Of all the of students in the class, Wang Dong was the person who had to face the least amount of pressure. He was extremely familiar with Huo Yuhao, and the two of them were able to fuse their martial souls! It didn't matter what ability Huo Yuhao used, he wouldn't feel too great of a threat from any of them. When he heard Wang Yan's words, he couldn't help but ask, "Teacher Wang, then what color are God-ranked soul ring?"
Wang Yan replied, "Even I don't truly know. Based on historical documents, the tenth soul ring of Ancestor Tang San's Bluesilver Emperor was bluish-gold. His second martial soul—the Clear Sky Hammer—also had a different colored ninth soul ring; it was dark-gold. It's very possible that it was also a God-ranked soul ring. Based on this, we can deduce that God-ranked soul rings will all have different, unique appearances."
Wang Dong asked, "Didn't you just say that one's tenth soul ring would be a God-ranked one? How was Ancestor Tang San's ninth soul ring able to become a God-ranked one?"
Wang Yan smiled slightly. "We'll first have to talk about a legendary soul beast that once existed on our Douluo Continent. Even among the teachers within the academy, only a few of them know about this secret. This legendary soul beast was known as the Deep Sea Devil whale Emperor, and its cultivation had supposedly neared the million year rank. However, nobody is clear as to whether or not it actually surpassed a million years of cultivation. According to our historical documents however, once Ancestor Tang San absorbed its soul ring, it fused with some sort of energy in his body, which caused it to become a dark-gold God-ranked soul ring. Ancestor Tang San had already broken through the pinnacle of cultivation at this point, meaning that his soul power had reached Rank 100 and that he'd become a God. Only with the help of his main martial soul's tenth soul ring—the Bluesilver Emperor—was he able to kill the Deep Sea Devilwhale Emperor."
When Wang Yan finished speaking about Ancestor Tang San's God-ranked soul ring, Huo Yuhao was left in a daze. After hearing about the possibility of a million year soul beast who might have appeared in the past, he was stunned speechless.
At that moment, he couldn't help but ask, "Teacher Wang, did the Deep Sea Devilwhale Emperor really reach a million years of cultivation?"
Wang Yan shook his head. "What really happened is more complicated. According to the large amount of research conducted over tens of thousands of years by powerful soul masters, a soul beast is normally limited to a hundred thousand years of life. When they hit this limit, they'll encounter a calamity of sorts, at which point they'll have to choose between attempting to break through this limit, or transforming into a human. Earlier, I said that soul beasts able to break through this limit are known as transcendent soul beasts. However, all of them will still have to face a calamity like this every hundred thousand years. Once they break through ten calamities, they'll become existences close to that of a God. If they can leap through the golden gate and transform from a carp to a dragon, they'll be able to become true Gods. As far as I know however, a soul beast has never been able to complete this step. Even the Deep Sea Devilwhale Emperor wasn't an exception. As such, regardless of whether or not it was able to reach a million years of cultivation, it would still only remain a transcendent soul beast so long as it wasn't able to become a God. Of course, only a God can force these terrifying transcendent soul beasts to surrender. If one doesn't have as much as power as someone like Ancestor Tang San, even someone with the ability to kill a transcendent soul beast like the Deep Sea Devil whale Emperor wouldn't be able to completely absorb its soul ring and soul bone."
Huo Yuhao asked, "Teacher Wang. Before Ancestor Tang San became a God and left our world, did he have any other martial souls than his Bluesilver Emperor and his Clear Sky Hammer?"
Huo Yuhao shook his head. "There shouldn't have been any more. When Ancestor Tang San had his last battle with the Martial Soul Hall, the two opponents he faced were both God-ranked experts. According to the historical documents at least, a situation in which Ancestor Tang San possessed three martial souls didn't appear. Yuhao, why would you ask something like this?"
Huo Yuhao scratched his head. "I was just casually asking something random. The God rank is simply too far away from us, thus I was just wondering whether or not we'd obtain a third martial soul if we reached the God rank."
Wang Yan smiled slightly. "Your train of thought is very good. Our research into the field of martial souls is precisely because we want to explore more of their secrets. One should definitely make bold hypotheses and verify them carefully. Alright, let's stop for now."
