Rules and Conflict

After a few days of rest and eating his fill, Huo Yuhao had nearly recovered. He had the Green Aura to thank for that; it had been constantly repairing his body. The speed amazed Tang Ya and Bei Bei, but they didn't ask any questions. Which of the three of them didn't have secrets? Respecting others meant respecting yourself.

After learning the basic applications of the Tang Sect Secret Techniques, Huo Yuhao was left to practice on his own. In the end, martial arts depended on one's own efforts. Huo Yuhao was very grateful for this. After all, the scions of great clans might not need them, since they had their own family techniques. Huo Yuhao had nothing now, and the Mysterious Heaven Skill and Purple Demon Eye perfectly solved his current cultivation problems.

There was no need to explain what the Purple Demon Eye meant to Huo Yuhao, whose Martial Soul was the Spirit Eye. The Mysterious Heaven Skill's benefits—improving his aptitude and accelerating his cultivation—had also solved his pressing problem. What use was powerful spiritual power? His spiritual power could now rival that of a weaker Six-Ring Soul Emperor. With Electrolux or Tian Meng in control, he could put up a fight, but Huo Yuhao himself couldn't. His Soul Power and spiritual power were severely out of balance, so raising his Soul Power was the most urgent priority.

That was why he had been so excited to learn that spiritual power could stimulate the growth of Soul Power. Huo Yuhao silently tucked his gratitude away, intending to repay them someday.

When they were half a day's journey from Shrek City, Bei Bei began explaining the examination rules to Huo Yuhao. The examination would take place in half a month.

"Yuhao, the other rules aren't important. There's one major problem standing in your way: Shrek Academy has never accepted a student below level fifteen. No one wants to make an exception and earn themselves a bad name. Given the Tang Sect's reputation, this is the lowest requirement they'll accept."

Huo Yuhao had thought he'd lost all hope, but he still had a way. Wasn't it just a matter of risking his life? His gaze firmed as he replied, "I have a way. Senior Brother, please tell me the details of the process."

Bei Bei was taken aback. A glimmer of hope kindled in his heart. Maybe there really was a chance Huo Yuhao could be accepted. He gathered his thoughts and began to explain.

"First, you have to choose your cultivation path. That's the most important decision, because it determines the direction of your growth."

Huo Yuhao stared at Bei Bei in confusion, his gaze innocent. "I don't know. Senior Brother, which path do you think suits me best?"

Bei Bei sighed inwardly. The monopolization of knowledge made it even harder for commoners to succeed. The only path that offered them a slightly better chance was entering Shrek Academy, and even that had an extremely high bar.

Putting his stray thoughts aside, Bei Bei considered the matter seriously and offered his advice. "Based on your Martial Soul and Soul Skills, there are two possible paths: Control System or Support System."

"Control System has better prospects and plenty of potential, but the competition is fierce, and your opponents will have powerful abilities and backgrounds."

"Support is different. Apart from the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, there are hardly any major powers with Support System Soul Masters. The competition and difficulty are both much lower, and most powerful Martial Souls aren't suited to support."

"To sum up the state of the Support System: you can fight without a support, but if your opponent has one, you're in for a rough time. So when you fight, you have to take out the support first."

"What I mean is, get into Shrek first. You can worry about the rest later."

"Senior Brother, I trust your judgment."

"Once you've chosen your path, you'll know how difficult the examination will be. They say it has three stages, but really there's only one. The first, an age and Soul Power test, is just a formality. The second is the Ideological and Political Examination, to make sure you don't have any antisocial tendencies. The third is a fight."

At this point, Huo Yuhao had a question. "Is the Ideological and Political Examination useful? Couldn't you just put on an act and pass?"

"Hahaha, Junior Brother, you're still too young. They weed out plenty of spoiled brats at that stage every year."

It was only natural that Huo Yuhao didn't understand this behavior. It was like someone asking, "Why don't the poor eat meat?" The differences in their upbringings inevitably led to different moral standards.

Huo Yuhao had no time to think it over. Bei Bei didn't seem interested in discussing it further and moved on to the third stage. To prevent cheating as much as possible, it was divided into Team Battle, Individual Battle, and a special ability test to catch anything the other parts missed. Most Support System Soul Masters needed their special abilities checked, since most weren't suited to fighting. That part of the examination was where they could earn their place.

