The small beast was over three meters long, with a shoulder height of eight feet. Its entire body was covered in radiant golden fur. Its form was like a translucent crystal, exuding a mysterious texture.
Its overall appearance resembled that of a lion, but its four claws were like those of a dragon, and each claw stepped upon a blaze of golden flame. Its mouth was also longer than that of an ordinary lion-type soul beast. Beneath the fur, one could faintly see intricate golden scales. In addition to its normal pair of eyes, it possessed a third eye—a vertical pupil.
The two normal eyes gleamed golden, but that vertical eye radiated an eerie red light, tinged with a hint of sinister charm.
Its name was—
The Emperor Auspicious Beast: Three-Eyed Golden Lion!
The vertical eye on the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's forehead was known as the Eye of Fate.
This eye embodied the fate of the Star Dou Forest and served as an anchor to its fortune and destiny.
It was hyper-sensitive to both fate and luck.
When Huo Yuhao removed his concealment, his own fate and fortune were exposed to the Star Dou Forest. When he further stimulated his aura, his destiny shone like a torch.
Therefore, under Huo Yuhao's intentional guidance—
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was drawn to him.
Huo Yuhao activated his Qi-Viewing Technique and looked at the beast. In that instant, he was nearly blinded by a dazzling golden light.
It was an incredibly rich fortune!
It was as if the fate of the entire forest had been concentrated into this one creature.
Most of that luck converged on the lion's Eye of Fate. Fortune would enter the beast through the eye, then be released back, nourishing the Star Dou Forest in return.
In this continuous cycle, the forest's fate appeared to be undergoing some kind of metamorphosis.
Due to how blinding the fate-energy was, Huo Yuhao quickly ceased using his technique.
Even in that brief moment, he noticed something odd—among the lion's golden fate, there was a trace of discordant sea-blue color.
"This beast and I are fated. Just so happens, I'm short a mount..." Huo Yuhao thought silently.
But no one noticed what he was thinking.
At that moment, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion was staring warily at Du Busi.
Du Busi, in turn, was curiously observing the lion.
Beasts that could speak were typically Beast Kings among soul beasts, equivalent to hundred-thousand-year soul beasts.
Although the Three-Eyed Golden Lion hadn't reached that age, its ten-thousand-year strength was already comparable. Calling it a hundred-thousand-year beast wouldn't be wrong. In fact, it was even more precious.
The lion glanced at Du Busi, then at Huo Yuhao, then at Wei Na (who was absorbing a soul ring), and finally at the unconscious Bei Bei.
Yet, it didn't sense the aura that had drawn it here.
Because Huo Yuhao had once again hidden his fate.
Thus, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion lost its target and quickly realized—
"Damn! I've been tricked!"
It immediately snarled at Du Busi.
Du Busi chuckled, "I don't know what kind of soul beast you are, but since we've met, you're not leaving."
With that, Du Busi reached out to grab the lion.
Just as he acted, a stern shout erupted from the forest—
"You dare!"
A searing blaze burst forth from the trees, clashing with Du Busi's hand.
The Red King, secretly protecting the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, had arrived.
Huo Yuhao smirked quietly.
"Although I didn't manage to spark conflict between the Body Sect and Shrek Academy, stirring up tension between the Star Dou Forest and humanity isn't bad either."
Du Busi and the Red King clashed in mid-air.
Boom—
The impact between such powerful beings sent shockwaves rippling out.
As a result, the unconscious Bei Bei began tumbling again.
Wei Na, still absorbing the soul ring, was affected and coughed up blood. She quickly tried to stabilize her soul power and continue the absorption.
As for Huo Yuhao—
He withstood the shockwave but used the moment to roll closer to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
"Old Yi, if you possess me, what are the odds of capturing the lion?" Huo Yuhao asked.
"Heh, naturally there's no doubt. However..." Electrolux's tone shifted. "Yuhao, attempting to capture the lion now isn't the optimal path."
"Oh? What's your insight?" Huo Yuhao perked up.
Electrolux responded crisply:
"Enhance your Ghost Banner Martial Soul. Use this chance to draw in the remnant soul of the God King's daughter. Isn't that a better plan?"
Right now, the Ghost Banner Martial Soul couldn't yet challenge the part of Tang Wutong's soul that had been refined by a God King. But if it were strengthened…
Huo Yuhao's eyes lit up, and he rolled back.
"Let's spare the lion for now."
"You're so wicked, old man!" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm laughed.
"Watch your words! This isn't 'wicked'—this is called 'cunning wisdom!'" Electrolux grumbled.
"I get it—I get it! Old and sly!" Golden Tortoise added cheekily.
"Shut it, will you?" Electrolux snapped.
However, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion wasn't ready to let Huo Yuhao off the hook.
Smack!
In a flash, it pounced and pinned Huo Yuhao to the ground with a paw.
Huo Yuhao: "?"
Three-Eyed Golden Lion: "You think I'm blind, human? Rolling around like that in front of me?"
