Freshman Class Five

Because Jiang Yue had registered relatively early, there were not many freshmen in the entire dormitory building. It was not until the afternoon that the number of freshmen not wearing school uniforms gradually increased.

Jiang Yue felt that there might be something wrong with Shrek Academy's upper management. Shrek Academy occupied such a vast area, yet it had only one dormitory building. Not only were the grades not separated, even boys and girls were crammed into the same building.

Shrek Academy was so wealthy and powerful. Could it not build a few more dormitory buildings? Impossible. Shrek City was an important commercial hub of the continent and did not need to pay taxes to any empire. Shrek Academy could casually take out a fraction of its tax revenue and build hundreds or thousands of dormitory buildings.

In the end, it was those old academy elders. Those teachers did not live in the student dormitories. They should be thrown in here and made to experience fighting hundreds of people for the toilets in the morning. Consider it a way to help them reminisce about their school days in the Outer Court.

Perhaps because Jiang Yue had registered early, no one entered his dormitory even by nightfall. His roommate still had not arrived.

This did not matter much to Jiang Yue. Even if that roommate registered now, who knew what his talent would be like? Perhaps he would not even pass the Freshman Assessment. By then, Jiang Yue might have an entire dormitory room to himself.

Jiang Yue had already made plans for the three months before the Freshman Assessment. This was the number one advanced Soul Master Academy on the continent. Even if it was only the Outer Court, its collection of books was still astonishingly vast.

Knowledge was always the world's most precious wealth. If he had come here only for the free nutritious meals core disciples could enjoy later, that would be putting the cart before the horse.

Besides reading those books, Jiang Yue needed to improve his cultivation. He was already rank thirty-six at eleven years old. If nothing unexpected happened, he would reach rank forty at twelve, which meant next year.

With Jiang Yue's current spiritual power, absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring at rank forty would not be a problem at all. His greatest obstacle would instead be his physical condition.

Both of Jiang Yue's martial souls were tool martial souls. Tool martial souls could not enhance the body's attributes like beast martial souls could, so his physical condition was comparatively weaker.

There was a view accepted by most of the Soul Master world: before reaching seven rings, beast martial soul masters had greater combat strength than tool martial soul masters due to the enhancement their martial souls gave their bodies.

However, once they acquired their Martial Soul Avatar at seven rings, everything reversed. Tool martial soul masters with Martial Soul Avatars were generally stronger in battle than beast martial soul masters.

Jiang Yue agreed with that view. In the era of Soul Land Three ten thousand years later, most of the strongest experts possessed tool martial souls, with only a small number possessing beast martial souls.

Since his martial souls could not strengthen his body, Jiang Yue could only improve his physical condition as much as possible for now. If that still did not work in the end, he could only place his hopes on Living Gold.

Thinking about it, Jiang Yue felt that his vacation a year from now would probably be quite busy. Not only would he need to consider his fourth Soul Ring, he would also have to make a trip to Star Luo City to buy the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife. If his luck was bad, he would face pressure from both money and time.

Cultivation was still extremely tedious. He could only guide Soul Power through his meridians over and over. Each completed cycle made him the slightest bit stronger. It was not obvious, but it was very real.

They said interest was the best teacher, and that was very applicable to Jiang Yue. Because his spiritual power far surpassed that of his peers, he was extremely sensitive to changes in himself. He could detect even the tiniest increase in Soul Power, and he greatly enjoyed the feeling of becoming stronger bit by bit through his own effort.

Time passed second by second in cultivation. Only when the sun rose the next day and Shrek Academy returned to yesterday's bustle did Jiang Yue stop cultivating.

The dormitory had already been tidied up. After cultivating all night, his body also needed some time to relax. He did not plan to cultivate all day today. Instead, he intended to use this time to see whether the Outer Court library of Shrek Academy had any records of the Distraction Control Technique.

Jiang Yue knew very well that even if the Distraction Control Technique, a secret method of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, was truly recorded in the Outer Court, it would most likely be only a few scattered fragments. The best possible outcome would be finding an incomplete copy.

The Distraction Control Technique was a method for using spiritual power and Soul Power, one with a complete path of advancement. Perhaps he would obtain more profound methods of using spiritual power from Electrolux in the future, but the Distraction Control Technique was still very suitable as an introduction.

