Early the next morning, the first light of dawn glimmered.
Dai Youheng slowly opened his eyes. The surging Soul Power around him gradually subsided like an ebbing tide, drawing inward before finally stabilizing at an entirely new level.
Feeling the power within him, far more tremendous than it had been yesterday, he could not help curling his lips into a satisfied smile.
Level forty!
He had finally broken through the limits of a Soul Elder and stepped across the threshold of a Soul Ancestor!
He had originally thought that the Soul Ascension Pill and whale rubber would, at most, bring him to the peak of level thirty-nine. He would still need some time to build up his strength before attempting to reach level forty.
Unexpectedly, the Soul Ascension Pill had proved truly potent, pushing him straight from late level thirty-eight to mid-level thirty-nine.
Then the whale rubber had widened his meridians, and as he circulated his cultivation technique, vast amounts of vital energy had poured in.
But his breakthrough to level forty was by no means entirely thanks to the Soul Ascension Pill and whale rubber. His special cultivation technique had played the greater role.
The meridian-widening and physique-strengthening effects of the ten-thousand-year whale glue had also greatly increased the efficiency of his cultivation technique. Together, they had allowed him to smash through that bottleneck in one sustained push!
"Congratulations, Youheng." The Snow Empress's cool voice rang out at just the right moment, carrying a hint of approval. "That cultivation technique of yours truly is mysterious. It seems closely tied to the strength of its practitioner's physique. The stronger the body, the faster the technique circulates, and the speed of cultivation rises along with it, like a boat lifted by the tide. Whoever created it was certainly not human. Most likely, it was some beast king with an extraordinarily terrifying physical body."
"Heh, looks like the fellow who tossed me over here wasn't human in the literal sense, either." Dai Youheng chuckled, in an excellent mood. Growing stronger was always a pleasure, especially when it meant he was one step closer to the next stage of his plan.
Now that he had broken through to level forty, his most important task was to find a suitable opportunity to request leave from the academy and obtain the "grand gift" the Snow Empress had mentioned-that Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!
He already had a plan in mind.
He remembered that the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament would begin before long. Before that, Shrek Academy would hold an internal Core Disciple Selection to choose the reserve Shrek Seven Devils, who would accompany the main team to the tournament and broaden their horizons.
Since this world leaned toward the animated adaptation's setting, the teacher leading the team would most likely not be Wang Yan from the original story, but his more violent homeroom teacher, Zhou Yi.
At that time, the entire academy's attention would be focused on the tournament and the selection, and supervision would be relatively lax. It would be the perfect opportunity for him to request leave!
That was right. He had no intention of representing Shrek in that tournament. During the Core Disciple Selection, he only needed to fight halfheartedly, deliberately lose, and get eliminated.
That sort of team competition offered limited help in rapidly improving his individual strength. He preferred to use that time to secure tangible opportunities.
Still, I'll have to visit Star Luo City when the time comes, Youheng thought. During the tournament, the capital of the Star Luo Empire would surely draw outstanding talents from every corner, and auction houses everywhere would bring out the treasures they normally kept tucked away. In the original story, the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife containing gold of life had appeared during this period.
He could skip the tournament, but he absolutely could not miss a treasure capable of nourishing his spiritual consciousness and containing such tremendous vitality.
With his plan settled, he gathered his thoughts.
The sky was already growing light. He got up, washed, and then went next door to wake the Lan Sisters so they could return to the academy together. Today was not a day off; they still had classes to attend.
Both sisters looked refreshed and energized, having clearly gained a great deal from a night of cultivation. In particular, the Soul Power fluctuations around the elder sister, Lan Susu, had grown noticeably stronger. She had successfully broken through to level thirty!
Seeing this, Dai Youheng offered a casual word of praise. "Congratulations. Level thirty."
That simple sentence made Lan Susu's heart bloom with joy. Her pretty face flushed faintly as she said softly, "Thank you for the Soul Ascension Pill, Big Brother Youheng."