His last sentence was directed towards Huo Yuhao. The other students instantly felt their bodies loosen up, which immediately causing the soul power in their bodies to undulate intensely, and in turn caused them to feel and incredible sense of relaxation. Only then did they recall the the pressure that Huo Yuhao had been releasing since he'd imitated the aura of a ten thousand year soul ring.
When Wang Yan saw the students act as if they'd been relieved of a large burden, he smiled slightly. "The menacing aura that a soul beast emits and the pressure that a soul master emits are actually just two different types of intimidation of your spirit. As long as your spiritual power is stable enough, you'll be able to stand unmoving like a reef near the seaside no matter how intense the pressure is. Earlier, your minds were captivated by my story, thus you completely forgot about the pressure Yuhao was emitting. Head back and have a good rest. Afterwards, prepare yourselves as best as you can for the advancement test. We'll end class here. Tomorrow, we'll continue to train in the same way."
Every single student within the classroom—including Huo Yuhao—had resolute looks in their eyes as they looked towards Wang Yan. Indeed, Zhou Yi couldn't compare to a scholarly teacher such as Wang Yan when it came to theoretical knowledge. However, Zhou Yi was much better than him at controlling her students. Since they were both simultaneously in charge of the class, they even complimented each other. At the very least, Class 1 no longer had a single student under the two-ringed rank after the past year's worth of study.
At this moment, there was still a period of time before dinnertime. As such, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong decided to head directly towards their dorm. At Huo Yuhao's strong behest, they began to cultivating as soon as they arrived.
Huo Yuhao wasn't truly trying to be hardworking today, however, he had a few questions for the Skydream Iceworm. The only way he could have a conversation with the Skydream Iceworm currently was by entering a state of cultivation with Wang Dong and calming down.
As the Haodong Power circulated through their bodies, the dense undulations of soul power they emitted strengthened at a rapid rate. Both of them had experienced a qualitative leap in their cultivations during their vacation, thus the advantage they had in terms of cultivation speed since they'd fused their soul power was becoming more and more distinct.
"Brother Skydream, Brother Skydream." Once he'd entered a meditative state, Huo Yuhao immediately began to circulate his soul power in a controlled manner while calling out to the Skydream Iceworm.
The Skydream Iceworm responded to him quite quickly. Its lazy voice rang out, "What're you doing? Is this about that Deep Sea Devilwhale Emperor?"
Huo Yuhao said, "Yeah! Brother Skydream, was that Deep Sea Devilwhale Emperor really a million year soul beast?"
The Skydream Iceworm smiled mischievously. "Don't you already have an answer to this?"
Yes, the reason that Huo Yuhao had asked Wang Yan if Ancestor Tang San had had a third martial soul was precisely to verify whether or not the Deep Sea Devilwhale Emperor was a million year soul ring.
Huo Yuhao said, "Since you've answered me like this, it truly wasn't one?"
The Skydream Iceworm replied, "I've already told you: I'm the only soul beast on the continent who's been able to break through to the million year rank. The moment I broke through the boundary of the million year rank, I felt something deep in my heart. It's impossible to describe what that feeling was, but I instinctively knew that I was the first soul beast to reach this level. There hasn't been anyone else able to. The number of soul beasts that reside in the ocean outnumber the soul beasts on the continent, thus it isn't surprising for powerful soul beasts to appear there. However, I can guarantee that there are no million year soul beasts among their ranks."
Huo Yuhao said, "Brother Skydream then, then… shouldn't you be a God?" He still had an enormous amount of doubt within his heart. Once he'd obtained his second soul ring for his Spirit Eyes, he'd immediately discovered a secret. The Skydream Iceworm had always disguised the true color of his Spirit Eyes' first soul ring. Lazy as he was however, the Skydream Iceworm had immediately delegated this task to Huo Yuhao once he'd obtained the ability to conceal his abilities. In truth, the first soul ring that the Skydream Iceworm had given him—his intelligent soul ring—was an impressive gold color. It was completely different from the regular white, yellow, purple, black, and red colored soul rings. When Teacher Wang Yan had talked about Ancestor Tang San's God-ranked soul ring, a thought had immediately popped into Huo Yuhao's mind. Wasn't the first soul ring of his Spirit Eyes a God-ranked soul ring as well?
