Just as Huo Yuhao stepped out of the cultivation chamber,
a door not far opposite him opened as well.
Wang Dong emerged with delight written across her face.
But when she looked up,
she caught sight of Huo Yuhao's back as he walked straight toward the outside of the Ancient Golden Tree.
The smile at her lips stiffened slightly.
Watching the youth's tall, upright figure, Wang Dong bit her red lip with pearly teeth.
The joy she had just felt from cultivating within the Ancient Golden Tree dissipated by more than half.
An inexplicable anger surged in her heart.
"Huo Yuhao!" she suddenly shouted,
"What's so great about you?!"
"Always putting on that aloof, superior look!"
"Do you dare suppress your Spirit Power to my level and fight me?!"
Huo Yuhao seemed not to hear.
His figure disappeared within the ancient tree.
Wang Dong clenched her slender fists, gritting her teeth.
—
After leaving the interior of the Ancient Golden Tree,
Huo Yuhao saw Mu En standing by the window with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the radiant, flowing branches of the Ancient Golden Tree as if deep in thought.
"Teacher, I've finished cultivating."
Hearing him, Mu En turned around, a gentle smile appearing on his wrinkled face.
"It seems your harvest was not small."
Huo Yuhao was about to speak, but Mu En had already looked toward the distant sky.
"The Hall Master of Illustrious Virtue Hall, Jing Hongchen, has arrived. He is demanding you from Shrek. Xuan Zi is currently battling him."
Huo Yuhao's gaze sharpened slightly as he followed Mu En's line of sight.
The barrier around Sea God Island isolated outside Spirit Power fluctuations.
His eyes gradually turned into brilliant gold, his gaze piercing through the barrier like light through water.
In his vision—
a thousand-foot-tall Taotie divine ox was fiercely clashing with a toad surrounded by blazing soul tool light. Energy surged violently, the heavens and earth shifting in color.
"Since Jing Hongchen has come for me, I should go take a look."
"Yuhao, you may remain here."
Mu En's tone remained calm, yet carried an unmistakable dominance.
"Jing Hongchen would not dare cause trouble here."
"Thank you, Teacher. But since this is a matter concerning your disciple, I should face it myself."
With that, Huo Yuhao turned and walked toward the lakeside.
He did not board a boat. Instead, he stepped upon the water's surface, gliding across it in moments, disappearing into the vast mist.
Mu En remained where he was, still smiling faintly as he looked up at the sky.
At that moment,
a Sea God Pavilion elder appeared silently behind him.
"Pavilion Master, just now, nearly ten percent of the Ancient Golden Tree's energy was absorbed."
"With such an immense amount of energy, it would be enough to create a powerhouse above the level of Super Douluo."
"Huo Yuhao is far too mysterious. He carries the aura of the king of the Extreme North and can even wield the exclusive divine skill of the ferocious beast Bear Lord."
"It can now be almost certain that the loss of the ancient tree's energy is related to him."
Mu En's expression did not change.
"This matter ends here. I will vouch for Yuhao."
"The soul origins of past Pavilion Masters within the Sea God Pavilion remain intact. A loss of ten percent of the ancient tree's energy is no great harm."
"Moreover, energy stored is merely stored. If it can nurture a peerless genius, then it is put to proper use."
His gaze drifted into the distance.
"What I am more curious about now…"
"is whether Yuhao will return the soul tools to Jing Hongchen."
—
Above Shrek Academy, thunderous roars rolled like muffled lightning, deafening to the ears.
Boom!
Boom!
The aftershocks of colliding energies transformed into raging storms, sweeping across the academy. Yellow sand spiraled through the air; grass and trees bent low.
In the sky, Elder Xuan revealed his Martial Soul True Body.
Standing upon the Taotie divine ox, he launched charge after charge at Jing Hongchen, his momentum shaking heaven and earth.
Yet Jing Hongchen relied on his Level-9 soul tools to maneuver, his body continuously retreating under the thrust of propulsion devices, keeping a distance of several thousand meters from Elder Xuan.
Watching the unstoppable Taotie divine ox advancing through barrages of soul cannon fire, a trace of gravity flashed in Jing Hongchen's eyes.
