Douluo Continent: The Eternal Order of the Azure Sky.

As a crescent moon hung above the clouds, Kong Tianxu finally saw the brightly lit Mingdu City.

Continuing its flight towards the Imperial Palace's Hall of Offerings, Kong Deming's flying soul tool emitted a star-shaped, pale blue light that radiated outwards, maintaining a unique frequency and cycling repeatedly. This light transmitted a special wave to Mingdu's air defense system to identify him.

In the distance, a hexagonal building outlined by lights appeared before the group. The area covered by the hexagonal lights was comparable to that of a medium-sized city. There were many buildings scattered throughout, but most of the space was open.

Kong Tianxu knew that the location of this hexagon was the Empire's First Academy, the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.

"What's wrong, Xu'er? Oh, it was Grandpa's oversight. Judging by your age, you should be going to a Soul Master Academy. Staying cooped up at home all the time isn't good. This year's enrollment season is over. Do you want to transfer in or wait until next year to enroll with the next batch? The Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy is pretty good. You and Yin'er can go and have a look together."

Kong Deming noticed Kong Tianxu's gaze and, thinking he might be considering going to school with his peers, quickly asked.

"We'll see."

Going to school with that girl? Thinking of the girl's charming appearance, Kong Tianxu couldn't help but smile, not paying much attention to the Sun Moon University, which was the highest institution of learning in the eyes of countless people.

He was even considering whether to accumulate a few more years of experience and then go directly to Mingdetang to study. After all, judging by the minimum requirements, his level was already sufficient.

Thinking of this, he sighed inwardly. In the years since his awakening, his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds; his abilities as both a Soul Master and a Soul Instructor had made tremendous leaps, giving him a sense of superiority over all heroes. However, this Star Dou journey made him fully realize the significant gap between himself and a true high-level Soul Master.

This time, they only encountered a defensive Soul Saint, and they were already forced to reveal most of their trump cards. If they encountered a Soul Douluo, or even a control-type Soul Saint who went all out from the start, it would be a life-or-death crisis.

But I'm only level 43, so I have a lot of time to improve.

Yes, during this short journey home, he had already broken through the bottleneck of level 42 peak and reached level 43. After a self-reflection that would make any Soul Master in the world vomit blood, Kong Tianxu, with a touch of excitement, recounted the gains from this Star Dou journey:

A thousand-year-old golden tortoiseshell skull imbued with auspicious energy, the Xuan Shui Dan formula, a Xuanwu Divine Pill, and that strange and unusual Azure Phosphorous Nine-Flaw Flower Soul Seed. And of course, most importantly, he had successfully completed the acquisition of his fourth soul ring.

Chapter 24 Return and Cain

Next, it's just a matter of cultivating step by step, waiting for the Continental Elite Youth Soul Master Tournament two years later, and then obtaining the Gold of Life and the Snow Empress Embryo.

The 70,000-year-old Ice Jade Scorpion's left arm bone was dispensable. The Ice Explosion Technique was merely a lower-level substitute for his martial soul talent ability, and he certainly wouldn't choose to absorb any of the six main soul bones in his body that were below 100,000 years old.

After all, a soul bone is not like a soul ring. He has a total of eighteen soul ring slots, but a soul bone can probably only absorb six. A normal ten-thousand-year soul bone is simply a waste of his talent.

Moreover, Kong Deming promised him that as long as he won the championship, he could allocate all the resources of the Kong family, and the search for the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eye could be officially put on the agenda.

As for the rest... well, we'll encounter them later, we'll deal with them then. Kong Tianxu was unusually lazy.

For the next leg of the journey, Kong Deming slowed his flight slightly to avoid causing too much disturbance to Mingdu in the dead of night. But the speed of a level nine flying soul tool was incredibly fast; in no time, they had entered the palace grounds and seen the ancient-style courtyard that stood out starkly against the surrounding metallic palace complex—

The first of the Imperial Palace's Halls of Worship is the Moonlit Hall.

Flying is strictly prohibited above the Imperial Palace, and even above Mingdu. Violators will be met with devastating attacks from the anti-aircraft soul guidance system immediately. But there are always those who can defy the rules, and Kong Deming, as one of the main builders of the Imperial Palace and even the entire Mingdu defense system, is certainly among them.

In the center of the imperial city, a middle-aged man wearing a purple-gold crown with nine dragons holding a pearl and a magnificent bright yellow robe stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at the streak of light flashing overhead with a calm expression.

The place where he stood was a main road between the main hall of the imperial city and the city gate. According to the rules of the Sun and Moon Imperial Family, only the emperor was allowed to pass through it.

"Professor Kong has left Mingdu again. In the past, he would not leave his research lab for several years, and he would only leave Mingdu once every ten or even decades. How many years has it been since the last time? If I remember correctly, this is the fourth time in the past five years, right?"

"Five years, and he's only eleven years old, yet he's already at level forty. Truly, he possesses an unprecedented and unparalleled talent. Elder Xue, I truly wonder what my Sun Moon Empire will be like when he truly matures?"

