Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao's dormitory.
As soon as Huo Yuhao entered, he could sense Wang Dong'er's excitement.
"What's going on? What are you so happy?" Huo Yuhao asked.
"It's the treasure appreciation auction I mentioned last time," Wang Dong'er replied, holding up two gold-plated red invitations. "You must have received one too. Tonight's event is specially organized for core disciples. Want to go together?"
"Unfortunately, I already attended the inner courtyard's treasure auction event last night," Huo Yuhao declined.
Wang Dong'er rolled her eyes. "I almost forgot about your status. Guess it'll just be Xiao Xiao and me then."
At that moment, Xiao Xiao was still busy with the upgrade assessments in the beast-fighting area. She should be back soon.
As they talked, Huo Yuhao brought up some important news. "By the way, there's something you should know. A soul bone that's perfect for you will be featured at tonight's event. You might want to prepare some gold soul coins in advance."
Huo Yuhao had learned this from Yan Shaozhe the previous night.
Just like in the original story, the Golden Light Left Arm Soul Bone would appear at the outer courtyard's treasure appreciation auction, waiting for its most suitable owner. However, this time, without Huo Yuhao to foot the bill, Wang Dong'er would have to pay for it herself.
Wang Dong'er smiled confidently. "Who do you think I am? I'm not short on money."
For a soul master to quickly improve their soul power, they naturally need pills and medicinal materials to aid their cultivation. Before returning to Shrek, Wang Dong'er had secured ample funding from her father.
"True, you're not short on money. It's close to 10 million gold soul coins, without any discounts," Huo Yuhao added.
"Ten million?!" Wang Dong'er's eyes widened in shock. She grabbed Huo Yuhao's arm. "Why is it so expensive? I remember soul bones are pricey, but they rarely exceed three million gold soul coins!"
After briefly explaining theGolden Light Left Arm Soul Bone, Huo Yuhao concluded, "All I can say is that this ten-thousand-year soul bone is perfect for you and definitely worth it. If you're short on funds, I can lend you some..."
Wang Dong'er couldn't shake the feeling that she was being lured into a soul bone scam.
In reality, Beibei had taken her to a treasure appreciation auction before, so she had a rough idea of what to expect.
According to Beibei, the most sought-after items among students were soul bones, followed by soul ring customization and pills. However, soul bones were rare, and most were only at the thousand-year level.
If anyone else had told her about this, Wang Dong'er would have been skeptical.
"I don't need to borrow money," she said after a pause. Then, softly, she asked, "Yuhao, you didn't sign any contract with the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, did you? And where did you get so much money?"
While inner courtyard disciples could borrow from the Treasure Gathering Pavilion without interest, as long as they repaid the principal on time, Wang Dong'er knew that businessmen always sought profit. The pavilion was shrewd, and small advantages often came with hidden costs.
"Wang Dong'er, what are you thinking? I just happened to make a fortune during the holiday," Huo Yuhao replied with a smile. "Besides, I only found out about the ten-thousand-year soul bone through Dean Yan. If it suits you, don't miss it."
"That's good," Wang Dong'er said, relieved.
"Absorbing this soul bone will give you more confidence in the upcoming selection," Huo Yuhao added.
"When exactly does the selection start?"
"Within a week. There should be an announcement in a few days."
After discussing the matter and chatting for a while, Huo Yuhao left. He still had to participate in the main team selection.
Thanks to his red-level VIP privileges, Huo Yuhao had obtained a 70,000-year Ice Scorpion Left Arm Soul Bone for free the previous day. However, as part of Shrek Academy's rigorous training program, there was a condition: he had to join the Shrek main team and bring glory to the academy in the Continental Elite Young Soul Master Tournament. Huo Yuhao was more than happy to comply.
Yan Shaozhe had another task—selecting students for the Continental Elite Young Soul Master Tournament—which he could now check off his list.
…
Meanwhile, at Sea God Pavilion.
