Xu Sanshi gritted his teeth and withstood the attacks, but he felt a chill seep into the gale raging around him.
"What kind of flame is this? It actually froze my Mysterious Underworld Shield!"
It was Pseudo Bone Spirit Fire.
The Mysterious Underworld Shield was Water-type, so in theory, it should have been easy to block Fire-type attacks. But Pseudo Bone Spirit Fire was similar in nature to Bone Spirit Cold Flame—a flame that carried Ice-type properties.
Ice and water shared the same source. As the Mysterious Underworld Shield blocked the flames, the frigid energy slipped past its defenses and quietly froze Xu Sanshi, along with the face of his shield.
Xiao Yan raised a hand and clenched it in midair. The chill radiating from the Pseudo Bone Spirit Fire surged higher and higher, and Xu Sanshi's body was almost visibly encased in ice!
"You're using ice against me? How naive!"
Mysterious Underworld Shield Formation!
Xu Sanshi roared, and his shield split into three pieces. They swiftly shattered the ice forming over his body. But how could Xiao Yan simply stand by and let him break free?
He conjured another Fire Lotus and hurled it at Xu Sanshi. He didn't expect it to break through Xu Sanshi's defense; he only wanted to distract him.
Unexpectedly, Xu Sanshi was so focused on defending against the icy aura that he couldn't spare a hand to block the flames. He took the full force of the Buddha Fury Fire Lotus.
Boom!
Flames swept across the arena. Xu Sanshi coughed several times, his face pale.
"Nicely done!"
He spat out the words through gritted teeth. He tried to raise his shield and attack again, but his strength had failed him. In the end, he could only crumple to the ground, unable to get back up.
After leaving the arena, Xiao Yan casually tossed Xu Sanshi a bottle of Essence Replenishment Pills, but Xu Sanshi raised a hand to stop him.
"If you've got something this good, junior, you should keep it for yourself. It's not as if I don't have anything to heal my injuries."
"But, about Jiang Nannan..."
Xu Sanshi leaned closer and chuckled mysteriously.
"Of course, you just need to wait patiently for a while, senior."
"But remember, opening your heart is the most important thing. Lovers can go the distance only when they share each other's pain."
Xiao Yan casually shaped the Pale Blue Flame into a folding fan and waved it as he spoke, putting on the air of an elegant young master dispensing wisdom and directing the world.
Xu Sanshi furrowed his brows and asked suspiciously,
"What you're saying makes sense, junior, but..."
"Will it really work?"
Xiao Yan folded his fan and replied with calm indifference,
"Well, I've said my piece. Whether you believe it is up to you, senior."
"Come on, Haki Xiao. Now that the fight's over, it's time to go back and cultivate."
Xiao Yulü froze, then stammered,
"W-We still have to cultivate?"
"Of course. If we don't, how are we going to reach level 20 before the Freshman Tournament?"
Xiao Yan tapped Xiao Yulü on the head. The latter looked up at him with pleading eyes. The young master of the Xiao Clan had been carefree since childhood, so making him keep up the arduous cultivation was a bit much.
"Besides, being a Core Disciple is important."
"Ah, so you're aiming to become Core Disciples."
Xu Sanshi pondered for a moment, then said,
"Well, with your abilities, becoming Core Disciples in the next few years is practically a sure thing. Just keep cultivating and steadily improving, and you'll get there eventually. There's no need to push yourselves so hard."
Xiao Yan's expression suddenly froze, then grew somewhat dejected.
"Is that so... Yeah."
As if noticing his good friend's dejection, Xiao Yulü quickly stepped forward and slung an arm around Xiao Yan's shoulders with a smile.
"Hey, come on. Let's go back and cultivate. We'll be off, senior!"
Xu Sanshi watched the two gradually disappear into the distance and narrowed his eyes.
It seemed these two boys had a story even more winding and strange than he'd imagined.
Back in their dorm room, Xiao Yan didn't immediately begin cultivating.
