Chapter 177: The Undead Demiplane, Absorbing the Silver Heavenly Fire!

Star Luo City, Star Emperor Grand Hotel.

Early in the morning, all the members of Shrek Academy were already up. Today would be their second match in the round-robin stage of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament.

The soul tools Wang Yan bought the night before had been distributed to everyone. However, Ling Luochen, deeply influenced by the inner court's Spirit Department, only accepted a fourth-rank milk bottle for replenishing her soul power.

Yet, one person was missing from Shrek Academy's team—Huo Yuhao. Xuan Zi stood to the side, nodding in satisfaction.

"Good, you all look energetic!" Xuan Zi said with a laugh, biting into a chicken leg. "This is what it means to be the pride of Shrek Academy. Only students like you can uphold the honor of our academy! You young ones, go out there and show them the might of Shrek Academy. Let the people of the Star Luo Empire see our strength!"

Hearing Xuan Zi's words, everyone except Wang Yan, Ling Luochen, and Ning Tian looked brimming with confidence.

Because of Wang Yan's deliberate secrecy, they had no idea what kind of opponent they would face today, still thinking that most of the competitors were likely Soul Ancestors or Soul Elders, and that they had no real advantage in front of them.

However, Wang Yan had already watched the matches of other academies. The opponent they would face today had already been confirmed—it was the Qianling Advanced Soul Master Academy from the Douling Empire.

This academy was quite renowned in the Douling Empire, ranking among the top three and having produced many outstanding talents for the empire.

The overall combat strength of this team was on a completely different level compared to Yunluo Academy, which Huo Yuhao had single-handedly defeated in their previous match.

The captain of Qianling Academy was a Soul King with five rings, estimated by Wang Yan to be between rank 53 and 54. The other six members were all Soul Ancestors with four rings or higher, with two members likely exceeding rank 45.

Although Ling Luochen was also a Soul King, and her combat power as an inner-court student of Shrek Academy couldn't be compared to that of Soul Kings from the outside, Qianling Advanced Soul Master Academy's overall strength was still objectively superior to Shrek's—an undeniable fact.

Moreover, Qianling was fielding their entire main lineup, one that had been training together for countless years. Their teamwork and coordination were impeccable.

In contrast, Shrek's seven members had never fought a single match together. It was hard to say what level of strength they could display as a unit.

Although the opposing academy had been confirmed, the specific competition format would only be determined through a drawing on-site. Wang Yan prayed silently in his heart, hoping it wouldn't be another one-on-one elimination match, as that would be the most disadvantageous for Shrek Academy.

In a one-on-one scenario, Shrek's individual strength would be completely overwhelmed by the other side, significantly lowering their chances of victory.

"Ning Tian, where's Yuhao?" Wang Yan asked.

"Yuhao said he wouldn't be needed today. He came back late from the auction last night, so he's planning to sleep the entire day to catch up," Ning Tian said with a smile, covering her lips.

Xuan Zi shot Wang Yan a dissatisfied glance before leaving the Star Emperor Grand Hotel with Ling Luochen and the other Shrek members. Wang Yan sighed and followed along.

Let's hope we win this one...

If someone were to enter Huo Yuhao's room, they would find that, despite his claim of resting, Huo Yuhao was not lying in bed. In fact, he wasn't even in the room.

Undead Demiplane, Heavenly Fire Cavern.

At the center of a crystal, white and shaped like a vertical pupil, a bright silver flame burned fiercely. Standing next to this crystal were Huo Yuhao and Yao Lao, who had now revealed himself. Both were observing the heavenly fire's movements.

"After being blasted by your Fire Lotus last time, the consciousness of this heavenly fire seems not to have reformed. It still only has some primitive instincts," Yao Lao said.

"Given the short time, it's still not in conditions to develop spiritual intelligence," Huo Yuhao chuckled. "Teacher, does this mean we can absorb this heavenly fire now?"

After returning last night, Yao Lao had quickly refined the Earth Spirit Pill. For Yao Lao, who had nurtured his soul body with Spirit Dew, refining a sixth-grade pill was much faster compared to when he refined the Essence Pill in the past.

Afterward, the master and disciple hurried into the Undead Demiplane. Fortunately, the silver strange fire hadn't moved during this time, so they didn't need to spend time searching for it.

"We can, but Yuhao, think this through. The power of this silver heavenly fire is much stronger than your Profound Ice Cold Flame, and it specializes in restraining mental power. If you want to devour and fuse with it, it will be extremely difficult."

"The last time you were able to absorb the heavenly fire so easily was because you received the Ice God's inheritance and were acknowledged by the Profound Ice Cold Flame. It willingly fused with you. But this time, even though the evil consciousness of the silver strange fire was shattered, its primal instincts will still fiercely resist your devouring attempts, which will be a considerable challenge."

"As your teacher, I'll ask you one last time: are you ready?"

Hearing Yao Lao's words, Huo Yuhao smiled and replied, "When the path is smooth, it's mundane; but when it's difficult, you become immortal! Teacher, since I've chosen this path, I will never retreat!"

"Good!"

At this, Yao Lao hesitated no more. He immediately released Bone Spirit Cold Flame, condensing the moisture in the air into layers of ice, trapping the white crystal within.

Huo Yuhao also cooperated by releasing his Profound Ice Cold Flame, creating more ice layers to further seal the white crystal.

Boom!

Sensing the aura of another flame, the silver heavenly fire's devouring instinct was triggered. However, the ice layers created by the two strange fires were extremely durable, making it impossible for the silver heavenly fire to break through in a short time.

The moment it felt the presence of another heavenly fire, the silver flame acted like a glutton catching the scent of a delicious meal—it could no longer contain itself.

The silver fire exploded violently, causing a powerful blast that shattered the ice encasing the white crystal into pieces.

However, the silver heavenly fire also dimmed abruptly, as this forceful explosion took a toll on it.

Still, its desire for the other flame was overwhelming. It shot forward in the form of a massive silver mouth, attempting to devour Huo Yuhao.

Even just staring at the silver strange fire caused waves of pain to surge through Huo Yuhao's mind, his spiritual sea trembling violently, a testament to the fire's immense power.

Yet, he didn't retreat in the slightest. Instead, he stepped forward resolutely into the scorching aura, thrusting his hand into the massive silver mouth.

"Your origin... is right here!"