Still, the lion felt something strange about him—something that made it instinctively want to get closer. So it didn't attack lethally.
Things weren't going well with Wang Dong, so backup plans had to kick in. This was the perfect moment.
Du Busi and the Red King were now clashing in the sky. Though the Red King was no match, when the lion pinned Huo Yuhao down, Du Busi's expression changed drastically.
The Red King took the opportunity to force Du Busi back.
"Human, is that boy important to you?" the Red King asked with a smile, thinking he had found Du Busi's weakness.
"You're all courting death!" Du Busi's fury erupted.
The Red King's eyes narrowed. In that instant, he felt a real threat of death.
"Human, are you trying to start a war between the Star Dou Forest and humanity?" he shouted.
"Why not? If you dare harm him today, I'll slaughter the entire Star Dou Forest!" Du Busi's robe tore apart, revealing his true form—he had already completed his martial soul possession.
To the Body Sect, Huo Yuhao was as important as the Three-Eyed Golden Lion was to the Star Dou Forest.
Huo Yuhao couldn't help but admire the Body Sect's loyalty. Du Busi hadn't even had a proper conversation with him, yet just for his martial soul, he was ready to risk everything.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!" the lion growled, its massive head lowered threateningly. Whether intentional or not, its Eye of Fate drew closer to Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes. Something felt wrong.
Not good. My World Auspicious Cloud is reacting!
Something sinister was trying to harm him!
The long-dormant World Auspicious Cloud showed a mixed reaction of longing and rejection toward the lion.
World Auspicious Cloud: There's Tang in this sugar!
Huo Yuhao exploded into action. His Centipede Armor lit up, and two black, one purple—three soul rings—flashed simultaneously.
Frost Centipede Poison!
Hidden Venom!
Bone-Piercing Chill!
All three soul skills activated at once.
The cold poison penetrated the lion's paw, instantly turning it icy blue and numbing it.
Caught off guard at close range, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion was struck directly.
"Ahhh!!" it screamed, stumbling back, "My leg! I can't feel my leg!"
The cold poison hit hard.
The lion even started foaming at the mouth.
Seeing the Three-Eyed Golden Lion injured, the Scarlet King was alarmed. Ignoring his standoff with Undying Poison, he dove down in a hurry and returned to the lion's side.
"Divine Beast, are you alright? Are your injuries severe?"
Then, the Scarlet King noticed that most of the ice on the lion's leg had nearly melted.
After Huo Yuhao's Ultimate Ice and poison attributes invaded the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's body, its internal Ultimate Fire and Ultimate Light resisted the intrusion.
Very quickly, most of the power of the Ultimate Ice was neutralized.
As for the poison—since it hadn't reached the level of an Ultimate Poison—it was directly rendered ineffective by the lion's two ultimate attributes.
The Scarlet King looked at the still-yowling Three-Eyed Golden Lion and helplessly placed a paw on its leg. With a small burst of fire, he melted the remaining ice.
"Divine Beast, it's okay now."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion whimpered pitifully, staring at its paw as though it had suffered a grievous wound.
This creature, always the one to chase down other soul beasts, had never been hurt like this. It had never experienced such humiliation.
As the Scarlet King looked for the culprit responsible for this...
He discovered that Huo Yuhao had already turned and fled.
Undying Poison still stood in his way.
Huo Yuhao had never expected his strike to truly wound the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
The lion's bloodline far surpassed that of the Mutant Frost Centipede Martial Soul.
"With dual Ultimate attributes of Fire and Light, plus a spiritual attribute—and even the hidden Golden Dragon bloodline that could awaken another ultimate attribute..."
"It's a full-on Dragon-AoTian template. It's more like a walking cheat than even me," Huo Yuhao muttered in frustration.
Honestly, if not for the messy drama involving the Dragon God and the Divine Realm, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion could've easily been the protagonist of this story.
"Yuhao, your potential far surpasses that of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion," Electrolux said encouragingly.
Huo Yuhao rolled his eyes. "Where I am today is thanks to my own hard work! That lion was born gifted!"
"Yes yes, of course..." Electrolux replied perfunctorily, speechless.
The Skydream Iceworm, however, said with some confusion, "But why does the lion's personality feel different from Wang Qiu'er?"
Electrolux chuckled, "Haven't you noticed? Wang Qiu'er's personality was very similar to Wang Dong's at the beginning. Once the Three-Eyed Golden Lion transforms into human form, whose personality do you think dominates?"
Novels might not always mirror reality, but they still offer strong insights.
"I see! How despicable!" the Skydream Iceworm exclaimed in realization.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao had picked up the unconscious Bei Bei and returned to Vena's side.
From here on out, the situation had escalated beyond their ability to intervene.
Because—Undying Poison was truly intent on killing.
"Scarlet King, today is your end!" Undying Poison declared coldly as he charged.
The Scarlet King quickly dodged with the lion, shouting anxiously, "Human, must you truly commit such extinction?"
"A barking dog dares raise its voice at me?!" Undying Poison had no intention of arguing and attacked outright.
