These Days, No One Believes the Truth

"Just tell me, Bai Ran. Unless you don't consider me a friend."

Who among those admitted to Shrek Academy wasn't a genius?

Even if Bai Ran possessed Innate Full Soul Power, Huo Yuhao would not feel the slightest bit jealous.

Instead, he would be happy for his roommate's extraordinary talent.

"Alright, alright. Since you asked so sincerely, I'll mercifully tell you.

"I, Bai Ran, possess the Goddess of Light Butterfly martial soul, and my Soul Power is rank thirty-one."

"Cough, cough... H-how much? Rank thirty-one?"

Huo Yuhao had originally thought that, no matter how outstanding Bai Ran was, he should have been a Great Soul Master at around rank twenty-one.

But the result was somehow ten whole ranks higher than he had guessed.

One had to know that even Tang Ya, who was three years older than Huo Yuhao, had only just obtained her third Soul Ring and broken through to rank thirty-one Soul Power.

Yet Bai Ran, who looked even younger than Huo Yuhao, was already a Soul Elder.

With talent like that, even Dai Huabin, regarded as the future hope of the Duke's estate, was not worthy of carrying his shoes.

Bai Ran: Dai Huabin? What random stray was that?

Goddess of Light Butterfly? Just hearing the name made it clear that it was a top-tier beast martial soul.

The more elaborate or higher-grade the description of a beast martial soul was, the more powerful that beast martial soul tended to be.

A Gray Wolf, for example, was the most ordinary kind of beast martial soul.

But if it were called a Blazing Gray Wolf, it would be a high-quality beast martial soul.

And something like an Abyssal Demon Wolf could even be called an exceptional beast martial soul.

"Yuhao, I told you not to ask. Satisfied now?"

With such talent, it was not just Huo Yuhao.

Even Brother Tianmeng inside Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Consciousness Sea could not help saying one thing: "Freak."

"Bai Ran, I never expected your talent to be so incredible.

"But if your Soul Power has broken through rank thirty, can't you directly take the second-year advancement examination?"

"There's such a thing?"

"I heard Teacher Xiao Ya mention it."

At Shrek Academy, students could repeat a year, so naturally they could skip grades as well.

Beibei had chosen to repeat a year for Tang Ya's sake. Otherwise, he should have been in his fifth or sixth year by now, since he had entered Shrek Academy around the same time as Xu Sanshi.

However, skipping grades was obviously far more difficult than repeating a year.

To repeat a year, one simply had to refrain from taking the advancement examination in the second year.

But to skip a grade, one had to take the advancement examination alongside students a year above them. Both the pressure and difficulty were immense.

"Ah, whatever. I'll just treat it as experiencing life."

Huo Yuhao: Experiencing life? Accidentally wandered into a heavenly household~

Bai Ran: Haki Huo, besides that line, do you know any other songs?

Huo Yuhao: Pear blossoms drift down before the window~

After that, Huo Yuhao silently began cultivating again.

Having such an outstanding roommate put enormous pressure on Huo Yuhao for a time.

But for a child of fortune, turning pressure into motivation was about as basic as it got.

Seeing Huo Yuhao begin cultivating and finding no one left to chat with, Bai Ran simply sat cross-legged on his own bed and began circulating the complete Mysterious Heaven Technique.

After opening two meridians, Bai Ran's progress temporarily became stuck.

He could not forcefully break through the third meridian with Soul Power and could only wear it down gradually with time.

In one day, he could probably increase the progress by less than one percent.

As for what effect came from opening the Eight Extraordinary Meridians?

Once the Eight Extraordinary Meridians were fully opened, it meant the Mysterious Heaven Technique had reached great completion. Even without active control, the Mysterious Heaven Technique would circulate on its own within the body and replenish the cultivator's Soul Power in time.

In a sense, the Mysterious Heaven Technique at great completion was somewhat similar to the Soul Core condensed when breaking through to become a Title Douluo.

But its effects were even more overbearing than a Soul Core's.

