Facing Sparkle's thinly veiled threat, Karna remained expressionless, his demeanor cold and severe, like an immovable statue, completely unfazed by her words.
He Caitou involuntarily shivered, immediately recalling the miserable fate of those whom Sparkle had tormented for fun, especially his master Fan Yu and master's wife Zhou Yi. Thinking of their misfortune, a fine cold sweat broke out on He Caitou's forehead.
Though threatened by Sparkle, Jeanne d'Arc merely gave a wry smile and shook her head, not taking the threat too seriously. With her Revelation ability, she could anticipate Sparkle's pranks through intuition and cleverly dodge them, so she had no need to worry excessively.
"Since everyone is here, let's begin. Miss Sparkle, I trust you don't mind?"
Jing Yuan slowly opened his eyes, instantly bringing the noisy farce to a close.
"Of course I don't mind! May the God of Fun be praised, who dares disrespect the General of the Hunt?" Sparkle spread her hands, putting on an extremely carefree appearance.
Then, under Ma Xiaotao's gaze, which seemed ready to spit fire, she cheekily approached Ma Xiaotao and began to console her own Master. After all, Ma Xiaotao was the one who summoned her. To ensure she could continue to seek fun to her heart's content in the future, Sparkle needed to appease Ma Xiaotao and definitely couldn't actually break her.
The nine Masters from Shrek Academy—Ma Xiaotao, Han Ruoruo, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, He Caitou, Xiao Xiao, Ning Tian, Dai Huabin, and Jiang Nan'nan—were all gathered, each with their respective Servants.
Among these nine Servants was the powerful and wise Jing Yuan, who surpassed ordinary imagination, as well as the Son of the Sun Karna, the Child of Light of Ireland Cú Chulainn, the Saint Jeanne d'Arc, the Dragon-Slayer Hero Siegfried, and the Romantic Demigoddess Agláia. Such a lineup was nothing short of magnificent.
However, if one certain masked Fool could be swapped out, everyone would undoubtedly be much happier. Sparkle's antics were truly mind-numbing, and the headache-inducing part was that no one could effectively restrain her.
For instance, Xuan Zi detested Sparkle so much he wanted to tear her limb from limb, but his strength was insufficient, so he could only suppress his anger. After all, Shrek Academy still needed Sparkle's power, and more importantly, he was terrified of being targeted by her again. No one knew what shocking thing this passionate, free-spirited Troublemaker would do next.
The time for the Soul Master Competition hosted by the Sun-Moon Empire was drawing near, and the opening of the Holy Grail War was imminent. Not only was Shrek Academy making intensive preparations, but Masters from all paths were also converging on the Sun-Moon Empire.
In the vast, boundless snowscape of the Far North Ice Sheet, the biting cold wind howled like sharp knives, painfully cutting at one's face.
Bai Xiuxiu tightly gripped her ice sword, swinging it fiercely in the extremely low-temperature environment. Each swing of the blade was accompanied by the circulation of soul power, and wisps of sword aura escaped the blade, leaving faint traces in the air.
Although her arms were so sore they felt detached, and her soul power was nearly exhausted, leaving her body stiff with cold, Bai Xiuxiu still gritted her teeth, stubbornly persevering. The burning hatred in her heart was like an endless source of power, causing her will to transform at an unimaginable speed.
"That's enough for today's training. Take a break."
Skirk frowned slightly before decisively calling a halt to Bai Xiuxiu's training. As someone with experience, she clearly understood that Bai Xiuxiu's growth rate was indeed rapid under this extreme training. After all, Bai Xiuxiu possessed profound foundations. As a 100,000-year soul beast, her essential power was equivalent to that of a Titled Douluo. Even though she had taken human form and temporarily lost the immense power of her soul beast phase, her origin remained.
Therefore, while the training intensity was enough to kill an ordinary person, Bai Xiuxiu was able to grit her teeth and endure, learning various exquisite techniques from Skirk. Skirk was nothing like her own "inhumane" and beastly master, the Surtalogi. She wouldn't watch as Bai Xiuxiu trained so excessively that her hands and legs became permanently damaged. She strictly controlled the training intensity based on Bai Xiuxiu's physical condition, aiming to maximize her potential without compromising her body.
Hearing Skirk call the halt, Bai Xiuxiu's tightly wound spirit instantly relaxed, and fatigue instantly swept through her body. She went limp, involuntarily collapsing towards the snow. But in the next instant, Skirk's figure flashed, appearing beside Bai Xiuxiu in a moment. She steadily supported her, saying in a calm but concerned tone, "Don't let your spirit relax. Meditate quickly!"
