After discussing the "birthday party" with Huo Yuhao, Yu Longyue stood up, ordered another orange juice, and headed back to the academy.
Shrek had naturally prepared a dormitory for him.
It was on Sea God Island, though.
So he attended classes at the Shrek Outer Court during the day and rested on Sea God Island at night.
He had to admit, after getting into Shrek, Yu Longyue had discovered another benefit.
He no longer had to work so hard taking theory and practical combat lessons with Uncle Song every day.
"Young Master, now that you have entered Shrek Academy, His Eminence the Sea God Pavilion Master will take full responsibility for that. I will not disturb your further studies and cultivation at the academy, but I will be nearby at all times. If you need anything, please notify me, and I will be at your service."
"Huh? Uncle Song, you're leaving?"
"Young Master, this is only temporary. When you leave the academy, I will still follow and protect you from the shadows."
Yu Longyue was somewhat unaccustomed to life without Uncle Song as his personal bodyguard.
After all, Uncle Song had been by his side since he was little, even before his Martial Soul had awakened. By now, it had been almost ten years.
"Life is as unpredictable as a small sausage wrapped in a big one."
Drinking his orange juice, Yu Longyue returned to his dormitory on Sea God Island.
The dormitory was neither big nor small, and its furnishings were simple.
It had a living room and a bedroom, with all the necessary furniture, like tables and such. The bedroom had a bed, a wardrobe, and the like.
"It's all right, I guess." Yu Longyue pursed his lips. It wasn't luxurious, but it wasn't bad, either.
It certainly couldn't compare with his home.
He took a quick shower, comfortably watched videos on his phone, and got ready to go to sleep. But then a cold breeze blew in, and Yu Longyue, lying on the bed with his phone, instinctively looked toward the window.
There he saw Yun Ming standing there, staring at him without warning, silent as a ghost.
"Ah! Huh? Ah?!"
Yu Longyue was so startled that he dropped his phone on his face.
At the sight of Yu Longyue's embarrassing display, Yun Ming smiled broadly. Standing with his hands behind his back, his white robes fluttering in the wind, he spoke words that sounded devilish to Yu Longyue:
"Xiao Yue, it's time to cultivate. I also need to give you some extra theory lessons."
"..."
Left with no choice, Yu Longyue climbed out of his comfortable bed and began cultivating and studying with Yun Ming.
As the theory lesson drew to a close, Yu Longyue couldn't resist asking a question:
"Uncle Yun, I remember that ten thousand years ago, Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao had Yin-Yang Complementary Triple Soul Cores. How come we don't hear about that in our era?"
Yun Ming paused, then patiently explained:
"Of course it exists. But establishing a Yin-Yang Complementary Soul Core system is exceedingly difficult. Even among the physically powerful Soul Beasts, only Beast God Di Tian has succeeded."
"Then do you have one, Uncle Yun?" Yu Longyue asked eagerly. "You're the continent's undisputed number one! To stand out among so many Limit Douluo, you must be extraordinary!"
"Unfortunately, I don't." Yun Ming shook his head. "The Yin-Yang Complementary Soul Core system places extremely high demands on physical strength. In terms of physical strength alone, I'm not even your equal, so how could I possibly cultivate Yin-Yang Complementary Soul Cores?"
"In this regard, we've also done our best to work toward that goal, trying to retrace the path Spirit Ice Douluo took. Unfortunately... I didn't have that opportunity. Otherwise..." At that thought, Yun Ming sighed.
He might have been able to take another step in that direction.
"Even you don't have them, Uncle Yun..." Yu Longyue sighed.
It seemed that Huo Yuhao's miracle really was difficult to replicate. After all, no one else had the help of so many Soul Spirits.
And the requirements for Spiritual Power and physical strength were high, too. Even Yun Ming didn't have them?
The boost Battle Armor gave Soul Masters was simply enormous. Ten thousand years ago, Beast God Di Tian had been the strongest on the Douluo Continent, but in the current era...
Any Limit Douluo with Four-Word Battle Armor could casually pin Beast God Di Tian down and beat him up. Yin-Yang Complementarity and the like naturally weren't all that rare, either.
At that thought, Yu Longyue couldn't help asking, "Is there really no way to attain Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Cores? In our era, we have the boost from Battle Armor."
"Battle Armor can indeed improve a Soul Master's combat strength in every respect, but it doesn't strengthen our bodies or our insides," Yun Ming patiently explained. "It's like a Fixed Soul Cannon Shell. It has the terrifying power to destroy a city, but under the right conditions, even an ordinary person can destroy a city with a light press of a button."
"Technology can indeed improve our combat strength, but it can't help us extend our lifespans or improve our own physical abilities."
"Do you understand?"
"Got it."
Yun Ming nodded in satisfaction. "I see you've already cultivated a Soul Power Vortex? Good, very good. I was only at rank fifty-nine when I cultivated mine. Your talent is far better than mine."
"I just got lucky."
It really was luck. If Yun Ming hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't even have known.
He had cultivated it entirely through automatic cultivation. It had probably happened while he was sleeping one day.
"Now that your Soul Power Vortex has formed, the next step is to condense a Soul Core. Once the Soul Core is formed, you'll become a Soul Saint." Yun Ming nodded. "Xiao Yue, work hard at your cultivation. Given your physical strength, I believe you're bound to have a very high chance of succeeding with Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Cores. Keep working toward that goal."
With that, Yun Ming stood up.
"That's all for today's lesson. Meditate and cultivate on your own in a little while. I won't disturb you."
