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Not long after Skydream Ice silkworm sensed Su Yu and the other two, Jing Hongchen also detected Huo Yuhao's presence.
"Big Brother Su Yu!"
Having successfully acquired his second martial soul, the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, Huo Yuhao was brimming with confidence, radiating an air of self-assurance he had never displayed before.
Su Yu immediately noticed how different Huo Yuhao was compared to their last meeting.
"Xiao Yu, do you know him?"
Jing Hongchen turned his head toward Su Yu and asked.
Su Yu nodded.
"This is Huo Yuhao. I obtained my third soul ring with him."
"Oh?"
Jing Hongchen curiously examined Huo Yuhao.
Despite being only twelve years old, Huo Yuhao was able to withstand the harsh cold of the Extreme North with ease—a feat that was far from ordinary. Even at the outer edges of the Extreme North, the temperature was so low that ordinary Soul Elders would need to use their soul power to resist it fully.
"Big Brother Su Yu, are you here to hunt a soul ring?"
Huo Yuhao was inwardly shocked.
Tianmeng had already informed him that Su Yu's soul power had reached over level 40!
Yet Su Yu's third soul ring had been acquired at the same time as Huo Yuhao's first soul ring.
Is this the difference between us?
Huo Yuhao's heart shook.
His early experiences had made him somewhat solitary and highly sensitive, but this didn't mean that any sort of pressure would make him jealous or feel injustice.
Especially when he first met Su Yu, Su Yu had treated him with kindness, offering suggestions and never looking down on him.
Huo Yuhao had also looked into the information about the Body Sect after arriving at Shrek Academy, and he realized that Su Yu's advice back then had been very reliable.
"That's right. But I'm not the one hunting a soul ring; my senior sister needs one."
Su Yu didn't dwell on the topic.
"Yuhao, did you come here alone? Haven't you joined Shrek Academy? Why didn't anyone come with you to hunt your soul ring?" Su Yu asked.
The moment Jing Hongchen heard the word "Shrek," his ears perked up.
Meng Hongchen also gave Huo Yuhao a curious glance, intrigued by the mention of a Shrek student.
Huo Yuhao let out a laugh and brushed the question off.
"Yuhao, given your current situation, you likely haven't earned the status of a core disciple yet. You still have the chance to leave. The Body Sect would be perfect for you."
Su Yu's words were also a subtle probe to gauge Huo Yuhao's attitude.
Upon hearing the mention of core disciple treatment, Huo Yuhao's expression visibly dimmed.
It was clear that his experience within Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department had been frustrating for him.
Still, Huo Yuhao shook his head.
He had already become a disciple of Fan Yu in the Soul Engineering Department and had accepted his role as a core disciple there.
"Yuhao, you should think carefully. Your abilities are best suited for the Body Sect.
Even if you don't join the Body Sect, you would still be better off pursuing the path of a Soul Engineer, which is where Shrek is at a clear disadvantage."
Jing Hongchen listened to the conversation between Su Yu and Huo Yuhao, his expression growing more peculiar by the second.
Is Xiao Yu holding a grudge against Shrek or something?
He seemed to recall that Xiao Hongchen once mentioned that Su Yu's old roommate had been discovered as a Shrek spy.
Ever since, Su Yu had been trying to turn him against Shrek.
*Unbelievable. Now he's targeting another Shrek student?
This is next-level craziness!*
Su Yu didn't succeed in persuading Huo Yuhao.
"Yuhao, let me give you some advice—no personal vendettas here—Shrek is unreliable."
"I've heard stories about a Gluttonous Douluo at Shrek. He's always disheveled, drinking, and gnawing on chicken legs.
Even though he's a rank ninety-eight Super Douluo, students have been killed right under his nose by evil soul masters.
And this isn't the first time something like that has happened."
Disheveled? Drinking? Gnawing on chicken legs?
Huo Yuhao quickly pictured a certain figure in his mind.
*Is That the Senior Teacher Wang Yan Mentioned?*
So, he's actually a Rank 98 Titled Douluo!
"Yuhao, it's that old man," Tianmeng muttered under his breath.
"Oh? Is he really that unreliable?"
The Ice Empress's voice echoed in Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea.
Tianmeng, eager to please, quickly explained the entire situation.
The Ice Empress immediately declared, "That Gluttonous Douluo sounds incredibly unreliable!"
As one of the three rulers of the Extreme North, the Ice Empress didn't know much about the outside world, but she was aware of the existence of Body Martial Souls and knew about the Body Sect.
The Body Sect's second martial soul awakening inherently challenges one's limits, with extreme environments serving as training grounds for them. The Extreme North had often been visited by these soul masters seeking to push their boundaries.
The Ice Empress knew well about these Body Martial Soul users.
"To be honest, your first martial soul, if placed in the Body Sect, would be considered one of the top-tier martial souls on the Douluo Continent."
For such a powerful martial soul to be misjudged...
If it were a small force, that might be understandable.
But this was the continent's top academy.
It would be excusable if it were just a short-sighted teacher, but the fact that this person was a high-ranking leader was deeply concerning.
Moreover, Shrek Academy and the Body Sect were at odds with one another. Given their strained relationship, it made no sense for Shrek's leaders to be ignorant of such an important martial soul.
Frankly speaking, such leadership was indeed unreliable.
Huo Yuhao fell silent.
Hearing the Ice Empress's analysis, he realized just how crucial that high-ranking official's judgment had been for his future. He also recognized just how unreliable that disheveled, super-powerful figure was.
From now on, Huo Yuhao made a mental note to be cautious around this so-called Gluttonous Douluo.
After their conversation, the two sides parted ways.
Huo Yuhao headed back towards Shrek, while Su Yu and the other two returned to the Sun Moon Empire.
Witnessing the unreliability of Chicken Leg Douluo firsthand, Huo Yuhao would need to observe Shrek from a new perspective for a while.
Only then would he truly understand Shrek.
By the time they met again, it would be the right moment to truly convince him.
Su Yu's goal in this conversation with Huo Yuhao was to plant the seed of doubt and provide him with that different perspective.
"Huo Yuhao, next time during the Soul Dueling Competition, I hope you won't reject my offer again.
You need to join the Body Sect for some of my plans to take shape."
"Xiao Yu, is that kid really that talented?" Jing Hongchen asked, curious about Huo Yuhao's potential.
"Yuhao's martial soul is the Spirit Eyes, and it also possesses a spiritual attribute."
The moment Su Yu mentioned this, Jing Hongchen immediately understood.
He had overheard the part about Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes, but to learn that it had mutated and developed a spiritual attribute as well—that certainly classified it as a top-tier martial soul.
Body Martial Souls themselves weren't necessarily strong at first. After all, a soul master starts as an ordinary person, and having a part of the body as a martial soul often results in low innate soul power.
It was the first-generation leader of the Body Sect who truly elevated the reputation of Body Martial Souls.
Though these martial souls were weak at first, as soul power increased and the body was further refined, the quality of these martial souls tended to improve significantly.
A second martial soul awakening often allowed a Body Martial Soul to undergo a complete transformation.
Generally, the more vital the body part used as a martial soul, the greater its potential.
The Spirit Eyes were the eyes, a crucial part of the body, so their potential was enormous.
Especially since they were linked to spiritual power.
While obtaining suitable soul rings would be more challenging, according to Jing Hongchen's understanding, focusing one's will on the martial soul would actually increase the likelihood of awakening.
"Such a talented individual! Why didn't you explain this earlier?"
Jing Hongchen made up his mind.
"Even if we have to use force, we must bring him back!"
(End of Chapter)