Chicken Leg Xuan Zi Goes Chicken Hunting

Chapter 36: Chicken Leg Xuan Zi Goes Chicken Hunting

Hearing Wang Dong say that "the students would become prey," Bei Bei suddenly lowered his body slightly and asked in a surprised whisper.

"Junior, I heard Elder Xuan Zi is incredibly powerful, unmatched in dominance."

"With such a powerful Elder leading the team, how could the students possibly become prey?"

Bei Bei knew some inside information. Other than his Xuanzu, Mu En, the current Sea God Pavilion Master, Xuan Zi was unquestionably the strongest among all the Elders in terms of raw strength.

If they encountered any danger that could threaten the students' lives, Elder Xuan Zi would surely erase it with a casual wave of his hand.

After finishing a bag of chips, Wang Dong took out a bottle of drink from her storage bracelet. Holding the straw between her lips, she thought for a moment before raising her brows toward Xuan Zi, who was giving a speech on the steps.

"Senior Bei Bei, it's just a feeling I have."

Wang Dong voiced her impression of Xuan Zi. "Look at that Chicken Leg Teacher. He's drinking himself into a mess. No matter how I look at him, he doesn't seem very reliable."

After finishing her chips, Xiao Xiao sucked on her fingers, her eyes blinking a few times. "Now that Wang Dong mentions it, that does seem true."

"I noticed that every time that teacher says three sentences, he takes two gulps of wine, and he bites into a chicken leg in between. It feels like he could eat and drink his fill any second, then run off somewhere to sleep soundly."

Listening to the two of them, then looking at Xuan Zi eating chicken legs and drinking wine, Bei Bei rubbed his chin and fell into brief thought.

For some reason, Bei Bei suddenly felt that Xuan Zi carried a strange and eerie power about him, as though he were about to lead them onto the road...

A road from which there would be no turning back.

An Inner Court senior with well-defined features in the group frowned slightly when he heard Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao's remarks.

He turned to Wang Dong, his tone carrying the air of a senior instructing a junior.

"Junior, Elder Xuan Zi's strength cannot be judged by appearances. Don't let his slovenly appearance fool you. His cultivation might be so high that you wouldn't even dare imagine it."

"Wouldn't dare imagine it?" Wang Dong thought of her Big Dad and Second Dad. Blinking her beautiful eyes, she spoke candidly.

"What's so hard to imagine? Has that teacher holding the chicken leg reached Rank Ninety-Nine, a Limit Douluo?"

The Inner Court senior froze for a moment, then laughed. "Junior, that's not how you should think about it."

"I know that your first-year Soul Master theory classes teach the specific ranks of Soul Masters. It's inevitable that young Soul Masters like you would have some fantasies about the highest Soul Master rank."

"But the Limit Douluo you mentioned is truly too exaggerated. There probably aren't many in the entire continent."

As he spoke, the senior shifted his gaze to Xuan Zi on the steps, his face filled with admiration and reverence. "And as a disciple of the Shrek Supervision Corps, I hold Elder Xuan Zi in the highest esteem."

"I trust Elder Xuan Zi the most."

The senior's conviction was incomparably firm. He felt that being able to join the Shrek Supervision Corps was the greatest honor.

At that moment, a graceful woman with delicate features walked over.

She appeared to be in her twenties. Her eyebrows curved like crescent moons, while her long hair cascaded over her shoulders. Her tailored Shrek Inner Court combat uniform outlined her tall, slender figure.

Yet when her beautiful eyes settled on someone, they gave off a distinctly cool feeling.

She was Zhang Lexuan, the Eldest Sister of the Inner Court and the person with the most authority to speak on the matter of "Elder Xuan Zi leading the team to hunt Soul Rings."

No expression could be seen on Zhang Lexuan's face. Her gaze lingered on Wang Dong for a moment. "Bei Bei, this junior isn't entirely wrong. Elder Xuan Zi can indeed be prone to oversights at times."

