Outer Courtyard, Shrek Academy.
Bei Bei, though having passed the assessment to become an Inner Courtyard disciple and now a member of the Inner Courtyard, was feeling deeply troubled. He waited outside the second-year classroom for Huo Yuhao's class to end.
Inside the classroom, a history theory lesson was underway. This class was originally taught by Wang Yan, but Wang Yan had been taken by the Sun Moon Empire in Star Luo City. The new Senior Theoretical Teacher, recently transferred from the Inner Courtyard, was now teaching Huo Yuhao and the others. Bei Bei had seen this teacher when he was a child.
The senior teacher was passionately recounting the glorious history of Ancestor Tang San, the Sea God, leading the Original Shrek Seven Devils to defeat the Million Year Soul Beast, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, ten thousand years ago. He vividly analyzed the importance of teamwork.
"In that battle, Ancestor Tang San received dual assistance from Ancestor Ning Rongrong, the Nine Treasures Douluo, and Ancestor Oscar, the Sausage Douluo, which greatly enhanced his combat prowess and endurance.
White Tiger Douluo Dai Mubai, Netherworld Douluo Zhu Zhuqing, Phoenix Douluo Ma Hongjun, and Ancestor Tang San's wife, Soft Bone Douluo Xiao Wu, fully utilized their strengths. Ultimately, Ancestor Tang San successfully hunted down that oceanic overlord, who had nearly a million years of cultivation. After absorbing its Soul Ring and Soul Bone, his cultivation skyrocketed to Limit Douluo, laying the most solid foundation for Becoming a God at Level 100!"
Bei Bei listened with closed eyes outside, nodding slightly. The teacher's account largely matched the historical documents he had read.
Ten thousand years ago, Ancestor Tang San, who had not yet become a god, narrowly escaped death from the Angel God, who had already ascended, despite being only a Level 96 Soul Master. He and his companions returned to Sea God Island, the Sea God's inheritance ground, to recuperate, and then embarked on the journey to hunt the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.
The exact details of that battle are no longer verifiable. In any case, Ancestor Tang San displayed astonishing combat power, breaking through from a Level 96 Super Douluo to a Level 99 Limit Douluo after that one battle. Even his companions, with his help, absorbed the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's energy and significantly improved their cultivation.
Hmm, "absorb" is a good word. In Bei Bei's understanding, it probably wasn't much different from "devour." It was said that Ancestor Tang San's Eight Spider Soul Bone naturally possessed this talent.
According to records, Ancestor Tang San was naturally different from those Evil Soul Masters. He used this ability to deal only with those who stood in the way of his great victory. Anyone who dared to obstruct the Sea God was naturally evil, whether human or Soul Beast.
Bei Bei smiled knowingly at these words. However, Ancestor Tang San's three-level leap in cultivation sometimes made Bei Bei feel that the Soul Master system wasn't so rigorous after all. As long as one absorbed enough energy, it could be equivalent to a hundred years of arduous cultivation.
This path could only be attempted by geniuses with Twin Martial Souls. Even if a single Martial Soul Soul Master had a strong body, they could probably only absorb a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring at the quasi-Soul Sage stage, like their Ancestor.
Even the extraordinarily talented Le Xuan could only absorb a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring at the quasi-Soul Douluo stage, and she was bedridden for half a year afterward.
According to their Ancestor, the huge gap between them was because Le Xuan's Moon Martial Soul didn't provide as much physical enhancement as the Light Sacred Dragon. Bei Bei also didn't believe his half-finished Light Sacred Dragon could do better than her. Being able to start absorbing red Soul Rings from the eighth ring would be an excellent opportunity.
Originally, with his background, this wasn't a pipe dream. But now, the Elders and Dean were overwhelmed with various troubles, and he didn't know how much energy they could still dedicate to students like him. He estimated that he and a few other Inner Courtyard disciples who had also reached a bottleneck with their fifth Soul Ring would have to team up and try their luck in the Star Dou Great Forest.
The inheritance from his Ancestor recorded the Soul Beasts needed to cultivate two major Soul Skills. He hoped those two Soul Beasts wouldn't be too difficult to find...
Just as Bei Bei was contemplating his future, the senior teacher's passionate lecture inside quietly concluded. The teacher came out of the classroom and, seeing Bei Bei, quickly went up to greet him.
"Bei Bei, why are you here? Haven't you already entered the Inner Courtyard?"
