Faced with Sparkle's words, which faintly carried a threat, Karna remained expressionless, his demeanor cold and stern. He was like an unshakable statue, unmoved in the slightest by Sparkle's words.
He Caitou, on the other hand, couldn't help but shudder. In an instant, his mind conjured up the tragic scenes of people who had been toyed with for Sparkle's amusement, especially his master Fan Yu and his master's wife Zhou Yi. Thinking of their experiences, a fine cold sweat broke out on He Caitou's forehead.
Although Sparkle threatened her, Jeanne only gave a wry smile and shook her head, not really taking Sparkle's threat to heart.
After all, with her power of Revelation, Jeanne could sense Sparkle's pranks in advance by intuition and cleverly avoid them, so there was no need to worry too much.
"Since everyone is here, let's begin. Miss Sparkle, you don't mind, do you?"
Jing Yuan slowly opened his eyes, instantly putting an end to the commotion.
"Of course I don't mind! Before the God of Fun, who would dare disrespect the General of the Hunt?"
Sparkle spread her hands, looking extremely carefree.
Then, under Ma Xiaotao's gaze that seemed about to burst into flames, she grinned and went over to coax her own master.
After all, it was Ma Xiaotao who summoned her. If she wanted to keep seeking fun in the future, Sparkle still had to appease Ma Xiaotao—she couldn't really break her.
At Shrek Academy, Ma Xiaotao, Han Ruo Ruo, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, He Caitou, Xiao Xiao, Ning Tian, Dai Huabin, and Jiang Nannan, these nine masters, gathered with their respective servants.
Among these nine servants, aside from Jing Yuan, whose strength and wisdom both surpassed imagination, there were also Karna, the son of the Sun God; Cú Chulainn, the Child of Light from Ireland; Saint Jeanne; Dragon Slayer Siegfried; and the romantic demigod Aglaea—a luxurious lineup indeed.
However, if only one certain masked fool could be replaced, everyone would be much more satisfied.
Sparkle's antics were truly maddening, and what was even more headache-inducing was that no one could really restrain her.
Take Xuan Zi for example—he hated Sparkle to the core and wished he could tear her apart, but he simply didn't have the strength. All he could do was grit his teeth and suppress his anger.
After all, Shrek Academy still needed Sparkle's strength. More importantly, he was genuinely afraid of being targeted by Sparkle again.
No one knew what this passionate and free-spirited trickster would do next to shock everyone.
The Soul Master Tournament held by the Sun Moon Empire was fast approaching, and the Holy Grail War was about to begin.
Not only was Shrek Academy making intense preparations, but masters from all over were gathering toward the Sun Moon Empire.
…
In the vast and boundless icy wasteland of the Extreme North, the biting cold wind was like sharp knives, howling by and cutting people's faces raw.
Bai Xiuxiu gripped her ice sword tightly, swinging it with all her might in this extreme cold.
Each swing of her blade was accompanied by the flow of soul power, and threads of sword energy escaped from her sword, leaving faint traces in the air.
Though her arms felt so sore they didn't seem to belong to her anymore, though her soul power was nearly exhausted and her body frozen stiff like a block of ice, Bai Xiuxiu still gritted her teeth and stubbornly persevered.
The burning hatred in her heart was an endless source of power, pushing her will to transform at a speed beyond imagination.
"All right, that's enough for today. Take a rest."
Beside her, Skirk frowned slightly, then decisively called an end to Bai Xiuxiu's training.
As someone who had been through it herself, she knew that under such extreme training, Bai Xiuxiu's growth was indeed rapid.
After all, Bai Xiuxiu had deep reserves, being a hundred-thousand-year soul beast whose basic strength was equivalent to Titled Douluo level.
Even though she was now in human form and had temporarily lost her soul beast powers, her essence remained.
So, training intensity that would kill an ordinary person outright could still be endured by Bai Xiuxiu, and with Skirk's guidance, she learned exquisite techniques.