The familiar voice immediately made Bei Bei and Tang Ya turn toward Zhang Lexuan and stand at attention.

Although Bei Bei had never explicitly spoken of certain matters between himself and Zhang Lexuan, Tang Ya could more or less guess that the two shared a special relationship.

Tang Ya secretly tugged on Bei Bei's sleeve. Looking somewhat awkward, she asked in a low voice, "Bei Bei, is Eldest Sister coming too?"

"That isn't up to me. Whenever Elder Xuan Zi organizes a mission for Inner Court disciples, she participates in the vast majority of cases as the Eldest Sister."

Bei Bei also looked somewhat unnatural as he solemnly said to Zhang Lexuan.

"Eldest Sister, don't worry. Xiao Ya and I will definitely take extra care to stay safe."

"Alright." Zhang Lexuan nodded slightly.

She did not say anything else. Her expression remained cool and detached as a breeze passed by. Without drawing attention to herself, she turned and walked to the very front of the group.

By then, Xuan Zi's safety speech had ended.

He quickly gnawed the chicken leg in his mouth clean, casually tossed away the bone, and wiped his hands on his oil-stained clothes.

"Students of the Shrek Supervision Corps, this mission is a severe one. It will also serve as an accumulation of experience and a tempering of your character."

Xuan Zi let out a wine-scented belch. "In principle, I should accompany the team and protect you. But to ensure proper training results, this old man will not act unless it is necessary."

Zhang Lexuan, standing at the front of the group, frowned slightly. She could only hope that a situation requiring Elder Xuan Zi's intervention would never arise.

Xuan Zi said in a muffled voice, "Of course, if you encounter a crisis that is truly impossible to resist, shout this old man's name, 'Elder Xuan Zi,' as loudly as you can."

"I'd like to see what petty scoundrel would dare act recklessly before me, the Taotie Douluo!"

Then Xuan Zi took out another chicken leg, viciously bit off a large chunk of meat, glanced at Zhang Lexuan, and said through his chewing, "Alright, Lexuan. Lead the team out."

"Yes, Elder Xuan Zi." Zhang Lexuan organized the formation and explained the main mission to all the students: they were heading to Sunset Forest in the Heaven Dou Empire to eliminate a not particularly strong squad of Evil Soul Masters, while also helping some students hunt Soul Rings.

And so, the team led by Xuan Zi headed toward Shrek's gates.

Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao waved goodbye to Tang Ya and Bei Bei. "Senior Bei Bei, Senior Tang Ya, make sure to stay safe while you're out there."

At the Far North Land, Ice Empress escorted Huo Yuhao to the edge of the Core Zone.

Huo Yuhao abruptly stopped. Bone Spirit Cold Fire emerged from his left hand, while Purple Flame appeared in his right.

"Brother Sky Dream, my physique has improved tremendously. My body is much tougher now, completely different from when I only had one ring. My physical strength has multiplied."

"It's time to conduct that experiment... What do you think, Brother Sky Dream?"

Seeing Huo Yuhao release both flames at once, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm suddenly shuddered. Although he had long had his suspicions, his worm body still trembled as he asked.

"W-which experiment?"

The corners of Huo Yuhao's lips lifted slightly as he made something serious sound casual. "Fusing these two flames together. I heard that Beast Martial Souls and Tool Martial Souls can form Martial Soul Fusion Skills, so my two flames should also be able to fuse."

"And there's no need to worry about anyone disturbing me in the Core Zone of the Far North Land. This is the perfect place for an experiment."

Snow Empress immediately appeared through Spiritual Projection, her brows tightly furrowed. She did not try to dissuade Huo Yuhao, merely explained the risks.

"This pale white flame must be Bone Spirit Cold Fire. As expected, its icy attribute surpasses even mine."

"Although the Fire Attribute of the other strand of Purple Flame is not as powerful, if it serves as the catalyst and ignites both the extreme heat and extreme cold within Bone Spirit Cold Fire, there is a chance you could explode and die."

