Zhou Yi's Heart Turns Cold, The Wooden Door Explodes

"..."

Lu Ran's gaze was calm. To the audience, Dai Huabin's attacks were as swift as the wind and impossible to parry, but in his eyes, the speed was—if not a turtle compared to a Lightning Rabbit—at least a hundred-year Blue Silver Grass compared to a thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor.

A slight gap.

He could clearly see the torrent of white energy erupting from Dai Huabin's mouth, as well as his ferocious expression.

A purple Soul Ring rippled outward.

Lu Ran dodged the White Tiger Intense Light Wave, as there was no need to specifically summon a Gilded Barrier or Rock Crystal Armor.

He raised his leg—

A heavy strike to the lower abdomen.

The leg felt quite hard.

"Bang!"

Dai Huabin felt only a daze, the world spinning around him. His throat moved involuntarily, as if he were about to spit something out.

"Pfft!"

His body, expanded by the White Tiger possession, tumbled and flew out of the arena.

"Ugh... ugh..."

He collapsed on the ground, convulsing and vomiting from the excruciating pain in his abdomen.

At the same time, on the arena floor that had been hardened by an earth-attribute soul master, several Rock Pillars burst through the stone, striking the dodging Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie with the agility of vines.

"Ah!"

"Ugh!"

Both of them likewise tumbled out of the arena.

However, he had not used heavy force.

"..."

The entire arena was deathly silent!

A complete victory was within expectations, but no one could have imagined it would be a crushing defeat of this magnitude!

The noise exploded instantly, as if the crowd had come to a boil:

"Did you see that!? Did you see that!! He did it alone!"

"One soul skill to take out two Soul Grand Masters?!"

"How is that possible?!"

"Isn't his Martial Soul a Summon Beast? Where is the beast?"

"Is this the move that legend says took down Xu Sanshi of the upper grades in an instant? Is it really that terrifying?"

Everyone present could see it:

Lu Ran had used only one soul skill to defeat Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie, and had relied solely on physical strength to defeat Dai Huabin in a single blow!!

One blow!!

A three-ring Soul Elder!

The top-tier Martial Soul, Evil Eye White Tiger!

The roar of the crowd rose like a tsunami.

On the stage, Lu Ran turned around to see Wang Dong with her mouth slightly agape, standing frozen in place. The gorgeous wings of the Goddess of Light Butterfly behind her were still dazzling, yet they remained motionless as if they were fake.

Her face was full of disbelief.

Her beautiful eyes were wide and round as she looked at the three people who had been knocked out of the arena. Even if she had only exchanged one move with them, and despite the difference of one Soul Ring, she knew that Zhu Lu was not easy to deal with.

And yet, now, even with preparation, they had been taken out in a single blow?!

She turned her head to look at Lu Ran.

How could this be?

Three rings?

To crush three opponents at once?

Wang Dong suddenly recalled her battle against Lu Ran.

She had merely been pinned to the ground.

If Lu Ran had been serious...

Her legs went weak at the thought.

"Let's go,"

Lu Ran said, his tone relaxed.

The Rock Pillar he had just unleashed was actually the same soul skill as Rock Spike, merely in a different form.

He used the more lethal Rock Spike against true enemies, But for an assessment where the competition was secondary to friendship, The Rock Pillar was more appropriate.

He couldn't very well end up taking someone's life, could he?

However, out of respect for his opponents, he could not hold back.

He had no choice but to let them leave while lying down.

The force used on Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie had been standard, but for someone like Dai Huabin—who acted one way to your face and another behind your back, who climbed the ladder by any means necessary, and who was selfish enough to collude with enemies to harm his own people—

He had struck with heavy force purely out of disgust.

In the seething spectator area, Most students were under the pressure of potential elimination, yet they still shouted until their faces were red and spittle flew.

Everyone knew that, Even in a monster academy as powerful as Shrek, It was impossible to see such a sight a second time!

An existence invincible among his peers!

And this was only the second match!

However, Amidst the scorching atmosphere of the crowd, Huo Yuhao felt completely out of place.

His gaze was profound as he stared at Dai Huabin lying on the ground.

The blood-red hue in his eyes gradually faded, leaving him somewhat disoriented. That villain who had bullied him and his mother for ten whole years was now like a dead dog...

Collapsed on the ground, Collapsed in his own vomit.

Wang Yan pulled Dai Huabin's body to the side, his expression relaxing after a quick check.

He announced Lu Ran as the winner, And the entire arena erupted once more.

It was praise that Lu Ran deserved.

Though he was in a noisy, chaotic world, Huo Yuhao's ears were filled with silence; he could not hear a single sound.

No, It seemed he could still hear his own heartbeat.

Following the gazes of the other students, he turned his eyes toward Lu Ran.

That departing back was so relaxed, Not caring in the slightest about Dai Huabin's condition, Just as if he had stepped on an ant—not worth a moment of concern.

Yet the ant that Lu Ran did not care about was the nightmare that had haunted him and his mother for ten years...

In a trance, Huo Yuhao realized the world had changed, with two chasms suddenly rising up, Ruthlessly separating him from Dai Huabin and Lu Ran.

