Shrek City, East Gate.
It was time for Shrek Academy to start its new semester, and also the annual registration period for new students. The registration area at the gate was already a sea of people.
A streak of blue and white light flashed past; it was Huo Yuhao returning to Shrek Academy. Huo Yuhao wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered, "Cultivating with the Snow Emperor, I almost forgot the start of school..."
After settling the Snow Emperor into a room at home, he had exchanged cultivation experiences with her. As Soul Masters, their current pursuit was simply cultivation level and power.
Although the Snow Emperor's current re-cultivated Soul Power was only that of a four-ring Soul Ancestor, her insight and experience as the Ruler of the Far North remained. The Snow Emperor's Ultimate Ice followed a technical route, leaning more toward application. She was also the recognized master of swordsmanship among the Ferocious Beasts mentioned by Long Qiu'er. Huo Yuhao took the opportunity to ask her for guidance on swordsmanship and the control of Ultimate Ice. The Snow Emperor did not hold back, directly teaching Huo Yuhao the "Imperial Sword: Unparalleled Chill" from her own "Three Absolute Skills of the Snow Emperor."
This made Huo Yuhao realize something was amiss. From the memories of Lan Xuanyu that he had obtained through soul-searching, one of the moves in the "Three Absolute Skills of Hao Dong" seemed to have evolved from this Imperial Sword.
This was incomprehensible to Huo Yuhao. Just how senile was the Dai Yuhao in Lan Xuanyu's memories that he insisted on naming his moves something so... so creepy?
His brain must have had some major issues...
[Baili Du: I feel like this kid is gossiping about me...]
Under the Snow Emperor's guidance, Huo Yuhao practiced the Imperial Sword and cultivated his sword intent. While he couldn't say he had mastered it, it had at least taken a rudimentary shape.
However, the Snow Emperor's method of teaching swordsmanship was much simpler: combat. The two entered the "Douluo World" to cultivate, using no Martial Souls or Soul Power, only fighting with weapons.
It was even more ridiculous than sparring with Long Qiu'er. Huo Yuhao didn't even know what was happening; after blocking only a few strikes, the Snow Emperor would easily close the distance and rest her sword against his neck.
Sometimes, when his eyes finally managed to keep up with the Snow Emperor's movements, he would be sent flying by a flexible palm strike or a kick... regardless, Huo Yuhao never won once. Huo Yuhao looked down at the Elucidator hanging at his waist and sighed silently, wondering if his swordsmanship even counted as reaching the entry level...
...
After entering Shrek City, Huo Yuhao was the center of attention all along the way. His refined, perfect features, his gentle yet cool temperament, and his crystal-clear eyes drew many fiery gazes from young girls on the street.
Among them was a certain boy. Wang Dong stood in a corner of the school gate, staring intensely at Huo Yuhao.
Logically, with looks not inferior to Huo Yuhao's, he should have been the focus of the crowd as well. But for some reason, not many girls spared him a glance.
Of course, Wang Dong didn't care. Wang Dong had actually arrived not long ago. He had popped an unknown amount of medicine at home and finally broke through to Rank 30 three days ago, absorbing a third Soul Ring that was a full three thousand years old—surpassing the usual limit.
Originally, he thought he finally had the qualification to face Huo Yuhao head-on. But what made his heart tremble was that the aura on Huo Yuhao was so deep and distant that he couldn't even muster the thought of challenging him.
How to put it... it was as if his Martial Soul had met its natural enemy, feeling defeated before the battle even began.
Huo Yuhao returned the greetings of his passing classmates with gentle smiles. Suddenly, a red light rose from within Shrek Academy and lunged toward him at extreme speed.
Huo Yuhao then found himself trapped in a fiery embrace. Without even thinking, who else could it be but Ma Xiaotao?
Then Wang Dong saw Huo Yuhao's head being deeply buried and crushed by those two "large steamed buns" that made him incredibly envious...
Looking down at his own toes, Wang Dong instinctively clenched his fists. When I grow up, I'll definitely be better looking than this Ma Xiaotao!
Wait, I'm in men's clothing right now, why am I angry... but it's just so annoying!! No one paid attention to Wang Dong's internal conflict. Huo Yuhao could only give a stiff smile and pat Ma Xiaotao's shoulder.
"Sister Xiaotao... okay, okay, that's enough."
"You brat, seriously, why didn't you come back sooner..." Ma Xiaotao's voice contained indignation, worry, and many other emotions. She held Huo Yuhao firmly for another half-minute before finally letting go.
Only then did Ma Xiaotao notice something was off. "Little Yuhao, your cultivation..."
Huo Yuhao nodded naturally. "I had good luck; I already found a suitable fourth Soul Ring."
"...Then let's go." Ma Xiaotao said, pulling Huo Yuhao into her arms once more.
"Eh? Go... go where?"
The phoenix wings on her back flapped gently, turning into a streak of red light that soared into the sky, heading directly toward Sea God Island.
...
Watching the two figures disappear into the horizon as red dots, Wang Dong bit his lip and turned to walk into the Outer Court dormitory.
As expected, Lan Xuanyu was still cultivating in the dorm, but... Wang Dong frowned. Why did Lan Xuanyu smell a bit like... alcohol?
"Oh, Wang... Wang Dong, you're back."
Wang Dong smiled at him. "Mm-hmm, Xuanyu, you really stayed at the academy to cultivate the whole time."
Lan Xuanyu smiled breezily. "More than that! I'll tell you, I successfully became the disciple of an Elder from the Sea God Pavilion."
"Really?! Congratulations!"
Lan Xuanyu gave a mysterious smile. "I'll tell you a secret: there's a big event waiting for us soon, so you'd better prepare well. You might even get the title of the Shrek Seven Monsters through this opportunity!"
Wang Dong's eyes widened instantly. "Shrek Seven Monsters!?"
Lan Xuanyu said excitedly, "My master told me. This year, the Continental Elite Young Soul Master Tournament will be held in Star Net City. The preparatory team members will be selected from the core disciples of the Outer Court. That means we can represent Shrek in such a continent-wide event!"
In Lan Xuanyu's original era, Shrek Academy was already the number one power and academy on the continent in every sense, but there were no continent-level tournaments of this scale back then. Competition was mostly internal, like when he led his class to Spirit Planet to witness the Great Calamity of the Beast God Di Tian.
In this life, if he wanted to win more resources within Shrek Academy, he had to make the academy value him more. Winning a championship for Shrek was undoubtedly the best opportunity.
And... a flash of smugness crossed Lan Xuanyu's eyes. Elder Xuan had hinted that he could assemble his own team. In that case, he could rightfully exclude Huo Yuhao.
No matter how powerful he is, can he withstand an onslaught from seven people?
It's impossible.