Douluo Continent: The Peerless Hunting Heavenly Lord, Huo Yuhao!

Moon's smile remained unchanged, but his tone became more serious: "What I mean is... I'm genuinely interested in joining Shrek."

Huo Yuhao remained silent.

Mu En's smile faded slightly, and his eyes darkened a bit, as if he had already guessed what Mu En was thinking.

Huo Yuhao knew perfectly well that the moment he became Yang Jian's disciple, he was already the sole heir of the fourth generation of the Chan Sect of Taoism.

For him, Shrek Academy was a place to learn and a springboard to acquire resources, not a force to which he needed to pledge allegiance.

Shrek Academy may look glamorous, but it has been in power for too long. The three kingdoms are outwardly submissive, but they are secretly harboring resentment. Other forces dare not speak out against it. It is practically a walking "hatred bag".

Shrek's glory is too heavy a burden. For the now decaying Shrek, it is both a shackle that binds its hands and feet and an opportunity to break through and be reborn. Success will extend its life for ten thousand years, while failure will lead to eternal damnation.

But those grievances had already piled up to a mountain. The best proof of this is that in the original work, the Holy Spirit Cult, together with the Spirit Pagoda, used a God-Slaying Fixed Soul Missile to flatten Shrek Academy.

As for why no one dared to make the first move?

It's all because of that great god, Moon.

Even if he's half-crippled, he's still a Limit Douluo. The dozen or so Title Douluos in the Sea God Pavilion are a solid foundation. Who would dare to provoke him?

But all of this has nothing to do with Huo Yuhao.

Having figured this out, Huo Yuhao bowed respectfully, his tone still gentle: "Thank you for your kindness, sir, but what I ask for is not the inheritance of the Sea God Pavilion."

Looking into his eyes, Moon sighed softly and didn't press the matter further.

Geniuses have their own pride, which cannot be forced.

"I'll take my leave now." Huo Yuhao said no more and turned to leave.

……

Shrek City

Huo Yuhao looked at the courtyard deed in his hand and his lips twitched: "Three hundred gold soul coins, that's highway robbery!"

Fortunately, although the courtyard is small, it has all the necessary facilities, including a separate practice room, so it's not a complete loss.

After tidying up the courtyard, Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged in the center of the training room, his spiritual power sinking into his sea of ​​consciousness. He said to the illusory image of the divine dog, which was entirely black and had eyes as sharp as glass, "Uncle-Master, although I have cultivated the Nine Revolutions Yuan Gong, my three martial souls—Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun, Tianyan, and Di Gong—are all of extreme attributes. My cultivation speed is as slow as a snail's crawl. How can I overcome this?"

After a moment of contemplation, a glint of light flashed in his crimson eyes: "Young Master, do you know about formations?"

The two words were like a wake-up call, and Huo Yuhao instantly understood.

Douluo Continent has weapon crafting (soul tools can barely be considered) and pill refining (the likes of Xuan Shui Pill are at best half-finished products), but it lacks the two essential elements of the Xuanmen (mystical sects) – formations and talismans. This is simply a huge flaw!

The Three Pure Ones of Xuanmen: Laozi is skilled in alchemy, Yuanshi is skilled in crafting artifacts, and Tongtian is skilled in array formations.

The formation is all-encompassing, capable of gathering spirits, trapping enemies, killing, and defending—it is definitely his weapon for breaking through the current predicament.

"The way of array formations is to take the array eye as the core, use array patterns to outline the veins, and condense them into an array diagram. Then you can change the world and absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for your own use." The voice of the Howling Celestial Dog was steady and powerful. "Although the Jade Purity lineage is not known for its array formations, my master has traveled for thousands of years and has learned a lot of rudimentary array formations. Now, there are two that are suitable for you: the Five Elements Revolving Array and the Qi Gathering Array."

The tone shifted abruptly, then it poured cold water on the matter: "However, the soul power in Douluo Continent is complex and ethereal. What you have in your body is actually Xuanmen spiritual power, which is comparable to the Soul Venerable Realm in terms of grade, but it is far from reaching the threshold of drawing the Five Elements Revolving Array. Even the Qi Gathering Array requires my help."

