Level Three Soul Power Circuit: Refraction

Level Three Soul Power Circuit: Refraction

Today was the final class of the semester. Once it ended, the students of Shrek Academy would finally welcome their break.

Both Zhou Yi and Wang Yan were in the classroom. At the sight of Zhou Yi's stern old face, every student reined in the restless excitement they had felt over the approaching holiday.

Zhou Yi coldly swept her gaze across the room. Since Huo Yuhao had not caused any showboating-and-face-slapping uproar, Zhou Yi had not inexplicably expelled several core students from Class One to establish her authority.

Zhou Yi then snorted and walked to the back of the classroom, sitting down directly in an empty chair.

Wang Yan stepped onto the podium next. With a slight smile, he said, "Students, today is the final day of the first year. The academy has not assigned any teaching tasks, so I will not waste any more of your time."

"I'll briefly go over the arrangements for the break, then you can return to pack your things and prepare to go home."

The students were all excited at this, but with Zhou Yi stationed at the back of the classroom, they did not dare show it too openly.

Wang Yan continued. He first offered praise, complimenting the students of Class One and soothing them a little before shifting his tone and beginning to warn them.

"However, students, do not relax or slack off simply because you are on break. Unlike other schools, which hold final examinations at the end of the academic year, Shrek Academy has no final exams."

"Instead, there will be an examination at the beginning of the next term. To determine whether you can become qualified second-year students, you will need to put in even more effort during the break than you did at the academy."

"Otherwise, when Class One begins lessons next academic year, perhaps one of you will no longer be here."

"Of course, I like every student in Class One, and I know how hard you have worked. So, when Class One officially begins lessons next year, I hope none of you will be missing."

Huo Yuhao curled his lip speechlessly. What more was there to strive for during the break, even with supposedly doubled effort?

Aside from those students who had innate advantages from their backgrounds, with powerful factions supporting them or inheritances to draw upon, most commoner students would certainly see their progress slow after leaving Shrek Academy and returning home.

They might no longer need to attend classes and would have more time to cultivate their soul power, but in terms of resources and assistance, they would certainly have no advantage over what the academy provided.

Students with connections were different. Once they returned home, they would naturally continue enjoying abundant resources. Whether their elders, fathers, or brothers, none would be stingy with resources as they continued nurturing or specially training them.

So in truth, Wang Yan's words were simply meant to prod those students with relatively weak family backgrounds.

They did not need to make enormous leaps in progress, but they at least needed to improve themselves as much as possible during the break. Otherwise, once the second year began, they would very likely be unable to keep up with the new term's pace.

"Alright, next I will discuss the key points of the Promotion Assessment. Remember them well."

"First, every student's soul power must reach Rank 20. This is a strict requirement, and you must be a Rank 20 Soul Grandmaster with two Soul Rings."

"If you still do not have two Soul Rings by the time of the Promotion Assessment, I suggest that you need not return next academic year."

"No matter how outstanding your performance may be, two Soul Rings is a benchmark rule established by the academy. If you cannot meet it, no one can help you."

"So, over the next month, those of you whose soul power has not reached Rank 20 must work desperately hard. You must also obtain your second Soul Ring."

"Only with two Soul Rings will you have the entry ticket for the Promotion Assessment."

"Based on past examination experience, the assessment for first-year students advancing to the second year will most likely require each student, under a teacher's supervision, to challenge a randomly selected Soul Beast with at least a hundred years of cultivation alone."

"For this reason, it is an important test of each student's individual strength. While the assessment methods are not always the same, at least seventy percent of past first-year-to-second-year assessments have been beast-fighting examinations."

"Most of the remaining cases simply replaced the Soul Beast with an invigilating teacher, senior student, or upperclassman as the challenger."

"But without exception, all these assessments are individual. You cannot borrow the strength of a team and must rely on your own abilities."

"Of course, the academy will not leave students in danger. If an accident occurs during battle, the invigilating teachers will intervene and rescue you, so rest assured."