Bei Bei forced a smile, gesturing towards Huo Yuhao in the classroom. "Teacher Li, I came to the Outer Courtyard to meet my junior brother."
"Oh, you're here for Yuhao, that's great."
Teacher Li nodded, waved Huo Yuhao over, and patted Huo Yuhao's shoulder with a smile:
"Yuhao, I didn't realize it, but you have such an amazing senior brother! Bei Bei is the most outstanding genius in the Outer Courtyard and will quickly make a name for himself in the Inner Courtyard too."
Although he had only been teaching in the Outer Courtyard for a few days, he was somewhat familiar with Huo Yuhao.
The reason was simple: all the talented Core Disciples of Shrek's second year had been taken by the Sun Moon Empire. Only Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong survived. When the war broke out, they were secretly protected by a Clear Sky Sect Titled Douluo and safely evacuated from Star Luo City.
The Clear Sky Sect experts did not participate in the grand encirclement of Evil Soul Masters because, in their view, only protecting their Young Master was worth their effort; they had no interest in anything else.
Afterward, Wang Dong, whose interest in watching the show was ruined by the Evil Soul Masters, simply took Huo Yuhao on a leisurely journey, exploring and playing outside before slowly returning to Shrek to report. When asked, they claimed to have encountered danger and had to recuperate, which caused the delay.
Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu also returned to the academy after Dai Hao redeemed them. Agile Attack-type Zhu Lu was not in the same class. Dai Huabin, favored by Zhou Yi, who valued Huo Yuhao, was thrown into the next class using her authority. This resulted in the current second-year Class One having only Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, the two Core Disciples. Huo Yuhao himself was even the class monitor, a title he now truly deserved.
However, Teacher Li did not know that Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei had some sort of fellow-disciple relationship; otherwise, his attitude would undoubtedly have been even better.
Huo Yuhao smiled and asked Bei Bei, "Senior Brother, is there something you need me for?"
Bei Bei gave a wry smile. "Nothing in particular, I just missed you. I wanted to meet up. Do you have time to go for a walk in Shrek City with me? My treat."
Returning to the familiar yet unfamiliar Inner Courtyard, Bei Bei felt lonely and powerless. The most familiar Zhang Lexuan was not there. The four Inner Courtyard disciples he had once shared a camaraderie with were either dead or had been taken. Even Xu Sanshi, who had promised to make a name for himself in the Inner Courtyard, was gone.
All these feelings, combined with his longing for Tang Ya, made Bei Bei yearn to confide in someone familiar. Looking around the Outer Courtyard, it seemed only his junior brother Huo Yuhao was the most suitable.
"Okay, then I'll tell Wang Dong that I'll be back late tonight."
Huo Yuhao nodded and was about to go find Wang Dong to talk.
Unexpectedly, Wang Dong, hearing there was a meal involved, very naturally expressed his desire to join them, eagerly calling out "Senior Brother Bei" repeatedly.
"Senior Brother Bei, you know the relationship between Yuhao and me. We're the best combination with our Martial Soul Fusion Technique and Hao Dong Power, and I've long wanted to join your Tang Sect!"
Wang Dong giggled, "Ever since Yuhao told me he joined the Tang Sect, I've had a strong urge to join it, to become a part of the Tang Sect."
"At that time, we were participating in the New Student Competition. We were just about to look for you and Senior Sister Tang Ya when Madman Ma attacked us, which caused the delay. How about I join now?"
Having learned from a previous lesson, Bei Bei wouldn't dare accept a successor of a Hidden Sect into the Tang Sect. He waved his hands, creating afterimages, his face turning pale with fright, his usually refined expression even displaying a hint of terror.
"Junior, joining a sect is a lifelong decision. You are the Young Master of the Clear Sky Sect, so you cannot join our Tang Sect. I appreciate the thought, but I truly cannot accept you, truly cannot."
His relationship with Sanshi was so good that the Xuanming Sect had completely turned against Shrek because of it, and Mu En had died as a result. If it happened again, Shrek would probably be razed to the ground.
Back when the Tang Sect was in decline, Shrek had at least given Tang Ya a place to stay. The Clear Sky Sect, on the other hand, ignored them completely, treating them coldly, saying, "We save those in urgent need, not those who are poor." Their attitude was no different from strangers.
