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The elimination matches were divided into morning and afternoon sessions.
They would last three days until a winner was decided.
But the first day's matches weren't worth watching—undefeated teams wouldn't meet in the first two rounds.
So, when the afternoon's first class bell rang, Su Wen, who had already gained two victories without any real combat, slipped away to the library. Over the years, he had almost flipped through every book in the Sea God Pavilion related to soul beasts and beastmasters.
His harvest was considerable.
He had learned about various soul beasts' attributes, rare appearances of certain beasts on the Douluo Continent, and even ancient records mentioning beast-controlling martial souls. These allowed their wielders to control soul beasts consciously—for example, one record said a beastmaster could control one soul beast every fifty years, provided its strength was no more than two-thirds of their own. There were also records of evil soul masters with martial souls like the "Myriad Soul Banner," though that only imprisoned souls.
The variety of beast-controlling martial souls was dazzling, but very few truly resembled his own.
As for his fourth soul beast choice, he was still conflicted.
He was torn between choosing a flying-type or a healer-type.
After all, his battle with Zhou Yi had revealed his shortcomings. Without aerial dominance, he was severely disadvantaged if the opponent could fly. Xiao Jin possessed immense strength, but against Zhou Yi, who could take to the skies, it was hard to land a hit.
If Zhou Yi hadn't underestimated him at first, and later lost her temper, forcing her to use her sixth soul skill—which backfired due to casting delay while draining her energy bar—he wouldn't have had a chance. Only then could the Ice Emperor seize the opening, coordinating with Gale's assault to defeat her.
Otherwise, had Zhou Yi simply fled from the start, he never could have caught up.
In the Star Dou Great Forest, Gale could dominate the skies thanks to its endless canopy of towering trees. But here, in the open space near the teaching buildings, the situation was awkward.
At this moment, the library wasn't very crowded.
Since it was class time, few students dared to skip lectures just to wander around here.
"Xiao Wen, you're here."
The library administrator, a man in his thirties, wore a neat teacher's uniform, a monocle on one eye, and held a fountain pen. He was scribbling notes onto a sheet of paper. Seeing Su Wen, he raised his head and greeted him with a warm smile.
"Senior Brother Zhang." Su Wen nodded politely.
This was Zhang Bailing, an outer-court teacher and a level 73 Soul Sage. His martial soul was said to be that very fountain pen in his hand. Five years ago, when Su Wen entered the Sea God Pavilion, Zhang was still an inner-court disciple. Now, he had returned to teach in the outer court.
Swish, swish—
As the pen swept across the page, Su Wen's appearance and information were recorded into the archives.
Su Wen was astonished.
A congenital administrator's physique, huh.
In the outside world, appointing a Soul Sage in his thirties as a mere librarian would be a waste of talent. But in Shrek… it almost seemed normal.
"All right, you may go in." Zhang Bailing said with a smile.
He liked this polite junior from the inner court. After all, he had personally watched Su Wen grow up, just like Ma Xiaotao. The only difference was… cough cough, Ma Xiaotao had gone a bit astray as she grew up. Still, she had been a cute child once.
"Hey, classmate, have you registered yet?"
Zhang's expression remained gentle as he looked toward the doorway.
A lean figure walked in, eyes filled with determination and pride.
"There's also a fee of three gold soul coins. Since it's your first visit, you need to make a library card. After that, you can enter for free, and once you graduate, you'll just need to cancel the card."
While speaking softly, Zhang's pen continued to jot swiftly across the page.
"Three gold soul coins?"
Huo Yuhao's mouth opened slightly, his face tightening.
He would need to grill fish for several days just to earn that much. And even then, daily expenses were already a burden. The stipends from the three great empires weren't much—far less generous than the old Spirit Hall, which granted soul masters one gold coin per month and grandmasters ten gold coins.
"That's correct." Zhang's expression remained unchanged, his smile unbroken.
"But… why didn't Su Wen have to pay?" Huo Yuhao muttered, recalling the earlier scene.
"The strong will always have privileges." Zhang replied with the same easy smile.
Does this kid have some grudge against Xiao Wen?