Beside her, Lan Luoluo grumbled with a touch of jealousy, "Hmph, my sister's Soul Power was only a tiny bit stronger than mine to begin with. I'm already at the peak of level twenty-nine, too. I'll catch up soon!"
Lan Susu smiled and ruffled her younger sister's hair in reassurance. She did not intend to acquire her third Soul Ring immediately. With the Core Disciple Selection approaching, she was eager to achieve a good result. Traveling back and forth to hunt for a Soul Ring might cause her to miss it.
For the vast majority of Shrek students, the title "Shrek Seven Devils" held an unparalleled allure.
Of course, an oddball like Dai Youheng, who cared only about becoming stronger himself and had no interest in collective honor, was an exception.
The three returned to the academy together. The moment they entered the classroom, they sensed an unusual commotion.
In the center of the classroom stood a stunning woman with a tall, voluptuous figure and vivid red hair, gripping Huo Yuhao's arm with an impatient expression. Extremely hot and powerful Soul Power fluctuations radiated from her, and the faint image of a flaming phoenix even flickered behind her!
"Huo Yuhao, come with me!" the red-haired woman said urgently. Without giving Huo Yuhao any chance to resist, she wrapped him in her powerful Soul Power, smashed through the window, and shot into the sky as a streak of red light, vanishing into the distance in an instant!
"Ma Xiaotao?" Dai Youheng immediately recognized the woman.
Ma Xiaotao, the Evil Fire Phoenix. Looks like she can't suppress her evil fire anymore and urgently needs Yuhao's ultimate ice to counteract it. He immediately understood the reason.
In fact, when it came to solving Ma Xiaotao's evil fire problem, his Snow Soul Condensing Ice Pill might be even more effective.
Once Ma Xiaotao took the pill, she would temporarily possess the ultimate ice attribute herself, allowing her to suppress, or even gradually dissolve, her evil fire on her own. If she kept taking it for a while, a complete cure might even be possible.
But Dai Youheng instantly dismissed the idea.
She's neither family nor a friend. Why should I waste precious Soul Power and time giving her pills every day? Spend six months or a year trapped at her side as her personal physician? I'm not interested in that kind of hot-tempered, fiery woman, either.
If I really want a woman, this continent has no shortage of beauties. Better to find someone gentle, considerate, and obedient.
More importantly, if Ma Xiaotao and the people behind her, such as Yan Shaozhe and Xuan Zi, discovered that he possessed such an ability, then given Shrek's way of doing things and Ma Xiaotao's domineering nature, he could probably forget about ever leaving Shrek Academy.
He would most likely be "invited" into the Sea God Pavilion to focus on treating Ma Xiaotao, temporarily losing his freedom.
Keep out of other people's business. Protect yourself by knowing when to stay clear.
With no intention of intervening, Dai Youheng calmly walked to his seat as though he had seen nothing.
Meanwhile, Dai Huabin had also learned the outcome of last night's operation through special channels.
The people sent to assassinate Huo Yuhao had been wiped out because of Ma Xiaotao's sudden intervention and her terrifying Phoenix Flame! Shrek Academy's higher-ups seemed to have been alerted and had begun investigating the matter, making his heart
clench.
As for the people sent to ambush Dai Youheng and reclaim the Soul Bone, their target had never returned that night. They had spent the whole night feeding mosquitoes in the outskirts, accomplishing nothing!
Both plans had fallen apart completely!
"Useless! Every last one of them is useless!" In his room, Dai Huabin's face turned livid with rage. He nearly spat out a mouthful of blood and smashed several pieces of expensive porcelain.
One humiliation after another had driven his fury and venomous resentment to their peak.
"Fine. Very good! Huo Yuhao, Dai Youheng!" His gaze was utterly sinister. "Since covert methods won't work, I'll settle this out in the open! The Core Disciple Selection... just you wait!"
Before anyone realized it, the attention and schemes of many people within Shrek Academy had converged on the approaching Core Disciple Selection.
Some yearned for honor, some wanted to prove themselves, and some were plotting their departure.
And some looked forward to settling old scores in the arena.
Before you continue