Douluo Continent II: The Dragon King Suppresses the World!

Chapter 31 Returning at the Right Time

Such a perfectly coordinated scene left the students standing nearby dumbfounded, their eyes blank and helpless, as if they had been frozen in place, completely unable to understand what had happened.

Zhou Yi's expression was solemn, her serious face as if covered with a layer of frost. She waved her hand lightly to the students and said, "You should go back and prepare."

"Yes." The three trainees hurriedly replied, their voices tinged with panic, and they quickly retreated, their steps hurried and disordered.

Wang Dong's face was filled with anxiety, his voice brimming with worry, his urgent tone almost bursting from his throat: "Teacher Zhou, Huo Yuhao hasn't returned yet? You haven't seen him either, should we go ask the Soul Guidance Department?"

Zhou Yi's brows furrowed deeply, like two deep ravines that could almost trap a fly. An barely suppressed rage flickered in her eyes, as if it were about to erupt: "No need to go. I already asked. Huo Yuhao told me that the Soul Guidance Department had arranged for a teacher to accompany him to obtain the Soul Ring. But when I asked Fan Yu, Huo Yuhao told him that the Martial Soul Department was sending a teacher to help him obtain the Soul Ring. Isn't that lying to both sides?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Dong's expression instantly became even more anxious, his tone rising several decibels, his voice filled with disbelief: "No way, he doesn't even have any offensive soul skills, how could he possibly have gone to hunt soul beasts on his own!"

Zhou Yi said in a deep voice, "He must be hiding something from us. By the way, have Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena returned? Did they see Huo Yuhao?"

Wang Dong shook his head vigorously and said urgently, "Ye Qian and Gu Yuena just came back today. I asked Ye Qian, and he said he didn't see them either."

"Okay, go to the senior section right now and find Beibei and Tang Ya for me. If they're not here either, that's good," Zhou Yi instructed urgently.

"Okay." Wang Dong replied, then turned and ran away as fast as he could. At that moment, he was silently praying that Bei Bei and Tang Ya would not come back.

Before long, Bei Bei and Tang Ya were in Zhou Yi's office. When they heard that Huo Yuhao had not returned, they were shocked and stared wide-eyed, their faces full of disbelief. Their expressions of shock were as if they had heard a fairy tale.

Beibei said solemnly, "Teacher Zhou, Junior Brother was perfectly fine when we parted ways. He couldn't have gone off to hunt soul beasts on his own, could he...?"

The group exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with confusion and deep bewilderment. They couldn't understand why Huo Yuhao had left the academy without telling anyone. He hadn't returned, and there was no use in worrying. Zhou Yi was frantic, her anxious expression like an ant on a hot pan. Fan Yu was even more worried, his heart filled with anxiety that almost crushed him. Everyone close to Huo Yuhao had different thoughts in their hearts—some were angry, some regretful, and some puzzled. But apart from Ye Qi'an, who knew the reason, no one could guess the real reason why Huo Yuhao had concealed the truth.

However, time waits for no one. A day passes in the blink of an eye, and the next day ends as soon as the eyes open and close again.

The time for Shrek Academy's new academic year registration has finally arrived. The freshman entrance examination has been completed, and all the freshmen have enrolled. Meanwhile, all the other grades are facing the upcoming promotion exams. Registration started in the morning and did not end until the afternoon.

Ye Qi'an, Gu Yuena, and Wang Dong completed their registration early. Then, Wang Dong stood anxiously at the entrance of Shrek Academy, craning his neck to look into the distance and wait. His expectant gaze seemed to penetrate the barriers of space.

"Why hasn't he come back yet? Why? Shrek Academy has very strict rules. If you don't report on time, you'll be expelled!" Wang Dong stared into the distance, his gaze somewhat vacant and blank, muttering to himself incessantly, his voice filled with anxiety and unease.

As darkness gradually fell, Huo Yuhao realized he was too late. He had already missed the registration time. Bei Bei, Tang Ya, and Xiao Xiao arrived at the academy gate one after another. As the sky darkened, their faces also darkened like the night, their solemn expressions seemingly shrouded in darkness.

Wang Dong seemed to have lost his soul, having no idea how he got back to the dormitory. By the time he returned, it was already completely dark outside. Huo Yuhao ultimately failed to return in time to report for duty.

At night, Ye Qi'an walked out of the blacksmith shop. After breaking the fourth seal of the Golden Dragon King, Ye Qi'an's strength doubled on the original basis. The strength of his left arm had reached 5,000 jin, and the strength of his right arm had approached 10,000 jin. With the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear's right paw external soul bone in his right arm, it was expected that the strength would approach 10,000 jin.

