CHAPTER 15 – THREE MONTHSPart 1
The red-clothed girl in the secret chamber was a six ring, Spirit Emperor with a fire attribute that almost caused the death of Huo Yuhao and w.a.n.g Dong. From her appearance, she seems only about twenty years old. If that is her actual age, then her talent cannot simply be described as amazing.
A twenty year old Spirit Emperor! There aren’t even many of them in Douluo continent’s entire history. She can even be compared to the Seven Devils of Shrek’s Academy.
The voice that called out to her belongs to the wizened, white-clothed man who took her back to the chamber. After his questioning, the red-clothed girl, Xiao Tao, shook her head, “I don’t remember. All I can recall was redness in front of my eyes. After that, I felt a life threatening sensation, so I resisted. Then I woke up here.”
The white-clothed man furrowed his brows and stood in front of her. He said with a low voice, “Why didn’t you tell me that you couldn’t control the evil fire within yourself? Do you know, you almost got into great trouble. Two students from the outer school almost died from your fire.”
Xiao Tao was stunned, “I… I didn’t know it was going to be this serious. I thought I could control it. But….”
The white-clothed man sighed, “The more you try to suppress it, the more powerful it will be when it gets released. Xiao Tao, from now on, slow down on your cultivation. Even though you are the greatest genius in Shrek Academy in hundreds of years, we can’t let you get destroyed. If the evil fire destroys your mind next time, Teacher will regret it for life.”
Xiao Tao responded stubbornly, “No, Teacher. I want to cultivate. I promise it will never happen again. I can feel that the evil from the fire is now completely under control. There won’t be any problems in the short term. However, I wonder what kind of power was able to suppress my Evil Phoenix Fire.”
The white-clothed man went into deep thought and then said: “It must have been an extremely cold, ice attribute spirit with a purity much higher than your Evil Phoenix Fire. It is almost like the Ancient Ice Dragon’s Absolute Frost Breath. It completely suppressed any harm the Evil Phoenix Fire might have done to your body. It is better than any other way that we have tried.”
Xiao Tao said in confusion, “But… it couldn’t have been an Ancient Ice Dragon! Especially in our school. Could it be someone who snuck into our school?”
The white-clothed man shook his head and said, “I already asked someone to check it out. I originally thought it was from the protectors of the two students, sent from their families. However, after investigation, I realized there are no such possibilities. One of the students is named w.a.n.g Dong, the other, Huo Yuhao. Huo Yuhao is the Tang Clan’s special admittance student. I asked Beibei, and he said he met Huo Yuhao in Star Dou Forest and brought him here. His talent is about average and he is also an orphan. There shouldn’t be anyone protecting him. w.a.n.g Dong has a more impressive background. However, his attribute is not an ice type Battle Spirit. As for others within the school, I checked many times. Even though there are many ice attribute students and teachers, none of them have such a pure and amazing Battle Spirit. It is extremely bizzare.”
Xiao Tao said, “Teacher, nevermind then. You don’t have to investigate anymore.”
The white-clothed elder said, “This is going to affect your future. How can I not worry? If we can find someone with an extremely pure ice attribute spirit, especially if he’s a guy, then you two can be the perfect couple. He can resolve the Evil Phoenix Fire within you. Only then can you become truly amazing. Right now, you are being restrained. Not only is your cultivation speed decreasing, your life is also on the line.”
Xiao Tao blushed, “I don’t want to get married, especially to someone that I don’t like.”
The white-clothed elder sighed. “The problem is that you can’t control the fire.”
“I will control it! I’m not marrying!”
The white-clothed elder said furiously, “Ma Xiao Tao, if you continue to be this stubborn, I don’t want you as a student anymore.”
Ma Xiaotao saw that the elder was in a rage and suddenly quieted down. She said with a voice full of grievances, “But Teacher, I…”
The elder patted her head, “Stupid girl, feelings can be cultivated, but you only have one life. Furthermore, you are so outstanding. No matter what, Teacher will find you a good home.”