Huo Yuhao's lips twitched even more violently. So, he still had to rely on his martial uncle for backup.

"You can study array patterns, weapon patterns, and pill patterns first to lay the foundation for future pill refining, weapon crafting, and array setting. The most urgent task is to improve your spiritual power cultivation." The Howling Celestial Dog yawned, stretched out its paws, and before it finished speaking, a black light shot out from Huo Yuhao's sea of ​​consciousness, transforming into the magnificent black dog.

It raised its claws and slithered across the ground, the tips of its claws flashing with a pale golden light, instantly outlining a series of mysterious and intricate runes. The runes connected end to end, faintly forming a circular magic circle.

"The spiritual energy of heaven and earth, vast and enduring through the ages, and the righteous laws of the universe, gather together!"

With a low growl, the celestial hound lit up the magic array, and a stream of extremely pure spiritual energy rushed in like a clear stream, instantly filling the entire training room.

Huo Yuhao felt every pore on his body relax, and he almost groaned out of comfort.

"This..." He stared in shock at the magic array beneath his feet, his spiritual energy circulation speed more than tripling!

"This is a simplified version of the Qi Gathering Array, which can temporarily relieve your urgent problem of slow cultivation." The Celestial Hound flicked its tail, transformed into a black stream of light, and returned to its sea of ​​consciousness. "Cultivate well and do not disappoint your master's expectations."

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and, without further hesitation, began to circulate the Nine Revolutions Yuan Technique, allowing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to surge into his body like a tide.

Three days later, Shrek Academy, Class 9 of the freshmen program.

The classroom door was pushed open, and a tall, slender figure slowly walked in.

The boy wore a snow-white school uniform, which made his skin appear even whiter and brighter. His black hair was as black as ink, and his dark eyes were like deep pools. His inverted triangle figure with long arms and a wasp waist could not hide his restrained strength.

His transformation after undergoing the marrow cleansing made him the center of attention in the entire class as soon as he entered the room.

Huo Yuhao ignored this, secretly thinking to himself, "Looks really are everything."

He glanced around and walked straight to the last row of seats by the window.

Back seat by the window, the hometown of the king!

This spot is practically made for slacking off!

As soon as he sat down, he noticed several different gazes: one with a clear purpose, sharp as a knife; one full of curiosity, secretly observing; and many more, filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred, or the shy, furtive stares of young girls.

Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow, and was about to close his eyes to rest when a clear female voice came from the front of the classroom.

"Hello everyone! Welcome to Shrek Academy." Mu Jin, dressed in a white instructor's robe, walked in slowly. Her posture was upright, and her gaze confidently swept across the room. Her tone was serious. "Remember, coming to Shrek does not mean you are a member of Shrek. Only those who pass the freshman assessment three months later will truly step into this sacred temple of soul masters."

Do you understand?

Her gaze landed precisely on Huo Yuhao, carrying a hint of inquiry.

This young man, whose soul power had just reached level thirteen but who possessed two ultimate martial souls, causing the two deans to argue fiercely over him, was truly too eye-catching.

Huo Yuhao felt her gaze, raised his eyes and smiled faintly, his expression completely indifferent.

Shrek's tactics are like those of an old pyramid scheme; they only ever target geniuses to fleece them.

Little do people know that geniuses are geniuses everywhere; what they lack is never an academy, but rather resources.

"Understood!" the whole class responded in unison, their voices loud and clear.

"Very good." Mu Jin nodded in satisfaction and said loudly, "Gu Yue, you have the highest soul power in the class, so you will be the class monitor from now on. Ning Tian, ​​you will be the vice class monitor."

Two clear female voices rang out simultaneously: "Yes!"

Upon hearing this, Huo Yuhao's eyebrows twitched violently, and he almost jumped up from his seat.

The girl beside him had cascading black hair, cool purple eyes, and an exquisitely beautiful face; it was Gu Yue.

Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena! Wasn't she supposed to awaken ten thousand years later? Why is she here ahead of time?

The girl who stood up in the first row had long, golden hair that shone like sunlight, gentle eyes, and a quiet demeanor; she was Ning Tian.

Huo Yuhao's mind was in turmoil: "Holy crap? Isn't Ning Tian the tomboy from the original story? How did she turn into a long-haired, gentle lady? This plot has gone off-topic even more outrageously than Tianmeng's complaints!"

Time quietly rewinds to the moment Huo Yuhao met Yang Jian...

Chapter 7 Gu Yue: The Guidance of Destiny!

The core of the Starry Sky Forest is the Lake of Life.

Beneath the deep lake waters, time seems to have frozen for millennia.

The massive silver dragon lay silently, its scales broken, bearing the ghastly dark red sword marks—a near-eternal curse left by the Asura God.

Suddenly, those dragon eyes, which seemed to hold the weight of countless stars, snapped open in the absolute darkness, revealing surprise and a hint of... tremor.

"This is……"

"My lord!" At the edge of the lake, the black-haired, golden-eyed man guarding the area instantly sensed something amiss, knelt on one knee, and spoke in a low, respectful voice.

"Di Tian..." The silver dragon's voice echoed weakly in the man's mind, "Outside the stars... an unknown aura has appeared... at the edge of the forest!"

"Yes, sir!" Di Tian's figure seemed to blend into the shadows, instantly disappearing from the spot, leaving only a tiny ripple on the lake's surface.

At the edge of the forest, Di Tian's senses, like an invisible spiderweb, captured everything that happened to the human boy named Huo Yuhao.

The sacrifice of the plump ice silkworm deep within the sea of ​​spirit, the throbbing of the newborn martial soul, and... that supreme aura that even he found unsettling, incomprehensible yet boundless.

He suppressed his instinctive killing intent towards Huo Yuhao for obtaining the Heavenly Dream Sacrifice, and his figure faded away once again.

Back at the bottom of the Lake of Life, Di Tian's voice was filled with complex emotions: "Reporting to my lord, the source of the anomaly at the edge is a human boy. He... accepted the sacrifice of the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm."

“No, Di Tian.” The silver dragon’s voice was resolute, its eyes gleaming with unprecedented brilliance. “This is absolutely not something that a mere Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm could summon! It is a power from a higher dimension… the aura of a ‘god’! A… unfamiliar, supreme deity!”

His body trembled slightly, as if trying to shake off the Asura sword energy that had seeped into his bones. His voice trembled with disbelief, "Just a wisp of aura that was accidentally released could... heal the Asura wound on my body that has not healed for ten thousand years? This is an opportunity... Emperor Tian! This may be a glimmer of hope... for my soul beast clan!"

A drop of blood, shimmering with nine-colored light and imbued with the might of a dragon, slowly seeped from between the silver dragon's shattered scales.

The drop of blood detached from its original form, twisting and shaping in the dark lake water, eventually transforming into a graceful young woman.

Her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, her purple eyes were deep and unfathomable, and she wore a simple yet flowing white and purple dress. Her aloof and ethereal temperament exuded an innate nobility.

"From this day forward, my name is Gu Yue." The girl's lips parted slightly, her voice ethereal, yet her gaze sharpened as she looked at Di Tian. "Di Tian, ​​he will eventually go to that place—Shrek Academy, won't he?"

Di Tian lowered his head deeply, the shadows obscuring the myriad thoughts in his eyes: "Yes, my lord."

……

Shrek Academy, freshman classroom.

When Huo Yuhao's gaze fell on Gu Yue, he couldn't help but pause slightly.

"Excuse me, what do you want?" Gu Yue's voice carried a hint of coldness and inquiry as she stared directly at Huo Yuhao with her purple eyes.

She could sense that for a moment just now, the boy seemed to have "seen" something that shouldn't have been seen.

"Oh, oh. No, it's nothing!" Huo Yuhao snapped back to reality, realizing his lapse in composure, and quickly apologized.