Zhu Ziyang stared at the silent gray orb for a moment, then shifted his gaze, drawn by the changes within his own sea of consciousness. Thanks to the sacrifice of the Silver Dragon Wolf, his spiritual sea had undergone a dramatic transformation.
His sea of spirit had expanded by more than double, his total spiritual power had increased by fifty percent, and the quality of his spiritual force had reached the perfected level of the "formless yet substantial" realm. In terms of spiritual cultivation alone, even most Soul Kings likely couldn't match him.
Suspended above his sea of consciousness, Zhu Ziyang faced both the soul orb of Electrolux and a silver diamond-shaped crystal. His attention settled on the crystal, within which a miniature silver dragon lay dormant—clearly related to the Silver Dragon Wolf.
Using his spiritual power, he touched the crystal and sensed a faint wave of soul fluctuation.
He recalled a legend—that when a 100,000-year soul beast sacrifices itself, its soul doesn't perish but resides within the soul ring it leaves behind.
The truth of this was unknown. In the entire history of the continent, only three soul masters had ever received a 100,000-year soul beast's sacrifice. The first two were Tang Hao, the Clear Sky Douluo, and his son Tang San, the Thousand-Hand Douluo—both of whose wives were 100,000-year transformed soul beasts. Thus, they were the first and second to receive such a gift.
The third was none other than Zhu Ziyang.
He decided to ignore the silver crystal for now. After all, it resided in his sea of consciousness—it couldn't cause much trouble.
His sea of spirit appeared as a pristine blue lake, the spiritual force within it forming a pure, untainted blue liquid. Silver ripples danced along the surface. However, when Zhu Ziyang activated his spiritual power, there was no trace of silver in its glow.
This puzzled him, but he faintly sensed it was somehow linked to the Silver Dragon Wolf.
Outside the spiritual lake was the broader sea of consciousness, within which stood the Soul-Heaven Barrier—a realm dividing the soul and the body. This was the wall separating a soul master's spirit from their physical form. Only those who had condensed a soul core, top-tier powerhouses, could break this shackle and fuse spirit and body into one unified whole.
At present, his Soul-Heaven Barrier was no longer the dull, lifeless gray it once was. Instead, a blue-white sky stretched above, with a golden star suspended in its midst and gray clouds floating gently nearby. It resembled a real sky almost exactly.
The blue-white sky symbolized his Ultimate Ice, the golden star his Ultimate Light, and the gray clouds the power of death—projections of his Ultimate Attribute spirits in his sea of consciousness.
After observing the changes, Zhu Ziyang finally retracted his consciousness, returning to the real world with satisfaction.
He didn't rush to cultivate again right away. Instead, he raised both hands—his right palm gathering pure and sacred light, while his left summoned gray, deathly cold energy.
Thanks to his dual Ultimate Attributes, he could easily summon different elements in each hand. He simply needed to replace the ice element with the power of death, and he could do it smoothly.
With a calm smile on his lips, he sat down and began to cultivate.
The night passed without incident.
At dawn, Zhu Ziyang awoke from his meditation, radiant with energy.
Ever since the miraculous events of the past two days, he couldn't hide his joy. The constant smile on his face piqued the curiosity of Zhu Changhe, Liang Ying, and even Jiang Nannan.
Naturally, he couldn't tell them the full truth, so he vaguely explained that he'd experienced a breakthrough. And to be fair—it wasn't a lie.
For several days, Zhu Ziyang remained in high spirits. Maybe it was his good mood, but even his cultivation speed noticeably improved, making him even happier.
——
One week later.
Outside the southern gate of Anyang City, by the roadside.
Zhu Changhe, Liang Ying, and Bai Xinyi stood together, seeing their children off.
Today was the day Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan set off for Shrek Academy.
"Yangyang, you've always been extraordinary. You awakened your martial soul at six with innate full soul power. I believe in you. You'll definitely be admitted to Shrek Academy!" Zhu Changhe said, pride written all over his face.
