The seemingly tacit understanding between Zhou Yi and Wang Dong sent the students standing in front of Zhou Yi's desk into a daze. They had no diea what had happened.
Zhou Yi waved towards them, "You guys can go back and prepare first."
"Yes." Though the three students were very curious as to what had occurred, they didn't dare to stay behind. They hurriedly left Zhou Yi's office, cleverly closing the door as they did so.
Wang Dong spoke impatiently. "Teacher Zhou, has Huo Yuhao not come back yet? If you haven't seen him either, why don't we go over to the Soul Tool Department and ask them about it?"
Zhou Yi furrowed her brows, and a hint of anger appeared in her eyes, "No need. I've already gone there to ask them about it. Just what is that brat Huo Yuhao doing? He told me that the teachers from the Soul Tool Department were accompanying him to get a soul ring, but when I asked Fan Yu about it, he said that Huo Yuhao had told him that the teachers from the Martial Soul Department were taking him to get a soul ring. Isn't he just lying to both parties? In the end, nobody went with him. Don't tell me this brat just entered the Great Star Dou Forest alone?"
Hearing her words, Wang Dong immediately became even more anxious, "No way. He doesn't even have any attacking soul skills, so how in the world is he going to go hunt a soul beast by himself? That's too dangerous. No way, no way. Why would he be that dumb? When we left each other, his mood was still very normal!"
Zhou Yi spoke in a low voice, "He's definitely hiding something from us. Let's do this. Immediately go to the upperclassmen's dorms and bring Bei Bei and Tang Ya over here. If they're not here either, then that's what must've happened. Huo Yuhao belongs to the Tang Sect, so they might know what happened. If Bei Bei and Tang Ya followed him to the Great Star Dou Forest, then it's explainable."
"Okay." Wang Dong turned away and left. Right now, he was only praying that Bei Bei and Tang Ya weren't back yet. They must've followed Huo Yuhao to help him get his soul ring.
However, reality wouldn't just change due to a person's willpower. Within a few moments, Bei Bei and Tang Ya appeared inside Zhou Yi's office. Though they'd just arrived, they'd truly returned!
After hearing that Huo Yuhao hadn't returned, they were both astonished. Bei Bei said, "Teacher Zhou, our little junior brother was still fine the last time we saw him. He can't possibly have gone to hunt a soul beast by himself. Though we saw him kill a soul beast the first time we saw him, he was injured. Furthermore, the soul beast he killed was of the ten year rank. This time around, he's looking for his second soul ring. With his combat strength, even with a low-ranked Soul Tool and the martial arts of our Tang Sect, it's still going to be very difficult for him to take on a hundred year soul beast. After all, his cultivation's still too low. Our little junior brother's very smart, so why would he act so foolishly?"
They all looked at each other. No matter how they thought about it, they just couldn't understand why Huo Yuhao had lied to everyone when he left the academy.
He hadn't returned, and there was no use in panicking. Zhou Yi was anxious, but Fan Yu was even more anxious than she was.
It had been so hard for him to find such a good disciple who even revealed such an astonishing amount of talent in the field of soul tool creation. However, he had actually hatched such a wicked plan. It'd be strange if he wasn't feeling anxious. Like the others, he wasn't completely sure as to why Huo Yuhao was doing this. However, with his understanding of Huo Yuhao, he knew that he wasn't an unreliable person! He definitely had a predicament that gave him no choice but to do this.
Every person who was close to Huo Yuhao had their own different thoughts. Some of them were angry, some were remorseful, and some were puzzled. However, none of them could think of the true reason why Huo Yuhao had hidden the truth from them. But, time didn't stop for anyone.
Within the blink of an eye, one day passed.
Within another blink of an eye, the second day ended.
It was finally time to re-enroll in Shrek Academy. The students from the various year groups were all reporting in and registering their names. The entrance exams had already ended, and the newcomers had already entered the school. However, the students from the other year groups were still waiting for the coming advancement test.
