Chương 8: Chapter 7 Freshmen Enrollment
Hearing Bei Bei's introduction to Teacher Zhou Yi, who was going to instruct him, Huo Yuhao was also taken aback, "Big Brother, does the academy not care about this teacher's method?"
Bei Bei replied in a low voice, "Although Teacher Zhou Yi is strict, she really is a good teacher. Everyone who has been promoted in her class has never said anything bad about her. Teacher Zhou's strictness mainly manifests in her high demands on students and her harsh teaching methods. However, nearly one-quarter of the students who have been taught and promoted by her have entered the Inner Court. This ratio is one of the highest in the entire academy. This time, it's because there was too much commotion that Teacher Zhou was demoted to teaching first-year students. But as long as you work hard and perform well, there will only be benefits under Teacher Zhou's guidance."
Huo Yuhao breathed a sigh of relief, "I see. Teacher Xiao Ya, Big Brother, you go ahead with your busy schedule, I'll head back to the dormitory now."
Bei Bei smiled slightly, "Alright, Teacher Xiao Ya and I are going for the advancement test. If we pass, we'll both be promoted to the fourth grade. I'm staying in Dormitory 316, if you need anything, just come find me there."
Bei Bei and Tang Ya indeed had many things to attend to, and the reason Tang Ya was eager to obtain her third soul ring was to successfully pass the fourth-grade promotion assessment. More tasks awaited them after advancing in grade. Huo Yuhao had once gone to Xingdou Forest alone and obtained a soul ring; his ability to take care of himself was strong, so they were not worried about him.
Cutting through between the white freshman teaching building and the yellow second-and third-grade teaching buildings, Huo Yuhao saw the dormitory complex. The dormitory occupied a very large area; although it was a single building, it had white, yellow, purple, and black colors, clearly representing the different living areas for students of different grades corresponding to the four teaching buildings. The building stood six stories tall.
Huo Yuhao arrived at the entrance of the white building where an old man, who seemed very old, was sitting. The old man was wearing grey clothes, his face covered in wrinkles that could trap more than a dozen flies at the same time, his eyes dull and heavy-lidded, looking like he was in the twilight years of his life. The sunlight from between the buildings just happened to fall on him, and the reclining chair he half-lay in seemed quite comfortable.
Approaching, Huo Yuhao respectfully said, "Hello, grandpa, I'm a new student, here to check into the dormitory. Do you need to check my new student badge?"
The old man, without even lifting his head, extended a trembling right hand, and spoke with a somewhat hoarse and deep voice, "Show me your badge and the dormitory keys."
Huo Yuhao promptly handed them over.
The old man shook them in front of his eyes and handed them back, "Go ahead. Dormitory 108 is on the first floor, third room on the left. From the fourth floor up are the girls' dorms; you're not allowed up there. If you are caught, you will be expelled."
"Thank you," Huo Yuhao said as he once again bowed to the old man before walking into the dormitory building.
The old man stayed still in the same posture, muttering, "Rare to see such a polite child."
While he was speaking, a few other new students passed by this spot, but they obviously did not notice the old man beside the building's entrance and went straight in. The old man didn't stop them, just sitting there, appearing sleepy.
Huo Yuhao found his dormitory quickly, following the old man's directions. The student dormitory was a long corridor with dormitory doors lining each side, each marked with a number. It was evident that the interior of the dormitory building was quite old, having been in use for many years. At both ends of the corridor were communal bathrooms.
Using the key to unlock the door, a somewhat musty air rushed out, and Huo Yuhao promptly stepped aside, waiting for a moment before holding his breath and rushing in to open the window. The room hadn't been inhabited for at least over a month. Dust covered everything.
While taking the opportunity to air out the room with the windows open, Huo Yuhao also got a clear view of the dormitory's layout. The dormitory was small, only about ten square meters. The two beds took up most of the space, and besides that, there was only a table and two metal wardrobes. There was also a lamp on the ceiling, and a few metal protrusions on the wall, which Bei Bei had told him were the places to insert soul power to light the lamp—a simple soul guidance device.
After airing the room out for a moment, the musty air in the dormitory was finally clear. Huo Yuhao looked at the not-so-large space with an indescribable excitement in his heart. Starting today, this would be his dormitory for the next year. It seemed that he would have a roommate. He decided to clean up first.
As the saying goes, a poor man's child becomes a householder early. Although he was born in the Duke's Mansion, Huo Yuhao had lived a life even worse off than that of a commoner. At the student supply store outside the dormitory, he purchased a washbasin with the little money he had and asked for a used rag from the store to immediately start cleaning the dormitory.
