After the discussion ended, both sides left. As the Shrek Academy members were led to their respective rooms, in another smaller hall, Du Busi stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the Douluo Continent map, and said in a deep voice, "How do you feel?"
Behind him, Long Aotian and Vina stood respectfully.
Without hesitation, Long Aotian stated directly, "In a contest of spiritual power, I am considerably weaker than him under normal circumstances. The outcome is still uncertain once we enter the realm of perfect harmony between heaven and man."
Poisonous Undying calmly nodded. "Huo Yuhao is a spirit-attribute soul master, so it's normal for his spiritual power to be naturally strong. Coupled with the cultivation of Shrek Academy and his own opportunities for growth, this kid will undoubtedly be the successor of the Sea God Pavilion Master in the future."
"Aotian, do you harbor any resentment towards your teacher?"
Long Aotian's expression turned serious, and he said in a deep voice, "When I was young, I was almost killed by an evil soul master. It was you who saved me and adopted me, which is why I am where I am today. Your life is greater than heaven; how could I harbor resentment?"
Poisonous Undying sighed, "I, as your teacher, naturally understand your sincerity, but the Seed of Inheritance is related to the most hidden secret of our Body Sect, and we cannot be careless. That's why I had no choice but to let Huo Yuhao try. If Huo Yuhao can pass the test, everything will be fine; if he fails, he will have to remain silent for who knows how many years."
"Teacher, isn't there any other way for Aotian to advance further and try to inherit the Seed of Inheritance?" Vina asked, unable to contain herself.
Silence fell over the hall.
Vina sighed sadly, but just as Long Aotian was about to comfort her, Du Busi spoke up, "There is a way."
"Whoosh." Hearing this, Long Aotian and Vina simultaneously looked up sharply at Du Busi's back.
"Please explain, Teacher. This disciple is willing to go through fire and water to complete it," Long Aotian said resolutely. Du Busi
shook his head and said in a deep voice, "You two are both my disciples, so telling you some secrets is nothing. Do you know why the Seed of Inheritance doesn't have much impact on the sect, but every sect leader tries their best to find a suitable person to inherit it? The answer is simple: the Seed of Inheritance contains a portion of the power of the gods."
"What?" Long Aotian and Vina's expressions changed drastically.
Related to the gods?
Poison Immortal continued, "Back then, the first sect leader was being hunted by enemies. Historical records state that he fell into the ocean and had a sudden enlightenment. In reality, he fell into a secret realm connected to the ocean. Within that realm, there was a divine temple. The ancestor obtained the Seed of Inheritance from within the temple, and his cultivation increased dramatically. He ultimately turned the tables and killed his enemies. But unfortunately, the ancestor lacked the talent to advance further."
"When the ancestor was nearing the end of his life, he said that those who obtain the Seed of Inheritance must at least possess the talent to become gods. I passed the test back then, and I was overjoyed, thinking I could become a god. But later I learned that even with the talent to become a god, there are different levels, and I was only at the lowest level."
"After inheriting the Seed of Inheritance, I had one chance to sense the location of the secret realm's entrance, but unfortunately, the perception was too vague, making it impossible to proceed. Unless a descendant can directly obtain the entrance location with extremely high talent, everything will be in vain."
"Aotian, your talent is indeed remarkable. Before you were even twenty, you had already reached the Unity of Heaven and Man realm. But when you broke through to the Unity of Heaven and Man realm, I secretly tested you with the Seed of Inheritance, and it failed. You do have the talent to become a god, but it's still inferior to what I had back then."
"There are many ways to forcibly raise one's talent throughout the world. The clearest way is to consume immortal herbs, just like the original Shrek Seven Devils ten thousand years ago."
"Don't be fooled by the stories of the original Shrek Seven Devils, who were all over the place, seemingly invincible at their age. Without the help of immortal herbs, what were they?"
"So, if we can find the immortal herbs, we can let Aotian inherit the Seed of Inheritance?" Vina said solemnly.
Poison Undying said in a deep voice, "This is the only way. After all, the secret realm recorded in the Seed of Inheritance has never been visited by anyone except our ancestor. Starting with our exceptional talent, sensing the location of the secret realm is the only way we know to enter it."
"But immortal herbs are too rare," Long Aotian shook his head.
A resolute look appeared on Vina's pretty face. "I'll go back to the palace right now and explain to my father that I must find the Immortal Herb for Aotian on the Douluo Continent."
With that, Vina turned to leave, but Long Aotian, quick as a flash, grabbed her arm. "Nana, you should know how difficult it is to obtain the Immortal Herb. Even with a high reward, there's no way anyone would offer it. After all, who on the Douluo Continent doesn't know the Immortal Herb's fame? They're too busy consuming it themselves to share it."
