Zhu Ziyang stared silently at the now-inactive gray pearl.
Then, his attention shifted to his own spiritual sea, which had undergone massive changes thanks to the Silver Dragon Wolf's sacrifice.
His sea of consciousness had more than doubled in size, his total spiritual power increased by 50%, and the quality of that power had reached the peak of the "formless-yet-substantial" realm. In terms of spiritual cultivation, he now surpassed even most Soul Kings.
Zhu Ziyang floated above the tranquil sea of spirit, where the pearl containing Electrolux's soul and a silver diamond-shaped crystal hovered in midair. His gaze fixed on the diamond. Inside it, a tiny silver dragon could be seen, clearly linked to the Silver Dragon Wolf.
When he touched the crystal with his spirit, he felt a faint soul fluctuation within it.
A certain legend came to mind—when a 100,000-year soul beast sacrifices itself to a human, its soul does not perish, but instead resides within the soul ring it grants.
No one knew whether this was true, since only three people in the entire history of the continent had ever received such a sacrifice. The first two were Tang Hao and Tang San, father and son, because both of their wives were 100,000-year soul beasts in human form. Now, the third was Zhu Ziyang.
He decided to leave the crystal alone for now. Since it existed within his spiritual sea, it couldn't cause him any harm.
His spiritual sea resembled a clear blue lake, its spiritual energy gathering as pure, flawless blue liquid. The surface shimmered with silver ripples. However, when he tried to stir this power, he noticed that there was no silver light within the energy itself.
This puzzled him, though he sensed it was somehow related to the Silver Dragon Wolf.
Beyond the spiritual sea lay the Soul-Heaven Firmament, the barrier between soul and body. It divided a soul master's consciousness and physical vessel. Only top-tier cultivators who condensed a soul core could break through this boundary and reach the realm of soul-body unification.
But now, Zhu Ziyang's Soul-Heaven Firmament no longer looked dull and lifeless. Instead, it had transformed into a blue-white sky, within which hung a golden star surrounded by gray clouds—it was indistinguishable from the real sky.
Each element represented one of his extreme martial souls:
Blue-white sky = Extreme Ice
Golden star = Extreme Light
Gray clouds = Death attribute
This was the projection of his ultimate martial souls within his spiritual sea.
Satisfied with what he saw, Zhu Ziyang withdrew his consciousness and returned to the physical world.
Rather than immediately cultivating, he extended both hands:
His right palm summoned a cluster of holy light,
His left palm gathered a swirl of gray, cold death energy.
Thanks to his dual extreme attributes, Zhu Ziyang could freely release different elements with each hand. He had simply swapped out ice for death energy in his left palm.
He smiled—and began to cultivate.
The next morning, Zhu Ziyang awoke from his meditation with a spring in his step.
The recent days had been filled with miracles, and he couldn't stop smiling. His joy was so obvious that even Zhu Changhe, Liang Ying, and Jiang Nannan couldn't help but be curious.
Of course, he couldn't tell the full truth, so he vaguely mentioned he had experienced a breakthrough—which, to be fair, was not a lie.
Day after day, he remained in high spirits, and his cultivation efficiency had risen noticeably, making him even happier.
One week later
Outside the south gate of Anyang City, beside the main road—
Zhu Changhe, Liang Ying, and Bai Xinyi had gathered to send off their children.
Today was the day Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan would depart for Shrek Academy.
"Ziyang, you've always been extraordinary. You awakened your martial soul with full innate soul power at just six years old. I know you'll pass Shrek's entrance exam!" Zhu Changhe said proudly.
"That's right! Our son is outstanding. You'll definitely become a student at Shrek!" Liang Ying beamed, though she also reminded him, "When you get there, don't forget to write home!"
"Don't worry, Mom and Dad." Zhu Ziyang's smile brimmed with confidence. "Just wait for the good news."
Both parents nodded at once.
On the other side, Jiang Nannan said goodbye to her mother, Bai Xinyi.
"Mom, I'm leaving now." Jiang Nannan tried not to cry. Compared to the mature Zhu Ziyang, she was still just an eleven-year-old girl. It was her first time traveling so far and for so long—of course she felt emotional.
"Go on," Bai Xinyi smiled gently, softly brushing her daughter's hair. Her face held both pride and sadness.
Then the two children turned and departed, heading south along the road.
Behind them, the three adults remained at the city gate, watching their children until they vanished from sight.
"Let's go," Zhu Changhe finally said, pulling his gaze back.
"Alright," Liang Ying replied. Then she turned to Bai Xinyi. "Let's go home, Sister Bai."
"Yes," Bai Xinyi nodded quietly.
Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan traveled south at full pace.
Shrek Academy was located in the center of the original Douluo Continent, right at the junction of the Heaven Soul, Dou Spirit, and Star Luo Empires. Anyang City, located in the far north of the Heaven Soul Empire, meant they had a long journey ahead.
Their planned route was:
Follow Tianbei Road along the Tianhui Canyon,
Reach the capital, Tiandou City,
Travel the Tiansuo Road to the Suonan Province, and
Use a back route to arrive at Shrek Academy.
The total distance was nearly 8,000 li (approximately 4,000 km). But as a Soul Elder and a Grandmaster, traveling nonstop would get them there in just seven days.
However, they didn't need to rush. Shrek's entrance exams wouldn't begin for another two weeks.
Truthfully, Zhu Ziyang wasn't all that interested in joining Shrek Academy. With his talent, he would be highly valued anywhere. His reasons for going were:
To fulfill the wishes of his parents and Hong Zhen,
To gain access to valuable resources like high-quality soul rings and soul bones,
And lastly, a secret ambition—to become the master of the number one academy on the continent. What kind of strength would that take?
"Brother Ziyang, I think there's a village up ahead! Let's stop there for the night," Jiang Nannan said excitedly, pointing at a faint trail of smoke in the distance.
"Alright," Zhu Ziyang nodded after a brief thought.
They had been camping in the wilderness for three nights straight. Although they had passed through a few cities along the way, they hadn't stopped. Now they were about 300 kilometers from Tiandou City. They had left Falan City that afternoon, and by tomorrow morning, they would reach the capital.
The night deepened, and the smoke from the village became even more distinct. After leaving the main road, they followed a smaller trail for three or four more li until the full village came into view.
It was a tiny place—just 30 to 40 households, surrounded by mountains on three sides and a forest on the fourth, beyond which was the highway. Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan approached via the forest path and stopped at the village entrance.
They headed toward a nearby home.
Knock knock knock!
Zhu Ziyang tapped on the door.
"Who's there?"
A hoarse voice called from inside. Footsteps approached. A moment later, the door creaked open, revealing a white-haired elderly woman. She looked puzzled at the two unfamiliar children.
"And who might you be?"
"Hello, ma'am," Zhu Ziyang said with a warm smile. "We're travelers passing through. May we stay the night in your home?"
The old woman hesitated. Her cloudy eyes examined the two children closely. After decades of life, she sensed that these weren't ordinary kids. Finally, she nodded.
"…Alright, come in."
She opened the door and let them inside.
"Thank you, Granny!" Jiang Nannan beamed and bowed politely. Her voice was sweet and genuine.
"No need to thank me," the old woman replied.