In the secret chamber, Yu Daoyun took out all the treasures he had bought at the auction. At last, he brought out the bottle of dragon blood.
Gazing at the bottle, he felt the blood in his veins begin to boil.
The Golden Dragon King Seal needed this dragon blood.
Without hesitation, Yu Daoyun poured the dragon blood into the pool.
The pool instantly turned bloodred, its sight drawing him in.
After taking the Thousand-Year Ice Spirit Fruit, Yu Daoyun jumped in without hesitation.
Bathe in dragon blood and break through the seal.
It looked dangerous, and in truth, it was anything but safe.
Though the seal the Golden Dragon King had left in his body was incomplete and not as pure as Tang Wulin's would be ten thousand years later, it had still been transmitted through the Dragon Core. It was just as violent and frenzied.
But this step was necessary if he wanted to become a god—a true god.
Otherwise, when the Child of Destiny burst onto the scene a few years later, Yu Daoyun would be reduced to a mere supporting character in his story.
With that in mind, he forcibly opened the Golden Dragon King Seal.
In an instant, a terrifying aura of the Dragon Clan surged out of his body.
Yu Daoyun's expression changed at once.
Damn, this hurts!
Thankfully, his body was strong enough to withstand it.
Time flew by, and three years passed.
Shrek Academy had undergone earth-shaking changes. Its annual admissions had begun, and countless talented new students had come from the various empires to study Soul Master knowledge.
But they all had one thing in common: a letter of recommendation from a city lord.
Without one, Shrek Academy's gates would remain closed.
At the Outer Court registration office, Huo Yuhao followed Tang Ya to Shrek to enroll.
He gazed at the academy everyone yearned to attend, his eyes filled with admiration.
He never would have imagined that someone like him would one day make it to the greatest academy on the continent.
Now that he was here, Huo Yuhao swore he would cultivate hard, destroy the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, and avenge his mother.
Just then, Beibei spoke beside him. "Little Junior Brother, once you enter the academy, study hard. Even if people look down on you, don't lose heart. Everyone here is a genius."
Huo Yuhao nodded. "Senior Brother Beibei, I'll work hard."
In his mind, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm declared that Huo Yuhao would definitely become a god. With his help, Huo Yuhao was sure to become a great man in the future.
Beibei smiled and continued showing Huo Yuhao around the academy.
Unable to hold back, Huo Yuhao asked, "Senior Brother Beibei, are you the strongest student in this year's class? The other senior students seem to respect you a lot."
Beibei froze, then gave a bitter smile.
The strongest student? That title wasn't his to claim. There was a fellow in the Inner Court about Huo Yuhao's age who hadn't been seen in ages. He had probably already advanced to Soul King.
Tang Ya replied softly from beside them, "Your Senior Brother Beibei can only be considered the strongest student in the Outer Court. The strongest student in our academy is an Inner Court senior named Yu Daoyun."
"Yu Daoyun is a little older than you, but he's definitely the strongest young genius in our academy. He should have five rings by now!"
Huo Yuhao stared at her, dumbfounded.
Had he heard that right?
A twelve-year-old, five-ring Soul King!
Shrek Academy truly was the greatest academy on the continent. It had a genius like that!
But Beibei beside him wasn't happy. He snapped, "Xiao Ya, why haven't you forgotten about Yu Daoyun? Do you like him just because he gave you a little present back then?"
"I don't! You're reading too much into it," Tang Ya immediately retorted.
Beibei gave a cold snort. "Xiao Ya, I think you just can't get Yu Daoyun out of your mind. I know I'm not as good as him, but you don't have to bring him up in front of me. It really hurts my pride."
Tang Ya turned her head away and muttered, "Why are you making such a fuss? Yu Daoyun hasn't eaten your family's rice."
Beibei immediately flew into a rage.
There she went again!
Xiao Ya couldn't forget Yu Daoyun. She was treating Beibei like a backup!
Just what was so great about Yu Daoyun that she couldn't let him go?
Huo Yuhao watched the two of them argue, wondering if he had said something wrong.
The Yu Daoyun Senior Brother Xiao Ya had mentioned seemed to have a bad history with Senior Brother Beibei—and it had something to do with Teacher Xiao Ya.
He hurried over to them. "Teacher Xiao Ya, Senior Brother Beibei, please don't argue. It's my fault for saying the wrong thing."
Tang Ya angrily turned away and walked off.
She was furious. Beibei was acting just as foolishly as Xu Sanshi, always imagining things with no basis in fact.
Let him think whatever he wanted. Yu Daoyun would always be the strongest in her heart.
Beibei and Huo Yuhao stood there, stunned and adrift in the wind.
Beibei's heart shattered all over again.
Xiao Ya still couldn't forget Yu Daoyun. No...
Inside the Sea God Pavilion's meditation room, Yu Daoyun slowly opened his eyes and rose to his feet, brushing off his robe.
He was twelve and a half now.
Over the past three years, he had opened four of the Golden Dragon King's seals. His Soul Power had soared to level fifty-five, making him a true Soul King.
However, after opening the Dragon King's seals, his cultivation speed had slowed down.
The good news was that he could now release the Dragon King Claw at will, along with skills such as Dragon Aura Protection and Dragon Might Suppression.
Even when facing six-ring or even seven-ring opponents, he had nothing to fear.
That was the confidence the Golden Dragon King Seal had given him.
Soon, Yu Daoyun pushed open the door and saw Mu En, who had been outside sunbathing for some time.
He bowed. "Elder Mu."
"You're out of seclusion?"
Mu En studied the young man before him, whose bearing had changed greatly, and praised him. "Excellent. A twelve-year-old Soul King—you've caught up with Xiaotao at the same age. And you have an Ultimate Martial Soul, so you'll only grow stronger."
"At last, I haven't been hoping in vain. You've given me a pleasant surprise."
Yu Daoyun couldn't help feeling pleased with himself.
His progress might not have been especially fast, but at least it had been steady.
Just then, Mu En spoke again. "Your Inner Court classes are basically over. From now on, you'll only have tasks with the Supervision Group. When you go on missions, you'll be its captain. I'm entrusting you with this heavy responsibility."
Yu Daoyun asked, "Am I going on a mission now?"
Mu En shook his head and pointed toward the Outer Court. His voice turned solemn. "I still remember what you once said: that there were problems with the way Shrek taught its students, especially that some of the teachers weren't good enough. I have a task for you now."
Yu Daoyun cupped his hands. "Please, Elder Mu."
Mu En instructed him, "The new students are starting classes, and your Inner Court courses have just ended. Starting today, you'll teach the new students in the Outer Court as an instructor. You can also earn graduation credits, which will be a great help when you inherit the position of Pavilion Master."
"You think the other teachers' teaching methods are problematic, so go fix them. I'll back you."
Yu Daoyun's eyes lit up at once.
Such a cushy job as teaching in the Outer Court had actually fallen into his lap.
Didn't that mean he could criticize that old hag Zhou Yi whenever he wanted, without being held responsible?
So Yu Daoyun agreed without a second thought.
Mu En then took out an Instructor Token and handed it to Yu Daoyun.
The token represented the Sea God Pavilion's authority and served as Yu Daoyun's proof of identity.
Before long, Yu Daoyun left the Sea God Pavilion and hurried straight to the dormitory to pack his things, ready to take up his post in the Outer Court.
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