'Further Study in the Inner Courtyard?'
To be honest, Huo Yuhao found frying fish in the outer courtyard far more entertaining.
Setting aside biases and speaking without sarcasm—there was something valuable in Shrek's inner courtyard. Unlike the outer courtyard's repetitive training methods, the inner courtyard held advanced martial knowledge:
Soul Skill Superposition, Soul Skill Combination, Soul Skill Compression, Soul Skill Linkage, Advanced Soul Skill Development, Soul Ring Ratio and Martial Soul Mutation and Martial Soul Origin Development.
These teachings were inaccessible in the outer courtyard.
Only by joining the inner courtyard could one receive such instruction—partly due to soul power requirements, but also because inner disciples were considered true Shrek students.
Take Huo Yuhao's current meditation technique, for example. It was a secret art reserved for Shrek's direct descendants, a legacy from the founding generation, refined over millennia.
Huo Yuhao, who possessed the Mysterious Heaven Skill (castrated version) gifted by Tang Ya, knew exactly how these "improvements" had been made.
Ahem—reference, just reference.
Shrek wasn't shameless enough to teach everything to outsiders like Dai Yuheng, who had no loyalty to the academy and would leave immediately after graduation. Even after ten thousand years, soul masters remained deeply entrenched in familial prejudices.
Moreover, the inner courtyard emphasized practical experience. As Xuan Zi often said, "One cannot become truly strong without facing life-and-death trials."
Geniuses came and went, but Shrek endured like iron.
The academy's status as the continent's premier institution was closely tied to its inner courtyard system.
Upon joining, disciples were required to complete specific missions for the Shrek Supervisory Group. While voluntary in name, graduating required finishing at least thirty such tasks.
This was why inner courtyard students were so formidable—beyond talent and resources, they were tempered in real combat.
Of course, Shrek wasn't reckless. High-risk missions had soul power restrictions and were led by experienced team captains to ensure safety.
Unreliable leaders like Xuan Zi were once-in-a-century exceptions.
Though few graduated from the inner courtyard, this wasn't solely due to mission fatalities. The entrance exam was stringent, and many dropped out from pressure or disciplinary expulsion.
The inner courtyard followed a six-year program. While not as brutal as the outer courtyard's semi-elimination system, failing the annual advancement exam meant repeating the year. Two consecutive repeats led to expulsion.
For talented soul masters, the inner courtyard was an ideal training ground. For those from influential families—like Dai Yuheng—it was easy to manipulate missions for merit with their clan's covert assistance. These were the ones who came to Shrek for prestige.
For the less privileged, like Wu Ming, steady training and teamwork made graduation feasible. Afterward, they could remain at Shrek, joining its vast network. Some might even catch the eye of elders and secure early patronage.
In essence, Shrek's inner courtyard operated like a sect.
And Huo Yuhao? As the Sea God Pavilion Master's heir, his private tutoring had already begun—despite still being in the outer courtyard. Every few days, a designated instructor arrived for one-on-one lessons.
The one overseeing this? Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan.
Undoubtedly, this was Mu En's doing.
The man was old yet mischievous.
This arrangement also accelerated Huo Yuhao's rapport with his senior sister.
The era of child brides was over.
Now, it was all about the senior sister-junior brother dynamic.
Use this to test the cadres?
Who could resist?
Certainly not Huo Yuhao.
Passive acceptance it was.
Who wouldn't want a gentle, considerate wife?
Eradicating evil was work; teaching was life.
"Let's discuss it after this semester. For now, learning from senior sister is more than enough."
Huo Yuhao declined Yan Shaozhe's offer.
Yan Shaozhe nodded. "Very well. You're still just a Soul Ancestor, after all."
The inner courtyard's mission experience, while valuable, was dispensable for Huo Yuhao. If he preferred staying in the outer courtyard, so be it.
He was still young.
There was no rush.
…
Shrek Outer Courtyard
Early morning. The second-year students had gathered in the Spirit Battle Arena.
Wang Yan stood beside Mu Jin, holding a stack of teaching materials. Seven students—led by Zhou Sichen—stood nervously nearby.
