Outside the gates of Shrek Academy.
The walk from Shrek City to Shrek Academy allowed Huo Yuhao to witness the city's prosperity—and, of course, the bizarre layout of Shrek Academy that was described in the original novel.
Huo Yuhao didn't comment on it.
After all, even if he thought the layout was bad, Shrek Academy wouldn't change it just because of his opinion.
Following Beibei all the way to the academy gate, the two of them were stopped by the guards.
"This is Shrek Academy. Outsiders are not allowed to enter!"
It was during class hours, so the entrance was relatively quiet. Huo Yuhao and Beibei, not wearing the academy uniform, naturally caught the guards' attention.
They stood out quite a bit in the guards' eyes.
They weren't wearing fur anymore.
After leaving the Extreme North, Huo Yuhao and Beibei had sold their fur coats and bought some plain casual clothes.
These outfits were simple and cheap—just enough to avoid public indecency.
Since they had to save money for travel expenses, they chose the cheapest clothes available.
Given Beibei's condition, they couldn't afford to take detours to make money, and had returned to Shrek Academy as quickly as possible.
Ten days of hard travel left them both looking utterly worn out.
At this point—
Beibei looked completely drained, his cheeks sunken, his usual glow gone. He looked like a sickly man.
Huo Yuhao, on the other hand, had a cold, noble demeanor and handsome looks, but his rugged outfit—especially the two daggers made from Snow Wolf fangs on his waist—clashed awkwardly with his refined temperament.
This odd combination had drawn many curious glances along the way.
Stopped by the guards, Huo Yuhao looked to Beibei, who stepped forward to talk with them.
Beibei revealed his identity directly.
Beibei: I'm done pretending. Time to lay my cards on the table—I'm the Lightning Beibei!
The guards scrutinized him for a while, even touching him to make sure, before finally recognizing him as one of the "Twin Stars" of the Outer Court.
Beibei was quite well known in the Outer Court, so the guards did recognize him.
Normally, Beibei would breeze through without issue—no one would dare stop him.
But now, the guards had hesitated, unsure if this really was him.
Because Beibei was now so skinny, he was almost unrecognizable!
The strain of travel and his weakened condition had left him emaciated.
Luckily, Beibei was still a Soul Elder. Though his body was failing, his spirit remained strong.
"Beibei, what happened to you?" the guard captain asked in shock. The other guards looked equally stunned.
Had he been assaulted?! Drained to this extent?!
Had his clothes been stolen, leaving him in this sorry state?
Beibei's reputation took a hit.
Just then, an elderly man in white robes suddenly appeared at the academy gate.
"That's enough. No need to ask more. I'm here to escort them into the academy," the old man said gently, though his eyes remained fixed on Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao tightened his expression and subtly moved behind Beibei.
"Greetings, Headmaster!" the guards quickly saluted in excitement.
A top leader had just shown up—it was time to make a good impression.
Beibei sighed in relief upon seeing the old man. But he quickly reined in his emotions and gave a cold, formal salute:
"Greetings, Headmaster."
Huo Yuhao mimicked him and offered a similarly indifferent bow:
"Greetings, Senior."
"He's called Headmaster, and I can feel a Light attribute aura… Looks like this smug-looking guy is Yan Shaozhe," Huo Yuhao thought, now sure of the man's identity.
Huo Yuhao also understood why Yan Shaozhe had been staring at him.
"Heh. I'm the Ultimate Ice—exactly what Ma Xiaotao needs. Of course Yan Shaozhe wouldn't ignore that."
Tianmeng Iceworm chimed in:
"Yuhao, someone was probing you with spiritual power earlier. Now this old coot shows up suddenly—I'd say Mu En already knows you're back and sent someone to approach you."
Mu En's spiritual probe might go unnoticed by others, but not by Huo Yuhao and Tianmeng Iceworm.
They had spiritual detection skills, while Mu En's was merely spiritual power—cruder and easier to detect.
Unfortunately, Mu En's spiritual power, though impressive, still wasn't enough to solve his own problems.
Knowing that he had caught the attention of Mu En and Yan Shaozhe, Huo Yuhao didn't feel too nervous.
"If the enemy comes, we'll block them. If the flood comes, we'll build a dam. I'm not scared… Tianmeng, get the teleportation ready!"
