After Jiang Nannan left, Zhu Ziyang washed up, then took out Mu En's notebook, half reclining on the bed as he began to read.
"Light — where the heart points, it is everywhere."
Mu En truly lived up to being a rank 99 Ultimate Douluo. Just the opening sentence on the title page revealed the very essence of the light attribute.
Compared to other natural elements, the light attribute had a very distinct difference. Light was not just a natural element — it was also a special kind of energy, a force that existed within the order of living beings.
Mu En's notebook recorded detailed methods for cultivating the light element. For other light-type soul masters, it would be considered a sacred text. But for Zhu Ziyang, who wielded the Ultimate Light, the cultivation methods felt somewhat redundant.
What he cared about more were the techniques and applications of the light element recorded in the latter part of the notes — this was exactly what he lacked.
The library did contain a number of cultivation manuals for light-type soul masters, most of them written by generations of Popes. However, their martial souls were exclusive angel spirits. Though these carried the light attribute, they were dominated by the divine element, and their insights focused more on holiness. In terms of pure light comprehension, they couldn't compare to Mu En.
And since Mu En's notes were completed within the past hundred years, they hadn't yet been catalogued in the Dimensional Library. If Zhu Ziyang hadn't taken Mu En as his teacher, he probably never would have gotten access to this light-attribute treasure.
"… The first nature of light is radiance — it dispels all darkness and fog …"
Zhu Ziyang extended his palm. With a focused thought, a ball of blinding light gathered instantly, illuminating every corner of the dorm. Even the shadows under the bed and beneath the desk were completely dispelled.
"Heh!" Zhu Ziyang chuckled softly. "Isn't this just a matter of having hands? Why would anyone need special training?"
Though he spoke with casual arrogance, in his heart, he knew the truth — the only reason he could manipulate light so effortlessly was because of his Ultimate Light.
Every element had its pride. If it wasn't of the ultimate attribute, how could it possibly gather so many light elements without practice and form them with such purity?
"… Light is everywhere. Gather the light into radiance, and heaven and earth become one …"
"Borrowing light?" Zhu Ziyang murmured, thoughtful. "Is that really feasible? Teacher specifically marked this section — only Ultimate Attribute users can succeed. That makes sense. After all, light is notoriously arrogant among natural elements!"
Zhu Ziyang continued reading Mu En's notebook.
——
After the entrance trials ended, the new students were officially recognized as outer courtyard students of Shrek Academy. From now on, as long as they passed the annual exams each year and didn't fail more than three times, they could smoothly graduate.
A routine yet intense school life began.
"Can you two hurry up already?"
At the academy gate, Tang Ya stood waiting, full of helpless frustration as she looked at Zhu Ziyang and Beibei walking slowly behind her.
"Xiao Ya, what's the rush? The expo lasts for three days. This is just the first," Beibei said with a bitter smile.
"That's exactly why we need to go early! Otherwise, all the good stuff will be snatched up by the upperclassmen!" Tang Ya scolded righteously.
"It's not that serious, is it?" Zhu Ziyang couldn't help commenting. "I heard that there are only thirty to forty core disciples in the outer courtyard."
"Only thirty to forty people?!" Tang Ya's eyes widened. She turned to Jiang Nannan. "Nannan, am I wrong?"
"You and brother both make sense. Either way, let's just head out," Jiang Nannan replied, her eyes filled with anticipation.
"Exactly!" Tang Ya nodded in agreement.
Under her urging, the four of them headed quickly to Shrek City.
Half a month had passed since the entrance trials. The four of them were now heading to attend an exchange convention organized by the Nine Treasures Trading Guild.
In these two weeks, none of them had seen significant progress—except for Tang Ya. Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan hadn't used their Soul Ascension Pills yet. Zhu Ziyang planned to wait until his soul power reached level 39, and Jiang Nannan would wait until she hit level 29. Tang Ya, on the other hand, had no such patience—advancing her soul power was her priority.