It would be great if he found the Distraction Control Technique. If not, Jiang Yue could still read and expand his knowledge, so that he would not become an illiterate like most of the students at Shrek Academy.

That was right. Over the years, Jiang Yue had discovered that even in junior Soul Master academies, Soul Masters focused only on increasing their own strength. Almost no one studied related knowledge. To put it another way, Jiang Yue had seen students in the library of Maple Leaf City Junior Soul Master Academy fewer than fifty times in total over the years.

Based on Jiang Yue's memories of the original Unrivaled Tang Sect novel, he estimated that Shrek Academy would be much the same.

They valued martial prowess over learning. All they raised were military men lacking common sense!

When he entered Shrek Academy's library, Jiang Yue could not help sighing at the immense number of books it contained. Yet strangely, it was incredibly quiet—so quiet that it was somewhat eerie.

It was not the sort of silence people voluntarily maintained, but the silence of having no people around. This enormous library actually had only three or four students inside.

Since the freshmen had not officially started school yet, Jiang Yue, who was not wearing a school uniform, was quite conspicuous in the empty library. The senior students noticed him but said nothing. They gave Jiang Yue encouraging looks, nodded, and then lowered their heads to continue what they had been doing.

After searching for a while, Jiang Yue did not find the Distraction Control Technique. That was normal. There were so many books here; it would be strange if he could find relevant records so easily.

After searching for roughly half an hour with no results, Jiang Yue felt that he could not rush this matter. He casually picked out a book recording various rare martial souls and began flipping through it.

It was not until the afternoon, when his stomach protested, that Jiang Yue returned the book he had read more than half of to its original place and left the library.

He made do with a meal in Shrek Academy's cafeteria, which did not even have tables, chairs, or benches. When he returned to the area in front of the dormitory building, Jiang Yue saw two teenagers standing in the open space by the entrance. The tension between them was sharp enough to cut with a knife. Something unpleasant had clearly happened, and they looked ready to fight at any moment.

One of them was a handsome boy with pinkish-blue hair, but both his hair and clothes were covered in quite a bit of dust. The other looked travel-worn, with many mud stains on his clothes.

Neither of them looked particularly clean.

So this was the starting point of everything between Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao. Then they should be about to fight. But why were Wang Dong's hair and clothes so dusty? Had she been cleaning? A lazy dog doing chores? How rare.

What still puzzled Jiang Yue was the timing. He looked at the setting sun and confirmed that it was evening. Was this scene supposed to happen at this time?

After his spiritual power increased, Jiang Yue had gradually recalled the unclear parts of his memories. He was certain that Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao's fight in the original story had happened in the morning. Yet it was already evening now. The timing was wrong.

Jiang Yue remembered the information he had told Huo Yuhao about Mental Attribute soul beasts. It seemed that his casual words had already stirred up a hurricane like the butterfly effect.

The dust all over Wang Dong was probably from cleaning the dormitory. As for the mud stains on Huo Yuhao, he must have picked them up in the Star Dou Forest. He had likely just completed registration and had not had time to wash up.

It was probably because the location Jiang Yue had given Huo Yuhao for suitable soul beasts had been somewhat off. After all, soul beasts had broad ranges of activity, especially rare Mental Attribute soul beasts. It was normal to spend more time tracking them down.

Spending a little more time hunting soul beasts naturally meant registering later. That in turn forced this young lady Wang Dong to personally clean the dust-filled dormitory, leaving her full of anger. Then, when the travel-worn Huo Yuhao entered the dormitory, a conflict broke out.

Yes, that was probably the general situation.

Jiang Yue did not know the exact details. He was merely using the clues he had observed to piece together the most plausible answer he could. As for whether that answer was correct, he could only ask Wang Dong or Huo Yuhao to confirm it.

Some passing students nearby, like Jiang Yue, had also been drawn to Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao. They stopped what they were doing, intending to see whether the two freshmen would fight.

A faint golden light flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes, and a yellow Soul Ring rose beneath his feet. There was no shock and no mockery. Soul Masters with Hundred-Year Soul Rings were everywhere among Shrek Academy's freshmen.