"Junior Brother, your special ability will definitely pass, but you need a decent score in the first two stages. You'll be very useful in the Team Battle, but the teachers scoring it might not recognize your contribution and give you high marks. They'll probably give you an average score, at best."

"The test is scored out of a hundred: forty for the Team Battle, thirty for the Individual Battle, and thirty for special abilities."

"Let's estimate. You'll get about twenty for the Team Battle, and a conservative twenty-five for special abilities. To be safe, you'll need at least fifteen in the Individual Battle—that is, half the available points."

Everyone frowned at this. They were asking a Spirit System Soul Master, who was extremely weak early on, to fight a Power Attack System Battle Soul Master in the ring? A one-ring fighter against a two-ring fighter? That was asking a lot.

There was no room at all for special Soul Masters from the lower classes. Then again, the teachers and students were all part of an entrenched web of connections.

If they gave Huo Yuhao a high score, what would happen to the children of their families? Ability varied from person to person, after all. As for reporting corruption, that was a joke. They didn't even need to coordinate in secret. The moment someone showed their Martial Soul and gave their surname, people would show them some consideration.

Special abilities belonged to a different system, so they didn't need to worry too much about that. There was nothing Huo Yuhao could do about the Team Battle, where the teachers' scores couldn't be guaranteed. His only chance to turn things around was the Individual Battle. Based on their estimate, he needed at least one win and one draw to pass. There would be three matches, decided by drawing lots. A win was worth ten points, and each side got five for a draw.

The other parts were too subjective and unpredictable. One-on-one matches were concrete. He needed to win them all to be safe.

But that was impossible. His Soul Power wouldn't support more than three matches. By that estimate, his chances were slim, but they all tacitly avoided saying so.

For the rest of the journey, Huo Yuhao kept practicing the Mysterious Heaven Skill and the Tang Sect Secret Techniques, hoping to improve his strength over the next half month.

Huo Yuhao knew he could easily take first place if he used all his power. But he couldn't explain how he had done it. Just the Silkworm Slough could kill plenty of people. He had never fought anyone his own age, and he couldn't guarantee his safety if he fought Bei Bei or Tang Ya. All he could do was try to work out a solution in his head. He had plenty of experience killing with a single strike to the throat, but he couldn't kill anyone or use weapons in the competition.

At this point, he could only leave it to fate. There was no use worrying.

As they talked, they gradually reached Shrek City. They emerged from the Star Dou Great Forest and faced the magnificent city. As far as the eye could see, there were carriages and vendors, a sign of the bustling admissions season.

After Bei Bei explained the situation, a Shrek student let them in. Only examinees and some of their family members were allowed inside for now. The student looked a little surprised that Huo Yuhao was entering as a Tang Sect recommendation.

As soon as Tang Ya returned to the city, she perked up. She took Huo Yuhao this way and that, showing the new member around Shrek Academy and doing her best to act like a Sect Master.

At last, she brought Huo Yuhao to a peaceful, elegant dormitory building surrounded by trees. "This building is set aside specifically for out-of-town examinees. It's very safe. Bei Bei and I have to go report in. We'll come find you when we get back. Take care of yourself."

Huo Yuhao nodded and went into the dormitory building, where he found his room. It was a single. After learning hard lessons from past tragedies, the academy now gave every student a room of their own. There had been plenty of bloody incidents caused by conflicts between roommates, so they had lowered the dormitory standards and switched to single occupancy. It was also very helpful for Huo Yuhao to keep his secrets hidden. After all, anyone who often talked to himself was bound to make people think he was crazy.

Huo Yuhao didn't have any luggage to unpack, so he moved right in and began the most important task: cultivation.

"You're really going to do it again? It'll damage your body too much," Wang Yi tried to stop him. "There's no need to rush. With our aptitude, we don't have to push ourselves this hard. Even if a Soul Master's aptitude is poor, it doesn't mean they'll never find a school. Why hang everything on one tree?"

"My mother said I'd definitely get into Shrek someday."

Those words left Wang Yi speechless. All right, then. He'd give it his all alongside Huo Yuhao. After making up his mind, Wang Yi said, "In that case, don't cultivate yet. Go outside and get the supplies you need. Have you forgotten how miserable you were last time?"

Huo Yuhao had been ready to face death, but he came back to his senses and realized he had forgotten to prepare. Embarrassed, he hurried out to buy supplies.

