The Rivalry of Two Male Leads, Brothers at Last

The Sea God Fate Festival had come to an end. Crowds dispersed from every corner of the lakeshore, and throughout the venue, students could be heard praising Huo Yuhao's stunning performance.

With the cultivation of a rank-fifty Soul King, he had steadily suppressed countless advanced students. His spiritual power was unfathomable, and his Ultimate Ice was invincible. For a time, praises of "Shrek's greatest genius of this generation" rang endlessly through the air.

"As expected of Senior Huo Yuhao! Among the younger generation, absolutely no one can compare to him!"

"Forget being invincible at the same rank—he probably wouldn't fear even higher-ranked soul masters!"

The noisy praises drifted on the wind and reached Tang Wulin, who stood quietly to one side.

He had originally watched with calm detachment, sincerely happy for Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er's happy ending. Yet the overwhelming praise around him inevitably stirred the pride buried deep in a young man's bones.

Tang Wulin was rank fifty-nine this year, only a single step away from becoming a Soul Emperor. He possessed the Golden Dragon King's Bloodline, four red and one green-gold heaven-defying soul rings, and a body, strength, and resistance that stood at the pinnacle of his rank. He had never lost in battles across ranks. Though he considered himself steady and composed, he also possessed the innate pride of a supreme genius.

Just then, someone laughed and teased,

"Even Soul Kings several ranks higher probably wouldn't be a match for Senior Huo Yuhao. Rank differences are completely useless!"

Hearing that, Huo Yuhao shook his head slightly. His expression remained calm as he casually replied in a low voice,

"In cultivation, one's foundation is what matters. Rank has never been an empty thing. The foundation of higher ranks and the depth of soul power are all accumulations built day by day. So-called fighting across ranks is ultimately just making do against the odds; it cannot be considered the true path."

His tone was mild. He was merely explaining the principles of cultivation, without the slightest hint of showing off or looking down on anyone.

Yet those words sounded entirely different to Tang Wulin.

He happened to be a full nine ranks above Huo Yuhao, a genuine advanced Soul King. Huo Yuhao's words seemed like a fair discussion of cultivation, but they also seemed to imply—

Even if one's rank was higher, if one's pure combat power could not match a lower-ranked Ultimate martial soul, then the advantage of a higher rank was hollow.

The young man's pride was instantly, lightly provoked.

Tang Wulin raised his brows slightly and took two steps forward. His gaze was open and frank, carrying a sharp edge of unwillingness to concede.

"Brother Yuhao, those words are a little too absolute. On the road of cultivation, strength speaks for itself, and rank is the most direct foundation. You say the advantage of higher ranks is useless—does that mean your rank-fifty cultivation truly fears nothing from my rank fifty-nine?"

Huo Yuhao raised his eyes to look at him. A faint icy gleam condensed in his gaze, and his calm eyes gained a few traces of fighting spirit.

His temperament was steady, but he was by no means someone who feared battle or avoided challenges. When facing opponents of the same rank or even those beyond it, he had never retreated.

"Junior Wulin's talent is extraordinary. I have heard of it for a long time," Huo Yuhao said unhurriedly. "What I spoke of was merely the heart of cultivation. If you remain unconvinced... then we may as well spar and verify it."

Those words—spar and verify it—completely ignited the tense atmosphere between them.

There was no malice, no grudge, no fated opposition.

It was merely the collision of two peerless geniuses' youthful pride.

One possessed Ultimate Ice and heaven-defying spiritual power, standing proudly above those of the same rank despite his lower cultivation;

The other carried the invincible bloodline of the Golden Dragon King, dominating all with his higher-ranked strength.

Both were favored by heaven, and both possessed unyielding pride.

The noise by the lake gradually faded. The two figures faced each other from afar as their invisible soul power auras quietly collided.

A spar between geniuses separated by nine ranks was thus decided.

The level training ground by Sea God Lake was cleared. The mist left behind by the Sea God's Fate still floated over the lake's surface as two utterly different waves of soul power crashed against one another, tearing apart the warm evening breeze.

The two stood at opposite ends of the field, and the pressure of their confrontation forced the surrounding grass and trees to bow flat.

On the left stood a youth in white, his black hair flying in the wind. His eyes were covered by a faint icy-blue glow. Rank-fifty, four-ring Soul King Huo Yuhao had the Spirit Eyes as his primary martial soul, while the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm and Ice Jade Empress Scorpion—his two soul spirits—floated at his side. His four soul rings were arranged as white, purple, black, and black. The platinum-white first ring unique to the million-year Tianmeng Ice Silkworm was especially eye-catching. The chill of Ultimate Ice spread along the ground, freezing a thick layer of ice over it.