The registration period started in the morning and went on all the way till the afternoon before ending.
Wang Dong had already completed his re-enrollment. After that, he anxiously stood by the entrance to Shrek Academy and gazed outwards, waiting.
Why? Why hasn't he come back yet? Why?
Shrek Academy's rules were very stringent. If you weren't able to register in time, you would be forced to leave the school!
The sky gradually darkened, but he still hadn't returned yet.
As Wang Dong looked towards the distance, his gaze was already somewhat dazed. He was only twelve this year, and he was slightly younger than Huo Yuhao. During his twelve years of life, this was the first time he'd thought so much about anyone.
His legs had already gone numb after standing for so long, but scenes of his activities and studies with Huo Yuhao in the same dorm room during the past year floated up in his mind unceasingly. They had gone to class together, cultivated together, participated in the freshmen assessment together, become champions together, eaten roasted fish together, and completed their first year in Shrek Academy together.
I've already come back, so where are you?
The sky gradually turned dark, and the sunset left a pale red at the edge of the horizon. The glow of the sunset was very beautiful, but it was unable to illuminate the haze in Wang Dong's heart.
Late, he's already late. He's already gone past the registration time. He won't make it, he won't make it!
Bei Bei, Tang Ya, and Xiao Xiao had also walked over to the academy's entrance. Their expressions darkened as they looked toward the gradually dimming sky.
Wang Dong didn't even know how he'd returned to his dorm. By the time he got back, the outside sky was completely black. In the end, Huo Yuhao hadn't managed to make it back in time for him to register. At this moment, however, Wang Dong didn't blame him at all.
As long as you can come back alive, that's fine!
The thing he was most scared of was Huo Yuhao being buried in the Great Star Dou Forest! If that occurred, he wouldn't even have a corpse to bury.
While thinking, Wang Dong slowly sat on Huo Yuhao's bed, which was still covered with dust. At this moment, he seemingly forgot about his own mysophobia.
Huo Yuhao, are you still alive? Wang Dong couldn't help but clench his fists tightly. His eyes gradually reddened, and an anxiety that could drive one mad appeared in his heart.
At this very moment, the sound of rushed footsteps sounded out from the outside. This was accompanied by the sounds of a person's somewhat heavy breathing.
Wang Dong raised his head, somewhat stunned. Right after that, a person suddenly charged inside with a bang.
"I'm screwed, I'm screwed! I'm late! I ran over as quickly as I could, but I was still late. How in the world is this supposed to be good!?" The youth who rushed in had an anxious look on his face as he muttered gloomily to himself. Raising his head to look at Wang Dong, he smiled, "You're back! Is today the day when registration ends? I'm screwed, I'm late. This won't do, I have to quickly find Teacher Zhou and think of a way to go about this during the night."
With that, the youth turned around, about to leave.
"Huo– Yu– Hao!!!" An extremely loud screech suddenly rang out, causing the leaving Huo Yuhao to feel his back sink. He felt a large force strike him, immediately slamming him to the ground. Then, his back was struck by a series of typhoon-like fists.
Right. Was the youth who'd rushed into the room not the owner of the empty bed, Huo Yuhao? Though he'd exhausted all of his energy, he had still arrived late. He'd simply wasted too much time fusing with the Ice Empress, and he didn't even know how much time he had actually wasted. After the Skydream Iceworm helped him obtain his second soul ring, he left the icy plains. After asking someone what time it was, he was struck dumb. He did all he could to rush back, but he was still late by a day.
"Uhh…" Huo Yuhao wrapped his hands around his head, feeling somewhat dazed after being beaten up by Wang Dong. He felt two soft lumps of meat on his butt moving non-stop, causing his weary buttocks to feel a sense of relaxation that didn't feel bad at all…
"You still remembered to come back? You bastard, you still remembered to come back?" A stream of tears fell from Wang Dong's eyes. This was the first time he'd actually worried about someone other than his family. The instant he saw Huo Yuhao, he felt something in his heart shatter. This caused his repressed emotions to explode out uncontrollably.
