The dense, re-attributed heaven and earth energy transformed into rolling flames.
The surrounding fire elements resonated instantly with Ma Xiaotao's martial soul.
With each breath she took, a faint red light enveloped the area within a twenty-meter radius.
The scorching aura forced the onlookers to step back simultaneously.
Though this transformation was taking place near the Sea God Pavilion, Mu En and the other elders did not prevent the inner court disciples from observing.
No credit was given, but none could deny the effort involved.
During the days when Huo Yuhao fought his bloody battles, it was Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo—under Yan Shaozhe's guidance—who led the idle inner court disciples in constructing this elemental meditation circle.
Everything was done openly, without the slightest concealment.
After all, mere observation wouldn't allow them to replicate it.
The core of this elemental circle relied on the resonance of five reusable top-tier fire-attributed soul bones, a task personally handled by Yan Shaozhe.
In addition, a vast quantity of disposable fire-attributed treasures was consumed.
Such extravagance not only served as motivation for the students but also paved the way for Ma Xiaotao's future.
As Yan Shaozhe's eldest disciple, Ma Xiaotao was practically destined to become the next dean of the Martial Soul Department.
The flaws of the Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul were well-known within the inner court—almost common knowledge.
The current goal was to first change everyone's perception.
As for the Senior Sister, Zhang Lexuan—
Though she had lost her position as the Sea God Pavilion's successor, she had directly entered the Sea God Pavilion for advanced study. In the future, she would likely take over as deputy head of the Xuan Zi Supervisory Group.
As for Huo Yuhao…
He was practically one step away from wearing the yellow robe—no further elaboration was needed.
Seeing the time was right, Mu En waved his hand, summoning a golden radiance from an ancient tree and directing it toward Ma Xiaotao.
Now, how she would break free from her cocoon and emerge as a butterfly—
That depended entirely on Ma Xiaotao herself.
The right time and place had been prepared, but true transformation still required the soul master's own willpower!
Huo Yuhao had no doubts about the power of the Fiery Glue.
Taking this large piece from his defeated opponent had nearly drained the stock of the Infernal Delicate Apricot.
The usually proud Infernal Delicate Apricot could only snort in reluctant acceptance before sighing, "Not a drop left."
This was the essence of a hundred-thousand-year-old immortal herb.
Combined with Shrek's inherited method of constructing the elemental meditation circle—passed down from the first generation of Ultimate martial soul possessors.
The success of her martial soul transformation was all but guaranteed.
Of course, setting aside the immortal herb, promoting an Ultimate martial soul was inherently difficult. The key lay in the individual and the martial soul's initial quality.
Take Ling Luochen, for example. Without the aid of an immortal herb, Shrek's intervention alone would never have been enough to elevate her to Ultimate Ice.
As for Ma Xiaotao—even without the immortal herb Huo Yuhao brought, she still had a chance at martial soul evolution.
Naturally, Huo Yuhao's assistance was required to suppress the evil fire first, ensuring a smooth process.
Now, with the Fiery Glue's aid—If Ma Xiaotao's initial chance of failure was 100%, it had now dropped to no more than 50%. The era of the evil fire's torment was coming to an end.
The surrounding flames grew increasingly terrifying in temperature.
Ma Xiaotao took out the Fiery Glue and began absorbing it.
A resonant phoenix cry echoed through the air.
Under the crowd's watchful eyes, a massive fire phoenix materialized behind her. The crimson light and flames surged, gradually shifting into a golden-red hue.
The terrifying heatwaves gathered around the Fire Phoenix, pulsing like a living breath with each gentle flap of its flaming wings.
Mu En made another move, conjuring a golden barrier to isolate the area.
Countless inner court students and teachers inhaled sharply.
'So terrifying!'
Even the residual flames dozens of meters away carried power close to that of a Soul Sage.
One could only imagine the heat Ma Xiaotao endured at the center.
The Fiery Glue's medicinal effects were overwhelmingly potent, resonating with the fire elements in the surroundings.
The elemental circle activated in full force.
The fire-attributed heaven and earth energy compressed inward, soon becoming viscous—resembling a land of molten magma.
In an instant, the golden barrier's interior was dyed entirely red.
The scene inside was no longer visible from the outside, and Ma Xiaotao's figure vanished from sight.
Even with soul power enhancement, no one could peer through.
But this posed no issue for Huo Yuhao.
With a mere flicker of his eyes, his vision pierced through the layers of obstruction, locking onto Ma Xiaotao.
This was, of course, an application of spatial power.
Simultaneously, his mental power stood ready—should any accidents occur during the process, he could intervene immediately.
