Return! The Shock of the Heavenly Dragon God Pavilion

Huo Yuhao roared wildly in his heart, his teeth grinding until they creaked. He had bitten his lips bloody, and his mouth was filled with the rusty taste of blood. "I, Huo Yuhao, am the one favored by destiny! I crawled out of that man-eating place called the Duke's Mansion! I obtained the Tang Sect's techniques, and I came to Shrek Academy, the number one academy on the continent! I am the protagonist of this era!"

"Why was he born with such a powerful martial soul?! Why can he casually take away every opportunity?! Why does even a proud daughter of heaven like Wang Dong'er have to throw herself at him and curry favor with him?!"

Jealousy.

Mad jealousy burned like an inextinguishable poisonous fire in Huo Yuhao's heart, even drowning out the agonizing pain in his body!

He hated!

He hated Yu Chen for stealing all the attention that should have belonged to him!

He hated Wang Dong'er's snobbery and coldness!

He hated his own weakness and incompetence even more!

"Elder Xuan... the medicine isn't enough! Add more... add another dose!"

Huo Yuhao suddenly raised his head. His once-clear eyes had completely turned a terrifying dark red, and his voice was hoarse, like an evil ghost grinding its teeth. "I can take it! As long as I can become stronger... as long as I can kill him... pour all the medicine into me!"

Seeing Huo Yuhao nearly driven mad, Xuan Zi paused mid-chew on his chicken leg. A trace of complicated emotion flashed deep in his eyes.

This method of forcing growth was completely draining the boy's life potential and future martial soul limit.

After today, Huo Yuhao's meridians would become several times more fragile than those of an ordinary person. His lifespan would be shortened by at least thirty years, and breaking through to the realm of Titled Douluo in the future would be nothing more than a fool's dream.

But so what?

What Shrek needed now was a sharp blade that could draw blood immediately at the tournament, not a genius who needed decades of gradual cultivation.

As long as they could defeat the Heavenly Dragon Gate at the tournament and preserve Shrek's undefeated legend of ten thousand years, sacrificing the future of an outer court student was hardly worth mentioning.

"Good boy. You've got backbone!"

Xuan Zi sneered and slapped the largest bronze medicinal cauldron beside him.

With a boom, the lid flew open, and a huge surge of thick purple-black medicinal liquid, viscous as paste, rushed through the main conduit and into the soul-guiding tube!

"This is medicinal essence brewed from the remnants of the Ten-Thousand-Year Nine-Grade Purple Lingzhi stored by Sea God's Pavilion. Combined with Boiling Blood Powder, it can forcibly trigger a mutation in your Spiritual Eyes!"

As Xuan Zi circulated his Soul Power to help Huo Yuhao guide the medicinal energy, he kept hammering ideas into his ears. "Yuhao, remember this! Shrek gave you the chance to be reborn, and Sea God's Pavilion's immense grace gave you the strength to contend against powerful enemies! Once the tournament begins, if you encounter that little brat Yu Chen from the Heavenly Dragon Gate, do not hold back in the slightest!"

"Use your spiritual power to pierce his brain! Use your hidden weapons to cripple his meridians! In front of the entire world, crush his bones inch by inch! Let everyone see what happens when they offend Shrek!"

The medicinal energy surged into Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea like a raging mountain flood.

"Aaaahhh—!"

Huo Yuhao threw back his head and let out a shrill howl. His hands clenched the refined steel chains so tightly that the flesh on his wrists was rubbed raw and bloody, yet he seemed unable to feel the pain. An immensely twisted, savage grin spread over his face.

"Crush him... I'll crush him! I'll break all four of his limbs and make him kneel before me like a dog, begging for mercy! Wang Dong'er... just watch. The man you chose is nothing but a pile of mud before me!"

As the medicinal energy was completely absorbed, a strange spiritual rune slowly emerged between Huo Yuhao's brows.

The pure spiritual light in his Spiritual Eyes vanished without a trace, replaced by dark-red dead light mixed with bloodlust and brutality. Under the drugs' forced stimulation, the Soul Power fluctuations around him soared like a rocket from just above Rank Twenty to the threshold of a Rank Forty Soul Ancestor!

Watching Huo Yuhao's aura soar on the experimental rack, Xuan Zi nodded in satisfaction and tipped back another huge mouthful of strong liquor.

Meanwhile, above the vast and boundless God Realm.

At the summit of layered seas of golden clouds stood a majestic and solemn azure temple.

Deep within the temple, a tall, upright figure in a magnificent sea-blue divine robe stood with his hands behind his back.

His face was obscured by a faint mist of water, impossible to see clearly. Only a pair of azure eyes pierced through endless space, looking down upon everything happening in Shrek's secret chamber on Douluo Continent.

When he saw the divine sense mark on Huo Yuhao's body completely activated by the medicinal energy and his eyes turn dark red, a cold curve formed at the corner of the sea-blue phantom's lips.

"Very good."

