Chapter 35: Xuan Zi is Going to Lead the Team, Dangerous (2400 words)
Seeing Huo Yuhao endure severe pain in silence as if he were unaware of what pain felt like, Bing Di couldn't help but sigh.
"Compared to me, the pain of fusing with the Snow Empress is even greater. Tianmeng, isn't it terrifying that such a young child, only eleven years old, possesses such a strong will?"
"Hehe, Yuhao has swallowed a more terrifying flame before."
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm spoke with pride, convinced that latching onto Huo Yuhao's side was the best decision he had ever made.
As the fusion neared completion, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm began to exert its strength, cooperating with Xue Di to seal her original power within the spiritual sea.
Soon, seven ice-white light balls appeared in Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, representing the Snow Empress's original power of nearly 700,000 years.
The Seal of Life opened on Huo Yuhao's forehead, and a rich, pure breath of life flowed downward from his head into his body, repairing the remaining injuries and ensuring Xue Di's arms fit better into his own.
While Huo Yuhao was sensing the effects of the soul skill Qi Baixue, the clear voice of the Snow Empress echoed in Huo Yuhao's mind.
"Yuhao, the main effect of this soul skill is to summon snow clouds and bring down ice and snow within the realm of the domain."
"The quality and quantity of the cold air determine the domain's scope. When the cold air develops to its extreme, even if the domain retracts, the area within the confines will remain as inhospitable as the Far North, a natural forbidden zone that ordinary soul masters cannot approach."
Huo Yuhao grasped the essence of the skill; it was a soul skill that manipulated cold air, with its effects depending on how the cold air was wielded.
Witnessing Huo Yuhao endure pain beyond what normal people could imagine, Xue Di admired him greatly, her tone filled with concern.
"Senior Yi, the soul ritual between Yuhao and me was successful, right?"
"Yes, the most challenging stage has passed, and Yuhao is adapting to your power," Electrolux confirmed with a nod.
Then Xue Di posed a question she had contemplated for a long time, hoping for Electrolux's insight.
"Senior Yi, you reached the level of a god during your lifetime. In your opinion, what is the greatest significance of becoming a god? Is it… immortality?"
Xue Di felt that her and Bing Di's willingness to transform into Huo Yuhao's souls was partly driven by their desire to survive the heavenly calamity, seeking existence in this new form.
Electrolux pondered for a moment, recalling the cultivation system of this plane.
"Because I have not personally witnessed the power of the gods of this plane," Electrolux explained, "I cannot fully understand how the gods of this world differ from the 'gods' as I know them."
He turned to Xue Di. "You soul beasts pursue eternal life, but in that regard, you are still inferior to the 'gods' I aspire to."
Then Electrolux's gaze shifted to Huo Yuhao, his eyes filled with strong confidence and great expectations.
"But I believe Yuhao will achieve far more than the so-called God of Emotions this time. Even I cannot predict his future heights. Perhaps the 'god' I pursue will be manifested through Yuhao."
…
By the warm pool atop the snowy mountain, when Huo Yuhao finally awoke, all his injuries had healed, and he felt refreshed and invigorated.
He took out the Heavy Xuan ruler from his storage ring and swung it a few times, both horizontally and vertically. With a thought, a constant stream of coldness surged from his palm.
In an instant, the moisture in the surrounding air condensed into beautiful ice flowers that settled on the surface of the Heavy Xuan ruler, emitting a chill. The once-black, ancient Heavy Xuan ruler transformed into a vibrant ice blue.
Huo Yuhao slung the ice-blue Heavy Xuan ruler over his shoulder, unable to suppress a smile.
"I've been stuck at level 20 for far too long. It's time to level up."
A ray of icy white light flashed, and the Snow Empress manifested before Huo Yuhao in her spiritual form. Even after becoming a soul, she remained noble, beautiful, pure, and breathtaking.
"Awake?"
Huo Yuhao blinked at Xue Di. "How long did the fusion with you last this time?"
"One week." Xue Di stood to the side, hugging her shoulders with her white arms, as she softly praised Huo Yuhao.
"You have a strong will; it's no wonder you remained silent even when I broke your arm several times."
"Snow Empress, my physique is different from yours. You possess the power of nearly 700,000 years, while I am but a soul master with a second ring. Any small action from you would feel like a heavy blow to me."
Huo Yuhao replied with a smile while looking inward. After successfully merging with the Snow Empress, a continuous ice-white halo roamed within his body, nourishing his bones and meridians.
