Elemental Martial Soul

Before long, the servers began bringing out the Red Shrimp and Crystal Crab Emperor, one after another.

"Please enjoy," the server said, then left the private room.

"Looks pretty good." Yue Hongchen gave it a sniff. It looked and smelled delicious—Shrek's chefs certainly lived up to their reputation.

He moved a serving of Red Shrimp and Crystal Crab Emperor in front of Ning Tian and Wu Feng. "Eat."

Then he picked up a Red Shrimp and compared it to his palm. It was as big as his hand. Now he just had to see how it tasted.

With practiced ease, he removed the head and vein, then peeled off the shell. Once the shrimp meat was ready, Yue held it up to Meng's lips. "Say ah~"

Meng opened her cherry-red lips and took a bite. She immediately felt a slight change in the Soul Power inside her as the shrimp went down.

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"Red Shrimp boosts your affinity for the fire element, so it'll help you a lot." Yue only spoke after Meng Hongchen had finished the whole shrimp.

There were three Red Shrimp in a serving. Yue picked up another and began removing its head and vein. Just as he finished peeling it, a familiar voice rang beside him. "I want some too!"

Xiao Ka stared at him and the shrimp in his hand with a wounded look. Then she complained, "You're eating all this good food without even calling me over. Yiren, you've changed!"

"Of course I haven't." Yue smiled and placed the shrimp in Xiao Ka's mouth. "How could Meng and I possibly finish all this by ourselves? I just wanted to fill Little Meng up before feeding you."

Yue Hongchen's explanation cheered Xiao Ka up a little. Her small mouth moved as she chewed, and soon she'd swallowed the shrimp.

Yue peeled the remaining four shrimp, fed one to each of them, then started on the last two.

It tasted good. It would've been even better spicy, but with ingredients like these, the point was to savor the food itself, not the seasoning. A light touch brought out the ingredients' natural flavor.

Once they'd finished the Red Shrimp, Yue began preparing the Crystal Crab Emperor. It was a thousand years old, but it wasn't very big.

"The Crystal Crab Emperor works much like the Red Shrimp. It boosts your affinity for ice. Your Martial Soul already has an innate extreme poison, so you don't need to improve your poison affinity much. But boosting your affinity for ice and fire will still give your strength a significant increase," Yue explained as he prepared the crab.

After removing the roe from the two Crystal Crab Emperors, Yue fed one bite from each side. The two servings of roe were gone in no time.

After their last bite, Meng and Xiao Ka rubbed their slightly rounded bellies and leaned back in their chairs, satisfied. Normally, this food wouldn't be enough to fill them up, but it was packed with energy.

Ning Tian and Wu Feng across from them were full, too, and didn't feel like moving. They had to admit, those two ate fast. Yue had only just finished feeding the crab roe, and they'd already polished off all the crab meat.

While the four girls rested, Yue leisurely finished the crab meat in front of him. His Soul Power stirred, and he advanced by one level.

"Yiren, I'm full and kind of sleepy. I'm going back to take a nap." Xiao Ka hugged Yue, then returned to his Sea of Consciousness.

After Xiao Ka had gone back, Yue stood up. "Come on. Let's head to the examination area and refine the energy from the food there."

Ning Tian nodded. That sounded fine. If they let their bodies absorb the energy from the ingredients on their own, who knew how much would go to waste? But if they cultivated here or went back to their dorms, they might get carried away and miss the elimination tournament.

So the best option was to cultivate in the examination area and wait for the tournament to begin.

The freshman examination's round of thirty-two, which would narrow the teams down to sixteen, officially began when the afternoon class bell rang. Just like the morning's elimination matches, each team captain went onstage to draw lots.

Yue once again took Meng's hand and went to Du Wilun. He picked a wooden lot from the box beside him.

He glanced at it. He had number six in Zone Three, while Meng Hongchen had number eight in Zone Four.

"That was close. We almost ended up against each other." Yue Hongchen let out a quiet sigh of relief. After escorting Meng Hongchen and the others to Zone Four, he turned and headed for Zone Three.

By the time he entered Zone Three, the opposing team and the examiner for that zone had already arrived.

Yue Hongchen's opponents were three girls. Judging by their looks alone, there wasn't much to say beyond that they were beautiful.

The examiner, however, was an elderly man, perhaps in his fifties. He wore thick-framed glasses, a suit and leather shoes, a white shirt, and a blue striped tie.

Only after Yue Hongchen arrived did he slowly pull out a folder and say, "Pleased to meet you. I'm Pu Shibo, a Rank 88 Soul Douluo."

As he spoke, his gaze stayed fixed on Yue Hongchen. The unnecessary introduction seemed meant specifically for him.

Yue Hongchen didn't know why, but he smiled and nodded.

Pu Shibo continued, "When you're ready, you can step onto the platform."

At that, Yue Hongchen and the three girls opposite him headed for the arena at the same time.

Pu Shibo said, "Both sides, enter the arena and state your names and ranks."

A flash of blue crossed Yue Hongchen's eyes, and a sword unlike the one he'd used before appeared in his hand.

The sword had a restrained, elegant appearance that gave off a sense of holiness and purity. Its slender hilt branched like a twig and extended into a long blade. Blue energy flowed across the blade, which was hollowed out, while streams of water circled around it.

Yue Hongchen and Pu Shibo both widened their eyes.

The Indomitable Fate Crown?

Yue Hongchen sent his consciousness into his Sea of Consciousness and looked at Katyusha in confusion.

"I just tried it out. You seem able to use my weapon too, but it directly replaces the Blood Oath Pact. It can't serve as a new Martial Soul and provide you with Soul Rings."

Yue Hongchen nodded and returned his consciousness to his body. He didn't notice Xiao Ka glaring at the spot where he'd been with puffed-out cheeks.

He's using my weapon, so he'd better teach those three girls a lesson. Otherwise, he'll go off and flirt with them under the guise of it being perfectly proper again. Katyusha muttered to herself in the Sea of Consciousness. The three girls were every bit as pretty as Xing Yueyao had been that morning. She had to stay on guard.

She felt bad for them, but all she could do was try to give them light injuries.

Pu Shibo, meanwhile, was deep in thought as he studied Yue Hongchen's Martial Soul. Could he have Twin Martial Souls after all? Two sword-type Martial Souls?

On the arena.

"Yue Hongchen, Rank 39 Soul Elder, Power Attack System. Please guide me." Yue Hongchen slowly turned the Indomitable Fate Crown in his hand, as if getting used to the sword.

"Lin Muxue, Rank 29 Soul Grandmaster, Control System. Please guide me."

"Lei Baiyu, Rank 27 Soul Grandmaster, Agility Attack System. Please guide me."

"Miao Chuyao, Rank 25 Soul Grandmaster, Power Attack System. Please guide me."

The three girls summoned their Martial Souls at the same time. Lin Muxue's was an elemental Martial Soul—ice. After Martial Soul Possession, her eyes turned pale blue, and snowflakes drifted around her.