Above the Sky Screen, light and shadow swirled.
In the scene of the Black World on the left, the end of the first year quietly arrived.
[Black World, Shrek Academy.]
[At the end of the first year, Huo Yuhao's spirit power finally broke through to the twentieth level. According to Shrek's rules, core disciples can apply for the academy to arrange a trip to a suitable location to hunt a Spirit Beast and obtain their second spirit ring.]
[However, when Zhou Yi spoke with him, he refused.]
["You aren't asking the Martial Soul Department to help you?" Zhou Yi frowned. "Can the Soul Tool Department spare the manpower?"]
[Huo Yuhao lowered his head and said softly, "Teacher, Teacher Fan Yu has already agreed!"]
[Zhou Yi stared at him for a long time before finally nodding. "Very well. You can save that opportunity from the Martial Soul Department for a time when you need it more!"]
[After leaving Zhou Yi's office, Huo Yuhao went to find Fan Yu.]
["Teacher Fan Yu, the Martial Soul Department has already agreed to help me hunt for a Spirit Beast!"]
[Fan Yu didn't think much of it and nodded. "That's good. Be sure to stay safe on this trip!"]
[Huo Yuhao walked out of the gates of the Soul Tool Department and stood in the sunlight. There was no trace of smugness from his successful deception on his face, only a calm sense of determination.]
[The place he was going to was not something anyone could imagine—the Far North Land, that frozen wasteland of death where even a Spirit Saint would not dare to step foot easily.]
...
Black World, Douluo Continent.
In the tavern, the commoners watched, completely bewildered.
"What is this kid doing? It would be so much better to have the academy arrange the Spirit Beast hunt. Why run off on his own?"
"Exactly. He's just a second ring; what kind of good Spirit Beast could he possibly hunt?"
"And he's keeping it a secret from both sides? What is he trying to do?"
Someone suddenly said, "Don't forget, he has the Heavenly Dream Ice Worm inside him. That is a Million-Year Soul Beast; perhaps it pointed him toward a different path."
"But that's just too risky..."
...
Shrek City, Inner Court.
Xuan Zi gazed at the boy on the Sky Screen who was telling lies, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Where is he going?"
Yan Shaozhe was lost in thought, then suddenly said, "Elder Xuan, do you remember? After Huo Yuhao returned in his second year, his strength suddenly surged. At the time, we all thought he was just lucky to have hunted a suitable spirit ring..."
Xuan Zi's pupils constricted.
Fan Yu also suddenly raised his head. "That's right! When he returned back then, he was a completely different person, and he had even awakened his second Spirit—the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion. A fierce beast like that can only be found in the Far North Land!"
The three of them exchanged glances, seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
Yan Shaozhe gasped. "That child... dared to go to the Far North Land alone back then?"
"Does he not know how dangerous the Far North is?" Qian Duoduo said in disbelief. "That's a place where even a Spirit Saint could fall!"
Xuan Zi was silent for a moment, then said softly, "He knew. But he went anyway."
"This is the part we have never seen through—this child is much more ruthless than we thought."
"Let's take a good look at what exactly happened when he went to the Far North Land this time!"
...
[On that rainy night before the break, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong stood downstairs at the dormitory; neither spoke.]
[Rain soaked their clothes, but neither had any intention of going back to get out of the rain.]
[After a long while, Wang Dong spoke, his voice somewhat muffled. "Are you... really leaving?"]
[Huo Yuhao nodded.]
["When will you be back?"]
[Huo Yuhao was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Before school starts, I will definitely be back."]
[Wang Dong looked at him and suddenly said, "The place you're going is very dangerous, isn't it?"]
[Huo Yuhao was stunned.]
[Wang Dong turned his head away, his voice even more muffled. "I don't know where you're going, but every time you keep something from me, your right pinky finger twitches slightly. We have a one-hundred-percent compatibility Spirit Fusion; you can't hide anything from me."]