"Huh?" Tianmeng Iceworm was stunned.
Didn't you just say you weren't scared? Why are we already talking about running?
Besides…
"Yuhao, I can't teleport anymore. The last time was a one-time use—powered by what was left of my energy after the sacrifice."
"What do you mean? Don't you still have your spiritual essence?" Huo Yuhao said. "It's just in case. Who knows what Shrek Academy might pull? Don't forget, there's a certain God King behind them—and he's no saint."
"If something really goes wrong, just use your essence and activate the teleportation. Don't worry about me—I've got the Snow Lotus. I won't die."
"Even if it costs us some potential, it's better than dying here. We can always make up for lost potential."
"…Fine." Tianmeng Iceworm raised his hands helplessly.
Tianmeng's teleportation wasn't a skill—he had no spatial attribute.
He could teleport because of his million-year spiritual strength, which let him sense space. Then he would violently tear open space using brute force and enormous power—like pulling a tooth with pliers instead of proper tools.
His teleportation was brute-force style.
As long as he used the spiritual essence sealed within his sea of spirit—a ten-thousand-year soul beast's worth of essence—he could perform one long-distance teleportation.
But the cost would be severe, causing great harm to Huo Yuhao.
Still, thanks to the Snow Lotus, Huo Yuhao could at least survive.
Only with this safety net could he remain calm and composed.
Yan Shaozhe had already sensed the Ice element in Huo Yuhao, confirming he was the Ultimate Ice-type Soul Master that Mu En had mentioned.
He examined Huo Yuhao's appearance and temperament, clearly pleased. The boy was handsome and carried himself with poise. Yan was even more impressed by Huo Yuhao's calm and respectful demeanor.
"Not bad," Yan Shaozhe praised.
To solve Ma Xiaotao's issue with her Evil Fire, the best solution was to pair her with an Ultimate Ice-type Soul Master.
So now Yan Shaozhe was looking at Huo Yuhao like he was sizing up a potential son-in-law.
From his perspective, Ma Xiaotao was getting a good deal in this match—maybe even profiting a bit.
The age difference? A minor issue.
Though he wanted to take Huo Yuhao to see Ma Xiaotao right away, Yan Shaozhe remembered Mu En's instructions and suppressed his excitement.
He finally turned his attention to Beibei, visibly surprised at his current state.
"Beibei, what happened to you?"
How had things gotten worse?
Wasn't he doing okay last time?
"Just some minor issues. No need for the Headmaster to worry," Beibei replied blandly, showing no emotion.
After all, the one who injured him and Tang Ya was Ma Xiaotao—Yan Shaozhe's disciple. Though Beibei knew it wasn't intentional, Yan Shaozhe had never addressed it and even allowed Tang Ya to leave the academy.
And now Beibei was expected to smile at him?
Then what kind of man would he be?
His attitude was already reserved out of respect for Mu En and his position as a senior—otherwise he would've flipped out.
Yan Shaozhe noticed the hostility, lips twitching as though to say something, but ultimately said nothing.
"He'll understand someday. Tang Ya isn't good enough for him," he thought.
Right now, Yan Shaozhe only cared about saving Ma Xiaotao, so his focus remained on Huo Yuhao.
With a warm smile, he said:
"Welcome to Shrek Academy!"
"Even though you just returned, I need you both to meet someone first. Everything else can wait."
"Don't worry—it's a good thing," he added to reassure Huo Yuhao.
Then, after a few instructions to the guards, Yan Shaozhe took Huo Yuhao and Beibei with him, flying directly into the academy and heading straight for the Sea God Pavilion at full speed.
Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes and licked his lips.
Yan Shaozhe was eager to take Huo Yuhao to see Ma Xiaotao, so he brought Huo Yuhao and Beibei directly to Sea God Island, skipping even the usual rituals for newcomers to Shrek Academy—like paying homage to a certain ancestral god-king.
They flew there.
Technically speaking, flying is not freely permitted within Shrek Academy.
But as the Dean of the Martial Soul Department, if Yan Shaozhe wanted to fly, who would dare stop him?
They crossed Sea God Lake and passed through the misty fog before arriving at Sea God Island.
Sea God Island.
The core of Shrek Academy, its most important place.
The inner court, Sea God's Pavilion, the Worship Hall, the secret library… all are located here.