………….
“Nannan, I bought you roasted fish from that kid from yesterday. Don’t worry, I didn’t use force, but lined up to buy it.” Xu Sans.h.i.+ blocked in front of Jiang Nannan when she was heading to the cafeteria with a face full of politeness.
Jiang Nanan shook her head, “No, thank you.”
Xu Sans.h.i.+ probingly said, “You think I was too violent yesterday? I’m usually not like that. It was only for you that I…. Nannan, I know you hold a grudge for what happened before. But, isn’t it fate that we could meet each other again at Shrek Academy? I really like you and I promise to be faithful forever.”
Jiang Nannan said with cold fury, “I remember I told you before the last time we met that we want different things and should go our separate ways. There will never be any negotiation between you and me. Xu Sans.h.i.+, you are part of a high and mighty bloodline. Why try so hard for a little girl like me? I can’t give you anything. Please don’t intervene in my life anymore, or else I will notify the school. Also, please don’t bully other students because of me.”
Finis.h.i.+ng this sentence, she tried to turn and leave; but Xu Sans.h.i.+ blocked in front of her. He said with anger, “I bullied another student? Don’t you know that I was taken advantage of by that Beibei guy so badly? The one roasting fish yesterday was his little brother. He used the chance to trick me into giving him two Mystic Water Pills. Tang Ya also shot a Dragon Whisker Needle into me. Even now, there is a huge purple mark on my waist. What is not good about me? You just don’t want to give me a chance.”
Jiang Nannan said coldly, “What is so good about you when you went to that type of place at such a young age?” Finis.h.i.+ng, she turned to leave again. This time, she jumped up and three yellow rings flashed. Her eyes became longer and straightened. Her body also became slimmer. Her pair of legs slowly used some force and she flashed more than ten meters away and sped off without turning her head.
Watching her shadow, Xu Sans.h.i.+ blanked for a while then ferociously bit into the roast fish in his hands, “Xu Sans.h.i.+, you’re so pitiful. So what. I’ll eat it myself. Wow. This roast fish really does taste good.”
Part 2
“Huo Yuhao, I didn’t know that your fish roasting skills were this good. How about this, from now on, I’ll treat you to dinner every night and you can treat me to roast fish?” w.a.n.g Dong said with excitement as he savored the delicious aroma of the roast fish.
Huo Yuhao laughed, “You can’t eat roast fish every night, right? You would get tired of even the most delicious food if you eat too much of it.”
w.a.n.g Dong responded, “No problem. I don’t care. I want to satisfy myself first. It’s settled. Tomorrow night, I want four. Two is really not enough! Also, you saw how many people were lined up today. I feel like you should add a few more. It doesn’t waste much more time anyway. If not, the people who know you will have taken everything before you even sell any.”
By now, the two had already finished selling and were back to the dormitory area after eating dinner in the cafeteria.
“Elder Brother gave me another Mystic Water Pill. w.a.n.g Dong, do you think I should eat this first or the Spirit Ascension Pill?” Huo Yuhao asked w.a.n.g Dong as he brought out both pills. w.a.n.g Dong obviously had much more experience with drugs than him. Now that Huo Yuhao obtained two valuable pills with good fortune, his heart was anxious about it. If these two pills can greatly change his cultivation then he won’t be falling behind the other students anymore.
w.a.n.g Dong thought for a second, “If you want my advice, then you should wait for taking both pills.”
“Why?” Huo Yuhao asked with confusion.
“Think about it. You took the Mystic Water Pill yesterday and have already eliminated a lot of impurities. The Mystic Water Pill’s effects will remain within you for a while and be dissolved as you cultivate. If you take other pills during this time, even though the effects will still be good, you will be wasting some of it. The Mystic Water Pill and Spirit Ascension Pill are both made using heavenly treasures, you should use these precious pills to their full extent. I suggest that you first cultivate for around ten days and fully absorb the effects of the first Mystic Water Pill before taking the second. You will be a step further to changing your const.i.tution and can raise your Spirit Power at the same time. When you finish absorbing both Mystic Water Pills, your const.i.tution and your vessels will have improved greatly. With the opening of your body, you can take the Spirit Ascension Pill and receive even better effects.”
