The class felt much better after kicking out Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu.
Huo Yuhao remained class monitor, and everyone else accepted the arrangement for various reasons.
"Sorry. Since our opponent was connected to Dai Huabin, I couldn't hold back." Huo Yuhao lay on his bed, recovering his mental strength.
Ji Siyuan: "You don't need to apologize to me. You know your own body best. I understand why you're so eager for revenge."
The matter hadn't affected him, so he didn't need an apology.
Huo Yuhao's gaze was utterly resolute. "I'll definitely become stronger—stronger than Dai Huabin, stronger than Dai Hao!"
"I believe you." Ji Siyuan remained calm, his eyes showing even more faith in Huo Yuhao than Huo Yuhao had in himself.
After the class monitor incident, the new students' class settled down considerably.
Everyone went back to cultivating as usual.
A month passed, and they had all settled into their own cultivation routines.
Huo Yuhao still climbed onto his bed to cultivate using their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi also returned after successfully obtaining their Soul Rings.
They hadn't needed the academy's help; their families had made the necessary arrangements. In the end, though, they went along with the academy's group anyway.
Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi successfully broke through to the fourth ring and became Soul Ancestors.
Everyone celebrated in fine style.
After night fell, Huo Yuhao sat on his bed in silence for a long while.
Lying on his bed, Ji Siyuan could feel Huo Yuhao watching him the whole time.
"What is it?" Ji Siyuan asked, puzzled. Huo Yuhao hadn't cultivated at all today.
Huo Yuhao staring at him wasn't unusual anymore.
Huo Yuhao said, "I've reached level 20. I want to ask a teacher for leave tomorrow."
This was all something Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had planned long ago, and this time they'd reached the milestone far earlier than expected.
Their Martial Soul Fusion Skill and Ji Siyuan's Nine Lotus Seeds were both tremendous aids to cultivation.
Most people would be lucky to have even one of them, but they had both.
"Then who are you going to ask to accompany you when you go to obtain a Soul Ring? If you need me, I can go too. You know how strong I am. As long as it isn't an especially powerful thousand-year Soul Beast, I can handle it." Ji Siyuan was confident. He could deal with almost anything under three thousand years.
And if things went badly, he still had his Overpowered Wheelchair.
Huo Yuhao sat up straight. "Siyuan, I need you to help keep this quiet. I'm going alone this time! I have to go alone. Our future depends on it."
Ji Siyuan let out a breath. He knew where Huo Yuhao was going.
"You want me to cover for you, right? How long will you be gone?"
"About a month!" Huo Yuhao looked away from Ji Siyuan. He didn't know how to answer the questions Ji Siyuan might ask.
A month was far too long to spend in the Star Dou Great Forest. He could only be going somewhere even farther away.
Ji Siyuan leaned back against the headboard. "I won't ask what you're planning to do, but you know no teacher would approve leave for that long."
His reason wasn't enough to get the academy to grant such a long leave.
So Huo Yuhao wasn't simply asking for leave. He was trying to deceive Zhang Lexuan.
"You're Dean Qian Duoduo's student, and you need to shut yourself away to study Soul Tools?" Zhang Lexuan frowned. She didn't know much about the Soul Tool Department. She had only a rough idea of how Soul Engineers progressed—slightly better than Ji Siyuan's understanding.
But a child needed a whole month in seclusion?
No matter how she looked at it, that wasn't normal.
Huo Yuhao hurriedly said, "I'm not going into seclusion. I'm going to study. I want to learn from the older students, then try to become a Level 1 Soul Engineer."
He wasn't skilled enough to become a Level 2 Soul Engineer yet, but he could qualify as a Level 1 Soul Engineer.
Reaching Level 2 in five months would be a bit outrageous, but becoming a Level 1 Soul Engineer in five months was within reason.
Zhang Lexuan considered it. After all, the Soul Tool Department didn't start recruiting students in their first year.
She also believed Huo Yuhao had the potential.
Huo Yuhao said, "You can ask Teacher Wang Yan about my studying in the Soul Tool Department. He was the one who took me to meet Teacher Qian Duoduo."
His story could be verified from several sources, and at least his identity was beyond question.
Zhang Lexuan took out a leave form. "All right, I approve. I'll let Teacher Wang Yan know."
It was the usual leave form, made out in two copies.
The two had just reached the office door when Zhang Lexuan said, "If you want to obtain Soul Rings, you can ask a teacher to help you. You don't have to go on your own."
They both stopped in their tracks.
Huo Yuhao had used Simulation to conceal his level 20 Soul Power, but Zhang Lexuan had keenly sensed that something was off.
She still wasn't sure she could trust her own guess. If she was right, then Huo Yuhao's cultivation speed was astonishingly fast.
It was impossible that his Innate Soul Power had been trash, corresponding to the level 11 he'd had when he entered the academy.
That level of Innate Soul Power could only have been at most level 3. It couldn't account for such rapid progress.
"What are you talking about, Teacher?" Huo Yuhao could only mask everything with a smile.
"Ji Siyuan isn't going with you, is he? After all, you only asked for leave for yourself." Zhang Lexuan thought she'd probably guessed correctly.
She set down what she was holding and looked at the two of them. "What kind of Soul Ring are you trying to obtain? A teacher can help you."
"Senior Sister, we'd still like to handle this ourselves." Ji Siyuan politely declined Zhang Lexuan's offer on Huo Yuhao's behalf.
"All right, then. You can handle it yourselves. Do you need to ask for leave to go with him?"
Huo Yuhao shook his head. "No. And please keep this secret for us, Teacher."
Zhang Lexuan said, "Next time, be more resolute. Otherwise, people can tell from your attitude that you're hiding something."
Ji Siyuan gently nudged Huo Yuhao, making him step behind him. "Because you wouldn't hurt us, Teacher. Right?"
There were no secrets between the two boys and Zhang Lexuan. "Junior Brother Ji Siyuan thinks I've already guessed the truth. If you don't come clean, I'll keep asking questions, or even follow Huo Yuhao. So why not just tell me outright? That way, I can help cover for you."
"Don't do this with other people, though. Off you go. I'll keep it between us."
Ji Siyuan walked Huo Yuhao to the school gate. "Is it a long journey?"
"Very long. I'll be gone a while before I can come back." Huo Yuhao clenched his fist. He didn't dare tell Ji Siyuan the truth, because it was truly dangerous.
But Ji Siyuan already knew everything.
His Martial Soul appeared, and the Geocentric Red Lotus bloomed, its nine seeds floating in the air.
Ji Siyuan casually plucked one and placed it in Huo Yuhao's hand. "I know you want to risk it all this time. This Lotus Seed can at least offer you some protection."
The red seed felt incredibly warm in his hand.
"This is too precious."
"Then just bring it back, won't you?"
Huo Yuhao trembled slightly. "I'm afraid. I really might eat your Lotus Seed."
Sky Dream had told him how precious the nine seeds were, and how closely they were tied to Ji Siyuan. He didn't know what would happen if one was lost, but he knew it wouldn't be anything good.
Huo Yuhao had to refuse.
Ji Siyuan joked, "If you really eat this Lotus Seed, you'll owe me your life."
"I'll bring it back with me! I promise!" Huo Yuhao set off with the Lotus Seed, leaving Ji Siyuan behind for a while.