As Huo Yuhao entered the dean's office, the scent of sandalwood and the scholarly fragrance of books steeped in years washed over him. Yan Shaozhe walked slowly to a display shelf inlaid with emerald cloud patterns and reached up to take down a jade box bearing a gilded emblem.
The lid opened gently, revealing two Soul Ascension Pills resting on a velvet lining, their surfaces lustrous, fine runes flickering in and out of sight across them. Beside them lay a storage-type Soul Tool in the form of a bracelet.
"These are the academy's rewards for you: two Soul Ascension Pills, and ten thousand Gold Soul Coins inside this bracelet Soul Tool," Yan Shaozhe said calmly, his gaze sharp as a hawk's. "Beyond that, there are other truths I care more about."
He suddenly turned, his robes stirring with a faint rustle. "Huo Yuhao, I hope you'll answer truthfully-do you possess Twin Martial Souls? If you do, does your Second Martial Soul have the Ultimate Ice attribute?"
The air in the office seemed to freeze in an instant. Huo Yuhao gazed toward Yan Shaozhe and slowly spoke. "That's right. I do have a Second Martial Soul, and it can control the power of multiple elements." His voice was as calm as a deep pool, yet it stirred storm-tossed waves in Yan Shaozhe's heart.
"An elemental Martial Soul?!" Yan Shaozhe sprang to his feet, knocking over the carved porcelain vase behind him. Oblivious to the crisp crash of breaking porcelain, he rushed to Huo Yuhao in three quick strides. "If they're all Ultimate Attributes, then in the future you..." Before he could finish, he pressed on impatiently, "Are all the attributes ultimate?"
If the attributes of an elemental Martial Soul were all ultimate, then once Huo Yuhao grew into his strength, he was certain to become a peak powerhouse.
Perhaps he could reach Mu En's heights.
By now, Yan Shaozhe's heart was practically leaping out of his chest. It was like buying a lottery ticket, being told you'd won, and wondering if you'd hit the jackpot-if the million you'd won was actually a million dollars.
The young man before him was a super jackpot.
"For now, only Ultimate Ice." Huo Yuhao shook his head, his tone still unruffled. Outside the window, the wind brushed the bronze bells beneath the eaves, their clear chimes mingling with Yan Shaozhe's heavy breathing.
The dean stroked the grizzled beard on his chin, and the flame of hope reignited in his eyes. That was right: even one Ultimate Attribute was a gift one could only encounter by chance, not seek out. This was more like it. If all the attributes were ultimate, a monstrous genius like that would truly be terrifying indeed. If he wanted to do something, the entire world would change because of him. Besides... who could guarantee things wouldn't take a turn in the future, and he wouldn't gain Ultimate Fire?
That was possible too. He just couldn't get his hopes too high. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. This was actually quite good already, though of course a few more would be even better.
"Yuhao, I won't ask any more about your Martial Souls." Yan Shaozhe suddenly let out a long sigh, a rare look of hesitation appearing on his face. His fingers tapped the desktop unconsciously, making a soft clicking sound.
"Yuhao, to be honest, I, the dean, would like to ask you to do something for me. You could call it a big matter or a small one, uh..." He rubbed his beard. "I wonder if you'd be willing to help, student Yuhao?"
Huo Yuhao sighed and thought, Isn't it just helping Ma Xiaotao suppress her Evil Fire? Is it that hard to say?
"Please, go ahead, Dean Yan." Watching the hesitation the other man was deliberately putting on, Huo Yuhao felt a faint smile rise in his heart.
Yan Shaozhe rose and paced, his aged face shifting between light and shadow. "To be honest, you have a senior schoolmate in the inner courtyard whose Martial Soul has a flaw..." He suddenly stopped, fixing his gaze on Huo Yuhao. "Only Ultimate Ice can completely suppress it, so I'd like to ask you to help her..."
Yan Shaozhe studied the young man's calm features, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the armrest of his chair and making it creak faintly. Outside, dusk deepened, and the evening glow stained the glazed windows bloodred, but it could not reach the deep-pool stillness in Huo Yuhao's eyes.
"So, besides recruiting you into the Martial Soul Department as an inner courtyard disciple, this is the other-and main-reason I asked to see you today." His voice was low, carrying a sigh of relief.
Huo Yuhao's long fingers brushed the edge of the brocade box. The crisp clink of the Gold Soul Coins he had taken from the bracelet rang especially clearly in the silent office. He picked up the two lustrous Soul Ascension Pills between his fingertips. "I wondered what serious matter it was."
A faint smile touched the young man's lips as he tucked the brocade box into his robes. "My senior schoolmate is in trouble. How could I stand by with folded arms?"
Yan Shaozhe's taut shoulders abruptly relaxed, and even his exhalation carried a trace of joy. "Good, good! Yuhao, the academy will remember this kindness!" He rose to greet him, his robes stirring a faint breeze that lifted the corners of the scrolls on the desk.
