"Lexuan, Nannan, you two really pulled off something big here!" Xian Lin'er and Cai Mei'er arrived together, both having been alerted by the aura of the Goddess of the Moon, prompting them to come and check.
"Elder Xian, Elder Cai!" Zhang Lexuan immediately greeted them respectfully upon seeing them.
"It's a pity," Cai Mei'er said with slight regret on her face, "that the age gap between Lexuan and Nannan is so large. Otherwise, if you two entered the Soul Master Tournament together, you'd definitely astonish all the soul masters on the continent."
"Mei'er, that's rather short-sighted of you," Xian Lin'er refuted calmly. "Whether or not they participate in the tournament is secondary. The most important thing is that Lexuan and Nannan's Martial Soul Fusion Skill can become the academy's new trump card. Both of their talents are destined to reach Title Douluo, perhaps even Super Douluo. By then, their fusion skill will become one of the academy's deadliest aces."
"That's true," Cai Mei'er nodded with a smile tinged with expectation and helplessness. "But it will still take them at least a dozen years to reach Title Douluo."
Zhu Ziyang and the others listened to their praise for Zhang Lexuan and Jiang Nannan and could only agree. After all, as the first to directly face their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, they knew its power best.
Due to Jiang Nannan's soul power being exhausted, training ended early that day. After escorting her back to her room, Zhu Ziyang returned to his own.
He sat by the window, carefully reading a thin book in his hand.
Its title was The Ten Rarest Martial Souls on Douluo Continent, written five thousand years ago, listing the ten martial souls with the fewest recorded awakenings. Although the title sounded flashy, its content was highly valuable – the author had been the dean of Shrek Academy at that time.
Why was Zhu Ziyang suddenly reading this book? Because it recorded the most detailed information about the Bright Goddess Butterfly.
"...Ranked third among the continent's rarest martial souls – the Bright Goddess Butterfly.
The Bright Goddess Butterfly is a beast martial soul with a light attribute, a top-tier martial soul.
It is known as the most beautiful butterfly soul beast on the continent, one of the most beautiful soul beasts in existence. Due to its extreme beauty, it only awakens in female soul masters, and even then, its awakening rate is less than 10%.
This martial soul is non-hereditary and cannot be passed through bloodlines, making it exceedingly rare. In all of recorded history, only three Bright Goddess Butterfly soul masters have appeared – one was an empress of the Heaven Dou Empire, another the wife of a Pope in Spirit Hall, and the third an unknown noble lady. All three were unrivaled beauties of their eras.
Legend says the Bright Goddess Butterfly was the pet of the Goddess of Light herself, possessing powerful light attributes and said to be able to fight true dragons without falling behind..."
"As expected, I didn't remember wrong," Zhu Ziyang sighed softly, a playful smile curling on his lips. He could now be almost certain that Wang Dong was actually a girl. Perhaps her real name was Wang Dong'er… or Tang Dong'er.
In the Undead Demi-plane.
Zhu Ziyang stood facing Electrolux, holding the Repose of the World Reaper Scythe. His eyes were slightly narrowed, lips moving as if chanting incantations. Electrolux watched with eager anticipation.
The scythe traced a circle in the air as his chanting grew louder. Obscure, cryptic syllables transformed into streams of energy symbols, weaving an array along the circle formed by the scythe. Grey-white currents gathered at its spear tip, spiraling outward until they filled the entire circle.
When Zhu Ziyang finished, his eyes flashed with determination. He thrust the scythe down into the ground. Slowly, a dark, deathly gate rose before them, from which a skeletal hand reached out.
Moments later, under their expectant gazes, a two-meter-tall white skeleton emerged, wielding a bone blade and bone shield. Its skull burned with a bright soul flame, while its chest held a crystal pulsing like a heart. This was an undead creature – a Skeleton Warrior.
"Master!" The Skeleton Warrior knelt respectfully, speaking in flawless Douluo Continent language.
"Excellent!" Zhu Ziyang exclaimed excitedly. Looking at Electrolux, he said, "Teacher, I did it!"
"Indeed, you succeeded!" Electrolux was equally thrilled. "This means you've mastered it. I'm proud of you! This Skeleton Warrior's power is at the five-ring level. To summon one so smoothly on your first try – as expected of my personal disciple! Hahaha!"
But just as they were celebrating, a sudden change occurred.
The sky of the undead demi-plane split open, revealing a mysterious, dim void. From it, a purple lightning bolt fell, carrying unstoppable heavenly might, striking the Skeleton Warrior directly.
In an instant, the five-ring undead creature was utterly annihilated – not even ashes remained.
"This..." Zhu Ziyang was struck with terror. He could feel the judgment force within the lightning, as if warning him. He looked helplessly at Electrolux.
Electrolux, equally shaken by the thunder's intrusion, fell silent for a moment before letting out a bitter sigh. "Ah, Ziyang… it was my oversight. I forgot about the restrictions of the world's rules. It seems Necromancy Summoning cannot be used on Douluo Continent. That Purple Heaven Divine Thunder was a warning."
"Ah?" Zhu Ziyang's mouth fell open in shock and lingering fear. "Teacher, you mean… Douluo's rules don't allow undead creatures to exist here? Then how come I could summon undead from the demi-plane?"
"You misunderstand," Electrolux explained. "The world's rules forbid Douluo Continent's own underworld creatures from appearing in the mortal realm. But the undead of the demi-plane come from my world, not bound by Douluo's laws. However, it's clear now you cannot use Necromancy Summoning here anymore."
"I see…" Zhu Ziyang felt a wave of disappointment wash over him. After spending so long mastering Necromancy, to find it unusable here was truly disheartening.
"Don't be too upset," Electrolux comforted him. "Necromancy was always just a bonus for you. Its absence won't hinder your strength. Besides, you still have all the other undead magic I've taught you."
"Yes, Teacher. I understand." Zhu Ziyang managed a smile, though his mind turned back to the thunder just now. "Teacher… that lightning, what was it?"
"Purple Heaven Divine Thunder," Electrolux said reverently. "The strongest thunder in existence, formed by pure Dao origin and Heaven-Earth righteous force. It's said to be the enforcer of world punishments, descending only when world rules are violated."
"Like what just happened to us?" Zhu Ziyang smacked his lips, his mouth dry with fear.
"Yes." Electrolux nodded solemnly. "It's said a single strike can easily kill a ninth-rank powerhouse – your Title Douluo level. So we'd better behave and avoid using Necromancy Summoning again."
"I understand, Teacher!" Zhu Ziyang nodded repeatedly, deeply shaken. Even without Electrolux's warning, he would never risk angering the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder again. He hadn't lived enough to die so soon. At least… not until he became a god.
Surely, as a god, he could withstand such thunder… right? He thought of that mysterious Divine Voice again. It had already been three or four months since it first appeared, yet even now, his heart stirred wildly whenever he recalled it.