What he saw was—
Even with her martial soul's protection, fine beads of sweat continuously seeped from Ma Xiaotao's crystalline skin. The fiery light enveloping her body intensified, and behind her, the phantom of a crying phoenix took form.
It was as though she was undergoing nirvanic rebirth!
This was not merely an improvement in soul power. It was an evolution of her bloodline and martial soul's origin!
Her delicate frame trembled incessantly, wracked by pain that struck straight into her soul.
Even Ma Xiaotao, long accustomed to the torment of evil fire, found this agony nearly unbearable.
But this was her own choice.
She would not regret it.
Upon learning that Shrek would spare no expense—Huo Yuhao had presented two paths.
The first was to directly elevate her soul power to the Ultimate level, thereby refining the quality of her flames to achieve Ultimate Fire.
The second was far more arduous—enhancing her bloodline while meeting the above conditions.
The reason none of Shrek's descendants with Ultimate attributes had awakened the same level of martial souls over thousands of years—even experiencing martial soul degradation.
This was because, during their promotions, they had neglected bloodline enhancement, even recklessly depleting their bloodline's power.
Soul power and bloodline were not on the same level.
The former could reach the Ultimate tier as long as the martial soul met the standards and certain opportunities arose.
But the latter was far more difficult, requiring heaven-defying, fate-altering treasures like immortal herbs.
Not everyone could be as fortunate as Huo Yuhao in the original timeline—aided by the Ice Empress and Skydream to obtain a complete, inheritable Ultimate martial soul.
Ma Xiaotao, however, was more ambitious.
She resolutely chose the second path.
Perhaps she held some obsession for her future descendants.
Recognizing her determination, Huo Yuhao did not dissuade her.
After all, with the dual immortal herbs—the Yin-Yang Complementing Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well—as backup, even if the bloodline evolution failed, the consequences were manageable.
Seven hours passed in silence.
Ma Xiaotao's breakthrough had begun at noon—now, it was deep into the night.
Many had already left.
With the spectacle inside the flames obscured, the novelty had worn off, and the crowd gradually dispersed.
Only Zhang Lexuan, Huo Yuhao, and Han Ruoruo remained among the inner court students.
Though calling them "students" at this point was somewhat inappropriate.
In truth, as early as six hours prior—Ma Xiaotao's aura had already undergone a seismic shift.
At that time, the flames cloaking her body rapidly intensified, shifting from crimson to a radiant golden-red.
The ground within several meters of her had been scorched a dark red.
This was the mark of Ultimate Fire.
The prolonged duration afterward was dedicated to bloodline evolution.
Leveraging the Fire Phoenix's traits and the residual medicinal power of the Fiery Glue, Ma Xiaotao launched her final charge.
This struggle persisted well into the night.
The process unfolded far more smoothly than Huo Yuhao had anticipated.
The immortal herb played a role, but so did the Red Flame Golden Phoenix whose soul ring Ma Xiaotao had absorbed for her seventh soul ring.
The soul ring and soul bone of the Red Flame Golden Phoenix contained precious phoenix bloodline energy.
Though Ma Xiaotao had only been a Soul Sage initially—
Years of enduring evil fire's torment and the tempering from her ice-fire dual cultivation with Huo Yuhao had allowed her to absorb a soul ring nearing eighty thousand years.
The reason she ultimately chose this sixty-thousand-year Red Flame Golden Phoenix was precisely for its bloodline.
At the time, Yan Shaozhe hadn't known Huo Yuhao could procure immortal herbs.
Naturally, he had to plan for his disciple's future.
She couldn't rely on Huo Yuhao to suppress her evil fire indefinitely, could she?
Thus, Yan Shaozhe had already intended to help Ma Xiaotao advance to the Ultimate level.
In his original plan, she only needed to secure soul beasts with phoenix bloodlines for her next three rings, then undergo the Ultimate promotion with Shrek's elemental meditation circle and Huo Yuhao's assistance.
Soul beasts meeting these criteria were exceedingly rare.
So when one appeared—with a suitable age, no less—it couldn't be passed up.
Yet Yan Shaozhe hadn't anticipated Ma Xiaotao's Ultimate promotion arriving so soon.
Of course, even after this success—with the Evil Fire Phoenix evolving into a Fire Phoenix—her next two soul rings still required careful selection.
Phoenix-blooded soul beasts would be necessary to stabilize her bloodline.
"Truly, you are a child of fortune!"
Sensing the gradually intensifying phoenix pressure, Yan Shaozhe stroked his chin and laughed heartily beside his teacher.
It seemed his retirement plans would have to be moved up.
With Mu En's soul tool reforms steadily advancing, he—as the face of traditional soul master customs—had been feeling increasingly out of place.