Bai Xiuxiu had been with Skirk for a long time and naturally knew that beneath Skirk's seemingly aloof and proud exterior lay a gentle heart. She had experienced this gentleness firsthand.
Skirk not only patiently taught her various combat techniques, helping her grow stronger step by step, but also personally cooked for her. In her spare time, she occasionally displayed her talents by playing the guitar or other musical instruments. It was worth noting that Skirk carefully collected materials and crafted these instruments herself. Moreover, she would teach Bai Xiuxiu how to use these instruments during their downtime.
According to Skirk, Bai Xiuxiu's future shouldn't just be about revenge and becoming stronger; otherwise, her spirit would eventually break or she would descend into an extreme path. In the days spent with Skirk, Bai Xiuxiu felt that no matter how arduous the training was, it couldn't crush her. Even the ever-present hatred in her heart could be temporarily suppressed.
Just then, Bai Xiuxiu keenly noticed two figures slowly approaching in the distance. She instinctively dragged her exhausted body behind Skirk, saying with a hint of fear in her voice, "Teacher, they're here again!"
In fact, Skirk had noticed these two uninvited guests even before Bai Xiuxiu. Ever since she and Bai Xiuxiu arrived at the Far North Ice Sheet, they had already met these two. She had even fought the stronger one. As the saying goes, "no discord, no concord." Both sides were rare powerhouses. Since Skirk and Bai Xiuxiu were strictly speaking not pure humans, they were reluctantly accepted by the other party and allowed to operate in the Far North Ice Sheet, provided they didn't indiscriminately harm the soul beasts there. After all, one was a Servant condensed from negative energy, and the other was a 100,000-year soul beast taking human form. Essentially, they were indeed different from humans.
"Snow Empress!"
Skirk looked towards the breathtaking woman with snow-white hair, as pure and elegant as a snow-elf, and called out her name. The arrivals were indeed the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress, the undisputed rulers and overlords of the Far North.
"Skirk, you should leave now!" Although the Snow Empress deeply admired Skirk's great power, she gave the order to leave without ceremony.
"Are you going back on your word?" Skirk frowned tightly, her eyes full of confusion. She couldn't understand why the Snow Empress suddenly wanted to drive them away. Hadn't they already discussed it? Bai Xiuxiu possessed an ice-attribute spirit soul, and Skirk herself was skilled in using ice elements in combat, which was why she had specially brought Bai Xiuxiu to the Far North Ice Sheet for instruction. Bai Xiuxiu could accelerate her strength gain here.
Moreover, after her fight with the Snow Empress, she was sure that the Snow Empress was a proud person. Logically, such a person would not go back on her word.
"Not at all. While the Far North Ice Sheet is our territory, it's not entirely unwelcoming to outsiders, especially just the two of you. But you truly should leave. The Holy Grail War is about to begin, and all Masters are gathering towards Mingdu. You wouldn't want to miss it, would you?"
The Ice Empress stepped forward to explain for the Snow Empress. In fact, Skirk and Bai Xiuxiu had been very well-behaved in the Far North, at most only hunting a few hundred- or thousand-year soul beasts without sentience that had actively provoked them for food. Given this, there was no reason for the Snow Empress to violate their previous agreement and drive them away.
In reality, Lu Jingming had asked the Snow Empress to remind Skirk and Bai Xiuxiu. Otherwise, in their near-total isolation from the outside world, they might still be training diligently in the Far North, like the "Ten-Mile Slope Sword God," long after the Holy Grail War had concluded.
The Snow Empress looked at Skirk with a hint of helplessness, thinking, Could she really be planning to wait until Bai Xiuxiu is fully capable before participating in the Holy Grail War? Since recovering the Ice Empress, the Snow Empress had returned to the Far North Ice Sheet, focusing wholeheartedly on comprehending the Path of Ice and Snow, preparing to condense her God Seat, while also gathering the faith power of the soul beasts of the Far North. Had it not been for Skirk's arrival startling her, she would still be in secluded cultivation. However, the battle with Skirk had been immensely rewarding, bringing her one step closer to breaking through to true godhood.
And that final step could no longer be achieved through mere secluded cultivation.
"You want me to participate, but what benefit is that to you?" Skirk naturally hadn't forgotten about the Holy Grail War. She had just been planning to let Bai Xiuxiu become as strong as possible before confronting the brutal war. Only then would Bai Xiuxiu have a greater chance of survival.