Watching the thin boy hand over the coins reluctantly and hurry into the library, Zhang's smile slowly faded, his eyes narrowing slightly…
Inside the Martial Soul Department's meeting room, Yan Shaozhe and Du Weilun were present.
Now that Zhou Yi had left, discussions about who should replace her were heated. The current class was a hot potato—thankless and full of trouble. Several outer-court teachers were consulted, but all declined with excuses of heavy workload and insufficient energy.
"How about… merging the class?"
Du Weilun scratched his head.
"After all, only thirty-something students remain. Keeping a separate class is too troublesome and requires reallocating teachers."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"In that case, let's merge it."
Yan Shaozhe sighed and nodded "helplessly."
Once the other teachers left, he kept only Mu Jin behind.
Smiling at the somewhat nervous woman, he said, "Teacher Mu Jin, you lead New Class Two, which is currently the strongest. You may choose up to three students from New Class One to join you."
"Alright!" Mu Jin's eyes lit up with joy. She picked up a stack of files and began flipping through them carefully.
Yan Shaozhe waited patiently without rushing her.
After a while…
"I want these three." Mu Jin handed over the files.
"Zhou Sichen, Cao Jinxuan… and Huo Yuhao?" Yan Shaozhe raised his eyebrows slightly.
"His Spirit Eyes are indeed special, but his first soul ring is only ten years. Even if he has potential, his future might be limited… Teacher Mu Jin, are you sure about this?"
"I'm sure." Mu Jin hesitated briefly, then nodded firmly.
Zhou Sichen and Cao Jinxuan were already good picks. As for Huo Yuhao, his martial soul was undeniably unique. Any boy favored by Zhou Yi was unlikely to be ordinary. She was willing to take the gamble, especially since the other two made for a safe bet.
"Very well!"
Yan Shaozhe smiled approvingly.
[Emerald Swan]
Temperament: Gentle, non-aggressive.
Rarity: Very rare. From birth, they carry innate life energy, which attracts the attention of many soul beasts. However, since the birth of Bi Ji, one of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, this situation has improved…
Reading the entry, Su Wen rested his chin in his hand, deep in thought.
His fourth spirit orb had appeared—it was black.
This meant he could capture any soul beast under 100,000 years old.
Returning the book to the shelf, his eyes inadvertently caught a figure by the window.
At the tall glass panes stood a woman in a pale-blue outfit, quietly reading. Sunlight fell across her skirt, dust motes dancing in the air. Even from afar, he could faintly make out her delicate features.
Her long legs were pressed together beneath the desk, feet in flat shoes, but her tall figure couldn't be concealed. The skirt covered the tops of her thighs, leaving a glimpse of pale skin below…
"Senior Sister Luochen?"
Su Wen was stunned.
He remembered this senior as a training fanatic who scoffed at theory. Since when had she ever come to study in the library? Was the sun rising in the west today?
And wait… why was her face so red?!
She seemed to be devouring the text with hunger, her snow-white cheeks flushing deeper, the red creeping all the way to her earlobes.
The blush only made her already stunning face more captivating.
Fortunately, the library was vast and quiet, with few people around.
Su Wen cautiously approached from behind.
It was the library, after all—surely she wasn't reading anything too private?
[Chapter One]
[How an Ice-attribute Soul Beast Can Attain the Ultimate Ice]
Everyone knows the Ultimate Ice stands at the pinnacle of ice attributes, exerting a bloodline-like suppression on all ordinary ice beasts. Current records list five possible methods to obtain it.
Crossbreeding between different species. The offspring could inherit ice attributes. For example, ancient Frost Dragons and Titan Giants produced the Titan Snow Demon Dragon race, which possessed the Ultimate Ice. Sadly, they have long gone extinct, leaving only weaker branches like the Titan Snow Demons.
Crossbreeding within the same species. For example, between a female Wind Baboon and a male Blood Baboon—the child could inherit both traits, and sometimes even the female could acquire the male's ability. Experiments with Ice Jade Scorpions showed that mating with ordinary scorpions could sometimes pass the Ultimate Ice to them.
Immortal Herbs…
Obtaining a soul bone with Ultimate Ice…
Su Wen's lips twitched.
Not a word mentioned him, yet every word screamed him!
Damn it, women are terrifying. Time to slip away.