After Beibei gave her Wood Spirit Pill and Mystic Water Pill in addition to the Soul Ascension Pill, Tang Ya's soul power surged from level 23 to level 26. Among the three pills, the Soul Ascension Pill was the cheapest. The Wood Spirit Pill was a high-grade pill, and for someone like Tang Ya with the Blue Silver Grass martial soul, its effects were almost as good as a top-tier elixir. The Mystic Water Pill, though mid-grade, was extremely rare—monopolized by reclusive sects and known to wash marrow and refine aptitude.
With back-to-back breakthroughs and an improvement in her aptitude, Tang Ya's stress lessened drastically. Her originally lively nature flourished, and her infectious laughter could be heard daily.
Soon, they arrived at the Nine Treasures Trading Guild in Shrek City.
The Soul Master Exchange Convention was an annual event in Shrek City, jointly hosted by the Five Major Trading Guilds under the leadership of the Treasure Pavilion. It combined auctions, trading, and exhibitions into one massive gathering.
This year, it was the Nine Treasures Trading Guild's turn to host.
As core disciples of the outer courtyard, all four had been invited. And as newly promoted core disciples, they were entitled to select one item priced under one million gold soul coins for free.
"Wow! It's so lively!" Jiang Nannan exclaimed upon entering.
The Nine Treasures Trading Guild had five floors. Except for the top level, which was the auction hall, the remaining floors were filled with stalls and shops. Each floor bustled with people. It was a grand and noisy scene.
"So, should we explore together or split up?" Zhu Ziyang asked.
"Let's split up," Beibei said with a smile.
"Alright then." Zhu Ziyang immediately agreed and gently pulled Jiang Nannan's hand. "We'll go ahead. Nannan, this way."
"Okay!" Jiang Nannan replied and waved to Tang Ya. "Xiao Ya, see you at the dorm."
Tang Ya didn't respond—she was already being dragged away by Beibei.
"Nannan, I'm heading to that stall over there," Zhu Ziyang said, pointing toward the spirit herb section.
"Alright, I'll come find you later." Jiang Nannan stopped at the medicine exhibit. Though she wanted to stay by his side, she had things to take care of, so she let him go for now.
Zhu Ziyang walked over to the spirit herb area and randomly picked a stall.
"Flame Flower, standard spirit herb. A rare fire-attribute plant that increases fire resistance. Price: 10,000 gold soul coins."
"Ice Mist Flower, standard spirit herb. An ice-element herb found at the edge of the far north. It's food for some ice-type soul beasts. Can enhance the soul power of ice-element soul masters. Price: 8,000 gold soul coins."
"Thousand-Year Bamboo Core Grass, standard spirit herb. A parasitic herb that grows inside bamboo-type soul beasts. Enhances toughness of plant-type beasts or martial souls. Price: 15,000 gold soul coins."
As he walked and read, Zhu Ziyang compared the info in his mind, automatically refining his knowledge. At the same time, he muttered, "Why are they all standard herbs?"
He kept moving until he reached another stall.
"Flying Cloud Grass, high-grade spirit herb. Grows only on cliffs over 5,000 meters high. Usually found near powerful soul beasts like the Flying Cloud Phantom Eagle. Enhances soul power and bloodline strength of wind-type soul masters or beasts. Price: 350,000 gold soul coins."
"Sky Blue Fruit, high-grade spirit herb. Transparent like jade, it enhances meridian toughness and strengthens the body. Price: 800,000 gold soul coins."
"..."
Zhu Ziyang nodded in satisfaction. These were all high-grade herbs, and each was a rare treasure.
As he browsed, his eyes suddenly lit up. He moved toward a plant with white petals.
"Qingxin, high-grade spirit herb. A beautiful flower found only on mountaintops. Enhances spiritual power and martial soul strength. Extremely rare. Price: 1,000,000 gold soul coins."
The moment he saw the Qingxin herb, Zhu Ziyang made his decision. Herbs that boosted spiritual power were always rare — you find one, you lose one.
(End of Chapter)
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