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"No, something's wrong! My silkworm molt is gone!"
Tianmeng Iceworm suddenly shouted in embarrassment and frustration, startling Huo Yuhao, who looked at him in confusion. "Brother Tianmeng, is the silkworm molt that important?"
"Of course!" Tianmeng said irritably. "Without the molt, I can't control the Ice Empress—cough, cough—I mean, the thing related to your second martial soul. Once that fellow loses her temper, forget about me in my prime—very few others would be able to withstand her."
Seeing that Huo Yuhao's expression was still confused, Tianmeng sighed helplessly. "Let me put it this way: if we have the silkworm molt when we go to the Extreme North, it'll be like picking up a ready-made opportunity. I'd have at least a fifty percent chance of convincing her. Without it… the success rate might not even reach ten percent."
"What happens if we fail?" Huo Yuhao's eyes widened.
"We die," Tianmeng said, spreading his hands.
"I still have to avenge my mother…" Huo Yuhao muttered weakly.
"Alright, alright, I'm going to rest for now. I'll figure something out," Tianmeng said with a helpless sigh.
If Su Wen knew about this, he would probably just grin.
With Huo Yuhao's "Child of Destiny" status, it was a sure bet. The will of the world might not be able to protect all of his opportunities, but as the Child of Destiny, his life would never truly be in danger.
…
Buzz…
As a pitch-black ripple surged out from Ning Tian's body and spread outward, the young girl opened her eyes first. Her light-golden eyes were dazzling, and the first thing she did was look toward Su Wen. She beamed, then ran over with a sweet smile.
"Strength?" Su Wen asked.
"Mhm!"
"The Seven Treasures turn into glorious glass—third: Strength!"
As a purple soul ring rose from her feet, the light from the third tier of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda fell on Su Wen.
In an instant, he felt a boost surge through his body—about a forty percent increase in strength. Combined with the almost fifty percent attribute boost he had already gained from the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear, Su Wen rolled his shoulders and couldn't resist punching a towering ancient tree hundreds of meters tall, its crown vanishing into the clouds.
Boom!!!
A thunderous sound echoed through the skies.
The force of the punch nearly caused a sonic boom, creating invisible ripples in the air.
The others: "…"
Especially Wu Feng—her throat bobbed nervously as she pushed down any thoughts of challenging Su Wen. Last time, his kick had only made her gag for a while. Now… if she fought him, she'd probably be reduced to a smear of blood by a single whip kick.
"Not bad," Su Wen nodded.
Bei Bei's mouth twitched.
Not bad?!!
With physical strength like this, who wouldn't believe he was a soul beast wearing human skin?
He had always thought that as a summoner, Su Wen's defense would be weak—like a fragile control-type support. But it turned out… he was even more of an offense-type than an actual offense-type.
A true all-rounder with no weaknesses.
Crack…
The ancient tree snapped under Su Wen's punch, its upper half crashing to the ground and sending a flock of startled birds flying into the sky.
At that moment, Tang Ya slowly woke up. She stared at the scene in front of her in confusion and asked in surprise, "Did a soul beast come over while I was absorbing my soul ring?"
"No, that was Su Wen," Bei Bei said softly.
Tang Ya: "…"
…
The trip there had been leisurely, but the return was surprisingly fast.
Perhaps they were also trying to make it back in time for registration. Although enrollment would last for half a month, more than half that time had already passed. If something unexpected happened on the way and they couldn't make it back, that would be quite a mess.
On the way, Huo Yuhao trained diligently, though to Su Wen it was like watching a rusty old truck wheeze and groan along—not even reaching one-fifth of his own cultivation speed.
But to be fair, early-stage Huo Yuhao really was weak.
Without the Ice Jade Scorpion as his second martial soul and portable "battery" (its spiritual origin also stored within Huo Yuhao), there was no qualitative leap in his speed. He was a growth-type protagonist; even before his exchange trip to the Sun Moon Empire, his cultivation speed was painfully slow.
Still…
Su Wen smirked. With him around, the Ice Empress would never fall for Tianmeng's tricks. In fact, he had already directed a gust of wind to swipe the silkworm molt. In the original story, that molt was used to subdue the Ice Empress—without it, was Tianmeng planning to talk her into submission?
Not likely…
Still, Tianmeng was a million-year soul beast. Even without the molt, he probably wouldn't be completely helpless.
Either way, Su Wen just needed to follow along when the time came.
"Ah Wen, aren't you going to hunt a soul beast?" Ning Tian leaned in curiously, asking with interest.
"I'm still a few months away from level forty," Su Wen replied with a smile, ruffling her golden hair—it was surprisingly soft.
His martial soul was special. He didn't advance by obtaining a soul ring. Instead, only after breaking through level forty would he gain his fourth Poké Ball, allowing him to capture another soul beast. Reaching level forty was a hard requirement.
But he was close.
Perhaps by the time school started and before the first assessment, he'd be there.
"Mhm."
Ning Tian's cat-like eyes curved into a thin line. She had only asked to make conversation.
"So, which class are you planning to join?"
After leaning against Su Wen for a while, she suddenly widened her eyes and asked with full attention. This was a critical question—despite being the princess of the Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda, transferring classes in Shrek Academy was no small matter. It was best to… get it right the first time.
"Class Two," Su Wen said softly. "Teacher Mu Jin is a good person."
"Mhm." Ning Tian didn't say anything more, simply nodding lightly before nestling back against him.
…
In just a few short days, Huo Yuhao had made good progress in the Mysterious Heaven Technique and had almost mastered the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. It wasn't because he was a genius—it was simply because of his diligence, the perfect example of the "slow bird flying early" principle.
This pleasantly surprised Bei Bei and Tang Ya.
They had originally thought they'd picked up a complete novice and didn't expect much—just that he'd carry on and expand the Tang Sect's legacy. But to their surprise, he was so hardworking that after learning meditation, he cultivated day and night without rest.
"Brother Tianmeng, my cultivation speed has more than tripled!"
In his spiritual sea—
Huo Yuhao's eyes shone with joy.
In just a few days, he had already broken through to level eleven (Tianmeng Iceworm, the massive "battery," had finally started pouring in power).
"Not bad…" Tianmeng Iceworm replied listlessly, still preoccupied with figuring out how to persuade the Ice Empress.
"Not fast enough?" Huo Yuhao scratched his head, his joy fading a little.
"So-so," Tianmeng yawned.
"Look at that kid named Su Wen."
"Huh?" Huo Yuhao blinked in confusion.
"His soul power is increasing at seven times your speed," Tianmeng said lazily.
"What?!!" Huo Yuhao's eyes went wide.
"So work hard, boy. In this era, you're surrounded by monsters."
(End of Chapter)