A voice carrying supreme authority yet cold enough to pierce the bone softly echoed through the temple. "A qualified chess piece should possess such unscrupulous malice. Heavenly Dragon Gate... an anomaly? On a god's chessboard, any impurity beyond control has only one fate: eradication."

The robed figure raised his hand and lightly tapped the void with his index finger. An almost imperceptible speck of divine power pierced through the barrier of the God Realm and silently fell toward Douluo Continent.

The howling wind whipped past their ears.

The massive body of the Hundred-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Scorpion moved through the clouds, and three people sat securely atop its broad, flat carapace.

Wang Dong'er pulled her oversized cloak tighter around herself, burying half her face in the collar as she muttered complaints about the high-altitude wind hurting her face. When she turned to glance at the side, anger immediately rose in her chest.

Ma Xiaotao acted as though nothing was wrong. She was practically pressed against Yu Chen's side, using her back to shield him from the freezing headwind. Her eyes seemed glued to him, while both hands kept kneading his shoulders.

"Ma Xiaotao, can't you sit a little farther away? It's already crowded up here. If you keep squeezing over, I'm going to fall off." Unable to stand it any longer, Wang Dong'er pointed at Ma Xiaotao's nose and shouted.

Ma Xiaotao did not even turn her head, and her shoulder-massaging hands did not stop. "What does serving my master have to do with you? If it's too crowded for you, jump off yourself. There are plenty of snow mountains below. You won't die from the fall."

"Why are you acting like a maid? You're the top person in Shrek Inner Court, aren't you? Can't you have a little backbone?" Wang Dong'er snapped, hands on her hips.

Ma Xiaotao directly laughed in disdain at that. She turned around and looked Wang Dong'er up and down. "What the hell is Shrek? They couldn't even cure my illness. All they did was make me endure it again and again. My master gave me a new life. I'm happy to be a maid for him. What would a spoiled young lady like you know about the grace of saving someone's life?"

"You're being unreasonable!" Unable to outargue her, Wang Dong'er could only turn and tug at Yu Chen's sleeve. "Yu Chen, do something about her. She's completely become a crazy woman."

Yu Chen leaned against the Ice Jade Scorpion's shell, casually playing with two crystalline ice shards in his hand without even raising his eyelids. "She's right. She belongs to me now. If she wants to be a maid, that's her duty. If you can't stomach it, you can come massage my legs too."

"No way!" Wang Dong'er shrank back with a red face, turned her head away, and sulked in silence.

The Ice Jade Scorpion's eight long legs paddled rapidly through the air. The scenery beneath them changed from an endless white snowfield into stretches of lush green mountains.

The Heavenly Dragon Gate's grounds lay in the valley between the two main peaks.

At that moment, several hundred outer disciples were bare-chested in the sunlight, practicing punches with loud shouts in the plaza before the Heavenly Dragon Gate's main hall. Great Elder Yu Changfeng paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, occasionally kicking the rear of any disciple whose movements were not up to standard.

"Did none of you eat? Your punches are soft as a woman's! Our Heavenly Dragon Gate cultivates Dragon Clan techniques. What we need is dominance!" Yu Changfeng roared at the top of his lungs.

Before he could finish, a shrill sound of something tearing through the air came from overhead.

All the disciples stopped and looked up.

A huge mass of green light crashed down from the clouds, carrying a chill capable of freezing a person alive. With a thunderous boom, it slammed into the blue-stone-paved clearing at the center of the plaza.

Fragments of stone flew everywhere, and several nearby disciples were knocked over by the blast of wind.

When the dust settled, a massive jade-like scorpion over five meters long lay sprawled in the plaza. Its two enormous pincers casually tapped the ground, smashing pit after pit into the hard blue stone.

"Enemy attack! Everyone, form ranks!" Yu Changfeng's eyes nearly popped out as he shouted. Seven soul rings instantly lit up around him.

Several hundred disciples scrambled backward, drawing their weapons and surrounding the giant scorpion. Every one of them was pale with fright.

"Enough. What are you yelling for?"

Yu Chen jumped down from the scorpion's back, casually dusting himself off. He looked up at Yu Changfeng, who was facing a great enemy. "Great Elder, it's only been a few days, but your voice is still as loud as ever."

After seeing who it was, Yu Changfeng's breath caught in his throat finally escaped. He hurriedly withdrew his martial soul, rushed forward in a few quick strides, and cupped his fists to Yu Chen. "Young Master! You're finally back! Th-this big bug, where did it come from? Its aura is terrifying!"

The other elders stationed in the sect also ran out of the main hall, dropping to their knees in a great cluster.

"What big bug? This is an Ice Jade Scorpion from the Far North. I caught it to use as transportation." Yu Chen spoke casually as he pulled a blue crystal the size of a human head from his sleeve. It radiated a piercing chill, and he tossed it directly onto the stone slabs at Yu Changfeng's feet.

Crack!

The instant the crystal hit the ground, the earth within three meters was covered in a thick layer of white frost.