"Did you pass the test?" Gu Yuena handed Ye Qi'an a water bottle, her movements gentle and concerned.

"I passed! Now I can complete the thousand-fold forging with just a few hammer blows. Now I just need to consolidate it a bit before I can start the spirit forging. Once I start the spirit forging, I can start forging the battle armor." Ye Qi'an said, taking a sip of water. His voice was tinged with fatigue but also filled with excitement.

"Battle Armor? What's that?" Gu Yuena asked, somewhat puzzled. She had been in the human world for so long and knew a lot of things, but she had never heard of Battle Armor.

Ye Qian smiled slightly and patiently explained to Gu Yuena, "Battle armor is a kind of auxiliary equipment, similar to a soul bone, but different from a soul bone. Soul bones can grant soul masters soul skills, but battle armor cannot. It can only be used for amplification. When my forging skills reach the spirit forging level, I will be able to forge the basic materials for battle armor."

Gu Yuena nodded thoughtfully, a curious glint in her beautiful eyes: "Soul beasts can also use battle armor?"

Ye Qi'an pondered for a moment and said, "Theoretically speaking, if a soul beast can transform into a human, it should also be able to use battle armor."

Gu Yuena tilted her head slightly, gazing into the distance: "Exactly how much will it improve?"

Ye Qi'an pondered for a moment before answering seriously, "It depends on the quality of the battle armor and its compatibility with the user. If it's a six-word battle armor and it's perfectly suited to the user, the increase in strength is roughly the same as that of a pseudo-god."

A hint of surprise flashed in Gu Yuena's eyes: "It has such a powerful effect, how long will it take you to create such a battle armor?"

Ye Qi'an smiled helplessly: "This is not something that can be done in a short time. With my level 40 strength, I can only forge one-word battle armor at most, and barely forge two-word battle armor. As my strength improves, I will be able to forge higher quality battle armor."

"Let's go back."

Gu Yuena led Ye Qi'an by the hand and walked towards Shrek Academy. Back at Shrek Academy, the two walked side by side along the Sea God Lake. The moonlight shone on the lake, making it sparkle. A gentle breeze brought a touch of coolness, which felt like a soft caress and made people feel relaxed and happy. Little did they know that Zhou Yi's office was in complete chaos at this moment.

"Huo Yuhao, you'd better explain to me where you went. You even dared to be late for school. Have you grown too big for your britches and no longer respect the school rules?" Zhou Yi roared angrily at Huo Yuhao. Her voice was deafening, as if it could blow the roof off.

Huo Yuhao walked up to Zhou Yi and Fan Yu, and knelt down on both knees with a thud. His voice was deep and resolute: "Teacher, I was wrong."

When Zhou Yi saw Huo Yuhao kneeling in front of her, she was also taken aback. The anger of the two of them instantly subsided by more than half. In her memory, Huo Yuhao had always been a good child who studied hard and was obedient and sensible. Moreover, Huo Yuhao never lied. This disappearance must have a reason.

Fan Yu asked calmly, "Why?" His voice was calm, but his eyes were full of doubt and concern.

Huo Yuhao raised his head, his face full of remorse, and said, "Teacher, I was wrong. I shouldn't have lied to you and Teacher Zhou. But I... I was afraid you would worry, so I made up a lie and left. Because, when I left, I didn't know if I would be able to come back." His voice trembled slightly, filled with deep self-reproach.

Hearing Huo Yuhao say this, Zhou Yi, who was originally furious, was instantly distracted. Zhou Yi couldn't help but say, "Is there anything that the academy can't help you with? Why do you have to face it all by yourself? Do you think we wouldn't help you if you told us?" Although her tone was urgent, it was more concerned.

Huo Yuhao gently shook his head and said, "I can't help you. My martial soul has a problem. Teacher Zhou, do you remember? Teacher Wang once mentioned this in class. For a soul master, the most terrifying thing is a shattered martial soul." His eyes revealed deep fear and helplessness.

Zhou Yi was taken aback. "What? Your Wu said..." Her voice became sharp with shock.

Huo Yuhao nodded and said, "Towards the end of the school year, I discovered that my martial soul was having problems. My Spirit Eye martial soul would occasionally make me feel mentally disoriented, and it even showed signs of breaking. At that time, I remembered what Teacher Wang had said. Teacher Wang said that if a martial soul is inherently deficient, or if one forces cultivation when their innate soul power is low, there is a very small chance that the martial soul will break. And once the martial soul breaks, it is a disaster for the soul master. At best, all soul power will be lost and the martial soul will shatter and disappear. At worst, it will endanger one's life." His voice grew softer and softer, as if he had fallen into an abyss of despair.