In just half an hour, with the meticulous search of his spirit eyes, all the sanitary dead corners were thoroughly cleaned, spotless. Although everything in the dormitory remained simple, it was now also fresher. Huo Yuhao had no plans to buy bedding for himself. The wooden bed was sufficient for someone dedicated to rigorous cultivation.
Feeling a bit hungry, he asked for directions to the dining hall, bought the cheapest rice bowl from the student supply store, and made his way to the dining hall.
Each grade had its own dining hall located behind the dormitory area. Entering the freshman dining hall, Huo Yuhao was taken aback. There weren't many people at this hour, making it look quite spacious. There wasn't a single table or chair, just an empty space with a sink for washing hands and utensils on one side. On the inner side were windows where meals could be purchased, with each window displaying its prices. There were a total of eight windows with different types of meals, and the prices increased from right to left.
There wasn't even a place to sit while eating in the dining hall? The entrance to the dining hall also had a sign stating that no food was allowed to be taken out.
After his brief surprise, Huo Yuhao went to the cheapest, furthest-right window and got himself a meal of stir-fried vegetables and white rice. The cheapest meal, yet he found it very delicious. Being able to eat was already good enough, and the price was cheap too, only costing two copper coins. Considering a monthly income of one gold soul coin, he could manage his meals with a bit of frugality.
While eating, Huo Yuhao observed the dining hall and noticed that the meals at the most expensive window were calculated with golden soul coins. That was something he didn't even dare to think about.
After quickly finishing his meal, Huo Yuhao returned directly to the dormitory. As the saying goes, the early bird catches the worm, and he knew the gap between himself and the other students well, so naturally, he couldn't waste any time.
Sitting cross-legged on the hard wooden bed, Huo Yuhao quickly entered a meditative state and began cultivating the Mystic Sky Method.
Although his cultivation speed was still far behind that of Bei Bei and Tang Ya, he had already made considerable progress compared to himself in the past. Since switching to the Mystic Sky Method, he could feel himself improving every day, which was already much better than before. Moreover, after several days of cultivation on the road, his previously mixed and impure soul power had completely transformed into the Mystic Sky Method. The soul power transformed by the Mystic Sky Method had one effect that was very beneficial to him; it naturally nourished his meridians as it circulated. Although the benefits weren't apparent now, Bei Bei had told him that persisting over time would definitely improve his physique.
Huo Yuhao had already scheduled his time: every morning, he would practice Purple Demon Eyes, then spend two hours on Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Mysterious Jade Hands, and grappling techniques Bei Bei had taught him. The rest of his time, apart from eating, was devoted to cultivating the Mystic Sky Method.
Soul power was the foundation of a soul master, and he now had to spend more time cultivating the Mystic Sky Method.
"Hmm, this cultivation method is really good, quite suitable for your current condition. You humans really are capable!" Just as Huo Yuhao had entered the focused state of cultivation, suddenly, his vision turned white, and the voice of the Skydream Ice Silkworm rang out. He was once again transported to his Sea of Spirit.
"Brother Heavenly Dream?" Huo Yuhao called out with some surprise.
The Skydream Ice Silkworm's languid voice rose, "Your physical condition has changed quite a bit these past few days, finally making a good start. Your body's endurance is also gradually strengthening. Not bad, not bad. The abilities you are cultivating are quite suitable for you, especially this meditation technique and the method for exercising your eyes. You've felt all four skills I brought to you, right? Practice them often, especially the last one. When combined with your eye-training method, the effect should be quite good, and it can be considered giving you a basic offensive soul skill. The situation is even better than I had anticipated."
"Brother Heavenly Dream, I'll definitely work hard on my cultivation." Hearing the voice of the Skydream Ice Silkworm again was yet another confirmation for Huo Yuhao that merging with a million-year soul beast was not a dream.
The Skydream Ice Silkworm said, "I'm sleepy and need to sleep for a while. You continue to cultivate along this path. I will naturally awaken when you break through and need your second soul ring. By then, the Ice Attribute Martial Spirit I bestowed upon you should be able to become your Main Martial Spirit. It will bring about a qualitative leap for you."
Huo Yuhao asked, "If I want to find you, will I be able to?"
The Skydream Ice Silkworm replied, "If you encounter insurmountable danger, I will naturally help you. Don't worry. Only if you're alive can I remain alive. Sleep now..."
The white light receded, and Huo Yuhao also came out of his meditative state, surprised to find that the world outside had completely darkened. He had been cultivating for at least six hours, and it seemed that his Mystic Sky Method had improved a bit again.