His fists gradually lost their power, and he suddenly starting crying while sitting on Huo Yuhao's back.
Huo Yuhao was originally feeling somewhat gloomy after being beaten up by Wang Dong, but now he was struck dumb by the latter's crying. As he was being pressed down onto the ground, he wasn't able to get up even if he wanted to. For a period of time, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but feel that he was at a complete loss.
"Wang Dong, what are you crying for! Why're you acting like a girl?" Huo Yuhao was very speechless.
"Bastard, don't you know how worried everyone is? I even thought that you'd turned into a pile of shit from a soul beast in the Great Star Dou Forest. Why'd you have to lie to us and tell us that a teacher was accompanying you to go kill soul beasts? Why'd you go by yourself?"
Wang Dong was sitting on Huo Yuhao, his hands holding onto his shoulders firmly as he spoke angrily.
"This�� the teachers can't have found out, right?" Huo Yuhao asked somewhat guiltily.
"What a load of rubbish. You didn't even come back. Is it even possible for them to not have found out?" Wang Dong gnashed his teeth with anger, itching to bite Huo Yuhao a few times to vent his anger.
Huo Yuhao smiled bitterly. "I say, why don't you get up before we start talking. You're not heavy, but you can't just keep pressing down on me like that."
Only then did Wang Dong react. As if he'd been electrocuted, he shot straight up, his face already blushing.
Huo Yuhao turned over and got up. Looking at the tear-filled Wang Dong, he knew that the latter had been worried about his safety. He couldn't help but feel moved. Scratching his head, he said apologetically, "I'm sorry! I've made you worry. I didn't think that I'd take this long. It's actually because I lost track of time."
After wiping off his tears, Wang Dong glared at him fiercely. "You lied to all of us. If you don't give me a logical explanation to this, we're not settled."
Huo Yuhao smiled mischievously. "Just look at you, you look like a little weeping woman. Just where did the imposing might of an assault-type soul master go to!"
Wang Dong was astonished. The tone of his voice immediately turned deep. "Just who did you call a little woman? Aren't you going to look for Teacher Zhou? Quickly go. I'll follow you. Teacher Zhou's also very angry. You'd better pray for luck." While speaking, he pushed Huo Yuhao out the door in a somewhat impatient manner.
Huo Yuhao was truly anxious to find a teacher and explain the situation. After all, he didn't want to get expelled just like this! Thus, he didn't notice how embarrassed Wang Dong was.
After leaving their dorm, Wang Dong finally calmed down. The dim light of the night was everywhere, and he suddenly felt peace of mind as he looked at Huo Yuhao, who was in front of him. At this moment, all of his worries had vanished from the face of the earth. The release of the baggage from his heart even caused him to feel tired.
"Just what in the world were you doing? You even lied to a teacher." Taking two steps forward, he caught up to Huo Yuhao. Wang Dong then walked along with him side by side.
Huo Yuhao smiled bitterly, "It's hard to explain everything. I'll talk about it once we find Teacher Zhou. I can't explain everything right now."
Wang Dong said, "In any case, be a bit more careful. I feel that being late won't be much of a problem. Though the academy's rules are quite stringent, they're much more relaxed for core disciples like us. In any case, you're a core disciple of the Soul Tool Department. Problem is, you'll now have to explain the reason why you were lying to the teachers in order to stop them from pursuing the matter. As long as Teacher Fan Yu and Teacher Zhou are willing to protect you, there won't be any big problems. I'm sure you're aware of Teacher Zhou's temper. Teacher Fan Yu hasn't said anything about it, but he's definitely very worried."
Huo Yuhao had already thought of a plan during his journey back. Nodding, he said, "I've truly got a special reason for why I did what I did. I believe they'll definitely understand it."