[Huo Yuhao opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found he couldn't say anything at all.]
[Wang Dong took a deep breath, turned back to look at him, his beautiful eyes filled with seriousness. "I don't know what dangerous thing you are going to do, but listen to me—you must come back alive."]
["If you dare to die out there, I will... I will... I will forget you! Forget you completely!"]
[Huo Yuhao looked at him and suddenly smiled.]
[That was the first time he had smiled from the heart since leaving the Duke's Mansion.]
["Okay," he said softly. "I will definitely come back alive."]
[Wang Dong snorted and turned to run into the dormitory building. But at the moment he turned, Huo Yuhao clearly saw that his eyes were red.]
[Huo Yuhao stood where he was, letting the rain hit his face.]
[After a long while, he also turned and disappeared into the rainy night.]
...
Black World, Douluo Continent.
In the tavern, many people's eyes turned red.
"These two kids... how old are they, really?"
"That Wang Dong, he usually looks so arrogant, but it turns out he cares so much about Huo Yuhao."
"He realized Huo Yuhao was keeping something from him, but didn't expose him, just told him to come back alive... what level of trust is that?"
Someone sighed, "With Huo Yuhao heading off like this, who knows if he can come back alive. That's the Far North Land, after all..."
...
[After leaving Shrek City, Huo Yuhao did not set off immediately. He first went to purchase a large amount of dry rations and cold-weather supplies—cotton clothes, blankets, fire starters, and several small heating spirit tools he had swiped from the Soul Tool Department.]
[After everything was prepared, he set foot on the road to the Far North.]
[Shrek City was thousands of miles away from the Far North Land. He traveled north, crossing the borders of the Heaven Dou Empire, passing through stretch after stretch of wasteland and forest, getting colder and more desolate with every step.]
[Half a month later, he finally saw that legendary frozen wasteland.]
[Looking out, the World was nothing but a vast expanse of white. The wind howled, whipping up snow into the air, hitting his face like knife cuts. The temperature was terrifyingly low; even his breath seemed to be freezing.]
[Huo Yuhao wrapped his cotton clothes tighter, took a deep breath, and stepped into that expanse of white.]
...
Black World, Douluo Continent.
"He actually went in..."
"A half-month journey, just to go to the Far North Land? Even a Spirit Saint wouldn't dare go to that place!"
"He's just a second ring, on what grounds?"
Someone muttered, "On the guidance of that Million-Year Soul Beast inside him!"
"But... the Far North Land is the place with the most natural disasters among the three major Spirit Beast habitats. How does he dare?"
...
White World, Sun Moon Empire, Bright Capital.
The commoners watched the scene on the Sky Screen, discussing it animatedly.
"The Huo Yuhao of that World is quite determined, too."
"Isn't he? Running off to the Far North Land all by himself, he's got some real guts."
"But have you noticed? When he went to the Far North, no one helped him plan his route, no one provided supplies; he relied entirely on himself. When our Venerable Ming went to the Far North, he must have been much better prepared, right?"
"Of course! When has Venerable Ming ever done anything without being certain of success?"
...
White World, Reincarnation God Realm.
Gu Yuena gazed at the boy on the Sky Screen stepping into the frozen wasteland alone, her eyes flickering.
"He also went to the Far North."
Wang Qiuer asked curiously, "What is he going there for?"
"To find the Ice Empress," Gu Yuena said softly. "That World has one too. I just don't know if he will be able to encounter it."
Snow Empress stood to the side, gazing at that familiar frozen wasteland, complex thoughts flashing in her eyes.
That was where she was born.
It was also the place where she almost faded away.
If it weren't for Huo Yuhao...
She looked at the boy on the right-hand screen, who was focused on crafting in the laboratory, and a wave of warmth surged in her heart.
"He will succeed," she said suddenly.
Gu Yuena looked at her.
Snow Empress said softly, "The him of that World will succeed as well."
Gu Yuena smiled slightly and nodded.