiritual sea become tumultuous as waves of spiritual power were released one after another, while Skydream’s body gradually turned golden in color. Skydream could still use Huo Yuhao’s spiritual power, as they were connected through the pact after he had changed into a spirit.

But this deployment was different from before. Skydream was using his own strength before this, but he could only use Huo Yuhao’s strength now, and Huo Yuhao could immediately stop the process if he wasn’t willing.

Skydream drifted forward after he turned golden and landed on the Starlight Sapphire ring on the middle finger of Huo Yuhao’s left hand.

He flew into the air once more after a short moment. His voice sounded solemn as he said, “Why do you have a spiritual imprint in your ring, Yuhao? No, this should be a spiritual seal, and it’s extremely powerful as well. Do you know that it’s dangerous for you if others’ spiritual imprints remain attached to you? They can spy on you, and they can even trigger some things in your body to cause you harm. Maybe they will even choose the most important checkpoints of your cultivation to disrupt you. Quickly, take it out. I will help you dispel that spiritual seal.”

“Spiritual seal? I don’t think there’s any,” Huo Yuhao answered in shock. His spiritual power was formidable, and there was no way he wouldn’t know if someone had left a spiritual seal on any of his possessions.

Huo Yuhao suddenly thought about something. He realized what was going on, and he said, “I know what you’re referring to. There is no need to worry, brother Skydream.”

He raised his left hand as he spoke. The Starlight Sapphire ring flickered with blue light, and a tiny pouch appeared in his hands – it was the one Wang Dong’er had handed to him back then.

Skydream’s head swayed faintly, and he immediately nodded and said, “Yes, this is the one. What’s this?”

Huo Yuhao said, “The Clear Sky Sect’s sect leader asked Wang Dong’er to pass it to me. It’s a pouch, and I don’t know what’s written inside. Uncle Niu Tian added a seal so that Wang Dong’er wouldn’t take a sneak peek at its contents, but I can’t open it yet because my cultivation isn’t high enough. I reckon it probably contains some words of encouragement.”

Skydream insisted on his opinion and said, “It’s not a good thing for you to have someone else’s spiritual seal on you. Let me help you open it.”





Chapter 253.1: Yearning Heartbroken Grass


Huo Yuhao contemplated momentarily, and he figured that opening the pouch wouldn’t hurt, and there was no harm in taking a look. He nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll have to trouble you, then. But I can’t open it with my spiritual power. Brother Skydream, don’t you need to borrow my spiritual power?”

Skydream said proudly, “It’s not because you don’t have enough spiritual power to open it, it’s because your spiritual power control isn’t there yet. This spiritual seal can’t stump me.”

Skydream’s body bounced lightly as he spoke, and he landed on the pouch as his translucent body flickered with golden light.

Huo Yuhao’s eyes glowed at the same time, and a radiant golden light gradually flowed out along with his spiritual power.

He could feel that his spiritual power was undergoing peculiar transformations as it was channeled into Skydream.

That’s… Compression!

Huo Yuhao’s spiritual power began to compress under Skydream’s direction. Skydream had given his spiritual origin to Huo Yuhao, but he still had the most substantial spiritual imprint, one that had been baptized by a million years of life. Unless the Calamity Necromancer Electrolux came back to life, there was nobody else in the world that could compare to Skydream in terms of spiritual power manipulation.

Yes, this was a form of spiritual power manipulation. Spiritual power was an energy that originated from the spirit world, and was presented as far more abstract and illusory compared to soul power. The effects that spiritual power could achieve often couldn’t be compared to soul power on the same level. The energy that belonged to the spiritual realm and soul power were like two parallel lines that did not intersect.

If soul masters were to choose which power they wanted to boost, almost all soul masters would choose soul power. This didn’t mean soul power was stronger than spiritual power, it was because soul power was a lot easier to control and manipulate than spiritual power.

A soul master had to rely on his spiritual power to control his soul power, while going deeper and manipulating spiritual power directly was an extremely high-level ability. Huo Yuhao’s spiritual power control was mainly present in two forms. The first was his Sovereign’s Descent that Dragon God Douluo Mu En had imparted to him, where he would delicately fuse spiritual power and soul power. He would produce immense fighting strength after fusing both energies when he was in a unique spiritual state. The other form referred to his multiple soul skills.

Huo Yuhao’s spiritual power at this point was strong enough for his Spiritual Detection to reach a six-hundred meter radius around him, and he could reach more than three kilometers if he used it in a single direction. However, what if he didn’t have Spiritual Detection as a soul skill? How far could he sense if he just used pure spiritual power? That would be a question of his control over his spiritual power.

