More than a month passed quietly.
The custom-made soul tools had also arrived.
As for the past month or so, Huo Yuhao had only two words to describe it: uneventful.
With the pressure of the freshman trials gone, most of the first-year students had relaxed their cultivation efforts.
Thanks to his stellar performance during the trials, Huo Yuhao's position as class monitor remained absolutely secure.
Over the past month, no one came looking to cause him trouble.
Even Dai Huabin and Wu Feng steered clear of Huo Yuhao, not giving him the slightest opportunity to stir up conflict.
Moreover, Dai Huabin kept a tight watch on Zhu Lu. Though Zhu Lu herself often felt a strange attraction to Huo Yuhao, she didn't dare mention it to Dai Huabin for fear of making him suspicious.
Similarly, Wu Feng kept a close eye on Ning Tian, preventing her from getting too close to Huo Yuhao. This made Ning Tian's attempts to rope him in rather difficult.
It had to be said, Dai Huabin and Wu Feng had good instincts.
Dai Huabin's former teammate, the control-type soul master Cui Yajie, had already joined Huo Yuhao's little fan club. She called him "Yuhao-didi" all day long and constantly tried to charm him.
If Ning Tian's former teammate Nanmen Yuner, an agility-attack soul master, hadn't been in another class, she probably wouldn't have escaped Huo Yuhao's "grasp" either.
Huo Yuhao didn't attract this many girls through any particular trick. It was partly his looks—and just a tiny bit of subconscious influence from his Buddhist light.
Don't ask how. Just accept it as the practical application of the Death-Chant Sutra's basic method.
It's all for cultivation, after all.
With Huo Yuhao now having reached the Mage Realm, the Death-Chant Sutra's effects had grown stronger. Even its basic forms could now subtly influence people's consciousness for extended periods.
Outwardly though, Huo Yuhao maintained a pure and innocent demeanor, always looking troubled at being surrounded by so many girls.
But these girls weren't entirely useless to Huo Yuhao.
Now that they were officially Shrek Academy students, they each had a Shrek cloud above their heads that rained down small blessings every day.
Huo Yuhao would go around and collect them daily.
It gave him the feeling of playing a game where you log in every day to gather your free resources.
To earn these "resources," Huo Yuhao had to satisfy the girls' desires to get close and cling to him.
Besides that, he also encouraged them to work hard in their cultivation.
After all, there would be more assessments next year. Huo Yuhao couldn't allow any of his little lambs to be eliminated.
As a result, even without the temporary daily cultivation buffs, the girls' training progress never fell behind.
In fact, Huo Yuhao went to great lengths to help them cultivate. He thoroughly studied each one of them and even gifted them a rare and precious demonic cultivation method.
The method was called Jade-Nurturing Technique—a technique designed specifically for women. It boosted their cultivation speed, enhanced beauty, and preserved youth. The required resources were supplements and jade stones. However, before mastering it, the practitioner had to remain a virgin.
Otherwise, their cultivation would halt entirely.
Once cultivated to a high level, a woman's body would store vast amounts of spiritual energy—equivalent to precious elixirs.
Yes, you guessed it: this was a technique tailor-made for cauldron furnaces.
It's always safer to raise your own EXP bags—more peace of mind when it's time to "consume" them.
In order to "guide" the girls in their cultivation, Huo Yuhao didn't hesitate to correct them closely and thoroughly, giving him deep understanding of their physiques.
Among them were some butterflies, some white tigers... In any case, Huo Yuhao knew them all inside and out.
Through mentoring the girls, Huo Yuhao also gained knowledge himself.
For example, the control-type twin sisters Lan Luoluo and Lan Susu—after bringing them close, Huo Yuhao was able to study them and get some initial insights into Martial Soul Fusion Techniques.
The person who really caught his attention, however, was Wang Dong—who had returned to class.
Huo Yuhao noticed something odd: Wang Dong now looked at him strangely, as if he'd been provoked or assigned some mysterious mission. He seemed to want to interact with Huo Yuhao.
In response, Huo Yuhao made sure to surround himself with girls, using them as a barrier between him and Wang Dong.
It worked beautifully. Every time Wang Dong saw Huo Yuhao enveloped by a crowd of girls, he would give up, snort coldly, and walk away.
Huo Yuhao: Perfectly executed.
Now wasn't the right time to engage with Wang Dong, so Huo Yuhao had no intention of deepening that connection yet.
…But his method did draw some animosity. Many first-year boys secretly cursed him as "a scourge who must be eliminated."
Huo Yuhao's "playboy" reputation quickly spread throughout the entire outer court.
But Huo Yuhao felt wronged. He was just cultivating. His relationship with these girls was completely innocent!
After Wang Dong's return, Xiao Xiao and Lan Yin teamed up with him to form a trio.
Xiao Xiao and Lan Yin didn't join Huo Yuhao's fan club. Even though Xiao Xiao had a preference for good looks, she remained immune to Huo Yuhao's charm.
It wasn't that Huo Yuhao let them off.
He simply failed.
The problem lay with Xiao Xiao herself—her destiny was unusually blessed, shielding her from outside interference. Lan Yin, always by Xiao Xiao's side, benefited from that blessing too.
Based on the original storyline, Huo Yuhao suspected that Xiao Xiao had phoenix energy—the makings of an empress.
But it turned out she didn't.