Skirk, unlike her own inhuman beastly teacher, Surtalogi, would never watch Bai Xiuxiu train herself to the point of disability.
She controlled the training intensity strictly, according to Bai Xiuxiu's physical condition, aiming to maximize her potential without damaging her body.
Hearing Skirk's call to stop, Bai Xiuxiu's tightly stretched nerves instantly relaxed, and fatigue washed over her.
Her body went limp, and she collapsed toward the snow.
But in the next moment, Skirk flashed to her side, caught her steadily, and said in a calm yet caring tone, "Don't relax your mind. Use your time for meditation!"
Bai Xiuxiu had spent a long time with Skirk, and she knew that beneath Skirk's seemingly cold and aloof exterior was a gentle heart.
She felt this gentleness deeply.
Skirk not only patiently taught her various martial arts, helping her grow stronger step by step, but also cooked for her, and in her free time, sometimes displayed her skills on the guitar or other instruments.
It was worth mentioning that these instruments were all carefully crafted by Skirk herself.
Moreover, she would teach Bai Xiuxiu how to use them.
According to Skirk, Bai Xiuxiu's future couldn't be only about revenge and growing stronger—otherwise, she would eventually collapse mentally or take an extreme path.
With Skirk, no matter how hard the training, Bai Xiuxiu never felt overwhelmed. Even her ever-present hatred could be temporarily suppressed.
At that moment, Bai Xiuxiu keenly sensed two figures approaching from afar.
Instinctively, she dragged her exhausted body behind Skirk, her voice trembling with fear, "Teacher, they're coming again!"
In fact, Skirk had noticed the two uninvited guests before Bai Xiuxiu.
Since she and Bai Xiuxiu came to the Extreme North, they had already encountered these two, and she had even fought with the stronger of them.
As the saying goes, "No fight, no acquaintance." Both sides were rare powerhouses, and strictly speaking, neither Skirk nor Bai Xiuxiu were pure humans, so they were reluctantly accepted by the other side, allowed to operate in the Extreme North, on the condition that they didn't harm soul beasts indiscriminately.
After all, one was a servant formed from negative energy, the other a hundred-thousand-year soul beast turned human. In essence, they were different from humans.
"Snow Empress!"
Skirk turned her gaze to the beautiful woman with snow-white hair among the two, noble and pure like a snow elf, and called her by name.
The newcomers were the Snow Empress and Ice Empress, the undisputed rulers of the Extreme North.
"Skirk, it's time for you to leave!"
Although Snow Empress admired Skirk's power, she delivered the eviction order bluntly.
"You're going back on your word?"
Skirk frowned, doubt in her eyes.
She couldn't understand why Snow Empress was suddenly driving them away—hadn't they made an agreement before?
Bai Xiuxiu had an ice-attribute martial soul, and Skirk herself was skilled in ice-element combat, so she had brought Bai Xiuxiu here to train, as it was the best place to improve her strength.
Moreover, after fighting Snow Empress, Skirk knew she was proud and unlikely to break her word.
"It's not that. The Extreme North may be our territory, but it's not closed to outsiders, especially just the two of you. But the Holy Grail War is about to begin. All the masters are gathering in the Sun Moon Empire. Don't you want to miss it, do you?"
Ice Empress stepped out to explain.
In fact, Skirk and Bai Xiuxiu had always behaved in the Extreme North, only hunting a few hundred- or thousand-year soul beasts that lacked intelligence and provoked them.
That alone wasn't enough to make Snow Empress break her promise.
Actually, it was Lu Jingming who asked Snow Empress to remind Skirk and Bai Xiuxiu.
Otherwise, with their disconnect from society, they might still be training in the Extreme North after the Holy Grail War was over.
Snow Empress looked helplessly at Skirk, thinking, "Is she really going to wait until Bai Xiuxiu is fully trained before going to the Holy Grail War?"
Since reuniting with Ice Empress, Snow Empress had returned to the Extreme North, focusing on comprehending the Dao of Ice and Snow, preparing to condense a god position, and gathering faith power from the soul beasts.