Huo Yuhao rose briskly, his silver hair gleaming coldly against the light. "If you need me, Dean, just send for me at any time."
The footsteps gradually faded at the end of the corridor. Yan Shaozhe watched the young man's retreating figure, his gaze lingering for a long time.
A fiery red figure swept in with a rush of scorching heat. The silver bells in Ma Xiaotao's hair shook violently, and excitement danced in her red eyes. Even her breathing beneath the thin red veil had quickened. "Old Yan! You were right! That Huo Yuhao..."
She paused, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the right hand with which she had taken the grilled fish. "His Ultimate Ice really can suppress my Evil Fire!"
Yan Shaozhe set down the pen in his hand. The traces of ink scattered across the paper showed that he had been working on documents. Seeing his disciple's elation, he smiled, a rare sight. "I just spoke with him. He's already left."
"What? He just left?" Ma Xiaotao took a sudden half-step forward, the hem of her fiery red skirt sweeping over the white jade floor tiles. "Why so soon? I still wanted to..." Her voice gradually trailed off; it was unclear whether she regretted not talking to him a little longer or was annoyed at missing the best opportunity.
"I still wanted to talk to him some more."
"Don't rush." Yan Shaozhe rose and pushed open the window of the dean's office. The sound of birds returning home, wings beating in the dusk, drifted in with the evening breeze. "I'll arrange for you two to meet tomorrow, specifically so he can suppress your Evil Fire."
As he turned, a glint flashed in his eyes. "And when he heard about your Evil Fire, he agreed readily."
Ma Xiaotao's tense shoulders relaxed at once. She leaned back on another sofa and let out a relieved laugh. "That's wonderful... really wonderful!" She raised a hand and removed her gauze mask, revealing a delicate face, a faint sheen of sweat still on her temples from her hurried journey.
"Recruiting a genius like him is indeed Shrek's good fortune." Yan Shaozhe stroked the white beard on his chin, his gaze deep as an abyss. "A Body Martial Soul, the Spirit Eyes, Twin Martial Souls, Ultimate Ice..." He paused, his voice tinged with emotion. "If this boy can grow into his strength, his future achievements will be limitless."
Ma Xiaotao looked out at the deepening night, recalling the blue figure by the grilled fish stall. The young man's focused expression as he turned the fish skewers, and the coolness his fingertips had conveyed when he handed her the fish, replayed in her mind. "Yes, he really is an interesting little fellow..." she murmured, a meaningful smile curving her lips. "I'm starting to look forward to meeting him tomorrow."
Night fell like ink, shrouding Shrek Academy in silence. Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged on his dormitory bed, moonlight streaming through the window and casting a cold sheen over his blue hair.
The two Soul Ascension Pills turned into a gentle warmth that flowed through his meridians, mingling with the Soul Power he had accumulated through arduous cultivation over the past few days. At last, they pushed his cultivation to level thirty-two.
He sighed softly. There was still no sign of a Soul Ring. Although he had the Eight-Nine Arcane Art and it didn't matter whether he needed a Soul Ring now, he held to the principle that even a fly was meat, however small. He still had to cultivate his Martial Soul as he should.
Just as he was about to circulate the Eight-Nine Arcane Art to consolidate his cultivation, a chilling voice suddenly exploded in his mind. "Don't you think you're useless, Huo Yuhao? You couldn't protect your loved one, couldn't protect your teacher. You can't do anything."
Huo Yuhao shuddered, his previously calm state instantly thrown into disorder. His eyes snapped open, a wary gleam in their blue depths. "Who?!" He sprang to his feet, knocking over the pillow beside him. Yet in the empty dormitory, there was only his own voice. There wasn't another person in sight.
"Betrayed by your family, manipulated by others..." The voice grew shriller, hissing like a venomous snake flicking its tongue. "Are you really happy? Are you glad?" Its words carried a bone-piercing chill, stabbing straight into the most vulnerable corner of Huo Yuhao's heart.
Cold sweat trickled down his back. The young man staggered and caught himself against the corner of the desk, his knuckles whitening from the force of his grip. Memories of his previous life surged in like a tide: the despair of Wang Qiu'er dissolving in his arms, the sacrifices the Snow Empress and the others had made for him, Electrolux's resolve as he burned his divine sense to protect him, and the helplessness of being played with in the palm of fate's hand time and again... The pain he had buried deep in his heart was laid bare, piece by piece, by the mysterious voice.
"Impossible..." Huo Yuhao muttered, veins bulging at his temples. "Is this an illusion, or... who are you?"
Laughter suddenly rang out in the darkness, scraping across his eardrums like rusty gears, carrying a bone-piercing chill. "You ask who I am?" The voice gradually took form, casting a distorted human shadow on the wall that quivered with the sound. "I am you."
P.S.: Thanks to wasaws and Lu Lingchen for the tips. Thank you for your support.