"That's right. My son is so outstanding—he's sure to become a student at Shrek Academy!" Liang Ying added proudly, then reminded him, "Once you're there, don't forget to write home!"
"Don't worry, Mom, Dad," Zhu Ziyang replied confidently with a grin. "Just wait for my good news."
"Mm." Both parents nodded together.
On the other side, Jiang Nannan was saying goodbye to Bai Xinyi.
"Mom, I'm going now." Jiang Nannan tried her best not to cry. Unlike the more mature Zhu Ziyang, she was still an eleven-year-old girl, leaving home for the first time on a long journey. Naturally, sadness welled up in her heart.
"Go on, then." Bai Xinyi smiled gently and caressed her daughter's hair with a comforting touch.
The two children departed, following the official road southward.
Zhu Changhe, Liang Ying, and Bai Xinyi stood at the city gate, watching until the children disappeared from sight.
"Let's go," Zhu Changhe said softly.
"Alright," Liang Ying responded, then turned to Bai Xinyi. "Let's go home, sister Bai."
"Mm." Bai Xinyi nodded silently.
——
Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan traveled swiftly southward.
Shrek Academy was located in the heart of the original Douluo Continent—right where the three great empires of Heaven Soul, Dou Spirit, and Star Luo intersected. Anyang City was in the far north of the Heaven Soul Empire, and thus part of the continent's northern region. Naturally, they had to head south.
They planned to travel along the northern road beside the Tianhui Canyon, reach the imperial capital of Tiandou City, then follow the southern route to Suonan Province. From there, they would take a small path toward Shrek Academy. The total journey spanned nearly eight thousand li. For one Soul Elder and one Soul Grandmaster traveling day and night, it would only take seven days.
Of course, there was no need to rush. The start of Shrek Academy's admissions period was still half a month away.
Truthfully, Zhu Ziyang didn't care much about entering Shrek Academy. With his talent, he'd be valued anywhere.
But his reasons for applying were threefold: first, to fulfill his parents' and Hong Zhen's wishes. Second, joining Shrek would bring him the greatest benefits—such as rare soul rings and soul bones. And third, his small ambition: what level of strength would it take to become the master of the continent's top academy?
——
"Brother, I think I see a village up ahead. Let's stop there for the night," Jiang Nannan said, pointing to the faint trail of smoke curling into the sky. Her eyes lit up with excitement.
"Sure." Zhu Ziyang nodded after a moment's thought.
They had already spent three consecutive nights camping outdoors. Although they had passed a few cities, they hadn't stopped to rest in any. At their current location, they were roughly three hundred kilometers away from Tiandou City. Having left Falan City earlier that afternoon, they'd likely reach the capital by tomorrow morning.
As night fell, the smoke from the small village stood out even more distinctly. Leaving the main road, they followed a narrow path for three or four li before finally seeing the village itself.
It was a humble place with no more than thirty or forty households, surrounded on three sides by mountains, with a small forest on the fourth. Beyond the woods lay the road. Walking through the forest trail, Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan reached the village entrance.
They paused briefly at the gate, then approached a nearby house.
Knock knock knock!
Zhu Ziyang knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" came a raspy voice from within, footsteps approaching. The door creaked open to reveal an elderly woman with a head of silver hair. She eyed the two unfamiliar faces curiously and asked, "Who are you?"
"Hello, granny," Zhu Ziyang said politely with a smile. "We're travelers passing through and were wondering if we could stay the night at your home?"
"Well…" The old woman hesitated. Her cloudy eyes studied the two children. With decades of experience, she could tell these were no ordinary kids. At last, she gave a reluctant nod. "Alright, come on in."
She opened the door, allowing them inside.
"Thank you, granny!" Jiang Nannan beamed sweetly at her.
"No need to be so polite," the old woman replied.
(End of Chapter)
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