It was already evening, and he was a bit hungry, but looking at the dark sky outside, dinner time at the canteen must have passed. Luckily, he still had some dry food in his bag, which he ate with some water to stave off the hunger, and then Huo Yuhao continued his cultivation.
In the early morning, after absorbing the magical power from the purplish glow of dawn, Huo Yuhao returned to his room and started practicing a few of the Tang Sect ultimate techniques. He had only just scratched the surface with these techniques, and furthermore, he wasn't primarily focusing on them but merely practicing a bit.
By the time he had finished all this, it was already bright outside. After washing up, Huo Yuhao went to the canteen to buy breakfast. As soon as he arrived at the canteen, he looked a bit troubled. Ever since he started cultivating the Mystic Sky Method, his appetite had been increasing. While needing sufficient nutrition for his strengthening physique, he had no money. The school fees had already been paid for by his eldest senior brother; how could he ask Bei Bei for more help?
Luckily, there wasn't much variety for breakfast and it was also cheap. Huo Yuhao bought a few eggs and a bowl of porridge, spending three copper coins with a heavy heart. It was enough to give himself a bit of a nutritional boost. The food that seemed cheap yesterday suddenly appeared to be more expensive inside the Shrek Academy compared to outside.
"Little junior brother, you can't skimp on food. It's not okay to lack proper nutrition. There are some jobs within the school that students can take on as a source of income." Bei Bei had approached Huo Yuhao at some point.
"Eldest senior brother," Huo Yuhao called out in surprise. So far, within Shrek Academy, he only knew Tang Ya and Bei Bei.
Bei Bei spoke somewhat apologetically, "Not giving you money directly is to hope that you can learn to be self-reliant. Combat power is only part of one's strength, but a person's power also includes many comprehensive abilities, among which the most important is the ability to survive under any circumstances. Do you understand?"
Huo Yuhao replied, "Eldest senior brother, you have already helped me a lot. I understand. I still have a few silver coins in my hand, and after school starts, I will go take on some jobs."
Bei Bei patted his head, "I'll go first. Remember, even if you can earn money again, you can't cut back on food. You need the nutrition."
Huo Yuhao followed Bei Bei out of the cafeteria, determined to heed his eldest senior brother's advice and treat himself to a better meal at lunch that day.
Heading back to the dormitory, as Huo Yuhao reached the door of his own room, he found it open and was momentarily startled before realizing that his new roommate might have arrived.
Just then, a young man walked out of the room and was also taken aback at the sight of Huo Yuhao.
The youth had delicate features and fair skin, with a pair of large eyes that were uniquely light pink-blue. His neat, short hair was of the same color. His handsome appearance seemed to surpass even Bei Bei's, making him the most good-looking peer Huo Yuhao had ever seen. The youth was of similar height and age to him.
"Who are you?" Huo Yuhao asked instinctively.
The youth glared at him with some arrogance, "Move aside."
"Oh." Huo Yuhao quickly stepped aside, and the youth walked past him. After a few steps, though, the youth stopped, turned his head to look at Huo Yuhao, and said, "You're also from this dorm, aren't you? Considering you've kept the dorm so clean, I'll allow you to stay with me for now. I have a few rules you need to remember. First, don't bring people back to the dorm at will; second, don't walk around in the dorm half-naked and be a nuisance; third, don't snore when you sleep at night; fourth, don't disturb me; and fifth, you are in charge of the dorm's cleanliness, but don't touch my bed. Got it?"
Facing the youth's condescending manner, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but feel his anger rising, "Why should I listen to you?"
The youth snorted coldly, "If you don't listen to me, I will kick you out. Don't believe me? Go ahead and try."
Huo Yuhao, having been bullied in the Duke's Mansion since childhood, had no tolerance for such arrogance. He responded coldly, "Let's try then. Let's take it outside."
Seeing his unyielding demeanor, the youth actually smiled. His smile was handsome, but the disdain and contempt in it only served to fuel the flames of Huo Yuhao's anger.
"I still don't know your name," the youth asked with a sneer.
Huo Yuhao said gravely, "Shouldn't you introduce yourself first before asking someone else's name?"
The youth said indifferently, "My name is Wang Dong."
"I'm Huo Yuhao."
Wang Dong stepped closer with a slight smile, suddenly approaching Huo Yuhao, "Good, I think your name will soon disappear from Shrek Academy. Come on, let's go, dummy," he said, leading the way out first.
Huo Yuhao's fists were clenched tight as he followed with large strides. Even though he knew he wasn't very powerful in combat, he absolutely wouldn't let anyone bully him, especially not someone who would be his roommate for at least the next year.
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