Yan Shaozhe bowed to Mu Lao, who was reclining on a rocking chair. "Teacher, we will select seven regular members this afternoon to represent Shrek Academy in the Continental Elite Young Soul Master Tournament."
Mu Lao opened his eyes and smiled. "Xiaotao can participate in this year's competition."
Yan Shaozhe nodded. "Yes, thanks to Yuhao, Xiao Tao hasn't been troubled by her evil fire this year, and her cultivation has improved rapidly. She's now at level 69, just one step away from becoming a Soul Saint."
Yan Shaozhe couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret. "If Xiaotao could break through to Soul Saint before the competition, winning the championship would be a breeze."
"Yuhao has accepted the Ice Jade Scorpion's Left Arm Soul Bone, right?" Mu Lao asked.
"Yes," Yan Shaozhe confirmed. "But he hasn't merged with it yet."
"That's good. Our efforts won't be in vain," Mu Lao said. "How is Yuhao's cultivation progressing?"
After a moment of thought, Yan Shaozhe replied, "Yuhao's aura is well-hidden. Without seeing him in action, it's hard to gauge his exact strength. However, he just absorbed his fourth soul ring during the holiday, so he should still be at level 42."
"That's impressive!" Mu Lao exclaimed. "Nine months ago, Yuhao had just obtained his third soul ring. In less than a year, he's already broken through to the fourth ring."
"Yuhao's talent is truly unique," Yan Shaozhe said with admiration. "Perhaps he can even embark on the path to godhood and replicate the feats of the Shrek Seven Monsters from ten thousand years ago."
Yan Shaozhe had never imagined that twin martial souls, body martial soul, and ultimate martial soul could all exist in one person simultaneously.
Hearing Yan Shaozhe's words, Mu Lao sighed inwardly. Becoming a god was like a flower in a mirror or the moon reflected in water—an elusive dream.
Even after so many years as a Limit Douluo, he felt there was no path forward. Could one truly become a god at level 100? Mu Lao didn't know, but he knew he had no chance of advancing further. That path would have to be left for future generations to explore.
After a moment of melancholy, Mu Lao closed his eyes and said to Yan Shaozhe, "Shaozhe, go and oversee the selection of the official team members this afternoon. Have Yuhao come to me this evening."
Yan Shaozhe bowed respectfully. "Yes, teacher!"
…
At two in the afternoon, on Poseidon Island.
Shrek Inner Courtyard Martial Soul Area.
The preliminary rounds for the official team selection were being held here. All inner courtyard students under the age of 20 were eligible to participate.
The top three from the preliminaries would compete with the previous generation's reserve players for the final seven spots to represent Shrek Academy in the Continental Elite Young Soul Master Tournament.
It was a supreme honor to represent Shrek in such a prestigious competition, so the participants were all fired up and eager to prove themselves.
Most of the confident participants were at the Soul King level.
They eyed the former reserve players of Shrek Academy, hoping to replace them. However, to compete for the final seven spots, they first had to make it into the top three of the preliminaries—a privilege extended to the reserve players, who were among the most talented individuals to have represented Shrek Academy.
As the preliminaries began, Huo Yuhao and Ma Xiaotao were placed in separate brackets. They advanced effortlessly, like a hot knife through butter.
On the sidelines, Dai Yuheng and several other former reserve players watched Huo Yuhao and Ma Xiaotao with solemn expressions.
Ma Xiaotao was understandable—she was a Soul Emperor with formidable combat prowess, and everyone had prepared to face her. But where had this Huo Yuhao come from?
'Oh, right—the sophomore with the Ultimate Ice martial soul. That explained it...'
Although everyone knew Huo Yuhao had been specially admitted to the inner courtyard, no one had mentioned his combat prowess. He had defeated a group of inner courtyard Soul Kings with only four soul rings.
Those who could enter the inner courtyard were geniuses, the continent's top soul masters, with top-tier martial souls, combat skills, and mental fortitude. Every inner courtyard student could have the best soul ring configuration, with a ten-thousand-year soul ring by the fifth ring.