Ice Empress immediately panicked. She hurriedly clamped Huo Yuhao's wrist with her pincers and tried to persuade him.

"Yuhao, do you have no attachments left? Think about Old Yi, Snow Empress, and Tian Meng. If you explode and die, they'll all go with you."

"It's fine if you aren't afraid of dying, but Snow Empress and I are. We finally seized this chance at immortality. Snow Empress and I really don't want to..."

"Bing'er, Bing'er." Being described as afraid of death somewhat harmed the Far North Queen's dignity, so Snow Empress hurriedly called out twice.

Before Ice Empress could finish, she saw Snow Empress's leisurely expression. Her slender finger propped up her exquisite chin as she casually said, "Bing'er, actually, I'm not that afraid of death either. Let Yuhao experiment."

Ice Empress fell silent for a few seconds before asking Electrolux, "Senior Old Yi, what do you think?"

Electrolux gave a soft sound. "Yuhao, compared to this bold idea of yours, the thought I had when experimenting with the Undead Forbidden Spell in my youth..."

"Yours is no less extreme."

Old Yi's words carried an indescribable meaning. They were full of emotion, yet also held a trace of appreciation.

Hearing this, Ice Empress slowly lowered the pincers clamped around Huo Yuhao's wrist. Anyone could hear that Old Yi was not on the side trying to dissuade Huo Yuhao.

After a short silence, Electrolux said slowly, "Yuhao, conduct the experiment."

"Ever since you first came up with this mad idea, this old man knew it could not be suppressed."

"If you do not truly put it into practice, it will ultimately coil around your heart like an inner demon, leaving you unable to find peace."

Ice Empress and the others had no intention of stopping or refuting him.

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath. "Thank you all for the mental support."

Ice Empress knocked her two large pincers against the ground. "Senior Old Yi, Snow Empress, and Tian Meng are supporting you with their lives."

"Anyway, I haven't fused with you yet. If you fail, I'll go take human form."

Snow Empress crossed her arms and glanced to the side. "Yuhao, begin."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm conjured a quilt and wrapped himself in it like pajamas. "I don't dare watch. Tell me when Yuhao succeeds."

Huo Yuhao nodded slightly. He extended both hands forward and stared intently at the two differently colored flames in his palms.

As the pale white and purple flames gradually drew closer to one another, everyone grew tense.

Snow Empress's eyelashes trembled. Tian Meng curled up inside his pajamas, his entire worm body shaking, while Ice Empress ground her two pincers together with a creak.

Old Yi appeared calm, but he was actually quite uneasy. Even his beard twitched upward slightly.

Fire lotuses are very peaceful... Huo Yuhao was extremely excited. A faint golden glow flowed through his eyes as, beneath the gaze of his Spirit Eyes, the pale white flame and purple flame slowly made contact.

At the same time, Huo Yuhao immediately mobilized his Mental Power, precisely controlling the power within the two flames as it fused.

Boom!

The instant the two flames touched, a muffled sound like thunder rang out. The energy flowing through his arms became incomparably violent.

As the energy surged, the flesh on both of Huo Yuhao's arms split apart. His skin and flesh ruptured, exposing the bones beneath. He immediately activated the Mark of Life to heal and reconstruct them.

They ruptured again and again, then reconstructed again and again...

Other than anxiously calling out "Yuhao," Snow Empress and Ice Empress could only join Tian Meng in mobilizing a small amount of their origin power to protect his internal organs and meridians.

Huo Yuhao endured the excruciating pain without making a sound. His glowing eyes remained fixed on the fusing flames between his hands. He pressed his palms together, gradually forming a strange ball of fire.

Pale white flames swirled around the left side, while purple flames swirled around the right.

Huo Yuhao circulated the Burning Arts. The two flames alternated, compressed, and merged until they reached a critical point.

At last, the originally violent flames became calm after fully merging.

