12 Chapter 12: Rank 14!

Fire spurned and brightened the group's camp, Huo Yuhao was the chef once more, Tang Ya the sole customer, and Bei Bei was the supplier as he continued to send electrical shocks into the river they were closely taken camping, bringing in shocked fishes.

As the group settled down for the night, Huo Yuhao took charge of preparing their meal. With his culinary skills, he quickly gathered ingredients from a bag Tang Ya brought and set up a makeshift kitchen.

Tang Ya, full of curiosity, watched intently as Huo Yuhao deftly chopped vegetables and prepared the meal. The fire crackled and sent sparks flying into the air, casting a warm glow on their campsite.

As the aroma of the cooking food filled the air, Tang Ya's stomach growled with anticipation. It didn't take long for the food to be cooked.

The three people sat together and ate a sumptuous dinner. Tang Ya was in extremely high spirits, which made her eat even more, making the other two to stifle their laughter when she stuffed so much food in her mouth that she looked like a chipmunk.

After dinner, the group gathered around the campfire, enjoying the warmth and tranquility of the night. The river beside them glistened with the moon's reflection, and the sound of water gently flowing added to the peaceful ambiance. Tang Ya let out a soft yawn and went to lay down on the Blue Silver Grass filled ground.

Bei Bei softly smiled and took off his blue jacket, laying it gently over Tang Ya to keep her warm. He then sat back down by the campfire, his gaze filled with affection as he watched her drift off into sleep.

Huo Yuhao, reading the atmosphere, quietly turned around and sat down into a meditative cross-legged position. Though in his heart, he couldn't help but wonder if he would one day find someone.

'....No. I can't love someone.' He closed his eyes, clenching his hands. 'Revenge takes priority, above all else. Love, friendship, companionship, all of that will have to wait until I've achieved my goal.'

Lost in his thoughts, Huo Yuhao didn't notice Bei Bei's watchful gaze and movements.

Suddenly, he felt a pair of hands pressed against his back.

"Junior brother, cultivating right after eating? I admire your dedication," Bei Bei whispered softly, his voice filled with warmth and sincerity.

"....Senior brother?"

Bei Bei shook his head, his hands were pressed against the centre of Huo Yuhao's back, allowing his soul power to seep into Huo Yuhao's body. The latter was surprised. "I'm helping you guide your soul power to circulate according to the Mysterious Heaven Technique." the former gently explained, his expression turning serious. "Woah. I knew that you were somewhat lacking but, I've never seen such narrowed and fragile meridians in my life. And this amount of soul power...!"

Bei Bei almost lost his composure, all because of the amount of untapped soul power laying dormant in Huo Yuhao's dantian that equalled Tang Ya's—and she's a Soul Elder while he's a Soul Master! That's a huge difference by two whole stages!

He has never seen something like this before. Bei Bei had a calm temperament however; discovering this he quickly informed Huo Yuhao of his body's current condition.

"What?" Huo Yuhao was baffled. "Senior brother, what does this mean? Does it mean I have a soul power equal to a Soul Elder? But, I don't feel like I can release the same amount of soul power as teacher Xiao Ya or you."

"It might be because of your poor meridians and passageways, making it difficult for your soul power to flow smoothly. But with proper training and guidance, you can definitely unlock the full potential of your soul power," Bei Bei explained after a moment of deliberation.

After investigating the condition of Huo Yuhao's body, Bei Bei guessed that the reason that Huo Yuhao's body had a huge reservoir of soul power is because his martial soul had undergone a mutation. That mutation caused him to unconsciously absorb huge amounts of soul power, unfortunately the harm it had caused to Huo Yuhao when he was young was also very great. Because he hadn't been properly cared for, it caused his talent to become like this.

He had heard cases of powerful martial souls of alleviating the soul master's innate soul power above rank 10. A great example is the Seraphim martial soul. A user born with the Seraphim can reach an Innate Soul Power Rank of up to 20 when they undergo Martial Soul Awakening. It is an extremely pure and also extremely powerful martial soul.

'If he'd been immediately treated with medicine after he was born, perhaps this junior brother of mine would've been a bigger genius than he is now.' Bei Bei mused to himself.

He decided to take it upon himself to help Huo Yuhao unlock the full potential of his soul power. It would be a bit difficult and a time-consuming task, but Bei Bei couldn't help but feel a sense of responsibility towards his junior brother.

As Bei Bei continued to guide Huo Yuhao's soul power, the night gradually turned dark blue and the campfire had completely died down.

"Wooo...." Bei Bei slowly withdrew his palms, and let out a long breath. It was hard to conceal the exhaustion on his slightly pale face.

He'd used an entire night to help unblock Huo Yuhao's passageways, helping him complete the first circulation of the Mysterious Heaven Technique. This process had been quite arduous, but it had enormous benefits for Huo Yuhao.

"Peh—" Huo Yuhao spat out a mouthful of clotted blood before he opened his eyes. His Sharingan was unconsciously activated, and one lonely white ring appeared around him.

At this moment, he could feel an unprecedented feeling of relaxation to spread throughout his body. The mouthful of clotted blood he'd spat out were impurities within his blood that had caused the stagnation of his passageways. He felt light and refreshed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders.

As he blinked his eyes, they almost popped out in shock of what he was sensing in his body.

Peak rank 11. Rank 12. Peak rank 12... The amount of soul power he was sensing rose and finally stagnated at rank 14 and it was completely stable.

'Holy–!'

"Senior brother, thank you," Huo Yuhao said sincerely, gratitude shining in his eyes. "You've helped me unlock so much of my potential. I can't express how grateful I am."