Perhaps in the Clear Sky Sect's eyes, the Tang Sect, having declined to this extent, was no longer worthy of carrying Ancestor Tang San's legacy. Bei Bei dared not gamble that they wouldn't attack Shrek a second time and utterly destroy him.
"Oh, well, that's a shame." Wang Dong recalled the Xuanming Sect's feat from the other's words, feeling an inexplicable sense of loss, but also understanding.
It was strange, she thought. She wasn't familiar with the Tang Sect at all, so why did she have such a strong urge to join it? Could she be possessed?
"Just don't overthink it. Meeting is fate. You and Yuhao come with me to Shrek City for a walk. My treat."
Bei Bei patted his chest, taking a breath, generously stating that he, Bei, would pay for everything today.
"Alright!" Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong exchanged glances and agreed with a smile. They had been at Shrek for a year but hadn't had a good chance to explore Shrek City.
The three of them strolled through Shrek Academy, chatting and laughing, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere.
However, just as they were about to exit the academy gates, a mighty, sky-shattering voice suddenly boomed from above, instantly echoing throughout Shrek City and beyond.
"Song Yunzhi, Yan Shaozhe, hand over the disciples of my Body Sect immediately, or don't blame us for coming to your door!"
Bei Bei's expression drastically changed. The breath he had just taken almost got stuck in his throat, and he stared wide-eyed at the turbulent sky, wishing he could curse at how messed up the world had become.
First the Clear Sky Sect, then the Xuanming Sect, then Mingde Hall, and now even the Body Sect? Was there no end to it?!
Shrek Academy was once the most renowned Soul Master holy land in the world. Why was every major power now trying to step all over it?
"Body Sect disciples, Body Martial Soul Soul Masters—damn it! I shouldn't have let little junior brother go out!"
Bei Bei's mind raced, and he immediately understood the Body Sect's objective. The Body Sect claimed that all Body Martial Soul Soul Masters in the world were their disciples. It was likely they had discovered Huo Yuhao in Star Luo City and were now coming to seize him.
Could Shrek Academy, in its current state, resist the Body Sect, known for its bizarre and powerful methods? Bei Bei felt a dark cloud looming over Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect.
*Whoosh—whoosh—*
Reality did not bend to Bei Bei's inner turmoil. The skies above Shrek City darkened once more, followed by a series of piercing sounds. More than twenty energy pillars, covering the sky and earth, descended from above.
Dark clouds pressed down, threatening to crush the city!
"Old Poison, why do you attack my Shrek Academy?"
Old Song's voice, filled with a mix of helplessness and sorrow, emanated from Sea God Island. She ascended into the sky with several other figures, while powerful soul glows also rose from various corners of Shrek City – the hidden powerhouses of Shrek Academy.
The two forces confronted each other, with the Body Sect holding the absolute advantage. Poison Undying, standing at the very front, transformed into a hundred-meter giant. His energy pillars overshadowed the mountains and rivers, creating wisps of black space cracks around him. With just his presence, he utterly overwhelmed everyone on the opposing side.
Among all of Shrek Academy's powerhouses, only Old Song, at Level 97, could barely withstand his aura. Yan Shaozhe and Xian Lin'er were still recovering from serious injuries. Old Zhuang was a healing-type, and the last Elder, Old Dong, was a Level 95 Defense Type Super Douluo, far too weak in comparison.
Poison Undying surveyed the scene, his disdain growing. He curled his lip and said, "I, the Sect Master, have already stated my purpose. We are here to bring our sect's people back. I hear there's a genius in your Shrek Outer Courtyard with an Eye Martial Soul. Hand him over, and we will leave."
Xian Lin'er knew he was referring to Huo Yuhao, her Core Disciple from the Soul Tool Department. She retorted coldly, "You've launched such a massive invasion. How could our Shrek Academy hand over a student to you?"
"My Body Sect has always declared that all Body Soul Masters in the world belong to our sect; this is known throughout the Soul Master world. Your Shrek is merely an academy, not a sect. What right do you have to restrict a student's whereabouts?"
Poison Undying glanced at Xian Lin'er with disdain, stating calmly, "Little girl, your mother barely has the right to speak with me. You, however, do not."
A soul light pressure erupted, and Xian Lin'er instantly felt a heavy blow. Her old injuries flared up, blood oozed from the corner of her mouth, and she staggered backward several steps in mid-air.
Watching this from the ground, Bei Bei's heart sank. It's over!
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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