In the blink of an eye, the first month of Huo Yuhao's freshman life was coming to an end.
During this time, Huo Yuhao's primary focus had been on cultivation. Every day after class, he could be found in the restricted book section of Shrek Academy's inner courtyard library, engrossed in his studies.
His relentless pursuit of knowledge had brought him closer to Han Ruoruo, though no new achievement tasks related to their relationship had been triggered.
Perhaps this was due to the peaceful and uneventful nature of their daily lives during this period.
Huo Yuhao's routine was straightforward: he shuttled between his dormitory on Sea God Island, the freshman teaching building, the inner courtyard cafeteria, and the library.
Huo Yuhao mantra was simple: 'Work hard, only work hard!'
His dedication was infectious, and even the entire ninth class was inspired to push themselves under his leadership.
With a "desperate" monitor like Huo Yuhao and a diligent deputy monitor like Ning Tian, who closely followed his example, the class had no choice but to keep up.
Mu Jin, their teacher, was naturally pleased with this development. With the support of the outer courtyard director, Du Weilun, she maintained a strict yet understanding approach.
She turned a blind eye to Huo Yuhao's occasional absences from class, recognizing his exceptional dedication.
Just like Mu Jin, another instructors, were equally strict but had yet to expel a single student. The freshman class of one hundred students remained intact, with no dropouts.
This was typical of most freshman classes at Shrek Academy. Teachers generally gave new students a chance to prove themselves in the assessments, leaving their fate to their own efforts and luck.
However, Zhou Yi's class was an exception. Her harsh and unreasonable expulsions had already drawn attention across the academy, thanks to some thoughtful individuals spreading the news.
Despite the criticism, Zhou Yi not only continued her methods but intensified them. In less than a month, her class had dwindled from one hundred to seventy students.
Huo Yuhao, though not in Zhou Yi's class, couldn't ignore her actions. As the possessor of the Righteousness Gu, he felt compelled to speak out against her behavior. He even took the time to voice his concerns to Du Weilun.
This wasn't solely due to the achievement tasks related to Xiao Xiao, but also because of his inherent sense of justice.
[Xiao Xiao]
[Relationship: Friend]
[Achievement Mission: When Will It End?]
Despite his busy schedule, Huo Yuhao didn't neglect his relationships. He made sure to strengthen his bonds with others and trigger the yellow exclamation marks that signaled new opportunities.
One of his notable skills was grilling fish, which had become a popular activity among his peers.
Every Saturday night, Huo Yuhao hosted a barbecue party in a secluded spot on Sea God Island.
The attendees included some of the most talented students in the inner courtyard, who were likely to become the next generation of the "Shrek Seven Monsters." Among them were Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, Jiang Nannan, Tang Ya, Beibei, and Xu Sanshi.
The only one missing was He Caitou from the Soul Guidance Department. Since Huo Yuhao hadn't revealed his mental detection abilities, he hadn't formed a friendship with He Caitou as he had in the original timeline.
As one of the original "Shrek Seven Monsters," He Caitou certainly had the potential to unlock achievement tasks. However, Huo Yuhao wasn't particularly interested in soul guides at the moment, so he decided to let things unfold naturally.
Shrek Academy's senior management, aware of Huo Yuhao's activities, chose to turn a blind eye.
They even quietly provided some soul beast meat for the barbecues, pleased to see such a talented group bonding and growing together.
Yan Shaozhe, one of the academy's leaders, saw this as a positive development. He believed that these gatherings would strengthen Huo Yuhao's ties to Shrek Academy.
With the increasing resources and protection the academy offered, Yan Shaozhe was confident that Huo Yuhao would come to see Shrek as his family.
To further support this, the academy even imported precious fish fry into Sea God Lake for Huo Yuhao and his friends to enjoy.
As for Huo Yuhao's cultivation, it progressed smoothly. A few days prior, he had successfully reached level 30 with the help of the Yuan Stone, without relying on any pills. This accomplishment unlocked two achievement tasks:
[Achievements Triggered!]
[Achievement: "Tang Ya's Grilled Fish, I Can't Live Without You!" Reward: Witness Gu.]
[Witness Gu: A level 3 Gu that allows the user to launch gaze-based attacks, bypassing ordinary defenses and directly targeting the soul of a soul master.]
[Evaluation: "Look at my purple devil eyes—mental shock!"]
[Achievement: "Ning Tian's Flower Protector" Reward: Dog Controlling Gu.]
[Dog Controlling Gu: A first-turn Gu shaped like a jade dog's head, capable of controlling dog-like soul beasts.]
[Evaluation: "Your Majesty has the right way."]
The Witness Gu, when combined with Huo Yuhao's first soul skill, Soul Impact, could deal double the damage. Through experimentation, Huo Yuhao discovered that combining the Witness Gu, Righteousness Gu, and Soul Shock created an ultimate move: Soul Explosion.
This technique was devastating, capable of overwhelming any opponent whose spiritual power wasn't at the level of an Eight-ring Soul Douluo.
Additionally, the third-level Ice Explosion Gu, when activated alongside the Northern Dark Ice Soul Domain and the Torso Bone Soul Skill, Domain of Perpetual Ice, could instantly kill a six-ring Soul Emperor—provided the opponent was frozen first.
In short, Huo Yuhao had become incredibly powerful. However, the Dog Controlling Gu, while interesting, wasn't particularly useful. Limited to controlling only thousand-year-level dog-like soul beasts, it didn't hold much significance for Huo Yuhao at this stage.
The third-turn Strength Gu, on the other hand, proved to be highly effective. With the Ice Empress' assistance, Huo Yuhao could achieve a martial soul body enhancement similar to the Ice Jade Scorpion Empress.
This boost in strength allowed him to rival a seven-ring Soul Saint, making it one of his more reliable combat techniques.
However, techniques like Soul Explosion and Ice Explosion were reserved as trump cards, to be used only in dire situations.
---
"It's time to leave."
Huo Yuhao didn't inform anyone about his trip to the Star Dou Forest. With the help of his Imitation skill and Skydream, slipping away from Shrek Academy was easy.
A day or two of absence wouldn't raise any alarms, but a prolonged disappearance would certainly be noticed.
To prepare for this, Huo Yuhao left a letter for Ma Xiaotao in his dormitory, knowing she was the only one who might barge in unannounced.
[Sister Xiaotao, I'm heading to the Star Dou Forest to hunt for spirit ring. If you don't hear from me for a whole week, please seek help from the senior sisters.]
He hoped it wouldn't come to that. After all, what could possibly go wrong in the Star Dou Forest?
He had ventured there alone when he was only level 10. Now, with his enhanced abilities and additional "plug-ins," he had nothing to fear.
…
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