Perhaps it was time to retreat into the Sea God Pavilion.
Mu En, too, wore a satisfied smile.
With two Ultimate attribute geniuses emerging in Shrek, the academy's future was secure.
Now, Shrek's prosperity was assured.
"Screee—!"
A sonorous phoenix cry pierced the heavens, reverberating across the sky.
A brilliant golden-red pillar of light erupted from the ground, shooting into the night.
Behind Ma Xiaotao, a pair of massive golden-red phoenix wings unfurled.
With a powerful flap, her delicate figure soared into the air.
In an instant, the night was illuminated as if by a golden-red sun.
As the radiance gradually dimmed, Ma Xiaotao's fiery red hair shimmered like strands of ruby under the moonlight.
Her body descended slowly until she stood before Huo Yuhao.
She threw her arms around him, pressing close as she whispered excitedly: "Thank you, Yuhao."
Huo Yuhao patted her back. "Congratulations, Sister Xiaotao."
Then, he added quietly: "But… you might want to put some clothes on first."
Without the flames to conceal her, vast stretches of fair skin were exposed. Fortunately, Huo Yuhao had been considerate—using his imitation skill to veil her figure in time.
Ma Xiaotao's face flushed crimson at his words.
Watching the two interact so intimately, Yan Shaozhe nodded approvingly, feeling as though his prized cabbage had been well taken care of.
'Self-cultivation, self-harvest—truly efficient.'
Given his experience, he'd long noticed the changes in his disciple these past days.
Partly due to age, and partly due to his own subtle nudging.
Even the thick-skinned Yan Shaozhe couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt.
But seeing Huo Yuhao's evident enjoyment—that guilt promptly lessened.
Now, he could only look forward to holding a grandchild soon.
…
The boundless sea of flames raged endlessly, outlining a world entirely embraced by fire.
In this blazing domain, towering mountains stood like swords piercing the abyss of fire.
Atop each peak rested a grand palace—with the central mountain's structure surpassing all others in magnificence.
The palace walls seemed forged from living flames, their undulating surfaces embodying the law of fire itself—a force capable of reducing all to ashes.
This was the Divine Realm.
And this fiery world was the territory of the Fire God, one of the seven elemental gods and a ruler of the Divine Realm.
The palace at the center was the Fire God Temple.
Within its halls, a resolute-faced middle-aged man sighed deeply.
He was this world's Fire God.
Moments ago, his divine artifact of inheritance had detected a suitable successor.
At first, he'd been thrilled.
Though he'd only ascended a few decades prior, the Fire God had no desire to remain in this stagnant realm.
He longed to find a worthy heir and depart to wander the universe.
But passing on a godhood was no trivial matter.
The successor had to meet rigid talent requirements.
For years, no qualified candidate had appeared.
Now, at last, the artifact had reacted.
Yet when he probed it with divine sense—
The Fire God realized he couldn't pinpoint the heir's exact location.
The coordinates only confirmed the Douluo Plane
After finally being stirred to action, he'd hit an infuriating dead end.
"Gaia!"
Douluo Plane held historical significance for the Fire God.
Rumors said his predecessor had initially favored the current Phoenix God as a successor, but the trial's failure led to his own ascension instead.
Fate worked in mysterious ways.
As two peerless geniuses of their plane, he and his wife had inherited the Fire and Water Godhoods respectively, ascending together.
Only upon entering the Divine Realm did they realize it was a gilded cage.
Duties aside, they were effectively trapped in this unchanging world—unable to leave even if they wished.
Who could endure such tedium?
Colleagues schemed, superiors bickered…
What was the point of immortality? A peaceful mortal life would've been preferable.
Had he known, he'd never have rushed to ascend.
No wonder the old gods had been so eager to offload their duties.
"This is troublesome. The artifact can't lock onto the heir."
The Fire God shook his head. This stagnant realm was unbearably dull. Now that succession was possible, he wouldn't let the chance slip.
But this was absurd.
An inheritance artifact of this level could only narrow it down to Douluo Plane? Not even a precise location?
He suspected divine interference.
Not that he'd dare accuse that individual. As a mere first class god with a family, he just wanted to secure his successor and leave.
For now, observation would suffice.
If the heir's quality proved lacking, he'd have to intervene discreetly—a hassle.
Since the artifact had been disrupted once, it could happen again. When the time came, he'd act.
With his wife's help, they could groom the heir properly before making their escape.
As the flames surged, the Fire God's figure dissolved into the inferno, leaving only tranquility in his wake.
...
One month later.
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well brought Huo Yuhao an immense boost.
After absorbing the Autumn Water Dew and undergoing the deluxe version of Ice and Fire Body Tempering, his progress was staggering.