After spending his last savings, Huo Yuhao returned from the market with bags piled in his arms. On the way, he steeled himself. Putting certain things off even once could make them much harder to do, especially when failing to do them could seriously hinder the rest of your life.

Just as Huo Yuhao was weaving quickly through the crowded streets like a fish, a huge wall of people suddenly blocked his way. The noisy crowd seemed to have gathered in unison to watch the spectacle. Huo Yuhao hadn't finished growing yet, so he couldn't see over them. Even with the Spirit Eye, he couldn't see through a wall of people.

The constant cheers made Huo Yuhao curious. He quietly summoned his Martial Soul and used a Soul Skill. His vision opened up at once, passing through the crowd and taking shape in his mind as a three-dimensional image.

He saw two boys his age fighting. Two boys with yellow Soul Rings each—you could only see something like that during Shrek's admissions season. The odds of it happening elsewhere were too low. The onlookers' chatter gradually helped him piece together what had happened.

It turned out that someone from the Dou Ling Empire and someone from the Heaven Dou Empire had gotten into a fight. Even though the two had split apart, their noble families didn't have much reason to hate each other. After all, who didn't have relatives on both sides after all these years? What was the point of fighting? But the boy from the Heaven Dou Empire came from a newly risen noble family, which meant military exploits and dead men. The person who had died was the other boy's relative, from the Dou Ling Empire. The old nobility of the Heaven Dou Empire had gained plenty from it, so they naturally had nothing to say. Business was business, and family was family.

The hatred had been passed down from the previous generation to this one. When the enemies met, their eyes blazed with fury, and they started fighting. The family crests on their carriages gave away their identities.

The farce ended when the Shrek Enforcement Team arrived, but Huo Yuhao kept thinking. Both boys had powerful Martial Souls and physiques. If he gave it his all, he could defeat one with Soul Shock and Berserk, but he wouldn't have anything left for a second match. He would have to use one of those abilities per match to defeat an opponent. That would put his control to the test.

Wang Yi popped out with a newspaper in hand and asked, "What do you think after watching that?"

"Their Martial Souls and physiques are far better than mine. Without the boost Brother Sky Dream gave me, I'd have no chance of beating them. If that's the average standard, I'll have a hard time."

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. If it comes down to it, I'll wake Tian Meng and have him help you. If he can't, I'll ask Electrolux. Just do your best. You don't have to carry too much on your shoulders. We've got you covered."

"Before we go back to the dorm, help me with something."

"Where are we going?"

"To the Library."

In the end, Huo Yuhao used Spiritual Detection and Sharing and Photographic Memory to memorize everything in the books. He was so exhausted that his nose started bleeding again. It was a huge undertaking. The knowledge in thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands, of books nearly overwhelmed him. Tian Meng had to step in again to stabilize things. He immediately started cursing, saying that this had made the First Seal unstable.

Wang Yi shot back, "How am I supposed to manage without reading? Rely on you, Electrolux, or Huo Yuhao, who doesn't even have enough time to cultivate?"

"If I don't find a way to understand the world's power structure and how ordinary people live, how am I supposed to make money? Is the money just going to fall from the sky?"

"Who's going to tell you about cultivation resources and paths to advancement? Those powerful families and clans? Instead of waiting for some kind soul to take pity on you, you should prepare for yourself. Fairy tales are just fairy tales. Huo Yuhao is never going to become someone else's subordinate."

"The most immediate problem is, haven't you noticed Huo Yuhao's appetite has grown? That means he needs to eat high-energy food. Where's the money for that supposed to come from? I bet you can't even do arithmetic."

"And how are you going to explain Spiritual Detection and Sharing and Soul Shock? Do you really think everyone else is an idiot?"

Tian Meng was speechless for a moment. These weren't the sorts of problems a worm like him could think of.

"I'm done arguing with you. I need to get back to reading and think this through. You should also get ready to escape if Shrek tries anything. Don't assume any major power has firm principles. Even organizations with good people and ideals are made up of individuals. If they make a move in secret, you won't have anywhere to seek justice." As he spoke, he pulled a book from his memories and began to read. There was a huge difference between memorizing something and understanding it. After all, if a math textbook explained the principles, why couldn't you solve the problems?

Huo Yuhao was so groggy that he didn't hear the two of them arguing. He reached the dormitory, climbed into bed, and fell asleep. Tian Meng went to sleep too, leaving Wang Yi alone to read A History of Soul Tools in the Sun Moon Empire.

