Chapter 21 - The World: Eaten Yet? No? Then Eat My Fists!
Just as Beibei's CPU was about to overload from Huo Yuhao's manipulative pep talk, a voice rang out beside them.
"Enough chatter! Let's go. I'll keep you two safe from here on!"
Huo Yuhao and Beibei turned to look and saw an elderly figure who had appeared beside them without them even noticing.
"Elder Xuan!" Beibei immediately called out with a respectful tone.
The old man was none other than Xuan Zi—the one who had been secretly protecting them all along!
Huo Yuhao looked curiously at Xuan Zi. This was the first time he had encountered him in person in the real world.
Just as described in the original story, Xuan Zi was greasy all over, his hair a tangled mess, and his clothes were in tatters. The long robe, which should have been white, had turned a dirty gray-brown and was riddled with holes.
If he wasn't a spitting image of a beggar, he was at least in the same ballpark.
So Huo Yuhao quietly took a step back.
Xuan Zi: "..."
Did you seriously just take a step back?
Considering that Huo Yuhao was still a kid—and more importantly, a rare Ultimate Ice Spirit Master—Xuan Zi decided not to hold it against him.
Despite his disheveled appearance, Xuan Zi didn't wear any winter clothing, even in the freezing climate of the Extreme North. He relied solely on his formidable soul power to resist the cold. That alone said a lot about his strength.
Level 98 Super Douluo—utterly terrifying!
However, Huo Yuhao noticed that Xuan Zi seemed a little irritable, and the phantom of the Taotie Divine Bull floating above his head was also restless.
That, of course, was due to the effects of the voodoo doll curse.
In fact, for such a passive technique, the effect was surprisingly strong—even Huo Yuhao hadn't expected it. Normally, someone of Xuan Zi's strength should have easily shrugged it off.
But the reason became obvious after a bit of thought.
Xuan Zi clearly focused on cultivating power, not his mental state.
He likely hadn't even realized something was wrong with him, allowing the issue to fester and worsen.
And truth be told, this wasn't unique to Xuan Zi—most Soul Masters in the Douluo Dalu world didn't cultivate their minds.
As they approached, the phantom of the Taotie Divine Bull began exerting more pressure on both Huo Yuhao and Beibei.
Suddenly, it lashed out violently.
It took a huge bite out of Beibei's luck, and then turned to bite Huo Yuhao's as well.
Huo Yuhao was alarmed.
"This is bad! What kind of fate is this guy carrying? His luck can actually devour that of others?!"
But there was no time to respond—nor did he have the strength to.
If that Taotie Divine Bull managed to chomp down on him, Huo Yuhao's already limited fortune would be nearly depleted. That kind of severe luck loss would spell disaster—or even certain death!
But just then, the World Auspicious Cloud above his luck stirred.
A fist-shaped wisp of cloud formed and wham wham!—socked the Taotie Divine Bull twice in the face. The bull phantom was dazed. Before it could react, the cloud gave it a resounding slap across the face.
Whimpering, the Taotie Divine Bull clutched its face and fled back to the top of Xuan Zi's head.
Xuan Zi touched his cheek, puzzled.
"Huh, the snowstorms up here must be getting fierce—it felt like something slapped me."
Huo Yuhao remained silent, musing:
"So this is what it means to be a child of fortune?"
Even though Huo Yuhao wasn't strong yet, wasn't influential yet, and hadn't made a name for himself, not just anyone could touch him.
You could hit him, scold him, even plot against him. You could cripple him if you wanted. All of that was fine, because none of it violated the core of what made him the chosen one.
As a child of fortune, with his unique fate, Huo Yuhao would eventually rise. The world would maneuver to send him opportunities, no matter what setbacks he faced.
But if someone tried to kill him?
That was where the world drew the line.
Don't forget—the child of fortune is protected by the world itself!
Clearly, the Taotie Divine Bull had crossed that line just now. It had threatened Huo Yuhao's life.
And so, the World Auspicious Cloud had thrown hands.
Had the bull pushed further, the world might've gone full-on "This old man must not be allowed to live."
But that didn't mean Huo Yuhao could just do whatever he wanted.
The "get-out-of-death-free card" wasn't permanent.
After all, being a child of fortune is a rotating privilege—it could pass on to someone else.
