Chapter 86: Soul Skill Backlash
The wings of the Goddess of Light Butterfly behind Wang Dong blazed with sudden, brilliant radiance. Keen, razor-sharp golden light condensed along the edges of the wings, like two poised blades ready to strike. This was his first soul skill—Wing Guillotine.
He beat his wings lightly, suspending himself half a foot above the ground, a light of unshakable confidence gleaming in his pinkish-blue eyes.
But Huo Yuhao had no intention of dragging this out. Faced with this arrogant roommate, he decided to end it swiftly. In the space of a heartbeat, he had already made his choice—unleash his third soul skill, "Demon Eye," plunging Wang Dong into his deepest, most primal fear and bringing this pointless confrontation to an immediate close.
As for his second martial soul, the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, Huo Yuhao had no intention of revealing that trump card just yet. And his second soul skill, "Imitation," was purely auxiliary in nature, without a shred of offensive power. The "Spiritual Shock" within his first soul skill was formidable, but at his current level of spiritual strength, he couldn't find a single peer capable of withstanding it. If he used it recklessly, even the slightest miscalculation could leave Wang Dong spiritually wounded. Arrogant though the other party might be, such a punishment was far too severe.
"Let me show you what true strength really looks like," Huo Yuhao murmured softly to himself, a flash of violet-gold light flickering through his eyes.
As his soul power surged, a colossal, phantom eye materialized behind Huo Yuhao. That eye was as deep and unfathomable as the abyss, its pupil seeming to contain an endless, boundless cosmos, striking terror into anyone who gazed upon it. This was the precursor to the activation of his third soul skill—Demon Eye.
The instant Wang Dong was locked in the gaze of that eerie, monstrous eye, it was as if a thunderbolt had struck him. A primal, soul-deep terror swept through his entire body in an instant. He seemed to see a horrifying vision—his own body being torn apart by an invisible force, forcibly ripped from a single person into two separate, independent entities. The agony of this rending didn't just act upon the flesh; it directly assaulted his very soul.
"What kind of soul skill is this?! What did you do to me?! My head—it hurts so much!" Wang Dong clutched his head and cried out, his voice thick with pain and terror.
The wings of the Goddess of Light Butterfly behind him dissipated in an instant. His soul power fluctuations became wildly erratic, and his entire body plummeted from midair like a kite with its string cut.
Yet at the very same moment Wang Dong was struck, Huo Yuhao also suffered an unexpected backlash. A powerful wave of spiritual force came crashing back at him like a tidal surge, slamming viciously against his spiritual sea. Huo Yuhao let out a muffled grunt, clutching his forehead involuntarily, fine beads of sweat seeping from his temples. This level of backlash could only occur if the opponent's spiritual power was far superior to his own. Alarm bells screamed in his heart.
"How is this possible?!" In the spiritual sea, the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm let out a cry of sheer disbelief. "There's actually a peer whose spiritual power can match Yuhao's—maybe even surpass it?! This is completely unscientific! With that Taiyi Spirit-Refining Art that Furina girl gave him, and my own assistance on top of that, even a Soul Douluo—so long as they didn't have a spiritual-type martial soul—would struggle to best Yuhao in spiritual power!"
The Ice Emperor barked urgently, "Forget all that! Quickly, protect Yuhao's spiritual sea! The backlash from the other side is far too strong!"
Electrolux, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke, his voice carrying an uncharacteristic gravity. "There is the aura of a god within that child. I sense a seal placed inside his body—one that contains a wisp of divine consciousness. That wisp is even slightly stronger than my current state."
A note of relief crept into the old man's tone. "If not for the Seven-Illusion Green Spirit Saliva that Furina bestowed upon us—even if I had awakened a full year earlier, I would not have been able to contend with that divine consciousness. But for now, there's no need to worry. I have already fortified the outer perimeter of the spiritual sea and blocked the vast majority of the backlash."
Electrolux paused, then continued issuing instructions. "Now, you great worm and you great scorpion—slowly repair the inner spiritual sea. To guard against any potential follow-up attacks from the other side, this old man must focus entirely on defense and cannot split his attention."
"Understood!" Tianmeng and the Ice Emperor replied in unison.
Tianmeng couldn't help sighing with admiration. "That old grandpa really is reliable."
The Ice Emperor gave a cold scoff. "Yes. Far more reliable than you."
"Bingbing, don't say that about me! I've been working hard too!" Tianmeng protested plaintively.
In the outside world, Huo Yuhao was gritting his teeth against the tearing agony in his mind. Seeing Wang Dong plummeting from the air, he didn't hesitate for a single moment—he rushed forward. Despite having just suffered a brutal spiritual backlash, he clenched his jaw and used his own body as a cushion, catching the falling Wang Dong.
Thud. A dull, heavy impact. The two crashed to the ground together. A searing pain shot through Huo Yuhao's back, but the first thing he did was check on Wang Dong. "Are you alright?!"