As a teacher, Wang Yan was exemplary. Upon returning to the academy, he immediately resumed teaching Class 1, Grade 2.
His leadership in Shrek's tournament victory had earned him unrestricted access to the Inner Court Library for a year and a future teaching position there.
But first, he had to see his current class through.
This suited Wang Yan fine. He intended to stand by these students until the end.
Three months into the term, Class 1 had once again outperformed Class 2 in the midterm exams—even without Huo Yuhao and the others.
Class 2, unconvinced, had challenged them to a seven-on-seven team battle.
Class 1 accepted.
Without their top three, Class 1's overall strength still surpassed Class 2's—but their chances of winning were slim.
Rumor had it Dai Huabin's soul power had just broken through to level 39, putting him one step from Soul Ancestor. In a one-on-one, only Wu Feng of Class 1 could match him.
Add in the Nether White Tiger fusion skill with Zhu Lu, and Class 1's only hope was the Lan sisters' fusion skill—but their soul power was merely level 29.
A miracle was needed.
At the forefront of Class 2, Dai Huabin stood silently.
His previous defeats had tempered his arrogance, leaving behind a simmering gloom.
He admitted Huo Yuhao was beyond him—the boy was already a Soul Ancestor with twin martial souls and early admission to the inner courtyard.
But Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao?
The thought of those two—inferior in soul power and skill—representing Shrek as reserves in the Continental Elite Young Soul Master Tournament gnawed at him like a demon's teeth.
'If not for clinging to a Soul Sage's coattails during the selection battle, would they have won?'
Dai Huabin refused to believe their talent surpassed his.
…Except for Huo Yuhao's.
Under their homeroom teacher's lead, Class 2's seven representatives brimmed with fighting spirit. Their classmates behind them wore smug expressions.
After being suppressed for so long, they finally had a chance to turn the tables.
With the tournament over, Shrek had only announced their championship without fanfare. To most students, Shrek's victory was a given.
Huo Yuhao and the others' delayed return went unnoticed—or deliberately ignored.
Class 2 intended to exploit their absence to catch Class 1 off guard.
"Huabin, what's wrong?" Zhu Lu's concerned voice snapped him back.
Dai Huabin trembled. "It's… him. He's back."
His voice shook with an inexplicable dread.
Zhu Lu was baffled. "Huabin, are you okay?"
Then—a miracle happened.
Just before the match, Huo Yuhao and the others returned.
Class 1's morale, once flagging, skyrocketed. Students swarmed the trio, bombarding them with questions.
Dai Huabin couldn't bring himself to look at Huo Yuhao.
Was it the freshman exam, where his White Tiger Fusion Skill was shattered by one punch?
Or the upgrade exam, where that ten-thousand-year black soul ring stunned everyone?
Unconsciously, Huo Yuhao had become his heart demon—a shadow he might never escape.
The Judgment skill was terrifying.
And this psychological scar updated every time he saw Huo Yuhao.
After absorbing Mu En's insights, Judgment had evolved further.
Dai Huabin was its sole VIP recipient.
Huo Yuhao wasn't an evil soul master; he didn't casually torment foes.
To him, defeated opponents ceased to exist.
Dai Huabin had merely smiled at him once.
Now, that icy gaze from Huo Yuhao's victory haunted him like a nightmare, deepening with each encounter.
He'd thought months apart and his breakthrough to level 39 had fortified him.
Instead, his condition worsened.
Limbs numb, body trembling—he wanted to flee.
The confidence he'd mustered crumbled instantly.
How could they win with Huo Yuhao here?
Some in Class 2 mistook his agitation for excitement.
They didn't realize his mind was fracturing, his soul power in turmoil.
As the match began, Dai Huabin forced himself under control.
From his storage ring, he produced an exquisite wooden box.
Inside lay a blood-red pill.
A short-term power-boosting pill, gifted by his mother during the first-year break.
Such pills usually had severe side effects, but this one—extremely rare—was the best the White Tiger Duchess could procure.
