Beibei and Tang Ya

After absorbing Skydream Iceworm's soul ring, Huo Yuhao rested for another two days at the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.

The physical enhancement brought by absorbing the soul ring allowed Huo Yuhao to endure further training.

Based on Huo Yuhao's physical condition, the system formulated a more intensive daily plan.

Every morning, the [Physical Training Plan] and [Spiritual Power Meditation Guide] that appeared on time were like two invisible whips, driving him to temper himself amid mud and thorns.

Although Soul Power at level twenty-five was not weak, there was not much difference between level twenty-five and level ten within the Star Dou Great Forest. Danger still lurked everywhere.

The Spiritual Detection bestowed by his Million-Year Soul Ring allowed him to clearly sense even the path of fallen leaves several hundred meters away. These Spirit Eyes had become his most reliable support in that perilous forest.

With Skydream Iceworm's help, he hunted an eleven-hundred-year-old Mirror Beast, finally obtaining his second soul ring. Only now could Huo Yuhao truly be considered a genuine Two-Ring Soul Master.

[Second Soul Skill: Spiritual Replication (Superior).]

Though he had always known his Soul Power was around level twenty-five, without a second soul ring, his outward display had only marked him as a level-twenty Quasi-Great Soul Master.

That morning, Huo Yuhao was following the system's plan, training his body as he ran toward Shrek Academy. Suddenly, hurried footsteps entered the range of his Spiritual Detection, accompanied by two somewhat youthful shouts.

"Teacher Xiaoya, this way!"

"Beibei, hurry up! Don't let that Mandala Snake get away!"

Huo Yuhao's heart sank. Why would a Mandala Snake appear at the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest? Had those two driven it here?

He instinctively ducked behind a large tree. His Spirit Eyes gleamed faintly as his spiritual power spread outward like a spiderweb.

Two figures came into view. Running in front was a girl who looked fifteen or sixteen, her long black hair tied into a ponytail. Her fitted blue outfit outlined her youthful vitality.

She had a perfect oval face, and though it was smeared with mud, it could not conceal her lively spirit. Beneath the alternating glow of two yellow soul rings, strands of Blue Silver Grass vines surged from around her toward the Mandala Snake ahead.

The boy following close behind also looked around fifteen or sixteen. He stood tall and straight, and though his white clothes were somewhat torn, they could not hide his bearing. His transformed right arm was covered in blue-violet scales, and rather than circling his body like a normal Soul Master's rings, his two yellow and one purple soul rings revolved around that unusual arm.

Seeing that the two were chasing a three-meter-long Mandala Snake with a peach-red body, Huo Yuhao recalled what little he knew about soul beasts and realized it was merely a Mandala Snake slightly over a thousand years old. Only then did he let out a breath.

He had thought some powerful expert was pursuing a formidable soul beast here. A Two-Ring Great Soul Master, a Three-Ring Soul Elder, and a Mandala Snake just over a thousand years old—dealing with them would be troublesome, but with the four soul skills Skydream Iceworm had given him, escaping should not be a problem.

The first soul ring on the boy's body lit up, and a foot-long bolt of blue-violet lightning condensed into a dragon claw and struck at the Mandala Snake.

The Mandala Snake suddenly turned, shooting straight toward where Huo Yuhao was hiding.

Huo Yuhao's pupils constricted. He could sense the savage fury in the snake's eyes. According to the combat plan provided by the system, when weak, he should lie low and remain still, keep others in front of him, and avoid being drawn into unknown battles. But as the Mandala Snake's venomous fangs were about to pierce the girl's Blue Silver Grass defense, he moved almost on instinct.

"Watch out! You're its target!" Huo Yuhao shouted lowly. Spiritual Detection activated instantly, deliberately narrowing to a range of roughly fifty meters around him, while the information he detected was transmitted into their minds.

The two fighting the snake both froze. They could clearly "see" the Mandala Snake's movements in the next instant, and could even sense the fatal spot seven inches below its head!