Why were Huo Yuhao’s attacks more powerful, and all his Spirit Eyes soul skills amplified, when he released his Eye of Destiny? The Eye of Destiny actually gave him better control over his spiritual power, and also had that mystical power of destiny.

Exemplary spiritual control required more than just formidable spiritual power. One also had to continually practice using it. Huo Yuhao’s spiritual power control was unrivaled among other soul masters of his level, but he was way too far below Skydream’s standard.

The compressed spiritual power gradually flowed into the pouch. Huo Yuhao felt as if Skydream were using his spiritual power to form a key, and Skydream was soundlessly and discreetly opening the door in front of him.

The pouch’s spiritual seal was exceedingly tough. Skydream went deeper in his attempt to open it, and Huo Yuhao realized that the Iceworm had underestimated the spiritual seal’s strength. The seal was extremely solid, and he wouldn’t be able to open it even if he was a Soul Emperor if he used his current cultivation level as an estimate. He would probably require his martial soul true body to have enough control to open this pouch by himself.

However, the seal couldn’t stump Skydream. The compressed spiritual power became increasingly focused under Skydream’s control and gradually drilled into the seal, unraveling it from the inside.

This was a great opportunity for Huo Yuhao. Skydream was controlling his spiritual power after all, and this meant that Huo Yuhao could clearly feel the entire manipulation process. This was greatly beneficial to learn how to manipulate spiritual power.

Huo Yuhao began to feel a little dizzy from time to time as spiritual power continued flowing out. He could feel that his spiritual sea’s level was plummeting, but he wasn’t worried at all. Skydream had a complete understanding of Huo Yuhao’s spiritual power, and he naturally wouldn’t do something that he wasn’t confident of, and would never hurt Yuhao, either.

An hour passed, then a soft ding sound could be heard as the pouch’s mouth emanated a strange golden light. This golden light transformed into a green streak before it disintegrated into fine specks and gradually vanished into the air.

The golden light on Skydream’s body disappeared along with the lights. He grunted and said, “The seal was strong, but it couldn’t stump me. Don’t be too hasty to look at the pouch, Huo Yuhao; you should meditate as soon as possible. Wait for your spirit to recover before anything else. If you don’t recover from this extent of spiritual power consumption as soon as possible, it will affect your spiritual sea’s volume.”

He returned to the fourth finger on Huo Yuhao’s left hand as he spoke, and transformed back into a jade ring.

Huo Yuhao had intended to meditate even if Skydream hadn’t reminded him. He had become a little dizzy, and his vision even became a little blurry from all the spiritual power consumption.

Huo Yuhao crossed his legs and sat down as he focused his eyes and looked inwards. The dizziness and fatigue helped him enter his meditative state even faster than he normally did, and his consciousness became more focused, while his spiritual sea gradually returned to its usual calm.

The pouch shone with faint light, which gradually grew pale as it laid silently on the bed beside Huo Yuhao.

The pain in Huo Yuhao’s chest and between his ribs was taken care of by his powerful regenerative abilities by the time he woke up from meditation, while more than half of his spiritual power had been restored.

“Oh!” Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and gradually opened his eyes. Soul power naturally circulated around his body, and the gentle, flowing undulations became smooth and flourishing. His body had been growing physically while his cultivation had increased over time. Due to the shock from his martial soul fusions with both Wang Dong’er and Wang Qiu’er, and his spiritual sea reaching the Boundless Ocean level that nourished his body, he was now increasingly resistant to his Ultimate martial soul’s negative effects, so his cultivation speed was now conspicuously faster than before.

He glanced at the sky outside. The sky was dark blue, night was about to recede, and dawn was coming.

Sigh… Huo Yuhao’s emotions had naturally calmed down after a night of meditation, and his initial pleasant surprise from Skydream’s awakening had subsided. He felt calm and at peace, which also meant he naturally thought about the troubles that he was about to face.

How am I going to explain yesterday’s situation to Dong’er? It feels like there’s no way I can explain this properly. No matter how unintentional it was, the truth is that I still touched her in the end. Will Dong’er forgive me? Should I lie? Should I craft a white lie?

Huo Yuhao began to feel stuck at this mental barrier once more. He cared too much about Dong’er, and that was the reason why he didn’t want any blemish or wedge to exist between their feelings in their relationship.

