Gem Lanternfish

Three punches shattered the Wolf King's dream. Only today did Jiang Hao learn who he truly was.

Jiang Hao looked at the two Yellow Soul Rings floating above the corpses. He pressed his palms together and silently recited a prayer. "The Lord will forgive you. But forgiveness is the Lord's business. Mine is sending you to meet Him."

Jiang Hao lowered his hands. On the other side, Zhang Lexuan cut the heads off the other three Soul Beasts, and two purple Soul Rings and one yellow one rose into the air.

Yan Shaozhe and Xian Ling'er returned to camp.

"Not bad, Jiang. I'm very pleased with how you and Xiaotao worked together. You're getting more skilled at using your Body Martial Soul, too." Yan Shaozhe made no effort to hide his praise.

"This Moon Wolf isn't bad! It's around four hundred years old. With your constitution, you shouldn't have any trouble absorbing it. Its Soul Ring should give you a powerful single-target Soul Skill, which, according to Old Qian, would suit you well." Yan Shaozhe studied the Soul Ring left by the beast Jiang Hao had killed with two punches and gave him a careful assessment.

"Dean Yan, Auntie, I'd actually like my first few Soul Rings to strengthen my constitution or provide enhancements. That would make my body even stronger. An offensive Soul Skill isn't what I want. After all, Soul Tools are where the future lies for Soul Masters. Strengthening my constitution would improve my endurance and strength across the board."

"Exactly! Little Hao is right. Soul Tools are the future. Spending a Soul Ring slot on an attack is such a waste. If I'd understood that back then, Yan Shaozhe, you might not even be able to beat me." Xian Ling'er looked proud. Jiang Hao had made her look good this time. When they returned, she would put his words into a paper and publish it in all the major newspapers, so everyone could see how foolish it was to waste a Soul Ring slot just for an attack.

"If that's what you want, fine. Clean up the battlefield, spread more Snake Repellent Powder, then head back to the tent and rest." Yan Shaozhe was unmoved. "Dean Xian and I will keep watch tonight."

Yan Shaozhe pointed to a small tent pitched across from them. Genius or monster, so what? Sooner or later, I'll teach Xiaotao to win you over.

"The three of us are sleeping in one tent? Is that appropriate?"

"You don't want to? You get to sleep beside two great beauties, and you think you're getting the short end of the stick?" Zhang Lexuan asked, puzzled.

"If you don't want to sleep, stay outside. You have no idea how many young men have wanted to share a blanket with me. They were lucky I didn't beat them to death, and now you're turning your nose up at me!" Ma Xiaotao stamped her foot and crawled into the tent first.

Zhang Lexuan said nothing and followed her in.

"Wait, did you forget something? We haven't dealt with the Soul Beast corpses. How can you go to sleep already?"

"Take care of them yourself. I've already taken my clothes off," Ma Xiaotao called from inside, her voice teasing. Zhang Lexuan chimed in, "That's right, so have I. It's not convenient for us to come out. Hurry over when you're done. We've saved you the spot in the middle."

Helpless against the two women's shamelessness, Jiang Hao gritted his teeth and carried the five Soul Beast corpses away from camp. He buried them in a shallow pit, then spread Beast Repellent Powder around the camp to drive off snake-type Soul Beasts.

He looked at the blue tent bearing Shrek Academy's emblem and wavered. Should I go in? If I just walk in, they won't beat me to death, will they?

In the end, the devil in his heart won.

Jiang Hao gently lifted a corner of the tent. Ma Xiaotao and Zhang Lexuan lay wrapped in blankets on opposite sides. The only clothes hanging beside them were their academy uniform jackets.

His thudding heart settled. Thank goodness. It's not as outrageous as I imagined.

Jiang Hao was a little disappointed, but he obediently lay down in the middle. The tent was small, though it fit the three of them just right. Some physical contact was unavoidable, but with blankets and clothes between them, he barely felt a thing.

Time seemed to pass quickly. After all, he was just a child. What could he possibly do wrong?