It would stunt his future growth.
He'd planned to use it to break through to Soul Ancestor before third year, then challenge Huo Yuhao to conquer his inner demon.
But now, with no retreat, he swallowed it.
'This time, the Nether White Tiger wouldn't fail.'
His eyes burned crimson with fury.
…
Class 2 lost.
Utterly.
Huo Yuhao didn't even fight.
Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao volunteered.
Huo Yuhao, amused, supported them.
Under his mental interference, the battle became two-on-two: Wang Dong'er & Xiao Xiao vs. Dai Huabin & Zhu Lu.
A month of deep meditation—plus Mu En's soul bone—had raised Wang Dong'er to level 37 and Xiao Xiao to level 33.
Their seamless coordination denied Dai Huabin any chance to activate the fusion skill.
Furious, Dai Huabin didn't use it immediately, insulted that Huo Yuhao deemed him unworthy of fighting.
How could these two reserves compare to him?
Then—
Wang Dong'er's Light Goddess Butterfly closed the distance.
Her martial soul switched.
A black hammer materialized in her left hand.
BANG!
The hammer met tiger claws. The shockwave numbed Dai Huabin's arm. He activated his first and third soul skill in panic.
"First Soul SKill: White Tiger Shield Body Barrier!"
"Second Soul Skill: White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"
But Wang Dong'er pivoted, hammer swinging again.
"Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique!"
Forged through her soul tool apprenticeship, this technique—unused in the tournament—now shone.
Meanwhile, Xiao Xiao's Three lives Soul Sealing Cauldron split the battlefield, locking Zhu Lu down.
At level 29, Zhu Lu was no match.
Class 2's core collapsed.
Ten hammer strikes later, Dai Huabin vomited blood.
'Twin martial souls. Again.'
'Why is heaven so unfair?!'
In Dai Huabin's blurring vision, Huo Yuhao's calm face was the final straw.
Burdened by humiliation, Dai Huabin's consciousness faded.
Before darkness took him, a glint of something unnatural flickered in his eyes.
….
Elsewhere:
Dai Yuheng was secluded in the inner courtyard, pressured by graduation.
Had he known of his brother's folly, he'd have sighed: "You court death by provoking Huo Yuhao."
His warnings had gone unheeded.
This defeat would sever their ties completely.
...
With the friendly match concluded, Wang Yan dismissed the class early.
"Today's lesson ends here. Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao, the two of you will stay behind for a while."
His words dashed the hopes of students who had wanted to approach the pair after class.
As for Huo Yuhao, he had already vanished the moment the bell rang—a habit the class had long grown accustomed to from their thrifty class leader.
Wang Yan led the two girls to his office.
Inside the modest office, the rest of Shrek's reserve team members had also been summoned by Wang Yan. Their presence hinted at the reason for this gathering, and they already had an inkling of what was coming.
"Good, everyone's here."
Without preamble, Wang Yan retrieved three soul bones from his soul guidance device.
"These three soul bones are the championship rewards from the Continental Elite Young Soul Master Tournament, as promised by the academy to the seven of you. They will now be distributed based on your abilities and compatibility."
Unlike the original timeline, where each of the seven received a soul bone, this time, only three were being divided among them—a case of too many cultivators and too little gruel. It might even seem like a ploy to stir discord.
But compared to the original story, Huo Yuhao had contributed the most to this victory, while the reserve team had largely ridden his coattails. Thus, this distribution was more than fair.
Even the main team members had no objections, let alone the seven reserve members who stood to benefit. Their faces were alight with excitement—verbal praise was one thing, but tangible rewards were another.
The three soul bones Wang Yan had selected were among the finest ten-thousand-year soul bones available. After careful consideration, they were awarded to Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan.
This wasn't Wang Yan's personal preference but a directive from the academy's higher-ups. Three soul bones for three individuals was a reasonable arrangement, and the others had no complaints.
Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao had already received soul bones personally gifted by Mu En and had fully absorbed them.
