Level-Three Soul Power Circuit – Refraction
Today was the last class of the semester. Once it ended, the students of Shrek Academy would finally begin their much-anticipated vacation.
Both Zhou Yi and Wang Yan were present in the classroom. The moment the students saw Zhou Yi's stern, aged face, the excitement that had been bubbling due to the upcoming break immediately subsided.
Zhou Yi swept her cold gaze across the class. Because Huo Yuhao hadn't caused any incidents recently, she didn't have a reason to assert authority by suddenly expelling a few core students from Class One, as she had done before.
With a cold snort, Zhou Yi walked to the back of the classroom and sat down on an empty chair.
Wang Yan then stepped onto the platform with a gentle smile. "Students, today marks the final day of your first year. Since the academy hasn't assigned any specific lessons for this class, I won't take up too much of your time."
"I'll just explain a few things about your vacation arrangements, and then you can go back to pack up and prepare to head home."
At those words, everyone's spirits lifted, though none dared to show it too openly,not with Zhou Yi sitting silently at the back.
Wang Yan continued, first offering some praise and encouragement to the class before his tone shifted.
"However, don't let the thought of vacation make you lazy. Unlike other schools, Shrek Academy doesn't hold final exams at the end of the term."
"Instead, we have the entrance examination for the next term. To test whether you are qualified to become second-year students, you'll need to work even harder during the holidays than you do at school."
"Otherwise, when next term begins, I might not see some of you in Class One anymore."
"Of course, I value every one of you. I know how much effort you've all put in. So, I hope that when the second year officially starts, not a single one of you will be missing."
Huo Yuhao couldn't help but purse his lips helplessly. Work even harder during the holidays? What was there left to work on?
For students with powerful family backgrounds or inherited resources, going home meant access to plenty of support and cultivation aids. But for the commoners, leaving the academy meant losing access to resources, training facilities, and guidance.
Sure, they'd have more time to meditate and cultivate soul power, but without resources and instructors, their growth would naturally slow down.
So, Wang Yan's words were clearly aimed at reminding the less privileged students to push themselves harder,to make sure they wouldn't fall too far behind.
"Alright," Wang Yan said, "let's go over the key points for the promotion assessment. Remember them well."
"First, every student must reach level 20 in soul power. That's a strict requirement,you must be at least a level-20 Soul Grandmaster with two soul rings."
"If you don't have your second ring by the time of the exam, you might as well not come back next term."
"No matter how talented you are, the two-ring standard is a fixed rule. If you can't meet it, no one can help you."
"So, in the coming month, those who haven't reached level 20 need to push themselves,and you must obtain your second ring as well."
"Having two rings is just the entry ticket to the promotion exam."
"Based on past experience, first-year students are usually required to face a soul beast,at least a hundred years old,on their own under a teacher's supervision."
"This is a major test of your individual strength. Although the exam methods vary, in about seventy percent of cases, it's a solo battle against a soul beast."
"The rest of the time, it might involve challenging an instructor or a senior student, but it's always a solo assessment. Teamwork isn't allowed,you must rely on your own strength."
"Of course, the academy won't let you face mortal danger. If something goes wrong during the fight, the proctor will intervene. But that also means the exam ends immediately, so make the most of every chance in combat."
"Those whose strength is still lacking will have a tough holiday ahead. Besides improving your soul power and obtaining your second ring, you'd better work on your combat experience as well."
"That's everything for the personal advancement assessment."
"Next, let's talk about the class advancement assessment. Each class is considered a unit. If only a few individuals pass but the class as a whole fails, it doesn't mean much, does it?"
"So, apart from the individual exams, each class will select three to seven students to take part in a special group assessment."
"The results of that test will directly affect the entire class's promotion. A strong performance can help raise the standing of those who may not perform well individually,it's a big bonus."
"But on the flip side, if the class's performance is poor, the difficulty for each individual exam will increase drastically."
"Here's a simple example: if the class completes its special assessment perfectly, then everyone in the class advances to the second year, regardless of individual combat results."
"But if the class only scores ten percent, then only the top ten percent of individuals in the personal exams will qualify to advance."
Wang Yan said all this with a smile, but everyone listening felt like thunder had just struck them.
"What kind of ridiculous assessment system is that?" Huo Yuhao couldn't help but mutter internally. Who had come up with such a bizarre idea?
Would this really help select the best students? If the class's performance was bad, that meant the chosen team wasn't strong enough,but letting everyone pass just because of one perfect group test was absurd.