As the two continued to speak, they arrived at the teacher's office area. The teachers from the outer courtyard were living within the office block. The lower floors were the office blocks, while the higher floors were the teacher's homes.
However, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had never been to Zhou Yi's house. Thus, they could only try their luck at the office.
Their luck wasn't bad at all; the light in Zhou Yi's office was still on.
Before they'd even reached the door to Zhou Yi's office, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong heard the sounds of Zhou Yi's roaring…
"Fan Yu, what the heck did you just say that brat Huo Yuhao wanted to do? We've done all we could to cultivate him, but he actually lied to us and ran away. He hasn't even returned yet. Just what reason do you think he had to lie to us? Don't tell me that a teacher helping him to obtain a soul ring won't be useful to him? I really didn't think that I'd actually make a mistake. Originally, I thought that he was an extremely honest student who was willing to work hard. I didn't think that he'd be an ungrateful brat like this. This really pisses me off. Don't let me see him again. If I do, I'm going to flay all of his skin off."
Hearing Zhou Yi's words, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but shiver instinctively. He felt his scalp go numb. With a somewhat pleading look on his face, he looked towards Wang Dong.
Wang Dong looked towards him with a smile that wasn't a smile, then made a gesture that said 'You're on your own now'. Just who asked you to lie to everyone here? Who asked you to come back too late? Serves you right!
Bracing himself, Huo Yuhao carefully shifted towards Zhou Yi's office. At this moment, Fan Yu's voice rang out.
"Okay, stop being so angry. Do you think I'm any less anxious than you? Don't you know how hard it is to find an inheriting disciple? Yuhao is more talented than Caitou. Don't you know how much hope I've placed on him? Now that he's lost, I'm even more worried than you. But, I feel that you've said something incorrect. After being in contact with him for so long, I understand him quite well. Though he's made a lot of plans, he's a very kind and steady person. He definitely won't do anything silly. Since he's lied to us in order to go by himself, I believe that he definitely has a reason for doing so. Now, we can only wait for him to come back. That way, I believe that he'll give us a logical explanation."
Zhou Yi unhappily said, "He's already late, so what damn use is there for him to come back? Won't he get expelled anyway?"
Fan Yu said, "That might not be the case. As long as he has a reasonable explanation, we can reveal the fact that he's a core disciple of the Soul Tool Department to let him remain in the academy. His treatment as a core disciple of your Martial Soul Department is already coming to an end, so he'll definitely be stripped of his privileges if he can't give an astonishing performance during the assessment. Since that's the case, we can just reveal it. In any case, Dean Qian's already fallen for our trick."
Huo Yuhao felt moved as he listened to the husband-and-wife duo. He had lied to his teachers, but they were still worried about him. An intense sensation of guilt flooded his heart, and he wanted to reveal the truth to them right there.
The Skydream Iceworm's faint voice rang out in his mind, "If you don't want to be used as a guinea pig, you'd better control your mouth."
Huo Yuhao immediately regained his senses after listening to the Skydream Iceworm's reminder. Right! No matter what, he couldn't reveal the truth. A million year soul beast, in addition to one of the Three Emperors of the Extreme North, had become his intelligent soul ring. This situation couldn't even be described using the word 'astonishing' anymore.
Clenching his teeth, Huo Yuhao quickened his footsteps, reaching Zhou Yi's office door.
Zhou Yi's office door wasn't shut, and there was no longer anybody left within the teacher's office buildings at this time. Huo Yuhao peeked his head in just in time for him to see an extremely gentle scene.
Zhou Yi didn't have her mask on, and her beautiful face was filled with rage. However, she was sitting on Fan Yu's thigh, while her hands were cradling Fan Yu's neck. Fan Yu's arms were wrapped around her waist.
"Cough, cough. Teacher, Teacher Zhou, I'm back."
