Chapter Fourteen: The Scroll

Although the energy prevalent in this world differs from that of the Holy Demon Continent, upon closer inspection, there are some striking similarities.

"Lacking a cultivation method?" Elder Yi mused for a moment.

Then, a stream of light flew out from the gray gas mass, striking Sky Dream precisely on the head.

"Let the child keep it... consider it my rent."

Following a soft sigh, the gray gas mass fell silent.

Sky Dream, however, was startled by this entity involved with god-level power. He scrambled away in a panic, staring from afar at the scroll that had fallen from the light.

"What is this thing?"

Sky Dream squinted, circling the scroll while wriggling cautiously, not daring to touch it. It wasn't that he was overly vigilant; it was simply that the scroll, emitting gray mist, did not look like anything good. Having been nearly burned to death by golden flames earlier, he was determined not to touch anything with unknown properties.

Outside.

"Cheng Cheng, Qiu Jianrao, Tang Dao... you can pack your things and get out."

Zhou Yi delivered the death sentence in her harsh, grating voice. The faces of the nine students who had only just enrolled a few days ago turned pale instantly.

"She actually dared to expel students!"

Wang Dong, nearly breathless from running, leaned on his knees, his eyes filled with shock. "Is she not afraid of private retaliation from those students' families? She is only a six-ring Soul Emperor!"

To put it bluntly, at that level, one could be ambushed and killed the moment they stepped outside the city gates.

"Who knows... perhaps she has a powerful background?"

Huo Yuhao slumped to the ground. A layer of blazing light seemed to shroud his body, continuously emitting soul power. Just as he finished his laps and cut off the flow of soul power, the vortex in his dantian, lacking the momentum to sustain itself, suddenly disintegrated. All the energy he had extracted from the surroundings had to be returned.

"As expected, the vortex is just a makeshift solution. It can hardly be considered a systematic method."

Huo Yuhao sighed with regret. Unless he could ascend in one leap and condense a soul core, any rotating soul power would eventually dissipate; it was merely a matter of how quickly and with what intensity.

"Yuhao!"

Sky Dream's voice suddenly rang out in his mind.

"What?"

"...Never mind. We'll talk when you get back tonight."

?

Huo Yuhao blinked, then pushed the thought to the back of his mind.

The eccentric teacher's instruction continued, starting with a morning lecture on soul tool offensive and defensive theories, followed by a physical fitness test in the afternoon to rank them.

It was an elimination system.

"Is that old hag crazy? If she keeps filtering like this, most of what’s left will be Power Attack System beast souls!"

Wang Dong's mouth twitched.

That morning, she had claimed that the lines between offense and defense were blurred and that other types of soul masters could also engage in power attacks. Now, she was implementing a management strategy that would make even traditional soul masters cry out in protest.

Which side are you actually on—Soul Spirits or Soul Tools?

Many others held similar thoughts, though no one dared to voice them.

"At least thirty pounds of weight."

Huo Yuhao hefted the iron vest. Carrying such an exaggerated weight while running until the bell rang was an almost impossible task for low-level support-type soul masters. Had he not received the blessing, he would never have completed this task with his mere eleventh-rank soul power.

"Are all teachers at Shrek like this?"

A trace of confusion flickered in Huo Yuhao's eyes.

Wasn't Shrek Academy's education supposed to be the best on the continent? How did it all boil down to running laps and sitting through classroom lectures? There was nothing unique about it. If there was any difference, it was simply that the food was better and the teachers were stronger.

"Can you really cultivate top-tier experts this way?"

His worldview seemed to waver.

...

After a full hour, as the bell rang, Class One of the freshmen lost another student. The only good news was that Zhou Yi stopped trying to torment them and generously dismissed them back to their dormitories.

Knock, knock.

"Are you done washing yet?"

Huo Yuhao leaned against the dormitory door, waiting. Having run laps twice in one day, he was drenched in sweat and needed to clean up.

"Just a moment, just a moment."

Wang Dong replied in a fluster, rustling as he put on his clothes and opened the door.

This had happened more times than he could count.

Huo Yuhao looked at Wang Dong, who had his hair wrapped up, and felt that something was off. It was fine when they were in class or eating together, but in daily life, his roommate always displayed some peculiar habits.

People from wealthy families were just different.

"Hoo~ Sky Dream, can you tell me what happened now?"

Sitting on the bed frame, Huo Yuhao entered his spiritual sea once more.

Light and darkness swirled, with clear radiance spreading out. Every time he emerged from the water, he couldn't help but marvel at the vastness and wonder of this space. But this time, a scroll emitting gray gas sat before Sky Dream.

"Here. This is what that tenant of yours sent over, saying it was to cover the rent."

Sky Dream nudged the scroll with his head, urging him repeatedly, "Hurry up and take a look at what's inside."

"Then why don't you take it?"

Huo Yuhao reached out.

"I value my life; I'm afraid there's something wrong with it."

Huo Yuhao pulled his hand back.

"Then you want me to do it! Is my life not worth anything?"

Upon receiving this answer, Huo Yuhao immediately bristled. So much for "shared prosperity and shared ruin"... how could he let his host face danger?

"Calm down, calm down~ He left this for you voluntarily, didn't he?"

Sky Dream offered a fawning smile. "An entity of that level has no need to use such methods to harm you; you can rest assured. I'm just purely afraid."

Once bitten, twice shy.

He had been truly terrified by that godhead's flame; even now, his spiritual depths ached faintly. The terrifying power of it had made him fear that the damage was irreparable.

"I hope so."

Huo Yuhao poked the scroll with a dark expression. Only after confirming it was safe did he carefully open it.

At first glance, it was full of strange characters he couldn't understand.

However, the very next moment, a phantom array appeared on the surface of the scroll. A strange beam of light shot out from the center of the array and struck Huo Yuhao directly between his brows, giving him no time to react.

"This is!"

Huo Yuhao gasped in surprise.

He watched as the characters on the scroll twisted and rearranged under the pulsing waves, gradually transforming into text he could read.

Familiar words emerged one after another.

Meridians, circulation, meditation... this was a cultivation technique!

Ecstasy washed over Huo Yuhao's face. He stood up abruptly and bowed respectfully to the gray gas mass above. "Thank you, Senior!"