While Huo Yuhao couldn't be killed outright, that didn't mean he couldn't be schemed against.
Techniques like "Luck Seizing Dragon Ascension" were designed to manipulate or steal someone's fate. If a fate like Huo Yuhao's could be defined, it could be seized.
If someone managed to manipulate or steal his destiny, or if Huo Yuhao did something that made the world turn against him, he would lose his status as a child of fortune.
At that point, no matter how high his luck had once soared, death would be final. The world wouldn't intervene—no plot armor, no miraculous turnarounds.
Fate stolen? Too bad—he wasn't worthy to be the child of fortune.
The world required someone to fill that role, but it didn't have to be him.
Beibei, unaware of the hidden battle, introduced the two.
"Little Brother Huo, this is an elder of the Sea God Pavilion at Shrek Academy—Taotie Douluo. You can call him Elder Xuan. He's the one who's been protecting us all along."
"Elder Xuan, this is—"
But Xuan Zi waved a hand.
"No need to introduce. I know. You're Xiao Huo, right?"
Xiao Huo?
That made Huo Yuhao pause. He thought to himself:
"Seems like he has a good impression of me. Probably because of my Ultimate Ice Spirit."
He immediately put on a respectful and innocent expression, bowed, and said:
"Greetings, Elder Xuan. Thank you for your protection along the way."
It was a standard Soul Master courtesy—a bow from the weak to the strong—not some noble etiquette.
Xuan Zi didn't care about such formalities. He got straight to the point.
"I overheard your conversation. I've decided to take you both directly to the Ice Empress Tribe's territory. We'll look for a treasure there that can fully awaken Xiao Huo's spirit."
Beibei was thrilled and bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Elder Xuan! I thank you on behalf of Xiao Ya as well!"
Huo Yuhao glanced at Beibei, exasperated.
Bro, which ear of yours heard him say anything about helping Tang Ya find herbs?
*He clearly showed up for me!
But outwardly, Huo Yuhao mirrored Beibei's excitement and bowed just as eagerly.
"Thank you, Elder Xuan! I also thank you on behalf of Sister Xiao Ya!"
Don't ask why Huo Yuhao had the right to thank anyone on her behalf. The logic was simple—Beibei was his bro. What was Beibei's was also Huo Yuhao's. And what was Huo Yuhao's? Still Huo Yuhao's.
Xuan Zi looked at Huo Yuhao's attitude and nodded in satisfaction.
Looks like this dramatic rescue really won him over.
However, at the mention of "Xiao Ya," Xuan Zi's brows furrowed slightly—but he said nothing.
A failure who got expelled from Shrek Academy—no point in mentioning her. Bad luck.
"Let's go."
With no further words, Xuan Zi raised his hand and, using his immense soul power, protected and grabbed both Huo Yuhao and Beibei. With them secured at his side, he flew straight toward the core region of the Extreme North.
Though he didn't know the exact location of the Ice Empress Tribe, he was certain that the territories of the Three Great Kings of the Extreme North all lay deep within the core.
That area was far more hostile—but also rich with the purest ice-elemental energy.
Any soul beast that could survive there was bound to be terrifying and savage.
This was one of the reasons Xuan Zi had come himself. He genuinely worried that these two might wander into danger and end up as beast snacks.
Besides, they didn't really need any life-or-death training. Xuan Zi had decided: quick in, quick out. The sooner they returned to Shrek Academy, the better.
This endless snow and ice? No chicken legs in sight? Xuan Zi had had enough.
With Xuan Zi's protection, Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei quickly entered the core region of the Extreme North. This area was even colder, an endless expanse of ice and snow, a white world devoid of any signs of life.
However, under the protection of Xuan Zi's soul power, neither Huo Yuhao nor Bei Bei felt the slightest chill.
"Wahoo~"
Flying for the first time, Huo Yuhao was beyond excited—even though he was being flown through the sky by the scruff of his neck, courtesy of Xuan Zi.
Still, this was nothing like riding in an airplane.
Flying is the dream of every modern person!
Except for those afraid of heights.
Bei Bei looked helplessly at Huo Yuhao and thought to himself, "Little Brother Huo is still just a kid, after all."
Xuan Zi, however, burst out laughing. He liked seeing this kind of starry-eyed reaction from Huo Yuhao.
