Coexisting with Electrolux!

Lu Ren's expression did not relax. He feigned vigilance, his voice carrying the edge a boy his age ought to have:

"That may be so, but you're living in my Sea of Consciousness. Ultimately, that's a hidden danger. If your divine consciousness grows restless and interferes with my cultivation, or even throws my mind into chaos, how am I supposed to feel at ease?"

"I can't entrust my life and safety to an existence of unknown origins."

His words were neither servile nor overbearing. He held his ground while displaying exactly the caution expected of a lone wolf genius.

Of course, Lu Ren already knew Electrolux's background, but he still had to say this deliberately... First, he did not want the other party to realize that he knew the entire plot.

Second, it would make it easier to negotiate his upcoming deal with Electrolux and establish a Binding Vow between them.

Electrolux fell silent for a moment.

That aged consciousness rippled faintly within the Sea of Consciousness, like an elder seriously considering how to answer a young man's doubts.

"Little fellow, you needn't worry so much." His voice held helplessness, but also sincerity. "As things stand, I'm the one who cannot do without you, not the other way around."

"Only the negative emotions you continually absorb can keep my divine consciousness from dissipating, and even restore me to an increasingly complete state."

"In return, I have lived for countless years, crossed planes, and witnessed the mysteries of heaven and earth. There is nothing I do not know. Your power is unusual and unruly. It may seem formidable, but in truth, it is crude and difficult to control. I can guide you in refining your energy and reining in its restlessness, allowing your cultivation to yield twice the results with half the effort."

"We can coexist for mutual benefit. Why not?"

Lu Ren lowered his eyes. A few seconds later, his brow slowly eased, and he agreed.

At this, a trace of appreciation entered Electrolux's voice:

"To possess such composure and caution at your young age... No wonder you can wield such strange and unusual power."

"When a foreign divine consciousness rashly intrudes into your Sea of Consciousness, it is only natural for you to be wary and concerned."

"I harbor not the slightest ill intent. Going forward, I only wish to shelter in your Sea of Consciousness and rely on the emotional power you absorb to keep my remnant soul from dispersing."

"I only hope that we can treat each other sincerely and coexist for mutual benefit. I will certainly not betray your trust."

"You flatter me, sir." Lu Ren offered a modest reply before changing tack. "I have yet to ask how I should address you."

"My name is Electrolux." The aged voice slowly uttered the name, then paused. "But any further memories... I cannot recall them for now."

Lu Ren did not press him.

Electrolux did not continue the topic either. Instead, he changed the subject and began explaining how to control Cursed Energy.

Although Electrolux did not understand what Cursed Energy was, he saw it as nothing more than energy generated by negative emotions. To him, there was little difference.

After all, he had once been a powerhouse who had stepped into the realm of gods.

"Your method of absorbing negative emotions is far too crude. It's like scooping water with a winnowing basket-seven parts out of ten leak away. I will teach you a refinement method to compress and purify the scattered energy, putting every strand to full use."

Lu Ren focused and listened intently.

Electrolux's voice echoed in his mind, every word as clear as if it had been engraved there.

He did not discuss any profound terminology, but rather the most basic aspects of energy control: how to sense the flow of Cursed Energy, how to compress scattered energy, and how to put every strand precisely where it belonged.

Lu Ren had never studied these things systematically.

The abilities from Itadori's template had been infused directly into his body by the system. They were easy to use, but lacked an underlying foundation.

It was like someone born with immense strength who had never learned how to apply it.

This gap was precisely what Electrolux filled.

Time passed without him noticing.

Lu Ren sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, sensing the flow of Cursed Energy within his body.

The energy that had previously been scattered throughout his meridians was gathered, compressed, and straightened out bit by bit, like weaving a tangled mass of threads back into silk.

From then on, the precision with which he used his Cursed Technique improved by more than a single level.

When Lu Ren opened his eyes, he discovered that a fish-belly white had already begun to spread outside the window.

He had actually spent the entire night learning.

"Sir?" he called inwardly.

There was no response.

Lu Ren called again, but the other party remained silent.

Just as Lu Ren thought he had fallen asleep, the aged voice finally sounded, though it was much weaker than before:

"It was the stimulation of your Cursed Energy that awakened me. I cannot remain conscious for very long."

"If you can share some with me when you absorb Cursed Energy, I will be able to remain more fully awake and teach you more."

Lu Ren did not agree immediately.

He quickly weighed it up in his mind.

Giving Electrolux a portion of his Cursed Energy would mean slowing his own cultivation.

But in exchange, he would receive cultivation guidance from a teacher who had lived for countless years and crossed planes.

No matter how he calculated it, he would not lose out on this deal.

Besides, his next objective required a sufficiently powerful helper.

And Electrolux met every condition.

"All right," he said crisply. "Sharing some Cursed Energy with you is no problem, but I have one condition."

"Go ahead."

"You must do everything you can to help me."

Electrolux fell silent for an instant, then let out an aged laugh filled with pleasure.

"Naturally. I reside within you and am nourished by your energy. Helping you is only my duty. Why should we need to discuss conditions?"

Lu Ren nodded:

"It looks like we have a partnership."

Electrolux's laughter gradually faded, and that aged consciousness sank into the depths of the Sea of Consciousness, falling asleep.

Silence returned to the dorm room.

Sitting on the bed, Lu Ren sensed the gray bead re-forming in his Sea of Consciousness and growing still.

He could not help laughing aloud.

What a windfall.

Electrolux, the Undead Saint Mage God, one of Huo Yuhao's greatest fortuitous encounters in the original story, was now in his hands.

He would give Electrolux Cursed Energy to sustain his life, and Electrolux would teach him to cultivate.

With this man's help, he no longer needed to worry about his next Soul Ring.

Lu Ren stood, walked over to the window, and pushed it open.

The cool morning breeze poured in, carrying Mingdu's distinctive metallic scent.

In the distance, faint, low rumbles came from the direction of the Soul Tool testing grounds. A new day had begun.

"I'll have to absorb more Cursed Energy to keep Electrolux supplied," Lu Ren muttered to himself.

His current rate of absorbing Cursed Energy was still too slow. Even keeping Electrolux awake was a struggle.

He had to find a way to increase the output of negative emotions.

Lu Ren turned and left his dorm room.

Early-rising students were already moving through the corridor. When they saw him, they all instinctively stepped aside, their eyes filled with awe.

Someone muttered something under their breath, but the person beside them gave their sleeve a sharp tug, and they immediately shut up.

With his record of seventy-eight consecutive victories there for all to see, no one dared act insolently in front of him.

Lu Ren walked past without looking aside, but his mind was working on something else.

Over at Shrek, Xuan Zi was most likely searching the whole world for him by now.

Before long, he would probably follow his trail to the Sun Moon Empire.

The Soul Tool Jing Hongchen had given him was still tucked inside his clothes, but Lu Ren did not intend to use it so soon.

If Xuan Zi wanted to search, let him. The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy was no pushover, and neither was Jing Hongchen.

All he needed to do was cultivate with peace of mind, wait until Electrolux had accumulated enough strength, make thorough preparations, and then go to the Far North to compete with Huo Yuhao for the Ice Empress and get her to choose him. That way, he would not have to worry about his upcoming Soul Rings.

There were still roughly six months before Huo Yuhao would head to the Far North.

Lu Ren made a quick calculation.

Six months would be enough.