After the official class divisions, Huo Yuhao's training gradually settled into a steady rhythm. Except for daily routines and unavoidable classes, he spent nearly all his time at Shrek Academy's Soul Dueling Arena.
Although only second-year students and above could actually participate in battles inside the arena,first-years were not allowed to challenge others or take part in duels,the spectator seats were open to all students. Watching, however, required paying a small fee in gold soul coins.
Huo Yuhao, as a core disciple, was exempt from this fee.
Being a core disciple meant belonging to a small, select group within each class. With this status, Huo Yuhao could freely enjoy a range of benefits in the academy,nutritious meals made from low-level soul beast meat and herbs, access to training equipment, special guidance from instructors, and even monthly stipends as a form of encouragement.
He also had other privileges: access to facilities like the Soul Dueling Arena and the Beast Arena without having to pay entry fees or make reservations.
Overall, his identity as a core disciple made life at Shrek Academy very convenient. Since his original self had already drawn Tang Sect's attention, Huo Yuhao didn't bother worrying too much. What mattered most was what he could actually make use of.
For eight months, he spent nearly every day at the Soul Dueling Arena,not participating in fights, but observing. Due to the academy's rules, he wasn't allowed to join the matches himself, but most students already knew of him by now. After all, it was rare to see someone who showed up at the arena every day just to watch without ever betting or fighting.
During this period, thanks to his improved training method and nourishment from soul beast meat, his previously frail body, once weakened by malnutrition, had fully recovered and even surpassed most of his peers.
Few people could circulate soul power continuously through their meridians, allowing it to nourish the body twenty-four hours a day. As his meridians widened and stabilized, his cultivation aptitude also improved significantly. With his soul power circuits assisting him, his cultivation speed was now comparable to soul masters who possessed martial soul fusion skills.
Even the so-called Xuan Shui Pill, known for accelerating cultivation, merely refined the body and cleared impurities to allow smoother soul power circulation. Since all his meridians were already unblocked, Huo Yuhao no longer suffered from his once-crippling disadvantage of having only rank one innate soul power.
During this time, he also went to Shrek City and pawned the White Tiger Dagger, a fifth-level soul tool he possessed. Using the money, and through Beibei's connection, he exchanged with Xu Sanshi for a Xuan Shui Pill.
Although he no longer needed it for cultivation, he still required a reasonable excuse to explain his rapid progress. At his current pace, simply relying on the Xuan Tian Technique and his martial soul's peculiarities would raise suspicion. Using a pill as a cover was a perfect explanation.
Of course, he didn't actually consume the pill,medicine always carries some risk, and he wasn't sure whether Douluo Continent's crude alchemical system had hidden dangers. Instead, he analyzed the pill's structure using his Eye of Truth, easily deducing its composition and refining principles.
By reverse-engineering its formula, he gained insight into the native alchemy system of the continent. Later, he could even sell the pill elsewhere to recover his costs.
The Xuan Shui Pill, unique to the Xuan Ming Sect, was indeed valuable, but not priceless,worth tens of thousands of gold soul coins at most. A few found their way to auctions every year due to the limited supply.
He chose to pawn, not sell, the White Tiger Dagger because most shops and businesses in Shrek City were affiliated with Shrek Academy. His identity as a core disciple was visible to these establishments, earning him preferential treatment. The dagger was merely collateral; as long as he repaid the principal and interest, he could redeem it later,though he doubted he would bother.
Through observation with his Eye of Truth, Huo Yuhao estimated his soul power had reached about rank 23.
That level of progress was achieved purely through the cultivation managed by Tianmeng Iceworm, without using soul-raising pills or training via martial soul fusion with Wang Dong. His growth speed was already remarkable.
As his cultivation continued, his progress would only accelerate. The smoother his soul power flowed, the more resilient his meridians became, and the better they could channel energy. His self-designed soul power circuits also continued evolving, becoming increasingly refined and efficient.
At least until rank 70, Huo Yuhao believed his training speed would surpass even that of innate full soul power cultivators. What came afterward,forming a soul core,was still beyond his reach for now. Before reaching that stage, he would need to research how best to bridge the gap.
