"An eighty-thousand-year-old Soul Bone!"
Jing Hongchen was shocked, and his eyes burned with envy. Soul Bones were extremely precious, let alone one that was eighty thousand years old.
Even he, a Titled Douluo, still didn't have a Soul Bone.
Of course, the main reason was that he hadn't come across a suitable one.
"Thank you for the reward, Your Highness."
Yang Hao didn't refuse. He accepted it respectfully.
"Ju Zi, talk with Luo Feng about the future improvements to the prosthetic limbs."
After giving Ju Zi the instruction, Xu Tianran left the laboratory with Jing Hongchen supporting him.
Next, he had to discuss the in-depth development of this rare metal with Jing Hongchen. It would undoubtedly bring about a major transformation in the Soul Tool system, and was crucial to his future inheritance of the throne, as well as the empire's strategic plans afterward.
Of course, the most important thing now was to report this to his father and persuade him to support the development of this new system to the greatest extent. After that, he could use this opportunity to secure as much benefit for himself as possible.
This was no small matter. It needed to be planned step by step.
Yang Hao paid no attention to the two who had left. His gaze fell on the young woman before him.
She should be the future Empress War God, and also one of the classic love-struck fools in the Douluo series.
"What is it?"
Ju Zi asked curiously. The young man's gaze felt strange.
"Nothing."
Yang Hao gave a slight shake of his head and began explaining the plan to nourish and improve Xu Tianran's prosthetic limbs.
Ju Zi listened attentively. This was something she would be handling from now on, since she was also a student at the Imperial Academy.
Before coming, His Highness had also instructed her to spend more time with this person in the future and keep an eye on him.
After hearing the young man's plan for improving the crown prince's prosthetic limbs, Ju Zi took out her old textbooks and class notes.
"These are the textbooks I used before, along with my class notes.
"The dean said that you lack systematic knowledge of Soul Engineering, so it would be best to start from scratch."
"Thank you, senior."
Yang Hao accepted them gratefully. He really needed these.
He didn't want to attend classes at a leisurely pace, especially the basic courses at the beginning. These textbooks and notes would help him master the systematic knowledge much faster.
Looking at the young woman before him, Yang Hao couldn't help thinking of Huo Yuhao, who would have all sorts of melodramatic entanglements with her in the future.
He wondered how that Child of Luck was doing now. The plans he had laid over there should have had some effect; he just didn't know how much.
Meanwhile, far away at Shrek Academy, Huo Yuhao was running with a weighted load. This was one of the academy's main training methods, and it worked even better when paired with the Mysterious Heaven Skill. His physique had improved quite a bit over this period, especially his stamina.
Only after his strength and Soul Power were exhausted did Huo Yuhao struggle back to the dormitory.
"Why are you coming back drenched in sweat again? Do you have to push yourself so hard?"
Smelling the sweat on him, Tang Wutong frowned. She couldn't understand why her father had made her disguise herself as a boy and use the name Wang Dong to study at Shrek Academy, or why she had to share a room with a boy. The whole situation had been awkward lately.
"My talent isn't as good as yours, so I can only work twice as hard."
Huo Yuhao replied wearily, picked up a change of clothes, and went into the bathroom. He took a thorough shower and washed himself three times with soap before coming out. Then he sat cross-legged on his bed and began cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
The reason he washed three times wasn't that he was a clean freak. It was Wang Dong who was, and she had laid down so many rules that he could only obey.
Tang Wutong glanced at Huo Yuhao, who had already started cultivating, and had no choice but to follow suit.
She wasn't particularly fond of cultivation, but with a cultivation maniac for a roommate, she had no choice but to work harder.
Especially since she was still annoyed about their battle when she first enrolled. She hadn't forgotten it, and she couldn't let that guy surpass her.
"Knock, knock!"
Just then, someone knocked on the door. Tang Wutong glanced at it and ignored it.
She didn't know many people at Shrek Academy, and at this hour, whoever it was certainly wasn't looking for her.
Huo Yuhao, on the other hand, stopped cultivating and got up to open the door. A young woman with a high ponytail appeared before him.
"Sister Xiao Ya, what brings you here so late?"
Huo Yuhao asked curiously.
"I came to congratulate you on passing the assessment and officially joining Shrek Academy. I brought you a gift."
Tang Ya grinned and offered him a thick manual. The four characters Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record were written on its cover.
She and Bei Bei had taught Yuhao some of the Tang Sect's martial arts before, but not the complete set. Today, she had come to give him the full version as a gift.
She had also brought a Godly Zhuge Crossbow for his protection. After all, Yuhao's Martial Soul was truly on the weak side.
"The Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record!"
Huo Yuhao was thrilled. With a book this thick, it had to be the complete Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record. It might even contain Tang Sect Hidden Weapons, which he was very interested in.
"I won't keep you from your rest. Don't push yourself too hard when you cultivate."