In that book, he saw enormous dangers and opportunities. This was the best era for Huo Yuhao.

When Huo Yuhao woke up, he began adjusting his condition. He had been planning to force a breakthrough, and his rhythm had only been slightly disrupted. He locked the door, ate his fill, and put his rations within easy reach. Then he began using his spiritual power to strike at his body. The intense pain made him curl up like a shrimp in a pan. His whole body flushed red, and sweat poured off him.

His hands clutched the sheets, his muscles taut, but he refused—and couldn't—let out a scream. Only low, breathy sounds escaped him. Exhaustion and searing pain clashed violently within his soul. At the end, a feeling of despair, as if his soul were ascending, filled his mind. His will and reason seemed to scatter like sand and settle into a vast desert.

Yet one place still held firm, even now. An oasis stood steadfast amid the yellow sands.

At last, rain fell from the heavens, and the oasis began its counterattack. Before long, the world was green with grass, and flowers filled the air with fragrance.

Why had it taken longer this time than the first? Because the unbreakable seal had already been on the verge of collapse, and Tian Meng had simply opened it to increase their fighting strength. Huo Yuhao could absorb only a portion of such enormous spiritual power. Reluctantly, Tian Meng gave the rest to the other two. Wang Yi absorbed only a small portion before he was full, so the rest had to go to Electrolux. Just then, the Green Aura surged in and swallowed it all like a whale drinking up water. Before Tian Meng could react, it split off into four portions, one large and three small. The largest went to Electrolux, and the smaller ones went to Huo Yuhao, Tian Meng, and Wang Yi. The portion given to Huo Yuhao traveled through his body first, putting out the fire there, before going on to help his spirit.

"Hmm, this power is of high quality. It's helped me recover, and it's given me enough strength to strike once. If trouble arises, I can step in." Electrolux sounded surprised.

Huo Yuhao still didn't hear the voices in his Sea of Spirit and once again fell into a deep sleep. There would be plenty more of these episodes in his foreseeable future.

By noon the next day, Huo Yuhao opened his eyes with great difficulty. He was feeling awful. It was as if something had glued his eyes shut, and they hurt when he opened them. A pool of blood lay before him. The blood had trickled across the floor in branching patterns, like the veins of a growing tree. When he tried to move, he felt an overwhelming hunger and weakness.

He could feel something on his face and in his nose. Struggling to gather a little strength, he raised a hand and wiped his face. It was all dried blood, but that was all right; he was used to it by now. Only then did he examine his body. He was completely covered in blood, a shocking sight.

Aside from feeling weak and hungry, though, circulating the Mysterious Heaven Skill felt strangely easy. His Soul Power flowed with an incredible ease unlike anything he'd ever experienced. But he had no time to savor it. He had to eat, and fast. His stomach was so empty it couldn't even rumble to remind him to eat.

As soon as the rations reached his mouth, he tasted blood. In the end, his hunger overcame his disgust, and he managed to swallow them. Huo Yuhao hurried to find clean water and rinse out his nose. A clot of blood finally came out, and he could breathe freely again. Only then did he eat his fill.

Huo Yuhao thought he had to wash up, but how could he go outside looking like this? Unable to think of a solution, he began checking what he had gained.

One thing was clear: his suffering hadn't been in vain. His Soul Power had reached level fifteen. Some of the resistance had lessened, and his body had changed dramatically too. Most exciting of all, his meridians were no longer as narrow and blocked as before. They certainly weren't as good as Bei Bei's, but for Huo Yuhao, this was enormous progress. His cultivation speed wouldn't be as slow as before. The increase in Soul Power was a minor benefit; the improvement in his potential was what mattered most.

What exactly had happened? He decided to ask Tian Meng and the others. He shouted into his Sea of Spirit, but no one answered.

After a while, Wang Yi finally responded. "What is it? I was asleep just now. I'm completely exhausted." Huo Yuhao then asked him what had happened. "Ah, right, yeah. Tian Meng's spiritual power—or rather, his life force—was just too nourishing, so he fell asleep. Tian Meng was exhausted too, so he went to sleep as well."

"Oh, and since Electrolux absorbed the biggest portion, he can step in once. You don't have to worry about being left without backup these next few days. I still need to make time to read."

Huo Yuhao wanted to ask more about what had happened, but just then, the door opened.