The Skydream Iceworm unhappily replied, "Stop dreaming. If I'd truly become a God, would I really have been bullied by those fellas in the Great Star Dou Forest? True, the soul ring that I gave you has the foundations of a God-ranked soul ring, but it absolutely isn't one. It's currently lacking two things: One, it needs a Godly Imprint that belongs to you. Only when you've obtain the cultivation of a God and have branded it with your imprint will it truly become a God-ranked soul ring. The other thing you require is a Godly Seat. Do you really think that it's so easy to become a God? It's definitely impossible to succeed without experiencing innumerable trials. However, it's still too early for you to be thinking about these things. All you need to know is that this Brother is a unique and genuine million year soul ring in the truest sense of the word. Understood?"
"Oh," Huo Yuhao replied, "Brother Skydream, don't go back to sleep yet. I still have another question to ask you. Earlier today, I used one of the soul skills that the Ice Empress gave me. Why was I suddenly so enormously powerful?"
The Skydream Iceworm immediately flew into a rage, "Aren't you just full of crap now! Who do you think the Ice Empress is?! She's one of the most powerful soul beasts who currently exists. You've received her soul ring and soul bone, and even though you only absorbed a very small amount of her power, your physique was strengthened by an enormous amount. Furthermore, the two soul skills that she gave you are both power-type skills. These two things—her terrifying amount of power and her Ultimate Ice attribute—culminated into the soul skill you released earlier: The Ice Empress' Pincer. However, you have to remember that the Ice Empress' Pincer can only be utilised at its maximum in a close-combat situation. On the other hand, you have to try your best not use the two skills her torso bone gave you. They simply require too much soul power; you wouldn't be able to endure it. Oh, right. When you've fused your soul power with this little fella in front of you, you should be able to barely release a trace of the power those two skills possess. In reality, you should feel proud of yourself. The person who tested you just now is one of those people you humans call a 'Titled Douluo'."
Huo Yuhao was astonished. "Brother Skydream, you're saying that Teacher Gong is a…"
"My intuition is never wrong," The Skydream Iceworm said, "Whatever, if you have nothing else to say, Brother is going to sleep. Continue cultivating diligently."
After having a conversation with the Skydream Iceworm, the doubts in Huo Yuhao's mind had cleared up. Having gone through today's affairs, his self-confidence had increased even more.
News of Huo Yuhao's stunning performance in the Great Beast Dueling Arena quickly spread throughout the entirety of the outer courtyard. However, under the conjectures of a few brainy people, the other students were able to surmise that he had used an aura-imitation skill. Because of that, he didn't cause too large a ruckus.
The advancement test for the Year 2 students was postponed for two days. Furthermore, Zhou Yi brought another piece of news to Huo Yuhao after the meeting the teachers had. The academy's Teaching Department had requested that he retake the advancement test without using his Imitation this time around. They guaranteed that he would obtain the minimum marks required to pass, but they still hoped that he would do all he could to display his own strength in order to obtain even higher marks.
Du Weilun wasn't willing to resign himself to the truth! After the advancement test had ended, he had organised a meeting with the other teachers before going over to see Dean Yan Shaozhe. Yan Shaozhe then gave him a single order–that was, for him to clarify what Huo Yuhao's second martial soul was, in addition to his soul skill.
...
"Second young master, this is too risky. Shrek Academy is the continent's number one academy, and experts are extremely common there. The number of Titled Douluo they have exceed that of our empire. Rashly killing someone within Shrek Academy will be extremely inconvenient for the Duke."
"Then what if it's outside Shrek Academy?"
"If it's sufficiently far away from Shrek Academy, we can try. Second young master, you have to calm down. If you really can't take it anymore, you can ask the eldest young master for guidance."
"No need, I've already thought it through. I was clouded by my anger. I'll think of a way by myself first. If I really can't do anything about it, I'll draw them out for the sake of the White Tiger Duke's honor. At that time, you are not allowed to dissuade me anymore."
"Yes."
...
"Haha, that old fella Yan Shaozhe must be foaming with anger in his office. How delightful, it's really so satisfying!" Qian Duoduo was lying on his wide sofa, his mighty body taking up almost half the space of the sofa, which could normally fit three people. He had a pleased look on his face.