And, of course, the most important feature—the Golden Ancient Tree!
Everything on Sea God Island exists in relation to the Golden Ancient Tree.
As Huo Yuhao gazed down from the sky, what met his eyes was a towering, lush ancient tree full of life.
He could sense that the tree was slowly absorbing the elemental energy of the world and storing it within its trunk, in turn reshaping the environment around it.
Cultivating near the Golden Ancient Tree would yield twice the result with half the effort.
This was one of the key reasons Shrek Academy could repeatedly nurture powerful soul masters—so much so that even prominent clans were willing to send their heirs here for training.
After landing on Sea God Island,
Huo Yuhao finally saw the scene beneath the canopy of the Golden Ancient Tree with his own eyes.
Witnessing it firsthand was far more vivid than the sparse descriptions in the original text.
Sea God Island had many buildings—some exquisite, some majestic.
But only one stood out as the grandest: Sea God's Pavilion, located at the center of the island and built beside the Golden Ancient Tree.
The Pavilion had six floors above ground, each over ten meters tall—an imposing structure. However, due to the year-round fog surrounding Sea God Island, it couldn't be seen clearly from the outer courtyard of the Academy.
Honestly, Huo Yuhao wasn't all that impressed by a building only about sixty meters tall. After all, after seeing countless skyscrapers, sixty meters—about 20 stories—didn't feel like much.
Just about a head taller than Ultraman.
What truly drew Huo Yuhao's attention was the immense destiny energy that enshrouded it!
It felt as if all of Shrek Academy's fate was concentrated on Sea God's Pavilion!
And the destiny energy on the Golden Ancient Tree was even greater—though not exclusive to Shrek, it still only benefited Shrek.
Seeing so much destiny energy, tears nearly dribbled out of Huo Yuhao's mouth.
It wasn't surprising.
Sea God's Pavilion was the most vital part of the Academy. The Worship Hall was here, and so was the secret library that Wang Yan in the original story desperately wanted to enter.
Besides, according to the original work, Sea God's Pavilion was also a treasure vault. Many of the Academy's most precious items—and secrets—were kept here.
Even though Yan Shaozhe was in a hurry, when he noticed Huo Yuhao staring at the Pavilion, he stopped walking and didn't rush him.
Beibei also noticed Huo Yuhao's gaze and smiled knowingly, thinking to himself:
"Haha, little brother Huo must be awestruck by the Sea God's Pavilion. But with his talent, it's very likely he'll live there one day."
Beibei only said "likely" and not "certain" because Huo Yuhao's variant Frost Wyrm was a detached beast martial soul. Beibei couldn't be sure whether there might be hidden defects.
But even if it had defects—even if, like his ancestor Yu Xiaogang, he was forever stuck below level 30—
Just possessing the Extreme Ice attribute would earn Huo Yuhao a spot at Shrek, and maybe even a few pretty and talented girlfriends.
"With his looks, those senior girls with ice attributes might not turn him down," Beibei thought dreamily.
Improving one's family's martial soul through bloodline fusion—especially one that could ascend into the extreme path of ice—was something even Title Douluos wouldn't refuse.
The aristocratic culture on Douluo Continent was still very strong.
But as he continued to think, Beibei suddenly shook his head.
"What am I thinking? Little brother Huo has the Extreme Ice attribute. Maybe his martial soul has no flaws at all!"
To speak a little disrespectfully to his ancestors—some mutated detached beast martial souls turned into pigs. How could that compare to one with an extreme attribute?
They couldn't. They didn't have the qualifications. Got it?
Beibei truly saw Huo Yuhao as a brother. His thoughts weren't on how to benefit from Yuhao's power, but rather on how to plan Yuhao's future.
Yan Shaozhe also thought Huo Yuhao was stunned by the Sea God's Pavilion, and he was happy to let him take his time.
However, what Huo Yuhao was actually thinking about… was something else entirely.
"If I blew up Sea God Island right now, wouldn't Shrek Academy be close to collapse? That would earn me a massive amount of destiny energy—maybe enough to transform my bloodline," Huo Yuhao said to Tianmeng Ice Silkworm within his spiritual sea.
His goal with the Destiny-Devouring Dragon Transformation Art was to awaken his White Tiger bloodline, so completing this art would cause a transformation in his bloodline.
Actually, the technique's name should be changed.