Listening to w.a.n.g Dong’s explanation, Huo Yuhao felt it was very reasonable. “Thank you. Good thing you told me or I wouldn’t know how to take them. What about you? Will you take it today?”
w.a.n.g Dong nodded. “I am already level twenty-one and have exceptional const.i.tution and vessels so it should be perfect for absorbing the Spirit Ascension Pill. I will take it now and I should completely absorb its effect within one night. Hehe, I will be at least level twenty-two tomorrow. Maybe even level twenty-three. Didn’t senior Xiao Ya say that I can join the Tang Clan after getting number one in the Freshman Examination? After eating this, I will have an even greater certainty. Okay, I will start now. You should cultivate too.”
As he said this, he put the walnut-sized Spirit Ascension Pill into his mouth and lightly bit down. Suddenly, a thick, refres.h.i.+ng aroma flowed out from inside the pill. w.a.n.g Dong lightly inhaled and a wave of green juice followed into his mouth and down to his stomach. He did not leave the sh.e.l.l either and swallowed it.
Just then, the room was filled with the scent of thousands of flowers. Huo Yuhao’s mind suddenly cleared and all thirty-six thousand pores on his body opened. An indescribable feeling filled him. He didn’t waste any time and immediately used the Spirit Power stimulation elicited by this experience to start cultivating.
After the cleansing of the Mystic Water Pill, cultivation for Huo Yuhao felt like a pleasure! He quickly entered meditation. The Mysterious Heaven Skill circulated and infiltrated his entire body and gradually increased.
A faint, jade green glow started appearing on w.a.n.g Dong’s body. A new rich, refres.h.i.+ng current started circulating within the room and Huo Yuhao absorbed a little of it. The majority of this current followed w.a.n.g Dong’s breathing and flowed back into him. Under the stimulation of the Spirit Ascension Pill, his Spirit Power rose at a shocking speed.
After experiencing the challenges in the first two days of school, Huo Yuhao’s academy life became more peaceful and he gradually gained some reputation. His good name was, of course, not from his power, but from his amazing skill at roasting fish. Almost everyone, be it students or teachers, who tasted his roast fish had high praises for him.
Huo Yuhao went from twenty to thirty roast fish a day, but it was still not enough to meet the demands of the great number of students and teachers. However, he was not willing to add more since he needs to save time for cultivation.
In order to eat a single roast fish, students would rush over immediately after the end of cla.s.s to wait in line. Because of its popularity, everyone was limited to only a single fish. Even with this popularity, Huo Yuhao did not increase the price and received favorable comments from many students while also making quite a few friends.
The number one beauty of the outer school, Jiang Nannan, did manage to eat a roast fish in the end. But she lined up for it herself. What is funny is that even though Xu Sans.h.i.+ didn’t gain her favor with the roast fish, he became addicted to the taste himself and turned into Huo Yuhao’s loyal customer.
In a flash, three months had pa.s.sed for the new students. Under Zhou Yi’s strict guidance, Freshmen Cla.s.s One had completely changed. What shocked the upper levels of the academy was that after Zhou Yi became the cla.s.s one’s teacher, only sixty-seven students remained after three months. This was very different from the school’s estimate of having only a third of the students remain after the first three months.
If asked which student experienced the most change within these three months, it would unquestionably be Huo Yuhao.
When he first entered school, his Spirit Power was only level eleven and he only had his first spirit ring for a short time. His power was counted, without doubt, as last in the academy.
However, after three months, Huo Yuhao had completely changed. Also, no one had challenged him for the position of cla.s.s president.