It was as if they were people from three different worlds.

So close in distance... yet so far apart...

...Power?

Is this... power?

Huo Yuhao stared blankly at Lu Ran's upright back. So, this was what power meant...

...Right.

What are you doing...

What have you been doing these past three months?!

What are you feeling so smug about?!

Huo Yuhao's fingernails dug deep into his palms. On his arm, where the sleeve had been torn to shreds, blue veins bulged. A sharp, piercing pain flooded his brain, But it only fueled his resentment...

Resentment toward himself!

Why did you let your guard down?!

Arriving at Shrek... Brother Sky Dream... the Tang Sect... roommates... learning about Soul Tools... selling grilled fish...

Everything was getting better...

The anticipation for the future, Had it actually made you slack off!?

Huo Yuhao let out a silent, furious roar. His knuckles creaked and groaned, as if he were trying to crush the very bones in his fingers.

Have you forgotten your need for revenge?!

You are going to raze the Duke's Mansion to the ground!

You must have your revenge!!

His entire body trembled, and the scarlet hue began to spread across his eyes once more.

"Yuhao? Yuhao, what's wrong?"

"Ah Hao? Ah Hao?"

Chen Hu and Zhao Chen noticed that something was wrong with Huo Yuhao and gave his arm a light shake, But he was stiff as a board.

Perhaps it was just psychological, but they felt the surrounding temperature suddenly drop, It was so cold that the hair on their arms stood on end.

The two exchanged a worried glance, Following Huo Yuhao's gaze, they saw Dai Huabin struggling to climb to his feet in a sorry state, only to punch the lackey who was trying to help him, causing blood to spurt from the man's nose.

Wang Yan's expression darkened as he walked over with a cold face to handle the situation, But Dai Huabin's face was twisted with ferocity, He gritted his teeth, staring fixedly at the retreating figure of Lu Ran, His fists clenched tightly, Looking almost exactly like Huo Yuhao.

Chen Hu and Zhao Chen exchanged glances once more.

The bloodshot pupils, the trembling body, and the gaze fixed upon Dai Huabin—all of it made them feel like they were looking at a stranger.

This was not the Huo Yuhao they knew.

What on earth had happened?

Within the Sea of Consciousness, Amidst the pale golden ocean, Ten massive golden-white spheres of light floated—the million-year energy that Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had used to seal himself.

They would slowly unseal as Huo Yuhao grew, Becoming his power.

Through their shared vision, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm watched Huo Yuhao's twisted, vengeful expression in silence.

Sensing the intense emotional fluctuations, it had awakened from its slumber, And understood what had happened in an instant.

It understood Huo Yuhao all too well, Because it was exactly the same as him.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had also come from humble beginnings, merely the lowest-ranking Snow Silkworm in the Far North, destined only to be hunted and torn apart. It, too, had stumbled upon a heaven-sent opportunity.

It had fallen into an ice crevice in its teens, slept until it grew to ten thousand years, continued to eat and sleep, and eventually reached nine hundred and ninety thousand years.

In all that time, it had been awake for less than a hundred years.

It had originally thought everything would go smoothly.

Yet, it had been drained alive by the beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest for nearly ten thousand years...

Nearly ten thousand years!!

It had struggled countless times... struggled countless times... struggled countless times... despaired countless times...

Ten thousand years of consciousness, all spent being drained, it had only been free for a mere few decades!

Its entire life had been a feeling of powerlessness as its vitality and strength ebbed away, every day for ten thousand years had been a torture, fostering hatred.

Because of hatred, it was able to survive, because of hatred, it had to become a god, because of hatred, Huo Yuhao must become a god!

Hate, Yuhao, only hatred can drive you forward.

Only hatred is worth remembering, when the time comes, you shall raze the Duke's Mansion to the ground, and I shall tear the entire Star Dou Great Forest to shreds...

"..."

"Yuhao?!!"

"Yuhao, are you alright, Yuhao?"

Amidst the anxious cries, Huo Yuhao gradually regained his senses, the white light fading from his vision as the excited chatter of the students returned, the world becoming lively once more, the resentment slowly faded from his face, replaced by a spreading chill, he spoke slowly, his voice devoid of fluctuation, hoarse and suppressed:

"I'm fine..."

"Let's... go back and cultivate..."

The moment he turned his head, that gaze suffused with blood-red color made Chen Hu tremble in his heart, this was the first time he had seen his gentle and unyielding roommate... look so cold, "Yuhao, wait for us!"

He and Zhao Chen followed after him, a second before disappearing into the crowd, he looked back at Dai Huabin, who could not even lift his head under the pressure of Wang Yan, but Wang Yan was no longer looking at Dai Huabin, he was standing outside the arena, looking toward their side, his eyes flickering, full of hidden meaning.

Before curiosity could take root in his heart, Chen Hu followed Huo Yuhao and disappeared around the corner, out of sight, Teacher Wang Yan shouldn't be blaming Yuhao, right?

He is nothing like that Dai Huabin...

And in the seating area reserved specifically for teachers, Zhou Yi looked at Mu Jin, the flame of jealousy burning fiercely in her heart.