At the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest, Mu En threw the massive, unconscious Hellhound to the ground in front of Zhu Ziyang and said, "Begin."
"Yes, Teacher."
Zhu Ziyang's voice trembled slightly from excitement. He summoned his Judgment Scythe of Eternal Rest, then drove the blade cleanly into the Hellhound's skull. A pitch-black soul ring emerged from the corpse, pulsating with ominous pressure.
He steadied his breath, sat cross-legged, and began channeling his soul power to guide the ring. The soul ring hovered obediently into his palm, unleashing a torrent of dense and violent energy that pressed inward toward his meridians.
But Zhu Ziyang remained completely unfazed.
His body was already strong enough to withstand even an eighty-thousand-year ring. A seventy-thousand-year one posed no threat at all.
The soul power within the ring surged violently, rampaging through his meridians. But each time, it was easily contained by his tenacious body and gradually swallowed and assimilated by his soul power. After several cycles, the soul ring finally calmed.
Ziyang began the final phase—absorption.
Mu En watched silently from the side, his aged eyes full of satisfaction.
"He can handle a seventy-thousand-year soul ring at the fifth level… Perhaps by the sixth ring, he could even absorb a hundred-thousand-year one," he mused, already formulating a new plan.
While Mu En pondered, something happened.
The Hellhound's soul ring trembled—so faintly that it was imperceptible unless one was paying close attention.
Mu En, deep in thought, didn't notice.
Meanwhile, deep within the core zone of Star Dou Forest…
A furious roar erupted from the throat of a massive, three-headed dog.
"Who?! Who was it?!"
The Crimson King, all six of its eyes ablaze with rage, bellowed into the sky.
"What's wrong, Crimson King?"
asked the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, puzzled. She looked up lazily, her gaze innocent.
"My child! My most beloved child is dead!"
Crimson King howled, flames spewing from its three mouths and reducing nearby trees to ashes within seconds.
"That Hellhound was our tribe's future—damn them! I'll kill them all!"
"Oh, is that so…"
the Three-Eyed Golden Lion murmured disinterestedly, resting her chin on her paws. Her mind, however, was replaying Zhu Ziyang's memories—fascinated by the human world. A certain idea kept circling in her heart, one that would soon push her to make a fateful decision.
"Shut up, you stupid mutt!"
Suddenly, a green vine appeared from nowhere and lashed the Crimson King across the head. A cold, venomous voice followed.
The Crimson King instantly went silent. Yet, in his eyes, the fury still raged.
Of course, Mu En and Zhu Ziyang had no idea that the Hellhound they had just killed was the child of the Crimson King.
And even if they had known, Mu En would have slain it anyway. Of the Ten Great Savage Beasts, only the top three inspired any caution in him. The others were merely troublesome creatures.
Roughly two hours later, the soul ring absorption was complete.
Zhu Ziyang stood up, scythe in hand, five soul rings glowing brightly behind him: yellow, purple, purple, black, black.
Excitement sparkled in his eyes.
"Teacher, I did it!"
he said joyfully.
"Haha, well done, well done! As expected of my chosen successor!"
Mu En laughed heartily, immensely pleased.
He could sense that Ziyang had already broken through to Rank 52.
"What's your fifth soul skill?" he asked curiously.
"You'll never guess it, Teacher."
Ziyang's eyes gleamed with intrigue. "It's called Hell Duel Arena."
"Hell Duel Arena?"
Mu En blinked. "A domain-type skill?"
"Kind of," Ziyang nodded.
"When I use it, I and a single opponent are both teleported into a separate space called the Hell Duel Arena. In that space:
Opponents stronger than me are suppressed to my level.
Opponents weaker than me are boosted to my level.
Inside, soul rings, soul bones, and external boosts are sealed. The only things we can use are our martial souls and raw soul power. The only way to exit… is to kill the other person."
"…This…"
Mu En was stunned.
"I've never heard of such a bizarre skill. But based on your description, it sounds extremely powerful—especially since, in a pure one-on-one at equal level, few can match someone with an Ultimate Martial Soul."
"Exactly!"
Ziyang nodded excitedly.
Hell Duel Arena was nothing short of a god-tier ability—particularly for him. Even without rings or bones, he had the Zhu Clan's Five Scythes, Sovereign's Reign, and Necromantic Magic. He could confidently say he had a chance of killing a Title Douluo inside the arena.
But Mu En's expression turned serious.
"Still, Ziyang—I must caution you. Do not use this skill recklessly. If you don't have absolute confidence in victory, never activate it. Understood?"
"Yes, Teacher. I understand,"
Ziyang nodded solemnly. He appreciated the warning and would never let a powerful skill make him arrogant.
"Good. I trust you,"
Mu En smiled.
"Well then, this trip has been a great success. Let's return to the academy."
With that, the two took to the skies, soaring back to Shrek Academy.
Later that evening, Ziyang approached Mu En with a request.
"Teacher, I'd like to go home tomorrow. I haven't seen my family in two years, and if I don't go now, I won't get another chance until next year."
"Of course,"
Mu En agreed with a kind smile.
"It's time."
Overjoyed by his teacher's permission, Ziyang immediately went to find Jiang Nannan.
"Nannan, pack your things tonight. We're going home to Anyang City tomorrow."
"Really? That's great!"
she beamed, her delicate face lighting up with joy.
"I'll go pack right now!"
She hurried off with excitement, leaving Ziyang behind with Zhang Lexuan, who had been chatting with them just moments before.
Lexuan smiled as she watched Jiang Nannan's happy departure—but the joy soon faded from her expression, replaced by a shadow of sorrow.
Ziyang and Nannan had a home to return to, loving parents waiting to welcome them. But she… had long been without a home.
"Lexuan-jie, are you alright?"
Ziyang noticed her change in mood and asked gently.
"I'm fine,"
she shook her head, forcing a soft smile. Her face was as gentle as a spring breeze.
"Congratulations, Ziyang—on becoming the youngest Soul King in the academy's history."
"Thank you,"
Ziyang replied modestly.
"But I'm only the youngest Soul King. That's nothing compared to you—the youngest Soul Douluo."
Zhang Lexuan had already reached Rank 83. Discounting the year she lost due to damage to her martial soul and life source, she had risen two levels in just a year. If others on the continent knew that, they'd die of jealousy.
"Haha~"
Lexuan laughed softly, her voice like moonlight over a lake—gentle and healing.
"Something tells me you'll steal that title from me soon enough."
The two chatted casually for a while longer before parting ways.
Back in his wooden cabin, Zhu Ziyang found Xingcai asleep. He didn't wake her.
Instead, he quietly sat cross-legged on his bed, preparing to finally accept the gift Electrolux had promised him long ago…
The Undead Demiplane.