"Ah…"
Outskirts of the Extreme North.
Bare-chested, Huo Yuhao felt a giant's pattern slowly spread across his back. He clenched his teeth, but the piercing pain came in wave after wave. He had never suffered like this.
"Yuhao, just a little longer." Skydream urged anxiously.
It had done all it could. The rest depended on whether Huo Yuhao could pull through.
Yes—after escaping the Ice Empress, it ultimately chose a Titan Snow Demon with roughly ten thousand years of cultivation. Persuading that lot was too difficult, so it simply killed one, absorbed its soul bone, and converted it into a second martial soul.
That sent the difficulty skyrocketing.
If the four-hundred-thousand-year Ice Empress had sacrificed herself, it would also have been painful, but she would hold back and compress her origin essence—cooperate, in other words. But facing a corpse whose soul bore hatred toward him, even if only ten thousand years old, the pain was similar.
And… more dangerous.
"I must live. I still have to avenge my mother!" Huo Yuhao gritted his teeth. Cold sweat streamed down and froze in this world of ice and snow.
…
Su Wen returned to the academy.
Dormitory.
Wang Dong chirped on about this and that. The earlier unpleasantness with Big Dad and Second Dad seemed to be behind them. They discussed the third soul ring they'd obtained over the break—still millennial, but the hue was darker, representing a higher age for the hunted soul beast…
Ning Tian and Wu Feng stopped by as well.
Mu Qiu'er and Gu Yuena shared a dorm and had arranged to go to the cafeteria together.
The gold-and-silver-haired girls were like twins, eye-catching wherever they went. With Su Wen—the outer court's big boss—beside them, they drew plenty of attention along the way.
"Heard the second freshman assessment starts next month?"
"Yeah, and we face soul beasts~"
"Even hundred-year ones make my heart pound, let alone thousand- or ten-thousand-year."
Perhaps because school had just started, the second-years were excitedly discussing the assessment.
No one asked Su Wen a thing.
After all, asking a walking cheat code would only crush morale.
…
Another month flashed by.
The second-year assessment ended.
With Su Wen's strength, Elder Gong shut him out directly. "Assessment? What the hell would he assess? Am I testing him or is he testing me?!!"
So he was pinned to the bench with a perfect score without even stepping onto the stage.
Huo Yuhao, however, began to show signs of breaking out.
His second martial soul, Titan Snow Demon, patched the holes in his offense. With soul tools and Spiritual Eyes assisting, he actually defeated a thousand-year soul beast at Rank 23.
Dai Huabin came swaggering over as usual, blocking Huo for a bet.
They agreed to compare to two-thirds of his (Dai's) score against Huo's total. The result? Dai lost his pants. A thousand-year soul beast isn't weak at that level—in fact, quite outstanding.
So Huo Yuhao scored 132.
Dai Huabin's 145 looked awkward, because two-thirds of a perfect score is only 100…
So Dai Huabin knelt, kowtowed once, and left trembling. Their grudge was thoroughly set.
…
Sea God Pavilion.
"Let's unify our opinions."
Mu En patted the table and spoke softly.
"In that case, I'll announce the result—Su Wen will be the Sea God Pavilion's heir-apparent, with Lexuan as alternate."
The elders nodded.
If not for old sentiments, Zhang Lexuan likely wouldn't even have made the list.
After all, the two newly joined girls—Gu Yuena with the Silver Dragon, and Mu Qiu'er with the Golden Dragon—had heaven-defying talent. Even among dragon lineages, they were the very top. Even Elder Mu's Bright Holy Dragon was a league lower.
As for Zhang Lexuan's Moon—
The Moon martial soul suffered from the Douluo world's context. The neighboring Sun Moon Empire's "Sun" martial soul and Senior Sister Wu Ming's Golden Crow were both mediocre, lacking any prestige—let alone the Moon…
Letting Zhang Lexuan be the alternate was partly due to her contributions to the academy, and partly because Gu Yuena and Mu Qiu'er's identities were suspect. Two soul-ancestor-level prodigies who popped up out of nowhere would need time to earn Shrek's trust.
…
"Senior Sister?"
Having snatched the Sea God Pavilion heir spot from Zhang Lexuan, Su Wen felt a bit guilty.
"You think I'd be angry?"
By Sea God Lake.
A familiar setting.
The same gentle, graceful inner court senior sister. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, clasped her hands behind her back, and smiled at Su Wen.
"You're right. I am angry."
Zhang Lexuan fixed her beautiful eyes on Su Wen and cocked her head. "As your girlfriend, how can we not even have this much tacit understanding?"
"Girlfriend…"
Su Wen was mortified.
He suddenly remembered—
A few months back, he and this gentle big sister had made it official… Something Ma Xiaotao hadn't even done.
That silly girl still called him little brother.
"Right." Su Wen apologized.
"Then apologize." Zhang Lexuan said softly.
Su Wen: ???
"But I don't want a verbal apology. To make up for the damage to my heart, how about we go shopping in Shrek City~"
"Show some sincerity."
"Mm—"
While Su Wen was still dazed, the big sister took a step forward, her curvaceous body pressing lightly against his as she closed the distance. Her warm breath brushed his cheek, carrying the subtle, intoxicating scent of her skin— a mix of jasmine and something deeper, more primal, like the faint musk of arousal. She tilted her head, her soft, full lips parting slightly before they met his in a tentative kiss that quickly deepened.
At first, it was gentle, her mouth warm and inviting, but as their lips locked, her tongue slipped out hesitantly, tracing the seam of his mouth, seeking entry.
The kiss grew more urgent, wet sounds filling the air as saliva mingled, her breath hitching in soft, needy gasps against his mouth.
After what felt like an eternity of heated exploration, their lips finally parted with a soft, slick pop, a thin string of saliva connecting them for a brief moment before it broke. When Su Wen opened his eyes, he saw two rosy patches blossoming on her cheeks, her full lips swollen and glistening from the intensity of the kiss.
So this seemingly gentle big sister… doesn't have much experience either…
"Leaving me hanging in the inner court for nearly eight years—this is just a little interest." Zhang Lexuan huffed softly.
"And more?" Su Wen was stunned.
"As a couple, certain things should happen naturally, shouldn't they? What, do you want to break up?"
Seeing Senior Sister's eyes grow dangerous, Su Wen's face twitched. He shook his head. "Just feels… a little fast."
In truth, he had always seen Zhang Lexuan as a gentle big sister—more "family" than even Ma Xiaotao. Now that they'd crossed the line, when they did more intimate things, there was a faint sense of dissonance in his heart.
Of course… it was also more exciting.
…
Shrek City.
Still bustling.
Huo Yuhao's grilled-fish stalls had appeared less often. Perhaps earning core disciple status in the soul tool department had improved his finances.
"Senior Sister?"
While shopping, they bumped into Bei Bei and Tang Ya.
Bei Bei greeted them first.
Because of Su Wen, his impression was that when he was young and his parents were absent, Senior Sister had cared for him for a time. Their bond was like that of siblings, so he was naturally warm.