Observing his crystal-like, jade-like skin, Huo Yuhao could feel that his physical strength had made a tremendous leap. The Heavy Xuan ruler felt much lighter on his shoulder, and his body had grown taller and more robust.
With a creaking sound, the Ice Empress crawled over, observing Huo Yuhao whose features appeared softer than before, filled with jealousy.
"It's different after fusing with the Snow Empress first; you look better all over."
"Really?" Huo Yuhao felt pleased to hear that. Becoming more handsome wasn't a bad thing at all.
The Snow Empress smiled slightly and waved her hand. Pieces of ice condensed into a smooth mirror, appearing before Huo Yuhao.
The delicate face reflected was like a masculine version of Xue Di. Judging by his expression, he still resembled the familiar blue-haired boy, but his skin had become as delicate and white as snow, his blue eyes brighter, and he exuded a more extraordinary aura.
Huo Yuhao smacked his lips and joked, "Xue Di, if I can make a living based on my looks, it's easy for me to consider taking fewer detours."
Xue Di shot him a sidelong glance. "This emperor has cultivated for nearly 700,000 years, so upon merging with me, doesn't that imply you have the opportunity to take fewer detours as well?"
"That's true." Huo Yuhao smiled.
As the soul ceremony concluded successfully, Electrolux smiled gently and said, "Compared to the traditional soul ring system, the greatest advantages of souls are twofold."
"First, during the fusion process, souls are living entities rather than dead objects like traditional soul rings. Through conscious direction, the energy integrates fully, minimizing spillover, which makes it more suitable for soul masters."
"Second, souls represent a new life form that can allow dying soul beasts to survive in another form. If the soul master is willing, the soul can even assist in combat outside the soul master's body."
If you think about it, there remain notable differences between what Tang San and Huo Yuhao accomplished in the original narrative.
After Tang San ascended to godhood, he dismissed the Spirit Hall that helped rural children awaken their martial soul; whereas after Huo Yuhao achieved divinity, he abandoned the soul system along with the accompanying Spirit Tower.
In the early days of building the Soul Pagoda, souls played a significant role in reducing the demand for hunting soul beasts, symbolizing a certain epoch-making significance.
Soul beasts on the brink of death extended their lifespans by dozens or even hundreds of years through contracts with soul masters.
At that moment, the clear and cold voice of the Snow Empress resonated: "Yuhao, now that I have become your soul, this 100,000-year-old snow lotus holds little use for me."
As she spoke, the Snow Empress waved her hand, and the ice mist lingering above the hot spring dissipated. An ice-blue lotus soared from the center of the hot spring into the Snow Empress's palm.
"Yuhao, should we take this lotus with us, or should we let Bing'er bring it back to the habitat to keep it for now?"
The Snow Empress intended for Huo Yuhao to absorb the 100,000-year-old snow lotus after he merged with the Ice Empress and cultivated a new soul ring.
Huo Yuhao contemplated and responded, "There's no extra soul ring available to absorb it at present. Let Bing Di take the snow lotus home to care for it first."
Xue Di handed the snow lotus to Bing Di.
The Ice Empress wrapped her tail around the Snow Lotus. "Don't worry, Snow Empress! I will take good care of it."
The atmosphere fell silent as Huo Yuhao's expedition to the Far North came to a successful conclusion. Now it seemed time to bid farewell to the Ice Empress.
Bing Di appeared stunned. "Eh? Are you leaving?"
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm emerged, expressing reluctance to part from Bing Di. "Bingbing, wait for us! When Yuhao reaches level 30, we'll return to the Far North to welcome you into the team. Don't miss me too much..."
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm spoke with emotion before being abruptly silenced by Bing Di's fierce front claws.
...
"Hmm~Hmm~~"
At Shrek Academy, by the small pond next to the girls' dormitory.
Wang Dong, with short light blue hair, hummed a tune while walking alongside Xiao Xiao on the path by the pond, each holding a bag of snacks.
Xiao Xiao stuffed a potato chip into her mouth and noticed Wang Dong appeared particularly cheerful. "Wang Dong, you're in a good mood today. What's the good news?"
"Originally, there was this irritating consciousness in my mind, nagging at me to practice the secret weapon every day, until this morning when I accidentally smashed a spider and its web to pieces."
"Guess what, Xiao Xiao!" Wang Dong's tone transformed into one of delight.
