"Yuhao, your performance has amazed me as your teacher."
Mu En's voice carried gratification; emotion flickered within his cloudy eyes.
In truth,
he had personally gone to the finals.
He had witnessed the scene of Huo Yuhao unleashing that heaven-splitting claw.
Huo Yuhao cupped his hands respectfully. "Fortunately, I did not disappoint Teacher and Senior Sister."
The wrinkles on Mu En's face eased.
He lightly flicked his sleeve.
Behind him, the solid wooden wall rippled like water, then gradually turned transparent.
A brilliant golden radiance surged from the deep corridor beyond the wall. Dense life energy poured forth like a spring breeze, enveloping everyone present.
"The Sea God Pavilion was constructed by our predecessors within the roots of the Ancient Golden Tree."
"This corridor leads directly to the core of the Ancient Golden Tree. I grant you a cultivation opportunity."
"Seize the moment. Do not squander this fortune."
He looked at Huo Yuhao and added,
"Yuhao, enter the first cultivation chamber on the right."
"Yes."
The seven of them stepped into the depths of the corridor.
The further they walked,
the denser the life energy became.
It condensed into visible golden droplets of light, falling like rain and nourishing every inch of flesh.
They felt vitality surge within them, their bodies seeming to sing with renewed life.
At that moment,
a golden mark suddenly lit up on Wang Dong's forehead.
Xiao Xiao, Jiang Nannan, and the others halted in concern to guard him.
"Wang Dong, what's wrong?!"
Only Huo Yuhao did not stop. He walked straight ahead and pushed open the wooden door Mu En had designated.
Inside, ancient wood soared skyward, its grain twisting like coiling dragons.
Aside from a meditation cushion at the center,
the ceiling was inlaid with one thousand and one dragon skulls.
These were the skulls of Terrifying Demon Dragons.
As a rare subspecies of the earth dragon lineage, Terrifying Demon Dragons specialized in spiritual cultivation.
After death, their spiritual power would condense within their skulls.
Shrek Academy had spent eight hundred years searching ancient ruins across the continent to gather this number.
Cultivating in this chamber
allowed one to temper the sea of consciousness through their lingering spiritual force.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity coveted by spiritual-type Spirit Masters.
Huo Yuhao sat upon the cushion.
The moment he closed his eyes—
the dragon skulls flared with ghostly blue soul flames.
Soundless dragon roars transformed into real-time spiritual waves, cascading down upon him.
"Hmph!"
Even though he was prepared—
and had undergone this refinement in his previous life—
Huo Yuhao could not help but grunt.
He steadied his mind, calming his spirit. His mental platform gradually cleared as he allowed the remnant souls of the Terrifying Demon Dragons to rage within his sea of consciousness.
Waves churned violently within that vast mental ocean.
Under the relentless assault of draconic spiritual might,
the originally boundless sea began to compress and condense.
Each soundwave struck like a hammer forging steel, tempering his spiritual power countless times, removing impurities and refining its essence.
Though his spiritual realm did not break through,
its purity and potency rose to an even higher level.
This was precisely one of the great opportunities Huo Yuhao valued within Shrek Academy.
However—
the Skydream Iceworm, who had likewise been reborn, was not satisfied.
"Yuhao, do you remember what I mentioned earlier about the Ancient Golden Tree's life origin?"
His voice brimmed with excitement.
"The reason the Titan Snow Demon King could leap from two hundred thousand years of cultivation to eight hundred thousand years—"
"was because he awakened the Titan clan's innate divine ability—Devour—and perfectly refined the divine fruit bestowed by Brother Zhexian."
"When you absorbed so many spirit herbs in the Extreme North, it was also thanks to this talent."
"Now the opportunity stands before you. Devour this Ancient Golden Tree!"
"Your life level will undergo a tremendous leap!"
The Titan Snow Demon King, having been called out, nodded.
"Skydream is right."
Even Xiong Jun could not restrain his excitement, letting out a low growl: "Huo Yuhao, what are you waiting for? Use Devour at once!"
Within his sea of consciousness, only Electrolux remained silent, letting out a faint sigh in his heart.
