"My child... how could I not be worried about you?"
Fan Yu sighed, reaching out to help Huo Yuhao up. This child was truly sensible.
Zhu Yi, standing nearby, was no longer angry. Only Wang Dong, standing behind Huo Yuhao, looked different. Not only was he not over his anger, but he also wanted to explode. This damned guy, this scoundrel, he was lying, he was definitely lying.
Huo Yuhao's words just now might have fooled Zhu Yi and Fan Yu, but how could they fool him? They had a Martial Soul Fusion, and they cultivated together every day back then. If Huo Yuhao's martial soul had any problems, Wang Dong would be the first to know. Yet, he clearly hadn't noticed anything unusual at all.
Despite this, Wang Dong remained silent, standing behind him without exposing Huo Yuhao.
Zhu Yi said, "How are you now? Your martial soul isn't showing signs of degeneration anymore, right?"
Huo Yuhao nodded.
Zhu Yi frowned and said, "Sigh, this is truly troublesome. Not only are you late, but you don't even have a second spirit ring. I'm afraid the academy..."
Huo Yuhao blinked and said, "Teacher Zhu, I already have my second spirit ring."
"Huh?"
Zhu Yi looked at him in surprise. Fan Yu said, "Let Yuhao finish his story first."
Huo Yuhao said, "At that time, when I had just left the academy, I thought I had no hope left. Then, suddenly, an intuition kept telling me to go north. And my martial soul kept showing signs of shattering more and more frequently. At the same time, a surge of energy appeared, telling me to keep going north. In a state of panic, I kept walking and walking until I realized that everything around me was pure white, and it was as cold as ice everywhere. I felt very, very cold. At this point, my martial soul's degeneration became more and more intense, as if it could shatter at any moment. Then, due to the extreme cold and tension, I fainted. At that time, I was very scared. I was afraid that if I fell asleep, I would never wake up again. A long time passed. I don't know how long I slept, but it was definitely because of this deep sleep that I returned late."
Fan Yu and Zhu Yi exchanged glances. In the area near Shrek Academy, although it was still a bit chilly, spring had already arrived. If there was a place where everything was covered in ice and snow, it must be the uninhabited far north, year-round. Heavens, Huo Yuhao not only didn't go to the Star Dou Great Forest but instead went to such a distant place. Moreover, it was because he was guided by the signs of degeneration. This was too preposterous.
Huo Yuhao continued, "When I woke up, I found myself buried deep in a pile of snow. At that moment, all I saw was a vast expanse of white. I thought I was dead. A moment later, I discovered that something was wrong with my body. My spirit power flowed normally, and my Spirit Eye martial soul was strangely stable. There were no problems anymore."
"I was extremely surprised. Then I slowly climbed out of the snow pile, and only then did I realize I was still alive. What was even more surprising was that there seemed to be an additional surge of power within my body. Not far from where I fainted, there was the corpse of an ice-jade white scorpion. Its entire body, except for its tail which was emerald green, was covered in many crystals. Although it had been dead for a long time, I could still feel its immense power."
"Ice Jade Scorpion?"
Zhu Yi took a deep breath and said. Fan Yu's face was filled with shock.
Wang Dong, beside them, couldn't help but ask, "Teacher Zhu, what is an Ice Jade Scorpion?"
Zhu Yi said,
"It's an extremely powerful spirit beast from the far north. They usually live in enormous colonies. This tribe is a true overlord in that terrifyingly cold place. They possess extreme ice attributes, and furthermore, they only grow in the central region of the far north. That place is one of the forbidden zones for us soul masters. Even Title Douluo level powerhouses wouldn't dare to casually enter such extremely low temperatures. Yet, I never expected Yuhao to be able to encounter an Ice Jade Scorpion and return safely."
Originally, Zhou Yi and Fan Yu still harbored some doubts, but after listening to Huo Yuhao's detailed description of the Ice Jade Scorpion, they became much more convinced. Although there are many spirit beasts in the far north, information about them is scarce, and they are not mentioned in the textbooks for first to sixth-year students. If he hadn't truly encountered one, how could Huo Yuhao describe it so specifically?
Huo Yuhao said, "This disciple doesn't know how it died, but ever since then, there seems to be a special energy flow within my body. When this disciple tried to use soul power to interact with it, then..."
As he spoke, Huo Yuhao raised both hands. In an instant, a milky white light flashed from his emerald green eyes. Immediately after, the temperature in Zhou Yi's office slowly dropped.
This sudden chill made Wang Dong shiver uncontrollably, while Zhou Yi and Fan Yu clearly saw Huo Yuhao's hands enveloped in a brilliant, transparent membrane, just like a pair of diamond gloves.
