11 PM.
Student Huo, whose mind was now packed with knowledge, returned to his warm dormitory and began his nighttime cultivation.
His mutated Frost Centipede martial soul perched by the window, basking in the moonlight, continuing to absorb moon essence for cultivation. At the same time, it kept vigilant watch for Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged on his bed, palms facing upward, starting his cultivation.
Soul masters primarily cultivate through meditation, but that's not the only way to improve.
The Tang Sect's internal technique, Mysterious Heaven Technique, could also be used to cultivate soul power.
At least in this era, the Tang Sect's Mysterious Heaven Technique worked that way.
Back at the Duke's Mansion of the White Tiger, Huo Yuhao had practiced a low-level meditation technique. But over the past half-month, he had acquired a more advanced method from Yan Shaozhe.
However, Huo Yuhao only briefly dabbled with the advanced meditation method.
Because he had other options to cultivate soul power.
If the Mysterious Heaven Technique from a martial arts world could be used to cultivate soul power, why couldn't the techniques from a cultivation (xianxia) world do the same?
Huo Yuhao had already tested this — and the answer was yes, they could.
In Pudu Cihang's memory, there wasn't just one technique.
There were classifications like Demonic Cultivation, Buddhist Cultivation, Demon-Buddhist Hybrid Techniques, Evil Cultivation, and Rogue Cultivation — each category encompassing techniques, spells, methods, knowledge, and more.
After careful consideration and comparison, Huo Yuhao chose a technique from the Evil Cultivation category.
Choosing an evil cultivation method was, ironically, not much of a choice at all.
Buddhist techniques required accompanying scriptures.
Demonic techniques weren't suitable for human physiology.
Rogue techniques were mostly trash.
That left evil cultivation techniques as the only viable option.
Relatively speaking, while evil techniques could turn someone into something... strange, at least they were usable by humans.
As for righteous or orthodox techniques — unfortunately, Pudu Cihang had none of those in his memory.
Before he created the Fate-Seizing Dragon Transformation Technique, he neither had the strength nor the courage to covet orthodox sects' techniques. The orthodox sects that survived the end-of-dharma era were formidable, and those that didn't had long lost their legacy.
And after he developed the Fate-Seizing Dragon Transformation, the orthodox methods no longer appealed to him, so he never collected them.
In contrast, evil cultivators often worked alone, carried everything they owned, and if you could kill one, you could inherit their technique.
Techniques that lone evil cultivators relied on to survive usually had some unique strengths.
Pudu Cihang had quite the collection.
In fact, his deep understanding of various evil techniques was what gave him the foundation to create the Fate-Seizing Dragon Transformation Technique.
The technique Huo Yuhao chose was called "Black Blood Technique" (黑血功).
Just from the name, you could tell it wasn't exactly a righteous method.
Its quality wasn't very high — only average within Pudu Cihang's memories.
But it had several advantages: if practiced carefully, the practitioner could retain a human appearance, it was easy to get started, had long-term cultivation potential, and it even trained the body — a well-rounded technique.
Stronger techniques existed, but those might make you... not human anymore.
Technique Description:
"Black Blood Technique" – Evil cultivation method of mediocre quality.
Summary: Draws yin and evil energy into the body, absorbs filth from all things, and uses blood as a medium to cultivate the ultimate Black Blood of Evil. Once activated, Black Blood can break even golden light defenses.
Weakness: Vulnerable to black dog's blood (used in many exorcisms); this can pollute the evil blood and cause the technique to fail.
Of course, Huo Yuhao wasn't going to practice this method exactly as it was written. Never mind whether he wanted to absorb weird and disgusting stuff — he couldn't even get his hands on any of it.
So he had to adapt the principles of Black Blood Technique, using Pudu Cihang's experience to reform the method.
This is where the benefit of a low-tier technique came in — easy to modify.
Cultivation techniques proliferate exactly this way. If a method is too advanced and demanding, simplify it. Fragment it. From that, new lower-tier methods are born. And if the lower-tier ones are easy to modify, you get dozens or even hundreds of new, wildly different techniques.
The core concept of Black Blood Technique is:
Absorb external substances or special energies.
Part of it goes into increasing cultivation.
The rest integrates into the blood, changing its properties.
As a result, the body is tempered and adapted to handle the altered blood.
Once the blood is transformed, the technique is considered successful. Continued absorption and refinement lead to continued cultivation.
The transformed blood can even serve as a unique supernatural ability.
In summary, this is a resource-intensive technique — with enough resources, cultivation progresses rapidly.
Easy to learn
Easy to cultivate
High potential ceiling
Its effects and power depend entirely on the quality of what's absorbed.
And it cultivates not just soul power, but also the body.
So why was it rated only as "medium-low"?
Because although it's fast, it's not fast enough, and it lacks any other supporting abilities beyond the evil blood itself.
Its biggest flaw? If the body can't keep up with the power of the blood, the cultivator dies — instantly.
If they're injured and lose control of their blood, they die — instantly.
That's evil cultivation for you. Comes with the territory.
