The Rise of the Double-Faced Turtle

"Feel free to look around. If you see anything you like, just let me know. And don't forget my battle armor."

Lin Lao did not forget to remind him of that, leaving Mu Baobao torn between laughter and tears. After all, who could refuse a full set of possibly Hundred Thousand Year battle armor, including External Soul Bones? It would even be custom-made, unlike Soul Bones, whose grades varied wildly.

"Wow, I told you it suited me. A Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone from a Radiant Earth Dragon King with pure light attributes."

As the two browsed, they spotted a handsome, fair-skinned boy with unusual pinkish-blue eyes and short hair of the same color, practically glowing as he leaned against a massive display case.

Inside was an arm bone shaped like a dragon claw. Its age was not even particularly high—only thirteen thousand years—yet it cost several times more than Soul Bones of several tens of thousands of years: 9.5 million Gold Soul Coins. Its price lay in its purity.

Huo Yuhao's Ice Jade Scorpion Left Arm Bone was likewise only several tens of thousands of years old, nor did it possess Ultimate Ice.

Yet even the Ice Empress envied it, because it contained the Ice Explosion Technique, which even she had not mastered. At the peak of Ultimate Ice, one could freeze an entire ice field before detonating it... What a breathtaking sight that would be. Terrifying beyond belief.

"But I think it suits Beibei even better!"

Mu Baobao stepped forward with a smile. He was not afraid that Tang Wutong would have Tang Buddha Ancestor make him suffer a god-tier Blue Silver Entanglement for snatching her Soul Bone. After all, it was merely a pure Ten Thousand Year Radiant Earth Dragon King Soul Bone.

In the God Realm's Dragon Tomb, there were countless dragon remains. Not merely Ten Thousand Year earth dragons... there were million-year, ten-million-year dragons... even true dragons at the level of first-class gods.

That double standard had even given Tang Wutong the Golden Dragon Spear forged from the Golden Dragon King's rib.

"Senior Mu, Senior Ma." Seeing this, Huo Yuhao hurriedly bowed and introduced them. "Wang Dong is my roommate. These are seniors from the Inner Court."

Mu Baobao thought, No, this is your wife—the second-class god, the Butterfly Goddess, Tang Wutong.

A female roommate becoming one's wife after years as brothers—Tang Buddha Ancestor was not doing this for the first time. The previous example seemed to be the Zither Emperor Ye Yinzhu, whose wife, the Dark Phoenix Sula, was also a princess of a powerful nation.

"Greetings, Senior Sister and Senior Brother!"

Wang Dong called out respectfully, though she was somewhat displeased with Mu Baobao for competing with her over the Soul Bone. Without using her family connections, she definitely could not outbid him.

"You said it suits Senior Brother Beibei, but isn't his martial soul the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon?" Wang Dong pressed. Huo Yuhao even tugged at her sleeve, though he understood her reaction. Anyone would care when encountering something so suitable.

"It is in a half-awakened state. Once fully awakened, it becomes the Radiant Sacred Dragon. If he acquires dragon Soul Rings and Soul Bones with light attributes, complete awakening will not be a problem. Perhaps he never told you his surname... but since he is my younger brother, naturally, we share the same surname."

After Mu En's baptism of light, Beibei possessed a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon with both lightning and light attributes. His complete awakening into the Radiant Sacred Dragon would come from fusing with the Soul Spirit, the Heavenly Dragon Horse, though it was not purely light-attributed. Thus, this pure Radiant Earth Dragon King Soul Bone, one capable of transforming into a Radiant Sacred Dragon, naturally offered much greater certainty.

"The surname Mu, the Radiant Sacred Dragon... You are related to the master of the Sea God Pavilion, the Dragon God Douluo renowned throughout Douluo Continent..." Huo Yuhao was still stunned. His eldest senior brother had hidden such a secret, and he had never noticed.

It would be revealed during the Soul Master Tournament, including Xu Sanshi's awakening of the divine beast Black Tortoise. Huo Yuhao had merely assumed that the two belonged to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. He never expected this. The well-informed Wang Dong had already realized that this was no simple matter and asked tentatively.