People who hadn't seen the world were easier to trick—ahem—recruit!
Little did he know, the Skydream Iceworm had thought the same way once.
Though Huo Yuhao and the others were in good spirits, the Skydream Iceworm was in a terrible mood.
"Brother Hao, we're doomed!"
The Skydream Iceworm wailed inside Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea.
"I'm not doomed."
Huo Yuhao replied flatly via their spiritual connection.
"I wasn't talking about you! I meant the plan's gone off the rails!"
The Iceworm sounded miserable.
"With Xuan Zi tagging along, how am I supposed to flirt with Bingbing like in the original story?!"
Huo Yuhao just smiled.
"Brother Tianmeng, why not be a little bolder?"
"Huh?"
The Iceworm blinked, puzzled.
"Brother Hao, are you saying… I should just confess directly to Bingbing?"
"Is your brain only filled with thoughts of the Ice Empress?"
Huo Yuhao rolled his eyes before narrowing them and explaining,
"The core of the Extreme North is an extremely hostile environment filled with massive amounts of ice-elemental energy. A place like this is often home to rare and powerful treasures of the world! Most of them would be perfectly suited for me as an ice-type user."
"Now that we have Xuan Zi's protection, why don't we take the opportunity to... 'gather'—cough—explore a bit and collect whatever treasures we can get our hands on?"
With just Xuan Zi alone, they couldn't go full-on treasure hunting in the core zone, but they could definitely explore cautiously.
After all, the core of the Extreme North wasn't nearly as packed with terrifying beasts as the core of the Star Dou Forest.
The Skydream Iceworm wanted to argue that he already knew whether or not there were treasures here...
But suddenly, he found himself speechless.
For starters, he had become a "weakest hundred-thousand-year soul beast" precisely because he had stumbled upon a vast supply of ten-thousand-year ice marrow back then.
So who knew if there weren't other hidden treasures buried deeper in the core?
Even if they weren't as rare as ten-thousand-year ice marrow, lesser items like thousand-year ice marrow would still be immensely valuable to the current Huo Yuhao.
Moreover, the Skydream Iceworm had fallen into an ice crevice at the age of thirteen and had never explored the core area thoroughly.
In truth, he really didn't know what was buried here.
What was certain, though, was that while the core zone wasn't overflowing with treasure, it definitely had its share of hidden gems.
Even a ten-thousand-year-old snow lotus had once been found here.
Of course, the truly valuable treasures had likely long since been claimed by the Three Great Kings and other hundred-thousand-year soul beasts.
But that didn't mean what they left behind wasn't valuable.
Simply put, Huo Yuhao wanted to pick up the scraps.
For soul masters with ultimate attributes, cultivation slowed significantly after level thirty. Huo Yuhao didn't want to follow the same path as the original story. If he wanted to speed up his progress, he'd have to collect some supportive treasures in advance.
In the original novel, Huo Yuhao and the Skydream Iceworm didn't explore the Extreme North in the early stages—partly because they were too weak, and partly because the Iceworm didn't know where any good stuff was.
But now, with Xuan Zi as their bodyguard, safety was no longer an issue. On top of that, Huo Yuhao had trained in Qi-vision, allowing him to see the flow of fate and make educated guesses about where treasure might be hidden.
So now they had the confidence to explore.
There was no need to just come and go.
What was this, special forces tourism?
There might not be another chance like this. After all, it wasn't every day that you had a free Super Douluo bodyguard to take you treasure-hunting in the Extreme North.
Even if the bodyguard was a bit unreliable.
"Will Xuan Zi actually give you the treasures we find?"
The Skydream Iceworm asked worriedly.
"That's not a concern. As long as Shrek Academy wants me to join them and work for them in the future, they will make sure I get a share of the loot."
Huo Yuhao continued,
"Shrek Academy will use those treasures to try to indoctrinate me—make me feel like I owe them favors—hoping I'll be loyal."
"I get it now!"
The Iceworm suddenly understood.
"But Brother Hao, since you already know Shrek's true nature, you won't play by their rules, right?"
"Wrong! From then on, I'll be a loyal member of Shrek Academy!"
Huo Yuhao said earnestly.
"Huh??"
The Iceworm was dumbfounded.