Old Yi relaxed, and his beard no longer curled upward. Under the delighted gazes of Snow Empress and Ice Empress, a completely white Lotus Seat with a purple glow formed between Huo Yuhao's hands.

Huo Yuhao smiled with pursed lips and looked toward Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, who was trembling inside his pajamas. "Brother Sky Dream, it worked."

Then he introduced it. "Old Yi, Snow Empress, Ice Empress, this is the product of fusing the two flames. It is called Buddha's Wrath Fire Lotus."

The others gathered around and looked at the white-and-purple flaming lotus seat, praising it as an exquisite little thing.

Forming a Buddha's Wrath Fire Lotus consumed a great deal of Soul Power and Mental Power. Throughout the process, four-fifths of both had been expended.

Then, under everyone's expectant gazes, Huo Yuhao tested the power of Buddha's Wrath Fire Lotus.

The white-and-purple flaming lotus seat silently streaked through the air. Every snowflake along its curved path melted away, and when it was several meters above the ground, it abruptly expanded.

Boom—

A massive lotus-shaped wave of fire rose into the air.

With a deafening explosion, brilliant white-and-purple firelight blossomed, leaving behind a huge crater in the snow within the Far North Land's Core Zone—something a Soul Ancestor could never create even with all their strength. Illusory waves of fire could faintly be seen rippling within it. (PS: A two-ring Soul Master in Doupo is equivalent to Dou Qi, or still at the level of a Dou Practitioner...)

(Huo Yuhao used a child flame and Soul Power. Xiao Yan used the origin of Heavenly Flames and Dou Qi. In their respective systems, both could fight two ranks above their own.)

After the experiment, Huo Yuhao reflected on the principles of fusing Buddha's Wrath Fire Lotus... Then he grilled some fish. He ate two himself and left the remaining grilled fish for Ice Empress, who held one in each of her large pincers and bit them alternately.

At Ice Empress's reminder of "Remember to come back early," Huo Yuhao nodded. He did not let Ice Empress escort him and headed toward the outer regions of the Far North Land.

"Yuhao, I'll take you to the place where I lived long ago."

"As the ancestor of those ice silkworms, I was already blending into the ranks of ferocious beasts through disguise before they were even born. So I can easily see through every ice silkworm's disguise. I'll help you pick one with a suitable age to serve as your Spirit Eyes' second Soul Ring."

Huo Yuhao thought for a moment. "Brother Sky Dream, they are ice silkworms, and so are you. If you become a Soul Spirit, could you use your own consciousness to condense a second Soul Ring with a Simulation Soul Skill?"

A few days later.

On a forest path at the edge of Sunset Forest.

Having successfully helped Sky Dream Ice Silkworm become a Soul Spirit with Old Yi's assistance, granting him a second-ring Simulation Soul Skill, Huo Yuhao's figure flashed wildly along the forest path.

Exploding Step!

After fusing with Snow Empress, Huo Yuhao's arms and legs had gained enormously enhanced endurance, making Eight Extremities Collapse far easier to use.

Likewise, he had gained an initial grasp of Exploding Step, the movement Dou Qi technique he had been rewarded earlier.

To improve his proficiency with Exploding Step, Huo Yuhao did not choose to return to Heaven Dou City by the main roads or official highways. Instead, he followed the paths along the outskirts of Sunset Forest.

After practicing Exploding Step for a while, Huo Yuhao grilled fish to fill his stomach.

The mixed zone of Sunset Forest.

High in the air.

A slovenly old man in tattered, oil-stained clothes leisurely flew through the sky while drinking wine and eating a chicken leg.

It was Xuan Zi.

Suddenly, a gleam flashed through Xuan Zi's half-closed eyes, as though he had spotted something delicious.

"A Twenty-five-thousand-year Chicken-type Soul Beast?! That beast's drumsticks will definitely be delicious grilled!"

And so, Xuan Zi shot off into the distance, going to catch a chicken.