Calling it White Tiger Destiny-Seizing Art would be more fitting.
After all, he truly possessed the White Tiger bloodline.
He just needed to continuously seize destiny, allow the imagined White Tiger to fully take shape, and activate his bloodline.
And blowing up the Sea God's Pavilion would definitely shatter Shrek's destiny, or at least shake it to its core.
When a power's destiny is shattered, its destruction is usually not far behind.
"Brother Hao, calm down! That's way too much!" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm hurriedly tried to dissuade him.
He didn't say Yuhao was delusional—not because he was scared, but because he knew Huo Yuhao could actually do it.
That was—by detonating all of Tianmeng's spiritual essence stored in Yuhao's spiritual sea!
In the legacy of Pudu Cihang, there was no shortage of mutual destruction techniques.
If Tianmeng's spiritual essence exploded in such a way, it would unleash a terrifying spiritual shock. Not just Sea God Island—even all of Shrek City would be affected.
It might even drag Electrolux's divine consciousness into the blast, increasing the destruction radius.
And within the blast zone, any life form whose spiritual power was lower than the total sum of Tianmeng's—would not survive.
And Tianmeng was a million-year-old spiritual-type soul beast!
In other words: Everyone in Shrek City—wiped out!
Unless someone like Elder Mu merged with the Golden Ancient Tree as in the original story and used its power to protect a small area within it.
But everyone else… dead.
As for Huo Yuhao himself—his chance of survival was also near zero.
Once Tianmeng's essence was detonated, Huo Yuhao's own spirit would be the first to be annihilated.
It's a mutual destruction tactic, after all. Understandable.
Unless world consciousness itself intervened to save its beloved child.
Facing Tianmeng's persuasion, Huo Yuhao just smiled slightly:
"Relax, Brother Tianmeng. I'm just speaking hypothetically."
"That's good…"
"But with this mutual destruction card in my hand, I've got more confidence at Shrek," Yuhao added.
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm: "!!!"
"That's not how you're supposed to use a trump card!"
Finally, Yan Shaozhe spoke, his tone gentle as if addressing his own son:
"Young friend, let's head into Sea God's Pavilion. Someone is waiting for us."
His attitude couldn't have been kinder.
Beibei remained silent for a moment.
Upon entering the Sea God Pavilion, what struck Huo Yuhao first wasn't the luxurious interior, but the dense concentration of natural energy in the air.
Unfortunately, this place did not yet belong to him.
Soon, Yan Shaozhe led Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei into a room on the top floor.
This wasn't an official conference room, nor was it particularly large — it seemed more like a private chamber, giving off a warm and cozy feeling.
Huo Yuhao's mind stirred slightly. He thought to himself, "It seems Mu En just wants to see me alone. He doesn't intend to directly pull me into Shrek's inner circle yet."
On the way there, Huo Yuhao had already been contemplating the implications of being summoned by Shrek's upper echelons.
Yan Shaozhe had come to personally fetch him — perhaps due to Ma Xiaotao's involvement — but it was undoubtedly at the behest of someone with even higher status.
There was no doubt — that person could only be Mu En. Only he had that kind of influence.
Huo Yuhao knew very well there were only two likely outcomes awaiting him at the Sea God Pavilion:
The senior leaders of Shrek would all appear, welcoming him — an owner of an Ultimate Ice martial soul — into the inner circle. This would signify that he was to become a key figure in Shrek's future plans.
Mu En would meet him alone. This would mean Shrek still wanted to test him, that his future prospects depended on his future performance. In other words, they didn't trust him fully yet — they still intended to PUA (manipulate/control) him a bit.
As for the possibility that they'd just let him go, or even harm him?
Unless Mu En had lost his mind and become as brainless as Xuan Zi, there was no way he would do something that foolish.
Not to mention whether a certain God-King would allow that — if Shrek wanted to remain strong and influential, it absolutely could not let Huo Yuhao go.
His Ultimate Ice martial soul was Huo Yuhao's greatest asset.
Without him, Shrek might not necessarily decline, but it would certainly be hard to shine again for the next few hundred years.
Shrek was currently facing a generational crisis.
It wasn't that there were no promising talents — it was that the promising ones were all a bit... crooked.
Shrek prided itself on "valuing talent," but to put it bluntly, it was completely obsessed with innate potential.