"But that also means the assessment will be over. So unless it is absolutely necessary, I hope everyone will seize every opportunity in battle."

"Therefore, students whose cultivation is insufficient, time is short and the task is heavy during this break. Aside from working on your soul power and second Soul Ring, you should also avoid neglecting practical combat experience."

"That concludes the individual Promotion Assessment."

"Next, I will discuss the class Promotion Assessment. Every class is a whole. If the class as a whole cannot advance while only a few individual students do, what meaning would that have?"

"So, apart from the basic Promotion Assessment, three to seven students from our class will be selected to participate in a special assessment."

"The completion rate of that assessment will be counted separately as part of the Promotion Assessment. If it is completed well, it can even help students who are slightly lacking in the practical combat assessment advance. It is a major bonus."

"But at the same time, if the class assessment is completed poorly, the difficulty requirements of the individual Promotion Assessment will rise sharply."

"I'll give you the most straightforward example. If the class assessment is completed perfectly, then every student in the class can enter the second academic year regardless of their practical combat scores."

"But if the class assessment earns only ten percent of the score, then only the top ten percent of students in the individual Promotion Assessment will be qualified to enter the second year."

Wang Yan smiled as he spoke words that felt like a thunderbolt from a clear sky to everyone present.

What kind of idiotic assessment system is this? Huo Yuhao could not help feeling speechless. He had no idea who had come up with this assessment system on a whim.

Could such a system really select outstanding students?

If the class assessment's pass rate was too low, then it was indeed true that the few selected outstanding representatives were not strong enough, which meant the class as a whole was not progressing well.

But if a class passed the assessment perfectly, then every student passed regardless of their individual practical combat results? What kind of absurd rule was that? Were the Seven Gods trying to drag everyone down together?

"Alright, I've said everything I needed to say. Class dismissed. Go back and pack your things." Wang Yan waved his hand and dismissed the class.

Although news of the assessment format had come suddenly, most people felt rather pleased after thinking it over.

In their eyes, the strength of Class One was beyond question. They had Dai Huabin, a Soul Elder with a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, along with Zhu Lu, the Soul Grandmaster with the Hell Spirit Cat.

There was also the strongest team from the Freshman Assessment: Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao. Add in the Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo sisters, who also possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, as well as the fairly strong Wu Feng.

Their abilities had all been plain for everyone to see during the Freshman Assessment. Whether three or seven people were selected, Class One believed they could definitely perform the best, so there was naturally no need for excessive concern.

After class, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, as class monitors, were kept behind by Zhou Yi for a few private reminders, mostly concerning returning to the academy as soon as possible and matters related to the second semester.

"If I leave tomorrow, will you miss me?" That evening in the dormitory, Wang Dong stared at the ceiling and suddenly asked Huo Yuhao on a whim.

Huo Yuhao responded by giving Wang Dong the middle finger, then rolled over and went straight to sleep. "Go to bed early. It's only a month. Just take care of yourself."

Seeing Huo Yuhao's reaction, Wang Dong sighed. She did not say anything more, turned off the lights, and prepared to rest.

Huo Yuhao, meanwhile, entered his Spiritual Sea and poked the gray sphere that lay quietly asleep within it.

"Elder Yi, Elder Yi, stop sleeping. Is that person really alright?"

"You've asked me that several times over these past few months. Haven't you observed it yourself as well?" Electrolux's aged voice echoed through the Spiritual Sea.

Although he still had few opportunities to act, as long as Electrolux did not take action, simply chatting with Huo Yuhao posed no problem.

"I previously used your eyes to take a look as well. The Rune in that little fellow's Spiritual Sea has no ability to interfere with the outside world."

"It can only affect those it has marked, or that little fellow himself."

"As long as you do not actively establish a connection or exchange of body, Spiritual Power, or strength with that little fellow, you naturally will not trigger the Divine Sense hidden within that Rune."