Huo Yuhao's message was clear: 'Genius is just the threshold to see me.'
Among Huo Yuhao's defeated opponents were some who had been in the inner courtyard for over a year, and even some who could defeat six-ring Soul Emperors. Even Dai Yueheng and the others couldn't guarantee their spots on the main team.
Take Chu Qingtian, for example, whom Huo Yuhao faced in the quarterfinals. This agile-attack Soul King possessed the Berserk Lightning Leopard martial spirit.
After activating his fifth spirit skill, he became nearly untouchable, with incredible speed and lethality. Yet Huo Yuhao seemed to predict his moves, teleporting into position and knocking him out with a single punch.
Then there was the semifinal against Liesha, a powerful attack-type Soul Master with a soul power level of 52. His spirit was the Earth Dragon, granting him immense physical strength, though his speed was lacking.
Huo Yuhao didn't dodge or evade; he met Liesha head-on. With each punch, Liesha was forced back. Finally, when Liesha unleashed multiple spirit skills simultaneously, Huo Yuhao got serious.
'Ice Empress's Claw! One punch!'
On the surface, it seemed like a 30-70 situation. But after three punches, Liesha was nearly out of the competition. The referee acted quickly; otherwise, even if Huo Yuhao held back, Liesha would have been bedridden for days.
'Is this really a spiritual attribute soul master?'
To the onlookers, the power of Huo Yuhao's punches was terrifying. Except for Dai Yueheng, who remained somewhat confident, the others were visibly nervous.
Chen Zifeng, one of the three strong-attack Soul Masters among the seven, was already sweating profusely.
As for the strong-attack contestant from the Soul Guidance Department, he had already given up when he heard Ma Xiaotao was participating.
His martial soul wasn't a strong-attack type, but thanks to his soul guide, he filled that role. However, he wasn't well-regarded in the martial soul system, so it was widely accepted that Ma Xiaotao would take his spot.
But Chen Zifeng hadn't expected another dark horse to emerge. Among the top three in the preliminaries, Huo Yuhao and Ma Xiaotao were both strong-attack types, with one control-type Soul Master rounding out the group.
To secure a spot on the main team, one had to excel in their specialty. After all, the Soul Master Competition included team-based events, and the main team couldn't consist of seven strong-attack types. That would be exciting but against tradition!
Shrek Academy valued diversity: strong-attack, agile-attack, control, and support were all essential. Defense types? Well, they were just happy to be included.
As the final qualifiers began, Ma Xiaotao surprised everyone by announcing, "Referee, I forfeit!"
Chen Zifeng was stunned. He hadn't even gathered enough information on Huo Yuhao, and now it was over? This wasn't fair—something fishy was going on!
…
Ling Luochen watched Huo Yuhao, thinking, 'This is the power of the Ultimate Ice. I wonder if I'll ever reach this level...'
Meanwhile, Gong Yangmo, a handsome and delicate-looking young man, couldn't take his eyes off Huo Yuhao. "Yuhao is so handsome! Don't you think so, Ji Shuai?" he exclaimed, clearly smitten.
Chen Zifeng, standing beside Gong Yangmo, silently distanced himself. He clearly wanted nothing to do with Gong Yangmo's infatuation.
Gong Yangmo didn't care. Chen Zifeng wasn't his type anyway. The young Huo Yuhao, with his strength and looks, was far more appealing. Moreover, Gong Yangmo had a more stable position on the main team than Dai Yueheng and Chen Zifeng, with consistent support and adaptable output.
With the arrival of Ma Xiaotao and Huo Yuhao, Dai Yueheng, the former team leader, would soon be replaced, and Chen Zifeng faced the risk of elimination.
As the final qualifier concluded, Ma Xiaotao's forfeit left Chen Zifeng bewildered. He hadn't even had a chance to gather information on Huo Yuhao, and now it was over. This wasn't fair—something was definitely amiss!
…
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