The youth opposite him stood tall, his dark blue hair tied back. Faint golden dragon scales appeared and vanished around his body. Rank-fifty-nine, five-ring Soul King Tang Wulin spread his Blue Silver Emperor martial soul, five soul rings circling around him: red, red, red, red, green-gold. The first four were all hundred-thousand-year red soul rings, while the unique fifth green-gold bloodline soul ring was especially strange. Nine pale-golden Bloodline Soul Rings were hidden beneath his skin, and the vast, heavy dragon might of the Golden Dragon King surged across the field, making the lake water churn without end. Two soul spirits lay in wait at his side: Golden Whisper, a slender grass snake, and a gigantic Tyrannosaurus soul spirit. One was supple, the other fierce, both ready to strike.

"I have long heard that Elder Xuan brought back a genius youth bearing the Golden Dragon King's Bloodline. Today, I shall seek guidance with my Ultimate Ice." Ice crystals condensed at Huo Yuhao's fingertips as his spiritual power quietly spread through Spiritual Detection Sharing, taking in every movement across the entire field.

Tang Wulin slammed his fists together, and Golden Dragon Blood Aura rippled through him. His fighting spirit burned in his eyes. "Brother Yuhao's million-year soul ring is unmatched in this era, and his spiritual power is rare under heaven. I also wish to see the collision between Ultimate Ice and dragon power!"

Before his words had even faded, Tang Wulin struck first!

His first and second red soul rings lit up simultaneously. Countless Blue Silver Grass blades erupted madly from the ground, vines threaded with golden patterns sweeping toward Huo Yuhao with sharp whistles that tore through the air.

"First Soul Skill, Blue Silver Entanglement! Second Soul Skill, Blue Silver Thrust Array!"

Dense Blue Silver vines intertwined into a cage. Their tips were covered in hard thorns, and every vine was infused with the Golden Dragon King's power, as tough as refined steel. In an instant, they sealed off every direction in which Huo Yuhao could dodge.

Huo Yuhao remained unhurried. His third and fourth black soul rings shone at the same time, and deep-blue frost swept in all directions.

"Third Soul Skill, Ice Shield! Fourth Soul Skill, Ice Empress's Pincers!"

A heavy crystal ice shield blocked the front of his body, while a pair of gigantic scorpion pincers covered in icy spikes swelled from his shoulders. The chill of Ultimate Ice crashed into the Blue Silver vines, and countless vines instantly froze over and stiffened. The icy pincers swept out, crackling continuously as great stretches of Blue Silver vines were cut apart by ice blades. Shattered ice mixed with severed vines and sprayed through the air.

Tang Wulin stomped on the ground. His fourth hundred-thousand-year red soul ring erupted with crimson light as the phantom of a Tyrannosaurus soul spirit behind him threw back its head and roared, its savage dragon aura soaring.

"Fourth Soul Skill, Blue Silver Tyrant Transformation!"

Golden scales emerged across his entire body, and his strength and defense surged by thirty percent. The severed Blue Silver vines suddenly fused together, forming dozens of gigantic Blue Silver whips as thick as water barrels. Wrapped in golden flames, they lashed at Huo Yuhao one after another.

The faint glow in Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes flickered. His first platinum-white soul ring lit up, and a Spiritual Shock stabbed directly into Tang Wulin's mind.

"Spiritual Sharing, Soul Tremor!"

An invisible tide of spiritual power exploded without warning. Tang Wulin's body abruptly stiffened, his mind briefly dizzy. Seizing that instant, Huo Yuhao swung his Ice Empress Scorpion pincers with all his strength, slamming terrifying ice power into the golden dragon scales on Tang Wulin's chest!

With a deafening boom, Tang Wulin staggered back five steps. Fine cracks spread through the ice beneath his feet, and a layer of frost formed over the golden scales on his chest. His blood aura churned so violently that he nearly failed to suppress it.

"Such powerful spiritual power!" Tang Wulin shouted. His unique fifth green-gold soul ring shot into the sky, and dense vitality of grass and trees spread throughout the field.

"Fifth Soul Skill—Nature's Child!"

Blue Silver Grass burst wildly from the ground across the entire training ground. Every severed vine regenerated, while the power of vegetation continuously flowed into Tang Wulin's body, instantly soothing his turbulent blood aura and suppressing the surrounding Ultimate Ice at the same time.

The two soul spirits finally appeared together and clashed head-on!

At Huo Yuhao's side, the plump, snow-white Tianmeng Ice Silkworm floated in the air, scattering ice mist across the sky. Beside it, the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion extended its enormous tail as deep-blue poisonous frost gathered at its tip.

Tang Wulin's soul power stirred slightly, and two clear soul spirit phantoms emerged at his side. Golden Whisper coiled and darted about, while the Tyrannosaurus soul spirit growled low enough to shake the wind. They were vivid and lifelike, possessing complete independent consciousness.