More than that, within fifty meters, they did not need their eyes at all. Every scene appeared in their minds in three-dimensional form, and even the slightest change anywhere was immediately reflected in their brains.

"Great chance!" Beibei reacted swiftly. With a push of his dragon arm, he sent a bolt of lightning flashing forth. As the Mandala Snake dodged, he raised a hand and summoned it, and a powerful suction force dragged the snake toward him.

Reaching out, a dragon claw condensed from the power of lightning accurately seized the Mandala Snake seven inches below its head. The snake struggled violently and snapped its venomous fangs madly, but with its vital spot seized, its entire body went limp. It could not break through the dragon scales' defense at all.

The girl seized the chance to activate her Blue Silver Grass, binding the snake's body tightly. Only when the Mandala Snake had completely gone limp did the two let out a breath and turn to look at Huo Yuhao, who had emerged from the bushes.

"Thanks, little brother." The girl approached with a smile, sizing up Huo Yuhao's worn clothes and especially bright eyes. "You're a Soul Master too? That just now was... Spiritual Sharing?"

Beibei also walked over and gave him a thumbs-up. "Little brother, that soul skill of yours is incredible. You're practically a born commander of Soul Masters!"

"Little brother, my name is Beibei, and she's my teacher, Tang Ya. We're students of Shrek Academy. Thank you for helping us. Otherwise, we would have had to take a few injuries before bringing it down."

"Shrek Academy?" Huo Yuhao's heart stirred. His mother had once told him that it was the finest Soul Master academy on the Douluo Continent. It accepted only monsters, not ordinary people.

Besides, the system also believed he would develop better at Shrek Academy.

"It was nothing. Seeing injustice, I had to lend a hand." Although Huo Yuhao's first thought had been to run, since he had already stepped in, he might as well get closer to these two Shrek Academy students and learn more about the academy. "My name is Huo Yuhao. My martial soul is my eyes."

"You came to obtain a soul ring, right? Soul rings do not remain for long. Since I've already helped, I'll see it through. Miss Tang Ya, absorb the soul ring quickly. We'll stand guard for you."

Tang Ya looked at Beibei with excitement, and he nodded at her. "Start quickly. I never expected to encounter a thousand-year soul beast at such an edge of the Star Dou Great Forest, and one perfectly suited to you at that. Your luck is truly incredible."

Tang Ya giggled. "I didn't expect things to go so smoothly either. Then I'll thank Little Brother Huo for his help first."

As she spoke, Tang Ya sat cross-legged. Blue light glimmered from her hand as she pointed toward the purple soul ring produced by the Mandala Snake. Drawn by the blue light in her hand, the soul ring merged into her body.

Having finally found a moment of free time, Huo Yuhao turned to Beibei. "Brother Bei, I came here to join Shrek Academy, but something happened at home and I'm the only one left. Are there any strict requirements for joining Shrek Academy?"

Though Beibei was puzzled that Huo Yuhao wanted to join Shrek Academy yet knew nothing about its admission requirements, he still told him, "There are two conditions for joining Shrek Academy. First, you must reach level fifteen before turning twelve. Second, you need a recommendation letter from a city lord."

Hearing that, Huo Yuhao fell into thought.

"The Soul Power requirement isn't a problem, but a city lord's recommendation letter? Seriously? You need a city lord's recommendation just to attend school? Is this academy even legitimate?"

"Little Brother Huo probably doesn't have a city lord's recommendation letter, but that's not a big problem." Beibei spoke very seriously. "Your talent is excellent. Come with us. Once we reach Shrek City, we'll help you register."

Under the sunlight, Beibei stored the Mandala Snake's corpse in his Soul Tool. Tang Ya hummed a cheerful tune as she led the way, occasionally turning back to chat with Huo Yuhao and expressing deep sympathy for what he had been through. Huo Yuhao followed behind the two, their backs reflected in his Spirit Eyes. For the first time, warmth arose in his heart.