As long as someone had talent, everything else could be overlooked or forgiven.
But if someone lacked talent — even if they had impeccable morals and vast knowledge — Shrek wouldn't even glance their way.
So-called "upholding justice on the Douluo Continent" was really just the rhetoric of a coalition of the strong — a soul master equivalent of an oligarchy, like financial or academic aristocrats.
After all, what was justice on the Douluo Continent?
These days, Shrek's justice was justice.
And Shrek's justice was ultimately its own self-interest.
To protect that interest, Shrek had to be more powerful than all other factions.
It wasn't enough just to avoid losing — they had to keep winning.
Winning big.
Huo Yuhao, with his Ultimate Martial Soul, was destined to become an Ultimate Douluo. There was no way Shrek would let go of him easily. They would surely do everything they could to keep him.
Even if he had a hidden identity or ulterior motives — as long as he stood on Shrek's side in the future, nothing else mattered.
And the best part? Huo Yuhao was just a kid — one who looked easy to... ahem, "recruit."
Of course, there was still a remote third possibility: that a certain God-King sensed a change in Huo Yuhao and descended personally — to turn Huo Yuhao into his personal lapdog.
Possible? Yes. Likely? No.
If that God-King could really dominate the world so easily, the Douluo Continent would've been renamed by now. No need for millennia-long plans.
And even if that worst-case scenario did happen — Huo Yuhao wouldn't be afraid.
After all, being scared wouldn't help anything.
As it turned out, Huo Yuhao's guess was correct.
The current situation was clearly the second scenario.
Mu En wanted to meet Huo Yuhao in private.
Golden sunlight streamed in from the window, falling upon the room — and on an old man lying in a recliner.
He looked very ordinary. Not tall, dressed in simple grey cloth. The wrinkles on his face were deep enough to catch and crush a dozen flies. His eyes were dull, eyelids drooping — an image of someone close to death.
Seeing him, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but suck in a cold breath.
Damn... he's ugly.
That reaction was, quite obviously, inappropriate.
Yan Shaozhe, who had been secretly watching Huo Yuhao's every move, instantly frowned, about to speak.
But Mu En waved him off and interrupted before he could say anything.
Cough cough "You're here," Mu En said.
Yan Shaozhe had no choice but to hold back, though his impression of Huo Yuhao declined a bit. He didn't dislike him, but he now felt Huo Yuhao was still too immature.
"Teacher!" Yan Shaozhe respectfully saluted the old man on the recliner.
"Xuan Ancestor…" Bei Bei's voice trembled. At some point, his eyes had already turned red.
Bei Bei wasn't weak — he had just endured too much recently.
Now, seeing the only family he had left, all the pain and grievance that had been bottled up inside him finally burst forth.
Tang Ya's accident. His own injuries. The perpetrator had gone unpunished. Then he met Huo Yuhao and saw hope. Later, in the Extreme North, he gained a fortuitous opportunity — only to encounter the Titan Snow Demon King. A brush with death. If not for Huo Yuhao, he wouldn't have survived. Even so, he lost his opportunity, got severely injured, and couldn't even collect the herbs they sought. They had to leave the Extreme North empty-handed.
Mu En looked at the aggrieved Bei Bei, his heart tightening as he let out a soft sigh and beckoned him closer.
"Bei Bei, you've suffered during this time. I've let you down."
Bei Bei rushed over, clutching Mu En's old, withered hand, shaking his head repeatedly. "Xuan Ancestor, this wasn't your fault."
Mu En sighed again and gently said, "Bei Bei, for the sake of Shrek's greater good, you had to endure this for now. You must continue to cultivate diligently. Only by becoming stronger can you prevent future tragedies."
"Mm, mm!" Bei Bei nodded vigorously.
Huo Yuhao: "…"
Why are you nodding?!
What did Mu En say, exactly? Did he offer a solution? Compensation? Punishment for the wrongdoers?
No! He just asked you to endure it!
And you agreed?!
Huo Yuhao turned to glance at Yan Shaozhe and saw an apologetic expression on his face.
But...
Was that remorse and guilt from the heart — or just a superficial show?
Still, Mu En's voice seemed to have some strange magic — Bei Bei's emotions truly calmed.
Only then did Mu En look toward Huo Yuhao and show a kind smile.