Still, her destiny was just as strong as someone who did—and possibly even stronger.
Unfortunately, Huo Yuhao's current level of Qi-watching technique wasn't high enough to probe her fate, so he couldn't study her more deeply.
Speaking of them, it was worth mentioning Zhou Yi as well.
Zhou Yi wasn't appointed as the class teacher of Class One; instead, she became the assistant teacher of Class Four.
Interestingly, the head teacher of Class Four was Mu Jin.
This seemed to strike a blow to Zhou Yi's pride. Her temper grew more violent, and Class Four students had to endure her frequent yelling.
The students of Class Four had serious complaints about Zhou Yi.
Her teaching suffered many setbacks because of it.
One day, while passing by Class Four, Huo Yuhao overheard this scene:
"How dare you refuse to follow my training plan! Shrek Academy doesn't need students like you. You're expelled! Get out!"
"Why?! I don't accept this!"
"Because I'm your class teacher! I have the right to expel you!"
"Teacher Zhou Yi, Class Four isn't your personal fiefdom. I'm also the class teacher here... Don't worry, student. I won't expel you."
"Mu Jin! You'll regret this!"
"Zhou Yi, I'm the head teacher of Class Four!"
"You—hmph!"
Then Zhou Yi stormed out, slamming the door.
Inside the classroom, cheers erupted. The students shouted praises to Mu Jin's authority.
Huo Yuhao: "..."
What was this?
Killing someone wasn't enough—you had to humiliate their soul too?!
…
If there was one major change during this past month, it was that Huo Yuhao could now train on Sea God Island one day a week.
Training was secondary—the real focus was on devouring the island's fortune!
All the destiny energy he devoured was fed directly into refining the Ghost Banner.
The results were striking.
In just over a month, the Ghost Banner was nearly fully refined!
Only one final step remained—
Finding a suitable ghost spirit to complete the process.
Sea God Island, Sea God's Pavilion.
The Sea God's Pavilion contained many rooms, each designed for different purposes. Among them were spirit-mimicking rooms tailored for various types of soul masters to accelerate their cultivation.
As Mu En's disciple, Huo Yuhao was granted the opportunity to cultivate for half a day each week in the Ice and Snow Simulation Room—thanks to his status as an Ultimate Ice Spirit Master.
Shrek Academy was willing to invest in Huo Yuhao ahead of time.
In return, Huo Yuhao would fight for Shrek in the future.
In fact, once Shrek Academy "discovered" Huo Yuhao, they never intended to let him go.
Born as one of Shrek, and dying as one of Shrek's ghosts—Huo Yuhao could only be Shrek's Huo Yuhao!
But according to the theory of relativity in relationships: when you grab onto someone, isn't it true they've also grabbed onto you?
You don't want to let go of Brother Hao—but did he ever plan to leave?
When the granary's full, the mice won't bother moving house.
——
In a room filled with biting cold, Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged, eyes closed, bathed in the chill drifting through the air as he cultivated.
The walls were adorned with the bones of countless ice-type soul beasts. Even though these creatures had died long ago, the cold emanating from their remains could still make a five-ring Soul King shiver—testament to their power in life.
Yet this level of cold had no effect on Huo Yuhao—Ultimate Ice was colder still.
A thin layer of frost slowly spread outward from where Huo Yuhao sat.
While cultivating his soul power, Huo Yuhao also visualized a white tiger floating above his head, head raised, devouring the wandering destiny energy within the Sea God's Pavilion.
Half a day passed quietly.
Only then did Huo Yuhao finish his cultivation, exhaling a breath of frosty mist and opening his eyes. He stood up from the frost-covered floor, preparing to leave.
Before leaving, he glanced somewhat regretfully at the skeletal remains around the room.
At first, Huo Yuhao had assumed there might be lingering resentful spirits among the bones. But it turned out he had overthought—any remnants of resentment had long been purified by the holy power of the Golden Ancient Tree.
What remained were only bones—now resources to aid cultivation.
——
After leaving the room, Huo Yuhao arrived at Mu En's chambers and respectfully saluted, "Teacher, today's cultivation is complete."
Mu En looked at him, satisfaction flickering in his eyes.
An Ultimate Ice attribute, strong potential, and hardworking—what teacher wouldn't be fond of such a disciple?
The only flaw was the mutation in Huo Yuhao's martial soul, which made it seem somewhat imperfect.
Yet Huo Yuhao hadn't disappointed. In just over a month, he had broken through to level 30!
Mu En had looked into Huo Yuhao's cultivation speed.
At the two-ring stage, he had gained a level per month on average—a rate so absurd even Mu En found it hard to believe.
If not for the fact that Huo Yuhao clearly relied entirely on his own cultivation, his soul power was robust and of high quality—Mu En would've suspected he was juicing on pills.
Yan Shaozhe and Gong Changlong were aware of this too. They believed Huo Yuhao's current pace was the result of long-term buildup, and that after reaching level 30, his speed would slow down like other Ultimate Martial Soul users.
But Mu En had another theory.
He suspected Huo Yuhao had consumed something extraordinary in the Extreme North—perhaps… immortal herbs.
The Grandmaster's notes once recorded the existence of such herbs. Sadly, the records lacked details, only noting that they could transform a soul master completely. The original Seven Shrek Monsters had all taken these immortal herbs, and with the Grandmaster's guidance, gained the potential to become gods.
