The master and disciple pair arrived at the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest.
Mu En tossed the Hellhound beside Zhu Ziyang's feet and said, "Ziyang, begin."
"Yes, Teacher."
Zhu Ziyang was faintly excited. The Stillness Fate Ending Scythe appeared in his hand, and the blade pierced without hesitation into the Hellhound's skull. A pitch-black soul ring floated up from the beast's corpse, radiating immense pressure.
Steadying his mind, Zhu Ziyang immediately sat cross-legged and began circulating his soul power to draw the Hellhound's soul ring. The ring smoothly floated into his palm, and its dense, ferocious energy surged into him, pressing violently against his body. But Zhu Ziyang didn't feel any burden at all. With his physique, he could barely withstand even an 80,000-year soul ring, let alone this 70,000-year one.
The soul power of the Hellhound surged wildly, rampaging through Zhu Ziyang's meridians, but each time it was easily resisted by his tough channels and eventually engulfed and refined by his soul power. After several rounds of this, the soul ring finally submitted and began fusing peacefully.
Mu En watched the entire process with satisfaction in his aged eyes. If Zhu Ziyang could absorb a 70,000-year soul ring at five rings, then perhaps when he reached six rings, he might even be able to fuse with a 100,000-year soul ring. This gave Mu En an excellent idea.
Just as Mu En was lost in thought, the Hellhound's soul ring trembled slightly. The tremor was subtle—so faint that only someone watching with complete concentration would notice. Thus, Mu En, immersed in his thoughts, did not detect it.
——
While Zhu Ziyang was absorbing the Hellhound's soul ring, deep within the Star Dou Forest's core region, a massive three-headed hound let out an enraged and sorrowful roar.
"Who? Who did it?!"
Chi Wang was furious, its three heads and six eyes blazing with fury.
"Chi Wang, what's wrong?" The Three-Eyed Golden Lion asked curiously, raising her head to look at him.
"My child… my most beloved child is dead!" Chi Wang roared. "That was the future of our Crimson Demon Mastiff clan! Damn it! Damn it all!"
Flames sprayed from Chi Wang's mouth as he roared, incinerating nearby trees. Within a breath, the trees touched by his fire were reduced to black ash, scattered by the wind.
"Oh, I see." The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's interest faded. She laid back down lazily, staring at the ground. Her mind kept replaying Zhu Ziyang's memories. Everything from the human world intrigued her. One thought lingered in her heart—one day, it would drive her to change fate.
"Shut up, you dumb mutt!"
A green vine suddenly lashed out from nowhere, striking Chi Wang squarely on the head. A chilling voice followed.
At the sound of the voice, Chi Wang fell silent, though the anger in his eyes did not fade.
——
Of course, Mu En and Zhu Ziyang had no idea that the Hellhound they had chosen was the child of Chi Wang. Even if they had known, Mu En still would've killed it for Zhu Ziyang's fifth soul ring. Among the Ten Great Savage Beasts, only the top three could make Mu En cautious. The others were just stronger-than-average soul beasts to him.
About two hours later, Zhu Ziyang successfully finished absorbing the fifth soul ring.
He stood up, Stillness Fate Ending Scythe in hand, with yellow, purple, purple, black, and black soul rings rising behind him. His eyes sparkled with excitement and surprise. Looking at Mu En, he smiled happily.
"Teacher, I've succeeded!"
"Hehehe, not bad, not bad at all! You're truly the one I've chosen!" Mu En laughed heartily, even more delighted to see that Zhu Ziyang's soul power had already reached Rank 52. He asked with a smile, "What's your fifth soul skill?"
"Teacher, you'll never guess what my fifth skill is."
Zhu Ziyang's eyes gleamed with intrigue—even he had been shocked by it.
"My fifth soul skill is called Hell Duel Arena!"
"Hell Duel Arena?!" Mu En's expression shifted slightly.
"A domain-type skill?"
"Sort of." Zhu Ziyang nodded. "Once I activate it, it teleports me and a single opponent into a special dimension called the Hell Duel Arena. In this space, opponents whose cultivation is higher than mine are suppressed to my level, and those with lower cultivation are elevated to match mine. While inside, neither I nor the opponent can use soul rings, soul bones, or any external tools—we can only rely on our martial souls and soul power. Only by killing the opponent can one exit the Hell Duel Arena."
"This…" Mu En furrowed his brow, eyes filled with confusion and surprise.
"Such a bizarre skill… I've truly never seen one like it. But from your explanation, it sounds extremely powerful. After all, within the same realm, very few people can match a wielder of an Ultimate Martial Soul."
"Mhm!" Zhu Ziyang nodded enthusiastically. "I think so too."
How should he evaluate the Hell Duel Arena?
Zhu Ziyang could only say—brilliant!
It was practically a god-tier single-target skill, especially for him. Even without soul rings or soul bones, he still had the Zhu Clan's Five Scythe Techniques, Monarch Over the World, and undead magic. He could even claim that with the Hell Duel Arena, he had the ability to kill a titled Douluo one-on-one!
"But Ziyang, I must remind you," Mu En said with a stern expression. "This skill must be used with extreme caution. If you're not absolutely sure of victory, don't use it recklessly."
"I understand, Teacher." Zhu Ziyang nodded solemnly. He appreciated Mu En's warning and knew better than to grow arrogant just because of one soul skill.
"Haha, then I'm relieved. Come on, we've had a fruitful trip—let's return to the academy." Mu En smiled.
He took Zhu Ziyang back to Shrek Academy.
"Teacher, I'm planning to visit home tomorrow," Zhu Ziyang told Mu En. It had been two years since he returned. If he didn't go now, he'd have to wait until next year's break.
"Yes, it's time you visited home," Mu En replied with a smile, approving the request.
Once he had Mu En's blessing, Zhu Ziyang happily sought out Jiang Nannan to share the news.
"Nannan, pack your things tonight. We're heading back to Anyang City tomorrow," he said.
"Really? That's great!" Jiang Nannan's delicate face lit up with a joyful smile. "I'll go pack right now!"
The girl skipped off happily, leaving Zhu Ziyang and Zhang Lexuan, who had just been chatting with her.
Zhang Lexuan watched Jiang Nannan's joyful back with a gentle smile. But that smile slowly faded, replaced by a faint sorrow. Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan still had parents waiting for them at home… but she no longer had a home to return to.
"Sister Lexuan, are you alright?" Zhu Ziyang noticed her change in mood and asked with concern.
"I'm fine." Zhang Lexuan shook her head, brushing away the sorrow. Her face softened like spring blossoms as she said, "Congratulations, Ziyang, for becoming the youngest Soul King in the academy's history."
"Thank you." Zhu Ziyang smiled back. "But I'm just the youngest Soul King. That's nothing compared to you, Sister Lexuan—the youngest Soul Douluo."
Zhang Lexuan had already reached Rank 83. Excluding the year she lost due to damage to her martial soul and life force, she had gained two ranks in a single year. If other Soul Douluo on the continent found out, they'd be mad with envy.
"Hehehe…" Zhang Lexuan laughed softly, her voice like moonlight over water—soothing and serene.
"At this rate, you'll probably steal that title from me soon."
After chatting for a bit longer, the two eventually parted ways.
Zhu Ziyang returned to his wooden cabin. Seeing Xingcai asleep, he didn't wake her. Instead, he sat quietly on the bed, preparing to receive a long-prepared gift from Electrolux.
The Undead Demiplane!
(End of Chapter)
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