Bei Bei smiled tiredly and patted Huo Yuhao's shoulder. "You don't need to thank me, junior brother. It's my responsibility to help you reach your full potential. Just remember to take care of yourself and continue to train hard. You have the potential to become a truly exceptional soul master."

Huo Yuhao nodded, a determined look in his eyes. "I won't let you down, senior brother. I will work hard and make sure to help out the sect, while also becoming the best soul master I can be."

Bei Bei smiled and chuckled, "Oh yeah? Don't worry, you can start helping out the sect when you go to Shrek Academy." his expression slowly fell into melancholic. "Junior brother, I know you have a certain story, one filled with darkness and pain. I won't ask what but.... if there's anyone that would sympathize with you, it'd be Xiao Ya." he turned to the still sleeping Tang Ya.

"She....despite her cheery demeanor, also has a painful past. She lost her parents at a young age, took on the mantle as Tang Sect's sect master, and has faced many hardships. Her shoulders bear the heaviest of responsibilities than anyone that I know at her age."

"What I'm trying to say is," Bei Bei paused, his gaze filled with understanding, "you're not alone, Huo Yuhao. We're here for you, and we'll support you through whatever challenges you face. You don't have to carry the burden of whatever it is you're dealing on your own. Lean on us, let us help you."

Since he was facing his back, Bei Bei didn't see Huo Yuhao's eyes glistened with tears. He sniffed and lowered his head. "Thank you, senior brother. I....I'll try to depend on you."

Bei Bei smiled warmly, his hand still resting on Huo Yuhao's shoulder. "Since there are only us in the sect, how about we consider ourselves as family? Do you understand what that means, Huo Yuhao? Family sticks together through thick and thin. Remember that."

Huo Yuhao nodded, a smile breaking through his tears. "I understand, senior brother. I'm grateful to have you and Tang Ya as my family."

Bei Bei squeezed his shoulder gently before standing up and extending a hand to help Huo Yuhao up. "Good. Junior brother, since you managed to circulate the Mysterious Heaven Technique now, how about I teach you one of the five secret techniques? Stand up and look towards the east. Follow my movements, and focus your eyes.

Huo Yuhao took his hand and stood up, feeling a little confused. It was at that moment that Tang Ya jumped up, and without saying anything, she stood beside them. Only after observing them and seeing the purple cloud in the sky did he realize that he was learning the Purple Demon Eyes technique.

.....

"Woah....So this is Shrek Academy?" Huo Yuhao whispered in awe as he looked up at the towering buildings in front of him. The academy was unlike anything he had ever seen before, with its grand architecture and bustling atmosphere.

Shrek Academy had been established ten thousand years ago, and the word 'Shrek' meant 'monster' in the ancient language. This also meant that, the people who'd founded Shrek Academy at the start had wanted to establish an academy of monsters.

Shrek Academy's oldest motto was "To breed only monsters, not ordinary people.", the word 'monster' referring to geniuses.

Even the person who'd founded the Douluo Continent's number one Tang Sect had graduated from Shrek Academy, and it was also that student who brought about the first glorious moment for Shrek Academy. At that time, Shrek Academy had only had their founding students, who were referred to as the Shrek's Seven Monsters within the Shrek Academy's history.

Shrek Academy held a position of power within the continent, the root of the cause of it being the continental war that had occurred during the collision of the Douluo Continent and the Sun Moon Continent four thousand years ago.

When the war had only just started, the three empires of the Douluo Continent had been divided in their opinions, causing the Douluo Continent to be at a disadvantageous position during the start of the war, so much so that the army of the Sun Moon Continent had been able to make their way to the inner parts of the Douluo Continent.

At this crucial moment, Shrek Academy's dean from that year decided to step in. They swiftly destroyed the Sun Moon Empire's army, obtaining the final victory in the war, and unifying the continents into the Douluo Continent. The Sun Moon Empire was only spared by giving up its lands, and by paying war reparations. However, their military strength had been weakened by an extremely large amount, it led to them being unable to contend with the three combined armies of the Douluo Continent anymore. Its military strength was equivalent to that of a single empire, at most.

The war had inevitably caused the reputation of Shrek's Academy to soar.

From then on, Shrek Academy no longer belonged to any single country; it had become a standalone existence.

Tang Ya giggled, "No, silly. That's just the eastern city gate. But after entering it, you'll see the true visage of the academy and that's where we'll be spending the next few years," Tang Ya replied with a grin. "Get ready for some intense training and fierce competition. Especially you, since you don't meet the qualifications to enter."

Shrek Academy's outer courtyard has two requirements: One, you cannot be older than twenty, and two, your soulforce cannot be lower than the fifteenth rank. Huo Yuhao could only qualify for his age.

But he wasn't disheartened. Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and nodded. He knew that Shrek Academy was renowned for producing some of the strongest soul masters in the world, and he was determined to prove himself among them.

As they walked through the gate, which was filled with some seniors from the outer courtyard who were all busily registering new students, though some came and greeted Bei Bei of the trio, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation. This was a new beginning for him, a chance to start afresh and leave behind the darkness and pain of his past.

Little did he know, the journey ahead would be filled with even greater challenges and unexpected twists.

....

Wanna read ahead and support my work? You already what to do...😉😉

patreon.com/FroztDouluo

And put in those power stones! Review, comment and share!

❄️Shout-outs to the great Cultivators of my patreon, may you all reach the peak of the heavens!

•Vora

❄️Shout out for the Ones Above All of my patreon, the goats. The gods! The ones who reign unmatched in the heavens!

•Varanys

•Dwhateverprof