Fan Yu and Zhou Yi were both stunned by Huo Yuhao's appearance. Zhou Yi subconsciously jumped up from Fan Yu's thigh.
Wang Dong was right behind Huo Yuhao, and he was stunned to the point of being flabbergasted by this scene. Though he'd heard about Zhou Yi's mask from Huo Yuhao, this was still the first time he'd seen Teacher Zhou's true appearance. Furthermore, this had happened in a situation where she hadn't concealed herself at all.
"Huo Yuhao, you still know how to come back!" Zhou Yi shot towards him angrily.
It had to be said that Huo Yuhao was truly lucky. The flabbergasted Wang Dong subconsciously blurted out, "Teacher Zhou, you're really pretty."
The overbearing Zhou Yi was stunned for a brief moment. In an instant, the flames of anger within her heart diminished by over 30%. Pausing her footsteps, she glared fiercely at Huo Yuhao, "Follow me in and close the door."
At this moment, Huo Yuhao completely understood why Zhou Yi normally had to keep her old grandma mask on her face. Not only was she beautiful, her facial features were extremely gentle and soft. Though she was currently filled with anger, it was simply too hard for her to keep a deterrent effect up for the other students. On the contrary, the others would think that she was a beauty who was throwing a tantrum.
Fan Yu sat there unmoving, his gaze fixed on Huo Yuhao. Though he had just exonerated the disciple he was proud of, could he truly be not angry at all?
Lowering his gaze, Huo Yuhao obediently entered Zhou Yi's office. On the other hand, Wang Dong shut the door after entering.
Huo Yuhao walked up to Fan Yu, falling to his knees with a "putong", "Teacher, I've done wrong."
Fan Yu's heart was originally filled with the flames of anger. Huo Yuhao had returned, and he was waiting for the disciple he was proud of to give him an explanation with an extremely stern look on his face. However, Huo Yuhao hadn't given a reason to exonerate himself. Instead, he'd immediately fallen to his knees in order to admit his wrongdoing. The stiff lines of Fan Yu's face immediately softened slightly.
It had to be said that any teacher would be slightly more lenient towards the students they were fond of. Zhou Yi and Fan Yu weren't an exception to that case. Zhou Yi was extremely strict towards her students, but she didn't utter a word with Fan Yu there. Instead, she stood behind Fan Yu, giving the initiative to her husband.
"Why?" Fan Yu said indifferently.
Huo Yuhao raised his head, giving a reply filled with guilt, "Teacher, I've done wrong. I shouldn't have lied to you and Teacher Zhou. However, I- I was scared that you'd be worried about me. That was why I had to concoct a lie before I could leave. This was because I wasn't even sure whether I would be able to come back when I left."
He'd already thought of many ways he could give this apology. With the Skydream Iceworm's help, there were basically no holes in his excuse. His guilt-filled tone wasn't fake, but he couldn't tell the truth. Regardless of whether it was for him or his two teachers, telling the truth might not necessarily be a good thing!
"Huh?" Hearing Huo Yuhao's words, Fan Yu, Zhou Yi, and Wang Dong's interest were piqued.
Zhou Yi couldn't help but say, "Is there anything the academy can't help you settle? Did you absolutely have to do this by yourself? Are you telling me that we wouldn't be able to help you if you'd told us the truth?"
Huo Yuhao shook his head softly, "You wouldn't have been able to help me. A problem came up with my martial soul. Teacher Zhou, do you remember? During Teacher Wang's class, he told us that the most terrifying thing to a soul master was the shattering of their martial soul."
Zhou Yi was greatly astonished, "What? Your martial soul…"
Huo Yuhao nodded, "When the school year had just ended, I noticed a problem with my martial soul. I occasionally felt absent-minded when I was using my Spirit Eyes, and there were even signs of my martial soul fracturing. At that time, I thought about what Teacher Wang said. He said that if a martial soul didn't have enough talent, and if a person who had relatively low innate soul power tried to forcefully cultivate, there was a very small chance that a martial soul could shatter. Moreover, the shattering of a martial soul was a catastrophe to a soul master. If they were lucky, they would lose all of their soul power, and their martial soul would shatter and disappear; if they were unlucky, it could even endanger their lives."