But as to where to find them or their types, the notes said nothing.
Otherwise, Mu En wouldn't have stayed dormant for so many years. If he had access to immortal herbs, he would've never passed up the opportunity—who wouldn't want to witness the majesty of gods?
Mu En never asked Huo Yuhao directly about this.
Some things are better left unsaid—to ask is to create distance.
Besides, immortal herbs are rare beyond measure. Even obtaining one is heaven's blessing—how could anyone dare hope for more?
In the past ten thousand years, neither Shrek nor the Tang Sect had recorded acquiring any immortal herbs.
Today's generations may not even know what they are anymore.
——
"Xiao Yuhao, your cultivation has stabilized. It's time to obtain your third soul ring," Mu En said with a warm smile.
"But Teacher, it's not holiday break yet…" Huo Yuhao looked puzzled.
There were still over six months until break.
Mu En shook his head. "First-year classes have little meaning for you now. What you've learned from the library exceeds what the classroom offers."
Over the past month, every time Huo Yuhao came to the Sea God's Pavilion, he cultivated soul power for half a day, and the other half was spent learning combat techniques from Mu En.
Sometimes, they chatted casually—Mu En's way of testing his knowledge, confirming that Huo Yuhao's self-study was ahead of the class curriculum.
"I understand, Teacher. May I ask what type of soul beast would suit my third ring?" Huo Yuhao asked respectfully.
Mu En's smile grew more benevolent.
What he loved most about Huo Yuhao was his humility and willingness to learn.
Any other genius youth would already be overjoyed just hearing they were about to obtain a new soul ring.
But Mu En didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "Xiao Yuhao, what are your thoughts for your third ring?"
After a moment of thought, Huo Yuhao replied, "I plan to look for either dragon-type or poison-attribute soul beasts. My Ultimate Ice attribute no longer benefits much from ordinary soul rings, but poison has room for growth. A strong poison-type beast could work well."
"Also, my Frost Jade Martial Soul martial soul can absorb dragon-type rings to strengthen its draconic bloodline and promote evolution."
Mu En nodded slightly—he'd thought the same. Huo Yuhao's answer was quite good.
"What kind of soul skill do you hope to acquire?"
"Well…" In truth, Huo Yuhao wasn't sure. But remembering that his specialty was control-type, he replied, "I'm hoping for a soul skill with a controlling effect."
"Not bad," Mu En nodded approvingly.
Then he revealed his plan.
"As I told you when you became my disciple, your third ring must be obtained together with Bei Bei. He is the only one allowed to assist you. If you succeed in acquiring a suitable soul ring, I will teach you one of my own self-created techniques. Do you remember this?"
"I remember."
"Your life-bound soul ring has already reached ten-thousand-year level, and according to you, your body can endure a ten-thousand-year soul ring. But the difference between a ten-thousand-year and a thousand-year ring is vast—it lies in spiritual shock."
"Spiritual shock?" Huo Yuhao asked in surprise.
"Yes. A ten-thousand-year ring retains the resentment of the soul beast. Without strong spiritual power, one cannot resist it. At best, the fusion fails. At worst—instant death."
"That serious? Then, Teacher, you mean…"
"Your body might be strong enough, but your soul is likely still too weak. So I suggest aiming for a nine-thousand-year ring instead."
"Well… alright." Huo Yuhao put on a reluctant and unwilling expression.
Seeing this, Mu En chuckled and tossed him a map.
"Don't be discouraged. If you get a ring that truly suits you, even a thousand-year one could be more valuable than a ten-thousand-year ring. The map marks a soul beast I found for you: a nine-thousand-year Venom Marsh Lizard Dragon—it fits both your poison and dragon requirements."
Joy instantly lit up Huo Yuhao's face, and he bowed in thanks.
"Thank you, Teacher."
Mu En smiled gently and waved his hand. "No need for formality between master and disciple. Go now—today's training is done. Pack up tonight. Tomorrow morning, you and Bei Bei set out. The sooner you go, the sooner you'll return."
"Yes!"
After watching Huo Yuhao leave, Mu En closed his eyes again for a light rest.
Letting Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei face a nine-thousand-year beast wasn't just about helping—it was about giving them shared battle experience to strengthen their bond.
As for whether they could beat the beast?
Mu En wasn't worried.
Huo Yuhao's strength defied logic. From his performance in training, he could already handle five- to six-thousand-year beasts. With a physique on par with a Soul King, even if he couldn't win, he could escape.
Most importantly, by the time they found the beast, it would already be seriously injured.
"A third ring at nine thousand years, a Soul King-level body—he really is an Ultimate Martial Soul Master!"
"Shrek really picked up a treasure…"
Mu En's admiring voice echoed through the room.
——
Huo Yuhao left Sea God Island.
"We leave tomorrow morning? Then it's time to handle that matter too."
"I've decided—tonight I'm treating the big sisters to barbecue!"
Huo Yuhao's Current Status Panel:
Age: 11
Profession: Soul Master, Cultivator
Level/Realm: Level 30, Mage
Martial Souls: Variant Frost Jade Martial Soul (Black, Purple), Evil Eye (Gold)
Techniques: Demonic Buddha Art, Blood Medicine Sutra
Spells:
Qi Gazing Technique
Life-Taking Sanskrit – Spiritual Chant
White Tiger Fortune-Seizing Art
Pseudo-Buddha Light
Blood-Nourishing Demon
Voodoo Doll
Beast Control Seal
...and more.
