The Awakened Sky Dream Ice Silkworm

"I really didn't expect the academy to give you such a reward. But with your talent, it's only natural."

"It's alright."

Facing Ning Tian's compliments, Jiang Yue responded casually. If she found out Yan Shaozhe had refused to let Jiang Yue hunt a Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast, she would probably instinctively think he was messing with her.

Yet reality was this absurd. No one would believe it even if he told them, so Jiang Yue simply kept quiet.

"A left leg bone isn't as valuable as other Soul Bones, but the people who would buy this Soul Bone won't be picky. Mm, I can guarantee that its market price won't be below three hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins."

"This Soul Bone might be decent for others, but its age is too low for you. It isn't worth absorbing at all. If you want to sell it to me, the most I can offer is cultivation resources worth around three hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins in total."

"I don't need that many cultivation resources for now. Just convert the portion worth one hundred thousand into cash for me."

"Hmm? Cash? You want one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins instead of cultivation resources? That... works, I suppose. I just might need you to wait a while. I didn't bring that much with me. I'll have everything delivered to you after school this afternoon along with the cultivation resources. How does that sound?"

"Fine. Pleasant cooperation. This Soul Bone is yours. Keep it safe. I trust the young sect mistress of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect won't cheat me out of something so minor."

"Don't worry. They're only Gold Soul Coins. I just need to give an order at the Nine Treasure Pavilion in Shrek City. I don't know what you need so many Gold Soul Coins for, but when it comes to Gold Soul Coins, no force on the entire continent has more than our Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

"You should also know that if Gold Soul Coins aren't spent or exchanged for cultivation resources, they're just useless metal. Since you want so many Gold Soul Coins, I can give you some extra cultivation resources as well, worth roughly thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins."

"Are you sure? Is this Soul Bone really worth that much?"

"For the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, raising this Soul Bone's value a little is merely a matter of effort. Don't be fooled by the fact that it's only a Soul Bone barely above the thousand-year level. In some smaller sects, it could already be considered a treasured inherited Soul Bone."

"For a small faction, obtaining even one Soul Bone would be an enormous blessing. Why would they care about its quality?"

"The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's business reaches across the three great empires. Finding a suitable buyer would be easy. Are you tempted? Do you feel the urge to join the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

"No. There isn't even the slightest ripple in my heart. I just want to call you people filthy rich."

"Thank you for the compliment. Alright, I still need to find Feng. Someone will deliver the goods to you after school this afternoon. Please keep an eye on Feng for me normally. Bye-bye."

Watching Ning Tian put away the Soul Bone and leave, Jiang Yue finally relaxed. The Void Demon Leopard Left Leg Bone's value had far exceeded his minimum expectation of one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins.

Jiang Yue did not know whether Ning Tian had offered him a friendship price or the normal price. He had never seen a Soul Bone before, so he did not know much about their value.

Together with the Golden Radiance Left Arm Bone and the Ice Jade Scorpion Left Arm Bone from the original story, the two Soul Bones with clearly stated prices, Jiang Yue had never developed a concrete understanding of the value of Soul Bones in Douluo II.

The Golden Radiance Left Arm Bone had sold for nine and a half million Gold Soul Coins, and that was only because it possessed the pure bloodline of a light dragon. The Ice Jade Scorpion Left Arm Bone was itself a seventy-thousand-year Soul Bone and possessed a formidable Soul Skill like Ice Explosion.

Furthermore, among the six conventional Soul Bone positions, arm bones were more valuable than leg bones. That was why those two Soul Bones had been so expensive.

Therefore, Ning Tian's price had already far exceeded Jiang Yue's expectations for the Void Demon Leopard Left Leg Bone. After all, it was merely an ordinary left leg bone, with neither outstanding bloodline nor age.

If a middleman could earn that price difference, it was because of their connections and ability. That was not something others could envy.

If it had been a Ten Year Soul Bone, Jiang Yue might have considered directly putting it up for auction at the Starlight Auction House, or keeping it for himself as a collectible. Compared to Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones, no one even knew whether there was a single Ten Year Soul Bone on the entire continent.

This solved not only his funding problem, but also his cultivation resources for some time to come.

The identity of a core disciple of the Martial Soul Department did come with some benefits from Shrek Academy, but those resources were hardly enough. Most of the benefits were reflected in food made from Soul Beast meat.

Thinking of the Soul Beast meat dishes from the original story, Jiang Yue finally felt a tiny bit of anticipation for Shrek Academy's cafeteria.

As one matter ended, another began. On the top floor of the teachers' office building, Du Weilun stood obediently before Yan Shaozhe, reporting on that morning's work.

"Dean, Jiang Yue's talent absolutely warrants the academy investing in a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring. Besides, that was originally his reward. The academy never had a rule limiting hunts to Soul Beasts below ten thousand years. This could very well make Jiang Yue feel disheartened!"

"Weilun, you are an old hand at the academy as well. You should understand that the Outer Court is only the Outer Court. Even many Inner Court students leave Shrek Academy after graduating, let alone these Outer Court students."