Honestly, given Mu En's appearance, for him to produce such a kindly expression... Huo Yuhao half-suspected he was using some kind of special soul skill.
"You must be Huo Yuhao, the one who took Bei Bei to the Extreme North?"
Huo Yuhao's eyes flickered slightly.
Oh? "Took" Bei Bei to the Extreme North? Not that Bei Bei went with him?
Was he implying Huo Yuhao had begged Bei Bei to come along?
Huo Yuhao really wanted Mu En to stand up straight and listen to himself talk.
Did I beg Bei Bei to go?
Too bad — Mu En couldn't stand up straight.
Due to the wrathful aura from his dragon core, Mu En's back was permanently bent — nearly at a 90-degree angle. He had to rely on a cane to stand at all, so he often lay in a recliner.
But it wasn't worth arguing over a line or two.
Huo Yuhao simply stepped forward and offered a salute.
"Junior Huo Yuhao, greets Senior's Ancestor!"
Mu En: "???"
Bei Bei: "???"
Yan Shaozhe: "???"
After a few seconds of silence, Mu En's mouth twitched twice before explaining:
"Huo Yuhao, my name is not Xuan Ancestor…"
"Ah, sorry, I don't have a 'Xuan Ancestor', so I'm not really sure what that is." Huo Yuhao scratched his head awkwardly, wearing an apologetic expression.
Yan Shaozhe and Bei Bei both twitched at the corners of their mouths.
There was nothing wrong with what he said, and yet it somehow felt like an insult—making it hard not to suspect Huo Yuhao was doing it on purpose.
Yan Shaozhe wanted badly to scold Huo Yuhao, to say that a 'Xuan Ancestor' isn't just some "thing," and that he should show respect to his seniors.
But just as the words reached his lips, he realized that would be inappropriate too.
So he just ended up feeling suffocated.
"Xuan Ancestor, little brother Huo has had a hard life. He's never gone to school…" Bei Bei leaned toward Mu-en, speaking up in Huo Yuhao's defense.
"It's alright." Mu-enn smiled casually, unconcerned. He raised his hand to calm Bei Bei, then looked at Huo Yuhao. "It was my mistake. My name isMu-en, and I'm Bei Bei's Ancestor. Yuhao, I hope you don't mind me calling you that?"
"No, no, the fault is mine!" Huo Yuhao quickly bowed again, then said obediently, "Since senior is Brother Bei Bei's elder, of course I don't mind."
Mu-en looked at Yuhao's well-behaved appearance and chuckled, "You look quite different now compared to when you and Bei Bei first met."
Huo Yuhao's heart tightened. This old guy noticed me earlier? Was it when I visited Shrek City last time?!
But outwardly, he remained calm, only showing a slightly embarrassed look as he replied, "Life circumstances, you know."
He played the part of someone whose little secret had just been exposed.
"'Life circumstances,' is it?" Moon's voice rose slightly, but his smile didn't fade, making it hard to read his thoughts.
He didn't press further. Clearly, Huo Yuhao had passed this initial test of character.
Of course, this was also because Moon didn't particularly care whether Yuhao approached Bei Bei with ulterior motives.
After all, Huo Yuhao was now "in the hands" of Shrek. If he truly had ill intentions, he'd soon suffer for it.
All they needed was to earn his loyalty to Shrek. With the bond already forming, Yuhao would surely become Bei Bei's greatest support and help guard Shrek together in the future.
Now it was time for the real business.
"Yuhao, I heard your spirit is of the Ultimate Ice attribute. May I have a look at it?" Moon asked.
"Of course," Huo Yuhao replied respectfully.
Yan Shaozhe suddenly became animated.
This was his area of expertise!
At that moment, Bei Bei hesitated before speaking with a complicated expression, "Xuan Ancestor, little brother Huo's martial soul is... somewhat special."
"Oh? Special?" Mu-en showed interest.
Yan Shaozhe, however, smiled confidently. "Don't worry, Bei Bei. Our Shrek Academy has the most advanced research on martial souls on the continent. Raising little Yuhao won't be a problem."
Huo Yuhao rolled his eyes internally.
Wow, now it's "little Yuhao," huh? Acting real close now.
Anyone who doesn't know would think we've got some kind of special relationship.
And weren't you just showing off a moment ago?