Even if Huo Yuhao was a Soul Grandmaster, he could not cause much of a stir. After all, there were plenty of freshmen who entered the academy as Soul Grandmasters.

"A Hundred-Year Soul Ring. Judging from its color, it should be a two- or three-hundred-year Soul Ring. I wonder whether the Soul Ring you absorbed came from the soul beast I told you about."

If there was one thing Huo Yuhao had been mocked for the most in his early days, it was definitely that Soul Ring disguised as a ten-year one. That only changed later, when his third, fourth, and even subsequent Soul Rings were all white.

Who could that clumsy disguise fool? Anyone with a functioning brain could tell that having four or five white ten-year Soul Rings was suspicious.

Seeing Huo Yuhao's Hundred-Year Soul Ring, Wang Dong gave a faint, disdainful laugh. But because Huo Yuhao's first Soul Ring was now at the hundred-year level, Wang Dong did not look down on him as she had at the start of the original story, nor did she say that she could deal with him without using her martial soul.

Wang Dong proudly raised her head. One yellow and one purple Soul Ring appeared beside her, making her look exactly like a proud white swan.

Seeing that Wang Dong was not only a Soul Grandmaster but one whose second Soul Ring was purple, Huo Yuhao instantly felt that the difference between people truly was enormous. He had only managed to absorb a Hundred-Year Soul Ring with extreme difficulty with Bei Bei and Tang Ya's help.

Although the Soul Power contained in the Soul Ring and the Mysterious Heaven Skill had nourished most of his meridians during the absorption process, expelling much of his tainted blood and impurities and slightly improving his physical condition, compared with Wang Dong before him, the difference was like heaven and earth.

Wang Dong did not care what Huo Yuhao was thinking. With a tap of her toe, she left a shallow footprint in the hard floor. Though she had not released her martial soul, her body still shot out like a cannonball with the aid of Soul Power, and she kicked toward Huo Yuhao's chest.

Clenching his fists, Huo Yuhao calmly watched Wang Dong. His Soul Ring pulsed and flickered. At that moment, the speed of Wang Dong—no, of everything before him—seemed to slow. The surrounding world became clearer in Huo Yuhao's eyes.

Wang Dong's originally swift movements became visible to Huo Yuhao, but even though he had seen the attack trajectory, his current physical condition did not allow him to dodge it.

His mind had kept up, but his body had not.

Crack!

As Wang Dong attacked, Huo Yuhao crossed his arms to block just before her strike landed. The sound of bone cracking and a muffled groan came from Huo Yuhao at the same time. Yet even as he endured the pain, Huo Yuhao continued glaring viciously at Wang Dong.

Wang Dong was also greatly startled. She had not expected Huo Yuhao's body to be so frail. She had already held back considerably, yet she had still kicked Huo Yuhao's arm until it cracked.

Since nothing had appeared beside Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong assumed he possessed a beast martial soul, and beast martial souls greatly enhanced a Soul Master's body.

As a result, Wang Dong had used too much strength, creating the situation before her. She was also shocked. Could Huo Yuhao's physical condition really belong to a Soul Master with a Hundred-Year Soul Ring? It was probably comparable to that of a one-ring support-type Soul Master.

A Hundred-Year Soul Ring had indeed strengthened Huo Yuhao's body, but he had been malnourished in the past, and his physical condition had been terrible. He had only recently begun cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Skill. Even compared to ordinary Soul Masters of the same rank, he was far inferior, let alone compared to someone like Wang Dong, who had eaten Whale Rubber like food since childhood and absorbed a thousand-year second Soul Ring. The two were not even on the same level.

Moreover, this time Huo Yuhao had not encountered the Wang Dong from the original story, who had gone easy on him and underestimated him so much that she had not even used Soul Power or her martial soul. That was why things had developed into the scene before them.

"You..."

Wang Dong had just wanted to say something when she saw Huo Yuhao's vicious gaze, as savage as that of some soul beasts. Wang Dong became frightened and did not know what to do.

Seeing that Wang Dong made no further move and merely stood there blankly without saying a word, Huo Yuhao lowered his head and took several steps back. Then he turned toward the infirmary. His arm needed treatment as soon as possible, or it might leave lasting damage and hidden injuries.

