Bonus Chapter. Enjoy!
===========================
The lounge chair creaked rhythmically, the monotonous and regular sound echoing clearly within the Sea God Pavilion.'=
After a long while, Elder Mu's aged voice rang out once more.
"Mm. Go on."
The Yan Shaozhe bowed respectfully, then turned and walked toward the door.
The sound of footsteps gradually receded, eventually disappearing from everyone's sight.
Silence fell over the Sea God Pavilion once again.
Elder Mu's eyes were half-closed, his wrinkled face devoid of any expression.
He hadn't looked at the files concerning Huo Yuhao that Du Weilun had submitted earlier.
Compared to those cold numbers, he trusted what he saw with his own eyes and felt with his own senses.
Huo Yuhao's talent was unique, even in the eyes of an old man like him who had lived for hundreds of years.
When facing such a Genius, no amount of attention from the academy was excessive.
Around the long table, the various Elders had also stopped speaking.
They were waiting, waiting for the Yan Shaozhe to return with that child.
At the same time, they were filled with anticipation, wondering what kind of person this Genius—who had prompted the Sea God Pavilion to convene a special meeting—actually was.
...
Shrek Academy was, in the end, still that same Shrek Academy.
Ten Thousand Years of time was enough to turn seas into mulberry fields; although this academy had expanded significantly, at least the location remained unchanged.
Huo Yuhao had taken some free time over the past few days to walk around the academy, finding traces of what he had seen Ten Thousand Years in the future.
And now, he followed the Yan Shaozhe onto the true core of Shrek Academy—Sea God Island!
When his feet truly stepped onto the island's soil...
A life aura so dense it almost felt tangible rushed toward him. It was identical to what he had felt when he stepped onto Sea God Island Ten Thousand Years in the future.
The Yan Shaozhe hadn't stated the purpose of this visit.
But in Yuhao's heart, he had already guessed it fairly accurately.
The doors of the Sea God Pavilion slowly pushed open before him.
In that instant, dozens of gazes simultaneously snapped toward him, converging on his body as if trying to see through him from the inside out.
Huo Yuhao lifted his gaze, calmly scanning the people seated around the long table.
He keenly sensed the information conveyed in their gazes: shock, curiosity, and even regret.
The Yan Shaozhe stepped forward, his voice echoing in the Sea God Pavilion:
"Yuhao, these are the Elders of the academy. Every single one is a powerhouse at the Titled Douluo level."
As he spoke, everyone's eyes fixed on Yuhao's face, wanting to see what kind of expression this young man would show.
After all, any eleven-year-old child suddenly meeting so many legendary existences should have some sort of reaction.
Shock, awe, tension, fear—even being so excited they couldn't speak—would be normal.
But Huo Yuhao just stood there calmly.
He nodded slightly, his gaze slowly passing over each Elder's face. His gaze was neither humble nor arrogant, composed and steady, without a single trace of stage fright or panic.
He was so steady... he didn't seem like an eleven-year-old boy.
Around the long table, several Elders exchanged looks, seeing the same thing in each other's eyes... this child was not simple.
At this moment, they finally understood why Elder Mu had said those words earlier.
This young man indeed could not be treated as an ordinary student.
If they blindly tried to pressure him with the posture of superiors, it might backfire.
The Yan Shaozhe continued, "Your talent is a once-in-a-millennium find. The Elders here all cherish talent and wish to take you as a disciple."
"Quite a few among them are Super Douluos."At this point, his gaze fell back on Huo Yuhao, his tone carrying a hint of solemnity: "I wonder, what are your thoughts?"
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao's heart stirred slightly.
It was slightly different from what he had guessed. He had originally thought being summoned was just a formality to let these Elders see the legendary Genius student.
He hadn't expected they actually intended to take him as a disciple, and that they were asking for his opinion so formally.
In his view, while the Shrek Academy of Ten Thousand Years ago was still arrogant, it was at least a bit better than the one Ten Thousand Years later.
Huo Yuhao raised his head, his gaze calmly scanning the long table, and slowly shook his head.
"I thank the Elders for their high regard," he said in a level, calm voice. "It's just that currently, I have no intention of taking a master."
As soon as these words were spoken, the Sea God Pavilion instantly fell silent.
The expressions of the Elders all changed simultaneously.
No one had expected that Huo Yuhao would actually refuse.
Lin Huiqun was the first who couldn't hold back. She suddenly sat upright, her voice unconsciously rising several notches.