The middle-aged man's voice was extremely authoritative and penetrating, but upon closer listening, it sounded somewhat weak, and there seemed to be little joy in his voice of praise.

Instead, there was a hint of worry, and... horror hidden within?

Upon hearing the question from the iron-fisted emperor who had murdered his brother and usurped the throne, and who had silenced all the civil and military officials in less than half a year, an elderly man dressed in the most ordinary palace servant's attire paused for a moment, and then bent his waist even lower.

If it weren't for this movement, he would have remained completely unnoticed, like a moving corpse. Walking closely behind Xu Guoyi, his hunched back made him look as if he might collapse at any moment.

Sometimes, when the emperor asks you a question, he's not really asking you a question; he's just talking to himself.

Having been in the imperial city for several years, Shadow Douluo Xue Chen had long understood this principle. However, the sight of an eleven-year-old level forty Soul Master still greatly shocked him. It should be noted that he, known as a genius of his generation, had taken almost twice as long to break through to the Soul Master level.

The crown tassels swayed slightly, and Xu Guoyi seemed to see something, his steps becoming lighter.

After the princes and princesses came into clear view, Xue Chen, still hunched over, seemed to hear the Emperor's murmur carried on the wind:

"We need to prepare early."

……

"Tianxu, the medicinal bath is ready. Don't you really need to ask Zhong Gongfeng to come over for your arm?" The girl asked worriedly in a quiet room in the Moonflower Palace.

Her voice was slightly hoarse, yet possessed a strange magnetism. She had fair skin and delicate features, and even while sitting, her long legs were evident. Her black boots reached her calves, and her blonde hair, tied in a side ponytail, swayed slightly with the movement of her hands.

"No need. It's just a minor injury from the overload of the soul tool. You know my constitution; I'm almost fully recovered."

Kong Tianxu swallowed the last bite of the bun in his mouth, took the brand-new clothes handed to him by the girl, and said, "Yin'er, you're almost level 30, right?"

The girl before him was named Cain, the Soul Emperor of the Mingyu Sect in the second Soul Master Competition of the original novel, who possessed the Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King Martial Soul. Nominally, she was his personal maid. Although he often teased her as his little maid, the two had grown up together since childhood and had an extremely good relationship, more like childhood sweethearts.

Cain nodded. "My talent is far inferior to yours. I've been stuck at level 29 for a while now, and only recently have I started to feel a breakthrough."

Kong Tianxu was amused by her serious expression. "Yin'er, you can't use me as a benchmark for everything. You're only eleven years old. At this age, you're already close to breaking through to the Soul Venerable realm. That's definitely the cultivation speed of a top genius. Here, catch."

With that, he tossed the jade bottle containing the Xuanwu Divine Pill to Cain.

"What is this?" Cain took the bottle steadily, looking at the pill with a faint black light inside with some surprise.

Kong Tianxu winked at her, walked into the cubicle behind him, and said as he took off his clothes:

"Come to my room tonight, and I'll help you absorb this pill."

Cain, seemingly lost in thought, blushed briefly across his cheeks and stood frozen in place for a long while before making any move.

Her trust in Kong Tianxu was almost blind, so naturally she didn't ask any questions. Carefully putting away the pills, she picked up her clothes and left the meditation room.

She walked through numerous corridors until she reached a secluded, deserted spot, where the clatter of her boots finally ceased. After carefully confirming that no one was around, she buried her face in her robes and took a deep sniff.

Huh? Her azure eyes widened suddenly.

Why do they smell like women? And there are three of them!

……

Shrek Academy, Poseidon Lake, Poseidon Island.

Inside a secret chamber within the towering golden ancient tree, Ma Xiaotao gradually awoke from her unconsciousness.

"Eek—" Her body twitched, and she instinctively covered her chest with her right hand, murmuring:

"Run, run, my evil fire... um?"

Gradually, Ma Xiaotao opened her eyes. The blood red in her eyes had faded, returning to their original pale pink, and her eyes held a slight hint of confusion.

"Strange, why isn't it hot anymore?"

Suddenly sitting up, she subconsciously circulated her inner energy, and the phoenix flames within her body were gradually awakened. To her surprise, the heat that had been tormenting her ever since her martial soul awakened, as if burning from the depths of her soul, disappeared.

Chapter 25 Ice Phoenix Silver Pattern

Within his soul power, there seemed to be a hexagonal snowflake, with a jet-black bead frozen within it, residing in the core of his dantian. Meanwhile, his soul power had become clear and bright, with no trace of the aura of evil fire remaining.

"you're awake."

Cai Meier's gentle voice rang out, and Yan Shaozhe, ignoring his wife's glare, reprimanded her from behind:

"Xiao Tao, you were too reckless this time. You actually broke away from the team to chase after that Soul King-level evil Soul Master alone, and even aroused your own evil fire. But perhaps by chance, a powerful external ice-attribute force surged into your body, suppressing the evil fire within you. Do you remember what happened after the evil fire went out of control?"

Ma Xiaotao shook her head blankly; her head was spinning.

"I only remember that the evil soul master was about to harm two other low-level soul masters. After I rushed over and killed him, evil fire erupted, everything turned red, and then..."