Even Lian Fanyu's expression changed. If it truly was a shattered martial soul, then there was absolutely no way to save it. Not even a Title Douluo could change that.

The Martial Soul is the core of every Soul Master's being. If there is a problem within it, no matter what rare and precious materials are used, it will be useless. It's like being sentenced to death!

"Yuhao, then you..." Fan Yu had no time to be angry anymore and asked with concern, his voice full of worry.

Zhou Yi said irritably, "He's kneeling here properly, so he's obviously alright. Yuhao, go on." Although she said that, her eyes were full of tension.

Huo Yuhao said, "In the days leading up to graduation from first grade, my feelings became increasingly stronger. I started to get scared. I was afraid my martial soul would really shatter, and I was also afraid of letting down my two teachers. I thought about it carefully and finally decided not to tell you yet. If my martial soul really shattered, then there would be no use saying anything. If it didn't shatter, I would definitely come back. So, I lied to my two teachers. I didn't want you to worry about me." His voice was full of determination and resolve.

"What...what can I say about you!" Fan Yu sighed, bent down, and helped Huo Yuhao up from the ground by supporting him under his arm. This kid is so sensible.

As it turns out, the self-inflicted injury strategy can achieve unexpected results in any situation, as long as it is used appropriately. In particular, Huo Yuhao's self-inflicted injury strategy has completely fooled Zhou Yi and Fan Yu.

The five of them meeting again naturally created a lively atmosphere. Huo Yuhao vividly recounted the story he had told the night before to the three of them, only omitting the age limit of his spirit rings, as he was anxiously awaiting news from Teacher Fan Yu.

"Not bad, not bad." Ye Qi'an raised his hand and patted Huo Yuhao's shoulder gently, while subtly revealing a wisp of the Golden Dragon King's bloodline aura into Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea.

Huo Yuhao felt an indescribable pressure suddenly descend upon him, but the blow felt as light as a feather. However, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm and the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion in his sea of ​​consciousness were immediately plunged into extreme panic.

"This... is the bloodline of the Golden Dragon King! How can a human have the bloodline of the Golden Dragon King? Then the other one is the Silver Dragon King, the ruler of all soul beasts." The Ice Emperor frowned, his tone full of astonishment.

"There's only one possibility now. If he is that person, then the 'Star vs. Great Forest' event is about to make a big move." Tianmeng Ice Silkworm said, trying to calm itself down. It had vaguely sensed the aura of the Dragon God during the elimination rounds, and now, based on that trace of aura, it could almost confirm Ye Qi'an's origins.

……

"Since Teacher Fanyu has agreed to let you stay, we can rest assured. Let's go have breakfast together." Ye Qi'an smiled slightly at Huo Yuhao.

There are only two canteens in the outer academy, one for the Martial Soul Department and one for the Soul Guidance Department, so they all eat in the same canteen. However, the canteen is divided into different areas according to the grade level.

As Ye Qi'an and his classmates moved up to their second year, their classroom building was also changing. They had previously been in the white classroom building for freshmen and first-year students, but after re-enrolling, they were moved to the yellow classroom building for second and third-year students. Huo Yuhao hadn't reported for duty yesterday, but the other four were already familiar with the place. The five of them walked into the classroom building side by side, chatting and laughing as they headed straight for the second-year, class one classroom on the first floor.

As I was walking forward, I ran into three people, three familiar figures.

Dai Huabin appeared increasingly tall and imposing, his already cold and hard expression now seeming even more sinister. Beside him, Zhu Lu had blossomed into a more graceful and shapely woman, in the prime of her development, her height nearly matching Dai Huabin's. The other girl walking with them was naturally the nine-tailed fox spirit master, Cui Yajie.

After Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu went to Class Two, she followed them, since they had been in the same group during the freshman assessment. Ye Qi'an and his group of five saw Dai Huabin and his group, and Dai Huabin and his two companions naturally saw them as well.

Upon seeing Ye Qi'an and his group, Dai Huabin's face immediately darkened; the resentment among them had been brewing for a long time. During the freshman assessment, Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena had won decisively, and later, because of Huo Yuhao's candidacy for class monitor, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu were ruthlessly expelled by Zhou Yi.

Despite losing the match, Dai Huabin managed to remain relatively calm. After all, Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena were indeed formidable opponents, and he wasn't the type to be a sore loser. He always admired the strong, and Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena were clearly among those he considered strong. However, being expelled from Class One by Zhou Yi was a tremendous humiliation for him.

……

(End of this chapter)