Dark crimson flames and virulent green poison clashed and exploded across the Star Dou Great Forest.
The Scarlet King's true form was the Three-Headed Scarlet Demon Mastiff—ranked eighth among the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts.
Known in the martial world as "Old Eight."
Even Shrek Academy had to show the Scarlet King some respect.
After all, behind him stood other ferocious beasts.
A misstep could trigger a beast tide.
But today, he encountered the unreasonable Undying Poison.
Was Undying Poison the merciful type?
Worried about causing a beast tide?
Didn't the Body Sect already cause one in the past?
When the Body Sect once ventured into the forest en masse to hunt the Beast King, they triggered a beast tide.
Although they later teamed up with Shrek Academy to resist it, the Body Sect was banned from entering the forest again.
Yet here was Undying Poison, back anyway.
A written agreement was nothing more than toilet paper if no one noticed.
Given the Scarlet King's strength, he already struggled to face Xuanzi—let alone Undying Poison.
Xuanzi represented the peak power of the early Peerless Tang Sect era. Undying Poison, meanwhile, was the powerhouse of the mid-era—his raw power exceeded Xuanzi's.
The Scarlet King was effectively fighting outside his time period.
Worse, he had to protect the Three-Eyed Golden Lion too.
One wrong move, and both he and the lion would perish here today.
As the battle continued, the Scarlet King was increasingly overwhelmed.
Torrents of inky green light smothered the fragile flames, thunderously exploding. Angry roars and pitiful canine wails echoed endlessly.
"I want rivers of blood!"
"Master Poison, take its bottom lane!"
"Beat it into a dog's head... oh wait, it is a dog's head!"
Huo Yuhao watched from below, closely observing the battle. Thanks to Undying Poison's intentional protection, he and his companions weren't caught in the crossfire.
Though protected by the Scarlet King, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion still felt insecure. It curled up into a ball, peeking out cautiously.
While watching, Huo Yuhao secretly activated his All-Seeing Eye, using the moment to learn from Undying Poison.
Body Sect soul masters rarely used soul rings or skills—instead, they relied heavily on inherited combat techniques.
As the Sect Master, Undying Poison naturally possessed the most powerful techniques of the Body Sect.
Under the All-Seeing Eye's tutelage, Huo Yuhao began to pick up some crucial insights.
"Truly deserving of the name Undying Poison—he refined his body with poison, fusing it throughout. The toxicity within far exceeds that of the Mutant Frost Centipede Martial Soul. It's just a shame he hasn't undergone the final transformation to reach Ultimate Poison," Yuhao noted internally.
Undying Poison's Martial Soul was his own body and originally had no poison attribute. But through body refinement using toxins and the absorption of toxic soul rings, he made both his body and Martial Soul poisonous.
He had likely chosen the poison path because he'd mastered a poison-body refining technique—possibly a core secret of the Body Sect.
Unfortunately, he had not completed the evolution into Ultimate Poison.
Otherwise, he might've had the potential to challenge Mu En.
When it comes to Ultimate Attributes—missing even a sliver means you've missed it completely.
Still, this opened Yuhao's eyes to the unique potential of body-based Martial Souls and inspired a new idea.
"Refining my Evil Eye Martial Soul with attributes? Maybe that could work."
The Evil Eye Martial Soul came with a natural spiritual attribute. Thanks to the ten-thousand-year Snow Lotus, it had also gained ice/snow attributes.
But that change had been incidental—caused by Yuhao himself, not by directly refining the Evil Eye.
"Maybe I can try to deliberately refine the Evil Eye with special attributes. It might awaken new powers or even trigger a transformation."
As for Undying Poison's combat techniques—
They all revolved around his poison-refined body.
Yuhao briefly pushed his All-Seeing Eye to its full power—
—and successfully learned a special high-level technique.
It was an advanced single-target strike mastered by Undying Poison. Using his hand as the core, he unleashed an attack that fused his toxins with soul power, creating massive damage.
Raising his hand, Yuhao mimicked the move. A faint medicinal mist gathered in his palm in a unique formation.
Just as the technique was about to take form, Yuhao dispelled it.
Now wasn't the time to test out new techniques.
Besides—someone was coming!
In the distant sky, a figure flew toward them at high speed, radiating an aura of light. A faint phoenix cry echoed across the heavens.
Toxic poison and flames ravaged large swaths of the forest.
And it didn't take long for other powerful figures to be drawn in.
For instance, Yan Shaozhe, who had gone out specifically to rendezvous with Huo Yuhao.
Yes—"rendezvous."
Worried that Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei might get into trouble again, Yan Shaozhe had personally set out to meet them. On the way, however, he received word from the Heavenly Soul Empire that Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei, along with Wei Na, had gone to the Great Star Dou Forest to acquire spirit rings. He immediately changed course and rushed to the forest.
While searching for them, Yan Shaozhe sensed the battle fluctuations of powerful soul masters and, realizing something was wrong, hurried over to investigate.