Why was he so determined to cultivate so hard?
Xiao Yan's goal was to reign supreme through the ages, but that wasn't something he could accomplish overnight. As the saying went, if your heart was set on a goal and you worked toward it day after day, you would keep making progress. There was no need to rush.
After pondering for a long time, Xiao Yan still couldn't figure out where the urgency weighing on his heart came from.
He paced back and forth for ages, much to the annoyance of Xiao Yulü, who wanted to cultivate. Irritably, Xiao Yulü ran a hand through his hair.
"Hey, Lao Xiao, are you still thinking about your parents?"
"Yeah."
Xiao Yan froze. Why had Xiao Yulü suddenly brought up his adoptive parents?
"If you ask me, the dead are gone. Those of us still alive can only inherit their will and press onward..."
"Cut it out. Don't talk nonsense."
Xiao Yulü's interruption brought a few scenes back to Xiao Yan. It was night. There was a giant beast, a damp warmth, and face after face.
Unfortunately, Xiao Yan couldn't recall anything else. Even so, it made him feel much more at ease.
"Phew. Forget it. As long as I set foot on the path to becoming an Emperor, reach the peak, and reign supreme through the ages, these difficulties will all be resolved."
Xiao Yan sat cross-legged and returned to his cultivation.
They said that cultivation knew no time. Although Xiao Yan wasn't entirely focused on it and mundane matters—classes and meals—kept interrupting him, his progress was still gratifying.
A week before the freshman assessment, Xiao Yan finally broke through to level 19 and prepared to hunt for his second Soul Ring.
Honestly, gaining only one level in two months was a rather slow pace.
But there was nothing he could do about it. Xiao Yan needed to consolidate his foundation; otherwise, successive breakthroughs would surely leave it unstable. It would also help Charmeleon evolve into an Ultimate Fire Martial Soul in the future. Once he got used to compressing his Soul Power, the boost from the Ultimate Martial Soul would become even greater.
As for Xiao Yulü, he had broken through the level 20 threshold long ago. He'd sent a letter home, and his family had taken him to hunt for his second Soul Ring.
The young master of the Xiao Clan had always done things this way. The greatest prodigy in the entire Xiao Clan, a cherished favorite who had every resource at his disposal, he could become a powerhouse in his own right without Shrek. Coming to Shrek was merely icing on the cake.
Xiao Yan knew he couldn't be as extravagant. He couldn't get an entire team to escort him on every Soul Hunting trip; he had to rely on himself.
In fact, with Xiao Yan's current strength, ordinary Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were no match for him. With the boost from his Blazing Sun Domain, his attack power could even rival a Soul King's. Hunting a Thousand-Year Soul Ring would be very easy.
The reason he'd waited until now was that he had only just received information about the Fire-type Soul Beasts in Sunset Forest from Xiao Yulü.
Students weren't allowed to enter Star Dou Forest through the front entrance. Going around would take a great deal of time there and back, so he definitely wouldn't be able to make it back for the freshman assessment in a week—not even counting the time needed to search for and hunt Soul Beasts.
At a time like this, Xiao Yan couldn't help missing Elder Yi and the Soul Spirit System. If his first Soul Ring had come from a Soul Spirit, he wouldn't need to worry about the second. He could aim straight for a ten-thousand-year ring for the third, get more from the fourth and fifth, and start planning for a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring by the sixth.
This wasn't just idle talk. With Xiao Yan's alchemy skills, refining pills that could increase the number of years a Soul Ring could be absorbed for wouldn't be difficult. Unfortunately, without a Soul Spirit, the idea could only remain a thought.
"Hmm... Earth Fire Lizard Herd, Crimson Flame Lizard Queen, Fire Scorched Ox..."
"They're all rather mediocre Soul Beasts. Are there no stronger ones?"
Xiao Yan studied the information, then suddenly froze, his gaze fixed on the very last entry.
"Golden-Haired Blazing Lion King. Cultivation... close to ten thousand years?"
Before you continue