Changes in the Sea of Consciousness! Heading to Shrek!

Zhu Ziyang looked at the motionless gray bead and fell silent for a moment.

Then, his attention was drawn to his own Sea of Consciousness Space. Having likewise benefited from the Silver Dragon Wolf's sacrifice, Zhu Ziyang's Sea of Consciousness Space had undergone enormous changes.

His Spiritual Sea had expanded by more than double, his total Spiritual Power had increased by fifty percent, and the level of his Spiritual Power had reached the peak of the tangible yet intangible realm. In terms of Spiritual Power cultivation, even ordinary Soul Kings were probably no match for him.

Zhu Ziyang floated above the Spiritual Sea. Before him were the Electrolux Soul Pearl and a Silver Diamond Crystal. His gaze fell upon the Silver Diamond Crystal, within which rested a Miniature Silver Dragon. This was likely connected to the Silver Dragon Wolf.

He touched the crystal with his Spiritual Power and sensed a faint ripple of soul energy within it.

He recalled a legend: after a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast sacrificed itself, its soul would not perish, but instead reside within its Soul Ring.

Whether this claim was true or false was unknown, because throughout the continent's history, only three soul masters had ever received the sacrifice of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. The Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao and the Thousand Hands Douluo Tang San, father and son from ten thousand years ago, became the first and second soul masters to receive Soul Beast sacrifices because their wives had both been Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in human form.

The third was Zhu Ziyang.

He decided not to bother with the Silver Crystal for now. After all, inside his Sea of Consciousness, it could not possibly stir up any trouble.

The Spiritual Sea was a pristine azure lake, its Spiritual Power gathered into pure blue liquid without the slightest impurity. Silver ripples shimmered across its surface, yet when Zhu Ziyang mobilized his Spiritual Power, there was no silver light within it.

Zhu Ziyang was puzzled, but he vaguely sensed that this was related to the Silver Dragon Wolf.

Beyond the Spiritual Sea, within the Sea of Consciousness Space, lay a region known as the Soul and Body Firmament—the boundary wall between soul and body. This wall separated a soul master's soul from their physique. Only supreme experts who had condensed a Soul Core could break the shackles between soul and body, allowing the two to merge anew and reach the state of perfect unity.

At this moment, Zhu Ziyang's Soul and Body Firmament was no longer its former lifeless, gray and murky expanse. Instead, a Golden Star hung in a Blue-White Sky, surrounded by Gray Clouds, no different from a real sky outside.

The Blue-White Sky represented Ultimate Ice, the Golden Star represented Ultimate Light, and the Gray Clouds represented death. These were the reflections of his Ultimate Martial Souls within his Sea of Consciousness.

After taking another look at his Sea of Consciousness, Zhu Ziyang finally withdrew his awareness with satisfaction and returned to reality.

He did not immediately begin cultivating. Instead, he stretched out both hands. Holy Light Element gathered in his right palm, while gray, cold, desolate Power of Death was guided into his left.

Thanks to his twin ultimate attributes, Zhu Ziyang could easily release different elements from each hand. He merely needed to replace the ice element with the Power of Death.

A smile appeared on his face as he began cultivating.

Nothing happened that night.

The next morning, Zhu Ziyang emerged from cultivation with a radiant expression.

Whenever he thought of the fortunate encounters of the past two days, he could not suppress the joy in his heart. The smile on his face never faded, leaving Zhu Changhe and Liang Ying, as well as Jiang Nannan, rather curious.

Naturally, he could not tell them the truth, so he vaguely said that he had made some breakthroughs. That was not entirely false, either.

For several days in a row, Zhu Ziyang remained in high spirits. Perhaps because he was in such a good mood, even his cultivation efficiency improved considerably, making him even happier.

A week later.

Outside the south gate of Anyang City, beside the official road.

Zhu Changhe and Liang Ying, along with Bai Xinyi, were seeing their children off.

Today was the day Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan set out for Shrek Academy.

"Yangyang, you've been different from others since childhood. When you awakened your Martial Soul at six, you even possessed Innate Full Soul Power. Dad believes in you. You'll definitely get into Shrek Academy!" Zhu Changhe said to Zhu Ziyang, his face full of pride.

"That's right. My son is so outstanding—he'll definitely become a student of Shrek Academy!" Liang Ying was equally proud, though she did not forget to remind him, "Once you get to Shrek Academy, remember to send letters home!"