"Huh? But... it's already bedtime," Yu Longyue said timidly.
"Sleep?" Yun Ming frowned. "How can you sleep at your age? Besides, we Soul Masters use meditation in place of sleep. If you don't work hard at cultivation, how will your cultivation improve?"
"But I've never used meditation instead of sleep, and my cultivation hasn't fallen behind. It circulates and improves automatically inside me every day."
Yu Longyue's face was written all over with reluctance.
The corner of Yun Ming's mouth twitched.
Even he didn't have the talent to improve his cultivation automatically while sleeping every day.
He had become a Limit Douluo in his twenties entirely through hard daily training, accumulating progress day by day.
Comparisons really could make a person sick with envy.
Knowing full well how lazy Yu Longyue was, he put on a stern face:
"Be good. Meditate and cultivate now, this instant, immediately. Otherwise, I'll double tomorrow's lessons and make you work even harder."
"Oh."
Reluctantly, Yu Longyue began to meditate and cultivate.
Yun Ming nodded in satisfaction, then vanished from the room in the blink of an eye.
Ten minutes later.
Having gained a rank, Yu Longyue stopped meditating and stretched. His eyelids began to droop.
I can't hold out...
Time to sleep!
Then he went to sleep.
In the middle of the night, Yun Ming made a surprise inspection, only to discover that Yu Longyue had actually fallen asleep!
He was asleep!
Seeing Yu Longyue's sleeping face, Yun Ming froze.
You little rascal, how dare you slack off right in front of me?
No wonder even your father can't handle you.
Yun Ming promptly used his Spiritual Power to wake Yu Longyue.
Roused from sleep, Yu Longyue was so groggy he couldn't even open his eyes.
"Wha's wrong?"
Yun Ming's face was cold. "Who said you could sleep? Didn't I tell you to meditate instead?"
"Has your cultivation improved that much? And you already dare to sleep?"
"But I've already gained a rank." Yu Longyue rubbed his eyes, looking ready to fall asleep again. "I was already great today. I'll try again tomorrow."
Yun Ming: "?"
Gained a rank?
Yun Ming immediately hauled Yu Longyue up and checked.
It was true.
He was already at rank fifty-four.
"When did you gain a rank?"
"Uh... mm... probably a few minutes after I started meditating. I don't remember, I forgot." As Yu Longyue spoke, he fell asleep right in front of him.
Yun Ming: "..."
Damn this guy. He can gain a rank after just a few minutes of meditative cultivation?
Wasn't cultivation supposed to be difficult for those with Ultimate Attributes after reaching Soul Elder?
Even he was a little envious of that talent.
So he woke Yu Longyue up again and forced him to cultivate.
This continued until morning.
At eight in the morning, during the first class, Gu Yue, who shared a desk with Yu Longyue, looked at the dark circles under his eyes and asked in puzzlement:
"What's wrong with you? You look completely drained."
"Don't even ask. I was tortured. It was awful." Yu Longyue looked haggard, with dark circles under his eyes, and was already nodding off. "Have you ever experienced the agony of sleeping soundly, only to be suddenly woken up, then falling asleep and waking up again, over and over until morning?"
"No." Gu Yue shook her head. "I meditate instead of sleeping."
After waiting a moment without a reply from Yu Longyue, she was just about to see what was wrong when she heard a bang, loud enough to interrupt Wu Changkong's lesson at the front of the room almost instantly.
Everyone looked toward Yu Longyue. He had been so sleepy that his forehead had slammed hard onto the desk, and he had fallen asleep, looking very peaceful.
Whispers immediately broke out in the class. Everyone said Yu Longyue was a real daredevil, bold enough to sleep through class at Shrek.
Wu Changkong frowned but did not wake him. He simply continued teaching.
And so Yu Longyue became the first student in history to dare sleep through class at Shrek, a daredevil who even slept until noon. His fame spread far and wide.
When lunchtime arrived and the bell rang, Yu Longyue rubbed his eyes and looked at Gu Yue beside him, who had packed her things and was getting ready to leave.
"Why didn't you wake me?"
"You looked so tired, I figured I'd let you sleep a little longer." Gu Yue spoke with righteous conviction.
"Well said. I actually have no answer to that."
Yu Longyue stretched and was just about to leave when he saw Wu Siduo blocking his way out of the classroom.
"Hel... lo?" Having just woken up, Yu Longyue was still quite groggy.
"Why are you always like a divine dragon that shows its head but not its tail?" Wu Siduo fixed her beautiful eyes on Yu Longyue. "Whenever I want to find you, you're hard to track down."
Gu Yue, who was just about to step out of the classroom, stopped and glanced back at Wu Siduo.
Yu Longyue immediately gave her a polite smile. "May I ask what you wanted to see me about, miss?"
"Do you have time? I want to spar with you. I just want to know how big the gap between us is." Wu Siduo studied Yu Longyue without blinking, trying to gauge his strength with her eyes alone.
"What a coincidence, vice class president." Huo Yuhao walked over as well and turned to Yu Longyue. "I'd also like to know how big the gap between us is. How about a spar?"
Wu Siduo glanced at Huo Yuhao, looking a little defiant. "I was here first."
Huo Yuhao smiled without speaking.
Yu Longyue thought for a moment.
He hadn't expected Wu Siduo to come too, but it made no difference. The more people, the better.
Huo Yuhao, whose Spiritual Power has broken through to the Spirit Domain Realm? Perfect. Let's see how strong he is in a fight.
"Why don't you both come at me together? I'm in a hurry."