Not only did his spiritual power ascend to the Tangible-Intangible Realm, but his physical fitness also reached the level of a Soul Douluo.
With the flaws of his Spirit Eye Martial Soul now perfected, its quality had soared to the god tier—naturally awakening an innate domain in the process.
Huo Yuhao named it the Space-Time Domain.
Within Space-Time Domain's range—currently a 500-meter radius centered on himself, Huo Yuhao gains a 30% boost to his spiritual, time, and space attributes.
A 30% reduction in soul power consumption. A 30% suppression of all attributes of a designated enemy with the ability to nullify all non-ultimate attributes within the domain.
Like the Northern Dark Ice Soul Domain, the weakening effect of the Space-Time Domain is passive—requiring no additional energy expenditure.
Even against someone like Ma Xiaotao, who has now reached the Ultimate Fire level, Huo Yuhao can use the Ice Soul Sword Domain to deprive her of the Ultimate Realm with ease.
Unless the opponent possesses a domain skill of equal rank, Huo Yuhao can unconditionally weaken them with the Ice Soul Sword Domain.
Normally, Ice Soul Sword Domain weakens an enemy's spiritual power and martial soul attributes by 20%. And against fire-attribute foes, the suppression doubles.
The Space-Time Domain operates under the same principle.
Even without the aid of Gu worms, Huo Yuhao can now maintain his domain indefinitely.
The second awakening of his main martial soul granted Huo Yuhao two new skills:
Left Eye – Time Control
Huo Yuhao named it "Reverse Time."
It's an evolution of "Moment", now with an added time deceleration ability.
Huo Yuhao can now accelerate himself upto 4x speed while slowing down an enemy's time upto 4x.
He can use both effects simultaneously, creating a 16x differential.
With this, he can strike before the enemy even reacts—truly a case of "killing in ten steps, vanishing in a thousand miles."
Right Eye – Space Control
Huo Yuhao named it "God's Power."
It's a personal pocket dimension, similar to Obito's Kamui from Naruto.
As for its function:
Storage of objects.
Virtualization/Partial Virtualization: Phasing into the pocket dimension to evade attacks.
Spatial Suppression: By projecting his pocket dimension into reality, he can exert crushing spatial force. Only a Title Douluo or stronger can resist.
Space-Lock Effect: Within his Space-Time Domain, all spatial skills like teleportation, transposition, etc. are disabled for enemies.
While self-acceleration and virtualization are low-cost time deceleration and spatial suppression consume vitality (Life Force)—a trait of gold-level body martial soul awakening.
For others, burning vitality is a last resort—like how Super Douluo such as Du Busi and Xuan Zi can briefly rival Ultimate Douluo by igniting their life force.
But for Huo Yuhao? It's trivial.
Thanks to the Life Gold fusion, his vitality is limitless. If not for his mortal life level, he could even fuel the Immortal Gu with vitality alone.
Additionally, the Eat Strength Immortal Gu have stockpiled vast amounts of life energy from the Golden Ancient Tree, allowing Huo Yuhao to replenish any deficit effortlessly.
With "God's Power" alone, Huo Yuhao is already near-invincible in his current stage.
…
Beyond his martial soul evolution, Huo Yuhao's biggest gain was using the Eat Strength Immortal Gu to condense a second soul ring for his Ice Soul Body—harnessing the power of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Originally, Huo Yuhao and Electrolux had planned to research artificial spirit rings—an idea proposed by Electrolux but executed by Huo Yuhao himself since Electrolux is merely a wisp of divine consciousness.
This often left Huo Yuhao sighing at his lack of time—especially after the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well boosted his soul power from Level 45 to 50 in under half a month!
Compared to his usual grueling meditation, which barely yielded one level per month, the difference was staggering.
"Hard work can't beat luck, and luck can't beat cheating."
Yet Huo Yuhao felt his cheats were still too small—the Gu worms had too many restrictions after localization.
Fortunately, his newest meditation method—perfected over the past month—allowed him to maximize efficiency with just eight hours of nightly meditation.
He named it the Void Sutra.
Most soul masters don't seek advanced cultivation techniques because daily soul power gains are capped by spiritual strength, physique, and talent.
Standard methods like Shrek's secret techniques already optimize time efficiency.
But Huo Yuhao was different.
His Ice Soul Body and monstrous spiritual power meant he never hit his natural limit.
The Void Sutra leverages his spatial talent to simultaneously draw energy from both this world and his pocket dimension, effectively doubling his cultivation speed.
With this, eight hours of focused meditation equals to a full day's progress.
And since meditation replaces sleep, his training regimen is now perfectly optimized.
...
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