"Meimei, your deskmate made it into Senior Tingting's article!" Hu Mei's best friend excitedly placed a copy of "Soul Engineer Genius" on Hu Mei's desk.
Hu Mei stole a sideways glance at it and said indifferently, "Not interested."
"Still angry? He's just throwing his weight around because he has a spiritual-type Martial Soul!" Her friend's eyes shifted as she thought for a moment. "Well, since you're so angry, I'll have a word with Wang Shaojie."
Hu Mei frowned but did not stop her. Wang Shaojie was a fourth-year student pursuing her, and he had recently been preparing for his Level 4 Soul Engineer certification exam.
With her best friend passing him the news, he would surely teach Huo Yuhao a lesson.
During the second week, more and more people occupied seats in the library to study. Books piled up everywhere as large numbers of students buried themselves in cramming theoretical knowledge.
With his ability to enter a flow state at any time, Huo Yuhao had already studied and digested the knowledge in one book and worked through several chapters of a second.
His progress was extremely rapid, far exceeding the speed Feng Yu had told him an ordinary spiritual-type Soul Master should have.
But Huo Yuhao began to feel that something was off. Why had everyone entering the study room been deliberately glancing at him since the start of this week?
Ring, ring, ring!
The bell rang in the distant teaching building, marking the end of the afternoon's last class. The dining hall was already prepared to face the students.
Students preparing to have dinner rose throughout the library, and Huo Yuhao heard their quiet grumbling:
"That's the transfer student in Class One, Year Two? The guy who made it into 'Soul Engineer Genius'?"
"Once he buries his head in a book, he never looks up. Is he putting on an act, or is he really that absorbed?"
"Don't you know about flow states? Apparently, talented people can sometimes enter one."
"I do, but can someone tell me what kind of flow state lasts a whole week?"
"Another damned spiritual type. He hasn't even earned his Level 1 Soul Engineer certificate, and he's here padding his record on the Level-Up Ranking?"
"It's the last Soul Engineer rank exam before the holidays. Competition on the Level-Up Ranking is getting fierce again."
Huo Yuhao activated his Telepathist ability and briefly scanned the Ether Bodies of all the students present, reading emotions such as admiration, jealousy, and disdain from them.
Huh? Why has someone suddenly come through the door feeling angry? And he's coming straight at me!
Huo Yuhao stood and watched a tall youth stride angrily toward him, stop in front of him, and demand:
"You're Huo Yuhao, the transfer student in Class One, Year Two? You really think you're a big shot, don't you?"
The tall youth's voice was far from quiet, instantly drawing the attention of the students who had been about to head out and scramble for food.
After working hard all afternoon, the chance to relax and watch some drama was difficult for them to resist.
Huo Yuhao calmly observed him with his Telepathist ability while repeatedly reviewing every interaction he had had with other students since enrolling.
Who did I offend? When did I ever throw my weight around?
The youth wanted to stand up for someone else. Who in the academy would need him to do that? It could only be a student.
Although ten days had passed since his enrollment, he spent most of his time in the library and rarely spoke to others, so he quickly narrowed it down to one person:
Hu Mei!
Girls with deep pink Ether Bodies tended to be relatively casual about relationships between men and women and had more pursuers.
Combining this person's brown Ether Body, which represented wariness, with his own appearance in "Soul Engineer Genius," Huo Yuhao quickly grasped the situation and came up with a response.
He looked the person before him over and smiled. "May I ask your name, senior?"
The tall young man snorted softly. "Wang Shaojie. Don't try to get chummy with me. You haven't answered my question."
"Senior Wang, do you like Hu Mei?"
Huo Yuhao went straight for the point. One look at Wang Shaojie's flushed face told him he had guessed correctly. He thought for a moment, then said:
"Don't worry, senior. Although she's my deskmate, I already have someone I like. I won't have much involvement with Hu Mei."
Although Huo Yuhao had no one he liked, there was no harm in inventing someone to lower Wang Shaojie's guard.
