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With a flash of light, Bai Xu and the other person appeared out of thin air, materializing in a new world.
This place was strikingly similar to the Spirit Ascension Platform—a dense, sprawling forest—but it felt even more primal and untouched.
Bai Xu transmitted his voice telepathically, "How much did the previous battle drain you? Do you need to recover?"
Gu Yue wondered why he didn't just speak aloud but kept the thought to herself, replying the same way, "No need."
"Then let's go. We should head deeper in. Who knows? We might get to see something interesting!"
The two of them leaped from one thick branch to another, covering several hundred meters in no time before stumbling upon a fierce battle between two thousand-year soul beasts.
"A Flame Lion King fighting a Crystal Jade White Tiger," Gu Yue murmured softly.
Bai Xu had no intention of interfering either, content to watch the spectacle unfold.
ROAR!
Suddenly, an earth-shaking bellow erupted in the distance, so powerful that even the thousand-year soul beasts froze in terror before immediately fleeing in the opposite direction, their courage shattered before the fight could even conclude.
"That's… the roar of a Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear," Bai Xu identified, drawing from his experience fighting the guardian in the Spirit Ascension Platform.
"Sounds like it's locked in combat. Should we go take a look?"
"Let's move!"
This time, Bai Xu enveloped both of them in his spiritual energy while simultaneously activating his fourth soul skill—Good Fortune—allowing them to stealthily approach the source of the sound.
Inside a valley, continuous explosions reverberated as two massive figures clashed at blinding speeds.
Bai Xu and Gu Yue crouched low, observing the battle in secret.
The two combatants were enormous, each over thirty meters in diameter. Every collision between them sent tremors through the earth, the shockwaves kicking up violent gusts of wind.
"That's… a Three-Eyed Golden Lion!" Gu Yue gasped in surprise. She hadn't expected Shrek Academy to possess the technology to recreate the legendary beast's prototype. If they managed to kill it, there was a chance it could drop a spirit-type soul bone.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's body was semi-transparent, as if carved from crystal, giving it an otherworldly texture. Its overall shape resembled a lion, but its four paws were draconic, each stepping atop a swirling golden flame. Its muzzle was slightly longer than that of a typical lion, and beneath its fur, what appeared to be fine golden scales could be glimpsed. Most strikingly, aside from its two normal eyes, it possessed a third—a vertical, slit-pupiled eye that glowed with an eerie crimson light, contrasting sharply with the golden radiance of the other two.
"A Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear fighting a Three-Eyed Golden Lion. Both are high-level, though neither has reached the ten-thousand-year mark yet."
Gu Yue whispered, "But even as they are, they could crush us effortlessly. This can't be part of the test, yet here we are, stumbling upon them."
Bai Xu, however, mused, "Don't you think this Three-Eyed Golden Lion resembles that luck-manipulating soul beast from ten thousand years ago?"
"Of course I do. But she already sacrificed herself for Huo Yuhao. What else could be done?"
Gu Yue smiled bitterly. "Back then, I couldn't understand why the favored child of the soul beasts would willingly offer herself to a human. Now, I suppose it must have been love. Yet in the end, she never truly stood by Huo Yuhao's side."
"There's more to it than that. Someone orchestrated the Beast of Fortune's fate."
!!!
Bai Xu's words struck like thunder, making Gu Yue whip her head toward him. "Who?!"
"Who else could have schemed against the Beast of Fortune right under your and Di Tian's noses?"
Gu Yue's eyes widened as realization dawned. "The God Realm… the Sea God, Tang San?"
Bai Xu nodded. "Exactly."
At the same time, he summoned Da Huang, saying, "Explain the events of ten thousand years ago to her."
The Spirit of the Plane nodded and transmitted, "Back then, the Plane gambled everything to birth the Child of Destiny, Huo Yuhao. But the God Realm had already set its sights on him. The daughter of a God King descended to accompany him as he grew, and the two became childhood sweethearts, bound by fate. Yet the God King's schemes ran deeper. He split his daughter's soul in two, embedding one half into the Beast of Fortune—effectively using the fortune of the Star Dou Forest as a stepping stone for his daughter, ensuring the Child of Destiny remained firmly under his control."
"Damn that Sea God!" Gu Yue's teeth clenched in fury. "The Beast of Fortune was the hope of the soul beasts' resurgence! To think the God Realm had been plotting against us for so long… Could it be that even our previous hiding place was part of his schemes?" A chilling thought struck her—had her existence been exposed all along?
"More or less," Bai Xu replied.
It was the first time he had ever given such an ambiguous answer.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion suddenly rocked the valley. The earth trembled violently as the two colossal beasts clashed with increasing ferocity, their battle carrying them further and further away.
The valley stretched long and narrow, its end lost in obscurity.
The roars grew fainter, and soon, the two beasts vanished from sight entirely.
Bai Xu stood up, grinning. "Let's go. The real test is about to begin."
He led Gu Yue toward the cave the Three-Eyed Golden Lion had been guarding. The entrance was pitch-black, but upon entering, they found a hidden world within.
The ceiling quickly rose to over five meters, and the space grew increasingly expansive.
After rounding a bend, a faint glimmer of light appeared ahead.
The ground was littered with gemstones of all kinds, their surfaces shimmering with an ethereal glow.
But the most astonishing sight was the young Three-Eyed Golden Lion curled up in its nest, growling warnings at the intruders in a futile attempt to drive them away.
Gu Yue stared at the cub, sighing. "Are you going to kill it? A spirit-type skull bone would suit you perfectly."
"It would," Bai Xu admitted. His third soul skill, Mental Domination, activated instantly. The cub struggled, but its spiritual power was no match for Bai Xu's overwhelming force, and soon, its mind was under his control.
Then, as if handling a pet, Bai Xu began examining the Three-Eyed Golden Lion—patting its head, smoothing its golden fur, even curiously inspecting its third eye.
As he marveled at the creature's texture, he couldn't help but muse, "If only I could have a live one. I'd love to raise it."
Gu Yue stared at him, dumbfounded. "Raise one? Only you would even think of that. But judging by your actions, it doesn't seem like you plan to kill it?"
Bai Xu chuckled. "Of course not. Do I look like I want a bone tumor? And besides, it wouldn't even be my own bone. Now, if it were a Supreme Bone, maybe I'd hesitate a little."
"Let's go."
Releasing his mental grip, Bai Xu watched as the Three-Eyed Golden Lion regained its senses. He genuinely felt a pang of regret—yet the corner of his mouth curled upward almost imperceptibly. With that, the two concluded their trial and returned to the real world.
"Excellent, excellent! To resist the temptation of the Beast of Fortune—you two have passed. Countless teams have failed this stage due to infighting over the soul bone. There's no need for the tenth test; you're officially admitted. Welcome to Shrek Academy!"
An elder delivered the final verdict, declaring Bai Xu and Gu Yue's successful enrollment.
Gu Yue trailed behind Bai Xu, lost in thought. Eventually, she voiced a question that took him by surprise:
"Bai Xu… what's a Supreme Bone? Some kind of soul bone?"
He always seemed to mention terms beyond her understanding.
Bai Xu's lips twitched. He had no idea how to answer.