"Otherwise, how do I get them to invest more in me? Before Pudu Cihang revealed his true identity, didn't everyone think he was a patriotic and selfless national advisor?
Why can't I be Shrek Academy's beloved little disciple?"
"Brother Hao, you're the real deal!"
Of course, it was also because Huo Yuhao was still weak. If he had enough strength, he'd hoard all the treasure for himself.
Not a single crumb for anyone else.
Huo Yuhao said wistfully,
"Right now, I just have to guide Xuan Zi in the right direction—I don't even have to do any of the dirty work. If you think about it, I'm basically leeching off Shrek Academy for free!"
"As for Bei Bei, I'll just toss him some unimportant herbs. Anyway, I'm the one treating Tang Ya. Whatever she needs—and how much—it's all up to me!"
The Skydream Iceworm was reassured but still asked his biggest concern:
"But how are you going to approach Bingbing with Xuan Zi watching your every move?"
"Easy. It's not as complicated as you think. All we need is a storm to trigger Xuan Zi's 'something-happened-to-my-disciple' reflex. And even if that doesn't work, I'll just get lost on purpose."
"Brother Hao, how do you know there'll be a storm in the Extreme North?"
"I'm not talking about the weather. I mean something's about to go down.
Because... Bei Bei's death omen star is flashing!"
Huo Yuhao looked toward Bei Bei.
"Huh?"
The Skydream Iceworm followed his gaze and shared Huo Yuhao's Qi-vision.
They both clearly saw that as they entered the core region, Bei Bei's brow had begun to darken.
The portion of his fortune that had previously been bitten off by the gluttonous divine ox was now being replenished.
This was due to Shrek Academy's auspicious cloud of influence protecting Bei Bei, refilling his luck.
However, nearby, the gluttonous divine ox's phantom above Xuan Zi's head was drooling as it stared hungrily at Bei Bei's fortune.
"Brother Bei Bei, please stay safe."
Huo Yuhao offered a kind warning.
You're my first little sheep. Hang in there!
"Thanks for your concern, Little Brother Huo. I'll be careful."
Bei Bei gave Huo Yuhao a warm smile, feeling even more that he was a good kid.
"Hmph! With me around, you're still worried about safety? Are you all underestimating me?"
Xuan Zi grumbled beside them.
"...Of course not, Elder Xuan. You're the one I trust most."
Huo Yuhao quickly flattered him.
Xuan Zi hovered in the air with Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei.
"Little Huo, did your elders leave any records about the core region of the Extreme North? Do you know where we can find the Ice Empress's tribe?"
Xuan Zi might be a bit dim-witted, but he wasn't so foolish as to just drag two kids blindly around the most dangerous place on the continent.
"No idea."
Huo Yuhao blinked his big, innocent eyes.
Xuan Zi: "..."
Bei Bei: "..."
If I auto-navigate you guys straight to the objective, how will you explore the map properly?
Xiao Huo's navigator hadn't loaded the map of the Extreme North, so Xuanzi had to guide Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei through the region's core zone slowly and carefully.
The Extreme North was already infamous for its brutal climate, and its core region was even more unforgiving. Here, even the snowflakes were sharp and solid. Blizzards swept across the icy plains like all-encompassing soul skill attacks. The air was so cold that even the light on the horizon appeared slightly distorted.
And yet, the harsh climate was only a minor concern.
The real danger lay in the soul beasts that lived here.
The more extreme the environment, the stronger and fiercer the soul beasts that could survive it. The three Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North and their clans all resided in this region. In addition, who knew how many powerful hundred-thousand-year soul beasts lay hidden here?
Unlike the Great Star Dou Forest, which was occasionally visited by powerful human soul masters—sometimes even teams from the Body Sect came to hunt soul beasts—the Extreme North had no such visitors.
Its environment was a natural barrier.
Because of this, the rare and powerful soul beasts in the core region of the Extreme North had been preserved fairly well.
Even the soul beast clans beneath the hundred-thousand-year threshold were vicious and bloodthirsty. Limited by their environment and the lack of resources, they would not hesitate to attack anything remotely edible—including passing soul masters.
Barely into the core zone, the trio had already encountered a pack of Icefield Wolves. The wolf king leading the pack had cultivation exceeding 50,000 years.