Tang Ya glanced at the figure cultivating inside the dormitory and didn't linger. After a caring reminder, she prepared to leave.
"Thank you, Sister Xiao Ya. I'll grill fish for you tomorrow."
Huo Yuhao thanked her gratefully. Sister Xiao Ya had helped him so much.
She had taught him the Tang Sect Secret Arts, used the Tang Sect's special admission spot to get him into Shrek Academy, and now she had even brought him the Tang Sect's closely guarded treasure, the complete Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record.
Meeting Sister Tang Ya was truly the greatest stroke of luck in his life.
"Tomorrow?"
Tang Ya murmured, then turned and walked away, guilt and resolve in her eyes.
Now that the Tang Sect had Huo Yuhao, its legacy wouldn't be lost. She could finally leave without worry.
She soon left the academy grounds. Tang Ya took out a letter and read it, then looked back at the academy before finally deciding to leave.
She had received the letter a month ago. It told her about Zhang Lexuan, Bei Bei's older sister and fiancée.
But because Tang Ya had made Bei Bei fall in love with her instead, Sister Lexuan had been sent on a dangerous mission. No one knew whether she was alive or dead.
From the letter's contents, it seemed to have been written by a girl who also loved Bei Bei. She wanted Tang Ya to leave him, but after investigating, Tang Ya had mostly confirmed that the contents were true.
She had no face left to stay, and she needed to hurry and take her revenge. If she could awaken the power within her Martial Soul, she would become stronger in no time.
That would undoubtedly make her an Evil Soul Master, but it wasn't a bad thing. Once she became an Evil Soul Master, she could search for Sister Lexuan and bring her back.
What Tang Ya didn't notice was the squirrel watching her from a nearby tree. As if it had confirmed something, the squirrel abruptly died, and a wisp of spiritual power flew off toward Shrek City. It eventually landed in the hand of a handsome middle-aged man.
"Just as the Holy Son predicted!"
Sleep Nightmare murmured, then immediately set off in pursuit.
He had come at the Holy Son's orders to scheme against that Tang Sect orphan. Now she had finally left Shrek Academy.
And he had already completed both of his missions here in Shrek. It was time to leave.
Leaving aside Tang Ya, who was being watched, Huo Yuhao began carefully reading the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record he had received. But before he had read for long, someone knocked on the door again.
"Is it Sister Xiao Ya?"
Huo Yuhao asked curiously, getting up to open the door. But the person before him was someone he hated to the bone, someone he would never forget for the rest of his life.
"So that's the look. No wonder it felt so familiar."
Looking at Huo Yuhao's eyes, brimming with hatred, and his tightly clenched fists, Dai Huabin smiled.
The first time he had seen this person, he'd thought he looked familiar. After a closer look, he had finally figured it out.
The other person had changed his name, but only his surname. His given name was still the same.
Huo Yuhao—or rather, Dai Yuhao!
Dai Huabin pushed past Huo Yuhao and entered the dormitory. He looked around, then fixed his gaze on Wang Dong, who was cultivating on the bed. He even walked over and sniffed.
"What are you doing here?"
Huo Yuhao demanded coldly. He wasn't surprised that Dai Huabin had recognized him.
After all, he had recognized Dai Huabin, so Dai Huabin could naturally recognize him too. The other man had surely come looking for trouble.
Dai Huabin ignored Huo Yuhao and continued studying Wang Dong. A strange look crossed his face.
"You're living pretty well, bringing a woman into the academy to share a dorm with you, and even having her disguise herself as a man. How come I never thought of that?"
There was no doubt about it. Wang Dong was a woman.
"A woman?"
Huo Yuhao, who had been furious, was stunned. He turned to Wang Dong, whose face was shocked and flustered. Looking at her expression and recalling her strange behavior over the past while, he immediately understood.
Wang Dong was a girl.
"You'd better be careful. Don't go and make yourself a little bastard just like you with your little concubine."
Dai Huabin came up beside Huo Yuhao and patted him on the shoulder. He made no effort to hide his malice.
"Who are you calling a bastard?"
Huo Yuhao flew into a rage again.
"You, of course."
"Your mother was a lowly maidservant. That makes you a bastard, a bastard without even a White Tiger Martial Soul."
Dai Huabin didn't bother hiding his mocking contempt. He was deliberately provoking the bastard. If they started fighting, he could have Huo Yuhao expelled for breaking the academy rules. What's more, Huo Yuhao had secretly brought a woman into the academy in disguise to share his dormitory with him, which was forbidden too.
"You're the bastard of a lowly maidservant!"
Huo Yuhao roared and swung a punch, but Dai Huabin caught it with one hand and kicked him hard. The force sent him flying out the dormitory window and crashing to the ground.
"I call you a bastard, and you still won't admit it? You're pitifully weak. Don't ever say you're a member of the Dai family again. Our Duke Mansion can't afford to be associated with someone like you."
"You should have disappeared from this world, just like that lowly maidservant."
Before you continue