Fan Yu, who was sitting opposite him, said sincerely, "Dean Qian, thank you." He was truly grateful to Qian Duoduo. He had made a timely move, allowing them to thoroughly bring Huo Yuhao over to the Soul Tool Department at the most crucial moment. Moreover, Yan Shaozhe couldn't do anything at all now.
Qian Duoduo waved his hand, "What're you thanking me for? This is all for our Soul Tool Department. However, that old fella Yan Shaozhe is very crafty. We still have to be alert."
Fan Yu was stunned. "Be alert for what? Yuhao's already a core disciple of our Soul Tool Department!"
Qian Duoduo said, "You can't think this way. I understand that old fella Yan too well; he's not a person who gives up easily. He won't do something like threaten us, but he's extremely good at tempting someone. You still need to have a good conversation with that little fella Yuhao so he won't be fooled by any means. Tell Yuhao that our Soul Tool Department can give him anything that Yan Shaozhe offers. I simply don't believe that Old Yan will just let me snatch away the meat I've obtained. Humph. Two martial souls, hahaha. I just need to imagine Old Yan's current expression to feel extremely happy."
Fan Yu smiled slightly. "I don't think that you need to worry. After interacting with this child Yuhao for so long, I have confidence in him. I can guarantee you one thing–as long as he gets his rank as a soul master up to the required rank, he'll definitely become a soul engineer of the same class. Within five years, before he graduates from the outer courtyard, I'll work hard to make him a Class 5 soul engineer. When he then enters the inner courtyard, we'll be able to have him and Caitou implement the Ultimate Soldier plan."
"The Imitation skill that Yuhao's just obtained has eliminated a large obstacle to our Ultimate Soldier plan. This skill has no offensive uses, but it's absolutely the strongest ability that a person can use to conceal themselves! The heavens above are truly thinking about our Soul Tool Department. Yuhao's practically made for our Ultimate Soldier plan."
Qian Duoduo nodded. "Fan Yu, I have a proposal. This kid Yuhao has an extraordinary amount of talent as a soul engineer, and we can't restrict him too much using conventional ways. I feel that He Caitou shouldn't continue being cultivated for the Ultimate Soldier plan. If Huo Yuhao can become the Ultimate Soldier we nurture, then He Caitou can be the Armory of the Ultimate Soldier."
Somewhat concerned, Fan Yu said, "But Dean, isn't this too risky? In the event we fail…"
The smile on Qian Duoduo's face vanished, and he spoke in a grave voice, "There isn't an 'in the event'. If a person with twin martial souls can't make our plan succeed, then that only proves that our plan doesn't hold any water. If we go with the mentality of staking it all on one person, our chances of success are much greater."
Fan Yu furrowed his brows. "Then I'll have to think about it for a while. I need to ask Caitou for his opinion on this as well."
Qian Duoduo smiled. "Yup. This issue isn't urgent. They're still young, so we have to establish their foundations well. Right, when is Huo Yuhao coming over?"
Fan Yu said, "The Martial Soul Department's having their advancement test. I'll get him to come over after his test."
Qian Duoduo said, "He's already a core disciple of our Soul Tool Department now. After the Martial Soul Department's advancement test ends, bring him over and let him participate in our advancement test as well. I want to see his capabilities in live combat."
"Okay," Fan Yu replied, filled with confidence. He had absolute confidence in the disciple he was pleased with.
Two days later.
The Great Beast Duelling Arena. Outside the Arena.
"Huo Yuhao, do you dare to make another bet?" Dai Huabin blocked Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's paths.
Without even waiting for Huo Yuhao to open his mouth, Wang Dong interjected, "What? You can't accept it? The only reason why you've dared to come again is because you're fully aware that Huo Yuhao's been restricted from using his soul skill. Losing is losing, and you've already forgotten the pain that came from that scar of yours, eh? You've already kowtowed and admitted that you were wrong."
A cold light flickered through Dai Huabin's eyes, "What's wrong with seizing an opportunity? I lost, and I admitted it. I'm only asking as to whether you dare to make another bet with me. This time, I'll bet against you two by myself. I'm betting that I'll be able to exceed the total of your scores by myself."