Watching from a distance, a flicker of surprise crossed Mu En's eyes. According to his original assessment, this battle should have been Huo Yuhao's without question. He could perceive Huo Yuhao's abnormally powerful spiritual force, his astonishing soul power cultivation, and his rare Body martial soul on top of it all. That girl Wang Dong simply had no chance of winning.
That's right—the moment Wang Dong had revealed the Goddess of Light Butterfly martial soul, Mu En had already seen through her true gender. The Goddess of Light Butterfly was not a one-of-a-kind, peerless martial soul, but historically, every single soul master who had possessed this martial soul, without exception, had been female. There had never been a single recorded male bearer. So this "youth" calling himself Wang Dong was, in truth, a girl.
What puzzled Mu En was—why disguise herself as a boy? And what was even more incomprehensible was that she had actually been able to withstand Huo Yuhao's spiritual attack. This completely defied his expectations.
Wang Dong slowly emerged from his brief unconsciousness. The anticipated pain didn't come. Instead, he felt himself resting on a relatively soft "cushion." Struggling to lift his head, he was stunned to find himself lying directly on top of Huo Yuhao—and the other was looking at him with genuine concern.
In this single moment, Wang Dong's heart was awash with indescribably complex emotions. He had just been so harsh toward Huo Yuhao, so insufferably arrogant in his attitude—he'd even threatened to throw him out of the dormitory. And yet, at the critical moment, Huo Yuhao had not hesitated to take injury upon himself just to catch him.
"Y-you... why did you save me?" Wang Dong's voice trembled. His pinkish-blue eyes were full of confusion and bewilderment. He tried to scramble off Huo Yuhao, but a wave of dizziness from his spiritual wound sent him collapsing right back down.
Huo Yuhao forced himself to endure the pain shooting through his back and gave a rueful smile. "Your attitude was awful. But we're roommates. I couldn't just stand by and watch you fall."
These words struck Wang Dong's heart like a hammer blow. He recalled his own insufferably arrogant behavior just moments ago, then compared it to Huo Yuhao's act of returning malice with kindness. An overwhelming, burning sense of shame flooded through him.
"I'm sorry..." Wang Dong whispered, his voice as faint as a mosquito's hum. This was the first time in his entire life he had ever apologized to anyone. It felt both foreign and impossibly difficult.
Huo Yuhao blinked in surprise, then broke into a warm, gentle smile. "It's alright. But from now on, please don't go around acting so high and mighty toward others. Not everyone is as easygoing as I am."
Wang Dong fell silent for a moment, then nodded softly. He pushed himself up off Huo Yuhao, then reached out and pulled the other youth to his feet as well. The two stood on the open ground. The earlier hostility and tension had vanished, replaced by a subtle, tentative thaw.
"Your soul skill..." Wang Dong hesitated before speaking. "Just now, I saw something... something terrifying. I felt like I was being torn in two..."
Huo Yuhao's expression turned serious. "That was my third soul skill, 'Demon Eye.' It can summon the deepest fears buried within the target's heart. But..." He paused, looking at Wang Dong with puzzlement. "Why is your spiritual power so strong? I've never sensed such formidable spiritual strength in anyone our age."
Wang Dong's eyes flickered for a moment, as if he were concealing something. "That... I'm not entirely sure either. Ever since I was young, my spiritual power has just been much stronger than most people's."
Seeing that Wang Dong didn't wish to elaborate, Huo Yuhao didn't press the matter. Instead, he asked, "How are you feeling now? Does your head still hurt?"
"Much better." Wang Dong touched his forehead, then suddenly seemed to remember something. His voice turned awkward. "Um... thank you. For catching me. And... those rules I laid down earlier... you don't have to follow them."
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but laugh. "Now that's more like it. Roommates should respect each other—not order each other around."
The sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow across the two youths. A confrontation that could have spiraled into a fierce, bitter clash had ended in this manner—something neither of them could have predicted.
From afar, Mu En watched the scene, a gratified smile surfacing on his aged face. He slowly closed his eyes and leaned back into his chair, as if nothing had ever happened. But deep within his heart, his interest in these two "little monsters" had only grown keener.
Huo Yuhao looked at the exquisitely handsome "youth" before him, his heart still brimming with unanswered questions. The secrets Wang Dong carried were, he suspected, far deeper and more numerous than he had revealed. And that mysterious, spiritual backlash—it left Huo Yuhao on high alert.
"Let's head back to the dorm," Huo Yuhao proposed. "You need to rest."
Wang Dong nodded. This time, there was no trace of his earlier arrogance. He silently followed behind Huo Yuhao. The two walked back toward the dormitory building one after the other, their shadows stretched long by the sunlight.
This unexpected clash had not only made Wang Dong recognize the depths of his own arrogance—it had also made Huo Yuhao realize that in this Shrek Academy, a gathering place of geniuses, he was far from the only special existence. Countless challenges and secrets still awaited them on the path ahead. And today's contest was only the beginning.