At the same time, the poison-resistant expert who had subdued the Red King—"Deathless Poison"—also noticed someone approaching.
"Light Phoenix? That must be Mu En's disciple, huh? Hmph!" Deathless Poison snorted coldly, clearly displeased.
With Yan Shaozhe on the way, it was time for him to leave. If anyone saw him hunting savage beasts, it could bring unnecessary trouble to the Body Sect.
He looked down at the Red King and sneered, "Scram. You're lucky to be alive."
The Red King was boiling with rage, his teeth grinding as if they would shatter. He wanted to charge at Deathless Poison for a final fight.
But seeing the trembling Three-Eyed Golden Lion next to him, he could only snort and throw out a threat: "The Great Star Dou Forest will remember this!"
With that, the Red King used his soul power to scoop up the lion and fled in humiliation.
Deathless Poison gave a mocking chuckle.
Given a bit more time, he would've had no trouble taking both of them down.
Unfortunately, the timing just wasn't right.
Huo Yuhao felt a bit regretful.
Such an intense battle—and no kills.
Hovering above, Deathless Poison looked at Huo Yuhao, his expression complicated and conflicted.
If he could, he'd take Huo Yuhao away right now. As for the incoming Yan Shaozhe? He could just kill him.
But...
"Fine. Let's place our faith in the Heavenly Soul Empire and Wei Na this once. Besides, Huo Yuhao's Eye Martial Soul won't fully awaken any time soon."
If the Heavenly Soul Empire's plan succeeded, it would weaken Shrek Academy and pull Huo Yuhao into their camp. Only then could the Body Sect rise to prominence.
In the next instant, Deathless Poison flashed in front of Huo Yuhao. Locking eyes with him, he declared in a booming voice,
"Kid, if one day you want to awaken the power slumbering within you and grow stronger, come find me at the Body Sect. That's your true home!"
"I belong to Shrek Academy! I don't care about some Body Sect!" Huo Yuhao shot back stubbornly.
Because, well, Yan Shaozhe was almost here~
"No—you'll come to the Body Sect eventually. Hahaha…"
With that laugh, Deathless Poison soared away into the sky.
To him, as long as Huo Yuhao possessed those eyes, he was destined to awaken a true Body Martial Soul. And that meant he would one day come looking for the Body Sect.
Only the Body Sect could cultivate genuine Body Martial Soul Masters!
He didn't bother warning Huo Yuhao to keep the Body Sect's involvement secret. If the matter caused tension between Huo Yuhao and Shrek Academy, all the better.
Moments after Deathless Poison disappeared, Yan Shaozhe finally arrived.
His face darkened when he saw the scorched forest and the unconscious Bei Bei next to Huo Yuhao. He rushed down in alarm.
"Yuhao, are you okay? What happened to Bei Bei?" Yan Shaozhe asked anxiously.
"Senior Brother Yan Shaozhe…" Huo Yuhao responded in a teary-eyed voice, running up to him and launching into his "tragic tale."
Of course, he left out any mention of the Body Sect's invitation.
After all, one doesn't tell their "wife" about flirting with a "mistress."
So, the version he gave went like this:
They encountered a powerful enemy who had a grudge against Shrek Academy. The enemy humiliated him and Bei Bei. In the heat of the moment, Huo Yuhao exploded with hidden potential—his Ice Jade Centipede Martial Soul mutated, unlocking a new armor ability.
Then, at a life-or-death moment, a savage beast stormed onto the scene and fought the powerful enemy to a draw. Both retreated.
Thanks to that, Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei narrowly survived.
As for Wei Na, she was still absorbing her spirit ring. Totally unaware of anything.
Yan Shaozhe was horrified just hearing it.
After Wei Na finished absorbing her ring, he immediately brought the three of them back to Shrek Academy.
But the matter didn't end there.
A few days later, Shrek Academy received a letter from the Heavenly Soul Empire.
They reported that the three Soul Sages responsible for protecting Wei Na had gone missing. Wei Na claimed she knew nothing and the Empire wanted to check if Shrek had any related intel.
Yan Shaozhe speculated that the Soul Sages were probably killed by the mysterious enemy and felt a twinge of guilt. But he appreciated Wei Na not revealing anything and began to trust her more.
In the reply, he didn't tell the "truth."
He simply responded that Shrek had no information but would do everything it could to help investigate.
When Huo Yuhao learned of this, he was dumbfounded.
"The Heavenly Soul Empire is really good at playing the game."
They not only cleared themselves of suspicion but also helped Wei Na gain Shrek's favor.
All it cost them was a letter full of lies.
As for whether Shrek would become suspicious?
Come on—ferocious beasts got involved. No way the Heavenly Soul Empire could've staged all that with the beasts, right?
Meanwhile—
The Red King brought the Three-Eyed Golden Lion back to the Lake of Life.
Thanks to the lake's healing properties, the Red King recovered quickly.
And after this ordeal, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion had become unusually well-behaved. It hadn't gone out to play in days.
This aroused Di Tian's curiosity.
