Seeing the reactions of the three, Du Weilun smiled. Faced with something like a soul bone — which could drive almost any soul master mad — the mental strength of these kids in front of him was truly impeccable.
"Little one, fuse with it as soon as you can after you return. I can guarantee the academy will keep this absolutely confidential. I believe you all understand the importance of this. All right, if there's nothing else, you can go back."
Storing away the soul bone, Xiao Xiao gave Du Weilun a deep bow before the three of them finally left.
"Xiao Xiao, Director Du is right. You'd better go and fuse with it quickly. Also, unless it's absolutely necessary, don't use that soul bone in the future." Outside the classroom building, Huo Yuhao offered a seemingly caring reminder — in reality, he was trying to get rid of her.
"Mm-hmm, I know. Let's not talk about anything else. If you need me in the future, just call me." Even now, Xiao Xiao was still overwhelmed with excitement.
Huo Yuhao nodded with a smile, but he didn't really care in his heart.
"You're really just giving it away like that?" As Xiao Xiao's figure gradually faded in the distance, Dong Xinyu, who had remained silent until now, pulled out her little notebook.
"Nothing from the academy is ever easy to take. Those old geezers are sharp as if they have two brains each. There's no way they'd make a losing deal. Eventually, it'll have to be returned."
Dong Xinyu nodded. That was also why she didn't fight for it — a soul bone was a hot potato, and she didn't want to spend her life in constant fear.
"What? Taking a leave right after school starts? Huo Yuhao, don't you think you're getting a bit arrogant just because you're favored? If you don't give me a proper explanation today, don't even think about walking out of this room upright!" In the teacher's office, Zhou Yi slammed her hand on the solid wood desk, her voice thundering like a storm.
Facing the old lady on the verge of rage, looking like she was ready to eat him alive, Huo Yuhao's mouth twitched as he placed his hands obediently in front of him like a quail. From what he'd learned over time, he knew better than to go against her. Whatever she said — right or wrong — just nod and obey.
"Teacher Zhou, please calm down and hear me out. I just broke through to level 30 a few days ago."Huo Yuhao explained gently.
Upon hearing that, Zhou Yi's anger slightly subsided."So you're saying you're going to find a soul ring? Did Du Weilun arrange it for you?"
The Extreme North — located at the northernmost edge of the Douluo Continent, in the northern border of the Heavenly Soul Empire — was one of humanity's forbidden zones. Inside lurked extremely powerful soul beasts and a cold so intense that normal people couldn't endure it.
A youth wrapped in heavy winter clothing trudged through this uninhabited land. Every step he took left a deep pit in the snow, which he then had to laboriously pull himself out of to keep moving forward.
That youth was none other than Huo Yuhao. After getting approval for his leave from Zhou Yi, he hadn't even attended the first class post-class placement before setting off. After eight grueling days of travel, he finally reached his destination — also the homeland of the Skydream Iceworm — the Extreme North.
Compared to the ease of the earlier days, his current pace was no faster than a turtle. It was a struggle to move forward. At last, Huo Yuhao fell backward, landing in the snow in a giant "X" shape, completely without grace.
Lying on the ground, Huo Yuhao grabbed a handful of snow and stuffed it into his mouth. If anyone were nearby, they would have seen that his face had turned blotchy and purple — the early signs of frostbite.
"Tian... Tianmeng... now that... now that we're here... can you finally tell me?" He panted heavily, unable to even finish a full sentence.
Beside him was no one. To an outsider, he might have looked completely deranged.
As it turns out, ever since Huo Yuhao reached level 30, Skydream had been constantly nagging him to hunt for a soul ring — practically every other day. It claimed to have already picked out the ideal target and said this was the perfect time to attach a soul ring to his second martial soul.
Some people claim that there's no rush to get a soul ring — that soul power builds up and then explodes upon breakthrough.That's complete nonsense. Yes, soul power accumulates, but they forget that cultivation speed before and after the breakthrough isn't remotely the same. Put it this way — a Soul Grandmaster's day of training isn't even close to that of a Titled Douluo. Obvious, right?
There was once a certain so-called Grandmaster who lingered at the Soul Grandmaster stage for over a decade. When he finally broke through, his soul power was still pathetic — utterly shameful.
Back when Huo Yuhao was at the Duke's estate, he didn't dare draw attention, which meant that for six years, he was cultivating at the pace of a basic Soul Master. Otherwise, his soul power wouldn't be any weaker than Dai Huabin's now.
His reasons for staying at the Duke's estate were complicated: he couldn't bear to leave his mother, and at the time, the Madam's people watched his every move. Any unusual behavior would instantly be reported.
But now things were different. His reputation as a "waste" had been cemented, and the Madam no longer viewed him as a threat to her son, so she stopped paying attention to him.
And lastly — the plot. Huo Yuhao wasn't a transmigrator. He had no mysterious grandpa, no golden finger, no all-powerful system. What he did have was knowledge of the original story. He didn't want to mess up the plot too much. His only advantage was foresight.
Skydream Iceworm, after all, was a million-year soul beast. Huo Yuhao had high expectations for the second martial soul it would grant him. The problem was, the Star Dou Forest barely had any powerful ice-type soul beasts.
But Skydream swore up and down that it had everything under control and promised to give him a huge surprise. And yet, every time Huo Yuhao tried to ask for more details, Skydream would clam up, leaving him completely in the dark.
Of course, Huo Yuhao wasn't truly clueless. He knew Skydream wouldn't harm him — that's the only reason he played dumb. Besides, he had another goal for coming to the Extreme North.
Suddenly, a ball of white light emerged from Huo Yuhao's body. The light gradually formed into a handsome boy with blond hair and golden eyes, dressed in ornate white robes and wearing a hood. Despite the alluring face, the boy was barely a foot tall and semi-transparent.
"Ah! This familiar air! I, Skydream, have finally returned!" The boy looked up at the sky with a complex expression — hatred, fear, and a touch of nostalgia and hope.
"Skydream, how are you able to come out? And... why do you look like me?" asked Huo Yuhao, staring with a weird expression.
Skydream Iceworm's face did resemble Huo Yuhao's — more accurately, it looked like Huo Yuhao after applying a beauty filter.
"Ahem, well,"Skydream coughed awkwardly. "This body is shaped using spiritual power. And, well, out of all the humans I know, I understand you the best. So... I chose to look like you."
"Nope, not yet. We're not there yet. Our destination is the core region. At your current speed, we'll get there in about half a day." Without waiting for a reply, Skydream abruptly changed the topic.
So, after a short rest, Huo Yuhao continued his journey. Skydream didn't return to his body but instead floated beside him like a ghost.
The rest of the way, Skydream remained silent, as if deep in thought. Huo Yuhao didn't disturb him either.
By dusk, the sky had darkened. Skydream motioned for Huo Yuhao to stop — they had arrived.
"All right. This place is good. Yuhao, remember — no matter what happens next, don't panic. I've got everything under control. No matter what, you are my master. Trust that I would never harm you."
[Spoiler alert: Before the Soul Master Tournament, he will drop out of Shrek Academy, join the Body Sect, and establish the Body Academy. As for Shrek, the so-called Seven Monsters? The protagonist will drag them across the ground and grind them down again and again.]
(End of Chapter)