[In the Sky Screen, the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion no longer hesitated. She walked up to Huo Yuhao, raised her tail hook, and pierced it into his back.]
[Huo Yuhao only felt a surge of extremely cold power flooding into his body, a power so vast it almost ruptured his meridians. He wanted to scream, but could not make a sound. His body began to freeze, spreading from his chest to his limbs, quickly turning him into an ice sculpture.]
[But in this extreme cold, he felt a trace of warmth—that was the origin power of the Heavenly Dream Ice Worm, protecting his heart meridians.]
[He did not know how much time had passed, when with a "crack," the ice sculpture split open.]
[Huo Yuhao opened his eyes and discovered that icy blue patterns had appeared on his skin; these were the marks left by the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion's origin within his body. At this moment, his spirit power surged wildly—from level twenty, rushing all the way to level twenty-three! And in his palm, a ball of extreme ice mist was condensing.]
[Second Spirit, Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, awakened.]
[The first spirit ring of his second Spirit, a red spirit ring born from the sacrifice of the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, floated quietly behind him.]
[Huo Yuhao stared blankly at his hands, speechless for a long time.]
[In his sea of consciousness, the voice of the Heavenly Dream Ice Worm sounded: "Kid, congratulations, the God-Making Plan has officially begun."]
[The voice of the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion also came, still cold, but carrying a trace of resigned helplessness: "Kid, remember what you said today. If you cannot become a god, I will be the first to tear you apart."]
[Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and said silently in his heart:]
["I will."]
...
Black World, Douluo Continent.
"Second Spirit! Red spirit ring! I truly believe he is the Child of Fortune of the Douluo Continent!"
"His spirit power surged directly from level twenty to level twenty-three? That is too exaggerated!"
"That is the sacrifice of the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, after all. The origin power of two great fierce beasts is on him, how could it not be exaggerated?"
Someone murmured: "From today on, Huo Yuhao is no longer that good-for-nothing. He has the blessing of two great fierce beasts, possesses Ultimate Ice, and has Spirit Detection; his future achievements..."
"But the Huo Yuhao from the other World also has these."
"Yes, but he from that World has even more."
Everyone fell silent.
...
Shrek City, Inner Court.
Xuan Zi gazed at the youth on the Sky Screen who had just obtained his second Spirit, speechless for a long time.
Yan Shaozhe said softly: "Elder Xuan, Huo Yuhao he... so this is how he obtained his second Spirit."
Xuan Zi nodded: "No wonder his strength increased greatly after he returned in his second year; it turns out he obtained the sacrifice of the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion."
Fan Yu said from the side: "With the blessing of two great fierce beasts, this child's future potential... we truly misjudged him before."
Xuan Zi smiled bitterly: "It is not just you and me who misjudged him."
He recalled his own words from back then, "limited potential," and felt a complex mix of emotions in his heart.
...
White World, Sun Moon Empire, Bright Capital.
The commoners looked at the scene on the Sky Screen, discussing animatedly.
"The Venerable Ming of the Black World has also obtained the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion."
"But it seems she was not very willing when he obtained her; the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion keeps calling him a good-for-nothing."
"When our Venerable Ming goes to the Far North Land, it will definitely be different."
"Of course! Venerable Ming has Electrolux, perhaps he can directly persuade the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion to sacrifice herself willingly."
"Yes, yes, yes, with Venerable Ming's eloquence, he can even persuade Electrolux, so what does the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion matter?"
...
White World, Reincarnation God Realm.
Gu Yuena gazed at the Sky Screen, a smile on her lips.
"The Ice Jade Empress Scorpion has also been obtained."
Wang Qiuer asked curiously: "That Ice Jade Empress Scorpion does not seem to think much of him?"
"It is like that at the beginning." Gu Yuena nodded, "But later, she will discover that her choice was correct."
Snow Empress said softly: "The Ice Jade Empress Scorpion of that World will also, like the Heavenly Dream Ice Worm, become one of his most important partners."
She paused, and looked at the youth currently traveling in the scene on the right:
"And the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion on his side will be even more willing."
...
In the Sky Screen on the left, the scene continued to flow:
[After Huo Yuhao completed the God-Making, the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion fell into a deep slumber. Afterwards, under the guidance of the Heavenly Dream Ice Worm, Huo Yuhao came to the outskirts of the Far North Land and obtained the second spirit ring for his Spirit Eyes Martial Soul. The source of this spirit ring was a Spirit Beast of the Heavenly Dream Ice Worm's own race, and the Spirit Ability it provided was Simulation.]
[However, after finishing all this, he was only one step away from the start of the term at Shrek Academy.]
...
Black World, Douluo Continent.
In the tavern, the commoners watched with great interest.
"Simulation? This Spirit Ability is good! In the future, he can disguise all his spirit rings as white; no one will know how strong he is."
"This is truly playing the pig to eat the tiger! On the surface, he looks like a good-for-nothing, but in reality, he has two million-year spirit rings on him."
"But he is already late, right? Shrek's rules are so strict; what will happen if he is late?"
Everyone remembered Zhou Yi's methods and couldn't help but break into a cold sweat for Huo Yuhao.
...
[After absorbing the spirit ring, Huo Yuhao calculated the time, and his expression changed slightly.]
["Oh no."]
[He had stayed in the Far North Land for too long; going and coming back had consumed too much time. There were less than ten days left until the start of the term at Shrek Academy. Yet, he was still on the outskirts of the Far North Land, thousands of miles away from Shrek City.]
[Huo Yuhao did not hesitate and immediately set off to rush back. He traveled day and night, even eating on the road; his legs seemed tireless, just blindly moving forward, forward.]
[However, a journey of thousands of miles could not be completed in just a few days.]
[When Huo Yuhao finally saw the outline of Shrek City, it was already the evening of the third day of the term.]
[He stood outside the city gate, gazing at the towering city, his heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.]
[He was late.]
[He was late by three whole days.]
...
Black World, Douluo Continent.
"It's over, it's over. With Zhou Yi's temper, wouldn't she expel him for being three days late?"
"But he is the first place in the freshman assessment, shouldn't he have some special treatment?"
"First place? What first place? He only 'enjoys core treatment for one year', he is not even a core disciple. In Zhou Yi's eyes, what difference is there between him and an ordinary student?"
Someone sighed: "This child has it too hard. He risked his life to become stronger, and upon returning, he still has to face punishment."
"But if he didn't go to the Far North Land, where would he get his second Spirit? Where would he get his million-year spirit ring?"
"This is a death loop. If he goes, he is late; if he doesn't go, he has no strength."
...
Shrek City, Inner Court.
Xuan Zi gazed at the youth standing outside the city gate on the Sky Screen, his brows slightly furrowed.
"He is three days late."
Yan Shaozhe nodded: "According to Zhou Yi's rules, being late for one day means expulsion. Three days..."
He did not continue.
Fan Yu said from the side: "But he truly had extenuating circumstances. What he went to do is also beneficial for Shrek. What a student blessed by two great fierce beasts means for the Academy, Zhou Yi cannot be unaware of."
Xuan Zi was silent for a moment, then said softly: "Zhou Yi knows, but she might not care."
Everyone fell silent.
Because they all knew that in Zhou Yi's dictionary, there were never the words "special exception."