"He is our Ancestor Xuan. Junior Brother Yuhao is already a dual-core disciple with red-level authorization from the Treasure Appraisal Pavilion. Becoming a Sea God Pavilion member, or even its master, will not be difficult for him in the future. After all, the current elders merely possess top-tier martial souls, and only one each..."

Ultimate martial souls, a mutated spiritual-type Body Martial Soul... both had appeared in one person. Even Mu En's level ninety-nine Radiant Sacred Dragon had only brought him infinitely close to Ultimate Light. Though he had refused special admission as a Sea God Pavilion member at eighteen, Huo Yuhao had achieved this at seventeen. Of course, the means involved had not been entirely honorable—they involved Mingde Hall of the Sun Moon Academy.

He had stolen more than two thousand blueprints and looted a treasure vault accumulated over who knew how many years. But he was a member of the Tang family... Tang Buddha Ancestor had stolen the Tang Sect Secret Arts, Tang Wulin had stolen the Federation's thirteenth-grade soul cannon shells, and Lan Xuanyu had stolen and blown up the Dragon Horse resource planets while hunting dragons.

Wang Dong froze briefly. She had heard Huo Yuhao mention that Senior Sister Ma's martial soul was the Evil Fire Phoenix.

That immediately made her feel close to Ma Xiaotao, since Ma Xiaotao was a descendant of her fourth uncle, the Phoenix God Ma Hongjun. After ascending to the God Realm, he had become gloomy all day long. She had heard that it was because he had not worked hard enough to inherit the Fire God's position, and thus could not bring his beloved with him. He had once been an extremely cheerful person.

Senior Brother Mu and Senior Sister Ma were both descendants of the Shrek Seven Devils, whose teachers had been the Golden Iron Triangle.

Huo Yuhao was the same, since he himself was a descendant of the God of War Dai Mubai and the God of Speed Zhu Zhuqing. This truly was fate!

"Then let Senior Brother Beibei have it." Wang Dong pursed her lips. After all, she could practically be counted as their ancestor.

What adult would compete with a child over something? Yet Mu Baobao shook his head. "Forget it. How could a senior compete with a junior? Since Beibei is the Dragon God Douluo's great-grandson, he naturally will not lack money. He can gather a complete set of Soul Bones in the future."

He voiced Wang Dong's thoughts, surprising her slightly. Even knowing Tang Buddha Ancestor did not care about Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones, he was still afraid of getting hit by Blue Silver Entanglement.

Later, after discovering that Xu Yunhan was Huo Yuhao's descendant, Tang Buddha Ancestor had directly threatened to destroy a nation.

Who told him he was not a system transmigrator?

"Junior Brother Wang Dong, listen to my big brother's arrangements!" At that moment, Mu Beibei and Xu Sanshi came over while shoving each other around. There was no need to explain.

Mu Baobao already knew what they had been arguing about. Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan were roommates and close friends.

If Tang Ya spoke up, Jiang Nannan would most likely agree, so Xu Sanshi said he wanted to join as well... Beibei immediately called him a bastard, accusing him of treating the Tang Sect as a tool for picking up girls.

Xu Sanshi's father was the Black Tortoise Sect Master, his mother was a Heaven Dou Empire princess, and his maternal grandfather was the current emperor. With these layers of status, it was already difficult enough for him to join Shrek Academy. Later, they would have to personally send him back.

The Tang Sect had declined to such a state that it almost felt like children playing house. Would Mu En, the Dragon God Douluo and Shrek Academy's president, who could stand on equal footing with emperors, really intervene?

That was complete nonsense. Of course he would not agree.

Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan had little money, so naturally they had not attended the Treasure Appraisal Fair this time.

"Then thank you, Senior Mu and Eldest Senior Brother. I'll take Wang Dong to exchange for this Soul Bone first!"

Huo Yuhao thanked them. As soon as the two left, Xu Sanshi moved close to Mu Baobao. "Senior Mu, help me persuade Beibei to let me join their Tang Sect. It would be best if Jiang Nannan joined too."

