"I often hear his name from you two."
Xiao Xiao slurped her noodles in small mouthfuls, looking at Gu Ruiqiu and Wang Dong'er across from her, her eyes full of curiosity about the unknown.
Gu Ruiqiu and Wang Dong'er exchanged a glance. Both of them were all smiles when they spoke the name "Huo Yuhao."
Wang Dong'er replied gently, "He's a childhood friend of mine and Ruiqiu's, I suppose."
"As for why he didn't join Shrek..."
"His Martial Soul is Spirit Eyes, a Body Martial Soul. Xiao Xiao, you should know about the sect for that kind of Martial Soul, right?"
As the daughter of a minor noble family, Xiao Xiao knew a little about the Body Sect.
She nodded. "Mm, I've heard of it. It's a sect that specifically recruits people with Body Martial Souls."
Gu Ruiqiu continued, "Mm, then we don't need to explain much more."
"Yuhao was personally taken away by the Body Sect's sect master."
Xiao Xiao said in shock, "What?! The Body Sect's sect master personally came to ask for a disciple for the Body Sect?"
Then, through Gu Ruiqiu and Wang Qiu'er, Xiao Xiao was told about Huo Yuhao's experiences growing up.
For the first time, the little girl, who had barely interacted with boys, grew curious about the "Huo Yuhao" they spoke of.
As the three chatted, Wang Dong'er suddenly asked, "What do you think of Zhou Yi as a teacher?"
Having finished slurping her noodles, Xiao Xiao looked up and said, "I think Teacher Zhou is all right. It's just a little annoying how she's always talking about expelling people."
"I can't shake the feeling that, to her, we students are just tools for improving her performance."
"But I didn't expect Teacher Zhou to put you two on the same team."
Wang Dong'er nodded silently. That was true.
She was forever threatening expulsion and expelled students over the smallest mistakes...
Besides, both she and Gu Ruiqiu knew perfectly well that Zhou Yi alone couldn't have changed the rules of the freshmen assessment.
She and Gu Ruiqiu had also agreed to wait until at least after the start of the school year to withdraw.
As for Xiao Xiao, she was still hesitating.
After all, Xiao Xiao was the luckiest among them, with a perfect family.
The Divine Realm.
The God Realm Committee.
"Destruction, I don't understand what you're saying." Tang San looked at the God of Destruction coldly.
The God of Destruction regarded Tang San with an arrogant expression, paying him no mind at all.
"You know perfectly well what you've done."
"Tang San, you'd better not let me catch you in the act. Gods must never interfere in the affairs of the lower realm on their own!"
Tang San snorted coldly. "Destruction, I know you hate me, but surely you don't have to guard against me like I'm a thief."
He couldn't shake the feeling that Destruction had sensed something.
But he couldn't discern anything from the other's eyes.
"You'd better...!"
With those parting words, the God of Destruction left.
Seeing him leave, Tang San breathed a sigh of relief.
He said calmly, "It seems I need to have Father and Mother speed things up on their end."
"The Plane Master and the Golden Ancient Tree. Only by gaining complete control over both will the Douluo Continent truly become mine..."
Tang San clenched his fists. After lingering there for a while, he cast a glance toward the lower realm.
The trajectory of Huo Yuhao, the child of destiny, had already strayed completely from its intended course.
The power of destiny from the Star Dou Great Forest had appeared in Shrek...
He had tried to make Wang Dong'er and the Emperor Auspicious Beast develop a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, then find a chance to place the other soul within Wang Dong'er into the Emperor Auspicious Beast.
But to his surprise, he had failed.
There was nothing else he could do.
He could only slow Wang Dong'er's cultivation and find a chance for her to meet Huo Yuhao.
He would force them to develop a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, then bind Huo Yuhao to the Emperor Auspicious Beast. That way, Huo Yuhao's destiny would slowly return to its original course.
The Forest of Life.
The trees in the Forest of Life were quite peculiar. Their trunks were emerald green, while their leaves were a deep, inky green. Endless vitality flowed from them.
With every breath, one's body felt as though it had been cleansed.
The grass underfoot was soft, and every blade was brimming with life. The farther in one went, the more one could immerse oneself in nature.
Only one place in the Forest of Life stood apart, entirely at odds with its surroundings.
In a clearing, a wooden house floated in the air not far above the ground.
Those who lived there were the Goddess of Life and the God of Destruction, two of the Divine Realm's Five Great God Kings.
"Xiao Zi..." The Goddess of Life, dressed in a long, aqua-green dress, leaned lightly against the God of Destruction's chest. "What do you plan to do about the Sea God?"
The God of Destruction sighed softly. "That depends on how things unfold."
Those memories of the future...
The spacetime turbulence.
Merging to become the God of Creation, dying to save the Divine Realm.
But in the end...
The God of Life's eyes were full of disappointment in the Sea God.
If only he had told everyone that the Divine Realm would encounter spacetime turbulence, they could have put their heads together and found a way to solve it.
But why, why had he kept it from them all along?
He hadn't told them everything until the Golden Dragon King had broken out of his shell and the spacetime turbulence had arrived.
What was the point of always speaking in riddles?
The God of Destruction had something of a headache over the mistakes he had made in those memories of the future...
He promised solemnly, "Don't worry. I won't make the same mistakes I made in those memories this time."
The God of Life nodded in his arms. "I believe you, Xiao Zi."
"And I won't make the mistakes I made in those memories either."
Her tone was firm. It was a matter that concerned the safety of the Divine Realm, yet the Sea God had kept it from them all along.
No one could accept that.
And...
There was also Xiao Wutong, whom they had watched grow up...
After her souls were joined back into one, would she really still be the Xiao Wutong they knew?
She and Destruction had watched Xiao Wutong grow up, treating her like their own goddaughter!
The God of Destruction said, "Xiao Lu, bear with it a little longer. Once we have conclusive evidence, the Sea God won't be able to escape."
The God of Life nodded gently and said nothing more.
Destruction was also heartbroken that Tang Wutong had been split into three.
What kind of father could do such a thing to his own daughter?
How was that any different from dismemberment?
The Body Sect.
Long Aotian's private training ground.
On the training ground, the fourth Soul Ring flashed with purple light.
"Hey, hey, hey, Senior Brother Aotian, calm down!" Huo Yuhao stared in panic at Long Aotian, whose eyes were releasing his fourth Soul Skill.
At that moment, Long Aotian's entire body had turned a jade-like white, and light rippled across the surface of his skin.
A silvery-white humanoid figure gradually coalesced behind him.
The Body Sect's Innate Silver-Level Awakening, a Second Awakening.
The fourth Soul Ring beneath his feet radiated vivid purple light.
Long Aotian's presence had undergone a tremendous change. His eyes were red, and he looked like a live volcano ready to erupt at any moment.