In the days that followed, Yunze wasn't in a hurry to visit Sun Moon Royal Academy for research materials. Instead, he spent his time tinkering with formations inside his workshop on the tenth floor.
His plan was to first manufacture a few of the ninth-rank soul tools he had designed.
With those ninth-rank soul tools, even if he faced an Ultimate Douluo alone, he would be able to escape unharmed—no longer needing Ditian and the others' protection.
Being escorted like a child to school every day was hardly a pleasant experience for him.
Each day, he spent seven to eight hours simplifying and studying formations, while the rest of his time was devoted to cultivation.
The schedule was packed—not hectic, but fulfilling. Each day brought new progress and harvests.
As for Gu Yuena, she was sent back to the Star Dou Great Forest, where she absorbed the Golden Dragon King's bloodline under the guard of Wan Yao Wang and Zi Ji.
As she absorbed and refined the Golden Dragon King's bloodline, her own was undergoing a metamorphosis—patching defects, transforming into something greater.
During absorption, her body constantly glowed with golden light, her fair skin shining as if plated in gold, carrying an impression of toughness and strength.
She could distinctly feel her defense and power increasing; her skin had become more resilient.
Her physical body had never been outstanding, but with the infusion of the Golden Dragon King's bloodline, her body was transforming into one of her advantages.
These physical changes were one thing—but what truly thrilled her was the transformation in her soul power. Originally seven-colored, her soul power now shone with nine colors.
Though the two new hues were faint—easily overlooked without careful observation—their mere appearance was enough to excite her.
It meant her bloodline was evolving toward that of the Dragon God.
Once she absorbed all the extracted bloodline, her Dragon God bloodline would likely have taken form, perhaps even granting her a portion of the Dragon God's power.
Just the thought of wielding the Dragon God's power made it hard for her to contain her excitement—her anticipation surged with exhilaration.
Meanwhile, the transaction between Spirit Transmission Tower and Dragon Phoenix Hall was completed—both sides delivering what the other required.
The trade was simultaneous: Dragon Phoenix Hall provided pills, while the Spirit Transmission Tower delivered spirit souls. After accounting for discounts and offsets, Dragon Phoenix Hall ultimately paid fifty-six billion to Spirit Transmission Tower.
The twenty ten-thousand-year spirit souls Dragon Phoenix Hall acquired were all of high quality—the youngest over thirty thousand years, the oldest reaching sixty thousand.
Such high-grade spirit souls naturally carried steep prices. Altogether, they totaled over eighty-three billion federation coins.
Subtracting the discounted pills (worth twenty-seven billion) and rounding off some tens of millions, the final payment was fifty-six billion.
Most buyers preferred spirit souls barely past the ten-thousand-year mark, as those were cheaper and could later be enhanced at the Ascension Platform.
But Dragon Phoenix Hall had other plans for these spirit souls, purposes that made it impossible to rely on the Ascension Platform to increase their years. And since they lacked no funds, they directly chose the higher-year spirit souls.
Besides their long age, the bloodlines of these spirit souls were also exceptional—each descended from top-ranked soul beasts.
After receiving Yunze's commission, the Bear Lord worked furiously at forging. Just as he had promised, he completed the task in three days.
Only once he truly began forging did he realize how boastful his words had been. To save face, he pushed himself to forge seventeen or eighteen hours a day, barely completing the task on time.
It was only thanks to his demi-god level soul power and incredibly tough physique that he could endure such intensity. Anyone else would have collapsed long before.
The forged metals were delivered to the tenth-floor workshop, where Yunze inscribed formations and assembled them.
But formation inscription was no simple matter. Each component required one to two hours of work, and there were over sixty core components in the frame alone.
It was destined to be a long process, but Yunze wasn't in a rush. He calmly inscribed two components per day.
The process itself was also a form of cultivation—draining and replenishing his soul power again and again, tempering it into greater refinement.
At Sun Moon Royal Academy, Yunze and Gu Yuena had requested extended leave. The exact date of their return was undecided.
Xu Lin, being open-minded, didn't force the issue. He approved their leave and granted them full freedom.
Dragon Phoenix Hall's sanction against Shrek Academy wasn't just empty talk—they had already taken concrete action. They ceased selling pills to Shrek Academy.
Moreover, buyers were required to sign agreements forbidding them from supplying pills to anyone affiliated with Shrek.
This added clause had little impact on overall pill sales. Those who wanted pills would still come.
But for Shrek Academy, the sanctions had real consequences—enough to make some children reconsider applying.
Would they choose to buy Foundation-Building Pills to improve their talent? Or give up that chance at improving talent to enroll in Shrek Academy?
Many leaned toward the former. Improving one's talent was a lifelong benefit—far more tempting than Shrek Academy's allure. Even at a lesser academy, enhanced talent promised strong achievements.
Most with this mindset came from well-off families and already possessed innate soul power of rank seven, eight, or nine.
With Foundation-Building Pills, they could become top-tier geniuses. That temptation was stronger than Shrek Academy's name. The choice was clear.
Some bold individuals tried to game both sides—signing the agreement to buy pills, then planning to enroll in Shrek anyway.
But such people were few. Dragon Phoenix Hall's strength was overwhelming, and they had dared to openly declare war on Shrek.
Provoking a force with that kind of power and confidence? Best not tug a tiger's whiskers—unless one wanted to die.
The sanctions didn't just shake prospective Shrek applicants—they also disrupted Shrek City's economy.
Some wealthy non-soul-masters, upon learning that Life-Extension Pills would no longer be sold to Shrek City residents, began considering relocation and moving their businesses elsewhere.
For them, extending their lives was more important than building a future in Shrek City.
Most were still hesitating, weighing their options without committing to action yet.
In response to Dragon Phoenix Hall's sanctions, Shrek Academy retaliated—leveraging their network to restrict major herb suppliers from selling to Dragon Phoenix Hall.
And Shrek's influence was nothing to scoff at. Under their pressure, many suppliers dared not sell herbs to Dragon Phoenix Hall—even if it meant huge financial losses. They had no choice but to comply.
Faced with the herb blockade, Dragon Phoenix Hall countered by raising their purchase price—offering fifty percent above market value.
As the saying goes: "Heavy rewards bring forth the brave." Likewise, high prices drew daring merchants.
And indeed, some chose to ignore Shrek's warnings and secretly sold herbs to Dragon Phoenix Hall.
(End of Chapter)