Outwardly, Huo Yuhao kept a straight face and directly raised his hand to summon his mutant Frost Jade Centipede spirit.
"Come forth, my Frost Centipede !"
With the summoning, a shadow formed into a solid being.
The bipedal, mutant Frost Centipede appeared before everyone.
The Skydream Iceworm again possessed the Frost Centipede , but remained completely silent, acting very obediently.
The Iceworm could sense Moon's immense strength and didn't dare make a sound, afraid that a single slip-up could cause irreparable trouble.
As soon as the Frost Centipede appeared, the expressions of Moon and Yan Shaozhe shifted from intrigued to stiff.
"A mutated spirit?!" Yan Shaozhe blurted out in a strained voice.
As the head of the Martial Soul Department, Yan Shaozhe's knowledge of spirits might not be the most profound, but it was certainly more in-depth than Bei Bei's.
Detached spirits can be categorized as one type, but undoubtedly, they are considered mutated spirits.
And mutated spirits typically imply degeneration.
Sure, there have been cases where mutations resulted in stronger martial souls—like the Evil Fire Phoenix—but those are extremely rare, and mutated spirits usually come with flaws. Especially in the case of detached spirits.
As if Shrek Academy hasn't thoroughly researched detached spirits like those of "that certain grandmaster"?
There have been historical instances of soul masters with defective detached spirits coming to Shrek Academy for help.
Unfortunately, that grandmaster who overcame the flaw didn't rely on theoretical knowledge.
Shrek Academy was helpless against such defects.
The moment he saw the detached Frost Centipede , Yan Shaozhe's heart sank halfway.
A degenerated martial soul—even if it had Ultimate Ice—could it still save Ma Xiaotao?
So what if it had Ultimate Ice?
The defects in the martial soul could appear at any moment without warning.
Let's not forget: ten thousand years ago, the younger sister of the Clear Sky Douluo from the Clear Sky Sect also awakened a mutated spirit, even with an innate domain—yet she could never advance beyond rank 10.
Mu-en remained much calmer.
After all, he was the Dragon God Douluo, standing at the very pinnacle of the Douluo Continent. What hadn't he seen?
"Yuhao, you've reached rank 20 already, right? Could you show me your spirit ring?" Moon asked gently.
"Certainly." Yuhao nodded.
Then, a white spirit ring rose from the Frost Centipede 's body.
Mu-en's eyes narrowed. Yan Shaozhe looked utterly defeated.
Yan Shaozhe: He's doomed. I'm out.
Bei Bei, however, looked confused.
Wait a minute—wasn't little brother Huo's first spirit ring a different color before?
Before anyone could say anything, the Frost Centipede 's white ring began to shimmer and shift—turning yellow, then purple, then yellow again, then finally back to white.
White, yellow, purple, yellow, white...
The spirit ring on the Frost Centipede looked like a flashing LED light, changing colors nonstop, almost blinding the three onlookers.
Bei Bei was stunned.
Yan Shaozhe was utterly confused.
And Mu-en...
He admitted—he had never seen anything like this before.
A faint golden glow flowed through Mu-en's pupils as he said in astonishment, "This isn't an illusion. The spirit ring is genuinely shifting between ten years, a hundred years, and a thousand years. Yuhao, how are you doing this?"
There were techniques and secret arts on the Douluo Continent that could change the color of a spirit ring.
But to actually change the age of a spirit ring? This was a first.
Huo Yuhao, having already chosen to reveal himself, answered honestly.
"Senior, this change occurred after my martial soul fully awakened. My original first ring was just an ordinary ten-year spirit ring, but due to the soul's burden, I couldn't summon or use it."
"After full awakening, the first ring became the Frost Centipede 's 'innate spirit ring.' Its age can shift according to my will. However, the power of its skills also changes depending on the ring's age."
"And the highest age the ring can reach depends on the maximum ring age I can withstand."
The last sentence was a lie.
The maximum age of the innate spirit ring depends on the strength of the Frost Centipede itself, not on what Huo Yuhao can handle.
He said that on purpose.
After all, acquiring his second ring would still require help from Shrek Academy. And Huo Yuhao did not want the old-fashioned academy—bound by those rigid ten great theories—to saddle him with a lousy hundred-year second ring.
If that happened, he'd seriously consider running away from Shrek overnight.