If Skirk hadn't arrived, she would still be in seclusion.
However, her battle with Skirk was fruitful, bringing her close to breaking through to become a true god.
And that final step couldn't be achieved by closed cultivation alone.
"You want me to participate? What's in it for you?"
Skirk hadn't forgotten about the Holy Grail War, but she wanted Bai Xiuxiu to grow as strong as possible before facing such a cruel war.
Only then would Bai Xiuxiu have a higher chance of survival.
However, she couldn't understand why Snow Empress was so insistent.
After all, Snow Empress and Ice Empress weren't masters; by rights, they had no reason to care about the Holy Grail War's outcome.
"The Holy Grail War has nothing to do with me. Someone just wants you to participate, that's all."
Snow Empress's expression was cold and calm.
In her eyes, the Holy Grail War was just a game orchestrated by Lu Jingming.
The rich rewards were indeed tempting, but as one of the World Serpent Thrones, she knew many secrets.
Of course, she didn't know that Lu Jingming's original plan for the Holy Grail War was nowhere near as intense and complex as it had become.
Snow Empress always thought Skirk was the top servant in this Holy Grail War.
After all, Skirk could fight her, even in Ice Herrscher form, to a standstill—a power strong enough to defeat the ceiling of Douluo Continent, the Beast God Di Tian.
Snow Empress and Ice Empress were certain that Skirk would win the Holy Grail War, and Bai Xiuxiu would become the new Sea God. Quite a dramatic twist, considering the Sea God's former mount would become the new Sea God.
"Can you tell me who it is?"
Skirk asked directly, not wanting to play games.
"No!" Snow Empress refused flatly, no room for discussion.
"Can you tell me the reason?"
Skirk wasn't surprised; if it were easy to find out, there'd be no need for Snow Empress to deliver the message.
Still, she wanted to know why the person was so insistent.
For herself, it didn't matter—this was just a memory body, and she could face death calmly.
But Bai Xiuxiu was different—Skirk truly cared about her disciple.
"Maybe, because it's more interesting that way."
Snow Empress, recalling Lu Jingming's personality, knew there was no malice involved. If there were, she wouldn't just be delivering a message.
If there was no plot against Skirk and Bai Xiuxiu, but he wanted them in Mingdu, the only explanation was: to make things more interesting.
Understanding Lu Jingming's personality, Snow Empress gave this answer.
"I understand."
Though Skirk was surprised by the answer, she nodded in thought, then turned and left with Bai Xiuxiu, expressionless.
In fact, whether or not someone was pushing them, Skirk had planned to participate in the Holy Grail War.
No matter what dangers awaited them in Mingdu, she would go.
On one hand, she herself wanted to grow stronger. On the other, Bai Xiuxiu had her own reasons, and the Grail was the best way to achieve their goals.
If they won, Bai Xiuxiu could become the Sea God, and her revenge would be at hand.
As for Skirk herself, she could descend in her true form and obtain power from another world.
Her unique constitution allowed her to adapt to any energy and environment, mastering any power system.
It was precisely this remarkable, yet envy-inducing, constitution that caused her race to be exterminated, and for her to be noticed by Surtalogi.
Surtalogi was a calamity feared across the universe. Whether it was a doomsday weapon built from the resources of an entire star system, a god formed from faith, or the strongest warrior among billions, none could force him to reveal his true power.
To be noticed by such a terrifying being, Skirk's potential was boundless.
Even now, during her time in Douluo Continent, she had perfectly adapted to the world, not only adapting to negative energy but also actively absorbing it from the planet and beyond.
Given enough time, even this memory body could become unimaginably strong.
As Skirk and Bai Xiuxiu faded into the distance, the figures of Snow Empress and Ice Empress were gradually engulfed by the snowstorm.
No matter what earth-shaking events happened next in the world, they had little to do with the Extreme North.
After all, they already stood at the peak of power, riding the biggest and sturdiest ship, able to withstand any storm from the outside.