The moment Huo Yuhao saw this, his entire body stiffened. Enormous waves surged in his eyes, and even the soul power of his Ultimate Ice unconsciously fell into slight disorder. He instinctively took half a step back, his face full of disbelief.

This was the era of the Peerless Tang Clan. The method of soul spirits was still in the stage of his exploration and refinement, and across the entire continent, he alone possessed soul spirits.

The origins of his soul spirits were unique; no one else in the world could replicate them. Back in the Star Dou Great Forest, the million-year Tianmeng Ice Silkworm had willingly formed a symbiotic bond with him, becoming the first intelligent soul ring to possess consciousness. Later, he traveled to the Far North and subdued the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, and the two soul beasts accompanied him. Until the Snow Empress's origin erupted within the Haotian Sect, the necromancer god Electrolux burned away his remaining divine consciousness and used the Necromantic Secret Art to strip away the Snow Empress's consciousness. Abandoning the old path of hunting and sacrificing soul beasts, he created true symbiotic soul spirits. This secret art existed only in Huo Yuhao's mind and had not yet been revealed to the public. No second person could turn soul beasts into companion spirits.

Huo Yuhao's gaze locked tightly onto the two soul spirits at Tang Wulin's side. Even his voice carried a faint, barely perceptible tremor. "You... how do you possess soul spirits? This method of symbiosis was created by me alone. At present, there cannot possibly be a second person on the continent who has mastered it."

Tang Wulin merely glanced at him indifferently. He had no interest in explaining the past. With a young man's impatience, he could not be bothered to argue over the secrets of time and space spanning ten thousand years. He casually raised a hand and recalled the phantoms of Golden Whisper and the Tyrannosaurus soul spirit, his tone calm and even. "I have my own opportunity. There is no need to ask. Simply put, I come from ten thousand years in the future. In my era, soul spirits have long been widespread. Everyone on the continent knows of them, and the Spirit Pagoda even specializes in forming soul spirit contracts. They are nothing rare."

The words ten thousand years in the future landed lightly, yet they shook Huo Yuhao's mind to its core. He looked at Tang Wulin's composed expression, then at the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm and Ice Jade Empress Scorpion resting peacefully in his spiritual sea, his heart filled with confusion and shock.

He had endured countless life-and-death dangers. Only through Electrolux's remnant soul and the sacrifices of three soul beasts from the Far North had he opened the path of soul spirits, regarding it as his own supreme creation. Yet this youth, whose cultivation was nine ranks above his, had actually come from an age ten thousand years later, when soul spirits were everywhere.

Huo Yuhao suppressed the fear surging within him. His brows furrowed, though he could not hide his astonishment. "Ten thousand years later... soul spirits will become commonplace?"

"Of course." Tang Wulin lightly struck his fists together, Golden Dragon soul power circulating around his body. "You have only just discovered the rudiments of soul spirits. In the future, you will establish the Spirit Pagoda and completely change the way soul masters and soul beasts coexist. But to me, soul spirits are merely ordinary companions on the path of cultivation. They are not worth such surprise."

Huo Yuhao fell silent for a moment. He lowered his head to look at his four soul rings glowing icy blue, feeling a tangled mix of emotions. The path he had fought with everything he had to create had already been personally witnessed by the youth before him. The impact of that displaced time and space only made the unwillingness to lose in his heart burn even stronger.

"No matter where you come from, the strength or weakness of soul spirits must ultimately be proven through battle." Huo Yuhao raised his eyes, fighting spirit rising once more in his icy gaze. "In today's spar, I would like to see whether the soul spirits widespread ten thousand years in the future can stand against the Ultimate Ice soul spirits I created with my own hands."

The Tianmeng Ice Silkworm trembled its body, and a wide expanse of ice mist swept toward Tang Wulin, freezing the regenerated Blue Silver Grass.

Golden Whisper curled its snake body, and thousands of thin vines wove into a massive net, forcibly blocking off the ice mist as the vitality of vegetation continuously melted away the chill. The Tyrannosaurus soul spirit lifted its head and roared, tearing through the frost with its dragon claws before charging straight at the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion.

The Ice Jade Empress Scorpion lashed its tail madly, firing poisonous ice spikes toward the Tyrannosaurus. Golden patterns lit up across the Tyrannosaurus's skin as it endured the spikes head-on, its huge claws savagely clawing toward the scorpion's body. The two supreme soul spirits became entangled in battle, ice fragments and golden dragon power exploding in every direction as deafening booms filled the air.

Taking the opportunity, Huo Yuhao activated his second soul ring. The Ice Empress's chill erupted with full force, and the temperature across the entire field plummeted by dozens of degrees. Vast ice clouds condensed in midair.

Ice Empress Freezes Ten Thousand Miles!