"Boy, do you know who wants to take you as a disciple right now?"
"It's a Super Douluo! How many Super Douluos are there in the entire continent? You could probably count them on two hands!"
"If you miss this Opportunity, you'll likely regret it for the rest of your life!"
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
Regret it for the rest of his life?
His face remained as calm as water, showing no emotion whatsoever.
Was he lacking a Super Douluo as a teacher?
Ten Thousand Years in the future, he had several teachers, including those with Ultimate combat power. He didn't lack guidance from famous masters at all.
Furthermore... he hadn't entered Shrek Academy to seek a master and learn skills.
He just wanted to see with his own eyes the wife recorded in the history books—that woman who, Ten Thousand Years later, only existed in cold text—and see what she was truly like.
If he took a master, he would truly be entering the Shrek lineage.
Even after graduation, he would ultimately be tied to this academy.
Seeing Huo Yuhao's reaction, Lin Huiqun felt as if she had punched a bale of cotton; it was incredibly frustrating.
The other Elders who had also wanted to speak saw this and tactfully kept their mouths shut.
Silence fell over the Sea God Pavilion once more.
Just then, a voice suddenly rang out: "Student Yuhao, if you have no intention of taking a master, then... are you interested in coming to my Soul Tool Department?"
The speaker was, naturally, the Yan Shaozhe of the Soul Tool Department, Qian Duoduo.
The Yan Shaozhe's expression changed abruptly.
He snapped his head around: "Old Qian! This is a Sea God Pavilion meeting, don't mess around!"
Internally, however, he was cursed.
This old fox must have heard about Huo Yuhao's talent for spirit tools from somewhere!
No wonder he had been silent all this time; he was waiting for this moment!
Hearing this, Qian Duoduo chuckled unhurriedly:
"Old Yan, I'm not messing around."
He stood up, his gaze slowly scanning the Elders around the long table. He cleared his throat and said loudly:
"The data Yan Shaozhe Yan showed you all just now wasn't complete..."
"It didn't specify that Huo Yuhao is also at least a Rank 5 Soul Engineer!"
As the words fell, the sound of sharp intakes of breath filled the Sea God Pavilion once again.
An eleven-year-old Rank 5 Soul Engineer?!
The Elders looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock.
Although these old fellows usually didn't value spirit tools, it didn't mean they didn't know what a Rank 5 Soul Engineer represented.
It meant that while this child was cultivating Spirit Power, he was also dedicating a massive amount of energy to researching spirit tools.
It also meant that if he didn't research spirit tools, his cultivation speed might be even faster than it was now!
What kind of concept was that?
He was already a Level 43 Spirit Ancestor; if he were any faster... they didn't dare think further.
However, facing Qian Duoduo's invitation, Huo Yuhao still slowly shook his head.
"I thank Senior for the invitation, but I don't have much interest in joining the Soul Tool Department either."
Anyone else hearing this would have probably given up.
But who was Qian Duoduo? He was famous in Shrek Academy for having thick skin.
The smile on his face didn't fade in the slightest as he continued, "Student Yuhao, I know you had some friction with Teacher Fan Yu from our Soul Tool Department."
"But that's easily settled. I can have him apologize to you! How about it?"
Huo Yuhao's expression didn't change, and he didn't respond.
Qian Duoduo wasn't discouraged and continued, "You are so young yet have such achievements in spirit tools; you must truly love them."
"As long as you're willing to join the Soul Tool Department, feel free to make any request!"
"Cultivation resources, spirit tool Materials, research funding... whatever the Soul Tool Department can give, I'll give it to you!"
"Furthermore, I can promise that the day you become a Rank 8 Soul Engineer, you will be the next Yan Shaozhe of the Soul Tool Department!"
However, facing the many 'temptations' thrown by Qian Duoduo, Huo Yuhao remained unmoved.
He nodded slightly, his tone carrying a hint of apology: "I thank Senior for the high regard, but I only research spirit tools to make a living. I wouldn't say I particularly like them, so I'll pass on the Soul Tool Department."
The eager smile on Qian Duoduo's face instantly froze.
If he could become a Rank 5 Soul Engineer at this age just to 'make a living,' then just how high was his talent?
If he liked it even a little bit, if he were truly passionate about it, how far could he go?
Qian Duoduo stood stunned, unable for a moment to tell if Huo Yuhao was being serious or not.
---------------------------------------------
A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.