Frontline Before the Storm

He raised a finger and pointed to his eyes.

"I can see everything now! I can see the flow of soul power, see through the trajectories of your soul skills! What does that Thunder Dragon amount to? He only has a good martial soul! In terms of talent and willpower, he isn't even worthy of carrying my shoes!"

"Next time! The next time I see him, I'll crush him beneath my feet in front of everyone! I'll let him know who the real genius is!"

The more he spoke, the more agitated he became. His fists clenched tightly, and soul power spilled uncontrollably from his body, making the air in the room tremble faintly.

Teacher Wang Yan's expression turned grave.

He adjusted his glasses and said in a deep voice, "Student Huo Yuhao, from the perspective of soul master theory, this kind of explosive growth is often accompanied by enormous risks. It may be a malignant mutation of the martial soul caused by some kind of stimulus, or perhaps..."

"Enough!"

Huo Yuhao rudely cut Wang Yan off.

"Teacher, theories are dead, but people are alive! Can your theories explain my current condition? Can they explain why I can see the essence of soul power?"

He stepped forward and glared at Wang Yan.

"Admit it, Teacher. I, Huo Yuhao, am the exception that can shatter all your theories! I am Shrek's future! No, the future of the entire continent!"

Wang Yan was forced half a step back by his obsessive, crazed aura. He could not say a word.

Was this... still that somewhat insecure but determined-eyed boy from when he had first enrolled?

It was practically as though... as though he had become a different person.

Bei Bei watched Huo Yuhao, who seemed to have gone mad, and the unease in his heart grew heavier. Yet as he looked at Huo Yuhao's flushed face, he ultimately swallowed the words of persuasion.

Perhaps... he had truly suppressed himself for too long.

Perhaps Shrek's resources, coupled with his own unyielding will, had really created a miracle?

"All... right, Junior Brother." Bei Bei sighed and forced out a smile. "It's a good thing that you've recovered and even improved. But don't rush it. In soul power cultivation, a solid foundation matters most."

"I understand, Senior Brother."

Huo Yuhao reined in his aura, and a smile returned to his face. Yet there was now something incomprehensible in that smile.

"Don't worry. I know better than anyone what I should do. I feel... I'll break through very soon!"

After seeing off the worried Bei Bei and Wang Yan, the door to the cultivation room closed once more.

The smile on Huo Yuhao's face vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, savage expression.

A genius?

Of course he was a genius!

This world was blind. Those people had looked down on him!

And that Thunder Dragon... and Wang Dong, who stayed by his side!

One day, he would repay the humiliation he had suffered today a hundredfold, a thousandfold! He would make Wang Dong watch with her own eyes as the man she had chosen knelt before him like a dead dog!

Yes!

That was it!

Intense hatred churned in his chest, and as that hatred grew, the soul power within him circulated even more briskly, as if cheering for his emotions.

He sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes, preparing to push through the barrier to level twenty-nine in one go.

The instant he immersed himself in meditation—

A majestic, imposing voice, as though it had descended from the nine heavens, rang directly within his sea of consciousness.

"Child, do you wish to gain greater power?"

Huo Yuhao's mind shook violently!

Who was that?!

How could someone else's voice be inside his sea of consciousness?!

The voice ignored his shock and slowly continued in a tone carrying supreme majesty.

"Go forth and hate..."

"Hatred can make you stronger..."

The wind carried shards of ice as it slipped through the gaps in their collars.

This town on the outskirts of the Far North should, by all rights, have been a good place to rest. Yet there was not even a soul to be found on the long street... then again, perhaps the soul beasts had grown desperate with hunger and come down the mountain for a meal.

The snow on the ground rose past their knees, and the crunching beneath their feet echoed through the empty streets.

Yu Chen walked at the front.

He wore only a thin white robe, and even its cuffs were left loose.

No matter how fierce the wind became, it could not penetrate that layer of cloth.

Not even a snowflake could land on his shoulders. They all turned to mist half a foot away from him.

Wang Dong'er followed behind him, her teeth chattering.

"Ah-choo!"

She rubbed her reddened nose and tightly gripped the corners of her clothes. Even with her soul power driven to its limit, the biting wind still drilled through her pores and into the gaps between her bones.

She lowered her head and looked at herself.

She was wrapped in two layers of thick winter clothes and wore deerskin boots, yet she was still shivering uncontrollably.

Then she looked at the man ahead, strolling along as leisurely as though he were taking a walk through his own backyard.

Comparisons really did make people furious.

"There isn't even a living thing in this damned place, so what are we doing here..."

Wang Dong'er had only gotten halfway through her sentence.

A blast of cold wind rushed into her throat, making her cough repeatedly.

Yu Chen stopped.

He turned back to look at Wang Dong'er, who had curled herself into a ball.

Wang Dong'er stubbornly raised her face, forcing herself not to tremble.

"What are you looking at? I just... I just didn't wear enough clothes."

Yu Chen said nothing.

He reached behind himself and pulled off the broad fur cloak draped over his shoulders.

He had casually taken it from a shop when they passed through a border city yesterday.

The cloak still carried his distinctive warmth as he tossed it over Wang Dong'er's head.

Her vision went dark. Wang Dong'er hurriedly pulled the cloak down.

The oversized fur wrapped around her entire body, and warmth spread down from her neck.

"Put it on."

Yu Chen spoke.

Wang Dong'er pulled the cloak tighter and looked up at him.

"Aren't you cold?"

Yu Chen did not answer. He turned and continued forward.

"How does your soul power shield work like that... Forget it. Stay close to me."

Yu Chen pointed ahead.

"Once we cross that line, it won't be the human world anymore."

Wang Dong'er followed the direction of his finger.

At the end of the town, there was no road left.

Only a vast wall of snow and wind stood between heaven and earth.

The blizzard stretched from sky to ground, blocking their view completely. Just looking at that wall made cold seep into their bones.

The two continued forward through the snow.

They pushed open the broken door of an inn by the roadside.

The door slammed into the wall with a bang.

The interior was pitch-black, with tables, chairs, and benches scattered everywhere.

Snow poured in through a huge hole in the roof.

Yu Chen found a long bench that was still mostly intact, brushed away the loose snow, and sat down with an imposing air.

Wang Dong'er hurried over, found a sheltered corner, crouched down, and rubbed her frozen fingers.

"Back at Shrek, those teachers went on and on about theory every day. They said the outskirts of the Far North had, at most, thousand-year soul beasts. But now look at this—right after arriving at the edge, we ran into this awful weather, and even the town is empty."

She curled her lip.

"I think all those textbooks of theirs were written up in their offices."

Yu Chen leaned against a broken pillar and pulled out a waterskin from his storage soul tool.

"Shrek?"

He gave a cold laugh.

"A place that treats rules as more important than the heavens will naturally teach nothing but frogs at the bottom of a well. They think the Douluo Continent is only this large, and that soul beasts will obediently line up according to their illustrated manuals."

Yu Chen tossed the waterskin to Wang Dong'er.

"Have some."

Wang Dong'er caught it, pulled out the stopper, and took a gulp. The fiery liquor burned down her throat, finally suppressing some of the chill.