Variant Frost Jade Martial Soul Special Soul Skills:
Size Shift
Burrow
Constrict
Mimic
Evil Eye Derived Soul Skills:
Spiritual Ice Seal / Absolute Zero
[Unknown]
Companions:
100,000-Year Snow Lotus
Skydream Iceworm
Equipment:
White Tiger Dagger
Grade-3 Flight Soul Tool
Grade-4 Close-Combat Soul Tool (Short Sword)
Grade-5 Defensive Soul Tool
Grade-4 Defensive Armor Soul Tool
Grade-4 Long-Range Offensive Soul Cannon
Grade-4 Long-Range Support Cannon Set
Soul Banner
That night.
After completing a full day of experiments with his master, He Caitou packed up his things and prepared to leave the Soul Tool Testing Area.
"Caitou, heading back to rest?"
Fan Yu greeted him at the gate of the lab.
"Teacher, yes, I'm heading back to rest," He Caitou replied respectfully.
"Mhm, you've made excellent progress recently. You're about to break through to a Level 4 Soul Engineer. Get a good rest. See you tomorrow." Fan Yu patted his beloved disciple on the shoulder.
"See you tomorrow, Teacher." He Caitou responded with his usual honest grin.
He Caitou departed alone, walking into the night.
Fan Yu watched him leave before returning to his lab, intending to read a while before heading home.
As He Caitou walked along the academy paths, the smile on his face gradually faded, his expression becoming somewhat dull and vacant.
At Shrek Academy, He Caitou had few friends. To him, the people closest were only one and a half.
One was his lifesaver and mentor—Fan Yu.
The other "half" was Fan Yu's wife, Zhou Yi.
As for everyone else, he was merely acquaintances with them.
It wasn't that He Caitou was arrogant—rather, it was his appearance that set him apart and made it hard for him to blend in.
In the former Douluo Three Nations, people like He Caitou with dark skin were extremely rare.
What the others didn't know, however, was that on the other side of the continent—in the Sun Moon Empire—dark skin was a symbol of nobility.
Not all nobles had dark skin, but all those with dark skin were nobles!
And He Caitou's skin? It was the very complexion of the Sun Moon Empire's royal bloodline.
Because his true identity was—Xu He, the only son of the previous emperor of the Sun Moon Empire, and the rightful heir to the imperial throne!
Due to a conspiracy, his father, mother, and several sisters had all perished. He had fled to the former Douluo Three Nations and was saved by Fan Yu.
He then adopted the alias "He Caitou" and joined Shrek Academy in hopes of one day avenging his family…
And reclaiming everything that was rightfully his!
Now, He Caitou finally saw hope.
That hope lay in the confidential project currently underway in the Soul Tool Department—the Ultimate Soldier Program.
Relying on his talent and tireless efforts, He Caitou had become the first official candidate for the program.
If he could fully integrate into the Ultimate Soldier Program, the Soul Tool Department would spare no effort to cultivate him, allowing him to grow rapidly and gain power.
But what truly gave He Caitou the confidence to seek revenge wasn't just the program—it was his soul master talent.
He was a rare twin martial soul user!
Everyone—including Fan Yu—believed his martial soul was the food-type "Cigar."
But what they didn't know was that he had a second martial soul: one of the Sun Moon Royal Family's inherited spirits—the Sun Martial Soul!
The Sun Martial Soul was the emblem of the imperial family.
The other inherited spirit, the Moon Martial Soul, was known outside the empire and even existed among some soul masters at Shrek Academy.
But the Sun Martial Soul? It existed only within the royal family. It was truly one of a kind.
This was why He Caitou dared not reveal his twin martial souls.
If Shrek Academy discovered that he was a prince of the Sun Moon Empire, his situation would become extremely complicated.
The Ultimate Soldier Program would slip out of his grasp.
Only when he had become an ultimate soldier, attained Titled Douluo-level strength, and begun adding soul rings to his second martial soul...
Only then would he reveal his identity to the world.
He had to become strong!
Step by step—step by step—he would reclaim the throne that should have been his!
"What's going on with me?" He Caitou suddenly stopped in his tracks, frowning slightly.
He had sensed something strange.
Tonight, his thoughts were unusually chaotic—and beginning to turn extreme.
Also... wasn't this walk back to the dorm taking a bit too long?
He realized he was now in a dark forest. There was no light, no people, not even the sound of insects.
He Caitou's eyes narrowed. A black light flashed at his waist—his soul tool belt activated. A series of soul cannons armed themselves onto his body in seconds.
Only then did He Caitou release his martial soul.
"I've got a thick cigar!"
"I've got a big cigar!"
"I've got a long cigar!"
Three soul rings shimmered in sequence on his cigar martial soul. He summoned three cigars and bit them all at once. With a flick of his finger, a small flame lit each one.
Sensing danger, he no longer held back.
Thick cigar for mental clarity.
Big cigar for strength boost.
Long cigar for defensive enhancement.
Together, they elevated his mental, physical, and defensive capabilities.
But... after biting into the cigars, nothing happened.
No attack. No movement. No signs of danger.
"Could I be overthinking it?" He Caitou frowned, beginning to second-guess himself.
