"Xiao Xiao and I didn't believe it, so we went to find Teacher Wang. He comforted us and told us not to be sad. Then we went to find Dean Yan, who said he hadn't protected you well."
"The rumors spread farther and farther. After Dai Huabin heard about it, he petitioned the Academy to expel you. Huo Yuhao said there was no way you could have survived the Extreme North."
"Those two are both rotten to the core. Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu were inseparable, and Xiao Xiao and I weren't strong enough, so we beat Huo Yuhao up a few times."
Her skin was soft and tender, and crystalline tears kept falling, warm and damp.
"Oh, wow!"
Xiao Xiao had already pushed the door ajar and was peeking inside. She couldn't help letting out a startled cry.
"Xiao Xiao! Wait, who are you?"
Wang Dong's pretty face flushed slightly. She suddenly noticed a third person in the gatehouse: a graceful, snow-haired young woman.
Flawless as white jade, with a graceful bearing and peerless beauty, her impassive expression was no flaw. If anything, it stirred men's desire to ravish her.
The pink-and-blue-haired girl in boys' clothes stood there, uneasy. The snow-haired girl regarded her indifferently, and the gatehouse fell silent.
The waters of Sea God Lake shimmered in the sunlight, and spring was in full bloom. Flowers clustered along the shore, but Yan Shaozhe had no time to admire the scenery. He hurried straight toward the center of Sea God Island.
In the Sea God Pavilion Council Hall, the elders of the Elder Hall, along with the Martial Soul Department's dean and vice dean and the Soul Guidance Department's dean and vice dean, took their seats around the oval table.
Xian Lin'er, dean of the Soul Guidance Department, and Qian Duoduo, its vice dean, sat at the far end of the oval table's left side.
Yan Shaozhe, dean of the Martial Soul Department, and Cai Mei'er, its vice dean, sat at the far end of the oval table's right side.
With no suitable candidate for the position, Yan Shaozhe's request to resign had been shelved time and again, and he still temporarily held the post of dean.
At the head of the oval table, six elderly men sat in different postures. The first on the left was none other than the gray-robed elder who had once watched Bai Cai Team compete.
At the inner side of the oval table, in the seat of honor, stood a reclining chair. Beneath the dim light, an elderly man with indistinct features lay back and rested.
"Everyone's here. Shaozhe, go ahead and chair the meeting." A calm, unhurried voice sounded from the seat of honor at the head of the oval table.
Facing the seat of honor, Yan Shaozhe bowed. The elders of the Elder Hall straightened in their seats, while the gray-robed elder at the left end set down his chicken leg and wine gourd.
"Teacher, honored elders, one of our core students has awakened a Second Martial Soul. I couldn't reach a decision and was deeply troubled, so I've called everyone together for a Sea God Pavilion Meeting."
Yan Shaozhe explained the circumstances, but the gray-robed elder at the left end abruptly cut him off. "Shaozhe, get to the point."
Yan Shaozhe took a deep breath. "Do you all remember the previous Sea God Pavilion Meeting?"
"A spiritual-type, external Martial Soul, with a First Soul Ring that seemed to be a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring."
The gray-robed elder at the left end looked puzzled. "Didn't that student go missing in the Extreme North four or five months ago?"
"Although the Extreme North doesn't have as many kinds or numbers of Soul Beasts as the Star Dou Great Forest, it has no shortage of Ferocious Beasts, and its climate is exceptionally harsh."
"The Soul Beast clans of the Extreme North have close ties to the Sea Soul Beasts. The Deep Sea Mermaid Clan, the Deep Sea Demon Whale Clan, the Deep Sea Dugong Clan, and others—the Sea Soul Beast overlords mostly live in the Far North Icy Sea."
"Without even a Second Soul Ring, he wouldn't have survived a single blizzard in the Extreme North. Even a heaven-blessed genius..."
The gray-robed elder at the left end hesitated. "Shaozhe, Shrek Academy failed him. But you have to pull yourself together. You can't sink into ruin like I did."
"Enough, Xuan Zi. Don't bring up such painful memories." The calm, unhurried voice sounded again from the seat of honor, this time with a note of consolation.