"For some unknown reason, the owner of that Divine Sense should be of no low level, yet his use of Divine Sense is very crude. Therefore, he sealed many of that Divine Sense's abilities himself and put it into dormancy."

"Thus, even I failed to discover that someone connected to a Deity was hidden at your side without the aid of your eyes."

"It would not be difficult to resolve. We merely need to find an opportunity to remove the Rune without disturbing its seal. However, in my current state, I do not have that ability."

"If we have to rely on the strength of your body, then you must at least become equivalent to a seventh-rank expert of this world before you can truly bring out a portion of my power. At that point, I can help you remove this Rune or completely seal it."

Huo Yuhao sighed. "That's still a long way off, Elder Yi. Is there no other way?"

"The great worm's power is not your power in the end. While his power is indeed sufficient, your body cannot withstand the impact of such immense strength."

"I could use the great worm's power to seal or remove that Divine Sense as well, but as the transfer point, your body would suffer irreversible damage."

"Unless you can gain physical strength or Life Force far beyond your current level in advance, leaving it alone may be the best choice."

"As for other methods, I cannot think of any for now. Once my Divine Sense is repaired more fully and more of my memories return, perhaps there will be another solution."

Huo Yuhao nodded and stopped dwelling on the matter.

He had something else to do tonight: modify the soul power circuits within his body. He was about to go hunt Soul Beasts. Although teachers from Shrek Academy would be leading the team, Huo Yuhao did not feel at ease.

Although he had Electrolux and Sky Dream Ice Silkworm as trump cards within him, it was best not to expose them unless necessary. It would be best if he could overcome any danger by relying on himself.

A defensive soul power circuit won't do. If I simply clash head-on, my current soul power and physical constitution will put me at too great a disadvantage.

I should play to my strengths and avoid my weaknesses by choosing Soul Skills geared toward evasion to form the soul power circuit.

But if I also need a way to deal with area-of-effect attacks and influences, then this one will do.

Huo Yuhao's physical constitution had improved considerably compared to before, and he could now support more soul power circuits.

Previously, he could at most sustain four Level One Soul Power Circuits or two Level Two Soul Power Circuits at once. Now, Huo Yuhao's body had reached the level where it could sustain one Level Three Soul Power Circuit.

A Level Three Soul Power Circuit had to be formed from at least three closely combined Level Two Soul Power Circuits. Given Huo Yuhao's current limit, he could at most use ten Level One Soul Power Circuits to construct a relatively advanced Level Three Soul Power Circuit.

Covering, connection, buffering, Deflection, absorption, conversion, release, maintenance, stabilization, concealment.

Huo Yuhao began piecing together and combining the construction methods for all the Level One Soul Power Circuits he had observed and analyzed over the past year from Soul Skills and Soul Tool Core Arrays that possessed the qualities listed above.

By consuming a great deal of Spiritual Power, Huo Yuhao deduced their optimal combination within his Spiritual Sea, allowing the soul power circuit he had envisioned to fully take shape.

Level Two Soul Power Circuit: Soul Armor.

It was formed from the release, covering, and maintenance functions of Level One Soul Power Circuits.

It allowed soul power to be released from the acupoints and cover the surface of the body, forming defensive armor plates. Its effect was average, but it could last for a long time.

Because it was released through acupoints all over the body, minute gaps remained between the armor plates.

Level Two Soul Power Circuit: Deflection.

It was formed from the buffering, connection, and Deflection functions of Level One Soul Power Circuits. It used soul power control to buffer the force received, causing it to deflect and shift away, thereby reducing the damage suffered.

Level Two Soul Power Circuit: Shadow Escape.

It was formed from the absorption, conversion, stabilization, and concealment functions of Level One Soul Power Circuits. It could absorb soul power to stabilize its existence while concealing one's aura and form to a certain degree.

After these three Level Two Soul Power Circuits were joined together, they formed the Level Three Soul Power Circuit before Huo Yuhao now: Refraction, the Soul Skill he intended to use to protect himself during the Soul Beast hunt.