Xuanzi didn't even bother to fight them. He simply released the aura of a Super Douluo, which was enough to send the wolves fleeing.
In such an environment, even a Super Douluo like Xuanzi wouldn't want to waste his strength recklessly.
If this had happened in the Great Star Dou Forest, a mere fifty-thousand-year soul beast wouldn't have dared to act so arrogantly. Xuanzi would have given that wolf king a couple of slaps for good measure.
Thanks to Xuanzi's protection, Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei didn't have to worry about attacks from soul beasts under a hundred thousand years and could explore the core area in relative safety.
As for the truly terrifying hundred-thousand-year soul beasts, they were not so easily intimidated—but neither were they easy to come across.
After all, the core zone of the Extreme North spanned nearly 50,000 square kilometers—almost the size of 100,000 Vaticans.
Hundred-thousand-year soul beasts generally remained within their own territories and rarely roamed. As long as one didn't trespass or provoke them, they typically wouldn't attack passing soul beasts or humans—at least, not when they weren't hungry.
In the original story, the Skydream Iceworm only dared to release his aura from a single spot in the core zone, relying on the pressure of his million-year cultivation to intimidate lesser soul beasts, luring the Ice Empress into a trap.
The core region wasn't just endless icy plains, either.
Across the vast icefield stood countless snow-and-ice-formed hills. At the far end of the plain, jagged icy mountains linked together into a sweeping range.
Huo Yuhao activated his Qi Viewing Technique, capturing the entire layout of the core zone's fortune flow.
If the fortune of the Great Star Dou Forest was vibrant and alive like the forest itself, then the fortune here in the Extreme North resembled towering, icy peaks—cold and majestic.
Overall, the fortune structure was similar: the Extreme North was a gathering place for soul beasts, so the fortune here also aligned with their strength, status, and bloodlines, arranged in a pyramid-like formation.
What met Huo Yuhao's eyes was a sky of dazzling golden light, surrounded by golden clouds. The aura of fortune felt frigid like the weather—majestic like glaciers.
This was the core zone, where fortune did not leak outward like it did in the outer regions. It was thick and dense, anchored by the powerful soul beasts that dwelled here.
As long as they remained safe, the core fortune of the Extreme North would never collapse.
At the peak of this golden aura was the silhouette of a woman, obscured by swirling clouds. Huo Yuhao couldn't see her clearly, but he knew—it was the shadow of the Snow Empress, the leader of the Extreme North's three Heavenly Kings and ruler of most of its soul beasts.
The Snow Empress was an Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, born from the land itself, deeply entwined with the fate of the Extreme North.
Though she was not a divine beast, her uniqueness and nearly 700,000 years of cultivation made her powerful enough to suppress the entire region's fortune just by existing here.
But she wasn't a divine beast—she could only stabilize the region's fortune, not elevate it or help it flourish beyond what it already was.
Beneath her appeared the silhouette of a scorpion—none other than the second Heavenly King, the Ice Empress, in her true form as an Ice Jade Empress Scorpion.
The Skydream Iceworm, sharing Huo Yuhao's vision, became visibly excited upon seeing her fortune shadow.
"Bingbing! Bingbing, you're still so perfect… Heh heh, my Bingbing…"
Huo Yuhao delivered two metaphorical slaps to his spiritual sea to calm him down.
Below the Ice Empress was a giant's silhouette—the third Heavenly King, the Titan Snow Demon King, said to carry the blood of the Ice God.
Nearby was the silhouette of an ice bear. Huo Yuhao, familiar with the original story, recognized it as Xiaobai, the Snow Empress's adopted son. This 200,000-year-old ice bear's strength rivaled even that of the Titan Snow Demon King.
If Xiaobai were known to the outside world, they'd probably speak of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North instead of just three.
Three kings—yet four shadows. Seemed reasonable.
Below the kings were the shadows of other hundred-thousand-year soul beasts and certain unique variants. These were no longer arranged in a pyramid but scattered across their respective territories.
This was much like the situation in the Great Star Dou Forest.
The Skydream Iceworm commented eagerly:
"I didn't know the Extreme North still hid so many hundred-thousand-year soul beasts. While we may not match the Star Dou Forest in terms of 'fierce beasts,' the number of high-level soul beasts is just about the same. Not to mention we have more rare species and ancient bloodlines."