What should I do? Huo Yuhao stood up and opened the window, fresh air flooding the room through the opening.

He immediately felt his spirits lift after the cold morning wind coursed over his body.

“Forget it. I’m just going to tell her the truth. It’s still better than me coming up with a lie, as a lie will need countless other lies to cover up for it. Furthermore, I don’t even know how to explain it to Wang Qiu’er. It will weigh on my conscience if I craft lies, and I will be feeling this guilt for a long time to come. It’s better to have a short period of suffering than a long one. I will explain it to Dong’er, and I will tell her everything about the situation before I will attempt to ask her for forgiveness. Once I smooth things out with Dong’er, I will find an opportunity to apologize to Wang Qiu’er.”

The positive energy of honesty gained the upper hand in the end. Very often, lies could solve problems temporarily, but they were usually unable to solve problems permanently. Lies would pile up day after day, and the day would come when all these lies would erupt, and it would be very difficult to remedy the situation once that day arrived.

Huo Yuhao made up his mind, and was no longer despondent. He hadn’t done anything wrong in theory. If Dong’er was still unsatisfied, perhaps he would just touch her a few times too!

A strange smile appeared on Huo Yuhao’s face as he thought about this, and his heart began to beat faster. Dong’er isn’t as developed as Wang Qiu’er. I wonder how it will feel…

“Ahem! That’s way too far. How can you be so indecent and wretched, Huo Yuhao? How can you have these thoughts in your mind?” He slapped himself lightly across the face, and pulled back his wandering mind. There would always be a path to take when the time came, and there was a solution to everything. He could probably fix a few sumptuous meals for Dong’er, and he could say some nice and sweet things to her, and this whole thing would blow over.

Huo Yuhao lowered his head and glanced at the extra ring on his left hand that Skydream had formed, making sure that last night wasn’t a dream, and his mood immediately became better. Skydream was awake now, he had changed himself into a spirit, and he had given Huo Yuhao another soul skill. The big competition was coming soon, so this was as good as good news could get!

Huo Yuhao had his own plans for the future. However, he had never told anyone about them; not even Wang Dong’er knew about them. No matter what happened in the future, this season’s competition was the most important task he had to face at the moment.

“Oh, yes. I have yet to see what’s inside the pouch.” Huo Yuhao immediately recalled the pouch that had been opened the previous night when he looked at Skydream’s ring, and hurriedly returned to his bed.

The pouch was still lying silently on the bed, and Huo Yuhao bent down to pick it up. The truth was that he was quite curious about its contents. Niu Tian, the Clear Sky Sect’s sect leader, had asked Wang Dong’er to pass this pouch to him, but the pouch had been sealed. On the surface, it seemed as if Niu Tian didn’t want Wang Dong’er to see this pouch’s contents. What can it be that Dong’er can’t see, but I can?

If he hadn’t interacted with Niu Tian and Tai Tan, he would have concluded they were trying to mess around with him. However, he had met the two sect leaders before, so he erased that thought from his mind.





Chapter 253.2: Yearning Heartbroken Grass


Huo Yuhao reached into the pouch after opening it. There was an ancient-looking parchment inside, which turned out to be extremely large after he unfolded it. It was almost twice the size of normal letter-writing paper. The parchment’s edges weren’t regular, and it looked as if it had been made without being properly cut, which made it appear more primitive and ancient.

The parchment had two sections. The first part seemed like a letter, while the second part looked like a map.

Huo Yuhao sat down beside his bed in confusion. He took a look at the letter’s contents. His face immediately turned ghastly pale after that one look, and his hands even began to shake.

Yuhao, I trust that you’ll have the ability to complete this task when you can see this letter. I hesitated one too many times before I decided to pass this responsibility to you.

I told Dong’er when I gave this pouch to her that she can only give this pouch to you when she’s sure that you will become her future husband, and only when she knows that you’re worth all her heart and all her love. It seems like you’ve already done that, so both my younger brother and I wish you two all the best. However, there’s something I have to tell you, as this concerns your future with Dong’er.

Dong’er was born within the Clear Sky Sect, and her physique has been extremely weak ever since she was born. My younger brother and I, as well as her parents, tried everything we could to strengthen her body, but all our attempts were futile. We suddenly discovered when she was three years old that she had a strange, very unique disease. You should know that a human’s martial soul is still dormant at the age of three, and it will only awaken at the age of six. However, Dong’er’s martial soul was strangely awakened when she was three years old, and two appeared at the same time. Her physique was congenitally weak, and the premature awakening of her martial souls took an immense toll on her body. This episode created an enormous hidden wound.