Jiang Hao got up, added two or three fresh logs to the campfire with practiced ease, and set up the stove to make breakfast.

"Well? Were you able to sleep last night?" Yan Shaozhe appeared in front of Jiang Hao with his hands behind his back.

"Like a log. Your disciple snores pretty loudly." Jiang Hao couldn't resist talking back. Yan Shaozhe often laid traps for him, but the man really did give him benefits. Jiang Hao could also tell that Yan Shaozhe was trying to bring him and Ma Xiaotao together. She hadn't even said whether she wanted him, yet her father was already offering her up. That kind of enthusiasm was hard to refuse.

A sudden thump sounded from the camp, and Zhang Lexuan and Ma Xiaotao shot out of the tent.

Xian Ling'er used a Soul Tool to pin a Soul Beast in the middle of camp. "Xiaotao, the Soul Skill you wanted has come to us! A Lava Scorpion. Absorb it, and you'll have a chance to obtain the fourth Soul Skill you've been dreaming of—Phoenix Sky-Shattering Strike."

The Lava Scorpion was the target of this trip. The Soul Ring configuration they had planned for Ma Xiaotao was based on Ma Hongjun, who had ascended to the Divine Realm ten thousand years ago. Yan Shaozhe had reached that conclusion after painstakingly collecting records from Shrek Academy's archives. Absorbing the Lava Scorpion would give her a very good chance of obtaining that immensely powerful Soul Skill, which combined area control with explosive damage.

"Thank you, Dean Xian." Ma Xiaotao hurried forward and activated her Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul Possession. A Phoenix Fire Line struck the badly wounded Lava Scorpion. As the Evil Fire burned, a purple Soul Ring formed above its corpse. Ma Xiaotao absorbed it without hesitation.

"I'll stay and guard Xiaotao while she absorbs it. Shaozhe, take Jiang Hao to hunt a Soul Beast that suits him. Little Hao, just tell the dean what Soul Beast you have in mind. He won't shortchange you." Xian Ling'er smiled at Jiang Hao as she spoke.

Jiang Hao began weighing which Soul Rings to absorb. Ape, tiger, and lesser dragon types had to come first. Soul Beasts like the Diamond Ape, which could toughen his body, or the Crimson Tiger, which could strengthen his bloodline, were all worth considering. Anything that directly improved his constitution was an option.

Yan Shaozhe led him away from camp. Before long, a commotion caught their attention.

Beside a lake, a giant python's tail lashed against the surrounding trees. Half its body was submerged.

Yan Shaozhe held Jiang Hao steady on a branch, and they watched it closely.

"The Soul Beast down there is a White Python," explained a Clone in Jiang Hao's mind who had studied Martial Souls a little. "A pure strength-type Soul Beast. But it looks older than what we need. It's already over a thousand years old. As for what's dragging it into the water, I have no idea."

Yan Shaozhe, meanwhile, seemed to see through the deep water to the scene below. His eyes lit up. "You're in luck, kid. That Soul Beast would suit you well. Wait here. I'll catch it."

Yan Shaozhe flashed away from the treetop. Whatever's in the water must be pretty rare.

As Yan Shaozhe entered the fray, the pressure of a Titled Douluo bore down on the entire pool. He activated Martial Soul Possession and hauled a round-headed giant fish out of the lake, dragging the White Python up with it.

A thin stalk rose from the fish's forehead, between its eyes. At its tip, a magnificent ruby flickered just ahead of its face.

"A Gem Lanternfish! You don't see these often. They usually live in deep water and use the gem on their foreheads to lure prey. This one's around five hundred years old. With your excellent constitution and Body Martial Soul, you should be able to absorb it. It's an unusual Soul Beast: it can store two extra portions of its own power inside its gem. When threatened, it releases them in a burst, tripling its strength. If you absorb it, you may gain that innate ability."

"Come on. Cut the stalk beneath the gem with one stroke, then drive your sword into its brain."