That was when a strange sound reached his ears.
"Jie jie jie—"
"So, should I call you He Caitou? Or… Xu He?"
The moment he heard those words, He Caitou's pupils shrank in shock.
I've been exposed!
He looked around frantically, but still saw no one. He shouted toward the sky:
"Who's pretending to be a ghost?! I don't know what you're talking about!"
"This is Shrek Academy! I'm the disciple of Soul Tool Department Vice-Dean Master Fan Yu. If you dare attack me, are you not afraid of my teacher's wrath? Or Shrek Academy's vengeance?"
But that eerie voice only chuckled again.
"Shrek Academy? Take a good look at where you really are!"
Suddenly, the scenery around him dissolved.
When He Caitou focused again—he realized this wasn't a quiet forest at all.
It was the wilderness.
The only thing that remained unchanged was the utter emptiness.
When he turned around, he was stunned to see—
Shrek City was behind him!
He had unknowingly walked out of Shrek City!
"This is bad! An illusion!" He Caitou panicked and tried to launch an area-of-effect attack—but...
There were no soul tools on him. No cigars in his mouth.
A look of horror spread across his face.
It had all been an illusion?!
Before he could do anything else—
A tiny banner suddenly appeared before him.
It was palm-sized, made of white cloth with blue bones, red characters, and chilling aura. The word "Ghost" was written in blood in the center. It glowed faintly and floated silently in front of him.
As He Caitou looked at it, the light in his eyes slowly faded.
In the next moment—
The banner's pole shot downward and pierced his heart.
A freezing aura sealed his life force instantly.
Then, the banner fluttered without wind.
His soul was pulled from his body with a soundless scream, and was ultimately drawn into the ghost banner.
The next second, a massive centipede fell from the sky and swallowed both He Caitou and the ghost banner whole—without leaving a trace.
It was the Mutant Frost Centipede Martial Soul!
This martial soul now flew through the air, its wings shimmering with waves of mental energy.
Everything He Caitou had just experienced—seen, heard, and done—had all been illusory.
Using its spiritual attributes, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm had successfully recreated its other signature skill: Simulation.
"Simulation combined with the Soul-Harvesting Chant... What a terrifying hypnotic effect. Absolutely marvelous. Jie jie jie—"
Tianmeng let out a creepy laugh, then rapidly shrank to the size of a chopstick and zoomed back toward Shrek City.
"Quick, take his body back. Otherwise, the dragon aura on him will start to dissipate."
That's right—Huo Yuhao wasn't even nearby.
In the past, the mutant frost centipede martial soul could only operate within the range of Huo Yuhao's spiritual energy.
But now, after being refined by fate energy, it could act independently for a short time. The farther it strayed, the weaker it became.
Even so, with Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's spiritual strength, a mere three-ring Soul Elder like He Caitou was no threat.
And the ghost banner had been preloaded with Huo Yuhao's Ultimate Ice energy and the Soul-Harvesting Chant.
Shrek City.
A certain tavern.
Huo Yuhao was surrounded by girls, eating grilled meat and singing songs.
Through his connection with the Mutant Frost Centipede, he knew that Tianmeng had succeeded.
He raised his glass of fruit juice and smiled.
"Keep the music going, and the dance too."
The reason he chose He Caitou was simple: the guy was of no use to him, stayed close by, was easy to target, carried a desirable dragon aura, and had talent worthy of the ghost banner. If he remembered right, the Sun Moon royal family also had dragon blood.
In future operations against the Sun Moon Empire, Huo Yuhao had no intention of supporting He Caitou—there was already a prince ready to use.
If Dai Huabin dared to try and assassinate Yuhao in the original work, then Yuhao assassinating a mere He Caitou? Totally fair game.
The dinner with the girls didn't last long.
Because Huo Yuhao's heart had already drifted to that man.
Back at the dormitory.
He didn't turn on the light.
The shrunken variant Frost Jade Martial Soul martial soul crawled out from his collar, then expanded in size and spat out the contents from its stomach.
The items were completely clean—no stomach acid or saliva.
Because the ability to swallow and regurgitate is a kind of technique among demon cultivators.
Just like the ability to change size, it's one of the many skills they can cultivate.
It's known as a Stomach-Space.
It is said to be derived from the Daoist Earth Fiend technique called Pot Heaven.
The only issue is, the space inside is extremely limited.
It's not even as practical as a storage soul tool.
Because the space is so small, it can only hold some valuable items. Plus, if the variant Frost Jade Martial Soul martial soul has something in its stomach, it can't be reabsorbed into Huo Yuhao's martial soul imprint.
After it spat everything out, Huo Yuhao recalled the martial soul.
Skydream Iceworm's soul exited his body and expanded its perception to guard the surroundings.
Tonight, the Frost Jade Martial Soul martial soul had operated remotely—staking out He Caitou, using the Brahma Chant Soul-Luring power left within its body to subtly guide He Caitou out of Shrek City, and then ambushed him.
Now, it was finally time to open the box.
Huo Yuhao rubbed his hands together eagerly and looked down at the items on the dorm floor.
He Caitou's ice-sealed corpse lay there. His frozen expression was vivid and lifelike, still bearing the dazed look of someone who had been beguiled.
Only the ghost banner stabbed into his heart confirmed that his life was gone.