It was not because Huo Yuhao had a shocking power and no one could win against him, but because of his unyielding determination that gained everyone’s admiration. His motivation was also why two thirds of the students of cla.s.s one could remain under Zhou Yi’s strict teaching style.
Huo Yuhao was really too hard working. Almost every teacher who gave a lesson to cla.s.s one know about his existence. No matter when, morning or after, no matter what lesson, there would always be a pair of eyes attentively focused on the teacher and he would be listening carefully to the teacher’s explanations.
Part 3
Although his talent was not outstanding and his ability not very strong, he was always the hardest working student.
Zhou Yi’s harshness was well known in the school, but even she could not pick out any problems from Huo Yuhao. Her long physical training hours were torture for all of the other students. Yet, Huo Yuhao was always able to endure to the very end and even trained by himself at night.
Zhou Yi noticed this during one night when she went out to run some errands. By the time she got back, it was already late into the night. When she walked by the academic buildings near the Shrek plaza, she was shocked by a figure slowly moving around the track. From time to time, there were clanking noises from metal chains.
Focusing on this figure, she saw a naked back covered in sweat. His metal armor was already drenched. Every step seemed heavy. Zhou Yi could even see a line of sweat marks on the ground.
The figure wasn’t tall and he moved at a steady pace. This person was exactly Huo Yuhao. Zhou Yi was deeply touched. She couldn’t believe he was still training at night.
Zhou Yi stopped Huo Yuhao and asked him what he was doing. Huo Yuhao simply said that his innate talent is not as good as others, so he needs to work harder. Meditating after physical practice can help him increase his cultivation faster.
Zhou Yi was a bit skeptical at first. She thought he was purposely training that night for her to see. However, it didn’t take long for that idea to disappear. No matter if there’s wind or rain, the shadow would appear on the plaza every night. He always ran for at least two hours. The metal armor even increased from one to two.
Although Huo Yuhao never told anyone, cla.s.smates still found out. Many even tried to join him. However, no one was able to last for more than three days. The training during day time were already too intense. To add more at night was torture for the body.
However, Huo Yuhao was able to continue this torturous practice. His mental fort.i.tude was admired by everyone in the cla.s.s. Under the strict regulations of Zhou Yi, Huo Yuhao was able to last the first three months, and became one of the sixty-seven members of the new cla.s.s.
Working hard to make up for the lack of talent. Such a simple idea. Yet how many people can actually accomplish this?
Huo Yuhao succeeded and, therefore, he was rewarded. It is not false that two Mystic Water Pills and one Spirit Ascension Pill had helped greatly in his cultivation. However, he just increased his Spirit Power in a well-rounded way. In the past three months, he had completely changed.
Hu Yuhao was originally slightly shorter than w.a.n.g Dong. However, now their height was almost the same. His body obviously improved a lot. Although his muscles were not exaggerated, his body was very proportionate. Every muscle seemed to be full of energy.
What is even more important is that Huo Yuhao’s body changed completely for the better in these three months; much more than what can be gained from the two Mystic Water Pills.
After the epiphany about the Mysterious Heaven Skill while exercising, Huo Yuhao told Tang Ya and Beibei his insights. However, neither Tang Ya nor Beibei was able to produce the same results.
The reason Huo Yuhao was able to continue training was because of the nouris.h.i.+ng effect of the Mysterious Heaven Skill that appeared when his body and Spirit Power were both exhausted. Every pa.s.s allowed his vessels to expand a little. This feeling had become weaker as time pa.s.sed but he experienced a great increase in his cultivation speed.
After taking the second Mystic Water Pill, Huo Yuhao’s cultivation speed had increased to seven times his original speed after eliminating his body’s wastes. His vessels also continued widening over the past three months and became much tougher. By the end of this time, his cultivation speed was ten times the original. This is a shocking increase!
After the second Mystic Water Pill, Huo Yuhao’s Spirit Power rose a complete level, from the peak of level twelve to the peak of level thirteen. After a short readjustment period, Huo Yuhao took the Spirit Ascension Pill. As predicted, this pill increased his Spirit Power even more obviously. His Spirit Power broke three levels and a bottleneck to stop at around level seventeen.
