Yan Shaozhe led Lin Yun toward the source of the sound, but it stopped once they reached the area.
Lin Yun had a guess in mind. He turned to Yan Shaozhe and said,
"Teacher Yan, how about we split up and search?"
Yan Shaozhe thought it over briefly. He didn't consider Lin Yun a student who needed special protection, so he nodded and reminded him,
"Stay safe. If you find anything suspicious, send a signal right away. Don't try to take it on by yourself."
Lin Yun nodded and called back that he understood, then immediately ran off in one direction.
Yan Shaozhe headed off in another.
Lin Yun had just passed through a patch of bushes when he spotted a clearing. A boy lay on the ground there, eyes shut tight.
Even with his eyes closed, the boy's eyes looked large. There was a good chance he was Huo Yuhao. Lin Yun had just taken a step toward him when a little black ball suddenly flew out.
It shot from Huo Yuhao's forehead and slammed straight into Lin Yun's mind.
The Skeletal Bone Dragon roared inside Lin Yun's mind. Then his Soul Power began climbing steadily, soon reaching the bottleneck at level twenty.
"What dense undead aura. It has already surpassed the peak of my strength in life."
Youyou's voice came from the little black ball. It was ethereal, yet carried a hint of serene detachment, like the voice of an otherworldly sage.
Naturally, Lin Yun didn't immediately report it to Yan Shaozhe. Instead, he tentatively asked,
"Senior, have you awakened?"
Electrolux's voice came again, ethereal and unhurried.
"I am the Holy Necromancer, Calamity of the Undead, Electrolux. You may call me Electrolux. The undead aura within your Martial Soul attracted me and woke me."
Lin Yun sighed and said,
"Then you've certainly come to the wrong place. I can barely protect myself, and I might die at any moment."
Electrolux was clearly taken aback. He asked Lin Yun,
"What happened? Tell me everything."
Lin Yun explained the prejudice this world held against Martial Souls with dark attributes. Then he slapped his forehead and said,
"Oh no, I'd just finished absorbing my Soul Ring and was only level nineteen. Now I've suddenly reached level twenty. There's no telling if they'll kill me for this."
Electrolux said,
"The people of this world can't even understand that power itself isn't good or evil. It's enough to leave one speechless. Still, you needn't worry too much. This Soul Power genuinely comes from your Martial Soul. The person who brought you here should be able to tell."
Lin Yun took a deep breath, then said,
"I hope so. Let me think of a reasonable explanation."
Yan Shaozhe had found them by now. The instant he saw Lin Yun, he paused in surprise, then said,
"You've reached level twenty?"
Lin Yun nodded and replied,
"After I finished absorbing the Soul Ring's power, I felt some energy blocked up in my dantian. Once I slowly refined it, I reached level twenty."
Yan Shaozhe grabbed Lin Yun by the throat. A trace of Soul Power, accompanied by spiritual power, entered Lin Yun's body. Lin Yun naturally held his Martial Soul in check, lest it retaliate again.
Electrolux could easily conceal himself. Yan Shaozhe thought for a moment, then released Lin Yun and said,
"Your Martial Soul Awakening happened later than most people's. It's quite possible that your Soul Power surged when you absorbed your First Soul Ring."
Electrolux had clearly been right. Yan Shaozhe's examination confirmed that Lin Yun had advanced normally and that no dark arts were involved.
Besides, after fusing with Electrolux, Lin Yun had absorbed some of the undead aura from the Skeletal Bone Dragon. To Yan Shaozhe, it even seemed as if the sinister aura had thinned out a little.
Lin Yun asked,
"Then should we head back now, or look for a second Soul Ring?"
Yan Shaozhe glanced at the sun. After a long moment, he said,
"I'll accompany you for one more day. If we haven't found a suitable Soul Beast by this time tomorrow, we'll head back."
Lin Yun nodded and thanked Yan Shaozhe. Yan Shaozhe then said,
"By the way, I haven't asked yet. What happened here?"
Lin Yun shook his head and replied,
"When I got here, he was already lying there by himself."
Yan Shaozhe pressed a finger to Huo Yuhao's forehead. After a moment, he murmured, "Body Martial Soul. His Soul Power is a little low, unfortunately, but he's worth cultivating to see how he develops."
Then Yan Shaozhe used his Soul Power to lift Huo Yuhao and set him beneath a nearby tree.
When Huo Yuhao opened his eyes, he saw Lin Yun beside him, trying to peel some unfamiliar wild fruit. He immediately said,
"That's poisonous."
Lin Yun said, "...Thanks for the warning."
Huo Yuhao sat up and asked, "Who are you?"
Lin Yun gave Huo Yuhao a rough explanation of the situation: Yan Shaozhe had gone to look for something to eat and asked Lin Yun to keep an eye on him. While he was at it, Lin Yun had helped Yan Shaozhe complete the enrollment form.
"By the way, Teacher Yan also asked me to find out if you want to join Shrek Academy."
Huo Yuhao nodded, then lowered his head and said,
"My Soul Power is only level twelve. I don't meet Shrek Academy's admission requirements."
"You don't need to worry about that. People with Body Martial Souls generally have low Innate Soul Power, so we can give you a special admission spot."
Yan Shaozhe came back carrying a rabbit and spoke warmly to Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao hurriedly got to his feet, eagerness showing in his eyes as he looked at Yan Shaozhe and asked timidly,
"Really? You can really give me a spot?"
Yan Shaozhe nodded and said, his tone somewhat peculiar,
"Of course. Anyway, spots for this year's Shrek class are being passed around left and right."
As he spoke, Yan Shaozhe took out a slip of paper, quickly wrote a line on it, and stamped it with his seal.
"For the next couple of days, you'll travel with me and this boy named Lin Yun. Once we reach Shrek City, the two of you can take this note and register."
Huo Yuhao accepted the slip with utmost care, as if it were some priceless treasure.
Then Huo Yuhao moved closer to Lin Yun and introduced himself warmly.
"My name is Huo Yuhao. My Martial Soul is the Spirit Eye—it's my eyes."
"My name is Lin Yun. My Martial Soul is called the Skeletal Bone Dragon. You could say it's a king among the undead around here."
Lin Yun introduced himself just as politely. Yan Shaozhe had just cut in and taken Huo Yuhao away, but no strange sign from heaven and earth had appeared. That showed this wasn't something important to Tang San.
Lin Yun had no grand plans. He would grow stronger at Shrek Academy, then leave when the time was right. As long as it didn't hurt him, he'd make a few small adjustments to Huo Yuhao's fate, as a fond tribute to the story he'd loved in his previous life.
As for anything beyond that, sorry, Lin Yun was a realist. He didn't have many trump cards to stand against God King Tang just yet. All he could say was, there was still plenty of time...
Before you continue