"Alright, that's all I have to say. Class dismissed. Go pack up." Wang Yan waved his hand with a smile.
Despite the surprise, many students were secretly happy.
After all, Class One's strength was unquestionable. They had Dai Huabin, a Soul Elder who could use a martial soul fusion skill, and Zhu Lu, the Ghost Cat Soul Grandmaster.
They also had Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao,the top team from the entrance exams,as well as the fusion-skill twins Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo, and the capable Wu Feng.
No matter who was chosen for the group test, they were confident Class One would do well, so there wasn't much to worry about.
After class, Zhou Yi called the class monitors, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, to remind them about returning on time and matters concerning next semester.
That night, in the dormitory, Wang Dong suddenly asked while staring at the ceiling, "Hey, when I leave tomorrow, will you miss me?"
Huo Yuhao rolled over, gave him the middle finger, and muttered, "Go to sleep. It's just a month. Take care of yourself."
Wang Dong sighed and didn't say more. He turned off the lights and went to bed.
Huo Yuhao, however, entered his spiritual sea and poked the small gray sphere resting there.
"Elder Yi, wake up. Are you sure that guy's fine?"
"You've asked me that several times already," Electrolux's ancient voice echoed. "You've seen it yourself, haven't you?"
While the old man rarely acted, he could still chat freely with Huo Yuhao.
"I've observed through your eyes. That rune in the boy's spiritual sea can't interfere with the outside world,it only affects those it has marked, or the boy himself."
"As long as you don't establish a physical, spiritual, or power-based connection with him, it won't trigger the divine consciousness hidden within the rune."
"For some reason, the owner of that divine consciousness is quite powerful, but their control is crude. They sealed much of its function, leaving it dormant."
"Even I wouldn't have noticed such a thing hiding beside you without your special vision."
"It's easy enough to handle,just remove the rune without triggering the seal. But right now, I don't have the strength to do that."
"If I use your body as a conduit, your strength would need to reach at least the equivalent of a seventh-tier powerhouse in this world. Only then could I safely remove or completely seal the rune."
Huo Yuhao sighed. "That'll take a long time, Elder Yi. Isn't there another way?"
"The Iceworm's power isn't truly yours," Electrolux replied. "Even if it's strong enough, your body can't handle that level of force."
"I could try to use its energy to remove the rune, but your body would be destroyed in the process."
"Unless your physical strength or vitality improves far beyond its current level, the best option for now is to leave it alone."
"As for other methods, I can't think of any yet. Once my divine sense recovers further, and more of my memory returns, perhaps there will be another solution."
Huo Yuhao nodded, letting the matter drop.
He had other plans for the night,modifying his internal soul power circuits. Tomorrow's soul hunt was coming up, and although academy teachers would accompany them, he preferred to rely on his own strength.
'Defensive-type circuits won't do. Going head-on with my current strength is too risky.'
'I should focus on evasion-oriented circuits, maybe with some flexibility for area attacks or unexpected strikes… Yes, this one should work.'
After a year of cultivation, Huo Yuhao's physique had improved greatly, allowing him to sustain more advanced circuits.
Before, he could only handle four level-one circuits or two level-two circuits at once. Now, he could bear the load of a single level-three circuit.
A level-three circuit is composed of at least three tightly connected level-two circuits, or about ten level-one circuits at most, depending on design.
'Overlay, connect, buffer, deflect, absorb, transform, release, sustain, stabilize, conceal.'
Using the insights he had gained from analyzing countless soul skills and soul tool formations, Huo Yuhao began constructing his new circuit in his spiritual sea, burning through large amounts of mental energy to perfect the design.
Level-Two Circuit: Soul Armor
Composed of "release," "overlay," and "sustain."
Allows soul power to flow from acupoints to the body's surface, forming a defensive armor. Moderate defense, long duration, but with small gaps between acupoints.
Level-Two Circuit: Deflection
Composed of "buffer," "connect," and "deflect."
Redirects and disperses incoming force through controlled soul power flow, reducing impact damage.
Level-Two Circuit: Shadow Escape
Composed of "absorb," "transform," "stabilize," and "conceal."
Absorbs soul power to stabilize its form while concealing the user's presence to a certain extent.
When combined, these three level-two circuits formed the Level-Three Circuit: Refraction,Huo Yuhao's new defensive system, designed to protect him during the upcoming soul hunt.