"A Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring is a genuine high-level Soul Ring. The academy only helps Inner Court students hunt Soul Rings at that level, not to mention one with a Mental Attribute."

"I believe Jiang Yue's information has already reached the hands of some elders in the Sea God Pavilion. I'm giving those seniors an opportunity as well. If any of them takes a liking to Jiang Yue, then as long as he takes a master, the matter of his Soul Ring will naturally be resolved."

Yan Shaozhe remained unhurried. He simply did not believe no one in the Sea God Pavilion would recognize Jiang Yue's talent, nor did he believe Jiang Yue's information had not already appeared on the desks of those higher-ups.

No one understood the value of Jiang Yue's Soul Ring configuration better than Yan Shaozhe. His own teacher, Dragon God Douluo Mu En, had only possessed yellow, yellow, purple Soul Rings for his first three rings, yet Mu En later possessed three Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings.

Although a tool martial soul did not enhance physical constitution as greatly, once Jiang Yue matured, he would at least be able to absorb two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings in the future.

Two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings—their value could not be described with mere words. One only needed to know that Xuan Zi, the Sea God Pavilion's successor, possessed only one Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, while Yan Shaozhe, the dean of the Martial Soul Department, did not even possess one.

As long as Jiang Yue took a master, his clean background would naturally make him a true member of Shrek Academy. Furthermore, he had just reached a bottleneck after taking a master, so those elders would naturally take him to hunt Soul Beasts. It would be both safe and efficient.

If the elders had matters to attend to and could not personally accompany him, they could still arrange for someone else to take him. The academy would naturally handle his future Soul Rings as well.

Not to mention anyone else, Yan Shaozhe did not believe Xuan Zi, who had personally come to watch the Freshman Assessment, had not been tempted by Jiang Yue's talent.

Offering aid in the snow was far better than adding flowers to brocade.

If Yan Shaozhe had not already had a disciple who demanded so much of his attention, and if he had possessed enough ability to ensure Jiang Yue could obtain two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings in the future, he would have personally accepted him as a disciple long ago. There would have been no need for so much scheming.

Another reason was that Mental Attribute Soul Beasts were simply too scarce. Even in the Star Dou Forest, finding one that met Jiang Yue's requirements would be difficult. Yan Shaozhe did not want to spend that effort himself.

Yan Shaozhe's plans were excellent, but he had no idea someone had already taken an interest in Jiang Yue. Jiang Yue's information would never reach anyone else's hands.

If Jiang Yue knew what Yan Shaozhe was thinking, he would definitely feel that something was seriously wrong with Yan Shaozhe's brain. For a reward like a Soul Ring, one that had always been granted this way over the years, Jiang Yue could choose to give it up himself, but Yan Shaozhe could not refuse to give it to him.

Inside the cafeteria, Tang Ya listened as Huo Yuhao recounted what had happened during their Freshman Assessment.

Bei Bei sat nearby, listening quietly, unable to stop himself from worrying about Huo Yuhao's future.

Although Huo Yuhao had successfully passed the Freshman Assessment, almost all the remaining first-year students had cultivation above the Soul Grandmaster level. The few students still at the Soul Master level were basically all level eighteen or higher.

It could be said that Huo Yuhao was still ranked last in cultivation among the first-years. Less than a year remained before the promotion assessment required to advance to the second year.

Although Huo Yuhao had reached level fifteen in just over three months, that had only been possible with the help of the Mysterious Water Pill. Raising his Soul Power by five levels in a year was simply too difficult. With Huo Yuhao's current aptitude, it was basically impossible.

"Yuhao, it doesn't matter that you didn't obtain the status of a core disciple of the Martial Soul Department. Your Teacher Xiaoya wasn't a core disciple either. It's not as if you can't live without that status. Cheer up."

"Mm, I'm fine, Teacher Xiaoya. I just feel that if my cultivation had been higher, perhaps my teammates and I could have gone farther."

What Huo Yuhao cared about was still their ranking among the top sixteen. With Wang Dong's thousand-year second Soul Ring and Xiao Xiao's Twin Martial Souls, they could originally have gone farther, yet they had stopped at the top sixteen because of him.

Although Huo Yuhao was nominally a control-type Soul Master, he did not actually possess much offensive power right now. Control was more like the direction he intended to focus on in the future. In any case, he could not become an auxiliary-type Soul Master, because there were things he absolutely had to do.

"Alright, stop thinking about all that nonsense, Junior Brother. What you should be concerned about now is the second-year promotion assessment. To participate in it, you must reach the Soul Grandmaster level."

"That means you need to reach level twenty and obtain a Soul Ring before entering the second year. You know how difficult that is. If you can't do it, you'll still be expelled from the academy in the end."

Huo Yuhao fell silent. He was no longer the Soul Scholar who knew nothing about the world of Soul Masters. When he awakened his martial soul at the age of six and was found to possess innate level-one Soul Power, it had taken him a full five years to cultivate to level ten.