Only particularly powerful or unique soul beasts could cast visible fortune shadows—those with unusual bloodlines or special inheritances.
Their fortune silhouettes were noticeably smaller than those of the standard hundred-thousand-year beasts, making them easier to distinguish.
"Brother Tianmeng," Huo Yuhao said with a grin, "you think of yourself as a soul beast of the Extreme North, but they might not see you the same way."
"I know, I know…" the Skydream Iceworm sighed.
He understood soul beasts better than anyone—especially as a spiritual-type beast who awakened intelligence earlier than most. Even his beloved Bingbing had only ever seen him as food. Even after he became a fierce beast, she still didn't regard him as kin.
This so-called "we're all one big soul beast family as long as we're intelligent" notion was complete nonsense.
"Still," he murmured, "I was born here, in the Extreme North."
All those years imprisoned in the Great Star Dou Forest, he'd longed to return. The Ice Empress remained his only emotional anchor.
Hunted as prey by the Ice Empress, driven across the sea to the continent, and then treated like a living battery by the beasts of the Star Dou Forest…
Never once had he felt the warmth of family among these so-called "fellow soul beasts."
In the world of soul beasts—or rather, in this world as a whole—weakness was the original sin. Even with a million years of wisdom, if you lacked strength, you were no better than livestock.
Sensing his gloom, Huo Yuhao shifted the topic.
"Brother Tianmeng, do you know what lies beyond the other side of those mountains?"
"Huh?" Tianmeng blinked, then looked in the direction Yuhao was gazing.
At the edge of the horizon, towering icy mountains stretched across the skyline. Beyond them, nothing could be seen.
The Skydream Iceworm scratched his head sheepishly.
"Uh… You know me, I fell into a crevice when I was thirteen…"
"Right, I figured," Huo Yuhao rolled his eyes.
As if you'd be roaming around freely in the core zone even if you hadn't fallen.
"But, Yuhao—did you spot something unusual over there?" Tianmeng asked.
"Sort of," Yuhao replied. "My Qi Viewing Technique picked up a strange shadow in that direction, but the fortune of the Extreme North is blocking my vision. I can't see clearly. It could be my technique's limitations, or something else might be obscuring the truth."
Indeed, the aura of fortune stretched over the mountain range, but something in that area remained veiled—a sign of irregularity.
Since they couldn't figure it out, they let the matter rest for now.
Instead, Yuhao turned his attention to their immediate surroundings.
Using his Qi Viewing Technique was a bit like using a satellite map: at high level, you only see major cities and roads; zoom in, and you can spot hidden details—streets, even buildings.
On a macro scale, he saw the Extreme North's powerful fortune and the unshakable core zone.
Zooming in on their location, he could now observe the flow of fortune and where it gathered.
Even though the fortune here didn't overflow, it still circulated internally. And it wasn't just soul beasts that could affect the flow—certain special landscapes or rare treasures could stir the fortune as well.
Where fortune gathered, prosperity followed. Such spots were perfect for cultivation, or even as burial sites for relics.
The birth of a rare treasure would also shift the local fortune—and the rarer the treasure, the harsher the conditions for its emergence. Without a bit of luck, such things could never appear.
Huo Yuhao scanned the area—and quickly spotted a place where fortune was converging.
It was a hill made entirely of ice. A dense cluster of fortune pooled at its base, refusing to disperse.
Such hills weren't uncommon here, formed through various means—some natural, some due to soul beast activity, some from the corpses of powerful beasts.
Before Yuhao could even speak, Bei Bei fixed his eyes on the hill and said first:
"Elder Xuan, could you take us over to that ice hill and investigate it?"
"Hmm?" Xuanzi raised an eyebrow and glanced at Bei Bei, silently prompting him for an explanation.
Yuhao blinked, a big question mark hanging in his mind.
Then he looked up—at the fortune hovering above Bei Bei.
The Shrek auspicious cloud was swirling wildly, pouring blessings onto Bei Bei. His fortune was rising rapidly, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon within it grew more vibrant, its light flashing with intensity.
This meant Bei Bei was on the verge of a breakthrough—one directly tied to his martial soul!
Even the Gluttonous Divine Bull above Xuanzi showed a trace of envy—but thankfully, it didn't act out.