"But..." Vina frowned upon hearing this. "Then what will you do?"
"Alright." Long Aotian gently rubbed Vina's head. "Even if I can't inherit the Seed of Inheritance, it doesn't mean I can't lead our Body Sect to greater heights in the future. Gods are ultimately ethereal beings. In the past ten thousand years, besides the original Shrek Seven Devils, have you seen anyone else become a god?"
Vina fell silent; indeed, there hadn't been.
"Teacher, since Huo Yuhao intends to participate in the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School's sect competition, I might as well participate as well and test his strength." Long Aotian turned and respectfully said to Du Busi, "Didn't the Grand Elder of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School intend to ask our Body Sect for help? Agree to his request."
Hearing this, Du Busi chuckled and said, "Since you have an idea, then fine. I'll have Third Brother go and talk to them. Aotian, you will participate in the competition on behalf of their Grand Elder's lineage. If nothing unexpected happens, Huo Yuhao should be representing the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School's Sect Master's lineage. You two will run into each other."
Long Aotian bowed respectfully, his expression extremely resolute.
"Knock knock."
Suddenly, there was a knock on the tightly closed door, and all three people in the room looked over.
Vina took the initiative to open the door, and as the door opened, an old man dressed in simple robes walked in. His distinctive feature was that his two palms were exceptionally large and heavy.
"What's wrong, Fourth Brother?" Du Busi asked with a smile.
The old man, his face grave, stepped forward and said, "Sect Master, something has happened."
"Speak," Poison Undying said, his smile vanishing.
The Fourth Elder, known as the Fourth Elder, said in a deep voice, "News has come from the royal family: one layer of the seal on the far north has been opened."
"What?" Upon hearing this, Poison Undying, Long Aotian, and Vina all paled. The former said in a deep voice, "Opened?"
"That's right," the Fourth Elder said solemnly. "It is said that when the seal was opened, a strong blue-gold light covered the sky surrounding the far north, and then the seal seemed to be swallowed up, disappearing without a trace."
"Blue-gold light." Poison Undying frowned. "What about the other seals?"
"They still exist," the Fourth Elder answered truthfully.
"Heh." Poison Undying sneered, "Even I, who am about to step into the Limit Douluo realm, cannot cause any damage to the seals, yet someone can secretly erase them. It seems the rumors circulating are true; it's the Sea Soul Masters at work."
"These sea spirit masters who haven't set foot on land for ten thousand years are suddenly coming in droves. What are they up to?"
"Sect Master, what should we do?" the Fourth Elder asked.
"I'll go check it out myself first thing tomorrow morning. You and Third Brother can stay and guard Heaven Dou City. Ao Tian is preparing to participate in the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School's sect competition," Poison Undying said casually, his gaze fixed on the location of the far north on the Douluo Continent map on the wall.
"Yes, sir," the Fourth Elder replied.
The banquet was quite lavish. As the host, Poison Undying was not stingy. Rows of delicacies were laid out on the long table, emitting an alluring aroma that made one's mouth water.
In addition to the people from the Body Sect and Shrek Academy, many hotel staff also enjoyed the meal.
By this time, how could Huo Yuhao still not understand? The Snow Lotus Hotel was a hotel exclusively for the royal family, and all the staff inside were trusted confidants of the royal family.
As elders, Du Busi and Old Song chatted leisurely. The older generation, the more they enjoyed reminiscing about the past; they too had risen from youth.
Huo Yuhao was also talking with Long Aotian, like two kindred spirits who had met too late.
Huo Yuhao genuinely admired this tough guy who died protecting his fiancée.
"Brother Huo, if there's a chance in the future, we must have a proper spar." Long Aotian's resolute face showed longing. He didn't reveal that he would spar with Huo Yuhao at the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School's sect competition.
"Isn't the next Soul Battle Tournament an opportunity?" Huo Yuhao said with a faint smile.
"The Soul Battle Tournament?" Vina, sitting beside him, was immediately surprised. "Have you forgotten? Only academies are allowed to participate in the Soul Battle Tournament; sect disciples are excluded."
Huo Yuhao paused, looking up in surprise. "Hasn't the Sun Moon Empire sent any news yet?"
"What news?" Long Aotian and Vina couldn't help but ask.
"The new Soul Battle Tournament will open up a wider list of participants, and the restrictions on sects will be lifted. Anyone under the age of twenty can participate, even if they belong to a sect," Huo Yuhao explained.
Long Aotian and Vina exchanged glances. Vina asked in surprise, "We really didn't know about this. How did you find out?"
Huo Yuhao quickly recovered and said, "It seems the Sun Moon Empire hasn't publicized these new rules yet. To be honest, I recently went to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy as an exchange student on behalf of the academy, and I heard about it from my own mentor."