He Caitou had been rewarded by the Soul Guidance Department, while Tang Ya, as Yan Shaozhe's disciple, was naturally well taken care of by her shrewd mentor.
Big opportunities were on the horizon.
According to Shrek's records, the evolutionary path of Blue Silver Grass was: Blue Silver Grass → Blue Silver King → Blue Silver Emperor.
Though Tang Ya's Dark Blue Silver Grass had devouring properties, its potential for further evolution meant Yan Shaozhe wouldn't let such an opportunity slip.
A month had passed, and the five—Bei Bei and the others—had successfully passed their trials, joined the inner courtyard, and were in high spirits. The future was bright for everyone!
However, despite their entry into the inner courtyard, their scheduled deep meditation session had been postponed for undisclosed reasons. This delay was why all seven reserve members could be gathered today.
Huo Yuhao's thoughts drifted: 'Blame me? The Golden Tree is just too tempting.'
No wonder Ah Yin would later attempt to seize it.
Before his last deep meditation, Huo Yuhao had asked Electrolux to inspect the Golden Tree and found no traces of Wang Dong'er's hidden safeguards.
Combined with the original timeline's events, it was likely Ah Yin was still in the God Realm and hadn't secretly descended.
After all, a god's descent would create far more commotion than an ascension.
Like Tai Tan and Niu Tian, once gods left their world, they couldn't return—unless they wanted to face the wrath of the God of Destruction, enforcer of divine law.
God of Destruction: I've got my eye on you, Tang San!
Huo Yuhao's influence as a transmigrator hadn't yet reached critical mass. Most importantly, he hadn't touched the consciousness seal in Wang Dong'er's mental space.
But that moment was approaching.
Huo Yuhao had a premonition that his next encounter with the Auspicious Beast would mark his first direct confrontation with Tang San.
The Golden Tree on Sea God Island was undoubtedly the key to the Douluo Plane. Huo Yuhao even suspected the plane's will resided within it.
According to Electrolux, the Golden Tree was also known as the Tree of Life—still growing. Once fully matured, it could become the life core of the plane, merging with its consciousness to enhance the world's strength.
During his last deep meditation, a thought struck Huo Yuhao: 'Could this ownerless high-level vitality be used to activate the Immortal Gu?'
As a child of destiny, was it so hard to freeload from a generous world?
This was a necessary sacrifice to counter Tang San.
Thus, with the Immortal Gu's help, Huo Yuhao harvested wisps of energy from the Golden Tree and stored them within the Gu. The long-standing issue of activating the Immortal Gu was finally resolved.
Huo Yuhao currently possessed three Immortal Gu:
1. The Sixth Turn Secret Crossing Immortal Gu, a reward from the achievement system after he rejected the Ice God's inheritance in the Extreme North.
2. The Sixth Turn Fixed Immortal Travel Gu, a personal reward from the Tournament.
3. The Sixth Turn Eat Strength Immortal Gu, obtained after completing Xuan Zi's fourth mission.
Previously, he could only admire them from afar. With his current strength, attempting to use an Immortal Gu without external aid was like a pony trying to pull a train—utterly futile.
Within the Immortal Gu, Huo Yuhao could sense Immortal Yuan, an energy tier above soul power and mental power—akin to divine power in the Douluo world.
Under the system's adaptive rules, mortal Gu could be sustained using soul power, mental power, or special ingredients. Immortal Gu, however, required divine power—both for activation and maintenance.
Feeding them wasn't an immediate concern. The Immortal Gu rewarded by the system came pre-charged.
Huo Yuhao couldn't even use them once, so consumption wasn't an issue. Most dormant Gu were stored in the system space, where they didn't deplete.
That said, if Huo Yuhao's mental power reached the semi-divine level (as in the original timeline), he could generate divine consciousness, enabling him to activate and sustain the Gu.
…
Soul Guidance Department.
Huo Yuhao arrived after a long absence.
The once-stagnant department now buzzed with activity. Students from the Martial Soul Department crowded around soul tool testing stations, their eager expressions resembling wolves among huskies.
