His gaze passed over the three statues in the front row, representing the academy's origins and its "legendary romance," and shifted to the row behind them.
Seven younger statues stood there, each in a different pose—the original Shrek Seven Devils.
Huo Yuhao's gaze skipped over the other six and settled precisely on the statue in the very center, occupying the absolute C position.
It depicted a tall, exceedingly handsome young man.
Long blue hair fell down his back, stirring gently in the breeze.
He wore simple fitted clothes. Blue vines wound up the statue, lifelike and unmistakably representing his Martial Soul—Blue Silver Grass.
A faint smile played at the statue's lips, as though he had everything under control. Its gaze was rendered with exquisite care, gentle and focused as it fell upon the statue of a woman wearing a scorpion braid, fifth in the line of seven (Xiao Wu).
Tang San.
The name of the man with whom Huo Yuhao had burned everything in his previous life, dying with him; the name he had returned to this life hating with all his heart. The so-called "Sea God," standing high above all, wantonly manipulating the fates of others. His statue stood here, receiving the reverence and adoration of countless generations to come.
The instant he saw the statue, Huo Yuhao's pupils contracted sharply!
A violent surge of emotion, mingled with overwhelming hatred and threatening to burst through the dam of his reason, erupted in his chest like volcanic magma!
His breathing faltered despite himself. His hands, hanging at his sides, clenched hard, nails digging into his palms. The sharp pain barely managed to suppress the killing intent and roar that had almost taken physical form.
But to anyone else, the thin, black-haired boy had merely paused for a moment before the statue that represented legend and glory. His gaze seemed a little deeper than before, but there was nothing unusual about him.
He slowly drew a deep breath, inhaling the cold, rusty air into his lungs, as if to freeze and grind every emotion to dust.
Then, in his heart, he unleashed a silent but ironclad roar at the handsome statue:
"Tang San... The day I return from rebirth, the Divine Realm and you shall both be no more!!!"
Every word carried the resolve of an irreconcilable enemy, branding itself into the depths of his soul.
He steadied the surging emotions within him, relying on the state of mind he had cultivated in his previous life to suppress that boundless hatred.
Right now, he was only a little Soul Master with Soul Power that had just reached level thirteen (he had advanced from level twelve to thirteen by cultivating the Dao Heaven Art). His body had yet to mature, and his means were extremely limited.
His enemy, however, was Tang San, a God King who had long stood atop the Divine Realm, commanded countless followers, and wielded immense power—with both Sea God and Asura God godhood!
The difference in their strength was like heaven and earth, separated by countless insurmountable chasms.
Any rash move or slip of the tongue now would be no different from courting death. It would only turn every hope born of his rebirth to dust.
What weighed even more heavily on Huo Yuhao's heart was one of his deepest regrets from his previous life: his mother, Huo Yun'er.
According to Wang Teng's absurd memories, which might nevertheless contain fragments of the "true" story, and based on what he knew of Tang San's ways, there was a very real chance that after his mother died, Tang San had somehow "collected" or "controlled" her soul, making it another shackle with which to restrain Huo Yuhao and force him to submit.
Though his mother had been dead for a long time in this life, it was not impossible for a deity to meddle with the souls of the dead.
That possibility pressed down on the fire of his vengeance like a cold boulder, forcing him to be even more cautious and patient.
"Whew..."
A nearly inaudible sigh, tinged with the scent of blood, slipped from his lips.
Huo Yuhao slowly and with great restraint turned his eyes away, no longer looking at the statue of Tang San that had stirred his hatred.
Passing Shrek students were deep in thought alone or chatting cheerfully in groups of two or three.
Quite a few of them also stopped before the legendary statues. The one in the C position, representing the academy's highest glory and faith—the statue of Sea God Tang San—attracted the most looks of reverence, longing, and even fanaticism.
So Huo Yuhao's brief pause had seemed perfectly ordinary to onlookers.
Just another new student, awestruck by Shrek's glorious history and legendary figures, lost in admiration or thought. No one could have sensed the storm of destruction raging beneath his calm exterior.
Huo Yuhao straightened his still-frail frame and continued deeper into Shrek Academy.
Turning left from the statues, he found a broad road wide enough for several carriages to travel abreast.
A finely made wooden sign stood by the roadside, bearing four elegant characters: "Lakeside Path."
As he followed the path, lush trees lined his right. Through gaps in the leaves, he could just make out a vast stretch of rippling water.
It turned out that the ten imposing statues had stood with their backs to a gigantic lake.
This lake was called Sea God Lake.
The reason for its name went without saying: it commemorated Sea God Tang San, whose "great achievements" had "blessed the continent."
The water was clear, glimmering gold beneath the sunlight. A breeze swept by, carrying cool, moist air.
The lake opened onto a broad vista. Far away, an island dense with greenery could just be seen in its heart. It was the true core of Shrek Academy, a sacred place dreamed of by countless Soul Master prodigies—the site of the Inner Court, also known as Lake Heart Island.
The lake and mountains made for a pleasant view, but Huo Yuhao felt nothing but cold indifference.
This lake, named for his enemy, and this so-called "sacred place" were no more than another prominent marker on the chessboard in his eyes.
He had no interest in admiring the scenery. Without slowing, he hurried along Lakeside Path.
Soon, an immense rectangular plaza came into view.
The ground was paved with enormous slabs of bluestone, level and hard, with room enough for thousands to gather at once.
At the edge of the plaza, four bold characters were carved into a conspicuous stone stele: "Shrek Square."
Beyond Shrek Square, row upon row of imposing, towering classroom buildings filled his view.
The buildings were not all the same color. They were mainly divided into four distinct shades—white, yellow, purple, and black—which stood out clearly in the sunlight.
Past these main buildings, farther to the north of the plaza, he could also see a cluster of gray buildings whose colors were more subdued.
With Wang Teng's memories, Huo Yuhao naturally understood what the colors represented: they corresponded directly to the colors of Soul Rings and the students' year levels.
White classroom buildings: the main place for new students to study and take part in activities. White corresponded to Ten-Year Soul Rings.
Yellow classroom buildings: home to students in their second and third years. Yellow corresponded to Hundred-Year Soul Rings.
The students who had stopped him at the city gate earlier had been wearing yellow uniforms.
Purple classroom buildings: the area for fourth- and fifth-year students. Purple corresponded to Thousand-Year Soul Rings.
Black classroom buildings: for sixth-year students, as well as certain examination and research facilities. Black corresponded to Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings.
The gray buildings to the north, meanwhile, belonged to a relatively independent part of Shrek Academy with a special status—one regarded as somewhat "unorthodox" by the traditional Soul Master communities of the three kingdoms on Douluo Continent: the Soul Guidance Department.
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