You will notice upon close inspection that a golden trident-like pattern will appear on her forehead when she’s stretching the limits of her body and her abilities. That pattern is a seal that her father put on her to suppress the hidden wounds in her body. Her parents are roaming the world in order to find exotic herbs and medicines to remedy her disease. That’s the reason why they’re often not at the Clear Sky Sect, while my brother and I take care of her. Her father mentioned to me that the seal can only suppress her internal wounds until she turns twenty, and if they still can’t fix her injuries by the age of twenty, then she might…

Huo Yuhao began to feel the weight of this letter as he read these words. He felt as if a large hand was tightly wound around his heart, and the heartache was almost suffocating.

He couldn’t wait to read the rest of the letter’s contents.

Dong’er’s parents finally found a herb that could fix Dong’er’s internal wounds during one of their perennial attempts. The only problem was that this herb is too challenging to retrieve, as the criteria were too difficult to satisfy. This herb can only be retrieved by a man that loves her, and this man has to use his blood to retrieve this herb. Forcefully plucking this plant will damage it, and it will lose its medicinal effects. It has a very apt name…it’s called Yearning Heartbroken Grass.

We’ve tried every method we could think of to retrieve it, but every attempt ended up being fruitless. In order to retain this last strand of hope, we could only swallow it down and wait for the person that loves Dong’er to appear. When Dong’er passes this pouch to you, she will be deeply in love with you, and will no longer holding anything back. I don’t know how you feel about Dong’er, as she has been always been a girl dressed like a guy before this. However, if you do open this pouch, and when you read this letter, ask yourself whether your love for Dong’er is deep enough and focused enough. I implore you as Dong’er’s senior that you retrieve that herb for her. This is for your future happiness, and also for Dong’er’s life…

Dong’er’s parents are always outside searching for substitute medicines, but Dong’er is seventeen years old now. She’s nearing twenty, and her parents haven’t returned… hope is gradually slipping away. Therefore, both Tai Tan and I were exceptionally delighted when we first saw you, as you have given us real hope. This was the reason we tested you in the all the ways that we did, so that we could assess whether your mentality would allow you to become Dong’er’s savior. We were quite satisfied with the outcome… at least, we saw many virtues on you before you left. Dong’er has made a great choice, and you’re a man that is worthy of her. However, Dong’er’s life is starting to count down, and I plead that you retrieve that Yearning Heartbroken Grass, so that Dong’er’s hidden injury can be fixed.

The reason why there’s a seal on this letter is because Dong’er doesn’t know about all this. We wanted to let her grow up happily, so we have never told her about this. We love her too much, and our only hope is that she can grow up peacefully and happily. Yuhao, I sincerely plead that you do not tell her the truth before you bring back that Yearning Heartbroken Grass. Even if you don’t successfully complete this task in the end, we hope that she will be happy and peaceful in her last days.

Huo Yuhao’s hands clenched unwittingly at this point. He had not expected that Dong’er had such a fatal injury, and that she only had a little more than two years left to live! This was something that Huo Yuhao couldn’t accept, no matter what! He grit his teeth and forced his tears back, as he knew that he had to be strong at times like these. He knew that even if he was left with a single thread of hope, he had to bring back the herb that could save Dong’er’s life.

He bit down hard on his lower lip and left a deep bite mark. He was stimulated by the pain, and refocused his attention as he continued reading the parchment.

The map below depicts where the Yearning Heartbroken Grass is located. This is a place filled with danger and peril, and it’s also a place inhabited by soul beasts, while the exact location where the Yearning Heartbroken Grass grows is even more hazardous. There is a detailed introduction of the plants that grow in the area below the map. When you reach it, you have to try and find a book that Dong’er’s father personally left behind. The book details all sorts of herbs and poisonous plants and their differences, and it will also guide you to find the Yearning Heartbroken Grass. There are detailed instructions and signs on the map that will lead you to where the book is hidden. You have to find the book first before you search for the Yearning Heartbroken Grass. Also, please remember not to venture too far inside. That place is charged with the origin energy of heaven and earth, and these herbs and poisonous plants have been living there for far too long, to the point where some have evolved into plant-type soul beasts. These soul beasts will bring great danger and trouble to you.

Please go, if you truly love Dong’er. We will await your good news. Do take care of yourself.

Niu Tian had signed off beneath the text.