Yu Changfeng crouched and reached out with two fingers, wanting to touch it. Before he could make contact, a layer of ice formed over his fingertips. He sucked in a breath of cold air and hurriedly pulled his hand back.

"Young Master, what treasure is this? This chill is far too tyrannical." Yu Changfeng rubbed his hands as he asked.

"A local specialty from the Far North: Hundred-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow." Yu Chen brushed the ice chips from his hands. "Take it and distribute it among the disciples cultivating ice- and water-element techniques. Cut each of them a piece no bigger than a fingernail and let them soak it in water to drink. It'll be enough for them to break through two minor realms."

Hundred-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow?

And he was distributing it to the people below?

The elders' eyes went wide. Second Elder Yu Minghai did not even care about kneeling anymore. He scrambled over to the Profound Ice Marrow, both hands trembling violently. "Young Master, outside, this is a divine treasure that would make Titled Douluo fight until their heads bled! You just tossed it on the ground? And you're letting those outer disciples drink it like water?"

"Our Heavenly Dragon Gate is wealthy and powerful now. It's just a local specialty. Look at you all, acting like you've never seen the world." Yu Chen kicked Yu Minghai. "Hurry up and put it away. Leaving it there will freeze people's feet."

Yu Changfeng carefully took out a specially made jade box and stored the Profound Ice Marrow inside. Only then did he let out a long breath.

The moment he stood, he saw two young women jump down from the Ice Jade Scorpion's back.

One wore a black robe and had a fiery figure, yet did not even fasten her buttons properly in this freezing weather. The other wore a large cloak, her pink-blue hair drifting in the wind, and she was stunningly beautiful.

Most importantly, the auras of these two women were completely abnormal.

The black-robed woman radiated heat capable of burning through the air itself, while the pink-blue-haired girl gave off a light aura that made everyone feel incomparably comfortable.

"Young Master, these two are..." Yu Changfeng stammered, pointing at Ma Xiaotao and Wang Dong'er.

Yu Chen turned and pointed at Ma Xiaotao. "This is Ma Xiaotao. She used to waste her days at Shrek Academy, but now she works for me. From now on, she is a sword in my hand. Wherever I point, she cuts."

Ma Xiaotao stepped forward, and the aura of Ultimate Fire around her suddenly burst outward. The clothes of several nearby disciples immediately caught fire, frightening them into rolling across the ground to extinguish the flames.

"Greetings, elders of the Heavenly Dragon Gate. I look forward to your guidance in the future." Ma Xiaotao grinned, and there was a bloodthirsty madness in her smile. "Anyone who dares disrespect my master will be burned to ash."

The elders staggered backward under the heat wave. Yu Changfeng swallowed hard, secretly shocked. This woman's flames were absurdly hot. They were definitely an ultimate attribute! The young master had gone out for a stroll and returned with a fighter possessing Ultimate Fire?

Yu Chen then pointed at Wang Dong'er beside him. "This is Wang Dong'er, also picked up from Shrek. From now on, she'll be my personal maid, responsible for serving tea, pouring water, making the bed, and folding the blankets."

Wang Dong'er glared at Yu Chen, but she obediently stepped forward and gave the elders a small bow. "Greetings, elders."

The moment her light aura spread out, the elders who had just been thoroughly frightened by Ma Xiaotao immediately felt comfortable all over. Even the fatigue lodged deep in their bones faded considerably.

Yu Changfeng looked at Ma Xiaotao, then Wang Dong'er, and finally at his young master. His beard trembled wildly with excitement.

Shrek Academy was the number one academy on the continent. Its Inner Court disciples usually walked around with their noses in the air. Yet now, one had come to become a fighter, and another had come to become a maid. If word got out, the threshold of the Heavenly Dragon Gate would be trampled flat by spectators.

"Young Master is mighty! Young Master is invincible beneath heaven!"

No one knew which disciple shouted first, but the hundreds of disciples in the plaza all raised their voices and followed suit.

The sound was so loud that snow fell in flurries from the trees nearby.

Yu Chen waved his hand, signaling for them to quiet down.

Only then did Yu Changfeng remember the important matter. He hurriedly rummaged through his robes for a long time, then pulled out a glittering golden letter and presented it to Yu Chen with both hands.

"Young Master, your return is perfectly timed. This was personally delivered by the Star Luo Empire yesterday. It is an invitation to the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament!" Yu Changfeng's expression was somewhat strange. "This old man has read it. Something about this feels deeply wrong."

Yu Chen accepted the gilded invitation, weighed it in his hand, and the corner of his mouth curved as though he were watching a show.

He turned to glance at Ma Xiaotao and slapped the invitation against his palm with sharp smacks.

"Come on. We'll discuss it inside." Yu Chen tucked the invitation into his sleeve and strode toward the main hall atop the steps with his hands behind his back.

Ma Xiaotao and Wang Dong'er hurried after him, while Yu Changfeng and the other elders jogged along behind. They left behind a crowd of disciples in the plaza, all pointing and talking around the Ice Jade Scorpion.