"The incessant consciousness in my mind felt as if it were dying or that I had lost my legs and couldn't walk suddenly became weak. It's fantastic!" Wang Dong said merrily, feeling immensely relieved. In the future, if he encountered spider webs or similar obstacles, he would just burn them.
Xiao Xiao shared in his indignation, "Whose consciousness was this? Nowadays everyone uses soul tools, and practicing hidden weapons is futile."
Wang Dong waved dismissively. "It's alright. In any case, I've figured out how to deal with it. As long as the consciousness isn't strengthened, I can enjoy playing freely."
As he spoke, Wang Dong happily stuffed two potato chips into his mouth. He couldn't help but think of Huo Yuhao's barbecued skewers. "I miss Huo Yuhao's barbecued skewers. I wonder if he'll come to Shrek City and set up a stall to make some money during the break."
Xiao Xiao felt the same. "I miss them too. His grilled skewers are truly delicious!"
The two continued to snack and chat happily. Soon, they exited the grove and arrived at Shrek Square.
Xiao Xiao noticed two familiar faces and gently tugged on Wang Dong's sleeve.
"Hey, Wang Dong, are those two seniors the ones who helped us set up a barbecue stall for Huo Yuhao and shared some skewers with us?"
Wang Dong followed Xiao Xiao's gaze and spotted a disheveled old man in dirty clothes, holding a wine gourd in one hand and a chicken leg in the other, standing on the steps while explaining something to a group of seniors.
As the old man spoke, his smile put everyone at ease, demonstrating his formidable strength.
The two familiar figures Xiao Xiao had just pointed out were Tang Ya and Bei Bei.
"Let's go over and check it out," Wang Dong suggested eagerly, never one to shy away from such encounters.
His confidence stemmed from knowing that the two major combat forces in his family didn't allow for stage fright. Regardless of whether it was a grand or small occasion, he would approach it without hesitation.
With Wang Dong's support, Xiao Xiao naturally felt emboldened.
Together, they strolled over to the side of the gathering.
Xuan Zi, who stood on the steps speaking, raised the gourd and took a sip of wine. While he spoke, he cast a glance at Wang Dong from the corner of his eye, pretended not to notice, and continued his safety speech before departing.
As they reached Bei Bei and Tang Ya, Wang Dong asked curiously, "Seniors, are they organizing some kind of event? Why does everyone seem so excited?"
Bei Bei turned to him and replied, "It's you two."
He recognized Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao and gestured toward the gathering. "These seniors from the inner courtyard are all part of the Shrek Supervisory Group."
"Several of them need soul rings right now, so Master Xuan plans to take them out to hunt for soul rings and eliminate potential evil soul masters around, bringing peace to the area."
"And Xiaoya just happens to lack a third soul ring, so I told the teacher, and he agreed to take Xiaoya and me along."
At that moment, Tang Ya was chatting with a beautiful senior with flowing orange-gold waves.
"Hey, Nan Nan, do you mean the boy who cured your mother is younger than you?" Tang Ya asked curiously, blinking.
Jiang Nannan didn't casually mention Huo Yuhao's name but smiled and nodded. "Yes, not only that; his grilled fish is delicious too."
Grilled fish? Tang Ya paused, and Huo Yuhao's image—a thin, weak boy with blue hair—flashed through her mind.
However, remembering Huo Yuhao's lack of medical skills, Tang Ya shook her head, dismissing this unrealistic notion.
"Nannan, no matter what, I'm so glad that your mother is recovering." Tang Ya expressed genuine happiness for Jiang Nannan.
"How long do you plan to take off to care for your mother?"
Jiang Nannan responded truthfully, "Half a year. My mother's physical condition should improve significantly by then."
Tang Ya nodded, pleased. "That's good to hear. Beibei and I are going to look for soul rings with the seniors later, so there won't be anyone in the dormitory."
Meanwhile, Xuan Zi's safety speech reached its passionate peak.
"Outstanding students of the Shrek Supervisory Group! For the sake of the school's reputation and ideals, if you encounter an evil soul master, feel free to act as you wish, and I shall protect you!"
"With my formidable strength, it is simple for me to safeguard you little ones!"
Although Xuan Lao's tone was low, it resonated with a sense of unwavering confidence.
Wang Dong picked up a potato chip and took a hearty bite, signaling with his eyes to Xuan Zi on stage.
"Senior Bei Bei, look at that sloppy teacher with a chicken leg; all he seems to do is drink."
"Letting him lead students to hunt for soul rings might turn the students into prey!"
(End of this chapter)