The moment he spoke, Wang Dong immediately raised his brow, "Dai Huabin, you're being too arrogant."
Dai Huabin said icily, "Do you dare, or do you not?"
Wang Dong said angrily, "Since you wanna bet, we'll bet. We'll use the same stakes as before. The losing party will kowtow and admit that they were wrong, but three times this time."
Dai Huabin turned towards the silent Huo Yuhao, "What do you say?"
Huo Yuhao said indifferently, "Seeing that you were willing to accept your loss last time, fine. We'll take your bet."
Dai Huabin squinted his eyes. After coldly sweeping his gaze over the two, he turned away and left.
As Wang Dong looked on at Dai Huabin's leaving figure, he suddenly let out a laugh. Keeping his voice low, he turned towards Huo Yuhao, "Sure enough, it's exactly as you predicted. That fella has well-developed limbs, but the brain of a moron. He actually dared to make a bet like this for the sake of revenge. He's really thinking too highly of himself, and he's looking down on us too much."
Huo Yuhao smiled slightly. "Actually, he's not looking down on us. It's just that we have too many secrets that the others don't know about. If he makes a decision based on common sense, it's natural for him to be fooled by us."
The Haodong Power was their greatest secret. Without the Haodong Power, it would've been impossible for their cultivation to increase so quickly. Huo Yuhao even had two martial souls in addition to the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion's torso bone and soul ring. These weren't things that others would know about.
Other than that, he still had an even greater secret, a secret that even the teachers didn't know about.
Earlier this morning, Wang Dong had finally tested Huo Yuhao's soul power after they had cultivated at an astonishing pace for two consecutive days. In the end, he was stunned all the way from breakfast till they reached the Great Beast Duelling. It was because Huo Yuhao's soul power had already reached Rank 30.
When Huo Yuhao had entered Shrek Academy at the very beginning, he had only been at Rank 13. One year later, he was now Rank 30. It could be said that within the entire academy, Huo Yuhao's leap in power was something that the other students were completely unable to compare with.
Soul power couldn't be measured using simple numbers. If the soul power needed to bring someone up from Rank 0 to Rank 13 was considered one unit, then the soul power needed to bring someone from Rank 13 to Rank 30 was at least eight units. In other words, Huo Yuhao's soul power had quintupled within a year! This was completely inconceivable!
Even among the students of Class 1, his current soul power placed him in the top two of the class. However, only Wang Dong knew about this secret. Moreover, Wang Dong himself had secrets! Furthermore, it wasn't just limited to a single secret…
The process of the advancement test was identical to that of two days ago; Du Weilun personally came over to oversee the test again. Furthermore, it wasn't just Du Weilun who'd come over this time. The proctor and the refereeing teacher were both stunned by the fact that the Martial Soul Department's Dean Yan Shaozhe had actually come in person. Furthermore, he had replaced Du Weilun as the main judge.
Just when was an advancement test of a lower year group belonging to the outer courtyard able to move an important person like the Dean? And yet, nobody would've guessed that Yan Shaozhe had actually come for a single student.
As the Dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department, Yan Shaozhe had an esteemed status. If he was willing to hold a post in any country, he would definitely receive the treatment of a state advisor. However, Yan Shaozhe had always remained within Shrek Academy. The thing he enjoyed most was seeing many outstanding geniuses being nurtured by himself, making Shrek Academy even more powerful.
From the others' point of view, a single student wasn't worth him appearing in person. From Yan Shaozhe's point of view, however, this was extremely worth it. This was an extremely rarely seen twin-souled soul master!
Not only had he come, he had arrived extremely early. Before the advancement test had begun, he had found the Beast King Gong Changlong and had a simple conversation with him for a period of time. Though Gong Changlong hadn't revealed what Huo Yuhao's martial soul was, he said the word 'Ultimate' to Yan Shaozhe. This word solidified Yan Shaozhe's confidence even more. A series of plans had already formed in his heart.
Seeing the students who had already entered the arena, a faint smile appeared on the corner of Dean Yan Shaozhe's mouth. Qian Duoduo, ah Qian Duoduo, I want to see which of the two of us will have the last laugh.