But just then, Ling Luochen spun around, raising her Ice Staff in shame and anger. How dare someone sneak up while she was engrossed in research?!
But as the staff touched Su Wen's chin, she recognized his face. He averted his eyes awkwardly.
"Senior Sister Luochen, I swear I didn't see what you were reading. You were researching the Ultimate Ice, right? I… have something to do, so I'll leave now?"
"You… dare run?!"
Relief flickered in her heart, but her eyes flashed with mock ferocity. She forced Su Wen onto a nearby seat. Noticing his gaze flicking toward the book's cover, her face burned even hotter. She shoved the book into a shelf, then sat right beside him, blocking him into the corner.
"Today's incident—don't you dare tell anyone!" she threatened in a low voice.
"Mm! Mm!" Su Wen nodded like a pecking chick.
Her fair fists clenched tight, faint blue veins surfacing. Her face was as red as a steamed bun, like a girl caught watching something indecent.
"Th-Then… what do you think?" she asked suddenly, dropping her head like a defeated puppy.
"Huh?" Su Wen was still reeling from her transformation—from icy senior to pitiful schoolgirl. Her furious gaze nearly made him feel like she wanted to bite him.
"Ahem, I've never tried, so I wouldn't know…"
"That's not what I'm asking about!" Luochen snapped.
Su Wen: ???
Trapped in the corner, with Luochen leaning closer and half her body pressed against him, he had no escape. All he could do was suffer—crossed out—endure her "torment."
Her fragrance enveloped him, blocking out his view.
Then Luochen straddled his lap.
Smack!
A kiss—leaving behind a rosy stamp like lipstick. After giving her "warning" through physical means, she stood up proudly and left the library.
At the doorway, a smile curved her lips.
Got him!
This was what it meant to lure the enemy in.
"Well, looks like you had your way?" Zhang Bailing chuckled.
"…."
Her smile instantly vanished. Ling Luochen shot him a cold glance, snorted, and pushed open the door.
Smacking his lips, Zhang muttered, "Truly an ice queen… but only opening her heart to one. A pity—looks like the flower already has an owner."
"Change the book."
In his spiritual sea, Tianmeng directed Huo Yuhao.
"Left bookshelf, seventh row from the top, fifth column."
Yuhao took it out and opened it.
Tianmeng's spiritual power surged, lifting the book into the air. Pages flipped rapidly, then settled back down into Yuhao's hands.
"No… not what I need."
"Brother Tianmeng, what exactly are you searching for?" Yuhao asked, puzzled.
"The Extreme North." Tianmeng shook his head.
"I am a million-year soul beast. Once I sacrifice myself to you, you'll gain a second martial soul. I had planned this second martial soul to be the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor—one of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, the Ice Empress. But my molted husk is lost, greatly reducing the chances. So I am searching through spiritual texts, hoping to find a method to trap her temporarily, and then… persuade her—ahem—to also sacrifice herself to you."
"What?!!" Yuhao was stunned.
He knew Tianmeng's plan was dangerous, but he never imagined it involved such a terrifying existence.
"Of course, if it doesn't work out, we can settle for a 100,000-year Ice Jade Scorpion, or even a Snow Demon. But compared to the Ice Empress, they are far inferior."
"Then it has to be the Ice Empress!" Yuhao said firmly, eyes burning.
With a Snow Demon martial soul, or an ordinary Ice Jade Scorpion, he would never catch up to Su Wen in this lifetime.
He had to stake everything, even life and death, on this gamble!
"Good! That's the spirit!" Tianmeng laughed.
"If needed, we can even ask Fan Yu for help. The greatest difference between humans and soul beasts lies in their use of tools. Humans preserve and pass down knowledge through books and records, giving them unmatched depth of heritage. No wonder they have gradually gained the upper hand over countless years."
His voice carried a note of awe.
He had never felt it before, but stepping into Shrek's library today—facing this ocean of knowledge available for future generations—it struck him hard. This was humanity's true terror.
"Alright!"
Huo Yuhao's fighting spirit reignited.
Back in his darkest days, Zhou Yi had given him encouragement, recognition, and support—like no one else except his late mother. This kindness, he must repay!
(End of Chapter)