Mu Baobao instantly got a headache and rubbed his forehead. "I'm not saying this to criticize you, but Jiang Nannan is indeed rather pretty..."

"You are the young master of the Black Tortoise Sect, after all. What woman can't you have? Jiang Nannan is just a girl from an ordinary family, right? Why insist on clinging to her instead of pursuing someone else? Is there some hidden reason?"

Mu Baobao narrowed his eyes, knowingly asking the question. Beibei was also struck by those words and stared intensely at Xu Sanshi.

Xu Sanshi panicked and stammered, "Something did happen between us before we entered the academy. If it were not for Jiang Nannan, I probably would not have come to Shrek. Don't ask about the details. In any case, she was hurt badly. It was not of my own will either—it was because of my family."

Though he did not explain further, everyone present was perceptive. Ma Xiaotao in particular had carried out missions with the inspection corps and could uncover much from the smallest clues. As a girl, she naturally understood that for a poor girl from an ordinary family, there were not many things that could be harmed in such a way.

She wanted to fly into a rage, but forcibly restrained herself. Even if their guess was correct... once discovered, the rumors would definitely spread.

"I think I understand." Mu Baobao smiled. He forcibly gripped Ma Xiaotao's arm to calm her down, making Xu Sanshi panic and sweat profusely. "Senior Mu, I didn't say anything!"

"Jiang Nannan is very likely to join if Tang Ya speaks to her. The Tang Sect has not truly developed yet, so joining it is mostly just a name. But once it becomes powerful, being a member will definitely not be a loss. Jiang Nannan's family is poor, so she has no reason to refuse. She should be likely to agree."

"Yes, yes, yes! As long as Jiang Nannan and I can join, I can provide part of the funding!"

Xu Sanshi said generously. He had nearly revealed his secret. Beibei could not stop his big brother from continuing, and as Mu Baobao had said, the Tang Sect had not truly developed, so joining it was only nominal.

Precisely because of that, having funding would indeed be good. Beibei had not treated Xu Sanshi as a sucker any fewer times, so he quietly waited to see how the story unfolded.

"But your status is simply too conspicuous. We cannot let someone who is certain to leave join another sect. Shrek Academy cannot possibly let you take up a post either. To put it bluntly, you are only here to gild your resume!" Mu Baobao said with a headache. Xu Sanshi naturally understood and immediately began lamenting to the heavens.

"Senior Mu, you must have a way, right?"

"I do, and it is very simple."

"What is it?" Xu Sanshi looked as if he had seized a lifeline. Mu Baobao smiled. "Make a tremendous contribution to the Tang Sect. Donating money does not count... Beibei may not have much money to squander, but Ancestor Xuan and I are enough to ensure that the Tang Sect never needs to worry about funding."

Xu Sanshi wilted again, utterly dejected. "Then I can only save someone's life. But there are only a few people in the Tang Sect, and they are all Shrek Academy students. Who would dare make a move here?"

The thought of hiring assassins himself and then playing the hero flashed through his mind... only to be immediately rejected.

"No, there is an opportunity. I observed that Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong both have darkened foreheads. They will surely suffer a bloody disaster today. If I follow them, I may be able to stop it, but I might not catch the culprit. You should secretly follow them and try. Safely escort them back to the academy, and I will tell Beibei and Tang Ya to let you join the Tang Sect."

"You... have no objections, right?" He looked at Beibei. The latter immediately grew furious. "Yuhao is not only Shrek Academy's hope, but also our Tang Sect's hope. I had originally given up on reviving the Tang Sect, but after Yuhao became a second-class Soul Engineer in eight months and awakened his Twin Martial Souls—the Body Martial Soul Spirit Eye and Ultimate Ice—I gained confidence."

"But when did you learn fortune-telling? Darkened foreheads, my ass!" Ma Xiaotao glared at him.

They were still here, and no one would dare make a move in Shrek City. However, Huo Yuhao's Twin Martial Souls had indeed been exposed at the academy...