Aura Sight activated.
"Good, the dragon aura hasn't dissipated yet."
Special traits carried during life can linger for a while after death—offering a final chance.
Maybe someone might come along to save the person and bring them back.
In the world of Universal Salvation (Pudu Cihang), resurrection methods weren't in short supply.
It's said that the corpse of a once-in-a-millennium emperor could retain dragon aura for a thousand years.
Though Pudu Cihang himself had never seen such a corpse.
And if such a unique corpse was refined into a zombie, its power and growth would far surpass a regular one.
But Huo Yuhao had no interest in turning He Caitou into a zombie.
Instead, his impure little hand touched the corpse, visualizing a White Tiger emerging to bite at the lingering dragon aura on the body.
Even though what he visualized was a White Tiger and not a dragon—thus unable to absorb the full potential of the dragon aura—the benefits were still far greater than any ordinary fortune.
As the White Tiger absorbed the aura, it began to mutate. The black 王 (king) character on its forehead gradually turned golden, becoming even more regal.
At that moment, Huo Yuhao suddenly felt a strange itching between his eyebrows.
He was stunned.
"Is this... the emergence of a third eye?!"
Skydream Iceworm curiously approached and saw something shifting under the skin of Huo Yuhao's forehead, causing the surface to ripple and squirm.
Unfortunately, the dragon aura on He Caitou's body was limited. After it was completely absorbed, the 王 character reverted to black.
Huo Yuhao didn't manage to grow a third eye, and his forehead returned to normal.
Sweeping his spiritual sense over it, he couldn't detect any changes.
"So the dragon aura helps me nurture a third eye…? Looks like I'll need to work even harder," Huo Yuhao set himself a new goal.
Too bad the princes and princesses of the Douluo Three Kingdoms don't study at Shrek Academy—otherwise, he would've become the royal blood-hunter.
Now, he'd have to hunt down wild royals outside the city.
Huo Yuhao had high hopes for this third eye. It wasn't the same as in the original novel where it was created using the Gold of Life—it would be something he grew himself!
In the cultivation world, anyone who could grow a third eye was never ordinary.
The third eye was a symbol of identity and power!
With the dragon aura taken care of, Huo Yuhao prepared to destroy He Caitou's corpse.
But just then, Skydream Iceworm spoke up.
"Yuhao, I noticed earlier that He Caitou's body seems to attract the variant Frost Jade Martial Soul martial soul."
"Oh?" Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying there's dragon bloodline hidden in He Caitou's body?"
"Yuhao, did you forget? The Sun Moon Empire's royal family possesses a martial soul called the Purple Radiance Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon. And the original novel mentioned that Prince Xu Tianran had mutated from the Sun martial soul into a dragon bloodline one. Whether that's a plot inconsistency or not, who knows?"
Skydream Iceworm continued, "In any case, it's certain that the Sun Moon royal family has three inherited martial souls: Sun, Moon, and the Purple Radiance Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon. So it makes sense that their bloodline contains traces of dragon lineage. Especially those with Sun martial souls—the dragon aura might be even stronger."
"As expected of you, Skydream—you really have studied Douluo 2!" Huo Yuhao praised.
Skydream Iceworm beamed with pride.
Whether the theory was true or not didn't matter. What mattered was that He Caitou's bloodline was beneficial to the Frost Jade Martial Soul.
"In that case, I'll leave his body to you, Skydream."
"Huh? Uh… okay."
Skydream hesitated a bit. To be honest, he'd never eaten a person before.
It was… strangely novel.
But the Frost Jade Martial Soul had already achieved sentience. It could swallow the body whole and slowly digest it—no need to chew raw flesh like a wild beast.
Before the feast began, Huo Yuhao looted the corpse. As a near fourth-rank soul engineer, He Caitou had quite a few good items on him.
In another six months, He Caitou would participate in the chaos event as a fourth-rank soul engineer and become a reserve team member.
Right now, though, he was only at three soul rings—barely a pseudo-fourth-rank.
On his waist was a black belt-style storage soul tool with decent capacity, containing materials, soul cannons, and daily supplies, books, and notes.
Hidden within his clothes was also a necklace storage tool holding backup soul cannons—and a few sixth-grade stationary soul cannon shells.
Clearly, these were his secret trump cards.
No idea where he got such high-level weaponry.
Stationary soul cannon shells were strategic weapons.
Maybe he brought them while fleeing from the Sun Moon Empire.
If so, it's understandable how he escaped.
Whether there were deeper conspiracies behind this, Huo Yuhao didn't care.
When the feast is in front of you, why go chasing the chef?
Everything went into his private stash.
Afterward, Huo Yuhao pulled out the ghost banner, completing the looting.
The ghost banner felt noticeably heavier.
"It's time for the final refinement!" Huo Yuhao murmured.
The ghost banner needed to be filled with ghosts—the more souls, the more powerful it would become.
This one, forged using Skydream's molted shell, would usually take a long time to refine. But Huo Yuhao had accelerated the process with a large amount of luck and fortune, completing it in just over a month.
Even before refinement finished, he could sense how powerful the banner would be.
He grew more excited.
Thinking of its purpose, he focused and chose to refine the ghost banner as his life-bound soul weapon.
A life-bound artifact held immense importance. It was spiritually tied to the user—what benefited the artifact benefited the soul master, and damage would hurt both. One could only have one in a lifetime.