As expected, Bei Bei continued:
"I can feel something with the attribute of light over there. My martial soul is resonating with it!"
Xuanzi's eyes narrowed.
A martial soul resonance? And with light?
Could it be—
He suddenly burst out laughing.
"You lucky brat! Fine, this old man will help you retrieve that treasure!"
Without hesitation, Xuanzi took Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei and rushed toward the ice hill.
In just a few breaths' time, Xuanzi had brought Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei to the ice mound.
Floating above it, the three of them looked down at the frozen hill beneath them.
As they observed it more closely, their expressions subtly changed.
From their aerial vantage point, the ice mound below faintly resembled a giant dragon lying prone on the ground!
Clearly, this was no naturally formed mound—it was likely the remains of an ice-attribute dragon-type soul beast. After its death, its entire body had transformed into ice, forming the hill!
More importantly, unless something unexpected occurred, that ice-attribute dragon soul beast had likely mutated to possess the light attribute as well.
Otherwise, no matter what kind of treasure it left behind, it shouldn't have been able to stir Bei Bei's martial soul so strongly.
Xuanzi glanced at Bei Bei, suddenly recalling a story Mu En had once told him.
In Mu En's early years of traveling the continent, he had stumbled upon the corpse of a light-element white dragon in some ancient ruins. After the dragon's death, its essence had condensed into a dragon core. With its help, Mu En's cultivation speed skyrocketed, and eventually, the core helped him become an Ultimate Douluo.
Back then, Mu En had even tried using the dragon core to help Xuanzi break through, since Xuanzi's Gluttonous Divine Bull martial soul—and the gluttonous bloodline he carried—was also considered dragon-kind.
Unfortunately, Xuanzi couldn't withstand the domineering aura of the core, and since his martial soul wasn't entirely compatible, the attempt failed.
If even Xuanzi had failed, there was little hope for anyone else.
Since then, Mu En had been nurturing the dragon core within his own body, using his Holy Light Dragon soul power to continuously refine its properties, softening its overbearing energy so its inner power could transform gradually.
If all went well, once Mu En passed away, the dragon core would be inherited by Bei Bei.
But even then, Bei Bei would need to reach Rank 70 and fully awaken his Holy Light Dragon martial soul before he could bear the power of the dragon core.
Coming back to the present, what they had just found made Xuanzi feel that Bei Bei, just like Elder Mu before him, had stumbled across a dragon corpse's leftover treasure!
And for this item to actually resonate with Bei Bei's martial soul meant it had real value for him. It might even help him awaken his Holy Light Dragon martial soul ahead of time!
Then, once he inherited the dragon core in the future, and absorbed its light element, it might just push Bei Bei's light attribute all the way to its ultimate form!
"No doubt about it, it runs in the family!" Xuanzi couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
Initially, he had only half-believed Huo Yuhao's story about finding treasure near the Ice Empress's territory.
It made sense in theory, but he'd never heard of such a thing happening.
To be honest, Xuanzi's original plan was just to win over Huo Yuhao, treating it like a speculative investment—whether it bore fruit or not didn't matter too much.
After all, he was a Super Douluo. What was wrong with taking a couple of juniors on a stroll through the Extreme North?
Nothing wrong with that.
And if he could help Huo Yuhao fully awaken his martial soul in the process, it'd be a huge win.
Now, to run into something this good completely by chance...
Xuanzi suddenly felt like Shrek Academy had hit the jackpot!
It had to be the Sea God's blessing!
In truth, even Huo Yuhao hadn't expected Bei Bei to encounter such a fortunate opportunity. It really did feel like Shrek Academy had received a stroke of luck.
He was sure this wasn't some kind of world-bestowed fortune meant for him personally. The worldly auspicious clouds remained calm and beautiful, without any reaction.
Besides, when looking at the overall destiny of the Extreme North, Huo Yuhao had spotted a dragon's silhouette. The dragon that had become this ice mound might very well have been a kin of that silhouette's source.
Still...
Let's not forget—Bei Bei's forehead was shrouded in black!
Yet here he was, encountering great fortune.
"Blessing lies where danger lurks…"
Or maybe… misfortune hides behind blessings?
