Chapter 7: The Burial of Life! The Dragon God Douluo, Mu En!

Having just acquired a new soul ring, it was only natural to test out the soul skill.

"Third Soul Skill: Life Burial!"

Tang Ya's Blue Silver Grass erupted in growth, spanning over a dozen meters in a single breath to coil tightly around Beibei, who was acting as the test subject. Layer upon layer, three inside and three out, it wrapped him completely.

"What an overbearing control skill. I can't move at all." Beibei's voice echoed from within. "At the points of contact, my soul power, mental energy, and vitality are all draining rapidly. Is this consumption or absorption?"

"Martial Soul Possession!"

"Still can't break free?"

"Second Soul Skill: Thunder Fury!"

As electric snakes danced wildly, the Blue Silver Grass was finally torn apart, but the gaps began to grow back at a visible rate. Seeing that he was about to be engulfed once more, Beibei hurriedly ducked and scrambled out.

"Too strong!" Beibei exclaimed in shock. "Xiaoya, this third soul skill of yours is ridiculously powerful! Are you sure this is a 1,600-year ring? Not 6,100?"

Tang Ya placed her hands on her hips, looking quite pleased. "Of course! This is Blue Silver Grass, after all! One of the martial souls of our ancestor, Tang San, after he ascended to godhood!"

Beibei and Huo Yuhao applauded in coordination. Only one person remained silent.

Zhuge Lan: "The martial soul of that 'Little Scoundrel' when he became a god was the Blue Silver Emperor. Don't try to piggyback on his fame with mere Blue Silver Grass."

Huo Yuhao stopped clapping without a trace. Tang Ya, failing to notice, stepped in front of him. "Little Yuhao, I like you so much! Are you really not considering joining our Tang Sect?"

Huo Yuhao shook his head without hesitation! With a 50,000 luck point design at stake, he would have to be insane to jump into that trap!

Tang Ya looked quite disappointed. Beibei stepped forward to inform her of Huo Yuhao's desire to enroll, and she brightened up again.

"That's fantastic! I'll get to eat Little Yuhao's grilled fish again! Let's head back to Shrek Academy right now and recommend your enrollment!"

Tang Ya grabbed Huo Yuhao’s hand and rushed toward the edge of the forest. Beibei smiled indulgently and quickened his pace to follow.

In this era, Shrek Academy sat on the northwest outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. As the trio was already on the forest's perimeter, they arrived after less than half a day of traveling at full speed.

Shrek was called an academy, but it was as prosperous as an imperial capital. From far away, one could see the black city walls standing like a natural barrier on the plains outside the forest.

"That is Shrek City, home to over two million people," Beibei introduced with pride. "Shrek City does not belong to any empire; it exists independently. Shrek Academy holds exclusive governing rights over the city and does not pay taxes to any nation. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the fourth nation of the continent!"

Seeing the shock on Huo Yuhao's face, Beibei’s smile widened. He gave instructions, "Xiaoya, you take Little Yuhao for a walk first. I’m going to speak with the academy about the recommendation quota."

"I know, I know! You're so wordy!" Tang Ya pouted. "And remember! Call me Teacher Xiaoya!"

"Yes, Teacher Xiaoya," Beibei said with a low chuckle before quickly departing.

Tang Ya took Huo Yuhao through the east gate of Shrek City, providing him with bits of common knowledge along the way. Seeing various soul guidance devices being put to practical use in daily life, the Sky Dream Iceworm in his mental world clicked its tongue in wonder. "Humans are truly marvelous. With a lifespan of less than a hundred years, they can create such a magnificent world."

Zhuge Lan remained silent, only smiling. Prosperous? Compared to the world of his past life, it still had a long way to go.

Meanwhile, Beibei did not go to find any teachers. Instead, he went to the outer courtyard's dormitory building and found the "gatekeeper grandfather" dozing on a lounge chair.

"Ancestor, during this trip, your great-great-grandson discovered a talent..." He recounted everything in detail, starting from the moment he met Huo Yuhao.

Many students passed by, but they acted as if they didn't see the two men, naturally moving around them as they went about their business. Only when he finished speaking did Beibei's ancestor—the Dragon God Douluo, Mu En—slowly open his eyes.

"A mutated martial soul that can perceive its own evolutionary direction, and a mutated soul skill? The world is indeed full of wonders. Very well, permit him to enter the outer courtyard, and take Xiaotao and Sanshi to see him. Regardless of the outcome, remember to prepare a gift."

He closed his eyes again, leaving it unclear whether he was feigning sleep or truly drifting off. Beibei bowed respectfully and backed away.

Before long, Mu En returned to the "public eye." Occasionally, a student would glance his way, but no one approached. Shrek Academy was a place of tight schedules and heavy burdens; everyone was busy cultivating. Who had the time to chat with an old man?

Outside Shrek Academy, Tang Ya led Huo Yuhao through the school gates, and the view suddenly opened up. A variety of vegetation and trees came into view, with wide avenues interwoven among them like a precise formation.

After walking two hundred meters, ten massive statues blocked their path. Tang Ya looked at them with yearning in her eyes.

"Little Yuhao, the one in the middle is the founder of Shrek, the first dean—Flender!"

"To his left is one of Beibei's ancestors, the man who created the foundation for all martial soul education in Shrek today, the 'Master' of the ten core competencies of the martial soul world—Yu Xiaogang!"

"The woman on the right is his wife, Liu Erlong! Together with Dean Flender, they are known as the Golden Iron Triangle."

"Beibei always says that Master is the true soul of the academy; it was he who personally cultivated the original Shrek Seven Devils behind us—seven gods in total!"

Huo Yuhao listened with a sense of longing.

"Pfft!" Zhuge Lan scoffed. "That so-called Master's theories are full of holes. His wife, Liu Erlong, was his cousin. Back then, he claimed they only had a 'spiritual connection,' but as you can see, their descendants have spread out even ten thousand years later."

Huo Yuhao sobered up instantly. "Huh? Is it really that bad? He was still one of the founders of Shrek Academy..." Huo Yuhao hesitated.

"There is a saying: as long as you stand in the path of the wind, even a pig can fly," Zhuge Lan remarked.

Huo Yuhao blinked and said nothing more. Even when Tang Ya introduced the original Shrek Seven Devils, his eyes only flickered when she mentioned Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing. Nothing more.

Any reverence he might have felt for these ancestors vanished entirely under Zhuge Lan's "disenchantment." He even felt a hint of resentment! Look at their descendant, the Duke of White Tigers. After being with his mother once, he tossed her a dagger and never saw her again. They left the mother and son to struggle for survival for eleven years without ever once showing his face. How could he not hate such an irresponsible man?

"Alright," Tang Ya clapped her hands. "We part ways here. To the left is the Martial Soul Division, and to the right is the Soul Guidance Division—both are part of the outer courtyard. Relatively speaking, the Martial Soul Division is larger, and the Soul Guidance Division is smaller. We'll go register at the Martial Soul Division first; you have to pass the first freshman assessment before you're qualified to enroll in the Soul Guidance Division."

They continued forward. The road was wide enough to accommodate five carriages side-by-side, with signs posted at intervals. Crossing a small grove, they could see a vast lake, its surface rippling with a cerulean luster.