Furthermore, those with good talent could achieve great completion of the Mysterious Heaven Technique around the Soul Sage level.

But to condense a Soul Core, one had to wait until breaking through to Title Douluo.

Why could Huo Yuhao condense a Soul Ring at the Soul Sage level?

Because he was a child of fortune. Any cheat he unlocked was perfectly reasonable.

"Eh? This is...!"

The aura of the Mysterious Heaven Technique.

While cultivating, Huo Yuhao sensed an extremely familiar aura.

He initially thought he had cultivated into the next day and that Teacher Xiao Ya had brought Senior Brother Beibei to the dormitory to find him.

But when he opened his eyes, he found that the sky outside was still dark.

And that familiar aura of the Mysterious Heaven Technique was coming from Bai Ran.

Huo Yuhao: Could Bai Ran be a Tang Sect disciple too? But why had I never heard Teacher Xiao Ya mention him? And his surname isn't Tang. Could the Tang Sect have some kind of branch?

"Holy shit!"

In the middle of the night, suddenly seeing a black silhouette standing before him genuinely frightened Bai Ran.

He could be certain it was not Haki Tong.

After all, a martial soul like the Goddess of Light Butterfly came with glowing butterfly wings. If Little Seven were standing in front of him, Bai Ran would definitely have recognized her immediately.

"Bai Ran, it's me."

As Huo Yuhao spoke, he switched on the desk lamp.

"No, Yuhao, why aren't you sleeping in the middle of the night? What are you doing standing by my bed?"

In the original story, Huo Yuhao had spent over two years with Wang Dong before realizing that he had "fallen in love" with Wang Dong, right?

Bai Ran: I've only been here for one day, and you're already like this.

Could Huo Yuhao really be... that?

Could some of my friendly gestures have accidentally brought out Huo Yuhao's true side ahead of time?

"Bai Ran, was the cultivation technique you were circulating just now the Mysterious Heaven Technique?"

The circulation route of the Mysterious Heaven Technique was fundamentally different from that of meditation techniques.

Therefore, people who cultivated the Mysterious Heaven Technique could relatively easily tell whether others had cultivated it as well.

"Yeah."

Bai Ran admitted it generously.

Bai Ran: I learned my Mysterious Heaven Technique from Tang San's daughter. It's even more authentic than the Tang Sect's version.

"Bai Ran, where did you learn your Mysterious Heaven Technique?!"

Huo Yuhao was extremely anxious and even took the initiative to grab Bai Ran's hand.

After all, he had learned from Senior Brother Beibei that after the original Tang Sect had been destroyed, Xiao Ya had fled to Shrek Academy with the Mysterious Heaven Treasured Record.

It could be said that aside from Tang Ya, no one on Douluo Continent could possibly possess the Mysterious Heaven Technique cultivation method.

Moreover, the Mysterious Heaven Technique was the Tang Sect's supreme cultivation method and had almost never been passed on outside the sect.

"Yuhao, I'll tell you a secret. I'm actually the officially designated son-in-law of Tang Sect founder and Sea God Tang San."

"Quit messing around, Bai Ran. If you're Ancestor Tang San's son-in-law, then I'm Ancestor Tang San's son."

"Where exactly did your Mysterious Heaven Technique come from? Could your ancestors have some connection to the Tang Sect?"

Bai Ran: Why did no one believe the truth these days?

Tang Wutong: Who said I'm your wife?! Did I agree to that?!

"Fine, my ancestors really were connected to the Tang Sect. My great-great-great-great-great-grandfather was the Tang Sect's deputy sect master at the time.

"Later, due to certain changes, he left the Tang Sect. After establishing our family's power, he passed down the Mysterious Heaven Technique as our family cultivation method.

"Back when the Tang Sect was powerful, my ancestors feared being held accountable by the Tang Sect, so they remained hidden from the world.

"Now that the Tang Sect has declined, we have finally emerged."

Bai Ran: Forget Huo Yuhao—even I'm starting to believe this story.