Huo Yuhao couldn’t care about anything else as he read the last sentence. He sprang to his feet and surveyed his surroundings, and there was only one thought in his head. I have to go, right now! I have to help Dong’er find that life-saving herb!

He didn’t want to dally around for another second as he thought about this. He originally wanted to leave a note for Dong’er before he took off, but his mind was a mess, and he recalled that Niu Tian had mentioned in the letter that he couldn’t tell Dong’er about this matter, at least not before he found that Yearning Heartbroken Grass. He was irrational and more confused because he simply cared too much for her. Under these circumstances, he only took a few clean sets of clothes before he raced out of the room.

Huo Yuhao stopped in his tracks when he arrived at the staircase. He took a deep look at Dong’er’s room. It’s still early. I’m sure Dong’er is still sleeping or cultivating.

Don’t worry, Dong’er. I will pay any price to bring back that life-saving herb for you!

Huo Yuhao quickly darted down the stairs. He widened his stride once he exited the Sea God’s Pavilion, and he ran as fast as he could towards the academy’s main gate. He was just so worried, and it felt as if Wang Dong’er’s life would be in danger with every moment that he delayed.

Right as he flew down towards the lakeshore and soared towards the outer courtyard, a pair of astonished eyes watched Huo Yuhao’s frustrated and urgent behavior from a place not too far away.

Where’s he off to? The pair of huge blue eyes flowed with doubt and suspicion. Hmph! That bastard. That day he, he… I can’t let him off the hook! I’m going to follow him.

The owner of this pair of blue eyes flew into the sky while these thoughts ran through her mind. She raced across the lake in pursuit of Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao didn’t wish to stick around for a moment longer. He immediately soared into the sky once he left Shrek Academy, and he extended the flying-type soul tool behind his back while he infused it with soul power. The soul tool propelled his body into the air, and he started flying into the distance.

“Huo Yuhao! Come down right now!” an exclamation rang out behind him.

Huo Yuhao was momentarily stunned. However, he had already raced more than ten meters away, and he quickly controlled his flying-type soul tool to turn around. He looked back and saw a figure with flowing blue hair drifting toward him.

“Dong’er!” Huo Yuhao shouted in surprise. Wang Dong’er’s image filled every corner of his mind at this moment.

“I’m not your Dong’er. Tell me, what should we do about what happened yesterday?” Wang Qiu’er said angrily.

Huo Yuhao only realized that Wang Dong’er wasn’t the one pursuing him. It was Wang Qiu’er, who he had taken advantage of the previous day.

“I’m sorry, Qiu’er. Yesterday was all my fault. However, I have something important to do right now. I will take all punishment and accept whatever you want to do to me when I come back. I need to go.” He turned back around as he spoke, and his flying-type soul tool erupted with light once more. He couldn’t be bothered with the entanglement between Wang Qiu’er and himself. There was nothing more important than finding the herb that could save Wang Dong’er’s life!





Chapter 253.3: Yearning Heartbroken Grass


Wang Qiu’er could clearly see his frustrated and worried look. A thought crossed her mind as she stomped her right foot on the ground, and her body bolted forward.

Wang Qiu’er was unrivaled amongst others of the same level in terms of explosiveness over short distances. Huo Yuhao’s flying-type soul tool still had an acceleration process, and he was only just speeding up before Wang Qiu’er arrived behind him and grabbed his shoulder.

“Don’t mess around, Wang Qiu’er. I really have something important to do!” Huo Yuhao exclaimed angrily.

Wang Qiu’er was equally furious. “I’m messing around? Stop finding excuses for yourself. You took advantage of me yesterday. You’re going to let it go just like that?”

Huo Yuhao had to drop back to the ground because of her forceful pressure. He shook his body vigorously and broke free from Wang Qiu’er’s grip.

“Wang Qiu’er, I really have something very urgent to attend to. I’ve already said that you can do anything you want to me when I return. Is that not enough?” Huo Yuhao’s voice was solemn and intense.

Wang Qiu’er was momentarily stunned. This was the first time she had seen Huo Yuhao like this, and she asked doubtfully, “Even the color of your face has changed. What’s up?”

Huo Yuhao’s expression was truly discolored. His face was pale and tinged with green – his expression was as dark as it could get.

Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, “This has nothing to do with you. There’s a place that I have to go to, and I have to go right now. I can’t delay for another second. That’s it.” He turned around and prepared to leave as he spoke.

Wang Qiu’er blocked his path in a flash. “You can’t leave unless you explain it to me.”