Finally, Fan Yu could no longer sit still. He stood up and stared intently at Huo Yuhao. Immediately after, he saw a purple spirit ring slowly rising in front of Huo Yuhao.
"A thousand-year spirit ring!" Wang Dong exclaimed in surprise.
Purple, wasn't that a thousand-year spirit ring? However, this situation was a bit strange.
Huo Yuhao quickly took off his shirt, revealing his upper body.
"Aaaaaaaah!" Wang Dong, standing behind him, let out a loud cry. Immediately after, what met his eyes was the tattoo of the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion. This tattoo was so vivid that he jumped in fright the moment he saw it.
Huo Yuhao slowly turned around, facing Fan Yu and Zhou Yi with his back, allowing them to see.
On the way back, when he and Tian Meng Iceworm were discussing finding a suitable reason, he had asked Tian Meng Iceworm if the teachers at the academy would recognize the difference between an Ice Jade Empress Scorpion and a regular Ice Jade Scorpion.
Tian Meng Iceworm's answer was very simple: "Everyone who has ever seen an Ice Jade Empress Scorpion is dead."
"Ice Jade Scorpion... it really is an Ice Jade Scorpion. Yuhao, you... you... this is impossible..." Zhou Yi completely dared not believe the truth before his eyes. Fan Yu was no exception. Both husband and wife stared at him as if they had seen a monster.
Huo Yuhao put his clothes back on, retracted his martial spirit, and then honestly stood to the side. "Master, Teacher Zhou, this disciple doesn't know what happened either. You two are more knowledgeable than this disciple; can you help this disciple answer this question? Ever since I gained this energy, I no longer feel cold; it's as if I've become a part of that frozen land."
Suddenly, Zhou Yi's eyes lit up, and she turned to look at Fan Yu.
"Husband, could it be that its Innate Soul Skill awakened for a second time? I heard Teacher Wang Yan once say that if a Soul Master possesses a high-grade Innate Soul Skill, there's a possibility of a second awakening. If that's true, it would clearly explain its situation. Should I go ask Wang Yan now?"
Zhou Yi was a woman of action. No sooner had she finished speaking than she immediately started to leave. Fan Yu, hearing her, reached out and pulled her back by the hand.
"No, you can't go. Calm down. If Wang Yan finds out about this, do you think the Soul Skill Department will let Huo Yuhao off the hook?"
Zhou Yi looked up at Fan Yu in surprise. Seeing the resolute look in his eyes, she was startled into realization, then silently retreated.
Fan Yu sat back down on the chair, looking at Huo Yuhao, and said,
"Yuhao, what just happened to you is an extremely rare occurrence. Both Zhou Yi and I are hearing about it for the first time. Therefore, we can't explain it precisely. But I suspect it's related to your Innate Soul Skill. Innate Soul Skills have always been incredibly strange. On this continent, there's also a mysterious sect called the Innate Soul Skill Sect. They have always sought out Soul Masters with Innate Soul Skills to cultivate and train. Perhaps only they would know the exact situation you're in. But from what I see, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps you've gained another Soul Skill, and this Soul Skill already has a thousand-year Soul Ring. Maybe it's from that Ice Jade Scorpion that died next to you. Why your second Soul Skill is an Ice Jade Scorpion, I don't understand either. But for you, it's definitely an extremely good thing. The Ice Jade Scorpion is an extremely high-grade ice-attributed Soul Beast among the Beast Soul Skills of the Strong Attack System. In the future, your cultivation will likely receive even more benefits. Do you understand my explanation?"
Huo Yuhao nodded and said,
"Yes. But what should this disciple do now, Master?"
Fan Yu said,
"Leave your tardiness to me. I will officially declare you a core disciple of the Soul Tool Department. Furthermore, I will state that you were late because you were on a mission for me. But if that's the case, you will no longer have the opportunity to become a core disciple of the Soul Skill Department. I don't want to force you. I can also assure you that with Twin Martial Souls, and a second Soul Skill with a thousand-year Soul Ring like this, you won't be expelled. Now you can freely choose either the Soul Skill Department or the Soul Tool Department."
"As for your future, whether you are in the Soul Skill Department or the Soul Tool Department, I think you should primarily cultivate your Spiritual Eye Soul Skill. The advantage of Twin Martial Souls is that later, when your cultivation reaches a satisfactory level, you can then add Soul Rings to your second Soul Skill. And the path you've been cultivating so far has been very stable. Moreover, your Spiritual Eye Soul Skill has already gained an additional Soul Ring. For now, continuing to cultivate the Spiritual Eye Soul Skill is still better than the new Soul Skill, which is also too strange. Let me observe it for a while. Now, show us the second Soul Ring of your Spiritual Eye Soul Skill."