Soul Power Surges, Level 20! A Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Wang Dong? Find Qian Duoduo for Soul Hunting!

"Vmmm—"

Accompanied by a strange buzzing sound, the rift suddenly widened!

A bizarre, upright eye, its entire surface blazing with golden-red flames, appeared abruptly in the center of Dai Yu's brow!

Three eyes?!

The instant this "Flame Pupil" appeared, the aura around Dai Yu began surging at an astonishing speed!

Level 16 peak... break through!

Level 17!

Level 18!

Level 19!

The momentum was utterly unstoppable, without the slightest pause,

directly breaking through the countless bottlenecks that took ordinary Soul Masters months or even years to overcome.

In the end, it slammed violently into that solid bottleneck.

Level 20!

He had reached the threshold of a Soul Grandmaster!

The Extreme Fire energy within his body continued to surge furiously, as if it wanted to keep climbing higher.

But before he absorbed his Second Soul Ring, Dai Yu's Soul Power Level was firmly stuck at level 20.

The massive remaining energy could only lie dormant helplessly,

stored within the newly born "Flame Pupil" and his limbs and organs, waiting for its next eruption.

Although his Soul Power value displayed level 20, Dai Yu could feel that the strength accumulated within his body far exceeded that of an ordinary level-20 Soul Master.

Once he obtained a Soul Ring, this compressed energy would erupt in an even more terrifying burst!

"Whew..."

Dai Yu slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

The breath transformed into a white mist arrow that lingered in the air for a long time,

even carrying a trace of sulfurous heat.

Dai Yu slowly opened his original two eyes, along with the "Flame Pupil" in his brow.

Three Eyes Open!

At that moment, an indescribable sense of both demonic strangeness and sanctity fused perfectly within him.

The Flame Pupil between his brows rotated slightly. Wherever his gaze fell, the air seemed to warp from the intense heat.

He turned his head toward Wang Dong, who had completely petrified beside him.

Within that upright Flame Pupil, a Flame Tiger seemed to be roaring, carrying an absolute suppression that came from a higher Life Level.

"Gulp."

Wang Dong struggled to swallow, his powder-blue eyes stretched wide as he stared fixedly at the third eye on Dai Yu's forehead.

His voice trembled:

"You... you..."

"Are you a monster?!"

"Why... why do you have three eyes?!"

Wang Dong was utterly bewildered.

According to the ancient records of the Clear Sky Sect, only those legendary top-level Soul Beasts,

or people whose Body Martial Souls had undergone an extremely rare Second Awakening, could possibly develop something like this.

But Dai Yu clearly possessed the White Tiger Martial Soul!

Moreover, the fiery aura radiating from this eye was even more terrifying than that of any Fire Attribute Soul Master he had ever seen!

That supremely masculine, scorching pressure that seemed capable of burning all things made the Light Goddess Butterfly within him feel intensely uneasy.

This was not merely a difference in strength. It was more like...

an instinctive fear, as though facing a natural enemy!

[ Ding! The important plot character "Wang Dong" has developed extreme shock and fear.]

[Congratulations, Host. The "Background Suppression System" has been activated!]

[Current Suppression Rating: S-rank (a double impact from visual shock and strength)]

[Reward obtained: Martial Soul Fusion Skill!]

[Note: The Host's Flame Pupil Martial Soul has obtained the opportunity to form a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Wang Dong's Light Goddess Butterfly Martial Soul.]

Dai Yu looked at the [Martial Soul Fusion Skill] reward on the System Panel and felt quite satisfied.

Although he did not yet know what effect this fusion skill would have, just thinking about the combination of the "Flame Pupil" and the "Light Goddess Butterfly" made it obvious that its power would be extraordinary.

Besides, if he could form a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Wang Dong, he would have an even better excuse to fleece this proud little butterfly in the future.

"This is my secret. Don't make such a fuss."

With a thought from Dai Yu, the vertical pupil between his brows slowly closed,

eventually becoming a faint red mark that vanished beneath his skin. The terrifying heat subsided along with it.