At this moment, even Fan Yu's expression had changed. If Huo Yuhao's martial soul was truly shattering, then there was truly nothing that could save him. Even a Titled Douluo wouldn't be able to do anything.
A martial soul was the internal core of every soul master. If any problems arose within that internal core, then not even heavenly treasures could do anything about it. That was equivalent to a death sentence!
"Yuhao, then, you…" Right now, Fan Yu didn't even care about how angry he felt anymore; his voice was filled with concern.
Zhou Yi said unhappily, "Since he's able to properly kneel here, there's clearly nothing wrong anymore. Yuhao, continue."
Huo Yuhao said, "During the few days before the academic year ended, those feelings were getting increasingly clearer. I was starting to be afraid. I was afraid for my martial soul, and I was afraid that I'd be unable to live up to the love you two have shown me. I thought about it carefully, and I decided not to tell you two about it. If my martial soul truly shattered, then talking about it would be of no use; if it didn't shatter, I'd definitely come back. Thus, I lied to both of you. I didn't want you to worry about me."
"You… what can I even say about you!?" Fan Yu sighed. Bending down, he placed his hands under Huo Yuhao's armpits and propped him up. This child was simply too thoughtful.
The anger that was originally between Zhou Yi's brows had eased by a large amount. Only, Wang Dong's anger didn't decrease in the slightest. He inwardly thought to himself, This bastard. He lied, and he's lying again.
Huo Yuhao's lies could get past Zhou Yi and Fan Yu, but they couldn't trick Wang Dong. They had a perfect martial soul fusion, and they had cultivated together just before Huo Yuhao had left the academy. If anything had happened to his martial soul, Wang Dong would've sensed it immediately. However, he hadn't felt anything!
At this moment however, Wang Dong couldn't expose Huo Yuhao's lies. He could only bury his doubts in the bottom of his heart.
Zhou Yi said, "Then how are you feeling now? Did the signs of your martial soul shattering disappear?"
Huo Yuhao nodded.
Zhou Yi furrowed her brows tightly, "That's also a problem. Not only did you arrive late, you didn't even obtain a second soul ring. I'm afraid that the academy will…"
Huo Yuhao blinked, "Teacher Zhou, I've gotten my second martial soul!"
"Huh?" Zhou Yi looked towards him, astonished. Fan Yu interjected, "Let Yuhao finish what he has to say."
Huo Yuhao said, "When I left the academy, I felt that I didn't really have much hope anymore. In addition to that, there seemed to be an unseen force that was guiding me towards the north. The absent-mindedness from my martial soul was getting increasingly stronger, and I could sense that my Spirit Eyes were releasing traces of ice. It seemed to be guiding me towards the north. Under an absent-minded state like this, I didn't even know long I'd walked for, but I unexpectedly arrived at a world of ice and snow. That place was very, very cold, and I felt that I was going to be frozen alive. However, the sensation of shattering coming from my martial soul was becoming increasingly intense, as though it could shatter at any time. I didn't really know what was going on, but I fainted in that icy land. Just before I fainted, I felt that I wasn't going to be able to wake up again. I didn't know how long I fainted for, but it was because of this that I came back late."
Fan Yu and Zhou Yi glanced at each other. Though the area Shrek Academy was in was getting chilly, it was still late spring. If he spoke about a world of ice and snow, wasn't that the desolate and uninhabited Extreme North? Unexpectedly, Huo Yuhao hadn't gone to the Great Star Dou Forest; he'd gone to a place that was that far away. Furthermore, it was even under a situation in which his martial soul that had signs of shattering was guiding him. This was simply too fantastical.