He spat a drop of blood from his tongue onto the fabric of the ghost banner.
"Sacrifice!"
He pressed his hands together, sandwiching the banner between his palms, and channeled his cultivation into it to form a link.
Next moment—
Mutation!
The ghost banner broke free of his hands, floated above his head, and suddenly plunged into the Baihui acupoint at the top of his skull.
Skydream Iceworm was horrified.
"Yuhao!! No—!"
His cry was shrill with panic.
He thought Yuhao was being devoured by a backfiring artifact.
Life-bound artifact refinement never involved stabbing the Baihui point!
But Huo Yuhao's head didn't explode.
The banner simply remained lodged in his head—like he'd stuck a flag into his skull.
Then the banner transformed into golden light and entered his body through the acupoint.
Huo Yuhao instinctively sat down cross-legged and began soul power cultivation.
Moments later—
The ghost banner emerged from his head again, now in the form of a martial soul.
A gray soul ring began to take shape, swaying gently above the banner.
Skydream Iceworm was stunned.
Huo Yuhao also snapped his eyes open.
"What the—The ghost banner became a martial soul?!"
A life-bound artifact refined with luck… actually turned into a martial soul?!
Right now, the Ghost Banner had not only become Huo Yuhao's martial soul but was also still his life-bound artifact.
The exact reason was unclear, but Huo Yuhao wasn't in the mood to investigate for the time being.
He was busy sensing the current state of his Ghost Banner martial soul.
Martial Soul: Ghost Banner
Attribute: Yin-Evil
Effects: Enslaves souls, controls souls, and cultivates through souls.
Ability 1 – Growth:
Can absorb souls to increase the power of the Ghost Banner.
Can absorb soul bones, remains, corpses, and other materials to enhance the martial soul's quality.
After absorbing a soul bone, the Ghost Banner retains the soul bone's skill.
Currently possesses soul bone skill:
Bishuixianxin Left Arm Bone Skill — Danxin Water Curtain (Defense).
Ability 2 – Main Soul:
A main soul can be added to the Ghost Banner.
The main soul assists the soul master in commanding spirits and becomes the soul master's soul ring.
The main soul's power can be increased; other souls cannot grow in strength.
Current main soul: He Caitou.
Ability 3 – Possession:
Can possess the soul master with a soul inside the Ghost Banner, granting the master temporary access to the soul's full strength from life—including martial soul, soul rings, soul skills, and original techniques.
If it's the main soul, there's no time limit for possession.
...
Without a doubt, the Ghost Banner's quality had already surpassed that of top-tier martial souls.
But it was undeniably an evil martial soul.
Evil soul masters were ecstatic!
And so was Huo Yuhao.
Without another word, he plunged his consciousness into his spiritual sea and summoned the Ghost Banner, appearing before that small gray sphere.
"Electrolux, I'm still short one main soul. Want to come in and stay a while?"
Electrolux: "…"
He was dead, not stupid.
Electrolux refused to respond to Huo Yuhao.
"Come on, Electrolux, I know you're awake. You don't need to hide in silence!"
"Fine, fine. I'll see you."
The gray sphere shattered, transforming into an aged figure.
Electrolux wore a splendid black robe inscribed with shimmering golden runes, over which draped a white cloak that contrasted sharply with the black beneath. The hood of the cloak was pulled over his head.
"Hey Electrolux, your outfit's pretty snazzy. I'll wear it next time I go stir up trouble—just letting you know." Huo Yuhao grinned as he looked him up and down.
Electrolux fell silent again.
Then he sighed.
"Huo Yuhao, I already know why you've come. But I cannot completely trust you like I did in the book," Electrolux admitted frankly.
"Because of the Primal Compassionate Transmission?"
"And because of that artifact in your hand. I can sense its evil," Electrolux said gravely. "That person you killed tonight had no grudge with you. In the book, you two even became sworn brothers. Why did you have to kill him? Just to satisfy your own selfish desires?"
Huo Yuhao smiled. "Do you worry about whether pigs hate you when you eat pork?"
"Besides, in the future, he and I would've caused countless civilian deaths in the Sun Moon Empire. Killing one to save millions—my merit is boundless!"
Electrolux was momentarily speechless. Then he muttered, "Truly… lawless."
Even Electrolux—who had once slaughtered the continent—was unnerved by Huo Yuhao's current state of mind.
Electrolux had slaughtered out of vengeance and still had a chance for remorse.
But Huo Yuhao no longer even saw people as people.
Have you ever seen someone who eats pork every day suddenly slap themselves and swear never to eat pork again?
The excuses Huo Yuhao gave were clearly just to brush him off.
Seeing Electrolux remain silent, Huo Yuhao continued with a grin:
"Don't try to hold me to your so-called virtues. The world's already a shitshow. And there's a god-king watching me like a pervert. I don't care about anyone but myself! …And maybe Brother Tianmeng. If you want to join us, I'll include you too. I promise I'll help you resurrect in the future."
Outside, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm, eavesdropping, was deeply moved.
Electrolux still said nothing.
Honestly, he could kind of understand Huo Yuhao.
If he knew nothing, maybe Huo Yuhao would've followed the same path as in the book.
But once he knew the truth—there was no going back.
Lies don't hurt.
The truth is the sharpest knife.
