Three months passed in the blink of an eye amid day after day of cultivation.
Lin Shuo's Soul Power rose from level 41 to the peak of level 42. Wang Dong'er was just one step away from level 30, and Huo Yu'er had also successfully reached level 20.
After eleven months of study, all three of them had undergone a complete transformation. Their relationship had grown closer with each passing day.
The three of them strolled along a path beside Sea God Lake.
It was the first day of vacation, and the teaching buildings of Shrek Academy's outer court stood empty.
Wang Dong'er nudged a pebble at her feet and spoke with forced nonchalance. "All right, you two don't have to see me off. It's only a month, anyway. We'll see each other again when school starts."
But there wasn't a trace of ease in her pink-and-blue eyes. After a few seconds of silence, she suddenly raised her head and pointed at Lin Shuo, putting on a fierce air. "While I'm gone, you aren't allowed to go flirting with other girls. Or else, or else..."
Lin Shuo raised an eyebrow and looked at the pink-and-blue-haired girl before him. Nearly a year after enrolling, Wang Dong'er's hair had grown much longer from the short cut she'd worn when disguising herself as a boy. Now it was tied in a ponytail, with a few loose strands blown free by the lake breeze and resting against her faintly flushed cheeks.
"Flirting with other girls?" Lin Shuo folded his arms, the corners of his mouth curling into a half-smile. "I've been at the academy for eleven months. When have you ever seen me flirting with anyone?"
Wang Dong'er was caught off guard. Her finger paused in midair, then she quickly came up with an excuse. "Th-that's because Miss and Yu'er have been keeping an eye on you! What if you let loose while I'm gone?"
Huo Yu'er stood to the side, watching the two of them trade words. A faint smile curved her lips, and her deep blue eyes reflected the rippling light on the lake, as well as the bickering pair. She didn't join in, simply standing there quietly and enjoying this moment of everyday life.
"Make sure you miss me. And you two, watch me leave." After their banter, Wang Dong'er said reluctantly.
With that, she quickened her pace and headed toward the school gate without looking back. Her pink-and-blue ponytail swished in the morning light, gradually disappearing at the end of the tree-lined path.
Out of sight, the corners of her eyes had grown faintly red.
Huo Yu'er stood where she was, watching Wang Dong'er walk away. The morning light and the lake's glimmering reflections shone in her deep blue eyes.
"Big Brother Lin," she said softly. "I..."
Lin Shuo turned his gaze from Wang Dong'er and looked into Huo Yu'er's deep blue eyes. "Yu'er, what about you? Is there something you want to tell me?"
Huo Yu'er was silent for a moment before speaking softly. "Big Brother Lin, you saw it when I absorbed my First Soul Ring, didn't you?"
The lake breeze swept over the water and lifted the loose strands on her forehead, revealing eyes that were gradually growing misty.
Her voice was so soft it was almost carried away by the wind, but every word reached Lin Shuo clearly.
Lin Shuo didn't answer right away. He looked at the blue-haired girl before him. After nearly a year spent together day in and day out since enrolling, she was no longer the timid little girl outside Star Dou Great Forest who blushed even when she spoke.
"That big ice silkworm told you?"
Huo Yu'er nodded gently. "Big Brother Lin..." She paused, her voice tinged with a hint of apprehension. "Are you... angry? I've kept it from you for so long."
"There's nothing to be angry about." Lin Shuo looked away, his tone even. "Everyone has their secrets. The fact that you're willing to tell me means you trust me. That's enough."
Huo Yu'er's eyes reddened slightly, but she blinked hard and held back her tears.
"Big Brother Lin, actually..." She took a deep breath, as if gathering her words. "That big ice silkworm is called the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. She's no ordinary Soul Beast. She said she's a million-year Soul Beast, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. She'd been asleep in Star Dou Great Forest, and when she woke up, she came to me to survive her tribulation. She said I could become her host."
At this point, Huo Yu'er glanced cautiously at Lin Shuo before continuing.
"She offered herself to me and became my Wisdom Soul Ring. She lives in my Sea of Consciousness. She said she'd sealed her Soul Power and spiritual power, and that they would gradually unlock as my cultivation improved."
Lin Shuo nodded slightly, putting on a look of surprise.
Huo Yu'er lowered her head, her voice softening. "I'm sorry, Big Brother Lin. I didn't mean to deceive you. Sister Tian Meng said I couldn't tell anyone about this, or I'd be killed. So I..."
"I told you, there's no need to apologize." Lin Shuo raised a hand and lightly flicked her forehead, so gently she barely felt it. "A million-year Soul Beast's Wisdom Soul Ring is an enormous stroke of fortune. It was right to be cautious."
Huo Yu'er covered her forehead. A shimmer welled in her deep blue eyes, but gratitude filled them more than anything.
Huo Yu'er was about to say something else when a sudden ripple came from her Sea of Consciousness.
The moment the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm appeared, her gaze drifted involuntarily toward Lin Shuo.
She wanted to bow to him, but remembering Lin Shuo's order to keep his identity hidden, she put on a dignified air and said, "Ahem. You're the Big Brother Lin Yu'er told me about?"
"I'm Tian Meng, a million-year Soul Beast, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. Yu'er is my host now."
Lin Shuo's mouth twitched slightly.
Huo Yu'er scratched her head, a little embarrassed. "Big Brother Lin, Sister Tian Meng is just like that. She doesn't mean any harm."
"I can tell." Lin Shuo looked away, his tone faint.
Huo Yu'er looked at Lin Shuo and Tian Meng, hesitated, then said, "Big Brother Lin, there's one more thing."
"Go ahead."
"Sister Tian Meng offered herself to me and gave me an empty ice-attribute Martial Soul. So we were planning to go to the Far North and try our luck at obtaining a Second Martial Soul."
Lin Shuo looked at Huo Yu'er and said slowly, "Although the Far North has the Three Great Heavenly Kings, there's a place where you can obtain an ice-attribute Martial Soul far more powerful than theirs."
Huo Yu'er froze, a hint of confusion flashing through her deep blue eyes.
"Sister Tian Meng said..."
"I know what she said," Lin Shuo interrupted, his tone calm but certain. "She wanted to give you either the Ice Empress or the Titan Snow Demon King."
"But there's a place where you can obtain an even more powerful Martial Soul."
Huo Yu'er blinked, only half understanding.
She had never heard of any of this, but she knew Big Brother Lin would never harm her.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm wanted to say something, but held her tongue. If her Lord said so, he must have his reasons.
"I know a little about the history of the dragon race." Lin Shuo paused, then continued. "The Dragon God, the strongest of the dragons, once bestowed elemental talents upon the nine most gifted dragon clans. After the Water Dragon King and Fire Dragon King fell, their deaths formed the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well on Douluo Continent."