After the feast ended, the group parted ways at the gates of Shrek Academy.
Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan returned to the inner courtyard.
"Brother, you seem very interested in that Huo Yuhao, don't you?" On the way, Jiang Nannan couldn't hold back her curiosity anymore and asked, "Why?"
"Because I think he's interesting," Zhu Ziyang replied. "I have a feeling that Huo Yuhao's future will shine brightly."
"Huh? You think that highly of him? But why?" Jiang Nannan looked confused. "Even though he has a body martial soul, his talent is poor. At eleven years old, he's only at the thirteenth level of soul power. If he hadn't joined the Tang Sect, he wouldn't even have gotten into the academy!"
"No reason. Just a simple gut feeling," Zhu Ziyang smiled. He couldn't exactly tell Jiang Nannan that he had read a book where it said Huo Yuhao would become a powerhouse. All he could do was place his hope in time.
"I see... alright then." Jiang Nannan stopped dwelling on it. "Let's hope Huo Yuhao really does grow into what you expect. Otherwise, Xiaoya will be heartbroken."
"He will," Zhu Ziyang said with a smile.
Jiang Nannan dropped the subject of Huo Yuhao and changed topics with interest. "Brother, I heard that this year's freshmen include three Soul Elders!"
"Three Soul Elders?!" Zhu Ziyang was surprised. His voice carried clear astonishment. "Now that's interesting. Do you know where they're from?"
"No idea. Even Xiaoya doesn't know," Jiang Nannan shook her head.
"Oh?" Zhu Ziyang fell into thought. In previous years, even one Soul Elder among the new students would have been earth-shattering. But three in one batch? That had to mean something. Maybe they were stepping stones for Huo Yuhao? It would fit the usual rhythm of fantasy stories—having widely acknowledged geniuses to make a strange, unconventional talent stand out more.
On the other side, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had returned to their dorm.
"Wang Dong, I'm going to cultivate!" Huo Yuhao said with fighting spirit. Zhu Ziyang's words had filled him with motivation. As soon as they returned, he sat cross-legged on the bed, ready to dive into cultivation.
"This early?" Wang Dong was surprised, but quickly shrugged it off. After all, Huo Yuhao was known as a cultivation maniac. "Alright, you do that. I'm going to nap a bit. I'll cultivate after I rest."
"Mhm!" Huo Yuhao ignored Wang Dong and closed his eyes to begin his training.
"Brother Tianmeng, Brother Tianmeng!" In his spiritual sea, Huo Yuhao called out.
"What do you want, little Yuhao?" A fat, snow-white bug appeared lazily.
"Did you hear what Brother Ziyang said at dinner?" Huo Yuhao asked eagerly. His trust in Tianmeng had surpassed his trust in anyone else, and he was desperate to know what Tianmeng thought of Zhu Ziyang. "Was it true?"
"How would I know if it's true?" Tianmeng replied speechlessly. "I'm not human. How would I know all the twists and turns you humans have when it comes to martial souls?"
"Ah, I see..." Huo Yuhao looked a little disappointed.
"But," Tianmeng noticed his mood and suddenly changed his tone, "that human called Zhu Ziyang probably wasn't wrong. Your Spiritual Eye martial soul can indeed be nourished with soul power. And the Evil-Eyed Tyrant-type soul beast he mentioned is indeed a good fit for your soul ring. If the opportunity arises, your third or later soul rings could definitely come from one of those beasts."
"Really? That's great!" Huo Yuhao cheered. "I knew it! Brother Ziyang seems so kind and sincere—why would he lie to me?"
"You trust him this much after one meeting?" Tianmeng muttered. "Still, that human's no ordinary guy. Getting closer to him isn't a bad idea. I sensed a True Dragon aura from him... how annoying!"
The big bug Tianmeng recalled the fear that Di Tian had instilled in him over the past tens of thousands of years.
"True Dragon aura?" Huo Yuhao tilted his head in confusion as he looked at Tianmeng.
"A True Dragon martial soul!" Tianmeng clarified. "Your Senior Brother Beibei's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon counts as a True Dragon, though it's a more common one. That Zhu Ziyang, though, his martial soul gives off the aura of a pure True Dragon—just like that dreadful Di Tian!"
"Common True Dragon? Pure True Dragon?" Huo Yuhao was getting more confused. He wasn't illiterate, but when it came to soul master knowledge, he was absolutely clueless.