Huo Yuhao continued, "By the time I woke up, it was still daytime. I didn't know how much time had passed, but my body was already buried in the snow. When I opened my eyes, my vision was filled with a dark white object. I thought that I was already dead, but I realized that something wasn't right after a moment. The condition of my body was still very normal, and I could even sense the flow of my soul power. Furthermore, my Spirit Eyes had completely stabilised; they no longer had any problems."
"I climbed out from the snow, astonished. Only then did I realise that I was still in my original location. More astonishingly, an extra burst of power seemed to be within my body. I found a dead scorpion that was longer than a meter near my body. Its entire body was pure white, while its tail was jade-green. There were many crystalline objects on the surface of its shell, and though it was already dead, I could still sense how powerful it was."
"An Ice Jade Scorpion?" Zhou Yi took a deep breath, while Fan Yu's eyes were filled with astonishment.
Wang Dong couldn't help but ask, "Teacher Zhou, what's an Ice Jade Scorpion?"
Zhou Yi said, "It's an extremely strong soul beast that lives in the Extreme North. They have an enormous population, and they're the true rulers of that bitterly cold land. They possess an ultimate ice attribute, and normally speaking, they only live within the core regions of the Extreme North. Even to us soul masters, that area is a forbidden place. It is a truly forbidden area to humans. Even Titled Douluo-ranked experts wouldn't dare to easily tread within that extremely cold place. Yuhao, you were actually able to survive after encountering an Ice Jade Scorpion."
Originally, Zhou Yi and Fan Yu still had some doubts towards Huo Yuhao's words. However, their suspicions immediately dropped by a large amount after Huo Yuhao described the appearance of the Ice Jade Scorpion. Though there were a large number of soul beasts within the Extreme North, human soul masters would rarely have the chance to encounter them. Furthermore, the outer courtyard had never taught them anything about the Ice Jade Scorpion from Year 1 to Year 6. If he hadn't truly seen an Ice Jade Scorpion, how would Huo Yuhao be able to describe a soul beast like it?
Huo Yuhao said, "I don't know how it did, but because I discovered some energy within its body, I tried to use my soul power to urge it on. In the end…"
With that, Huo Yuhao slowly raised his hands. A trace of white light flashed through his originally deep-blue eyes, and the temperature in Zhou Yi's office dropped right after that.
The strong chilliness caused even Wang Dong to involuntarily shiver instinctively. Fan Yu and Zhou Yi clearly saw a translucent and sparkling luster on Huo Yuhao's hands, as if he was wearing a set of diamond gloves that had a moving radiance to them. The temperature within the office dropped suddenly.
Fan Yu could no longer sit; he suddenly stood up. As he looked at Huo Yuhao, he unconsciously widened his eyes. Right after that, the two of them saw a purple soul ring slowly rise from Huo Yuhao's feet. It was a halo that flickered with a noble purple, and it slowly undulated rhythmically around Huo Yuhao's body.
"A thousand year soul ring!" Wang Dong cried out immediately.
Purple, didn't that represent a thousand year soul ring? However, how was that possible? Just what situation was this!?
Huo Yuhao quickly took off his jacket and removed his shirt, revealing his naked upper body.
"Ah–" Because Wang Dong was standing right behind him, he was able to instantly see the sparkling tattoo of the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion. The vivid and lifelike portrayal of the enormous scorpion gave him a jump.
Huo Yuhao slowly turned around, showing his back to Fan Yu and Zhou Yi.
During the journey back, when he and the Skydream Iceworm had gotten to this point, Huo Yuhao had asked him whether the teachers would notice that the Ice Empress' tattoo was different when compared to ordinary Ice Jade Scorpions.
The Skydream Iceworm then replied using the simplest words it could, "Other than you, every human who has seen the Ice Empress has died!"