When he saw the Three-Eyed Golden Lion limping around on three legs, hopping with one raised paw, he stared with a baffled expression.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion: Don't ask. I've got trauma, alright?!
"Red King, what happened to our auspicious beast?" Di Tian stared him down and demanded an answer.
The Red King broke out in a cold sweat.
Back at Shrek Academy—
Huo Yuhao returned and, naturally, had to meet with Elder Mu En.
And share the "story" he'd fabricated.
From the sudden breakthrough of the Poison Marsh Dragon into the 10,000-year level and its ambush on Bei Bei…
To Huo Yuhao heroically slaying the beast to save his "big brother"…
Risking it all to absorb a ten-thousand-year spirit ring…
Then his journey with Bei Bei to the Heavenly Soul Empire to find Tang Ya…
Clashing with the city guard, fighting a Soul Emperor with six rings alone…
And earning three spirit bones in compensation…
Finally, back to the Star Dou Forest, where they encountered a battle between a Title Douluo and a ferocious beast—barely surviving the ordeal and unlocking a new Martial Soul form.
As for everything else?
Huo Yuhao simply said: "I don't know."
Yan Shaozhe was on edge the whole time.
Mu En was also shaken.
But the good news?
Huo Yuhao had successfully absorbed a ten-thousand-year ring, unlocked a new form for his Martial Soul, found someone with whom he could perform a Fusion Technique, and recruited that person to Shrek Academy.
Mu En was especially impressed by the strength of the Golden Lotus martial soul.
The new armor ability awakened by the Ice Jade Centipede also pleased him—it meant Huo Yuhao's main body was no longer "completely powerless in combat."
It even made Mu En speculate that the Ice Jade Centipede wasn't a beast-type Martial Soul at all, but a rare tool-type soul.
Martial Souls that could shift between beast and tool forms did exist.
The most famous being the Coiling Dragon Staff.
Xu Sanshi's Xuanming Turtle Martial Soul was also a similar hybrid.
As for those three soul bones—they were still all Huo Yuhao's.
And Bei Bei… well, he'd been regretting it for a while now.
When he found out Huo Yuhao had gotten three spirit bones, he almost slapped himself silly.
He didn't even have one!
But regret aside, he didn't envy Huo Yuhao.
He just felt it was a matter of fate—and this time, Huo Yuhao had been lucky.
Dormitory.
The lights were off.
Huo Yuhao could finally begin digesting all he had gained.
This time, his power had risen to level fifty.
His mutated Ice Jade Centipede martial soul had gained a fourth soul skill, and his first soul ring had been upgraded to forty thousand years. His poison attribute had been strengthened: cold poison evolved into mixed poison, and the toxin could now be liquefied. He had unlocked the armor-forming ability and mastered the divine power of centipede leg clones.
He had digested He Caitou's corpse, though it had not led to the growth of a second pair of wings.
His Evil-Eyed martial soul had undergone a third potential awakening, granting him the powers of True Body Incarnation and the Eye of All Laws. He had gained control over Wei Na's brain-type martial soul and simulated a pseudo martial soul fusion technique, allowing him to pilot the Wei Na Mecha. He also discovered a new development path using elemental tempering.
As for his Ghost Banner martial soul, he had obtained a third martial soul via the sacrificial offering of the Golden Tortoiseshell. He could now summon the skeletal Tortoiseshell and had absorbed the souls of the ten-thousand-year Poison Swamp Drake, the twenty-thousand-year Twin-headed Rainbow-scaled King Serpent, and members of the Ironblood Sect.
The resentful spirits in the Forbidden Soul Bone were yet to be extracted.
Other gains included:
A hundred-thousand-year external soul bone: the Golden Heart-guard Mirror
A ten-thousand-year Poison Swamp Drake soul bone
The Forbidden Soul Bone
Two ten-thousand-year soul bones (ice and water attributes)
The Golden Tortoiseshell bloodline
Visualization of the Black Tortoise with the Golden Tortoiseshell soul housed within
Martial techniques: Ice Mirage Fist, Heavy Leap Suppression, Ice Crystal Barrier
Learned the Undying Poison Palm technique
Inheritance from the Ironblood Sect, including ten million gold soul coins
A large chunk of Life Gold
And a great amount of fortune, dragon qi, and phoenix qi
It could be said that Huo Yuhao had now truly matured.
Even if he left Shrek Academy at this point, he would still be able to grow independently.
However, the value of Shrek Academy had not yet been fully squeezed out.
The Skydream Iceworm was currently fused with the mutated Ice Jade Centipede martial soul, continuing its cultivation in demonic arts to awaken its innate divine power.
The Golden Tortoiseshell had possessed the Black Tortoise visualization and was digesting fortune alongside the White Tiger visualization.
Huo Yuhao himself summoned the Ghost Banner martial soul.
"It's time to strengthen the Ghost Banner martial soul."
There were three directions to enhance the Ghost Banner:
Fusion with soul bones or metal materials, to improve the Ghost Banner's quality
Integration of resentful spirits, to boost its strength
Strengthening the main soul, namely He Caitou
He began from the last point.
