Chapter 86: What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger

Wang Dong's eyes widened in surprise. "Elder Xuan Zi, you actually carry eggs with you?"

Yuhao was equally astonished. Whenever he went out to hunt for souls, he never forgot to bring along his barbecue tools. It seemed like both the old and the young were a bit careless.

Were they a soul master or a chef?

Xuan Zi chuckled mysteriously. "As an old man, I can live without many things, but I can't live without good food. Not just eggs—name any food, and I probably have it. I never leave home without at least ten cubic meters of food. It's just not practical otherwise! That's why I asked Qian Duoduo to specially craft a storage soul guide for me."

Ma Xiaotao laughed. "Elder Xuan Zi, you truly live up to the name of Taotie!"

Huo Yuhao accepted the egg from the colorful golden pheasant without comment. It wasn't just Xuan Zi who carried food; even the Supreme Elder, when on a mission in the Star Dou Forest, would never forget to pick up some game along the way.

When Skydream had accidentally found Xuan Zi earlier, she discovered that he had been collecting eggs, with the colorful golden pheasant as his victim. Fortunately, Huo Yuhao didn't expect Xuan Zi to offer much protection. He just hoped the old man wouldn't hold everyone back.

The grilling resumed. At that moment, Xuan Zi squatted next to the barbecue grill like an eager child, swallowing his saliva as he watched Huo Yuhao with strange eyes. Huo Yuhao shook his head inwardly but kept his hands busy.

Top-tier ingredients like dark gold direclaw bear meat didn't require much cooking or many condiments. The meat's natural flavor was already exceptional.

Moreover, the dark gold terror claw bear meat was highly nutritious, a rare delicacy even in Shrek Academy's inner courtyard canteen.

As the strips of meat roasted over the flames, Huo Yuhao stepped back, sprinkled some seasonings, and then dipped a brush into the freshly mixed raw eggs, smearing it over the meat.

"Is this done? This is the first time I've seen someone put raw eggs on meat," Xuan Zi remarked. Before he could finish speaking, he had already stuffed a strip of meat into his mouth, devouring it in seconds.

Xuan Zi's eyes lit up, and tears welled up in the corners of his eyes. He regretted it deeply. He truly regretted not taking Huo Yuhao as his disciple before Mu En did.

If Yuhao were his disciple, he could enjoy such delicious treats every day! He vowed to take Huo Yuhao across the continent and train him to become the top chef in the land.

But alas, there were no "ifs" in life.

In the face of Shrek's grand plans, Xuan Zi knew his place. Although Mu En hadn't officially accepted Huo Yuhao as his disciple, everyone in Sea God Pavilion understood the unspoken truth.

As long as Huo Yuhao's character remained sound, he would undoubtedly become the future master of Sea God Pavilion.

Xuan Zi was the first to vote in favor of Yuhao. After all, if their relationship was good, wouldn't it be easier to enjoy such feasts in the future?

The next step was naturally a feast.

[Achievement Triggered!]

[Achieved Xuan Zi's "Barbecue Enthusiast" achievement. Reward: Coolie Gu.]

[Coolie Gu: Level 4 Gu. The more severely injured the soul master is, the deeper the pain they feel, and the greater the strength they can exert. However, there is an upper limit to the power, depending on the soul master's personal foundation.]

[Evaluation: What doesn't kill me makes me stronger.]

...

After the barbecue, Huo Yuhao and the others headed back home. As for Xuan Zi? Once the meal was over, his figure flickered and disappeared quietly. In his words, he was secretly protecting them and wouldn't show up unless absolutely necessary.

Although Huo Yuhao and the others returned a bit slower than before, they soon arrived in Shrek City. The sun was slowly setting, approaching dusk. It was around four in the afternoon, the time when classes in Shrek's outer courtyard ended.

After parting ways with the others, Huo Yuhao went alone to the restricted section of the inner courtyard library, hoping to find information about the Space-Time Demonic Eye.

After all, they would be fusing this external soul bone later, so it was best to gather as much data as possible.

Shrek Academy, Sea God Pavilion

Xuan Zi reported to Mu En, "Mu En, Yuhao and the others have returned safely."

Mu En's calm voice replied, "Good, they're back." Though he appeared composed, he felt a sense of relief deep down.

When Xuan Zi entered, Mu En could sense a hint of loneliness in him, as if he had lost something precious.

At that moment, Mu En was momentarily stunned, fearing that Xuan Zi had caused another major incident. The last mass destruction in the Star Dou Forest was still fresh in his memory. Fortunately, this time, there were no accidents.

As a super Douluo, Xuan Zi's strength in Shrek was second only to Mu En himself. Sending him to look after Huo Yuhao this time showed just how much Shrek valued Huo Yuhao.

As Xuan Zi finished recounting the events, Mu En casually dismissed Xuan Zi's hint about taking Huo Yuhao as a disciple. He could see right through Xuan Zi's intentions—it was all about the boy's cooking skills.

But that was unacceptable. Xuan Zi couldn't be allowed to hinder Huo Yuhao's future. Moreover, Mu En was even more satisfied with Huo Yuhao's recent performance.

Over the past month, Huo Yuhao had been studying independently in the library, showing both physical and mental consistency.

He didn't rely solely on the academy's help for soul hunting. His character and strength were undoubtedly top-tier.

It was time for the academy to invest more in him. With the academy's protection and guidance, Huo Yuhao would hopefully grow into a towering tree, safeguarding Shrek's future.

"Mu En, there's something important I need to tell you," Xuan Zi said, undeterred by Mu En's rejection. He had expected as much.

Mu En nodded. "Go ahead, what is it?"

"It's about Huo Yuhao's former roommate, Wang Dong. He and Huo Yuhao have a highly compatible martial soul fusion skill!"

"Martial soul fusion skill?" Mu En was intrigued. Could the Light Goddess Butterfly really fuse with the Spirit Eyes or the Ice Jade Scorpion? They seemed entirely unrelated. Was this true?

Facing Mu En's questioning gaze, Xuan Zi scratched his head. "I didn't believe it at first either, until they demonstrated it in front of me. The martial soul fusion skill between the Light Goddess Butterfly and the Spirit Eyes is incredibly powerful!"

Actions spoke louder than words. When the golden path appeared before their eyes, the three of them were left speechless.

Ma Xiaotao, in particular, stared at Wang Dong with a defensive look. Why were the two boys hugging each other? She was worried Huo Yuhao might develop the wrong inclinations.

Huo Yuhao, however, was helpless. The martial soul fusion skill could be activated simply by holding hands, so why did Wang Dong have to hug him? Was this the aftermath of the clichéd "hero saves the beauty" trope?

"Is that so? That's excellent news," Mu En said meaningfully. With Xuan Zi's assurance, he believed it.

After all, the world was full of wonders. Perhaps the spiritual attribute of Huo Yuhao's body martial soul was simply that special.

"There's one more thing," Xuan Zi added.

Mu En sighed. "Just say it all at once."

Even as a Limit Douluo, he couldn't handle these constant twists and turns.

Xuan Zi grinned. "This is the last thing. Wang Dong also has a twin martial soul!"

…

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