Yan Shaozhe, his face tense, said in a deep voice:

"How could you not tell me that you couldn't suppress the evil fire within you? What about those two Soul Masters? Could it be that they helped you suppress the evil fire?"

Ma Xiaotao was stunned for a moment, a pair of captivating purple eyes flashing through her mind.

"I... I didn't know it would be this serious. I was perfectly fine before. Ah, I remember now, it was that evil soul master's fifth soul skill! His martial soul is a blood soul, which has the effect of amplifying the evil energy in other people's soul power. It must be this characteristic that triggered my evil fire. As for those two soul masters, the strongest of them is only a Soul Master, and their soul power fluctuations aren't strong, so it shouldn't be them. By the way, are they all alright? My evil fire..."

As if she had thought of something terrible, her cheeks, which had just become rosy due to the recovery of her soul power, suddenly turned pale.

Seeing this, Cai Meier felt a pang of heartache and quickly told her that no other signs of fighting had been found around, which relieved Ma Xiaotao.

Yan Shaozhe sighed deeply and said:

"Fortunately, this time it hasn't escalated into a major disaster. The longer you suppress it, the more powerful it will be when it erupts. Xiao Tao, from now on, you should suspend your cultivation. Even though you are Shrek Academy's number one genius in hundreds of years, we cannot ruin you for the sake of the academy. If the evil fire destroys your mind next time, your teacher will regret it for the rest of his life."

Ma Xiaotao said stubbornly:

"No, teacher, I want to cultivate. I promise I won't do it again. I can feel that the evil and heat of the phoenix fire has been completely suppressed. It won't cause any more problems for a long time, or even in the future. But what kind of power is it that can suppress my phoenix fire?"

Yan Shaozhe pondered for a moment, “That is an extremely extreme ice attribute, a sealing power of extreme cold. Its purity far exceeds your Phoenix Evil Fire. It is somewhat like the legendary Ice and Snow Maiden's innate soul skill, and also somewhat like the absolute ice breath of the ancient ice dragon. This is why it completely suppressed the Phoenix Evil Fire's influence on your body. It is even better than any method we have used.”

Ma Xiaotao was even more puzzled. "But the Northern Queen, one of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, could not possibly have come to the Star Dou Great Forest. There is no ancient ice dragon martial soul on the continent either, as that exceeds the upper limit of human martial soul awakening."

Yan Shaozhe shook his head and said:

"I was also puzzled, but the only reasonable explanation is that one of the two missing Soul Masters was the owner of the ultimate ice martial soul. After that, I immediately contacted the Star Luo and Heavenly Soul kingdoms to check if any Soul Masters with suspected ice attributes had recently entered the Star Dou Soul Hunting event. If there really is such a person in the three kingdoms, I will search the ground three feet deep to find him."

Ma Xiaotao said, "Teacher, forget it. You don't need to investigate anymore."

Yan Shaozhe said, "This concerns your future, how can I not be anxious? If we can find a male who possesses an ultimate ice-attribute martial soul, and make him your perfect match, we can resolve all the negative effects brought about by the Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul within you. Only then can you truly soar to great heights in the future. Right now, you are already severely restricted, not only has your cultivation speed decreased, but your life is even in danger."

Ma Xiaotao blushed, and her gradually clearing mind recalled more scenes and feelings.

"I don't want to get married, and I especially don't want to marry someone I don't like just for the sake of a martial soul."

Yan Shaozhe said with a half-smile, "The problem is, once the lustful fire rises, it can't be suppressed."

Ma Xiaotao snorted and said, "I've already suppressed it, I just won't get married!"

Yan Shaozhe feigned anger and said, "Ma Xiaotao, if you continue to be willful, I will no longer acknowledge you as my disciple." Cai Meier, who was standing to the side, also began to speak up for her husband.

Seeing that both deans were angry, Ma Xiaotao immediately became much more obedient and said in a pitiful voice, "But, teacher, I..."

Yan Shaozhe patted her head. "Silly girl, feelings can be cultivated, but life is only once. Besides, you are so outstanding. No matter what, your teacher will find you a good home. Don't go on missions recently, just rest well."

In his heart, this owner of the Radiant Phoenix Martial Soul, the Shrek Academy Dean, known for his ruthless and forceful methods, added a sentence he didn't say aloud:

"By any means necessary."

Watching Yan Shaozhe and his wife leave, the girl blinked her pale pink eyes, gently lifted her shirt, and a silver pattern could be clearly seen etched on her lower abdomen, corresponding to her dantian.

As she touched it, the patterns shimmered with a faint icy blue light, emanating a cool sensation that brought an exceptionally wonderful experience to the inexperienced girl.

"Thank goodness the teacher didn't notice, otherwise how could I face anyone..."

A blush crept onto her cheeks. Now that no one was around to disturb her, the slight coldness in her eyes vanished completely, revealing her captivating and alluring gaze. She placed her other hand lightly against her chest, seemingly savoring the gentleness and coldness of that touch, while murmuring to herself:

A home away from home?