After enduring countless trials and tribulations, Huo Yuhao's second martial soul finally emerged.
Zhu Ziyang watched everything unfold, and to be honest, he was utterly shocked. While he knew there were many ways for a martial soul to awaken, Huo Yuhao's method was undoubtedly the most outlandish one Zhu Ziyang had ever encountered.
He had originally thought that Huo Yuhao and Tianmeng Iceworm's plan was to awaken his dormant bloodline through the stimulation of a 100,000-year soul ring and soul bone. However, Ice Empress had revealed that their real goal was to make Ice Empress herself Huo Yuhao's martial soul!
That's right—their goal wasn't the Ice Jade Scorpion martial soul but rather the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion martial soul!
Zhu Ziyang had to admit that the child of destiny truly defied all common sense. A million-year soul beast giving a soul master a new martial soul, creating a second martial soul through a bloodline awakening—it was like dancing in the face of the world's rules! The fact that the world's rules didn't strike them down immediately was already showing respect for the child of destiny!
Zhu Ziyang began to understand why this world was so harsh on soul beasts.
Only Tianmeng Iceworm was truly unique. After all, sleeping his way to becoming a million-year soul beast was something no one had ever done before—perhaps the world's rules didn't even know such a loophole existed.
Despite Tianmeng Iceworm's ingenious idea and Huo Yuhao's incredible luck, it ultimately failed. The Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion didn't become Huo Yuhao's second martial soul.
Zhu Ziyang was curious to see how Huo Yuhao's second martial soul would manifest now that Ice Empress was gone. Would he continue to refine the Ice Jade Scorpion martial soul, or would Snowworm's martial soul appear instead? Or perhaps something else that Zhu Ziyang hadn't considered? In any case, the ceremony had already begun, and there was no turning back unless they were willing to give up.
Soon, in Zhu Ziyang's view, Huo Yuhao stood up and released his second martial soul.
A pair of emerald-green butterfly wings sprouted from his back. The front wings were wide and fan-like, while the rear wings were long and tapered, resembling a giant ginkgo leaf. The wings had a beautiful gradient, from a bright emerald green at the front to a deeper jade green at the rear. The intricate patterns on the wings were quite similar to the markings on Ice Empress.
Zhu Ziyang was surprised, yet it also seemed entirely fitting. After all, he was the child of destiny—if he had chosen a regular path, it would have been beneath his status!
Did Huo Yuhao's martial soul result from the fusion of Tianmeng Iceworm, the Ice Jade Scorpion bloodline, and the moth bloodline he might possess? Zhu Ziyang quickly formed a theory. He wanted to ask directly, but to avoid unnecessary tension, he decided to wait until they returned to the academy to speak about it.
This unknown butterfly martial soul looked like it could be a top-tier martial soul. After all, it contained the Ice Jade Scorpion bloodline. Haha, as expected, every big bug has a dream of becoming a butterfly!
Zhu Ziyang smiled and left.
Huo Yuhao, of course, had no idea that Zhu Ziyang had witnessed his transformation. At this moment, he was still immersed in his remarkable metamorphosis.
"Tianmeng-ge, is this my second martial soul? It's so beautiful!" Huo Yuhao gazed at the butterfly wings on his back, mesmerized. Somehow, a familiar face appeared in his mind—Wang Dong's smile. He snapped out of his daze and shook his head, muttering to himself, "What's wrong with me?"
"I never expected you to have the gene for metamorphosis. This is the very ability our Snowworm clan has dreamed of possessing!" Tianmeng's voice was filled with admiration and excitement. "Because of the fusion of the Ice Jade Scorpion bloodline and our Iceworm bloodline, your martial soul is pure extreme ice!"
"Extreme ice? What's that?" Huo Yuhao asked, puzzled.
"Extreme ice, as the name suggests, is the ultimate control over the ice element. It's the king of all ice elements. The reason the Ice Jade Scorpion is so powerful is because it possesses this extreme ice attribute!" Tianmeng continued, but then his voice became wistful. "Sadly… my Bingbing… sigh"
"Tianmeng-ge, don't be sad!" Huo Yuhao comforted him. "I promise, if I ever become a god, I'll revive Ice Empress as soon as I can!"
