Chapter 32 – Have You Tasted Fine Dishes, Shrek? Do You Even Have Good People There?
"You're telling me," the old man said slowly, "that you followed the guidance of destiny to the Extreme North, and just happened to encounter a hundred-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion soul beast in the middle of a failed tribulation. Knowing it was about to die under the heavenly lightning, it saw you… And chose to sacrifice itself to you?"
"And in the process, it even broke past the hundred-thousand-year soul ring limit, granting you the extreme ice attribute. Is that what you mean, Yuhao?"
Huo Yuhao nodded seriously. "Teacher, you've summed it up perfectly. After all, you are the Sun Moon Empire's only Level 10 Soul Engineer."
"Save it. I'm not buying this flattery—you think you can fool me? You think I'll just believe you without question?"
Despite his words, Kong Deming didn't press further. The matter was already done. His disciple now possessed a hundred-thousand-year soul ring and the extreme ice attribute—things that could not be faked. There was no point in interrogating more.
Still… the old man's teeth itched with envy. A hundred-thousand-year soul ring! He didn't even have one. Just what kind of absurd luck did this brat stumble into?
Yuhao hesitated, his expression shifting. One glance at that face and Kong Deming knew—this brat was still hiding something.
"Enough pretending," Kong Deming said, narrowing his eyes. "Out with it, boy. Don't worry, your teacher can handle it."
Huo Yuhao let out a relieved breath.
"Teacher… I also fused with a hundred-thousand-year soul bone. It was dropped by that Ice Jade Scorpion."
Kong Deming's mouth twitched. He looked up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle and gave a deliberately casual, "Oh? A hundred-thousand-year soul bone? Well then, congratulations."
"It's an external soul bone."
"You dare take such long breaths between words? Brat, this old man will surely spank you until your butt blossoms today."
"It has two abilities—Ice Explosion and a domain-type skill, Teacher."
"You insolent brat, are you trying to make me cough blood?"
After some playful bickering, Yuhao displayed the Jade Scorpion Tail to him. Not long after, Kong Deming shooed him off to rest.
Since Yuhao's body martial soul, the Spirit Eye, still lacked its second soul ring, a plan was set to head to the Evil Demon Forest to hunt a spiritual-type soul beast.
The type of soul beast one absorbed was crucial—it determined the evolution of the martial soul and how well the soul skills suited the soul master. For a martial soul like Spirit Eye, with a spiritual attribute, nothing was more suitable than the Sun Moon Empire's totem soul beast—the Evil Eye. This was also Kong Deming's idea.
In the original path, Yuhao—under Tianmeng's guidance—had hunted an ice silkworm to gain the illusion imitation skill. But under the effects of [Strong Luck], he had already acquired that skill beforehand, and even had a domain-type spiritual interference skill.
As night fell, Kong Deming stood in the quiet courtyard, gazing at the stars. Slowly, he clenched his fist.
As long as this child is here, the empire's future will shine bright. The day the Sun Moon Empire unites the continent… will not be far away.
Shrek Academy—specializes in raising "monsters"?
Hah! Do they even know what a real monster is?
A hundred-thousand-year soul ring at Rank 20, extreme ice, twin martial souls, monstrous talent in soul guidance device crafting—this was Kong Deming's personal, last disciple, his true successor. Have you ever tasted fine dishes, Shrek?
No, no… the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. Half a year from now, during the Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament, his disciple's talent might be exposed to those people.
Shrek? Good people? Where? He'd never seen any.
On the tournament stage, they could kill another team's member and call it "the ruthlessness of the arena, unavoidable in all-out combat." But if one of their own got a scratch, they'd howl for blood, eager to kill the other party. How arrogant.
If there was ever a time to be overprotective, this was it.
What if Shrek saw his disciple's monstrous talent and decided to secretly make a move? No way—if Yuhao competed, Kong Deming would follow in secret, even if it meant delaying business at the Worship Hall.
Nothing mattered more than his disciple.
Glancing at Yuhao's room, he saw the boy already asleep, utterly unguarded. A gentle smile touched his face.
Brat… your teacher is going to great lengths for you.
---
The timeline shifted back to the day Yuhao fused with the Ice Empress.
Meanwhile, in the Star Dou Great Forest—
"That familiar feeling… It's appeared again."
The Silver Dragon King slowly opened her eyes. This strange sensation of being able to sense the existence of destiny, yet being unable to grasp or see it clearly—it was maddening.
"The Extreme North this time… Last time, it was the Sun Moon Empire. Perhaps… I shouldn't keep lying dormant."
As the inheritor of the Dragon God's wisdom, hiding for so long beneath the Lake of Life, relying on the Golden Essence of Life to heal… was far too slow.
At this rate, fully recovering from her injuries would take at least ten thousand years. How long was she supposed to hide?
It felt like being a rat in a gutter under the scrutiny of the God Realm's inspectors. The metaphor might not be flattering, but it was accurate.
The destiny of Douluo Star had already become chaotic. The gods of the God Realm likely could no longer see it. What was there to fear?
Perhaps now was the best time. Even with the world's will suppressing her, she could still venture to the continent. Most importantly, she had to uncover the cause of this chaos—was it the work of Douluo Star's Child of Luck… or an outsider from another world?
If it were a Child of Luck, he would carry the very destiny of Douluo, with a high chance of becoming a god. Why not meet him? If he could aid her or the soul beasts, all the better.
If it were an otherworldly reincarnator, he would be weak at this stage. Befriending and assisting them now might earn the soul beasts a powerful future ally.
If it was neither, then whoever dared meddle with Douluo's destiny—making her uneasy for days, even causing the Emperor Auspicious Beast's blessing over the Star Dou Forest to falter—would pay dearly.
"Di Tian."
"Your Majesty, I'm here."
"I sense a change in destiny. This might be the chance for my recovery… and for the revival of the soul beasts."
Di Tian's pupils shrank. Before he could speak, the Silver Dragon King continued:
"Go to the Sun Moon Continent. Arrange a flawless human identity for me. I'm going to the human world to witness… what destiny truly is."
"But Your Majesty, your injuries—"
"No matter. I will transform into a human form and suppress my aura to avoid detection by the world's will. Most of my origin will remain here under your care—my human body will only carry a small portion. There will be no danger."
She had avoided taking human form before because of the God Realm's rules—given her nature as part of the former Dragon God, even in human form, she could one day become a god, which would draw immediate attention and destruction from the gods above, just as had happened to the Golden Dragon King.
It had seemed safer to remain beneath the Lake of Life, letting the Golden Life Essence slowly restore her strength until she could reach the half-step God King realm again.
But now, the situation was different—destiny was in turmoil, a possible Child of Luck or otherworldly powerhouse had appeared.
If there was ever a time to gamble, it was now.
—
End of Chapter