Xuanzi withdrew his gaze from the ice mound and turned to Bei Bei. "Bei Bei, where's the thing that's drawing you in?"
"Over there!" Bei Bei raised his hand, pointing according to the pull from his martial soul.
Right at the dragon's head—the same location where Huo Yuhao had seen destiny converging.
Xuanzi didn't waste any time. He dove down with Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei in tow, heading straight for the dragon's head.
Over countless years of freezing winds and snow, the dragon's features had been eroded away. Now, it just looked like a regular hill of ice.
The only anomaly was a small protruding crystal at the summit, still visible despite the snow.
Xuanzi spotted the oddity too. Without hesitation, he stomped down and shattered the protruding crystal—revealing a hollow cavity underneath.
The three of them dropped inside and took in the scene.
The space within wasn't large and was covered in icy spikes. Most striking of all was the central area, where several ice spikes formed a strangely shaped platform. Embedded atop it was a fist-sized ice-blue crystal!
What stood out most was the golden dragon-shaped pattern swirling inside the crystal, exuding a radiant light aura.
Sunlight streamed through the hole Xuanzi had made above, falling directly onto the platform.
The crystal atop the ice altar was gently absorbing the light from the sun.
Huo Yuhao suddenly recalled the convex crystal atop the mound—it was like a magnifying lens, and its focal point was likely meant to channel light directly onto the crystal.
Without a doubt, this was a light-attribute treasure.
But neither Xuanzi, Bei Bei, nor Huo Yuhao could quite identify what the crystal actually was.
"It's not a dragon core?" Xuanzi asked, a little disappointed.
That was when the Skydream Iceworm noticed something strange.
"Brother Hao, that crystal has a soul presence!" Skydream's voice was grave. "It reminds me of something I once read about…"
"Huh? What is it?" Huo Yuhao asked, intrigued.
"A crystal core of the Evil-Eyed race!"
The Evil Eyes were a soul beast species unique to the Sun Moon Continent, mainly dwelling in the Demonic Forest. The strongest among them, the Evil Eye Tyrant, also known as the Evil Emperor, had close to 800,000 years of cultivation—ranked second among the Ten Great Soul Beasts.
As a result, Shrek Academy had done very little research on them. At most, there were records of slain ordinary Evil Eyes, or hundred- and thousand-year Evil Eyes. No documented cases of a ten-thousand-year Evil Eye Tyrant existed.
One special trait of the Evil Eyes was that when their cultivation reached around ten thousand years, their soul would begin to evolve and condense into a crystal core, within which they'd hide their soul's essence.
Even if the body was killed, if the core containing the soul's origin wasn't destroyed, the Evil Eye could survive as a soul—possibly even resurrect and regain its body.
"Brother Skydream, are you saying that this crystal is just like an Evil Eye's core—formed from a soul's evolution, and it contains the origin of a soul beast's spirit?!" Huo Yuhao asked in shock within the Sea of Spirit.
While this kind of spiritual evolution wasn't exclusive to the Evil Eye race, they were especially good at it due to their natural talent.
"Yes, that's very likely. And I'm also sensing faint spiritual fluctuations from within. That suggests this isn't just a soul core—the original owner's consciousness might still be asleep inside!" Skydream Iceworm said solemnly.
While Huo Yuhao and Skydream were reasoning through this revelation, Xuanzi had run out of patience.
"Bei Bei, are you sure it's this thing?"
Bei Bei nodded rapidly, eyes fixed on the crystal without blinking. "Absolutely. That crystal is what stirred my martial soul!"
"Good! Then we're taking it!" Xuanzi raised his hand, releasing soul power to form a palm that grasped the crystal from afar and pulled it to him.
The moment the crystal left the altar—
The entire ice mound began to tremble violently, then collapsed like a landslide.
Of course, with Xuanzi protecting them, neither Huo Yuhao nor Bei Bei were in any danger—though Xuanzi found the whole mess a little annoying.
However, with the collapse came a massive burst of ice-element aura, shooting into the sky like a beacon in the night. There was no way it wouldn't attract the attention of the other soul beasts in the core zone!
The eruption of ice energy immediately captivated many soul beasts who had been stuck at bottlenecks in their cultivation.
They craved this power to break through.
In that instant, the core zone of the Extreme North erupted into chaos!