"Elder Xuan, Teacher. Bai Cai is back."
Yan Shaozhe spoke softly. "And he's awakened a Second Martial Soul: the Heavenly Snow Woman."
The fragile hearts of the elders and the deans and vice deans were struck as if by a Soul Guidance Cannon, stirring up stormy waves. The Sea God Pavilion Council Hall fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Xuan Zi slapped the table and stood up. "How could the Heavenly Snow Woman awaken as a Martial Soul?"
"Overlord Soul Beasts—like the Deep Sea Mermaid, Deep Sea Demon Whale, Ice Jade Scorpion, Titan Snow Demon, Emerald Swan, Hell Demon Dragon, and others—have never been documented as awakening as Martial Souls."
"Oh, more than ten thousand years ago, our ancestor Tang San met a Sea Witch Douluo. That Sea Witch Douluo's Martial Soul was a Deep Sea Mermaid."
"But that was a special case and proves nothing."
Xuan Zi promptly added to his argument. "The memoirs written by the first generation of the Shrek Seven Devils say that the Sea Witch Douluo's mother was a Deep Sea Mermaid who had taken human form, which was why she awakened a Deep Sea Mermaid Martial Soul. Apart from that, there are no credible records of an overlord Soul Beast awakening as a Martial Soul."
"Elder Xuan."
Yan Shaozhe shed his mild manner, revealing a sharp edge in an instant. "May I ask, does Teacher's Radiant Sacred Dragon, my Radiant Phoenix, or your Godly Taotie Bull correspond to an overlord Soul Beast?"
"This..." Xuan Zi was left speechless, with no answer to give.
It was true that super Martial Souls corresponded to overlord Soul Beasts. But how super Martial Souls awakened and passed down remained shrouded in mystery.
"We should focus on cultivating Bai Cai."
Yan Shaozhe remained composed. "With resources devoted to him, Bai Cai will surely become a Titled Douluo before he turns forty."
"The Heavenly Snow Woman awakening as a Martial Soul means it must be a super Martial Soul with an Ultimate Attribute."
"Twin Martial Souls are similar in quality and the same in type. Bai Cai's First Martial Soul is an external Martial Soul, and his Second Martial Soul is also an external Martial Soul. Both possess high intelligence, entirely matching the characteristics of Twin Martial Souls."
"Working backward, Bai Cai's First Martial Soul, the spiritual-type external Martial Soul called Ralts, must be no less than the Heavenly Snow Woman in quality."
"Twin super Martial Souls, spirit and Ultimate Ice. After reaching level ninety-nine, he might even be no weaker than..."
Before Yan Shaozhe could finish, the dean and elders began discussing among themselves, while Xuan Zi gave a slight nod. Apart from whether the Heavenly Snow Woman could awaken as a Martial Soul, they hadn't found any other problems.
"Let's vote: devote resources to him immediately, or continue to observe him for now?"
The calm, unhurried voice sounded again from the seat of honor at the head of the oval table, and the Sea God Pavilion Council Hall regained its usual solemnity.
"Devote resources." Yan Shaozhe raised his hand first.
"Devote resources." Cai Mei'er raised her hand next.
"Devote resources." Xuan Zi tossed aside his chicken bone and slowly raised his hand.
There were only ten seats in the Sea God Pavilion Council Hall, and three votes had already been cast in an instant. The elders, along with Xian Lin'er, dean of the Soul Guidance Department, and Qian Duoduo, its vice dean, raised their hands in unison.
"Unanimously approved. The Martial Soul Department will draw up a cultivation plan, and the Academy will provide the necessary resources."
The calm, unhurried voice from the seat of honor echoed through the Sea God Pavilion Council Hall.
"Teacher, what about the Ultimate Soldier Plan?"
Xian Lin'er, dean of the Soul Guidance Department, felt conflicted. In every respect, as a member of Shrek, she ought to support the Academy devoting resources to that student.
But if the Academy devoted resources to cultivating that student, the Ultimate Soldier Plan would inevitably be affected. The Academy's budget was limited. Favoring one meant neglecting the other.
Before you continue