Having adapted to the spiritual tempering of the Terrifying Demon Dragons, Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes. Spiritual light burst forth from them.
A trace of excitement first flashed across his delicate features.
Then—
hesitation followed.
"If I devour this Ancient Golden Tree, what impact will it have on this world?"
Electrolux replied:
"The Ancient Golden Tree is the life core of this world."
"If the core is destroyed, all things will wither, and living beings will face calamity."
"Then forget it."
"What?!" Xiong Jun roared in fury: "The Creation God possesses boundless power! He can guide the living beings of this world to the Divine Star—that would be a supreme fortune for them instead!"
"Huo Yuhao, don't you want to ascend to godhood?"
Huo Yuhao answered calmly:
"Having lived a second life,
I have no attachment whatsoever to the Tang Sect left behind by that Tang God King, nor to Shrek Academy."
"But Elder Mu treated me as both teacher and father."
"He trusted me…"
"He allowed me to cultivate within the Ancient Golden Tree."
"If I were to drain its life origin completely, would that not betray his trust? How would I be any different from that hypocrite?"
"Rest assured, seniors…"
The youth's voice was calm, yet carried unshakable resolve.
"Even without the Ancient Golden Tree, I, Huo Yuhao, will still ascend to godhood."
Within his sea of consciousness,
silence fell.
Electrolux felt a sense of relief.
"I truly did not misjudge him."
"Even after being reborn, Yuhao's heart remains pure and kind."
Though Xiong Jun appeared to be raging, a barely perceptible trace of admiration flashed in his golden eyes.
The Titan Snow Demon King did not fully understand, but felt that everyone made sense.
"Yuhao, you have perfectly passed Brother Zhexian's test."
The Skydream Iceworm murmured to himself, a gratified smile appearing on his face.
"Yuhao, I wasn't finished speaking."
"With your current cultivation, attempting to devour a Ancient Golden Tree that contains divine foundations would be no different from an ant trying to shake a tree."
"Moreover, within the tree reside the soul origins of past Sea God Pavilion Masters. At most, you can absorb energy equivalent to your own level."
"To the ancient tree, it would be but a drop in the ocean. It would not harm your teacher Mu En in the slightest, yet it would allow your cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds—your Spirit Eyes might even evolve again."
"When you ascend to godhood in the future, you can ask Brother Zhexian to guide the Ancient Golden Tree to the Divine Star. He is particularly fond of collecting such heaven-and-earth spiritual roots."
"At that time, if your teacher wishes to continue teaching, he can establish a sect on the Divine Star and bring all your teachers there."
"The Divine Star's mortal realms are vast and boundless, filled with countless prodigies—surely enough to satisfy his desire to mentor."
"This…"
Light shone in Huo Yuhao's eyes.
"Brother Skydream, are you serious?"
"When have I ever lied to you?"
The worry on his face vanished instantly.
"Then let us begin at once!"
Huo Yuhao's aura deepened like an abyss.
Behind him appeared the towering phantom of the Titan Snow Demon King. From his torso radiated mysterious patterns interwoven in snow-white and dark gold.
"Titan Snow Demon King Torso Bone Spirit Ability—Snow Demon Devour!"
As the Spirit Bone ability was activated, he seemed to transform into a northern abyss, birthing an enigmatic devouring force.
The golden radiance flowing from the Ancient Golden Tree gathered toward him like rivers returning to the sea. The dense life energy, tangible as substance, became countless golden strands that wrapped around and poured into his chest.
At the same time—
Jing Hongchen, Hall Master of Illustrious Virtue Hall, stood in midair above Shrek Academy with his hands clasped behind his back.
He looked down upon the academy, majestic as a fortified city.
He was wary of the Dragon God Douluo, whose life or death remained uncertain.
But this time,
he came with justification on his side.
The older generation of powerhouses cared deeply about face.
Jing Hongchen's voice boomed like thunder,
rolling across every corner of the academy.
"Those who stole the soul tools of my Sun Moon Royal Academy—get out here at once!"
...
Read Advanced Chapters on : www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin
~ Every 100 PS = Bonus Chapter!
~ Push the Story forward with your [Power Stones]