"The Ice Jade Scorpion, it's really the Ice Jade Scorpion! Yuhao, you, you, this… this is impossible!" Zhou Yi's eyes were filled with a look of inconceivability, as was Fan Yu. The husband-and-wife duo looked at Huo Yuhao as if they were looking at a monster.
After putting his clothes back on, Huo Yuhao withdrew his martial soul and stood there obediently, "Teacher, Teacher Zhou, I don't understand what happened either. Can the two of you explain this doubt of mine? In any case, I'm no longer afraid of the cold after I obtained this power. It seems as though I've already become a part of that world of ice and snow."
Suddenly, Zhou Yi's eyes lit up. She looked towards Fan Yu, "Do you think it's related to his Body Soul? Yuhao's Spirit Eyes should be a Body Soul. I've heard Teacher Wang Yan say that powerful Body Soul soul masters will have a second awakening of their martial soul. If that's truly the case, although the situation he's in right now seems extraordinary, it isn't fully unexplainable. Why don't I go find Wang Yan now and ask him about it?"
Zhou Yi was always the type of person who would act immediately. Just as she said that she was about to leave, Fan Yu grabbed her by the arm, "No, you can't go. Quiet down a little. If you let Wang Yan know about this, do you think the Martial Soul Department will let Yuhao go?"
Zhou Yi was stunned. As she looked towards the determined gaze in Fan Yu's eyes, she immediately understood what he meant. She remained silent after that.
Fan Yu sat back down, then looked towards Huo Yuhao, "Yuhao, this situation that's occurred to you is an extremely rare occurrence among us soul masters. This is the first time we've encountered a situation like this. Therefore, we're unable to give you a full explanation. However, according to our estimations, it should be something related to your martial soul. Body Souls have always been an extremely mysterious existence. There's a mysterious sect within the continent called the Body Sect, and they've always been doing their best to collect and cultivate soul masters who possess Body Souls. Perhaps they're the only people who could understand what's happened to your body. Teacher can tell you that this isn't a bad thing. From what you've shown us, you should have a second martial soul now. Moreover, this martial soul has a thousand year soul ring. It could've been given to you by the dead Ice Jade Scorpion you found beside you. As for why you were able to obtain an Ice Jade Scorpion as your second martial soul, we can't explain this. However, this is absolutely a good thing for you. The Ice Jade Scorpion ranks among the apex of assault-type martial souls belonging to the ice attribute, and it'll have extremely large benefits towards your future cultivation. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Huo Yuhao nodded, "Teacher, then what should I do now?"
Fan Yu said, "Let me settle the issue of you being late. I'll formally announce the fact that you're a core disciple of the Martial Soul Department. In addition to that, I'll give a report to the academy that the reason why you were late was because you were helping me complete a task I assigned to you. However, if we do it like this, you won't be able to become a core disciple of the Martial Soul Department in the future. Teacher isn't willing to force you, so you'll have to make a choice by yourself. However, I can guarantee you that the moment the Martial Soul Department discovers that you're a twin-souled soul master who has a thousand year soul ring as your second martial soul's first soul ring, they won't expel you. Because of this, you have to decide by yourself whether you want to study alongside me or remain in the Martial Soul Department as a core disciple."
"As for your future cultivation, I personally believe that you should focus on your Spirit Eyes regardless of whether you stay in the Martial Soul Department or fully transfer to the Soul Tool Department. The greatest advantage of twin martial souls lies in the fact that you can add soul rings to your second martial soul once your cultivation's strong enough. At that time, the advantage of a twin-souled soul master can be fully displayed. However, you've already walked the path of your Spirit Eyes, so it'd be better for you to not easily change your style of fighting. Earlier, you said that you'd obtained a second soul skill for your Spirit Eyes. Since that's the case, you should continue to cultivate your Spirit Eyes, and not this new martial soul you've just obtained. It's strange how you obtained this new martial soul, so we should observe it for a bit more before doing anything. Let us see your second soul ring first."