Every time he absorbed a spirit ring, his soul power would increase by at least one level. Huo Yuhao had now absorbed two spirit rings, meaning that, aside from the soul power boost from absorbing the rings and his innate level one soul power, his self-cultivation results over the years had only gotten him to level 24. Soon, he would be twelve years old, which meant that in almost five years, he had managed to cultivate to level 24. That averaged out to less than five levels per year, a speed that wasn't exactly slow, but Huo Yuhao didn't feel any sense of pride in it.
He believed few of his peers could match him, but he honestly didn't think there was anything to boast about. After all, he knew the truth of his situation. While others were working hard, he was the one who had the "Huo cheat," just short of a system to help him out. How could anyone compare to that?
What's more, he knew his enemies weren't the children around him. They were people like Tang San, who had already achieved the status of a God King and had lived for tens of thousands of years.
Furthermore, the road of cultivation was always tougher and slower the further one went, to the point where, eventually, progress would grind to a halt. Huo Yuhao looked at the long-term picture and knew that a small achievement here and there wasn't worth being overly satisfied with.
Walking down the wide avenue of the academy, with all sorts of lush plants lining the sides, including some rare species, Huo Yuhao arrived at the teaching building. The building itself was colored white, yellow, purple, and black, clearly distinguished by the level of the spirit rings. The white building was for first-year students, the yellow for second and third-year students, the purple for fourth and fifth years, and the black for sixth-year students, which was the highest level. Finishing sixth year would grant one a graduation certificate from Shrek's outer academy.
Soon, Huo Yuhao arrived at the dormitory building. The Shrek dormitory building covered a vast area, though it was divided into four sections—white, yellow, purple, and black—each with its own entrance. It was like separate units, much like the teaching buildings, with the different colors marking the separation of grade levels.
When he reached the entrance of the white section, Huo Yuhao saw an elderly man, who appeared to be in his twilight years, comfortably leaning back in a recliner. The sunlight shone on his simple clothes, making him seem at ease. To an outsider, the old man didn't seem to exude any aura—he appeared just like an ordinary senior citizen.
But Huo Yuhao didn't think so. Shrek Academy didn't have ordinary people. This man, able to conceal his aura to such an extent, was terrifying. Combining this with the memories from the original novel, Huo Yuhao had already roughly guessed this person's true identity.
Without hesitation, Huo Yuhao walked directly into the dormitory building. He didn't want to stay even a second longer around such a monster.
After passing through the old corridor, following the key number he had been given, Huo Yuhao quickly found his room. Room number 145—that was going to be his dormitory for the long term.
Opening the door, the room was simply arranged: a desk, two metal-framed beds, and two metal wardrobes, their rusted surfaces showing signs of wear and tear over the years. The ceiling had a simple light fixture that worked by absorbing soul power, with a switch on the wall that activated the light when soul power was channeled into it.
Other than these, there was nothing else in the room. It was clear that this dormitory had been vacant for a long time, with thick dust covering both the bed frames and the floor.
In terms of the dormitory environment, Huo Yuhao felt that the ten gold soul coins a year for tuition seemed a bit too much, and that high tuition didn't even include meal costs. To eat at the academy's canteen, one would have to pay out of pocket.
Half an hour later, Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged on his bed, the soft bedding beneath him. The room had been cleaned to perfection by him, and a light breeze from the open window carried away the stale air in the room.
Bang!
At that moment, the sound of the door being kicked open startled Huo Yuhao, who had been focused on his meditation. It was the peak of the school year, so the person entering must have been his roommate.
Huo Yuhao looked up and saw a boy who appeared to be around his age. He had fair skin and handsome features, but what caught the eye most were his eyes—strikingly unique in a pale blue color, and his short hair matched the same shade.
"Finally, it's been cleaned. Now this looks like a place a person could live. I'm exhausted!" Before Huo Yuhao could greet him, the boy plopped down onto the desk, complaining.
From his words, it was clear he had been here before. But seeing how dirty the dorm was, he hadn't wanted to clean and had temporarily left with the intention of letting his future roommate do it.
"You're also in this dorm, huh? Well, you're considerate. Since you cleaned the place so well, I'll reluctantly let you live here with me. But I've got a few rules you need to remember. First, no bringing people back to the dorm. Second, no walking around in your underwear, causing trouble. Third, no snoring at night. Fourth, don't talk to me unless necessary. Fifth, you're responsible for cleaning, but don't touch my bed. Got it?" The boy listed his rules proudly.
"If you don't want to stay, then get out. No one's stopping you." Huo Yuhao wasn't going to tolerate the boy's unreasonable demands. He retorted directly.
Any normal person wouldn't appreciate such a show of arrogance, especially when it made the boy seem like he was superior to everyone else.
"You dare insult me? Looks like I need to set some rules for you, otherwise, you won't even know who's the boss around here," the boy exploded with fury, his soul power surging as he raised his fist toward Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao had already expected this. His eyes flashed with golden light, and with a soul shock, he struck the boy. In an instant, the boy felt excruciating pain in his head and let out a shrill scream before collapsing to the floor, unconscious. In his last moments, he saw two spirit rings—one yellow, one purple—emerging from Huo Yuhao, realizing he had underestimated him. He hadn't expected anyone besides himself to be capable of absorbing spirit rings beyond their level.
Ignoring the boy lying unconscious at the foot of his bed, Huo Yuhao continued his meditation. He did this because he knew how these rich and powerful students could be arrogant. It didn't matter if he let it go today, but if he gave in, they'd only become more insufferable. He needed to give this boy a lesson to keep his arrogance in check.
As for the boy's identity, others might not know, but Huo Yuhao was very clear. His name was Tang Wutong, daughter of Tang San, disguised as a boy under the name Wang Dong—a mere decoration.
It was surprising that Huo Yuhao was sharing a dorm with Tang Wutong. This was probably the handiwork of God King Tang San, who might have intentionally allowed this to happen. Huo Yuhao couldn't help but believe their meeting was no coincidence—it was all part of Tang San's plan. In the end, Tang Wutong and the whole idea of "family" were nothing but tools for the God King to win people over.
After all, when Tang San was young, he had been incredibly respectful to Yu Xiaogang—calling him "father" and expressing boundless gratitude. But once Tang San became a God King, he took his wife and parents, abandoning all the bonds of mentorship and family.
(End of Chapter)