Their first night at Shrek Academy passed just like that. After they finished tidying the dorm together, Wang Dong rubbed her still-tingling left knee and went to bed.
Huo Yuhao closed his eyes too, but he did not lose consciousness.
Ever since awakening his Martial Soul, Demon Eyes, as a child, he had felt little need for sleep. He had spent countless nights in contemplation, among books and beneath the stars.
Now, however, his consciousness went somewhere else at night-his Sea of Consciousness.
It was a beautiful frozen plain, its boundless, pristine ice and snow seemingly capable of washing everything clean.
At that moment, Huo Yuhao stood in the center of a stage made of ice and snow.
He raised his hand slightly, and the surrounding ice and snow gathered in his palm, swaying with his gestures.
Huo Yuhao was full of questions.
He had been studying this place for days. It was supposedly his Sea of Consciousness, yet everything felt utterly real to the touch, as though it were-another physical space.
That feeling had grown stronger today, because Tian Meng had actually been able to leave his Sea of Consciousness. That meant Tian Meng still existed in physical form.
Yet this was clearly not a real space either, because Huo Yuhao could freely control everything in this world.
With a sweep of his right hand, he created an exquisite ice sculpture out of thin air before him. It cost him no Soul Power, only a negligible amount of spiritual power.
He understood it less and less.
Clack, clack, clack-
Amid the strange clattering of moving parts, Tian Meng's delighted laughter rang out. "Yuhao, look! I can ride it now~"
Tian Meng was riding a small bicycle made of ice, his two pale little feet pedaling furiously as he slowly rolled toward Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao shot him a disdainful glance.
I had to add two training wheels before you could ride it. What's there to be so happy about...?
This was something he had created in this Sea of Consciousness as though he were in god mode, but he could not take it outside.
Neither he nor Tian Meng could.
Huo Yuhao lay on the snow, not feeling cold in the slightest. Propping up his head, he asked, "All right, now that I've joined Shrek Academy, let's plan for the future. How are we going to achieve godhood?"
"By leveling up and getting stronger, of course," Tian Meng said. "You'll have to become a Titled Douluo at the very least."
"But you've seen how slowly my Soul Power increases. I only had one level of innate Soul Power, and it took me five years to reach level eleven. Who knows what year of the monkey it'll be before I become a Titled Douluo?"
Tian Meng laughed. "It's fine. Ten levels in five years means a hundred levels in fifty years. Easy."
"Your math really is something..." Huo Yuhao pressed a hand to his forehead. "Can you compare the gap between level one and level ten to the gap between level eighty and level ninety?"
"It's fine. I have faith," Tian Meng said firmly. "I've already abandoned my original body and merged all its power into yours. Since you can't fully absorb it yet, I placed a seal on my power."
"Originally, I planned to gradually undo the seal as your Soul Power increased. But now, although I still don't quite understand what's going on with your ice Martial Soul, I have a rough idea of what it's doing."
"I haven't undone my seal, but your ice Martial Soul is actively absorbing-or rather, devouring-my power!"
"You've noticed your Soul Power increasing faster, haven't you?"
Huo Yuhao shook his head. "I haven't paid attention. My Soul Power has always increased slowly, so these days I just leave it to fate."
Tian Meng continued, "I can feel that I haven't lost my power, yet it really has become part of your body. And as your level rises, that process keeps speeding up."
"One day, you'll be able to absorb all my power! That's Soul Power I accumulated over a million years. It'll definitely be enough to make you a Titled Douluo!"
Huo Yuhao snorted. "Give me a break. At this rate, I'll die of old age before I absorb even a tenth of it."
Tian Meng fell silent.
Huo Yuhao actively absorbing his Soul Power excited him, but the current rate really was minuscule.
After a moment, Tian Meng said solemnly, "I have a bold idea, but I don't know whether you can accept it, Yuhao."
"Let's hear it."
"Your ice Martial Soul is what absorbs the Soul Power, and its absorption rate increases as it grows stronger. So what we need to do is strengthen your ice Martial Soul."
"You mean... you want me to focus on cultivating my ice Martial Soul now?"
"Cultivation alone won't be enough. I've also discovered a path that could bring a tremendous improvement."
"What is it?"
"Raise the tier of your ice Martial Soul!"
Tian Meng said firmly, "At first, your ice Martial Soul seemed to have no soul. But after merging with me, its tier suddenly rose, as though it had evolved. Yuhao, haven't you felt that your ice Martial Soul has become much stronger?"
"Yes, I have." Huo Yuhao nodded.
"Then, if we keep raising its tier, the speed at which you absorb Soul Power will surely increase along with it."
"How do we raise its tier, then? By absorbing Soul Rings from ice-type Soul Beasts?"
"Of course, but that won't be enough."
Tian Meng hesitated for a while, then gathered his courage and smiled. "Yuhao, didn't you call me a coward who'd lived for a million years? Well, now I'm going to make a bold, crazy decision. Will you agree to it?"
"If it succeeds, our chances of achieving godhood will increase by at least thirty percent. But if it fails, we'll die without even a place to be buried."
At the mention of failure's consequences, Tian Meng deflated, his voice growing much quieter.
Huo Yuhao neither agreed nor refused. Instead, he asked, "What are your chances of success?"
"Hard to say," Tian Meng replied. "Whether it succeeds will also depend on her current condition."
Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow.
Her?
Who was she?
Would this plan involve someone else?
"What exactly is your plan?" Huo Yuhao asked.
Tian Meng let out a breath and answered, "I'm going to evolve your ice Martial Soul into Ultimate Ice!"
Tian Meng told Huo Yuhao every detail of his plan. Facing this boy with whom he had exchanged all his memories, he concealed nothing.
Huo Yuhao listened quietly to the entire explanation, his expression growing increasingly animated. "What a crazy plan!" he praised. "Interesting. So it's that one from your memories... Tian Meng, after spending so long with your big brother Yuhao, you've actually learned to think big and act boldly."
"If you don't agree, we can forget it," Tian Meng said softly. "We can take our time."
He knew this plan offered nine chances of death for every chance of survival. Huo Yuhao could naturally refuse and choose a more conservative approach, cultivating steadily, one solid step at a time.
But Huo Yuhao had never been a conservative person.
"No, I agree." Huo Yuhao's lips curled into a fierce grin. "If her situation really is as you described, then our chances of success..."
"Are one hundred percent!"
Tian Meng froze, murmuring, "Yuhao..."
"Thank you!"
Huo Yuhao looked utterly calm. "No need to thank me. I made you a promise."
"I'll take you all the way to godhood!"