Fortunately, he still had some silver soul coins on him. His arm had only cracked rather than broken completely, and it could recover with simple treatment. He could barely afford the medical fees.

"Hey! Wait! I'll pay for your medical expenses..."

Huo Yuhao ignored Wang Dong's anxious words completely. He simply kept moving forward alone with his head lowered.

For a moment, Wang Dong did not know what to do. As the one who had caused the injury, she was too embarrassed to simply follow him.

Jiang Yue, who had been hiding among the crowd and observing the situation, lowered his head in thought. It seemed that this butterfly effect was even more intense than he had imagined.

But Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were still roommates? It seemed that whether someone was the child of destiny was not determined by who obtained the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.

Come to think of it, if it had not long been decided that Huo Yuhao was the child of destiny, Tang God King would have had to be utterly bored to guide Huo Yun'er's soul into the God Realm so far in advance.

After watching the entire show, Jiang Yue dispersed with the rest of the crowd and returned to the dormitory building. The bed opposite his was still an empty wooden plank. He had no idea when this unknown roommate would finally arrive.

Of course, the best outcome would be for Jiang Yue to have no roommate at all.

Jiang Yue cast aside the tangled thoughts in his mind and settled down into cultivation.

Over the next day, Jiang Yue once again spent his time in the library as he had today. The bed in his dormitory remained empty.

Just like that, when school began, Jiang Yue still had not received his roommate. Seeing that he might truly have no roommate, Jiang Yue felt that this was a kind of good fortune, wasn't it?

The dormitory was only about ten square meters in total. Now, an ordinary double room had become a luxurious single room. Who would not be happy about that?

Looking at the empty wooden bed and the extra metal cabinet in the room, Jiang Yue had already begun thinking about how to remodel the dormitory into what he wanted.

But those things would have to wait. Today was the first official day of school, and it was not that early anymore. It was about time to head to class.

The moment he went downstairs, Jiang Yue saw Wang Dong's back. Compared with the matter between Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao, what Jiang Yue cared about more was what secret method Wang Dong had used to disguise herself as male.

There was truly not the slightest flaw in her appearance. In a sense, was this secret method not a weakened Simulation Soul Skill that could only alter herself?

Upon entering the white freshman teaching building, Jiang Yue went to the first classroom on the second floor. This was Class Five's current classroom.

Jiang Yue had not arrived particularly early. There were already some people in the classroom. When they noticed someone entering, they instinctively looked up, only to be involuntarily drawn in by Jiang Yue's heterochromatic eyes.

After casually finding a seat near the edge, Jiang Yue silently began observing the other students once more than half of them had arrived. Then he confirmed that he had not been mistaken: there was not a single person in Class Five who had appeared in the original story.

It was not until a pink-haired girl with a uniquely alluring aura entered the classroom that Jiang Yue finally saw someone who could barely count as even a minor side character.

Around the time the class bell was about to ring, a tall and handsome boy with a center-parted head of golden hair entered the classroom alongside a cold-faced girl with long black hair and an exceptionally developed figure.

Like Jiang Yue, the girl had heterochromatic eyes, while the boy's blue eyes each contained two pupils.

Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu, among the few people of their generation from the White Tiger Duke's Manor and Netherworld Duke's Manor who could use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

Because they possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, and because Dai Huabin's cultivation talent was indeed somewhat greater than that of his older brother Dai Yaoheng, Dai Huabin remained a strong contender to become the next White Tiger Duke despite their vast age difference.

Speaking of the Hell White Tiger, this Martial Soul Fusion Skill was rather amusing. The Dai and Zhu families had intermarried for over ten thousand years, yet only one peerless genius had appeared with Twin Martial Souls of the White Tiger and Hell Spirit Cat—and could even independently use the Hell White Tiger Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

Self martial soul fusion skills were indeed absurd abilities, but by the era of Soul Land Three, neither Twin Martial Souls nor the Hell White Tiger were so dominant anymore. Never mind the White Tiger and Hell Spirit Cat martial souls; even the Hell White Tiger had become commonplace.

Most amusingly, that genius who inherited both the White Tiger Martial Soul and Hell Spirit Cat martial soul and could use the Hell White Tiger alone had the surname Wu. Even his surname had changed. Who knew whether he even acknowledged the Dai and Zhu families anymore.