And that perverted god-king was targeting him too, having already arranged his fate in the book down to the last detail.
Electrolux hated being manipulated most of all!
"I can help you, but I need you to swear on your heart demon that you'll never harm the innocent," Electrolux finally said.
He wanted to change the storyline too—so he chose to supervise Huo Yuhao personally and guide him toward the right path.
"No way." Huo Yuhao refused without hesitation.
So fast that Electrolux was stunned for a moment.
"Why?" Electrolux asked sternly.
Huo Yuhao: "I, Huo Yuhao, may feign civility for the sake of gain, but I will never bow to anyone. Because once you take one step back, the second step follows for sure."
Electrolux: "You're already far stronger than your predetermined fate. With my help, your future could be even brighter. Why not agree to a simple condition?"
Huo Yuhao tilted his head. "You trying to teach me how to live?"
"Are you not afraid I'll perish with you? Rid the world of a scourge like you?" Electrolux's tone darkened, releasing a terrifying aura beyond that of any soul master. "If you die, everything you've gained disappears."
Tianmeng, listening outside, was instantly alarmed.
But Huo Yuhao just laughed—loudly.
"Electrolux, I don't fear a fight with you!"
"We'll face off sooner or later. As you regain your memories and strength, you'll better understand my cultivation and have more time to prepare counters to my abilities."
"So I've decided to deal with you now!"
"Only those who fear death can be threatened by it! I reject threats, and I don't fear death!"
"Let's gamble!"
"Either I unleash everything and suppress you into my soul banner, or you shatter my mind and kill me here!"
"Brother Tianmeng, activate the hidden energy reserves!" Huo Yuhao's smile deepened.
The Dragon King smiles—life or death, who knows.
Outside, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm was pulled into the spiritual sea.
Huo Yuhao activated the Beast Mark.
Tianmeng gritted his teeth.
"Alright, Brother Hao! I'll go all-in with you! Even the world's will should be on our side!"
"Essence—ignite!"
Tianmeng's origin power began to quake, ready to burst forth.
The White Tiger from Huo Yuhao's visualization leapt to his side, baring fangs at Electrolux.
Outside, Huo Yuhao's physical body trembled violently, blood pouring from his seven orifices.
Electrolux quickly withdrew his aura and raised his hand.
"Enough! Stop! I'll enter the soul banner!" he finally said.
He never intended to die with Huo Yuhao—just to give him a wake-up call.
He hadn't expected Huo Yuhao to be so extreme.
Tianmeng looked toward Huo Yuhao, but the latter didn't stop—he extended the soul banner.
Electrolux couldn't hold it in anymore and snapped, "I, the great Electrolux, am no dishonorable man who breaks his word!"
Still, Huo Yuhao stubbornly held out the banner.
At last, Electrolux snorted coldly and entered it.
Any longer, and Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea would've started to collapse.
Only then did Huo Yuhao relent from his all-or-nothing gamble and smile in satisfaction.
Tianmeng hugged him tightly and bawled.
"Brother Hao, I thought we were about to die together—sob sob sob…"
Huo Yuhao: "…"
You didn't mention Bingdi. That makes Hao happy.
But if you want to die with Hao, Hao's not into that.
The White Tiger sheathed its claws and yawned, flopping down for a nap.
Thought today was finally gonna be a bloodbath.
...
Outside, Huo Yuhao opened his eyes and wiped the blood from his nose and eyes.
The hundred-thousand-year Snow Lotus surged with healing energy to restore his weakened body.
Snow Lotus: For this family, I worry myself to death.
The Ghost Banner appeared in his hand—now bearing a second gray soul ring.
Electrolux's voice echoed faintly:
"Huo Yuhao, I don't wish to restrict you—only to help you. Don't forget, you're this era's Child of Fate. Everything you do is tied to the world itself. If you destroy it, you'll be the first to suffer."
"Heh, Old Elec, you think I don't know that? You were just trying to warn me earlier, weren't you?" Huo Yuhao chuckled.
First he called him "Electrolux," now it's "Old Elec," huh?
Electrolux sighed. "You noticed?"
"Nope. But I bet you didn't want to go down with me either."
"You little…"
Electrolux didn't say more. He had gotten the answer he wanted.
Honestly, compared to the Huo Yuhao in the book, he liked this version better.
As a reader, he could already tell that the book's Huo Yuhao wasn't all that pure—also fake.
But now, Huo Yuhao didn't even bother hiding his lust for gain.
Still, wasn't Electrolux joining the Ghost Banner for the same reason?
He didn't want to die in vain either.
...
Huo Yuhao leaned on the bed, healing his body and stowing He Caitou's corpse into a storage soul device.
He didn't yet have the strength to let the mutated Frost Centipede martial soul digest the body.
After a while, Electrolux spoke up.
"Yuhao, are we just fictional characters in a book? Or did our story get projected into your world and turned into one?"
"Who knows. Just keep getting stronger. When we're strong enough, we'll know. All worry comes from not being strong enough…"
Mid-sentence, Huo Yuhao drifted into exhausted sleep.
The Ghost Banner vanished from his hand.
After all this time in this new world, this was the first night he'd fallen asleep without cultivating.
Don't worry—Brother Hao won't slaughter the Douluo Continent.
Electrolux: You used to call me "Electrolux." Now that we're closer, it's "Old Elec," huh?