Three Months, Level Twenty, Soul Ring Requirements

"It was mainly about getting along, and the fact that the top three in the Freshman Assessment seemed to receive rewards. In case we won something, there was the question of how to divide it."

"As for getting along, I don't want to be ordered around. I need to be treated with respect. If we can't get along, I'll choose to leave. I need to make that clear in advance," Shiyu said.

He knew Dai Huabin had the temperament of a pampered young master and could be rather domineering. Being his teammate would inevitably bring pressure, and Shiyu had no intention of taking abuse like some underling.

"No problem." Dai Huabin gave it some thought before agreeing.

"Then there's the matter of rewards. I want to use the simplest method of distribution—splitting everything equally among the three of us."

"If something can't be divided evenly into three portions, then compensation should be made with other items, as fairly as possible," Shiyu added.

"No problem." Dai Huabin nodded without hesitation.

"Then, happy cooperation?" Shiyu had no further concerns.

"Happy cooperation." After saying that, Dai Huabin lay down and closed his eyes to sleep.

Shiyu lay down as well.

"With Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu, getting a good result in the Freshman Assessment should be pretty much guaranteed."

"Not only would I no longer have to worry about failing the assessment, but we might even receive assessment rewards."

"First place gets a Soul Bone. The rewards for second and third place probably won't be bad either. Those things would be worth a lot of money if sold. Even without making money from Soul Tools, I might be able to make a fortune."

Shiyu silently calculated. One reason he had agreed to work with Dai Huabin was for the assessment rewards.

It really was hard to find teammates stronger than Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu in the class.

Not only were they individually strong, but they also possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. They were ideal candidates.

Of course, that was only if they could get along well. If things became unpleasant, he might have to find different teammates.

But that was a matter for later. He would see how things went first.

The afternoon was packed with classes as well, and he did not have any personal time until evening.

That night, Shiyu went to the Academic Affairs Office and signed up for a basic Soul Tool elective.

Elective classes were generally held at night, avoiding the regular classes in the morning and afternoon.

The following evening, Shiyu attended that elective class. After sitting through it, he felt it was quite good.

He gained a basic understanding of Soul Tools, which only made him increasingly interested in them.

"If only I could build a Mecha. That would be so cool." Even when Shiyu went to bed at night, he could not help imagining himself piloting a Mecha.

Few boys could resist piloting a Mecha, right? That was a man's unique kind of romance.

Study, work, study, then spend time cultivating Soul Power after returning at night.

Shiyu was busy every day. Seventeen out of twenty-four hours were occupied, leaving only six hours of sleep at night and one hour of rest at noon.

Such busy days gave Shiyu plenty to complain about, and he kept saying he was going to slack off.

But his body was honest. He kept at it and never truly gave up and slacked off.

Before he knew it, nearly three months had passed. Shiyu did not even know how he had made it through.

It felt as if nearly three months had passed in the blink of an eye, without him even noticing.

There was only one week left until the Freshman Assessment, and Shiyu's Soul Power broke through that night, reaching the bottleneck of Level 20.

The energy fluctuations in the dormitory were obvious. Dai Huabin was awakened by the disturbance from Shiyu's side, and a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes.

In less than three months, this person had gone from Level 16 to Level 20, gaining four levels of Soul Power. What a fast cultivation speed.

Even he had never managed to increase his Soul Power by four levels in three months.

Generally speaking, gaining one level of Soul Power in two months was already considered genius-level cultivation speed.

The increase of four levels in three months left him somewhat silent. It would have been impossible to say he was not envious.

Shiyu opened his eyes in delight. He had finally broken through.

His cultivation had gone smoothly during this period. He had easily broken through the bottlenecks at Levels 17, 18, and 19 without any obstruction.

But when he reached the Level 20 bottleneck, breaking through became extremely difficult. After reaching that critical point, it had taken nearly a week before he could break through.

That had made him rather anxious. Fortunately, he suddenly found inspiration that night. He tried to charge forward with all his strength and finally succeeded in breaking through the bottleneck to reach Level 20.

"Congratulations," Dai Huabin said, his tone slightly sour.

Shiyu smiled and nodded. He had interacted with Dai Huabin quite a bit during this time. After forming their team, they also practiced their coordination every week. The more they spent time together, the more familiar their relationship became.

There had been no unpleasantness in getting along with Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu, so they remained a three-person team.

A week later, they would participate in the Freshman Assessment together.

"Now that you've broken through, you should hurry and request leave to obtain your Soul Ring. Once you become a Soul Grandmaster, our team's strength will improve as well, and we'll have a better chance of achieving good results in the Freshman Assessment," Dai Huabin suggested.

After witnessing Shiyu's Space abilities during this period, he attached even greater importance to him and had developed the intention of recruiting him.

Unfortunately, Shiyu was somewhat proud and unwilling to become his retainer. Even when Dai Huabin offered excellent terms, Shiyu still refused.

Since he could not recruit him, he could only try to be friends with him. That counted as recruitment in a way, didn't it?

"I'll submit the application tomorrow." Shiyu naturally wanted to obtain his Soul Ring as soon as possible.

"After obtaining this Soul Ring, I wonder if I'll transmigrate again." Lying on his bed, Shiyu could not help thinking about this question.

This attempt to obtain a Soul Ring would also allow him to verify many of his guesses.

After dawn, Shiyu went to ask his homeroom teacher, Shao Wentao, for leave.

Although their Class Monitor was Dai Huabin, who was also his roommate, it was still better to personally speak to the homeroom teacher when requesting leave.

"Your Soul Power increased by four ranks in just three months?" In the office, Shao Wentao was greatly surprised after learning of Shiyu's situation.

He had paid some attention to Shiyu, but not too much, so he had not constantly kept track of the changes in his Soul Power.

Only now did he learn that Shiyu had already broken through to Rank 20.

There were other teachers in the office as well, and they were all drawn in, turning their attention to Shiyu.

"Have you taken any Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures or medicinal pills?" Class Four's homeroom teacher could not help asking.

Shiyu shook his head. "I don't have the money to buy Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures or pills."

The teachers exchanged glances, even more astonished. To gain so much Soul Power without taking any medicine was a little outrageous.

"I'll approve your leave, but how do you plan to obtain your Soul Ring?" Shao Wentao asked with a smile.

Naturally, he was happy to see his student increase his strength before the assessment arrived.

This would further improve the overall strength of Shiyu's team with Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu, giving them a better chance of achieving good results.

"I'll go to the Soul Hunting Department and buy on credit, then ask a teacher to help me obtain a Soul Ring," Shiyu said somewhat awkwardly.

There was no other way. The money he had earned working in the cafeteria during this period was less than one Gold Soul Coin, nowhere near enough to pay for obtaining a Soul Ring.

As for Soul Tools, he felt that he had been learning fairly well, but because he had no money to buy materials, he had no way to try making them. For now, his knowledge remained only theoretical.

For the time being, he could not make money through Soul Tools.

He had no money but wanted to obtain a Soul Ring, so buying on credit was his only option. Though it was embarrassing, there was nothing he could do. Since he was in such dire straits, he would simply repay several times the amount once he had money in the future.

That was what he told himself inwardly, allowing himself to feel a little more at ease.

He was merely taking out a loan. He would definitely repay it later, and even pay interest. He was absolutely not trying to freeload.

This is today's second chapter. New Book Sets Sail—I hope everyone can add it to their collections and send some Recommendation Tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Many thanks.