After Lin Yao finished speaking, an overwhelmingly powerful surge of spiritual force erupted from his mind, making the vast darkness before him shudder and ripple.
A flicker of panic appeared in the little dragon's rage-filled eyes. Immediately afterward, white cracks began spreading across the entire space.
As the Ender Dragon suddenly crashed into this space, the little dragon's remnant soul was completely shattered and vanished.
With the remnant soul hurdle behind him, nothing else stood in the way of the absorption process. Lin Yao felt powerful energy flow into his body through his Martial Soul, while the excess Soul Power began reshaping his meridians.
As Lin Yao felt the nourishment that came from his Martial Soul absorbing the Soul Ring, he suddenly sensed that the Ender Dragon's appearance had begun to change, bit by bit.
The changes were concentrated mainly around its head. Its neck curved slightly, and its two small horns gradually grew thicker, curling over its head. When it opened its mouth, a row of sharp dragon teeth came into view.
Compared with an ordinary Ender Dragon, its head now looked more like that of the Ancient Ender Dragon from the MC mod.
The discovery thrilled Lin Yao. Judging by this, his Ender Dragon still had room to evolve further; it wasn't locked into its current form.
If that was the case, he had even more confidence in the future.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw Ye Guyi sitting opposite him, watching him with undisguised curiosity.
"What's wrong?" Lin Yao asked, looking at Ye Guyi in confusion. Her expression seemed strange, so he couldn't help asking.
Ye Guyi gently pointed at Lin Yao's palm. The left-hand bone of the Dark Earth Dragon that he had fused with earlier was now glowing purple.
He released the palm bone and discovered that its color had changed to match the Ender Dragon's. At first glance, it looked as if he had activated Dragon Transformation.
It might be some kind of mutation caused by Martial Soul Evolution, Lin Yao thought to himself. He paid it no mind, simply put the Soul Bone away, and casually brushed Ye Guyi off. "It's probably because I'm at four rings now, and absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring put too much strain on me with that little black dragon's remnant soul attacking. My body must have released the Soul Bone on instinct."
Ye Guyi nodded and didn't look further into the change in its color. Perhaps the Soul Bone had been activated under unusual circumstances, causing some kind of special reaction. That wasn't entirely unheard of in the Soul Master World.
Even in this era, many things in the Soul Master World remained difficult-to-understand mysteries. It was like how people in his previous life had never fully grasped the mysteries of the human body and still needed to keep updating their knowledge.
Lin Yao stood up and stretched his limbs. "All right, we should head to Shrek Academy."
Ye Guyi nodded and followed him. The Titled Douluo continued silently following Lin Yao and the others from the shadows. He only returned to report after the two of them had left the Star Dou Great Forest and reached the main road to Shrek Academy.
Lin Xueli had sent word to Shrek Academy in advance. As soon as Lin Yao's carriage entered Shrek City, a group of students wearing red Shrek uniforms came to greet them.
Unfortunately, none of them were familiar faces with any distinguishing features. Lin Yao stopped the carriage, lifted the curtain, and looked at the approaching Shrek Inner Court students. When they saw his reaction, one of them seemed to twitch at the corner of his mouth, but he still maintained his manners. "You're Junior Brother Lin Yao, right?"
Lin Yao nodded and handed over the recommendation letter handwritten by Yan Shaozhe. The student took it, gently running his fingertips over the envelope. His tone grew even more courteous. "Although the Academy specially invited you, it wouldn't be appropriate to drive the carriage straight into the Academy. I hope you understand."
Lin Yao nodded and climbed down from the carriage. Ye Guyi followed him.
"And who might this be?" the student asked, looking at Ye Guyi with some curiosity. Lin Yao stepped in front of her and replied evenly, "She's with me. She's the right age, and she has a recommendation letter."
The student nodded, but his gaze remained fixed on Ye Guyi. He only looked away when a companion gave him a light nudge. Then he said coolly, "Come with us."
On the way, Lin Yao chatted with the Inner Court students who had come to welcome them. They weren't any of the familiar names he knew, just a few strangers, but one thing was certain: they were all Inner Court students, and their Soul Power was at least Soul King level.
Yan Shaozhe still showed him a great deal of respect, but Lin Yao had also managed to sound them out. According to Shrek Academy's rules, he wouldn't be entering the Inner Court directly; he would start his studies in the Outer Court.
"Your Martial Soul Awakening did cause some unusual phenomena, but that was only why you were specially invited to study at Shrek Academy. Whether you can enter the Inner Court and whether you're worthy of the honor of belonging to Shrek Academy's Inner Court—that depends on your own ability," the male student who had taken an interest in Ye Guyi said to Lin Yao in an even tone.
There was already a hint of disdain in the male student's voice. Clearly, he had mistaken Lin Yao's probing questions for an attempt to leap straight into the Inner Court.
When Lin Yao heard the words "the honor of the Inner Court," he couldn't help chuckling. Then he put on a solemn expression and said, "Don't worry, Senior. I have absolutely no intention of fighting you for that honor. It's all yours. Take your time enjoying it."
The Inner Court student clicked his tongue. Then he glanced at Ye Guyi and said pointedly, "Hmph. Then you'd better keep your distance from the girl beside you. At Shrek Academy, people without strength or ambition don't deserve to have a beauty at their side."
After he said that, several students beside him frowned and gave him a discreet jab. Another student standing nearby cleared his throat and smiled. "Sorry about that. My buddy's not quite right in the head. There's no bend in his brain—just straight lines. Don't take it to heart."
Lin Yao curled his lips and said nonchalantly, "It's fine. If Senior thinks I don't have what it takes, we can put it to the test. I've heard your Academy has a Soul Fighting Arena and encourages students to fight. I can't get into the Inner Court's arena yet, but you can come to the Outer Court and challenge me. I'll be waiting for you there. Whoever doesn't show up is a grandson..."
Before you continue