Chapter 33: Selection of Level 40 Core Disciples with Their Own MotivesThe next day, early morning, the first rays of dawn appeared.Dai Youheng slowly opened his eyes, and the surging spirit power around him gradually subsided, became introverted, and finally stabilized at a completely new level, like a tide.Feeling the power within him, which was far more immense than yesterday, a satisfied smile involuntarily curved his lips.Level forty!He had finally broken through the limits of a Spirit Elder and officially stepped into the threshold of a Spirit Ancestor!Originally, he thought that with the soul ascension pill and whale glue, he could at most reach the peak of level thirty-nine, and would still need a period of accumulation to challenge level forty.Unexpectedly, the soul ascension pill's medicinal effect was indeed overbearing, directly pushing him from late level thirty-eight to mid level thirty-nine.Then, the whale glue widened his meridians, he circulated his cultivation technique, and a large amount of vital energy surged in.But his breakthrough to level forty was by no means entirely due to the soul ascension pill and whale glue; it was more because of his special cultivation technique.The effect of the ten-thousand-year whale glue in widening meridians and strengthening the physique further significantly increased the efficiency of his cultivation technique. The combination allowed him to break through that bottleneck in one go!"Congratulations, Youheng," the Snow Empress's clear, cold voice sounded at the opportune moment, carrying a hint of approval. "The cultivation technique you possess is indeed profound. It seems to be intimately related to the cultivator's physical strength. The stronger the physique, the faster the cultivation technique operates, and the cultivation speed increases accordingly. The creator of this method is definitely not human; it is likely some beast king with an incredibly terrifying physical body.""Haha, it seems the guy who threw me over here is indeed not human in the physical sense," Dai Youheng chuckled, in a rather good mood. An increase in strength was always pleasant, especially since it meant he was closer to his next plan.Breaking through to level forty, the most important thing next was to find a suitable time to ask for leave from the Academy and go acquire the "great gift" the Snow Empress mentioned—that hundred-thousand-year spirit ring!He already had a plan in mind.He remembered that soon, the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament would kick off. Before that, Shrek Academy would hold an internal core disciple selection, aimed at choosing reserve Shrek Seven Devils to accompany the main team members to participate in the competition and gain experience.Because this World leaned towards an anime setting, the team leader would likely not be Wang Yan from the original work, but rather the more violent homeroom teacher, Zhou Yi.At that time, the entire Academy's attention would be focused on the tournament and the selection, and management would be relatively lax. It would be the best time for him to ask for leave and depart from the Academy!That's right, he had no intention of representing Shrek in that tournament. In the core disciple selection, he would just casually fight, intentionally lose, and be eliminated.Such team competitions offered limited help for his rapid personal strength improvement; he preferred to use this time to acquire tangible opportunities."However, Star Luo City will still need to be visited," Youheng thought, changing his mind. During the tournament, the capital of the Star Luo Empire would undoubtedly gather heroes, and auction houses from various places would also bring out their best treasures. The Spirit Devouring Dagger containing the Gold of Life from the original work appeared during this period.He could skip the tournament, but he absolutely could not miss such a treasure that could nourish divine sense and contained immense vitality.With the plan set, he composed himself.The sky was already faintly bright. He got up to wash, then went next door to wake the Lan Sisters, preparing to return to the Academy together. Today was not a rest day; they still had classes.The two sisters were refreshed, clearly having gained a lot from a night of cultivation. Especially the elder sister, Lan Susu, whose spirit power fluctuations were noticeably stronger, having successfully broken through to level thirty!Seeing this, Dai Youheng casually complimented her, "Congratulations, level thirty."A simple sentence, yet it made Lan Susu's heart blossom, her pretty face slightly red, as she whispered, "Thank you, Big Brother Youheng, for the soul ascension pill."Lan Luoluo, beside her, pouted a little enviously, "Hmph, my sister's spirit power was always just a tiny bit stronger than mine. I'm at the peak of level twenty-nine now, and I'll catch up soon!"Lan Susu smiled and ruffled her sister's hair, offering comfort. She did not plan to immediately go acquire her third spirit ring, because the core disciple selection was imminent, and she was very much looking forward to achieving good results in the selection. If she were to rush back and forth to hunt for a spirit ring, she might miss the time.For most Shrek Academy students, the title of "Shrek Seven Devils" held an unparalleled appeal.Of course, eccentrics like Dai Youheng, who only wanted to become stronger himself and had no interest in collective honor, were exceptions.The three returned to the Academy together. As soon as they entered the classroom, they felt an unusual commotion.In the center of the classroom, a tall, curvaceous, stunning woman with fiery red hair was urgently grabbing Huo Yuhao's arm. The woman radiated extremely hot and powerful spirit power fluctuations, and behind her, the faint phantom of a flaming phoenix flickered!"Huo Yuhao, come with me!" The red-haired woman's tone was urgent, giving Huo Yuhao no chance to resist. Powerful spirit power enveloped him, directly smashing through the window, transforming into a red light that shot into the sky, instantly disappearing into the horizon!"Ma Xiaotao?" Dai Youheng immediately recognized the woman's identity.Evil Fire Phoenix Ma Xiaotao. It seemed her Evil Fire was uncontrollable, and she was in a hurry to neutralize it with Yuhao's ultimate ice. He immediately understood the reason.Actually, when it came to solving Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire problem, his "snow soul condensing ice pill" might be more effective.As long as Ma Xiaotao took the pill, she would temporarily possess the ultimate ice attribute herself, allowing her to suppress and even slowly resolve the Evil Fire. If she could continuously take it for a period, a complete cure was possible.But Dai Youheng instantly dismissed this idea.Not related by blood or friendship, why should he waste precious spirit power and time giving her pills every day? To be confined to her side as an exclusive physician for a year or half a year? He also had no interest in this type of fiery and aggressive woman.If he were to look for a woman, there were many beauties on this continent, and it would be better to find one who was gentle, considerate, and obedient.More importantly, once Ma Xiaotao and those behind her, such as Yan Shaozhe and Elder Xuan, knew he had such an ability, given Shrek's style and Ma Xiaotao's domineering personality, he probably wouldn't be able to leave Shrek Academy.Most likely, he would be "invited" into the Sea Gods Pavilion to focus on treating Ma Xiaotao, temporarily losing his freedom.Mind your own business, and protect yourself wisely.Dai Youheng had no intention of interfering, as if he hadn't seen anything, and calmly walked to his seat.At the same time, Dai Huabin also learned the results of last night's operation through special channels.The people sent to assassinate Huo Yuhao were completely annihilated due to Ma Xiaotao's sudden intervention and the terrifying phoenix flames! The higher-ups of Shrek Academy seemed to have been alarmed and had begun investigating the matter, which made his heart tighten.And the people sent to ambush Dai Youheng, preparing to snatch back the Spirit Bone, were fruitless, having fed mosquitoes all night in the suburbs because the target did not return overnight!Both plans completely failed!"Useless! All of them are useless!" Dai Huabin's face turned ashen with rage in his room, almost spitting out a mouthful of blood. Several expensive porcelain items were smashed by him.The continuous setbacks had accumulated his anger and resentment to their peak."Good, very good! Huo Yuhao, Dai Youheng!" His eyes were extremely sinister. "Since the covert approach doesn't work, then we'll resolve it openly! The core disciple selection... you all just wait for me!"Unbeknownst to them, within Shrek Academy, many people's gazes and calculations were focused on the upcoming core disciple selection competition.Some yearned for honor, some wanted to prove themselves, and some planned to leave.And some looked forward to settling scores on the battlefield.
