"Emperor Armor—"
"Combine!"
[Armor—combine!]
[Aurora Sword!]
"Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, I'll ask you one last time. Are you sure you won't come with me to the Divine Realm?"
The vast Far North lay under a biting cold. The frozen earth was swept by howling winds as ice crystals danced across the sky.
A man and a beast faced off across the air.
The Emperor Armor's sacred might, supreme over all creation, clashed with the chilling presence of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, one of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts. The wind fell silent, ultimate powers faintly collided, and a murderous aura shrouded the entire northern wasteland.
"Human, you really haven't deceived me?!"
"Do you have any other choice?"
"Fine! I'll trust you this once! If you dare deceive me, I'll make sure you regret it!"
The Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion had always been decisive and ruthless. Once she had made up her mind, she acted at once.
"But are you sure you can withstand the impact of my cultivation? Your bones will have to be remade by my Soul Bone. It'll be no different from being reborn..."
"That's my problem."
Before the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion could finish speaking, Jiang Yang, the wielder of the Emperor Armor, cut her off.
"Good! I like humans with guts like you! Come on!!"
With that, the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion began her sacrifice.
By then, Jiang Yang's Emperor Armor was nearing its limit.
"Xiaoyang, you did very well. Rest now. Leave the rest to your teacher."
"Mm..."
As the consciousness in Jiang Yang's mind appeared, he took the opportunity to release the Emperor Armor.
Although he now possessed the Body Martial Soul—the Emperor Human Form—he hadn't added any Soul Rings to it, so he could maximize his cultivation.
That meant he could only maintain the armor for two and a half minutes after transforming.
Fortunately, he had already added three Soul Rings to his spiritual-type weapon Martial Soul, the Xuanyuan Sword. Without them, even with the help of a sliver of his teacher's divine consciousness, it would have been difficult to make it here.
No one knew how much time had passed.
Jiang Yang felt as though he had lived through ten years. During that time, he seemed to have returned to Blue Star, to the place where he had lived in his previous life.
"Hmph! I never would've guessed you had a god as your teacher, brat!"
"Little girl, is my disciple to your liking?"
"Hmph! He'll do, I suppose. A thirty-third-rank Battle Soul Elder at eleven—not too shabby."
"And what if I add Ultimate Light, Ultimate Darkness, the Body Martial Soul, and your Ultimate Ice Martial Soul to the mix?"
"Ah! What?!"
The instant the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion shrieked, Jiang Yang's consciousness awoke.
Feeling that he had gained not only another Martial Soul but also an External Soul Bone, he was elated.
"All that hardship wasn't for nothing. Now it's time to report to Shrek Academy. Whatever I set my sights on, I'll get!"
Jiang Yang chuckled and took the Emperor transformation device out of his Soul Tool again.
"Emperor Armor—"
"Combine!"
[Armor—combine!]
"Emperor Colt!"
Once the armor covered him, Jiang Yang barely felt the cold anymore.
As the Emperor Colt emerged from the void, he leaped onto its back.
Along the way, Jiang Yang found time to chat with his teacher and the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion.
He answered several of her key questions.
That did a lot to change the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion's attitude toward him.
Shrek Academy
Beneath the white gate
Jiang Yang took some time to find Dragon God Douluo, who was pretending to be an ordinary old man.
Only then did he walk over with a smile and greet him politely. "Hello, Grandpa. I'm a new student. Here are my admission badge and key."
"Let me see."
"Of course, Grandpa."
"Mm... Go on up. Dormitory 108, third room on the left on the first floor. You're not allowed above the fourth floor. That's the girls' dormitory. If you're caught up there, you'll be expelled."
"Okay, thank you."
[Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion: Disgusting.]
Of course, Jiang Yang didn't let her comment affect his smile.
Making a good impression on Dragon God Douluo was one of the things he needed to do at Shrek.
Once they grew close, Jiang Yang might even be willing to help Dragon God Douluo extend his life by a few more years.
After all, he didn't want to lose a Limit Douluo as his protector before he became a god.
That was, if Dragon God Douluo became his protector.
"Not many children are so polite."
"Mm... Wait, no... Hehe, this one's got potential."
As he spoke,
more and more new students arrived, but none of them paid any attention to the old man dozing in the nearby recliner.
After muttering those two sentences, the old man drifted back into a sleepy daze.
After reaching his dorm,
Jiang Yang gave it a quick cleaning, then started cultivating.
He had neither a divine father nor a million-year cheat. All he had was hard work.
Real hard work.
He cultivated until the afternoon, eating only two steamed buns before getting right back to it.
He continued until he heard a loud bang.
A handsome boy who looked almost like a girl opened the door.
Having spent years living in the wild, Jiang Yang slipped out of his cultivation the instant he heard the noise.
Still,
to anyone watching, he looked as though he were continuing to cultivate.
"Hm?"
The boy first stared in surprise, then asked, "Have you been cultivating since registration started?"
But
Jiang Yang didn't answer.
The moment he opened his eyes and saw the newcomer, he recognized her.
It was Wang Dong, disguised as a boy—or, more accurately, Tang Wutong.
"I'm talking to you! Are you deaf?"
"I'm under no obligation to answer."
"You?!"
"How about a match? If you win, I'll listen to you. If you lose, you'll listen to me until you beat me. Deal?"
Jiang Yang wasn't about to indulge her.
A pampered darling of heaven like her needed to be trampled hard!
Girls like her had already been showered with far too much affection and deference since childhood.
If you acted timid and submissive, she'd only treat you like a servant, not a person.
On the other hand,
if you beat her into submission, not only would she treat you like a person, she'd hold you in the palm of her hand and treat you like her master.
"Fine! I was just wishing I had someone to entertain me today. If you want your butt kicked, let's go."
"Remember, the one who beats you is named Wang Dong!"
After throwing down that threat, the handsome boy strode out of the dorm first.
Jiang Yang merely smiled faintly.
He wasn't angry at all. Instead, he felt that everything was proceeding just as he had planned.
Before long, the two of them reached the open space outside the dormitory.
"Hey! What's your name? I'm Wang Dong. I never fight nobodies."
Wang Dong was incredibly arrogant.
Even now, she still hadn't revealed her Martial Soul.
At the same time,
the old man nearby, who had been dozing, opened his eyes.
It seemed he'd spotted something interesting.
"Jiang Yang."
Before you continue