Massive ice walls rose from the ground, layer upon layer sealing off Tang Wulin's movements. Sharp ice blades covered the walls, intending to trap him completely.

All nine of Tang Wulin's Bloodline Soul Rings lit up at once. Crimson-gold blood aura dragon power soared into the sky, and the phantom of the Golden Dragon King's true form enveloped his entire body. He brought both fists together, gathering vast power.

Golden Dragon Shakes the Heavens!

A golden dragon fist formed from pure blood aura blasted out. Its violent strength collided head-on with the hundred-meter ice wall, causing it to crack inch by inch before collapsing with a thunderous crash. Ice fragments scattered through the sky, and the shockwave pushed Huo Yuhao backward for more than ten meters, leaving his palms slightly numb.

Huo Yuhao pushed his Spirit Eyes to their limit. Spiritual Detection locked onto every opening Tang Wulin revealed, while he simultaneously controlled the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion to circle behind and launch a sneak attack. The Tianmeng Ice Silkworm released a spiritual barrier to block the spiritual pressure naturally carried by Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon King's Bloodline.

Tang Wulin had Golden Whisper weave around to restrain the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, while the Tyrannosaurus soul spirit tightly held the ice scorpion in place. He himself used the power of vegetation to teleport, appearing before Huo Yuhao in an instant. His Golden Dragon Claw descended with a golden flash that split the air.

Huo Yuhao twisted aside to dodge, raising his icy pincers to block the Golden Dragon Claw. Gold and ice collided violently, their two ultimate forces eroding and annihilating each other. Tang Wulin possessed immense strength and a soul power rank nine levels higher, giving him superior endurance. Huo Yuhao's Ultimate Ice countered vegetation, while his spiritual power suppressed his opponent at every turn, allowing him to keep the battle evenly matched.

After they exchanged a hundred moves, the field was utterly devastated. Ice layers and remnants of Blue Silver vines covered the ground, and both soul spirits had suffered depletion. The Ice Jade Empress Scorpion's golden-scaled body was covered in scratches, and more than half its icy aura had weakened. The Tyrannosaurus soul spirit was covered in thick ice, its movements much slower, while Golden Whisper was coated in ice shards and its vines regenerated far more slowly.

Tang Wulin swung his fist, scattering the icy force before him as he panted heavily. Red and gold soul power alternated around his body. Huo Yuhao's white clothes were stained with dust, the glow of the Spirit Eyes on his brow had dimmed somewhat, and the continual drain on his four-ring soul power steadily reduced the might of his Ultimate Ice.

The light of Tang Wulin's fifth green-gold soul ring had faded, as Nature's Child consumed enormous amounts of energy and the Golden Dragon King's Seal stirred restlessly within him. More than half of the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's spiritual power had been consumed, and the Ice Empress's power was difficult to sustain. Both realized at the same time that if they continued their fierce battle, they would only end up mutually defeated, with neither able to truly claim victory.

"Let's stop here!" they said in unison, withdrawing their attacks at the same time.

Tang Wulin dispersed the Golden Dragon phantom. Golden Whisper and the Tyrannosaurus soul spirit shrank and flew back into his body. Huo Yuhao withdrew his Ice Empress Scorpion pincers, while the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm and Ice Jade Empress Scorpion turned into faint light and sank into his spiritual sea.

The two vast currents of colliding soul power slowly dispersed, and the lingering aftershocks over the training ground gradually calmed.

Tang Wulin wiped the sweat from his brow and strode toward Huo Yuhao. There was no fighting spirit left in his eyes, only mutual admiration. "With four rings at rank fifty, you fought my five rings at rank fifty-nine to a draw. Brother Yuhao, I am completely convinced by your strength."

The chill in Huo Yuhao's eyes faded completely, revealing a gentle smile. He took the initiative to extend his hand. "Wulin possesses four red and one green-gold heaven-defying soul rings, and the Golden Dragon King's blood aura is unmatched. Among those of the same rank, you will find few enemies. It was my honor to fight you so freely. With a difference of nine ranks, you could not overwhelm me, and I could not break through your dragon power defense. This battle is a draw."

Tang Wulin reached out and clasped his hand tightly. Golden Dragon King blood aura and Ultimate Ice power blended gently, without the slightest trace of conflict.

"No friendship without a fight. After today's battle, I feel as though I have known you for a long time. How about we call each other brothers from now on?"

"That suits me perfectly." Huo Yuhao nodded, looking at the field beside them, still covered in traces of battle. "If either of us faces trouble in the future, we brothers will support one another."

The evening breeze swept across the training ground once more. Moonlight fell over the two youths standing shoulder to shoulder. The smoke of their fierce clash had dispersed, replaced by a deep bond of brotherhood spanning two generations of Shrek.