Huo Yuhao and Tianmeng Iceworm both believed that Ice Empress had no way out. They certainly couldn't imagine that Ice Empress would appear in front of them in another form.
"Yeah, you'll become a god!" Tianmeng cheered up, saying, "I'll do everything I can to help you, Yuhao! We must not let Ice Empress's sacrifice be in vain!"
"Mm!" Huo Yuhao nodded seriously. "Tianmeng-ge, I've decided. I'll name my new martial soul Ice Emperor Celestial Moth!"
The name was undoubtedly chosen by Huo Yuhao to honor Ice Empress. His painful childhood had made him cherish everyone who treated him with sincerity!
"Ice Emperor Celestial Moth… Ice Emperor… yes, that's a perfect name!" Tianmeng was thrilled with the name because this martial soul was the result of Ice Empress's hard work. "Yuhao, you have to make the Ice Emperor Celestial Moth's name famous across the continent. Only then will it be worthy of Ice Empress's title!"
"Mm! I will!" Huo Yuhao responded confidently.
Zhu Ziyang returned to Anyang City, only to find that his break was almost over—just seven days remaining.
After spending two more days at home, Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan returned to Shrek Academy. They traveled quickly, arriving in just three days.
"Brother, when are you going to hunt for a soul ring?" Jiang Nannan asked, her face a mix of admiration, joy, and slight helplessness. "I thought I was finally catching up to you, but you just went to the Extreme North, and now you've become a Soul Emperor! This is such a blow to my morale!"
"Hahaha, maybe I just got lucky! Don't worry, there's still a 100,000-year Immortal Herb waiting for you!" Zhu Ziyang laughed and scratched the back of his head, brushing it off.
He was also wondering how to explain this situation to Mu En. The soul spirit business was complicated, and as a 99th-level Titled Douluo and his teacher, there were some things he couldn't hide from Mu En. Rather than wait for Mu En to figure it out and think him dishonest, it was better to explain it now. After all, everything had been done openly, and Zhu Ziyang had no reason to feel guilty.
However, what troubled Zhu Ziyang was how to explain where the soul spirit method came from. He couldn't just tell Mu En that he had another teacher from another world who was even stronger than him, right?
The entire way back, Zhu Ziyang pondered this question until they arrived at Shrek Academy and set foot on Sea God Island. It was then that he thought of a reasonable explanation: the soul spirit method came from the God's Tomb—the fourth layer of the Extreme North, a place that Snow Empress and Ice Empress called the "Graveyard of Gods."
He intended to tell Mu En that this method came from the God's Tomb, where Snow Empress had obtained a divine contract. This excuse was flawless because Mu En would never travel to the core of the Extreme North, especially not for something seemingly inconsequential, and he wouldn't even be able to enter.
Zhu Ziyang was pleased with the reason he'd come up with. However, Electrolux quickly shot it down.
"Ziyang, you don't need to complicate things. Just tell Mu En I exist!" Electrolux said with his usual calm smile.
"Huh?" Zhu Ziyang blinked, then asked, "Can I really do that, Teacher?"
"What? Are you afraid I can't handle Mu En? Or are you worried I'll scare him to death with his little remaining lifespan?" Electrolux said, a little amused.
"Of course not!" Zhu Ziyang shook his head instinctively.
"Then what are you afraid of?" Electrolux asked, sounding exasperated.
"Yeah… what am I afraid of?" Zhu Ziyang suddenly felt enlightened. He hadn't stolen anything, harmed anyone, or done anything wrong. What was there to fear?
Besides, Mu En was his teacher. He wasn't going to make things difficult for him. If someone like Yan Shaozhe could get off with just being reprimanded, Mu En would never doubt him, the future star of Shrek Academy.
Perhaps it was all the secrets about deities he'd uncovered recently that had made him feel this way—humans were always fearful of the unknown.