Upon hearing this, Wu Hao froze, his expression blank, muttering repeatedly,
"Venerable... Venerable Ghost Soul... Underworld Palace..."
Wu Hao had initially thought Hun Changqing was a Dou Zong expert, even higher than the Grand Elder. He hadn't dared to even consider the Dou Zun level; that realm was far too distant for him, seemingly existing only in legends. He never imagined that the one recruiting him was a Dou Zun expert!
Wu Hao's heart was filled with overwhelming joy. He was now extremely grateful for making the right choice, a choice that would undoubtedly influence his entire life!
The students of Canaan Academy beside him also stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief. A Dou Zun was far too ethereal for them, yet here he was, a living, breathing being before them, making them feel as if in a dream.
For a moment, countless envious and jealous gazes were fixed on Wu Hao, as if they wished they could pierce through him with their eyes and take his place.
However, these students quickly calmed down. Hun Changqing had deliberately amplified his conversation with Su Qian, and these inner court students, whose cultivation levels were not weak—at least Great Dou Masters—had naturally overheard the entire conversation. Their eyes gleamed as they secretly made plans, deeply memorizing the names of Venerable Ghost and the Underworld Palace.
Wu Hao also quickly snapped out of his daze, immediately kneeling on one knee, clasping his hands in a fist salute to Hun Changqing, and respectfully saying,
"Greetings, Palace Master!"
Hun Changqing was satisfied with Wu Hao's attitude and nodded at him.
"I'll be staying at Canaan Academy for the next few days. You can go and make some preparations."
"Yes! Palace Master! Then this subordinate will take his leave!"
Wu Hao then slowly stood up and walked towards the edge of the crowd. Unlike his previous defeated expression, he now had an extremely excited smile on his face. Amidst the envious and jealous gazes of the students, he strode away.
After Wu Hao left, Su Qian said to Hun Changqing,
"Senior Ghost, I will take you to your lodgings and settle you in."
Hun Changqing nodded, then, along with Medusa and Zi Yan, who had been silent all along, followed Su Qian to their lodgings.
As Hun Changqing and the others passed by the group of students, all of them held their breath, feeling their hearts pounding wildly. They all looked at Hun Changqing with pleading eyes, hoping he would take notice of their talents.
As for the stunningly beautiful Medusa beside Hun Changqing, no one dared to look at her. The woman of a Dou Zun powerhouse—they didn't even have the courage to glance at her out of the corner of their eye.
Hun Changqing completely ignored the burning gazes of these talented students. The seeds had already been sown; when Su Qian spoke, people would naturally rush to join him. There was no need for Hun Changqing to personally recruit these geniuses.
Wu Hao was just an exception. Blood-attribute battle qi was indeed quite special, rarely possessed by anyone in the Soul Palace or the Soul Clan. However, those who possessed blood-attribute battle qi were all elites within the Soul Palace and their clans, receiving intensive training.
Even the Soul Clan's patriarch, Hun Tiandi, possessed blood-attribute battle qi. Back then, he used this combination of blood and dark attribute battle techniques to bring utter despair to the Xiao Clan, demonstrating just how powerful blood-attribute battle qi was.
The Soul Clan and the Soul Palace also possessed many blood-attribute battle techniques. When Hun Changqing was a prodigy of the Soul Clan, he naturally had access to these techniques. If he were to teach these techniques to Wu Hao, he would definitely grow rapidly. Therefore, Hun Changqing had high hopes for Wu Hao. After weaving through the crowd, the group quickly arrived at an exquisite courtyard in the northwest corner of the inner courtyard. After bringing Hun Changqing and the others there, Su Qian took his leave.
Just as they were about to enter the courtyard, Hun Changqing suddenly stopped, eliciting puzzled glances from Medusa and Zi Yan.
"What's wrong?"
Medusa asked suspiciously.
"Nothing, let's go."
A wicked smile played on Hun Changqing's lips, hidden beneath his hood. He shook his head and continued into the courtyard.
Inside, Hun Changqing flipped his hand, and with a flash of light, a palm-sized jade bottle appeared in his hand. He then handed the bottle to Medusa, explaining under her questioning gaze.
"Medusa, your true form is the Seven-Colored Sky-Devouring Python, capable of devouring anything, possessing unparalleled speed. Although it's not as powerful as Zi Yan, the strongest magical beast race on the Dou Qi Continent, the Ancient Void Dragon, your true form can evolve once more. When you evolve again, your true form will definitely be no less powerful than the Ancient Void Dragon."
Medusa was initially indignant upon hearing that she was inferior to that little girl, Zi Yan, and was
about to lash out. However, upon hearing Hun Changqing's next words, her initial resentment vanished instantly, replaced by a look of delight. The ability to evolve further meant she could become even stronger. Who could resist the temptation to grow stronger? Whether for herself or to better help Hun Changqing, Medusa yearned to become stronger and eagerly retorted.
"Evolution? How do I evolve?"
Hun Changqing said with a smile,
"You don't need to be too excited. If you want to evolve again, you need a certain material. I already know some clues about that material, but you need to go to the territory of the Nine Netherworld Python, one of the top three magical beast races on the Dou Qi Continent, to support your evolution. The energy in that evolutionary land is terrifying. With your current strength, you can't complete the evolution. So now you need to improve your strength as soon as possible."
Then, before Medusa could say anything more, Hun Changqing pointed to the pill in Medusa's hand and continued,
"Although the Seven-Colored Devouring Python is somewhat special, it is still a Yin attribute..." "Han, this is a pill I usually cultivate with, called the 'Minor Yin Pill.' It contains immense Yin energy, and it will be very effective for you. You should focus on cultivating diligently during this time, striving to reach the Dou Zun realm as soon as possible. This way, you can not only better help me, but also meet the basic requirements for evolution."
Medusa's eyes hardened after hearing Hun Changqing's words. Before meeting Hun Changqing, she was a cultivation fanatic, but she had indeed become somewhat lax after meeting him. Now that she had resources, she was determined to start cultivating diligently, striving to evolve as soon as possible and help Hun Changqing.
Medusa nodded to Hun Changqing and said no more. She found a room in the pavilion and went straight in, ready to begin cultivating. Even her original intention to engage in another fierce battle with Hun Changqing had faded considerably; her mind was filled with cultivation and evolution.