Even more, Huo Yuhao’s innate talent had reached the average of the students in his year. What is more important is that by depending on his own cultivation efforts, his Spirit Power increased more. Now, he had already reached the peak of level seventeen and was about to break through to level eighteen. This was counting the fact that he needed to stabilize his foundation after taking the drugs. It can be said that his potential was far from when he first arrived at the academy.
“We will not have physical training today.” Zhou Yi said behind the stand. Her old face was neither cold nor hot. But as long as it was her cla.s.s, every single student would sit up straight, without a single movement.
“It has been three months since the start of school till now. You will now experience Shrek Academy’s first examination. Only by pa.s.sing this exam will you become an official first-year student. If you are able to accomplish this, you will be able to continue studying in the academy for at least a year if nothing out of the ordinary happens. The examination will begin tomorrow, so I will tell you the important points about it today.”
It was rare for Zhou Yi’s voice to be so calm. Her gaze on the sixty-seven students was full of satisfaction. The quality of this batch of students was not better than previous ones. But after three months of guidance, their mental fort.i.tude was greater than any cla.s.s Zhou Yi had previously taught. For Zhou Yi, this was definitely an exceptional surprise. Huo Yuhao, as cla.s.s president, definitely provided an extremely valuable example for the rest.
“Huo Yuhao.”
“Here.” Huo Yuhao stood up immediately and answered respectfully.
After three months, Huo Yuhao’s respect for Zhou Yi came from his heart and not from her authority. Zhou Yi would always use weird methods in training them that made them feel like they would rather die than live. But one has to say that Zhou Yi’s teaching abilities were extremely good and those weird methods were as bad as they imagined. Because of this, not only did the sixty-seven students who remained after three months show a great change in their expressions, but also carried an imposing manner that seems as tough as a rock.
Part 4
Huo Yuhao had also observed the students from the other cla.s.ses. However, he was unable to sense the same aura from those students. Just like what Beibei said, although Zhou Yi is extremely strict, all the students that survived under her teaching became exceptional students; some may even become a real power in the future.
Zhou Yi waved at Huo Yuhao to come to the podium. Huo Yuhao hurried over and took a stack of papers from Zhou Yi and distributed one to every student in the cla.s.s.
Zhou Yi said, “After the Freshman Examination, you will experience individualized training. Write down the direction you wish to cultivate and give it to me later.”
The directions of cultivation she alluded to are: attack, defense, control and support. In the last three months, everyone was taught together. But when the real first year lessons start, there will be differences. Those who are not of the same category have great differences in their abilities.
Huo Yuhao returned to his seat and was the last one to start writing down his goals. He wrote, of course, to be a control type Spirit Master and signed his name. He didn’t notice that w.a.n.g Dong peeked at what he wrote before writing his own down.
Zhou Yi said, “You are all my students, but you will be separated into different cla.s.ses after the examination. I hope you little rascals won’t forget what I have taught you. Turn in the papers in your hands after cla.s.s. I will now tell you the important points about the Freshman Examination.”
As she said this, Zhou Yi turned toward the blackboard and drew a few lines. She wrote two large characters in the middle: Combat.
“Combat. The Freshman Examination requires you to fight, and everyone must partic.i.p.ate. I know that some of you Tool Spirit Masters, especially the support and food type support Spirit Masters, find it strange. Why would you guys partic.i.p.ate in combat? I did not state it wrong. You will all appear on the battlefield just like battle type Spirit Masters. Even though Shrek Academy wants to cultivate well-rounded students, the most important point is still ability on a battlefield. I said on the first say that following the adoption of spirit guidance devices, the categorizations of Spirit Masters have blurred. “Even if you are a support type or a food type Tool Spirit Master, you can still borrow the explosive power of a spirit guidance device to produce a great combat strength. However, where will your combat abilities come from? Can any Spirit Master survive if given a spirit guidance device? Of course not. Combat strength must be gained from fighting. So, everyone must partic.i.p.ate in this combat examination.
