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*****
Second grade.
Upon hearing this news, Huo Yuhao and the Tianmeng Iceworm were both deeply shocked by Shui Wuya's talent.
"Is the gap between him and me really that huge?" Huo Yuhao fell into self-doubt upon hearing the news.
After obtaining his second martial soul, he had always believed he had a chance to catch up to Shui Wuya, but it seemed that the gap between them was only widening.
"This shouldn't be possible. Even for the top human geniuses with full innate soul power, it's impossible to have such a rapid cultivation speed, right?" The Tianmeng Iceworm questioned life itself.
Soon, he thought of a possibility. "Perhaps he also has a second martial soul, and his second martial soul has already absorbed many soul rings. Starting with sacrifices from hundred-thousand-year soul beasts, only then could he break through so quickly, relying on the soul power nourished by the soul rings."
The Tianmeng Iceworm pondered and said, "Or maybe he's a Soul Devourer!"
"Evil Soul Master..." Huo Yuhao shook his head, still not believing that Shui Wuya could be an Evil Soul Master.
Perhaps he also had a twin martial soul.
"Don't worry, with me around, you'll surpass that kid sooner or later," the Tianmeng Iceworm said confidently, comforting Huo Yuhao's inner turmoil.
...
It took Shui Wuya more than ten days to find his destination: the Ice and Snow Forest.
If it weren't for Frost's ability to fly, it would have taken Shui Wuya much longer to return here on his own.
The forest was like a winter wonderland, with trees draped in icy snow, and everything around was pure white.
Shui Wuya and Frost stood on the snow.
"Master, please step back a bit," Frost asked Shui Wuya to move aside slightly, taking out a special item.
As the item emitted a glow, an illusory portal opened in front of Shui Wuya.
"Master, by passing through this portal, you can enter the clan's secret realm." Frost put away the item and opened the gate.
Surprised, Shui Wuya stepped into the portal. As soon as he entered, he was surrounded by five youths.
"Who goes there!" The five individuals surrounding Shui Wuya all emitted strong auras, exuding a chilling cold.
"Stop! How dare you act rashly in front of the clan leader!" Following closely behind Shui Wuya, Frost stepped forward to block him.
The mention of the clan leader caused the five individuals to furrow their brows. "Clan leader?"
Suddenly, all five of them focused their gazes on Shui Wuya, who, at this moment, took out the clan leader token.
As gatekeepers of the secret realm, although they had never seen the clan leader before, they recognized the clan leader token immediately. Instantly, their demeanor changed, and they exclaimed in joy, "It's the return of the clan leader!"
"You lot, escort the clan leader to the clan's territory. I'll inform the acting clan leader!" With that, one of them vanished before the others' eyes.
Seeing the recognition of his identity, Shui Wuya put away the token.
He remembered that he had been well protected by several core members, and not everyone had seen him before, which was normal.
The acting clan leader... he had some impressions of him. He was his cousin, Shui Yanjun, who had been temporarily managing the family in his absence. Shui Wuya immediately checked his status.
Upon checking, he was shocked. Shui Yanjun was now twenty-eight years old, and he was actually a Level 88 Soul Douluo.
[Shui Yanjun]
[Age: 28 years old]
[Martial Soul: Ice and Fire Elemental Spirit]
[Soul Power: Level 88]
[Identity: Shui Wuya's cousin, acting clan leader for the past year after the clan leader entered seclusion.]
On the way, Shui Wuya also observed the situation of the clan's territory, and soon he saw Shui Yanjun.
"Clan leader, the journey has been long. Would you like to rest for a while?" Shui Yanjun showed no airs in front of Shui Wuya.
"The clan leader's room has been kept clean, and you can rest there anytime."
Shui Yanjun had been the acting clan leader for a year. Shui Wuya had speculated when he came that if Shui Yanjun was greedy for power, he might encounter some troubles.
Now, seeing Shui Yanjun's performance, he didn't seem to have any such worries.
Actually, this is because Shui Wuya's memories suddenly emerged. But for Shui Yanjun, Shui Wuya is someone he has lived with for 12 years, a real person, naturally very familiar.
After chatting with Shui Yanjun for a while, Shui Wuya returned to his room to rest. It wouldn't be appropriate to immediately mention what he wanted to do upon returning.
The next day, Shui Wuya instructed Shui Yanjun to gather the core members of the clan.
"Chief, you've returned in a rush. What's the matter?" asked Shui Yanjun.
Without delay, Shui Wuya replied, "I want to relocate the clan to settle in a new place."
This statement caused an uproar.
"Chief, isn't this too risky?" Shui Yanjun looked worried.
Not only him, but other clan members also shared the same concerns.
"Chief, we need to think carefully about this. Initially, we took refuge in this sanctuary to avoid enemies from the divine realm."
"Yeah, if we leave now and the enemies from the divine realm reappear, we won't stand a chance..." said a concerned clan member.
They feared that Shui Wuya's decision was impulsive and could lead to trouble.
"So, are you all planning to stay here forever?" Shui Wuya's gaze swept across them, stern.
"This sanctuary was just an ordinary one when our clan was at its peak. Merely practicing here has depleted most of our resources," he continued, prompting contemplation among Shui Yanjun and others.
During the Shui Clan's heyday, they controlled numerous sanctuaries, and this one, in terms of size and internal resources, was only considered average.
The strongest soul beasts in the sanctuary were only eighty thousand years old, now reduced to Shui Yanjun's eighth soul ring.
Shui Wuya's words sobered everyone up. Leaving the sanctuary posed great risks, as enemies could discover them at any time. But staying meant a slow death.
With no more resources, the clan members' cultivation progress was sluggish. After reaching a bottleneck, they couldn't find suitable soul beasts to enhance their soul rings.
Shui Yanjun's resolve hardened. "The chief is right. Hiding in the sanctuary was just a temporary solution. Now, we have no choice but to leave and find a new clan location."
"The sanctuary no longer has high-aged soul beasts. Continuing to stay here will restrict the clan members who need to acquire soul rings due to the lack of suitable soul beasts."
"Continuing like this, our strength will only diminish, and the sanctuary is unstable. Sooner or later, it will disappear due to spatial turbulence. Even if we manage to stay, the clan cannot continue here."
"I support the chief. It's time to find a new place and let the Shui Clan thrive again."
After Shui Yanjun expressed his support, the remaining clan members also resolved to follow suit.
With both the chief and the acting chief making this decision, it was only right for them to follow.
With the decision made to leave the sanctuary, Shui Yanjun immediately began planning and considering what needed to be taken.
"Chief, when do we leave?" Shui Yanjun asked while contemplating.
"No need to rush. I have some immortal herbs and pills made from them. Distribute them and try to utilize these pills to enhance everyone's overall strength a bit more."
Shui Wuya handed over the pills he had made from the immortal herbs in the Ice God Sanctuary to Shui Yanjun.
He had made many at the time, but most of the herbs and pills had usage restrictions, losing their effectiveness if consumed excessively, so he kept them all.
(End of Chapter)