Huo Yuhao clenched his fists, and his next words were squeezed out from between gritted teeth. “My patience has its limits, Wang Qiu’er. Don’t think there’s nothing I can do against you.”

Wang Qiu’er grunted coldly and said, “You have the confidence to defeat me? Come, try it!”

Huo Yuhao was momentarily stunned. He knew that he couldn’t fight Wang Qiu’er right now, as he had to retain his strength to search for that medicine to help Dong’er. He took a deep breath and suppressed the wrath in his heart, and he tried his best to make his voice gentler. He lowered his voice and said, “Alright, I’ll explain. A friend of mine is severely injured, and I need to find an herb to save her life – to save her life, do you understand? I must find this herb, and her life might be in danger for every second that I waste, and if I’m too late…So, I beg you – please step aside and let me go, right now!”

He was close to shouting when he got to the last two words.

Wang Qiu’er was slightly taken aback when she listened to his explanation. She frowned and said, “Will it be dangerous?”

Huo Yuhao said decisively, “I have to go even if I have to venture into the depths of Hell. I’ve already explained it to you, so please don’t stop me any longer. Otherwise, I will no longer treat you as a friend.” He began to move once more as he spoke.

“Huo Yuhao!” Wang Qiu’er blocked him yet again with a flash.

Huo Yuhao was truly infuriated this time, and he immediately unleashed his Spirit Eyes, while his Eye of Destiny appeared at almost the same time. He knew that he would have to use his Eye of Destiny to defeat Wang Qiu’er.

“Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not trying to stop you from saving her – let me go with you. You will have a greater chance with one more person tagging along. Give me one of those flying things.” Wang Qiu’er explained.

Huo Yuhao was almost about to fire off his Spiritual Shock, but he paused as he stared at Wang Qiu’er’s eyes, which were full of sincerity. He didn’t think too much about it, and said, “Alright then.” He took out a reserve flying-type soul tool and passed it to Wang Qiu’er as he spoke.

Wang Qiu’er took the soul tool, then she asked a little embarrassingly, “This… how do I wear this?”

Huo Yuhao was rendered speechless. This girl doesn’t know a thing about soul tools! He was far too worried, but he couldn’t afford to piss off this girl before him. He had taken advantage of her yesterday, and that gave him a guilty conscience. Furthermore, he wasn’t entirely confident of defeating Wang Qiu’er if they actually fought.

He felt a little helpless as he stepped forward and helped Wang Qiu’er put the flying-type soul tool on as he briefed her on how to use it. With that, he soared into the sky and infused as much soul power into his own flying-type soul tool as he could before he raced towards the east as fast as he could.

Huo Yuhao felt a lot better once he was surging through the air. He wasn’t that concerned about Wang Qiu’er not being able to catch up – it would actually be better if she couldn’t, as that would save him a lot of trouble. Even if she could, she would be of great help with her abilities. The only thing in his mind was to reach his destination as quickly as possible, and he couldn’t be bothered with anything else.

This was Wang Qiu’er’s first time interacting with soul tools. However, one had to admit that she was very adaptable – she was a little unstable when she first took off, but she quickly mastered the flying-type soul tool’s controls. Huo Yuhao had already become a small black dot on the horizon at this point.

Wang Qiu’er was a Soul Emperor after all, and she was a lot stronger than Huo Yuhao in terms of cultivation. She figured out the important parts before she began to speed up as much as she could, and she determined Huo Yuhao’s direction of flight as she swiftly pursued him.

There wasn’t much cover in the sky, and Huo Yuhao had no intention of concealing his movements. Wang Qiu’er flew through the air for a while before she gradually closed the distance.

“This soul tool is quite interesting – it can actually fly through the air at such rapid speed. Interesting, interesting.” Wang Qiu’er’s expression was filled with curiosity, and she continuously felt the transformations in her flying-type soul tool as she sped through the air.

Huo Yuhao was flying in front, but he didn’t have to turn back to look. He activated Spiritual Detection and immediately sensed Wang Qiu’er, who had already caught up with him.

You’re quite adaptable, huh? Follow me, then.

He didn’t bother with Wang Qiu’er anymore as he began to study the map.

The map clearly marked out the geographical relationship between Shrek Academy and his destination. The destination was within the Heavenly Soul Empire, and he had to travel east from Shrek Academy all the way to the Heavenly Soul Empire’s Heaven Dou City, and then he would have to continue northeast. There was a place there where soul beasts resided, called the Setting Sun Forest.