After half a month of effort, Huo Yuhao had revised the technique to about 70–80% completion, enough to start practicing it.
The core concept remained, but instead of absorbing evil energy and filth, he replaced it with the healing energy from a 100,000-year Snow Lotus.
This "healing energy" — or medicine qi — was the pure essence of healing power from the Snow Lotus. You could think of it as the medicinal energy found in all healing herbs.
It just so happened that this was the only resource Huo Yuhao had available.
No one else had a 100,000-year Snow Lotus — but Huo Yuhao also had only that.
Was he rich? Or broke? It was hard to say.
The Snow Lotus also contained ice power, which was far stronger than the medicine qi.
But absorbing that would transform Huo Yuhao's body into an ice-type constitution, making him incompatible with other elemental powers.
That would severely limit his future martial souls, soul rings, or other cultivation methods.
So Huo Yuhao chose to forgo the ice element.
Specialization has its benefits, but the drawbacks are glaring too.
He'd rather be a bit more balanced than give enemies a clear weakness to exploit.
Survival was the most important thing for Huo Yuhao's cultivation path.
And so, he chose the "jack-of-all-trades" approach — medicine qi.
If his guess was correct, fusing with medicine qi would give him a special constitution and enhanced vitality. The downside? Probably not much offensive power — maybe he'd even become a walking delicacy, like Tang Sanzang's flesh (from Journey to the West).
Luckily, Huo Yuhao had other ways to make up for the lack of offense.
As he cultivated, the Snow Lotus in his chest released waves of healing energy.
That energy flowed through his bloodstream, starting from the heart, spreading throughout his body — refining his body while also merging with his blood.
At the same time, it circulated his soul power, accelerating his soul power growth.
Soul power, physique, and blood were all being improved together.
Pop!
Huo Yuhao leveled up.
Soul Power Level: 26
"The technique's ready. I should rename it.
The new method will be called—"
"Medicine Blood Technique"!
"Draw medicine qi into the body. Absorb the power of all medicines.
Use blood as the carrier to forge Life Blood.
Immune to all poisons. Free from all disease."
While circulating the Blood Medicine Technique, Huo Yuhao was also cultivating the Demonic Buddha Method.
Compared to the former, he was far more proficient with the Demonic Buddha Method—so much so that he could cultivate it on autopilot.
Spirit Sea.
Huo Yuhao's Spirit Sea had now become denser and more solid—an effect from his breakthrough in the Demonic Buddha Method.
Faint golden luck-energy filled the Spirit Sea.
This was the fortune he'd absorbed during the day, which he had fully invested in nurturing his Visualized White Tiger.
At the center of his Spirit Sea, the Visualized White Tiger stood in a skyward-roaring pose, devouring the surrounding golden aura.
Once only cub-sized, the White Tiger had clearly grown larger.
Its claws and teeth had also become sharper.
There was now a vague sense of kingly dominance emanating from its form.
Luck-energy was the ultimate jack-of-all-trades resource.
Previously, Huo Yuhao had used luck-energy to cultivate soul power, progressing by leaps and bounds—but in a way that was ultimately wasteful. Aside from his level rising, he gained little else.
Now, he channeled all luck-energy into the Fortune-Seizing Dragon Technique—or rather, its White Tiger variant.
As the Visualized White Tiger grew stronger, it could now autonomously help Huo Yuhao circulate the Demonic Buddha Method.
When all the luck-energy in the Spirit Sea was consumed, the White Tiger finally closed its mouth with a pouty "yiying~", clearly not full.
Half-grown children eat their parents out of house and home.
As the White Tiger continued to grow, both its digestion rate and appetite for fortune multiplied.
"That's really it for now. Gotta wait till tomorrow," Huo Yuhao muttered helplessly.
It wasn't that he had too little fortune—but that the White Tiger ate too much, too fast.
Truthfully, his current cultivation pace had already surpassed that of Pudu Cihang back in the day.
Huo Yuhao currently had three sources of luck-energy:
Daily allocation from the Shrek Fortune Cloud – a benefit given by major powers to their disciples.
White Tiger Fortune-Seizing Technique, drawing fortune from the direction of Sea God Island. Unfortunately, the distance made the harvest modest.
Ownerless fortune from the library. It was plentiful, but Huo Yuhao's strength and realm limited his absorption rate.
"If I can't reduce spending, I'll need to expand income," he thought, pondering where to go for a major score.
The White Tiger, out of food, didn't fuss. Instead, it began romping around the Spirit Sea.
At a glance it seemed playful, but closer inspection revealed that it was practicing attack moves. As it trained, the Demonic Buddha Method kept cycling, helping Huo Yuhao advance to the next fruit-positioned realm.
As the White Tiger grew, Huo Yuhao could feel his bloodline powers gradually being awakened.
The most direct sign: his blood energy grew more potent with each cultivation session.
A new day began with morning training.
Huo Yuhao got up on time. While others still slept, he was already out running.
Mu En didn't stand guard at the freshman dorms like in the original story, but Huo Yuhao was sure someone was observing him.