Huo Yuhao fed the weaker ghost spirits—those below three rings—from the Ironblood Sect disciples to He Caitou.
These weak spirits couldn't enhance strength or defeat anyone strong; they were essentially just fodder.
Under Huo Yuhao's control, He Caitou took on a vengeful ghost form and, opening a massive mouth like a devouring demon, ruthlessly swallowed the others.
After consuming the ghost spirits, He Caitou's aura steadily rose—reaching the level of a Soul Ancestor.
Then it hit a wall.
Huo Yuhao thought for a moment, then fed him two stronger ghosts—those of Soul Ancestors.
He Caitou devoured them, but still didn't evolve into "Two-Star He Caitou."
He didn't break through level forty or generate a new soul ring.
"Seems like a soul master acting as a main soul still needs soul rings to break through…"
Huo Yuhao thought of someone: Ghost Douluo from the original Douluo series.
Ghost Douluo's state resembled He Caitou's current one, so it was reasonable that He Caitou could absorb soul rings to advance.
Electrolux furrowed his brows at Huo Yuhao's actions. "Yuhao, merging these ghosts so violently might cause He Caitou's memory to become jumbled. Once he gains self-awareness, he might become a different person."
"But does that interfere with your teachings, old man?"
"Er… probably not."
"Then there's no problem."
Electrolux went silent.
In truth, this devouring-based cultivation method made the ghosts more bloodthirsty and brutal.
But honestly, what's the point of raising a ghost if it's not going to be ruthless?
To act out a romantic ghost-human tragedy?
At least make it a female ghost!
He Caitou's strengthening ended here.
Next was the integration of resentful souls.
Huo Yuhao took out the Forbidden Soul Bone.
According to secret methods: killing a hundred soul beasts within half an hour and triggering their soul rings with a special ritual gave a 10% chance of forming a Forbidden Soul Bone. But success was rare. Fusing one directly gave a permanent percentage-based increase in soul power.
Even evil cultivators praised this as expert-tier.
The Forbidden Soul Bone in Huo Yuhao's hand contained the spirits of one hundred soul beasts.
Fusing it would grant about a 10% permanent increase in soul power.
Resentful spirits, a form of ghost, were filled with hatred and perfect for dark cultivators.
Although the crafting was crude and the spirits incomplete, they were usable.
Huo Yuhao activated his Ghost Banner and began absorbing the resentful spirits within the Forbidden Soul Bone.
In less than half an hour, all hundred souls had been extracted and merged into the Ghost Banner.
Once done, the bone disintegrated in his hand—it wasn't a true soul bone but a condensed mass of wrathful spirits.
Having absorbed them, the Ghost Banner's aura deepened. A sinister black hue spread across both sides of the banner cloth.
"At this point, I can call it a 'Hundred Ghost Banner.'"
Huo Yuhao summoned one of the resentful beast spirits.
It appeared as a Scorpion-like creature with a faded pink tint.
"This is… the Pink Lady?"
He recalled its description:
Pink Lady — a communal-type soul beast that secretes a stimulant toxin. Small doses were harmless and could even excite the body. But too much would cause life force depletion and death.
Could evolve into Pink Empress.
Found in both the Star Dou Forest and Sunset Forest.
However, a lone Pink Lady's toxin couldn't even harm a level 10 soul master.
Better to just stab the enemy with its claws. But as a millennium beast, its combat strength still counted.
If evolved into a Pink Empress, its toxins could excite a level 50 soul master to death.
Evolution required 3,000+ years and devouring at least 100 of its kind.
Unfortunately, the Ghost Banner's nature locked growth potential for spirits other than the main soul.
"But maybe I can find a Pink Empress ghost in the future. With her leading these hundred Pink Ladies, their power would rise significantly."
Huo Yuhao had plans for these ghostly Pink Ladies.
In the wild, Pink Empresses led flocks of Pink Ladies, amplifying their toxins into devastating weapons.
He recalled the beast spirits.
Now came the material fusion stage.
Available materials included:
Twenty-thousand-year Jadeheart Bicolor Left Arm Bone
Ten-thousand-year Poison Swamp Drake Torso Bone
Thirty-thousand-year Ice Attribute Soul Bone
Forty-thousand-year Water Attribute Soul Bone
And most importantly—Life Gold!
Yes, Huo Yuhao planned to refine the Life Gold into the Ghost Banner as well.
Don't forget, the Ghost Banner was his lifebound magical weapon. Its strength was his strength.
And he had no intention of forcefully awakening his Celestial Eye—he believed it would awaken naturally once enough dragon qi had accumulated.
The fusion of the Ghost Banner with the soul bones and Life Gold required no manual manipulation—but it would take time.
So Huo Yuhao pulled out a Mountain Goat soul beast's corpse.
While absorbing the icy energy from its frozen body, he waited for the fusion to complete.
Finally.
By dawn the next morning—
All the soul bones and the Life Gold had been completely refined into the Ghost Banner.