"Ugh, I can't really explain either. Just remember—Zhu Ziyang is stronger than Beibei," Tianmeng brushed it off, realizing he didn't really understand it well himself.
"Oh, okay!" Huo Yuhao nodded, then asked, "Brother Tianmeng, you know about the Evil-Eyed Tyrant, right? What kind of soul beast is that?"
"Now you're asking the good stuff!" Tianmeng perked up at the question, clearly excited. "The Evil-Eyed Tyrant is a unique soul beast from the Sun Moon Continent. Their entire race are spiritual-type soul beasts. Because of their strange appearance—just one big eye for a body—they're called 'Big Eyeballs' by the Star Dou Forest beasts. I have to admit, they're a perfect match for your soul rings!"
"Big Eyeballs?" Huo Yuhao pictured it and his expression turned a bit odd.
"The Evil-Eyed Tyrant clan's leader is called the Evil Eye Tyrant Emperor, or the Evil Emperor. He's ranked second among the Ten Great Savage Beasts and has a cultivation of seven hundred thousand years!" Tianmeng's voice grew even more excited. "I know about them because the Evil Emperor is one of the few beings who has ever made Di Tian suffer! I still remember when he challenged Di Tian... tsk tsk tsk, what a thrilling sight!"
"A seven-hundred-thousand-year soul beast?" Huo Yuhao was stunned. But since he had no frame of reference, the number didn't strike as hard as it should have—he just thought it sounded insanely strong.
"That Evil Emperor would be perfect for your ninth soul ring," Tianmeng suddenly said, filled with ambition. "And if we could get his signature move—Light of Time and Space—that'd be even better! That's a skill even Di Tian fears!"
"Uh..." Huo Yuhao was speechless. He shook his head helplessly and said, "Brother Tianmeng, aren't you thinking a bit too far ahead?"
"How could I be?" Tianmeng said with full confidence. "Once you reach two rings and fuse the second martial soul I picked for you, you're guaranteed to take off! With me around, let alone the Evil Emperor—even Di Tian isn't worth worrying about!"
"Haha..." Huo Yuhao just laughed, not taking Tianmeng's words too seriously.
—
Zhu Ziyang returned to his wooden cabin and began preparing for cultivation.
He took out a dark purple soul bone from his Starflame Ring and studied it carefully. He was hesitating whether to absorb this left arm bone.
Its full name was the Death Puppet Left Arm Bone, from a fifty-thousand-year-old Death Puppet Beast. It was a compensation gift from Yan Shaozhe before he went into seclusion.
Zhu Ziyang knew full well why Yan Shaozhe had given him such a gift. Mu En had scolded Yan Shaozhe harshly, then ordered him to undergo closed-door cultivation in the underground world beneath the Golden Tree. He wouldn't be allowed out until he reached Rank 97. Zhu Ziyang figured it would be ten years at the earliest before they'd see him again. As a light-type soul master, excessive scheming was a heavy shackle for Yan Shaozhe. That he had even reached Rank 96 was a stroke of luck. To break through to Rank 97, he would need to purge the dust from his heart and rediscover his true light. Otherwise, he'd never make it.
Mu En had laid down such a harsh punishment because he was already at the end of his patience. Yan Shaozhe, for his part, had accepted it without resistance—he knew he had let Mu En down.
The Death Puppet Left Arm Bone in Zhu Ziyang's hand was the compensation Yan Shaozhe left before going into seclusion.
Zhu Ziyang stared at the bone in silence.
The Death Puppet was an extremely rare and powerful death-attribute soul beast, humanoid in appearance, and capable of controlling corpses and souls in battle. Mu En had originally planned for Zhu Ziyang's fifth soul ring to come from this type of beast.
According to Mu En's inspection, this Death Puppet Left Arm Bone came with a fixed soul skill—Death Puppet.
Death Puppet was one of the Death Puppet's signature moves and a life-saving technique. It could generate a puppet to take a fatal attack in the user's place.
After thinking it over for a long time, Zhu Ziyang finally decided to absorb the bone. After all, the more life-saving skills he had, the better.
Besides, it was a fifty-thousand-year soul bone—and one with matching attributes. He'd have to be a fool not to absorb it. Even as an inner courtyard student of Shrek and the Sea God Pavilion Master's disciple, soul bones of this quality were hard to come by.
(End of Chapter)
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