The Setting Sun Forest paled in comparison to the Great Star Dou Forest, and it was inferior both in reputation and in surface area. However, this was still a forest inhabited by soul beasts. His final destination was located right within this Setting Sun Forest.

Huo Yuhao didn’t seem like he had to rest at all. He used a Milk Bottle to replenish his soul power, while he channeled as much as he could. Wang Qiu’er behind him had voluminous soul power, and she relied on her impressive cultivation to finally catch up to Huo Yuhao after two hours.

“Hey, don’t you have to rest?” Wang Qiu’er snapped. They were flying at such breakneck speed that speech was extremely difficult, and they had to release soul power to protect their faces before they could speak.

Huo Yuhao glanced at her and handed her a Milk Bottle. “You can gradually channel soul power inside, and soul power will bounce back to you. You just have to absorb that, and you can replenish your soul power.”

Wang Qiu’er had no experience with flying-type soul tools, but neither was she averse to using them. She took the Milk Bottle and attempted to use it in the way Huo Yuhao had described, and she suddenly felt a clean and pure energy flow into her body, and her soul power was swiftly restored.

“This… this can restore soul power? Your soul tool research has reached this level?” Wang Qiu’er asked with a look of astonishment.

Huo Yuhao wasn’t in the mood to explain anything else, so he snapped, “Even if you’ve never tasted pork, I’m sure you’ve at least seen a pig before. Do you not know about Milk Bottles?”

Wang Qiu’er grunted coldly and said, “All I can see is a pig flying in the sky.”

Huo Yuhao extended two fingers and said, “Two pigs.”

“You! You’re the pig!” Wang Qiu’er’s face flushed red.

Huo Yuhao stopped talking because he had to conserve energy and focus on flying; Shrek Academy was quite far away from Heaven Dou City. They continued flying for another two hours, but then began to feel a little fatigued, even though they had Milk Bottles to replenish their soul power.

Wang Qiu’er realized that he was ignoring her and shot him a glare. She grunted coldly and said, “Who is it exactly that you’re trying to save?”

Huo Yuhao didn’t respond.

“Hey, I’m talking to you!” Wang Qiu’er nudged him.

They were flying rapidly through the air, and Huo Yuhao was startled and almost lost his balance. He glared at her and said, “Just do it if you want to kill me. Can you stop spouting nonsense? I’m getting frustrated!”

“You…” Wang Qiu’er was just about to erupt, but she held herself back for some reason. She grunted again, but said nothing more.

—

The sky was already bright at this moment. It was a new day, and two very important people were suddenly missing from Shrek Academy’s inner courtyard.

“Yuhao? I haven’t seen him. Didn’t you send him back last night?” Bei Bei stared in confusion at the frustrated Wang Dong’er before him.

Wang Dong’er had woken up early in the morning, and gone to Huo Yuhao’s room to see how he was recovering, while she also hoped to listen to his explanation about what had happened the previous day.

But to her surprise, Huo Yuhao’s room was empty when she arrived. His bed was messy, while he himself was nowhere to be seen.

“He’s not in his room, eldest senior brother. I’ve already searched around the inner courtyard, he’s nowhere to be seen.” Wang Dong’er was worried. She was sad, but she was more concerned with Huo Yuhao’s safety. Huo Yuhao had disappeared without a trace, and he didn’t leave a note or anything behind – how could she not be worried?

Xu Sanshi said lazily, “Perhaps Huo Yuhao feels like there’s no way he can account to you for what happened yesterday, and so he ran away. Could he have eloped with Wang Qiu’er? Hehe.”

Wang Dong’er was infuriated. “If you spout any more nonsense, third senior brother, our friendship is over.”

Bei Bei glared at Xu Sanshi and said, “Stop making things worse. Little junior brother should have said something to Dong’er even if he’s out on official business. He has left without a trace, and that’s quite problematic. Don’t worry, Dong’er. How about this: I’ll look for Elder Xuan, and I’ll ask him if he’s assigned Yuhao anything, and then we’ll search carefully inside the academy for him. It’s still very early in the morning, so he can’t have gotten far.”





Chapter 254.1: Invading a Territory?


Xu Sanshi didn’t dare to be sarcastic after looking at Wang Dong’er’s worried expression. He hurriedly got up from the sofa and said, “I’m leaving too. Don’t worry, Dong’er, Yuhao knows what he’s doing. He must’ve had something urgent come up if he left in such a hurry.”

Xu Sanshi’s words reminded Wang Dong’er. Perhaps Elder Xuan has assigned him something?