The banner's shaft had become a greenish-blue hue, thicker and sturdier—like a javelin.
Then—
Buzz~~
A force that seemed intent on devouring all life began radiating outward from the Ghost Banner.
Huo Yuhao shot to his feet in shock. "A domain?!"
"Retract!"
Before the domain could fully expand, he hurriedly withdrew the Ghost Banner.
That devouring sensation was dangerously intense.
If he had allowed it to spread unchecked, the freshman dormitory could've seen dozens of deaths that very morning.
After returning to Shrek Academy, Huo Yuhao resumed his usual cultivation routine.
During the day:
Huo Yuhao attended classes as usual, learning new knowledge and training his body.
Thanks to the armor-forming ability of his Mutated Ice Jade Centipede martial soul, he also gained additional combat classes. Occasionally, Yan Shaozhe would personally instruct him.
At night:
Huo Yuhao would push himself further with extra training.
He cultivated his soul power using the corpse of the mountain goat soul beast. The ice encasing the beast was getting thinner and would likely last less than two more months.
Sometimes, he wouldn't return to the dormitory at night, instead renting training grounds in Shrek City to practice his combat techniques.
Yan Shaozhe once secretly observed him, only to be noticed by the Skydream Iceworm. But after discovering that Huo Yuhao was sneaking off to train even more in the city, Yan Shaozhe left with a rather odd expression.
To be honest, Yan Shaozhe had never seen such a hardworking student before.
Always cultivating. Continuously on the path of cultivation.
Most notably, Huo Yuhao's excessive cultivation had not resulted in any side effects. On the contrary, his strength increased steadily, which was not typical of someone with an Ultimate Attribute.
Wasn't cultivation supposed to slow down significantly after Level 30?
Well, yes. After reaching Level 30, Huo Yuhao's pace slowed from one level per month to one every two months.
But could that really be called "slowing down"?
Even Soul Elders born with innate full soul power usually cultivate at that pace!
Considering the power boost he gained from absorbing soul rings above his level, Yan Shaozhe estimated that by the time of the upcoming Soul Master Tournament, Huo Yuhao would have reached four rings—Soul Ancestor!
Huo Yuhao had concealed his true level…
But even so, it was enough to astonish Shrek Academy.
A twelve-year-old Soul Ancestor, and one with an Ultimate Attribute at that!
Mu En admitted that in his entire life, he had never seen such a talented soul master.
If Huo Yuhao hadn't been training right under their noses with regular checks, they might have suspected he had become an evil soul master.
So Mu En made a decision to provide Huo Yuhao with a private training ground in the Outer Court. This way, he wouldn't need to sneak off and could cultivate safely within the academy, putting both Mu En and Yan Shaozhe at ease.
Incidentally, Mu En also ordered Bei Bei to start "grinding" alongside Huo Yuhao.
At first, Bei Bei was thrilled.
Later… not so much.
Bei Bei began to look visibly drained.
Xu Sanshi even suspected that Bei Bei had been partying too hard.
But the mentally and physically exhausted Bei Bei had no energy left for Xu Sanshi's nonsense.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao was secretly practicing spell arts and refining poisons and toxic pills to aid his cultivation.
He rapidly consumed the resources stored in the Iron-Blood Sect's warehouse. Occasionally, the girls would help him buy medicinal herbs and supplies from outside.
Besides his normal training, Huo Yuhao also received weekly instruction from Mu En.
Mu En indeed taught Huo Yuhao one of his self-created ultimate techniques—a combat skill.
However, it wasn't the Sovereign of the World from the original story.
Instead, it was a technique called the Bright Dragon Fist, based on integrating martial soul, attribute, and soul power to unleash a custom-made soul skill. Its quality was considered mid-tier.
Due to martial soul differences, while Mu En could call it Bright Dragon Fist, when Huo Yuhao used it, it became a completely different style.
Ultimate Ice Attribute + Poison Attribute + Mutated Ice Jade Centipede Martial Soul.
Huo Yuhao named it: Extreme Ice Frost Centipede Fist.
Bei Bei also began learning the technique, but his progress was much slower. After two weeks, he had only just reached the entry level.
His version of the move would be called Thunder Dragon Fist.
Mu En praised Bei Bei as a person with rare talent, saying his learning speed was already impressive.
As for Huo Yuhao… Mu En refused to comment.
Wei Na had also successfully enrolled at Shrek Academy, albeit in the same grade as Bei Bei.
Upon entering Shrek, she drafted a detailed plan to win Huo Yuhao's affection.
However, when Wei Na discovered that many girls were already swarming around him, she sensed danger and quickly abandoned her original plan.
To "rescue" Huo Yuhao from the clutches of these girls, Wei Na publicly claimed that she and Huo Yuhao shared a martial soul fusion skill and that their relationship was "not ordinary."
The girls, however, didn't seem to mind at all.
One even commented that Wei Na had arrived at the perfect time.
Wei Na nearly ground her teeth to dust.