However, she truly couldn't figure out why the Snow Empress insisted she wade into these troubled waters. After all, the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress were not Masters, and by all accounts, they had no reason to pay such close attention to the Holy Grail War.
"The Holy Grail War has nothing to do with me; it's just that someone hopes you will participate." The Snow Empress's expression was cold, and her tone was unperturbed. In her eyes, the Holy Grail War was nothing more than a game orchestrated by Lu Jingming. Although the generous rewards were indeed excessively tempting, as one of the thrones of the World Serpent, she knew many insider secrets.
Of course, she wasn't aware that Lu Jingming's initially planned Holy Grail War was far less intense and complicated than it was now. The Snow Empress had always assumed Skirk was the most top-tier Servant in this Holy Grail War. After all, Skirk's ability to fight her to a standstill in her Herrscher of Ice state was already astonishing. It should be noted that her current strength surpassed that of the Beast God Ditian. This meant Skirk also possessed the ability to defeat the former ceiling of strength in the Douluo Continent—the Beast God Ditian.
The Snow Empress and the Ice Empress had even firmly believed that Skirk would be the ultimate victor of the Holy Grail War. In that case, wouldn't Bai Xiuxiu just easily win and become the new Sea God? The former mount clan of the Sea God suddenly transforming into the new Sea God—the plot was quite dramatic upon reflection.
"Can you tell me who this person is?" Skirk inquired directly. She didn't want to beat around the bush on such matters.
"No," the Snow Empress refused without hesitation, her attitude firm and leaving no room for negotiation.
"Then can you tell me the reason?" Skirk wasn't surprised by this. After all, if it were easy to know who was watching them from behind the scenes, that person wouldn't bother the Snow Empress to convey the message. However, she still wanted to know why that person insisted on her participation. For herself, it didn't really matter; after all, this body was just a memory construct, and she could face death with composure.
But Bai Xiuxiu was different. Skirk genuinely cared for and concerned herself with her disciple.
"Perhaps, because it would be more interesting." Recalling Lu Jingming's personality traits, the Snow Empress knew the other party held no malice towards Skirk and Bai Xiuxiu. Otherwise, she wouldn't just be delivering a message. Since the other party had no intention of scheming against Skirk and Bai Xiuxiu but still wished for Skirk to go to Mingdu, after much thought, there was only one answer: to seek a more interesting outcome!
The Snow Empress, who considered herself knowledgeable about Lu Jingming's character, offered this response.
"I understand!" Although the answer left Skirk quite startled, after a brief moment of thought, she slowly nodded, then turned and left with Bai Xiuxiu, expressionless.
In truth, regardless of whether someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes, she had already planned to participate in the Holy Grail War. No matter what dangers awaited them in Mingdu, this journey was a necessity. On one hand, she personally yearned to become stronger; on the other, Bai Xiuxiu carried hatred and a reason to grow powerful, and the Holy Grail was undoubtedly the best option for them to achieve their goals at this stage.
If they could win the Holy Grail War, Bai Xiuxiu could become the Sea God, and at that point, revenge would be easily achieved. As for herself, she could descend in her main body and gain the power of the foreign world. After all, her physique was highly special, capable of adapting to various energies and environments, allowing her to skillfully wield any power system. It was precisely because of this unique yet envy-inducing physique that her clan suffered a devastating genocide, and she was subsequently noticed by the Surtalogi.
The Surtalogi was a cosmic calamity whose name struck fear into the hearts of many. Whether it was a weapon of decisive battle forged with the resources of an entire star system, a deity condensed from the faith of all beings, or the strongest warrior selected from billions of lives, none could force the Surtalogi to display his true power. To be recognized by such a terrifying entity as having the potential to grow to a level that could threaten him speaks volumes about Skirk's upper limits.
Take the present, for example. In the time she spent in the Douluo Continent, she had perfectly adapted to this world. She not only adapted to the negative energy but could also actively draw negative energy from the planet and the external environment. Given enough time, even this memory construct could become incredibly powerful.
Watching Skirk and Bai Xiuxiu fade into the distance, the figures of the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress were gradually obscured by the swirling snow. No matter what earth-shattering changes might occur in the world next, it had little relevance to their Far North Ice Sheet. After all, they already stood at the pinnacle of strength and were seated on the largest and most secure warship, sufficient to withstand any storm from the outside world.
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