Sure enough, Wang Shaojie's expression softened considerably. His main purpose in coming was actually to determine whether Huo Yuhao, who had appeared in "Soul Engineer Genius" magazine, would become his rival.
But he did not mind teaching this transfer student a lesson either, to make his presence felt in Hu Mei's eyes.
"Heh, senior, that's not how you pursue a girl." Looking every bit the old hand, Huo Yuhao beckoned Wang Shaojie closer.
Wang Shaojie gave him a suspicious look, but he liked Hu Mei far too much, and his body obediently leaned closer anyway. "You spend all day in the library. What would you know about chasing girls?"
"Not so, not so. Haven't you heard that you can't judge a person by their appearance, senior?"
Huo Yuhao shook his head with an air of profound wisdom and whispered, "Girls can't withstand being pleased-being pleased through every means possible! With enough sincerity, senior, even metal and stone will yield."
Wang Shaojie said thoughtfully, "Pleasing someone without any bottom line gets you called a simp. How can that work?"
"Senior, don't you want to be Hu Mei's boyfriend anymore?"
Huo Yuhao put on a stern expression and continued, "Haven't you heard? Simp, simp-keep simping to the end, and you'll have everything."
"Once the two of you are playing zither and lute in harmony, flying wing to wing, who can say it's wrong to spend money on your own wife? How can you pursue a girl if you won't even spend money?"
"Think about it, senior. Haven't you spent very little money so far, and hasn't your pursuit been progressing slowly?"
"I haven't spent much money!" Wang Shaojie carefully recalled the course of his "relationship" with Hu Mei and said blankly, "So that's where the problem was!"
"Exactly! Who cares if you get called a simp? What matters is getting the food into your mouth!" Huo Yuhao slapped his thigh hard and said sincerely, "Senior Wang, go for it without worrying!"
"Huo Yuhao, you know so much about this. You must have simped for plenty of girls before, right?"
Wang Shaojie gave Huo Yuhao a thumbs-up, then hurriedly turned and left the library as though he had obtained a secret martial arts manual. He had probably gone to pester Hu Mei.
Watching his retreating figure, Huo Yuhao's mouth twitched. He actually managed to drag me into it too?
Still, having a diversion like this amid a fulfilling life of study doesn't seem bad?
Wang Shaojie had gained a chance at love, Hu Mei had gained an awakened simp, and he himself had enjoyed the show.
Everyone has a bright future!
Huo Yuhao also left the library and headed for the Teachers' Canteen.
Inside the Teachers' Canteen, he took out the dean's supplementary card to pay first, then found a clean little table and surveyed today's specially prepared meal.
The advanced Soul Engineer set meal was simply too nourishing. After learning about his circumstances, the professional chef, a rank-eight food-type Soul Master, had even specially introduced dishes suited to his digestion.
Stir-fried Thousand-Year Phoenix-Crying Bird tongue tips were fiercely spicy and refreshing, making his Soul Power circulate faster as though set ablaze; steamed Ten-Thousand-Year Silver Knife Fish belly was tender, smooth, fresh, and savory, warming his whole body and seeming to sweep away all fatigue; there was also Jade Sea Cucumber Soup, which left him much more clearheaded after drinking it and gently nourished his spiritual power...
The enticing aromas from each plate were like drumsticks, beating his already hungry stomach into rumbling!
He placed a bowl of Pheobe Crystal Rice before him and dug in, making the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm in his Sea of Consciousness drool with longing:
"After these past few days, I've finally seen it clearly. This advanced Soul Engineer set meal of yours demands the finest rice and the most delicately sliced meat. It's even better than what I used to eat!"
The Ice Empress, who usually rested in silence, also spoke up for once:
"In all my years as one of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North, I rarely ate as well as you humans. Sometimes, getting to eat a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was enough to satisfy me. Nothing like you... sigh!"
Huo Yuhao said, "Brother Sky Dream, Ice Empress, don't worry. Once I'm strong enough, I'll definitely restore your bodies, and we'll eat the finest food on the entire continent together!"
At his words, the Ice Empress's expression thawed like an iceberg, and a faint smile curved her lips. "All right."
Before you continue