“Of course, the academy won’t let support type and battle type Spirit Masters compete since it would not be fair. So, the examination will involve group battles. However, the number of people can’t be too many, so it was decided the this year’s group battles will allow three people per group. When a.s.signing groups, there can only be one attack type Spirit Master per group. The other two are a.s.signed randomly. The first consideration is to put people from the same dorm room into the same group and the rest is up to your own a.s.signments. Those who cannot form their own groups will pull straws to determine which group they will be in. Later, I will give you guys an account of a reasonable group setup.
“The Freshman Examination will be carried out among everyone in the year. Since there have been a lot of students in recent years, this examination will have nearly three hundred groups competing, but only half will remain. That means around one hundred fifty groups. Rankings will be made through the amount of points you gain from combat.
“The compet.i.tion will use ballots. Every group will need to fight at least ten rounds. At the end, you will be ranked by the number of battles you win. Within this, the first sixty-four groups will enter an elimination contest. The first four groups from this contest will be given different prizes by the academy. The prize for the champions will be extremely valuable.”
Every student was focused on listening. To them, this Freshman Examination is key to whether they can remain. If eliminated, they can only go back and choose a common academy. It’s possible that they would never be able to become a top power on the continent. They had already spent a lot of effort in the last three months. No one wanted to be eliminated at this point.
Zhou Yi faintly said, “We have sixty-seven students in our cla.s.s right now so we can form twenty-two groups and have one extra. I looked at each of your Battle Spirits and helped you create groups. If anyone is not satisfied, you can change them when you leave. But if no one reports a change to me tomorrow morning, then everything will strictly be according to my a.s.signments. Otherwise, you know the outcome.”
“Song Qinghan.” Zhou Yi said deeply.
“Here.” A thin student quickly stood up. He never grabbed much attention in the cla.s.s so no one imagined him to be the first one that Zhou Yi called out.
Zhou Yi said, “Every homeroom teacher is allowed to recommend a student who can directly pa.s.s the examination. I chose you. From what I have observed, I think it would be suitable for you to continue training with the Spirit Guidance Department. Do you have any questions? Right now you have two options. You can either go to the Spirit Guidance Department or pack your bags and leave.”
Coercive. Really too coercive. Every student’s gaze fell upon Song Qinghan.
“I am willing. Thank you, Teacher Zhou.” Song Donghan did not show any reluctance to Zhou Yi’s coercion but almost jumped up with excitement. The reason he came to Shrek Academy was to join the Spirit Guidance Department!
Zhou Yi gave him a gesture to sit down. “Now, we will begin a.s.signing groups. First group: Huo Yuhao, w.a.n.g Dong, Xiao Xiao.”
Huo Yuhao and w.a.n.g Dong almost stood up at the same time. They originally wanted to be in the same group. When Zhou Yi personally put them together, they glanced at each other and saw the pleased surprise in each other’s eyes.
Rising with them was a female student who sat in the front row. This female student was not tall and looked to be pet.i.te like Song Qinghan before. She was also not particularly outstanding in cla.s.s one; almost every ability was around average.
The little girl cannot be called especially beautiful, but carried a pretty and delicate look that was very engaging. Her face also carried a hint of shyness when she turned her head to look behind her. Her gaze skipped Huo Yuhao and fell upon the handsome w.a.n.g Dong. Her face reddened, then she turned around and lowered her head.
“Second group: Zi Hao, Ma Qingshuang, Bing Bing.”
“Third group: …..”
Even though Zhou Yi looked forceful, almost every single student experienced a lifting feeling as she proclaimed their a.s.signments.
Huo Yuhao coldly observed but his heart was secretly filled with admiration. Even though Teacher Zhou was usually cold and strict, she actually understood each student very well; she clearly planned every group.