The group appeared before Elder Xuan a few minutes later.

“Mission? No, I haven’t assigned him with anything. Didn’t you guys come back together yesterday? What’s wrong? Has Huo Yuhao vanished?” Elder Xuan was equally astonished. It was quite a big deal for Shrek Academy if a student went missing, and this was especially alarming because Huo Yuhao was a member of the Sea God’s Pavilion. Huo Yuhao could be said to be Shrek Academy’s future cornerstone.

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you guys look.” The entire academy began to move with Elder Xuan’s announcement, and everyone started to look for Huo Yuhao.

—

Two hours later, inside the Sea God’s Pavilion…

“Nothing—we’ve searched everywhere. He’s not in the academy. I’ve sent people over to Shrek City, and nobody’s seen Huo Yuhao recently.” Elder Xuan lowered his voice as he spoke.

Six of Shrek’s Seven Monsters were gathered at this moment. Huo Yuhao had gone missing, and this was a big deal to everybody.

Elder Xuan’s eyes descended on Wang Dong’er as he said, “Did he say anything to you yesterday, Dong’er? What did he do?”

Wang Dong’er had been worried for the entire morning, and her eyes were long since red. Huo Yuhao was still nowhere to be seen even though they had been searching for more than two hours, and she couldn’t be any more worried than she already was. She was just anxious in the beginning, and then she was incensed, but all that was left in her heart right now was nervousness. She was even thinking that she wouldn’t pursue anything about what had happened between him and Wang Qiu’er yesterday if he could just return safely. What a kind-hearted girl!

She tossed her head from side to side and said, “He was still asleep when I escorted him back to rest. However, his vitals had returned to normal. I… I should have stayed by his side. This is all my fault, all my fault!” Wang Dong’er’s voice was starting to break, and she was about to cry.

Elder Xuan said, “Don’t be hasty. There’s something odd about all this. We have discovered from our preliminary investigations that Huo Yuhao isn’t the only person that has gone missing. Someone else has disappeared.”

“Ah?” Everyone was astounded. Was it possible that this other person was the key to finding Huo Yuhao?

Elder Xuan glanced at Wang Dong’er and said, “The other missing person is Wang Qiu’er.”

Wang Dong’er felt as if a lightning bolt struck down on her when she heard that name. Her eyes turned black, then she stumbled forward, and would have fallen if Jiang Nannan hadn’t been supporting her. Huo Yuhao had gone missing, and he had actually gone missing at the same time as Wang Qiu’er. They, they…

Wang Dong’er didn’t dare to follow that train of thought.

Xu Sanshi’s eyes widened as he muttered softly under his breath, “Was I right? Maybe they really eloped.”

Bei Bei kicked him and whispered, “Shut your filthy mouth! Huo Yuhao isn’t an unaccountable person. I think something is wrong.”

Elder Xuan stared at Wang Dong’er’s face, which had lost all color. “Bei Bei is right, I think something is wrong. Have you guys considered the possibility that Wang Qiu’er has kidnapped him?”

Elder Xuan’s words were like a lifeline to Wang Dong’er, and she immediately recovered as she stared at Elder Xuan with widened eyes.

Elder Xuan said ponderously, “I’ve found it a little strange ever since she joined the academy because she simply looked too much like Dong’er. In fact, they look almost identical, and their names are equally similar. Dong’er is also positive that they are not related by blood, while Wang Qiu’er’s martial soul is of Ultimate strength, something that I have never seen before. All these factors raised my suspicions. However, she has relied on her own abilities to join the inner courtyard, so we cannot reject her. Furthermore, her abilities are quite formidable.

“My suspicions were greatly allayed ever since your hunting expedition into the Great Star Dou Forest. However, something must be wrong, since she vanished along with Huo Yuhao at the same time. Even though outsiders are unaware of how important Huo Yuhao is to Shrek, he has participated in the tournament before, and his twin martial souls are no secret to anyone. It’s not impossible that one of our rivals has sent Wang Qiu’er to us with Huo Yuhao as the target. Don’t panic, everyone, I have already gathered all the academy’s teachers, and we will head out to search for him. I hope that Huo Yuhao is safe. You guys can start moving and head elsewhere to look for him.”

“I’m going right now.” Wang Dong’er couldn’t wait any longer as she turned around and disappeared in a flash.

Everyone bid their farewells to Elder Xuan and departed one after another, until only Bei Bei remained.

“Why aren’t you going?” Elder Xuan turned towards Bei Bei.