"Don't worry, Dad, Mom." Zhu Ziyang smiled confidently. "Just wait for my good news."

"Mhm!" The couple nodded at the same time.

On the other side, Jiang Nannan was also saying goodbye to Bai Xinyi.

"Mom, I'm leaving." Jiang Nannan tried her best not to cry. Compared to Zhu Ziyang's maturity, she was still only an eleven-year-old young girl. It was her first time leaving home for somewhere so distant, for so long. Naturally, she felt sad.

"Mhm! Go on!" Bai Xinyi wore a gratified smile as she gently stroked Jiang Nannan's beautiful hair.

The two set off, heading south along the official road.

Zhu Changhe, Liang Ying, and Bai Xinyi stood at the city gate, watching the two children until they disappeared from sight.

"Let's go." Zhu Changhe withdrew his gaze and spoke.

"Alright." Liang Ying answered, then looked at Bai Xinyi. "Sister Bai, let's head back."

"Mhm!" Bai Xinyi nodded silently.

Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan hurried along the road, racing southward.

Shrek Academy was located in the central region of the former Douluo Continent, right at the border where the Three Great Empires of Heavenly Soul, Dou Ling, and Star Luo met. Anyang City lay on the northern frontier of the Heaven Dou Empire, in the northern part of Douluo Continent as well. To reach Shrek Academy, they naturally had to travel south.

They planned to take Heavenly North Road alongside Heavenly Radiance Canyon to reach Heaven Dou City, the imperial capital of the Heaven Dou Empire. Then, they would take the Heavenly Cableway from Heaven Dou City to Suonan Province of the Heaven Dou Empire, before finally taking small roads to Shrek Academy. The journey was nearly eight thousand li. With one Soul Elder and one Soul Grandmaster, they could arrive in just seven days if they traveled day and night.

However, there was naturally no need for them to rush so desperately, since there were still fifteen days before Shrek Academy's admissions period began and ended.

In truth, Zhu Ziyang did not particularly care about joining Shrek Academy. His innate talent meant that he would receive ample attention wherever he went.

He chose Shrek Academy for three reasons. First, to fulfill the wishes of his parents and Hong Zhen. Second, joining Shrek Academy would bring him the greatest benefits, such as Soul Rings and Soul Bones. Third was Zhu Ziyang's modest ambition: what kind of strength would it take to become the master of the continent's number one academy?

"Brother, there seems to be a village up ahead. Let's ask to stay there for the night." Jiang Nannan pointed at the faint, flickering lights ahead and suggested it to Zhu Ziyang with delight.

"Sure." Zhu Ziyang considered it for a moment, then agreed.

They had camped in the wilderness for three consecutive nights. They had passed through several cities along the way, but had not entered any of them to rest. They were currently near Falan City, around three hundred kilometers from Heaven Dou City. They had left Falan City that afternoon, and barring any surprises, they would reach Heaven Dou City by tomorrow morning.

The night was deep, making the lights of the small village especially conspicuous. After leaving the official road, Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan walked another three or four li along a small path before they could finally see the village in its entirety.

It was a small village with only thirty or forty households. Mountains surrounded it on three sides, while a modest forest stood on the fourth. Beyond the forest was the official road. Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan entered the village via a forest path. After looking around from the village entrance, they headed toward a house near the entrance.

Knock, knock, knock!

Arriving at the door, Zhu Ziyang knocked.

"Who is it?" A hoarse, weak voice came from inside. Footsteps approached from afar, and the tightly shut door opened. An elderly woman with a head of silver hair poked her head out. Seeing the two unfamiliar faces, she asked in confusion, "Who are you?"

"Hello, Grandma. We're travelers passing through and would like to stay at your home for the night. Would that be alright?" Zhu Ziyang asked with a smile.

"This..." The old woman hesitated, her aged face uncertain as her cloudy eyes examined Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan. Seeing that they were both only eleven or twelve years old, the experience of her many decades told her that these two youths were no ordinary people. She could only nod and say, "Alright, then. Come in."

The elderly woman pulled open the door and let Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan enter.

"Thank you, Grandma." Jiang Nannan smiled sweetly at the old woman and thanked her happily.

"N-No need to be so polite," the elderly woman said.