He patted Wang Dong, who was still dazed, and wore a mischievous smile.

"What?

Are you dumbstruck?

Do you think I look even more handsome now?"

Only then did Wang Dong return to his senses. His face flushed as he glared fiercely at Dai Yu,

but the shock in his eyes refused to fade.

"Narcissist!

Who was looking at you?!"

Although he insisted otherwise, a storm had already surged through his heart.

The bell signaling the end of class rang.

Dai Yu ignored the curious gazes of the surrounding students and directly slung an arm around Huo Yuhao's shoulders.

"Yuhao, come with me. I'm taking you somewhere good."

"Huh? Yu Ge, where are we going?"

Huo Yuhao looked utterly confused, but out of absolute trust in Dai Yu, he obediently followed.

As he walked, Dai Yu summoned the System Panel in his mind.

[Current Bound Background: Qian Duoduo (Vice Dean of Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department)]

[Relationship Setting: Qian Duoduo owes Dai Yu's senior family members an enormous debt of gratitude from his younger days. He greatly admires Dai Yu's talent and dotes on him as if he were his own grandson.]

"Now that I've reached level 20, I need to go hunt for a Soul Ring."

Dai Yu pondered as he walked.

The New Student Assessment was approaching, so he had to obtain his Second Soul Ring as quickly as possible and unlock the compressed Extreme Fire energy within his body.

Asking Zhou Yi for leave would be too troublesome, and that Old Aunt would definitely interrogate him.

It would be better to find someone powerful to carry him through.

As the Vice Dean of the Soul Tool Department and a Titled Douluo-level powerhouse, Qian Duoduo could easily take him to hunt a thousand-year Soul Beast, couldn't he?

He could also take the future "genius of the Soul Tool Department," Huo Yuhao, along with them and win another wave of Huo Yuhao's goodwill.

It would be killing two birds with one stone.

The two crossed Shrek Plaza and headed west. Before long, they arrived in front of a group of buildings filled with a metallic air.

This was the wealthiest department in Shrek Academy—the Soul Tool Department.

As soon as they approached, they could hear the clanging of hammers and the roaring of Soul Tools from inside.

"Yu Ge, is this... the Soul Tool Department?"

Huo Yuhao looked at the imposing buildings before him, curiosity flashing in his eyes.

He had heard about Soul Tools while at Duke's Mansion, but he had never truly come into contact with them.

"That's right. I'm taking you to meet an important person."

Dai Yu smiled mysteriously and led Huo Yuhao familiarly into the main testing area of the Soul Tool Department.

The moment they entered, they saw Qian Duoduo loudly roaring at a group of students:

"Useless!

You're all useless!

You can't even inscribe such a simple Core Magic Array properly. Are you trying to waste all my materials?!"

The surrounding students did not dare to make a sound.

"Grandpa Qian!"

Dai Yu stood at the entrance and called out cheerfully without the slightest fear.

Hearing that voice, Qian Duoduo, who had been furious a moment earlier, stiffened.

He turned around, and the instant he saw Dai Yu, his fierce face blossomed like a chrysanthemum. The speed of his transformation was astonishing.

"Oh, my good grandson!

What brings you here?"

Qian Duoduo tossed aside the metal component in his hand, strode over, and grabbed Dai Yu in a hug. The force was so great that Dai Yu nearly stopped breathing.

"Hahahaha! Grandpa's missed you to death!

What is it? Have you run out of spending money?

Or did some blind fool bully you?

Tell Grandpa, and Grandpa will go tear him apart!"

The surrounding students were dumbstruck.

Was this really Vice Dean Qian, known as a "miser" and a "hothead"?

He was practically a doting grandparent demon!

Dai Yu struggled free from Qian Duoduo's bear hug, rubbed his aching shoulders, and smiled.

"Grandpa Qian, I'm not here to ask for money.

I've broken through."

"Broken through?"

Qian Duoduo was stunned. He immediately looked Dai Yu up and down, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

"You... you're level 20?!"

He remembered that this boy had only enrolled a few days ago, didn't he?

He had already become a Soul Grandmaster?