Long Aotian's eyes lit up instantly, clearly showing his interest in this news.
In contrast, Vina's expression was solemn. "If the Sun Moon Empire lifts the restriction that sects cannot participate, I'm afraid countless forces across the entire Douluo Continent will join in. After all, unless they are reclusive sects, all forces crave greater popularity to strengthen themselves."
"But this could also lead to a crisis. If the Sun Moon Empire sabotages things midway, it could wipe out the younger generation of all non-Sun Moon Empire forces in one fell swoop."
Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow, looking at Vina with a hint of curiosity.
As expected of someone from royalty, Vina's worries were almost identical to those in the original story.
"Huo Yuhao, are you sure the Soul Battle Tournament will lift the restriction preventing sects from participating?" Vina asked solemnly.
"I'm sure," Huo Yuhao nodded. Even though he hadn't read the original story, he had heard Lin Jiayi, the dean of studies at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, mention it many times during his exchange student period.
"Thank you," Vina said earnestly. She had decided that after the banquet, she would immediately return to the palace to discuss this matter with her father.
If it was really as she guessed, the Sun Moon Empire was probably preparing a grand scheme.
Of course, even if the royal family wanted to stop it, it was impossible. After all, the sect members were too eager for the Soul Battle Tournament; once the restriction was lifted, they would definitely participate with great enthusiasm.
All the royal family could do was prepare a contingency plan in advance.
"By the way, Huo Yuhao, is Sister Le Xuan feeling unwell? She looked a little melancholy and went outside without eating much," Vina said, having already made up her mind.
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao turned his head and looked around. Sure enough, he didn't see his senior sister, even though she had just been there.
After a slight silence, Huo Yuhao stood up and said apologetically, "You guys eat first, I'll go check on my senior sister."
"Okay." Long Aotian and Vina nodded.
Leaving the dining room, Huo Yuhao came to the corridor decorated with moonlight. A flash of gold appeared in his eyes, and he instantly found Zhang Lexuan's location.
Immediately, he strode towards the place he sensed.
On the other side, in the garden balcony next to the dining room, Zhang Lexuan sat on a bench, looking up at the bright moon. Her beautiful face was filled with melancholy and loss. In her hands, she held a necklace that emitted a soft silver-white light.
"The senior sister I know has always been optimistic and positive."
Suddenly, a figure came from behind the bench.
Zhang Lexuan's expression was slightly unfocused. Before she could say anything, Huo Yuhao walked over to the bench, crossed his arms, and also looked up at the moon.
Zhang Lexuan turned to Huo Yuhao in surprise. "Yuhao, what brings you here?"
"Sister Lexuan, you've been here before, haven't you?" Huo Yuhao turned around and spoke gently.
"How come you always guess so accurately?" Zhang Lexuan paused, then smiled bitterly. "Yes, I have. When I was little, my mother took me here, right here, and we watched the moon together."
"But there will never be anyone to watch the moon with me again."
Her voice grew weaker, filled with bitterness.
"Who says? I was just watching the moon with you, Sister Lexuan!" Huo Yuhao said cheerfully.
Just as Zhang Lexuan was lost in thought, Huo Yuhao sat down on the bench. Not content with that, he muttered to himself, "The moon is indeed quite round tonight, like a glutinous rice ball."
Hearing Huo Yuhao's comparison, Zhang Lexuan couldn't help but chuckle. Perhaps it was Huo Yuhao's smooth talk, but inexplicably, her melancholy and lonely sense of loss lessened considerably. She opened up, saying, "Yuhao, would you like to hear my story?"
"Yes," Huo Yuhao replied briefly.
Zhang Lexuan smiled, her beautiful and refined face as captivating as moonlight: "My martial soul is the moon, which has given me a great fondness for the moon since childhood."
Huo Yuhao remained silent, listening attentively.
"When I was little, my mother would tell me the names of the different shapes of the moon. Occasionally, my father would join in, letting me ride on his shoulders and running with him, letting me touch the moon with my hands. But the moon was too high, I never touched it."
"On the contrary, I could easily grasp the moonlight in my palm. It's just a pity that moonlight is like water; no matter how tightly you hold it, it will slip away…" As she spoke, Zhang Lexuan's voice lowered, even becoming slightly hoarse, "Like that night, the gentleness on my mother's face, I couldn't hold onto it no matter what. She had so much blood on her body, and the moonlight that night seemed to have turned blood red."
"Later, Elder Mu saved me, and I came to the academy. There were many peers around me, or older brothers and sisters. They were all very kind, but I knew that I no longer had a family; I was an orphan."