When students enrolled, no one would carefully investigate every other student's identity. If they considered Huo Yuhao a threat, they would certainly eliminate him while he was still weak. After the Continental Soul Master Tournament... Jing Hongchen of Mingde Hall and Du Busi of the Body Sect.

The other two of the three major powers had both arrived. Jing Hongchen wanted to kill Huo Yuhao, this genius, while Du Busi wanted to capture him and make him his successor.

"Then just treat it as nonsense. You two should secretly follow them back. If you truly cannot handle it, send out a distress signal immediately."

He shrugged. Before Beibei could speak, Xu Sanshi grabbed onto him... If someone truly was foolish enough to attack, then as Mu Baobao said, this would be an opportunity to join the Tang Sect. Huo Yuhao's importance would save him, and the Tang Sect's higher-ups would have no objections.

"Stop talking. This concerns your brother's happiness. You tricked so many Mystic Water Pills out of me. You can't possibly refuse to help me with this!"

Xu Sanshi forcibly dragged Beibei away, refusing to let go of this opportunity no matter what. What if it really happened?

Mu Baobao and Ma Xiaotao headed toward the top floor. After they called out, someone immediately led them to Lin Lao. After all, Lin Lao had personally received these two earlier and had even asked them for something.

No one knew who they were, but they were clearly people who could not be offended. The staff even looked at them with a few dreamy gazes.

Ma Xiaotao possessed peerless beauty that ranked among the best in Shrek's Inner Court. Mu Baobao was equally extraordinary. He was fairly handsome... and had an indescribably attractive aura.

The young women's gazes followed him, leaving Ma Xiaotao feeling helpless. No matter how she looked at it, he seemed like a man who already belonged to someone.

"You think highly of that fellow too?"

Inside the top-floor room, the place was even more extravagant than the halls below. The sofas, chairs, chandeliers... everything glittered with gold, and gold inlays could be seen everywhere.

Diamonds, gemstones, and pearls that ordinary people would need a lifetime of savings to afford were merely decorations.

Each item on display cost millions of Gold Soul Coins. One could imagine Lin Lao's wealth. After all, he controlled the financial power of Shrek Academy, one of Douluo Continent's three great powers. Any random item here—

—could ensure that someone's descendants for more than a dozen generations never worried about food or clothing and even lived in luxury. This old man wore numerous gold necklaces and gold rings as well.

"Oh, my Baobao! I thought you would leave right away!" Lin Lao said warmly.

He sat before an enormous floor-to-ceiling window, drinking red wine from a famous continental winery that was produced in limited quantities each year. There were even century-old wines on the rack.

Mu Baobao could tell that the snacks in the dish had come from Ten Thousand Year soul beasts and had been smoked and cooked through who knew how many complex procedures. At the academy, or even in the wilderness, they usually ate very casually.

They endured the elements and ate dry rations and coarse buns. In terms of extravagance, this place could probably rival the nobles of the great empires. Shrek City had to rank first.

Unable to bear it any longer, Mu Baobao pinched a piece of Ten Thousand Year soul beast ham between two fingers and devoured it in a few bites, then pointed at the emptied plate.

"Old man, bring three more large plates. Your usual life is far too decadent, isn't it? We're out there risking our lives." As he spoke, he ran to the wine rack, grabbed a bottle of century-old red wine, and used released Soul Power to form a sharp palm blade that neatly split it open. He drank it like a beverage.

Soul Masters, especially those with beast martial souls, possessed extraordinarily strong physiques. They could probably down Blue Star's strongest liquor without effort.

"No problem. Eat and drink your fill. Just don't forget to make me a set of Three-Word Battle Armor."

Lin Lao cursed inwardly at how this fellow knew nothing of noble etiquette, enjoying fine wine and food so crudely. Those were all treasured collections!

Ma Xiaotao merely glared at him. He had no manners whatsoever, eating and drinking with such abandon.

"Eat, eat, eat. Were you a starving ghost in your previous life?"