It was another early morning. As usual, Huo Yuhao practiced the Purple Demon Eye. After keeping up the habit for so many days, it had become ingrained in him, and it seemed to greatly benefit his Martial Soul. The most obvious result was that the world looked clearer and clearer. Huo Yuhao didn't think any further about it, though. This cultivation method, combined with his Martial Soul, had already brought him to the threshold of the Body Sect's cultivation methods for Body Martial Souls. But Huo Yuhao's limited knowledge kept him from realizing that Martial Souls could evolve. Even without accepting the Body Sect's systematic training, his Spirit Eye would eventually ascend at some opportune moment, fundamentally improving his poor aptitude.
After he finished cultivating, Huo Yuhao felt the consequences of failing to take proper care of his body. The injuries he had suffered when he first enrolled had mostly healed, and the pain had eased considerably, but this training had made his body ache all over again. Before, Wang Yi had used a method similar to blocking out the pain to lessen his suffering. This time, he didn't do that, so Huo Yuhao had to endure all of it.
When Huo Yuhao challenged him, the answer he got was, "You have to bear the consequences of your own actions. If you insist on pushing yourself, you have to pay the price. Why should I support something that only gives you a sense of satisfaction?"
"Do you know how exhausting this is? Now I understand why Tian Meng always likes to sleep. It really is comfortable. Don't bother me unless you have to. Repairing your Sea of Spirit is already enough of a headache."
That answer made Huo Yuhao feel a little embarrassed. It did seem to be his own fault. It took him a moment to realize that Wang Yi had just made up an excuse because he was too lazy to help. Little Yuhao still had a lot to learn. If he set his standards too high, he'd only be the one who suffered.
So Huo Yuhao went to school, enduring the pain all over his body. It was a real trial by fire. Now he was making up for all the hardships he had avoided before. Every movement felt as if his body were about to tear apart, especially the first few. It was easy to see that there would be plenty more exercise like this in the future. All he could do was get used to this life. Only after they made it through this period would Shrek truly accept them as new students.
That was reflected directly in their first-year final exams. The difficulty didn't matter; the academy ultimately judged them by their rankings. No matter how poorly you did, as long as you were above average, you would be fine. The most difficult part of this exam was its elimination rate.
Half of the students who were eliminated fell at this first hurdle. That showed just how high the elimination rate was: the same number of students were eliminated in half a year as in five and a half years. If you couldn't adapt to life at Shrek Academy, you would absolutely be kicked out. No one could afford to think too highly of themselves here. Every student was among the most outstanding on the continent. Even if the gap between them was as wide as a chasm, it was still a gap among the very best.
Here, all you could do was work hard, work hard, and work even harder. Only by giving it everything you had could an ordinary person avoid being eliminated. Some people might seem to find studying and daily life easy, whether because they were incredibly talented or secretly working hard. They weren't your goal. You had only one goal: to reach your limits. There was no need to think about anything else. Someone would take care of it.
As Huo Yuhao kept pushing himself, he discovered that once he got moving, the pain that came with exercising eased considerably. He found it hard to believe, almost thinking he had imagined it or that lazy bum Wang Yi had helped him. But neither was true. Exercise really did reduce the pain. That counterintuitive fact was something Huo Yuhao learned firsthand.
He had learned something new, and his pain had eased. What could make for a better morning? In high spirits, Huo Yuhao bounced his way to class and began his journey of absorbing knowledge. He was going to roam the ocean of learning.
Whether he drowned in it was Huo Yuhao's problem. Watching him go, Wang Yi thought to himself. Huo Yuhao clearly hadn't noticed that something was missing from his Sea of Spirit. He couldn't enter and leave it freely yet, which was why Wang Yi and Tian Meng could come out without him noticing. And why had they left their comfort zone to come out here? Naturally, it was to clean up after this kid, Huo Yuhao.
He'd felt great after beating Dai Huabin, but he had no idea how to deal with the aftermath. Even children who did something bad knew to get rid of all the evidence related to their crime. Huo Yuhao, on the other hand, was so carefree that he simply refused to think about it.
Actually, that was fine. Looking ahead like this helped him stay in a good mood. Let us handle the bad people and bad things. A life full of bitterness and resentment could easily lead to depression. And now there was also Electrolux, a mysterious person who was making things worse and giving Huo Yuhao's negative emotions a chance to erupt. They could tell him about all this mess once he was an adult—or after he fell in love.
"I'm asking one more time, Tian Meng. Are you sure nobody can see us?" Wang Yi asked again. Tian Meng's usual behavior made him reluctant to trust him completely.
The insect-like Tian Meng said impatiently, "Stop dragging your feet. If you have a plan, hurry up and tell me. Let's get this over with and go back to sleeping inside Yuhao. What if something happens to little Yuhao?"
"We're here to deal with the root cause of whatever might happen to Huo Yuhao. And even if we can't get there in time, we have Electrolux. You can't even beat him, so stop worrying."
The two of them bickered as they left the dormitory. Once they reached the road, they weren't quite sure what to do. It wasn't a thoroughfare for vehicles, but a tree-lined path meant for students on foot. The scenery really was lovely. Maintaining it must have cost a fortune every year. They certainly had money to burn.
But Shrek Academy was so large. Where were they supposed to find the White Tiger Family's gathering place?
"Tian Meng, you're more familiar with this form. Go ask for directions. Ask where the Evil Eye White Tiger Family's office in Shrek is."
"Get lost. You want a Spirit Beast like me to ask for directions? Do you have no conscience? I don't even know how human society works. How am I supposed to ask for directions?"
Just as they were about to start arguing again, an old man who had been watching the dormitory spoke up. Wang Yi had assumed he was just an ordinary dorm supervisor.
"I know a little. The Evil Eye White Tiger Family should be at 32 Jingxi Street. That's their meeting place. It probably hasn't changed."
"And students aren't allowed to wander around during class. Don't make any noise."
Wang Yi got the location he wanted and happily pulled—or, rather, dragged—the stiff Tian Meng away. He didn't forget to thank the old man before they left. So polite, Wang Yi thought.
Only after they had gone some distance did Wang Yi realize that his body felt weak. Since he was a soul, he couldn't just have weak legs; his whole body had to be affected.
"What on earth was that old man?" Tian Meng, who had nearly been scared to death, finally recovered enough to ask.
"How should I know? What did you tell me? That nobody could see us. When it mattered, you were useless, and I had to drag you out myself."
"How was I supposed to know there'd be someone that terrifying here, working as a dorm supervisor, no less? No, we should get back inside Yuhao right away. It's too dangerous here."
"He already told us not to make any noise. That means he's letting us take a look and investigate."
"We've already come out. We have to go and see."
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