Although the Mysterious Water Pill had removed much of the impurities from his body and his cultivation speed had become far faster than before, Huo Yuhao still had little confidence that he could reach level twenty before the end of this term.

Even if he truly managed it, every subsequent promotion assessment would be an incomparably difficult obstacle for Huo Yuhao.

"Senior Brother, don't worry about me. Teacher Fan Yu from the Soul Guidance Department said my martial soul and Soul Skills are very suitable for researching Soul Tools. He already invited me to join the Soul Guidance Department before."

"And Teacher Fan Yu also said that if my second Soul Skill is as suitable for Soul Tools as my first, he'll accept me as his disciple."

"Fan Yu?!"

"Junior Brother, you really are lucky. Fine, if all else fails, just focus on becoming a Soul Engineer. The revival of our Tang Sect cannot do without Soul Tools. Maybe in the future, Junior Brother, you'll become the research talent our Tang Sect can least afford to lose."

"Mm! Don't worry, Senior Brother, Teacher Xiaoya. I'll definitely study Soul Tools diligently! I'll strive to become a Ninth-Level Soul Engineer in the future!"

Looking at the spirited Huo Yuhao before her, Tang Ya could not help feeling touched. The only thing she found regrettable was that the Tang Sect had only the three of them now. It would be wonderful if they could gain more disciples. That would bring them one step closer to reviving the Tang Sect.

That afternoon, inside the dormitory building, Jiang Yue sat cross-legged on his bed, his consciousness having long since sunk into his Sea of Spirit.

"Ha—what a comfortable sleep!"

"Heh. You slept for so long. At least you'll have to stay awake for quite a while now, right?"

"Uh, well..."

Before Jiang Yue, the enormous grub Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had finally awakened after several months. If Jiang Yue had not been able to sense its faint mental fluctuations while it slept, and if he had not already grown accustomed to it, he might have thought Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was dead.

The moment it awoke, it saw Jiang Yue's resentful gaze. Sky Dream Ice Silkworm felt a little embarrassed, and its beady eyes even held a trace of awkwardness.

Ever since Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had fused with Jiang Yue when he was less than eight years old, it had barely spent any days awake. Over these years, it had basically lived in dreams, and its total waking time had definitely not exceeded five days.

Other than the time they had picked up the belongings of the Soul Master Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had burst apart in the outer region of the Star Dou Forest, the last time Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had awakened was when Jiang Yue reached level thirty.

Yet at that time, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had only wanted to persuade Jiang Yue to head to the Extreme North. Have a three-ring Soul Elder force his way into the Extreme North? Was that a joke? How was that any different from seeking death?

With Sky Dream Ice Silkworm in hand, the fierce beasts of the Extreme North were practically already reserved for Jiang Yue. There was no need to rush. Going after he possessed life-saving trump cards would give him better odds. In any case, he could not entrust his life entirely to Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's plan and the mercy of Soul Beasts.

"You can't blame me for that. Little Jiang Yue, you're such a worry-free host that there's nothing for me to concern myself with. There's nothing else to do in this empty Sea of Spirit, so I can only sleep."

"Hehe. Believe it or not, next time I'll charge into the Lake of Life alone."

"Well, the Lake of Life and all that should wait until you become a Titled Douluo before going on the agenda. That place is just too dangerous. Speaking of which, when exactly are you planning to go to the Extreme North?"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was also utterly helpless. Jiang Yue had no intention of going to the Extreme North at all. No matter how it reassured him, he showed no sign of changing his mind.

This was the only thing that dissatisfied Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. Its ideal god-making plan had included bringing the Ice Empress along, though it could manage without her. Its own immortality was the priority, after all.

Could love possibly be more important than life?

In any case, for Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, which had been exploited by those Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Forest for over ten thousand years until all the heaven and earth energy in its body had been drained away and it could only wait for death, the Ice Empress was far less important than its own life.

"We'll talk about the Extreme North later. I estimate my schedule for this vacation is already full. Even if I wanted to go to the Extreme North, I probably wouldn't have the time. If there really isn't any time, then I can only wait until the next opportunity."

"Ah? We still have to wait?"

"You spend most of your time sleeping, Tian Meng. For you, isn't it just a matter of opening and closing your eyes?"

"Haha, that does seem to be true."

Whether the Ice Empress left the Extreme North would not affect the Snow Empress's choice to use the Hundred Thousand Year Snow Lotus to rebuild herself into a human. Nor would it affect the Snow Empress being captured during her transformation by an Eighth-Level Soul Engineer using the God-Sealing Platform.

The Snow Empress would never ask the Ice Empress to guard her during the process. According to the original story's setting, if the Snow Empress truly needed another Soul Beast to protect her, even if she could not find the Ice Empress, she could completely seek out the Ice Bear King.

So whether the Ice Empress remained in the Extreme North would not affect the Snow Empress being captured.

If he did not alter too many things, then he only needed to make sure the Ice Empress was persuaded to join them before the Snow Empress self-destructed.

Otherwise, with the Snow Empress's absurd pride, she would never compromise.

Everything would have to wait until Electrolux, that cheat, was awakened.