After another uninteresting match, Huo Yuhao stretched lazily and stood up to leave.
Months of observation had already allowed him to thoroughly analyze the martial souls, body structures, soul power flows, and skill formations of almost every student who had fought there. He even studied those who only watched from the sidelines,by examining their martial souls, he could infer and reconstruct their soul skills.
Still, with the semester nearing its end, most students were preoccupied with plans for the upcoming holiday. The few remaining fighters were familiar faces, and their techniques had long since been catalogued by him.
"Yuhao, why are you here again? Aren't you tired of watching these duels every day?"
Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao appeared, both carrying bags of snacks from the food street outside the academy.
Wang Dong naturally handed him some food. Taking a few bites, Huo Yuhao replied, "Even the smallest tactical adjustment can lead to new insights and possibilities. How could I ever get tired of finding inspiration here?"
Having once been teammates during the freshman assessment and later joining Tang Sect together, the three had grown much closer over the past eight months.
"Yuhao, you've already reached rank 20, right? Have you submitted your request for a soul beast hunt? What kind of soul beast are you targeting?" Wang Dong asked curiously.
"I submitted it two days ago," Huo Yuhao answered. "But since it's close to the end of the semester, Director Du arranged for me to join one of the final hunting teams."
"I'm aiming for either the Phantom-eyed Moth, which grants illusion-based spiritual skills, or the Big-headed Spirit Ape, known for mental amplification. I prefer amplification-type abilities overall. But spirit-type soul beasts are rare, so I'll take what I can get."
For him, the specific soul skill didn't matter much. From the start, he never planned to build his combat system around the limited nine soul skills of ordinary Douluo.
Until he gained the ability,or the right,to forge his own soul rings, he only needed to follow the world's natural rules and absorb a few spirit-type rings that weren't too conspicuous.
As long as his spiritual power and soul power were strong enough, he could use his understanding of soul skills and soul tool core arrays to freely create new skill circuits for any battle scenario.
So ideally, his martial soul's attached rings should grant amplification abilities rather than functional ones.
Wang Dong frowned. "But the second-year promotion exam is based on real combat. If your second soul skill is an amplification type… are you sure that's okay?"
Huo Yuhao shook his head. "If you choose your future based on an exam, you're putting the cart before the horse. Exams are only a way to test your progress, not to dictate your path.
"If you already have a clear plan for your future, you shouldn't let exams limit or redirect you. Everyone knows that in later stages of cultivation, offensive and defensive skills from hundred-year or thousand-year rings become increasingly useless.
"Meanwhile, the amplification skills that seem weak early on can shine brilliantly in the long run, since soul skills themselves strengthen with the user's growth.
"For Soul Saints, Douluo, or Title Douluo, low-level attack and defense skills are easily replaced by superior ones from higher rings. But amplification skills never go out of style. Every bit of improvement in amplification creates a huge difference in power between soul masters.
"All it takes is a slightly slower start,and now that soul tools exist, why not buy one as a temporary aid? Spending a little money is far more efficient than wasting a soul ring on a short-lived attack skill."
He continued, "Though acquiring soul skills relies partly on luck, the source species of the soul beast largely determines the skill type. This is something proven by many records.
"So that's my reasoning. Anyway, it's getting late. Shall we head back,or do you two want to eat outside?"
"Since vacation's coming up and we'll be apart for a while, let's go out to eat! You're paying, Yuhao!" Wang Dong said, eyes sparkling as he pushed Huo Yuhao toward the academy gates.
Xiao Xiao quickly caught up, laughing as she joined them.
"Finally, a chance to make you treat us! Haha, I'm going to eat till I drop!"
"Wang Dong, you never eat more than Yuhao anyway. He's taller than you now, and you still brag?"
"Hmph! I was just holding back before!"
As the sun set, the three of them disappeared down the brightly lit streets of Shrek City.
At just twelve years old, they were still carefree youths. These brief, innocent years of friendship and laughter would soon become precious memories of a fleeting time.