It was noon, and all of Shrek Academy's students had already finished their morning classes. Since this was the first day after the class divisions, there wasn't much real teaching,just introductions between teachers and students.
The real instructions from the homeroom teachers would come in the afternoon.
After returning to the dormitory, Huo Yuhao didn't go to the cafeteria for lunch. Instead, after a short rest, he handed over control of his body to the Skydream Iceworm and entered his spiritual sea.
In one corner of that vast inner world lay a gray sphere. Through his Eye of Truth, Huo Yuhao could see that after months of nurturing, its structure had become much more complete than before.
His spiritual form approached it and reached out with spiritual power to make contact. A wave of calm, mixed with a faint warmth, spread into Huo Yuhao's consciousness.
"Senior, you should be almost awake by now. You've been living in my spiritual sea for three months. Don't you think it's time we talked about rent?" Huo Yuhao said tentatively through his spiritual power.
He had tried to communicate this way several times over the past month, but without response. Today should have been around the time when Electrolux would awaken temporarily to assist him,but whether he could actually awaken the old man, Huo Yuhao wasn't sure.
In the original story, Electrolux had awoken because of Huo Yuhao's emotional turmoil before falling back into slumber. Though the spiritual sea provided a stable environment for Electrolux's divine consciousness to recover, it couldn't actively nourish or restore it faster.
So Huo Yuhao didn't hold out much hope this time. Still, persistence pays off. Through his Eye of Truth, he noticed a subtle tremor ripple across the gray sphere.
"Senior? Are you awake?" he asked again.
After a brief silence, an aged voice sighed softly before responding with mild helplessness. "Little one, my divine consciousness may be damaged, but I am not completely unaware of the outside world."
"For nearly two months now, you've entered your spiritual sea every day to cultivate,rain or shine. You even take the time to greet me. That's quite rare. But there's no need for that. My strength is limited, and I can only act a few times."
"For most of your needs, that big bug living in your sea can already help you. Why bother disturbing this old man?"
"I bear you no malice, child. There's no need to be so cautious of me."
He thought Huo Yuhao's repeated attempts to awaken him were due to fear of a stranger occupying his mind.
"As for rent," Electrolux continued, "my memory is still fragmented. When my divine consciousness recovers more, I won't occupy your sea without offering something in return."
Huo Yuhao coughed awkwardly. "I just didn't hear from you for a long time, Senior, and I was worried something might have happened. Also, I'm genuinely curious about your origins. Now that you're awake, could you tell me a little about yourself?"
Electrolux paused, as though recalling something distant. "I believe I don't belong to this world. As for the rest… I can't remember much. When my divine consciousness recovers further, I'll do what I can to help you."
"I only recall a few vague fragments now."
Huo Yuhao seized the opportunity and said directly, "Then, Senior, do you perhaps remember any methods for cultivating or controlling spiritual power? Could you teach me a little? Of course, I won't take your knowledge for free. Even though my current ability is limited, I'll try to find something that can help restore your divine consciousness in exchange."
Electrolux chuckled faintly. "You're quite bold for your age. With your current strength, you won't be able to obtain anything that can repair divine consciousness. But your sincerity pleases me."
"I do have some fragmented techniques on spiritual control. I'll give them to you,consider it rent for the days I've stayed."
A cool, refreshing energy flowed from the gray sphere and wrapped around Huo Yuhao's spiritual body. Immediately, a new understanding of spiritual control appeared in his memory.
It was intricate and refined, incomplete but still far superior to anything he'd had before.
"All right, little one," Electrolux said gently. "I'll return to restoring my divine consciousness. Unless it's something important, don't disturb me. When the time comes, I'll lend you my strength."
Having achieved his goal, Huo Yuhao grinned. "Then I won't disturb you further, Senior. But… what should I call you?"
"I no longer remember my name," the voice replied faintly. "If I recall it someday, I'll tell you then."
The gray sphere then cut off the connection and fell silent once more.
"That's fine," Huo Yuhao thought. "Even without a name, that control method was worth it. It's far more systematic than the Purple Demon Eye I've been using."
"With this technique, I can refine my Spiritual Shock and combine it with soul circuits. That will boost its power while reducing backlash."
Suddenly, a robotic voice echoed in his mind. "Beep beep, Huo Yuhao, attention! A situation has arisen in the outside world. Please take control of your body immediately!"
The Skydream Iceworm was still lying lazily in the depths of the spiritual sea, sound asleep, but the voice came from a fragment of its consciousness,a simple spiritual duplicate it had created after months of managing Huo Yuhao's body.