No longer caring about rumors, she clung to Huo Yuhao whenever she could—she even wished she could live with him.
The male students, of course, were filled with envy, but surprisingly accepted it as normal.
They were used to it by now.
Fortunately, after joining the crowd of girls, Wei Na noticed that Huo Yuhao treated them much like he did other students. There was no indication of further intimacy.
He simply cultivated alongside them and encouraged mutual improvement.
At least, that's what Wei Na observed.
Out of her sight, however, Huo Yuhao was steadily harvesting their fate energy, while also pushing them to train harder.
With a huge influx of jade and other resources, the girls' cultivation speeds soared. A few were already nearing Level 30 and could reach Soul Elder before the holidays.
Once their cultivation matured, Huo Yuhao planned another harvest.
"With Jade Nurturing Technique, once they reach Soul King or Soul Sage level, I can reap the benefits. But I'll need to make sure the garden isn't plundered by wild boars first."
So Huo Yuhao quietly increased his influence over the girls.
Most of the girls clinging to Huo Yuhao were from Class One of Year One—about ten of them. Their numbers weren't enough to draw widespread attention.
Others just assumed these girls were attracted to his looks and talent.
Their increased cultivation speed was attributed to following Huo Yuhao's lead.
As someone who had "been there," Yan Shaozhe once subtly advised Huo Yuhao not to be too flirtatious. He deserved a truly outstanding woman.
Naturally, this was a veiled reference to Ma Xiaotao.
Mu En, on the other hand, laughed and told Huo Yuhao that since he was attracting them, he needed to take responsibility—at the very least, to "feed them well."
That's when Huo Yuhao remembered—
Mu En had another title:
The legendary "Feed-Till-Full Douluo."
There was no such thing as a "proper" person in Shrek Academy. All this talk about deep affection and devotion was just them getting bored of wildflowers and looking to plant the best one in their home garden.
But Brother Hao was different.
He brought enlightenment to the masses! Bodily charity!
After returning to Shrek, Huo Yuhao became completely obsessed with training.
He even dragged others into it—especially his classmates from Class One.
He would often hang around Zhu Lu and Ning Tian, seemingly trying to draw their attention.
This infuriated Dai Huabin and Wu Feng, who started keeping a close watch on Huo Yuhao while training like maniacs themselves—swearing to surpass him and beat his face in.
Wu Feng was genuinely furious. She couldn't beat him, but she refused to accept that.
Dai Huabin, on the other hand, was driven by fear.
Huo Yuhao's subtle influence—and the memory of his terrifying mutated martial soul—grew deeper and deeper in Dai Huabin's mind. He could only numb the fear through constant training.
But that fear was nearing a breaking point.
Once it erupted, it would either destroy others… or destroy himself.
Only Zhu Lu noticed Dai Huabin's changes, but she was powerless.
As the heir to the White Tiger Duke's household, Dai Huabin's issues couldn't be reported easily. Zhu Lu could only wait until break to bring the matter home.
Wei Na also began soul power fusion cultivation with Huo Yuhao.
It truly accelerated their training speed.
After all, soul power fusion had tangible effects.
When cultivating together, Huo Yuhao's training speed increased by about 10%, while Wei Na's increased by at least 50%.
However, Huo Yuhao would absorb 80% of Wei Na's gain during each session.
Put simply: Wei Na's cultivation speed would rise from 1 to 1.5 (due to the fusion). But Huo Yuhao would siphon 0.4 from her 0.5 increase, leaving her with just 0.1 additional progress.
So it seemed like Wei Na's cultivation only rose from 1 to 1.1.
Which sounded perfectly reasonable.
At least Huo Yuhao left her a decimal point's worth.
And Wei Na even thanked him for it.
"Yuhao, thank you! Cultivating with you is so rewarding—I feel like I'll level up again soon!" Wei Na said excitedly.
The increase in speed was one thing, but the biggest benefit was that due to the ten-thousand-year Snow Lotus's influence, Wei Na's martial soul encountered fewer bottlenecks.
For his "first prototype," Huo Yuhao had invested quite a bit.
But this calm period didn't last long.
Two months after returning to Shrek—
Bei Bei broke through to Level 40.
It was earlier than expected.
After all, he had been forced to keep up with Huo Yuhao.
How could he not improve?
With the breakthrough, Bei Bei could finally catch a break. Even hunting soul beasts now felt like a vacation.
As usual, the soul beast hunt was conducted by the trio—Huo Yuhao, Bei Bei, and Wei Na.
The three casually left Shrek City.
This time, Yan Shaozhe personally followed them in secret to investigate.
He wanted to know why the teachers protecting them always ended up in trouble whenever Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei went out.
But this time, everything went smoothly.
Bei Bei already had a soul ring selected—same as in the original story, a thousand-year soul ring. His fourth soul skill was the same: Thunder Dragon Head.
Cultivation is monotonous and dull.
Only when the cultivator reaps the rewards can they feel joy.
And so, several months passed peacefully.
Shrek Academy entered its holiday break.