Shrek had clearly acted on its policies, not just paying lip service. For Xian Lin'er and Qian Duoduo, this was a golden era.
At the last Sea God Pavilion meeting regarding the Death Messenger incident, Mu En had single-handedly pushed for soul tool advancement.
Not long ago, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy's Mingde Hall had even sent an exchange student proposal. Though Dean Jing Hongchen had yet to arrive, the mere invitation was a boon.
For the Soul Guidance Department, this was serendipity. They'd always sought to learn from the Sun Moon Empire—and now the opportunity had come knocking.
The visitor was none other than Jing Hongchen, dean of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, head of Mingde Hall, and a Class 9 soul engineer. His proactive attitude was a welcome gesture.
Thus, high-ranking soul engineers, led by Xian Lin'er, were already strategizing how to maximize this chance.
Soul tools were the products of progress. The fusion of soul masters and soul tools was the way forward—and the Sun Moon Empire was leading the charge.
Even if Shrek committed fully, playing catch-up behind closed doors would be arduous. This exchange could bridge the gap.
Huo Yuhao had been summoned for a different reason.
"Let me get this straight—you're asking what reward I'd like?"
Qian Duoduo and Xian Lin'er had praised his replication of the Thunder Cannon during the tournament and wanted to compensate him.
With the department now flush, Qian Duoduo believed investing in Huo Yuhao would showcase soul tools' benefits.
Huo Yuhao had assumed they wanted to discuss the exchange program. Instead, it was about the Thunder Cannon—a trivial matter he'd nearly forgotten.
But what he needed now wasn't something the Soul Guidance Department could easily provide.
After a pause, Huo Yuhao retrieved an intact class 9 soul tool—the God-Conferring Platform.
"Then, Dean, please appraise this for me. I'd like to sell it to the department."
"Class 9 soul tool?!"
The two were stunned. As seasoned class 9 soul engineers, they instantly recognized the God-Conferring Platform's quality—a rare seal-type soul tool.
Huo Yuhao scratched his head, feigning innocence.
"I stumbled upon this during my break. At first, I didn't realize what it was. Then, during the tournament, I attended the Starlight Auction and saw an identical one—the God-Conferring Platform..."
The deal was swiftly struck.
The God-Conferring Platform was sold, netting Huo Yuhao a class 8 trigger-type soul shield and 10 million gold soul coins.
Though the God-Conferring Platform seemed useless, it was invaluable for research.
During casual post-transaction chatter, an eerie voice abruptly echoed:
"Xuan Zi, come out and face me!"
The words were soft at first but soon boomed like thunder, pressing down on Shrek Academy like a stormcloud. Students below level 30 paled, struggling to breathe.
The Body Sect's leader, Du Busi, had arrived!
…
In the Outer Court's Martial Soul Department office, Du Weilun's expression darkened. He activated a loudspeaker soul tool and announced:
"Enemy attack! All homeroom teachers, escort students back to classrooms immediately! No one leaves without permission!"
Meanwhile, the seven reserve members, still basking in their soul bone rewards, froze at the voice.
Bei Bei gasped, "Such terrifying mental power! Who is this? They're here for Elder Xuan?"
Wang Dong'er's face shifted, golden light flickering in her eyes.
A soft white glow enveloped them—Yan Shaozhe had arrived, whisking them back to Sea God Island.
"Yuhao, don't resist. I'm taking you to the Sea God Pavilion."
Xian Lin'er, already guessing the intruder's identity, transformed into a streak of green light, spiriting Huo Yuhao away.
The safest place in Shrek? Undoubtedly the Sea God Pavilion.
Xuan Zi's voice rumbled over the academy:
"Du Busi, it's you..."
A yellowish-brown light erupted, dispelling the oppressive aura.
From outside the academy, a deep green pillar of light—dwarfing all others—rose. At its center stood a towering elder with dark green hair, his face youthful but eyes ancient.
Behind him, over twenty powerful figures hovered, their auras formidable.
Xuan Zi, wine gourd in hand, retorted coldly: "What? Du Busi, do you intend to wage war on Shrek?"
…
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