"I slowly grew up in the academy, taking over the title of chief from the older brothers and sisters I had once known. On full moon nights, I would look at the moon and ask it, if I had the cultivation I have now that year, could I have changed everything? But no one could tell me the answer. Not even myself."
"I haven't slept for many years, spending my time in meditation, because I'm afraid to sleep. If I do, I'll dream of the tragic deaths of my entire family."
"Elder Mu once advised me, saying that he had dealt with the enemies who slaughtered my family, and that my family's hatred had been avenged. But I know Elder Mu was just comforting me, because I witnessed my mother being killed by a Soul Master who could turn invisible. That person didn't die; I even remember their appearance and aura clearly."
"I started frantically participating in the Surveillance Team's missions, trying to find clues, but unfortunately, it was all in vain. As I began to suffer numerous injuries, I gradually despaired. It was Bei Bei who kept comforting me. When he was little, he patted his chest and said he would follow me to find our enemies and protect me from harm. I was so happy, so happy that I stopped treating Bei Bei like a younger brother, because I was no longer alone. But I think now he has someone who needs his protection more."
"I want to thank you, Yuhao, because the academy brought you to Heaven Dou City. Every aspect of Heaven Dou City reminded me that I cannot forget my hatred."
"Do you know? The academy has produced you and Xiao Tao, and many more geniuses. I'm happier than anyone else. Because after Elder Mu and the others passed away, and after Dean Yan and the others grew old, the academy has successors. I can temporarily put down my burdens. And I've already thought about leaving the academy after you grow up, to travel the continent and find the enemies who killed my mother and family."
"By the way, what I told you, you mustn't tell anyone else." Zhang Lexuan first instructed Huo Yuhao, then sighed silently.
She was the same as before, going around in circles, ultimately alone.
After she finished speaking, the garden balcony fell into a long silence. The mist in Zhang Lexuan's eyes was easily concealed; she didn't show her vulnerable side to Huo Yuhao.
She was the senior sister, forever the omnipotent senior sister in the eyes of all her juniors—vulnerable, something no one else could see.
But how could she successfully conceal it under the perception of Huo Yuhao, a spirit-attribute soul master?
Looking at Zhang Lexuan, bathed in moonlight as if draped in a silvery-white veil, Huo Yuhao thought for a moment and said resolutely, "I'll help you."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Lexuan paused, her expression showing visibly astonishment as she looked at Huo Yuhao. "You'll help me?" she asked
. "I'll help you!" Huo Yuhao answered without hesitation, his eyes fixed on Zhang Lexuan. Zhang
Lexuan's beautiful eyes widened slightly, a ripple of emotion stirring in her lonely heart. Looking at Huo Yuhao's resolute expression and focused gaze, she seemed to realize something. She quickly changed the subject, saying softly, "It's getting late. The Body Sect has prepared a banquet. It's not good for us to be gone for so long. Let's go back."
Although flustered by Huo Yuhao's words, Zhang Lexuan maintained her composure and immediately retraced her steps.
Huo Yuhao called out, "Sister Lexuan, the candy I gave you is specially made. It will melt if left out for too long, but you can try eating it."
Each of these candies cost over a hundred gold soul coins, all made from the juice of spirit fruits cultivated by Shrek Academy using ordinary fruits.
Zhang Lexuan didn't reply, but simply waved her hand to indicate that she had heard him.
If the people from the inner courtyard saw Sister Lexuan's current appearance, they would be surprised... Huo Yuhao sighed softly. Even the composed and composed senior sister in the eyes of the world had such worries.
Just as he was about to look away, Huo Yuhao's gaze suddenly froze. As Zhang Lexuan waved her hand, something vaguely flashed in her jade-like hand.
The appearance of this thing was very similar to the "key" used to open the light barrier in the Moon Secret Realm.
His pupils contracted sharply.
...
After leaving the garden balcony, Zhang Lexuan gently ran her fingers over the necklace adorned with a crescent-shaped jade, then stored it in her storage ring.
This was an heirloom necklace, a treasure she cherished more than life itself.
The next moment, a beautifully wrapped candy appeared in her hand. Her slender, pale fingers deftly unwrapped it, revealing a pale pink candy.
She put it in her mouth, and the sweet and sour taste immediately combined with her taste buds, spreading throughout her body.
"Strawberry flavor." Zhang Lexuan's beautiful eyes widened slightly. Strawberries were the fruit abundant in Tiandou City.
It was the fruit she had eaten since childhood, and her favorite.
How did Yuhao know her preferences...? Zhang Lexuan was somewhat puzzled, but after carefully tasting it, a smile involuntarily appeared on her lips. The sweet and sour taste could indeed erase bitterness.
"Thank you." Looking back towards the garden balcony, Zhang Lexuan murmured to herself, her smile returning to its usual calm.
----------------------------
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