This clone wasn't very intelligent. It could handle basic tasks like eating, attending class, and listening to lectures, but if something unexpected happened, it would call for Huo Yuhao to take over.
Huo Yuhao withdrew from the spiritual sea and regained control of his body.
He was already in the classroom, and the students around him were whispering. By accessing the clone's memories, he quickly understood what was going on,and rolled his eyes internally.
Apparently, because of some odd favoritism toward his martial soul, he had been nominated by Wang Yan as a candidate for class monitor of the **Control Department**, despite being officially listed as an **Agility-Type** soul master.
The other nominees were Cao Jinxuan, Lan Susu, and Lan Luoluo.
However, thanks to his overwhelming performance in previous matches,unlike the original story,few people objected. After all, who would question someone who, with just one soul ring, had defeated a three-ring Soul Elder in seconds?
Even Dai Huabin couldn't complain; doing so would only remind everyone that he had lost to Huo Yuhao himself.
"Teacher Wang, I object," Huo Yuhao said flatly. "Being class monitor requires too much time and energy. My soul power is too low. I don't have the time to manage class affairs."
Wang Yan froze. He hadn't expected anyone to _refuse_ such a position.
After all, most eleven- or twelve-year-old children cared deeply about pride and status. Becoming class monitor was a way to feel important, and it conveniently helped teachers maintain order.
He hadn't imagined someone would turn it down.
The classroom erupted in whispers. Though Huo Yuhao's combat ability was shocking, he still only had one soul ring. In Shrek Academy, where geniuses were everywhere, that didn't seem particularly special.
Wang Yan sighed and said, "Since you're unwilling, I won't force you. But remember, courage and a sense of responsibility are sometimes more important than cultivation itself."
"Shrek Academy is our home. Once a member, always a member. Protecting and supporting one another is what truly matters."
Huo Yuhao nodded obediently, though his thoughts were far from sincere. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. Until I have the power to crush Shrek Academy, you can preach all you want."
With that minor scene over, the class monitor election continued smoothly.
Wang Dong, the top scorer in the entrance exams,and blessed with stunning looks,quickly earned the support of many female students. Combined with a few male students who disliked Dai Huabin, Wang Dong won the position by a wide margin.
Still, she glanced at Huo Yuhao, knowing exactly why he had refused.
Back in the dormitory, he had once complained that being a class monitor at Shrek was nothing but a pile of thankless chores. It delayed cultivation, brought no real benefits, and painted a target on your back.
Wang Dong had realized he was right, but she couldn't bring herself to reject the role publicly,it would hurt her pride.
So when she looked at Huo Yuhao now, she knew he simply didn't care for such meaningless honors.
"Alright, that's all for today," Wang Yan concluded. "Rest well. Tomorrow, our real lessons begin, and they'll be much harder than during the first three months."
Hearing that they could leave early, the students cheered and rushed out,unaware that tomorrow would bring the torture of the infamous old witch Zhou Yi.
Back in the dorm, Huo Yuhao smirked at Wang Dong, who was lying on her bed groaning in frustration. "So, how does it feel being the teacher's little helper again, Class Monitor Wang?"
"I regret it! I should've refused like you did!" Wang Dong shouted, tossing her pillow.
Having spent three months together, she had relaxed a lot around him. After enduring Zhou Yi's tyranny, venting like this was her way to cope.
"That crazy old witch is still my homeroom teacher! She worked me half to death last time! Why didn't you help me reject it too?"
Her pillow sailed through the air, but Huo Yuhao caught it easily and tossed it back, hitting her square in the face.
"If you didn't want it, you should've said so. Just take it easy. You're a core disciple now,Zhou Yi can't expel you. Worst case, you just quit being class monitor."
Wang Dong blushed slightly. "It's not that! I just didn't want that Dai Huabin jerk to get it! You saw how he looked at me,humph! A loser like him doesn't deserve it!"
"Well, his soul power is higher than yours," Huo Yuhao said lazily. "Anyway, it's your problem. I'm going to meditate. Wake me when it's time for dinner."
With that, he turned over and lay down again.
After three months, he had already copied most of the books from Shrek's outer court library, so he no longer needed to visit. When he "meditated," it was usually the Skydream Iceworm cultivating for him, while his true consciousness stayed in his spiritual sea,running experiments, testing soul circuits, analyzing martial souls and soul skills, and trying to break through limits.
But repeating the same data day after day had slowed his progress.
"It seems I'll need to gather some new data soon," he thought. "And that soul bone… I should finish analyzing it. Its structure is incredibly complex. So far, I've only peeled back the surface."
"Maybe it's because it's a thousand-year soul bone. Without a hundred-year specimen to compare, it's hard to be sure."
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