"Shrek's foundation is indeed unfathomable."
"Even if that old monster has fallen, the Taotie Douluo still upholds their banner."
"Within a thousand meters, I could not withstand ten of his moves; at several thousand meters, I still have room to maneuver; only at ten thousand meters do I have even a slight chance of victory."
Elder Xuan smashed an incoming soul tool beam with a single punch. His towering body was forced half a step back by the shock, the void trembling with it.
He snorted angrily, two streams of white vapor blasting from his nostrils.
In truth—
He, too, had his misgivings.
Below them was Shrek Academy.
Although he was certain that Jing Hongchen would not dare fire soul tools directly at Shrek,
after the lesson from the previous bandit-suppression incident,
he no longer dared gamble with the students' safety.
In this battle,
he was inevitably restrained.
"Xuan Zi, continuing this fight will only lead to a stalemate. Why not have Huo Yuhao come out and see me?!"
Elder Xuan remained unmoved.
"Hmph. On this continent, no one can demand a person from Shrek."
He was doing his utmost to shield Huo Yuhao.
Aside from the Spirit Master Tournament factor,
he also remembered—
he owed that young man a favor.
"Old toad, do you dare follow this old man elsewhere and fight without restraint?!"
Jing Hongchen did not respond.
He naturally understood Xuan Zi's concerns.
Just as the auras of the two rose once more, on the verge of clashing again—
a blue-robed figure, riding a flying soul tool, ascended into the sky.
"Yuhao!" Bei Bei and the others, who had just finished cultivating at Sea God Pavilion, showed anxious expressions.
"That powerhouse from the Sun Moon Empire is clearly here for him! Elder Xuan can handle it!"
Within the inner courtyard,
Ma Xiaotao spread her soul tool wings and shot into the sky.
In the air,Zhang Lexuan hurriedly called out, "Yuhao, go back!"
She knew Huo Yuhao was extraordinarily strong.
But his opponent was a peak powerhouse of the continent, capable of contending with Elder Xuan.
No matter how talented Huo Yuhao was,
his years of cultivation were still too short.
"Senior Sister Xiaotao, Senior Sister, there's no need to worry." Leaving only that sentence behind, Huo Yuhao flew toward Elder Xuan.
"So you are Huo Yuhao—the one said to possess Titled Douluo-level combat power at the age of twelve?"
Jing Hongchen stood with his hands behind his back atop the golden toad. Behind his soul tool glasses, his eyes narrowed slightly as he sized up the calm, refined-looking youth.
"Yuhao, return to the academy at once!" Elder Xuan flashed in front of him, shouting in a low voice.
"Elder Xuan, rest assured."
After speaking, Huo Yuhao looked toward Jing Hongchen a thousand meters away.
"For the Hall Master of Illustrious Virtue Hall to travel thousands of miles for a mere junior like me—Yuhao is truly honored."
Jing Hongchen said, "The Sun Moon team's defeat at your hands was due to their own lack of skill."
"But, boy…"
"You should not have stolen the soul tools of my Illustrious Virtue Hall."
"I will give you one chance. Hand over the soul tools now, and it is not too late."
Huo Yuhao chuckled softly.
"On the arena stage, life and death are left to fate."
"That day, I fought one against seven. Yet the Sun Moon team's leading teacher violated the rules and attacked me."
"I showed mercy, mindful of the team members' youth, and did not kill them—only confiscated their soul tools as a minor punishment."
"Hall Master of Illustrious Virtue Hall—do you truly still have the face to demand them back?"
The moment those words fell—
Elder Xuan's expression changed slightly.
Ma Xiaotao, Zhang Lexuan, and all the Shrek teachers and students watching below felt their hearts tighten.
No one had expected—
Huo Yuhao would dare speak to a top-tier powerhouse in such a manner.
Jing Hongchen was briefly stunned, then a smile spread across his face.
"Boy… what did you just say?"
At Huo Yuhao's brow,
a brilliant vertical eye suddenly opened.
"I said—"
"The soul tools, I've confiscated them."
...
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