Du Busi wore a kind, amiable smile as he looked at Huo Yuhao, his tone warm and friendly:
"You must be Huo Yuhao, right? I heard your Life Crystals are especially effective. Could you sell me some too?"
Huo Yuhao looked up at Du Busi. Although he felt an indescribable pressure radiating from the man, he still nodded politely and replied with a smile:
"Of course, Grandpa. How much would you like?"
"I'll take all of them."
Du Busi smiled. With a casual wave of his hand, ten heavy Soul Tool storage pouches landed on the table with a slap, the crisp clatter of Gold Soul Coins ringing out from within.
"Hiss!"
The students around them sucked in a sharp breath. Their resentment at being cut in line vanished without a trace.
Every one of them stared wide-eyed at the ten pouches on the table, their faces full of shock.
Ten bags of Gold Soul Coins—just how much money was that?!
Huo Yuhao was stunned too. He stared at the pouches on the table, then hurriedly waved his hands.
"Grandpa, you don't need to pay that much! The crystals I have left aren't worth that much altogether!"
"It's not too much."
Du Busi smiled and shook his head, a barely perceptible heat flashing through his eyes.
"These things are worth every coin."
Before Huo Yuhao could refuse again, he reached out, picked up the largest remaining milky-white crystal from the ice box, and swallowed it in front of everyone.
The instant the crystal went down his throat, an exquisitely pure force of life—the Source of Life—erupted inside him like a volcano.
This life force was gentle yet immensely powerful, flowing slowly through his parched meridians.
Du Busi's whole body shuddered, and he closed his eyes despite himself.
The Soul Power within him now flowed as smoothly as a mighty river. Even the bottleneck that had held him back for years showed signs of loosening!
"Good! Excellent!"
Du Busi's eyes snapped open, blazing with astonishing light.
He had only come to see what the Life Crystals could do. He hadn't expected their effects to far exceed his expectations!
This wasn't some ordinary Life Crystal. It was a divine medicine capable of defying the heavens and changing one's fate!
And with Huo Yuhao's one-in-ten-thousand Mental Attribute Body Martial Soul, Du Busi's resolve to bring him back to the Body Sect grew even firmer.
Du Busi let the kindly look fall from his face. A faint pressure radiated from him as he fixed his blazing gaze on Huo Yuhao and spoke in a low voice:
"Yuhao, I won't hide it from you. I'm Du Busi, the current Sect Master of the Body Sect. Your Martial Soul is the Spirit Eye, correct?"
He paused, his tone full of persuasion:
"That's a one-in-ten-thousand Mental Attribute Body Martial Soul! If you stay at Shrek, they won't understand how to develop the true power of a Body Martial Soul!
"Come back to the Body Sect with me, and I'll immediately teach you our sect's most secret Martial Soul Second Awakening technique. I'll help your Spirit Eye evolve!
"Your achievements in the future will be a hundred times greater than they would be now!"
His words set off an uproar all around them!
"What?! The Body Sect's Sect Master, Du Busi?!"
"So it really is him! Why would he come to Shrek?!"
"He really did come for Yuhao! Yuhao's Spirit Eye is a Body Martial Soul!"
"This is bad, this is bad! Du Busi came in person, and Elder Mu isn't at the academy. Is Yuhao going to be snatched away?"
The students hurriedly backed away, their faces pale and their eyes full of fear as they looked at Du Busi.
On Douluo Continent, the Body Sect had always been known for its domineering ways and secrecy.
No one had expected the Body Sect's Sect Master himself to come all the way to Shrek to poach a student.
Huo Yuhao was stunned too. Zhao Ze had already told him who the man was, but hearing Du Busi introduce himself still sent a jolt through him.
He took a deep breath to steady himself, then bowed slightly to Du Busi. His voice, however, was unwavering:
"Thank you for your kindness, Senior Du Busi.
"But I can't go with you for now."
Huo Yuhao still needed the resources here to cultivate, especially the Soul Tools. The Body Sect couldn't match Shrek in that regard.
"Why?!"
Du Busi's expression darkened at once, his tone turning urgent and angry.
"Did that old Mu En fill your head with some kind of bewitching nonsense?!
"What does he know about Body Martial Souls? If you follow him, your Spirit Eye will be buried before long!
"Come back to the Body Sect with me first! See our cultivation techniques and resources. Then you can make up your mind!"
Before he had even finished speaking, Du Busi shot out a hand. It carried an irresistible force as it reached for Huo Yuhao's shoulder.
He had already made up his mind: even if he had to take Huo Yuhao by force, he would bring him back to the Body Sect!
"Not good!"
Huo Yuhao felt an immense force lock onto him. He couldn't dodge at all and could only watch as Du Busi's hand came closer and closer.
"Don't worry. He won't be taking you anywhere."
At that moment, Zhao Ze's calm voice sounded from the Sea of Consciousness.
The next second, an immeasurably vast spiritual power burst out of Huo Yuhao, sweeping toward Du Busi like a tsunami!
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, Du Busi's hand was flung back when it was still three inches from Huo Yuhao's shoulder.
The terrifying spiritual force sent him stumbling back three steps before he managed to steady himself.
"What?!"
Du Busi's eyes flew wide, disbelief written all over his face.
He was a level-98 Super Douluo, and his spiritual power far surpassed that of others at his rank. Yet a Soul Grandmaster with only twenty levels of Soul Power had forced him back?!
How was that possible?!
He stared fixedly at Huo Yuhao, his eyes filled with shock and wariness:
"What kind of ability is that?!"
Huo Yuhao let out a breath, the stone weighing on his heart finally dropping. He looked up at Du Busi's livid face and spoke calmly:
"Senior Du Busi, I told you already. I won't go with you."
"You think that's enough to stop me?!"
Du Busi came back to his senses, his eyes turning vicious as killing intent surged around him.
"Today, even if I have to flatten Shrek, I'll still take you back to the Body Sect!"
Just as he was about to attack again, a booming voice suddenly rang out in the distance, accompanied by a mighty dragon's oppressive aura:
"Du Busi, stop!"
Everyone looked up. A golden figure was striding through the air toward them. It was Mu En, who had hurried back after receiving the news.
Xuan Zi and a group of Sea God Pavilion Elders followed behind him, each of them wearing a grim expression as they fixed Du Busi with murderous glares.
Du Busi's expression shifted slightly when he saw Mu En, but he immediately snorted.
"Mu En! Enough nonsense! Huo Yuhao has a Body Martial Soul. He belongs with the Body Sect! I'm taking him with me today!"
"Didn't you hear the boy say he wants to stay at Shrek?"
Mu En landed in front of Huo Yuhao, the phantom of a Bright Sacred Dragon slowly appearing around him.
"Yuhao is a student of Shrek. Anyone who dares lay a hand on him makes an enemy of all Shrek!"
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