He was right—Yan Shaozhe was the one watching most closely.
He saw Huo Yuhao's diligence in study and cultivation and was very gratified.
What elder doesn't love a hardworking child?
Of course, Yan Shaozhe didn't spy on him every day—he was just concerned, not creepy.
Huo Yuhao took his Frost Centipede Spirit for a lap around Sea God Lake.
Then he sat in meditation by the lake's edge to start his morning practice.
The Frost Centipede Spirit lay nearby, lazily keeping watch. It didn't absorb the sun's essence energy—it wasn't suitable and could cause digestive issues.
Though Huo Yuhao appeared to be meditating, he was actually operating the White Tiger Fortune-Seizing Technique.
If someone used the Qi-Watching Technique, they'd see a small tiger cub phantom forming above his head, facing Sea God Lake with an open mouth, drawing in luck-energy.
Huo Yuhao squinted, observing Shrek Academy's luck-energy.
Shrek's fortune differed from that of the Star Dou Forest or the Extreme North.
Why? Because Shrek possessed a luck-suppressing treasure—the Golden Ancient Tree.
Shrek's luck had fully taken on the form of this tree. No other phantoms were visible, and no luck-energy was leaking out.
Even ownerless fortune was tightly locked within Shrek's bounds, awaiting destined ones.
The Golden Ancient Tree phantom rose to the heavens, lush with branches and leaves that shaded the whole city of Shrek. Cloud-shaped blessings hovered among its branches. Occasionally, they turned into golden raindrops that nourished the tree.
Whenever a raindrop fell, Huo Yuhao's portion of the Shrek Fortune Cloud would grant him some temporary luck-energy, boosting his cultivation for a time before it rejoined the collective.
Raindrops always return to the sky—Huo Yuhao was just a student. Until he entered Shrek's upper echelon or formed close ties with high-level figures, he wouldn't get a true share of the school's fortune.
However, using the White Tiger Fortune-Seizing Technique, he could keep whatever luck his cloud spit out—no returns.
Under the Golden Tree's phantom, its roots extended deep into the former Three Nations of the Douluo continent—signifying Shrek's influence and control.
Truly, the sacred land of soul masters in this era.
But under its brilliant surface, Shrek's luck-energy showed discord:
Blue divine light hung above, eyeing the lower realms.
The roots flickered unsteadily.
The leaves at the top had begun to wither.
Pressure from above, instability below, and decay at the top.
That was the imbalance in Shrek's fortune—and the academy's present predicament.
What was Huo Yuhao thinking?
"Where could I exploit this? Maybe chisel a chunk off Shrek's foundation…"
He thought all morning but came up empty. Eventually, he headed off to eat.
Shrek Academy's cafeteria… say no more if you know.
Huo Yuhao didn't care what the administrators thought—as long as he got to eat, he had no complaints.
With Yan Shaozhe's support of 100 gold soul coins, Huo Yuhao didn't have to eat the cheapest veggie-and-rice combo—but couldn't afford luxury meals either.
At least he could have meat.
As usual, breakfast was a bowl of porridge, a veggie dish, a meat dish, and two eggs.
But after finishing, Huo Yuhao rubbed his belly and frowned:
"Why do I still feel hungry? Oh right, my Blood Medicine Technique cultivation's ramped up."
Cultivating techniques consumes energy—especially one like the Blood Medicine Technique, which includes body tempering.
Sure, the nutrients from the hundred-thousand-year snow lotus could replenish him—but that would be wasteful.
Instead, Huo Yuhao ordered two more breakfasts to fill up.
If gold soul coins could solve it, he wouldn't waste the snow lotus.
"I've still got 100 gold soul coins. Spent ten over the last half month. Got ten more from this month's stipend. But now my costs are doubling… maybe more. Wonder how long the money will last. Guess I'll have to find ways to earn."
Yes—students at Shrek Academy received a salary.
Funded by the Three Empires, just like a thousand years ago:
Soul Masters: 1 gold coin/month
Grand Soul Masters: 10/month
Soul Elders: 100/month
No salary above Soul Elder level.
Back then, the major sects condemned the Spirit Hall for this—but now, they did it without shame.
Other academies? Huo Yuhao didn't know if they paid—but ordinary soul masters definitely didn't get anything.
Which reminded him—
In the original story, Huo Yuhao joined Shrek via Tang Sect connections. But Tang Ya only paid his first year's tuition and gave him some techniques. Nothing else.
Not a single copper coin!
Even Yan Shaozhe offered 100 gold soul coins as a token gesture!
"You're already a Soul Master. After registration, you'll get a monthly stipend from the Three Empires. Use it wisely—it should be enough to cover meals."
That's what Tang Ya said.
Tell me that doesn't sound like:
"You're already a mature disciple now—learn to grow on your own. Also, support your master."
Meanwhile, over in Battle Through the Heavens, Yao Chen trusted Han Feng with his life—only to get betrayed and gutted.
And Tang Ya? She wasn't even a little worried!
Oh right, Tang Sect has nothing left anyway.
Never mind, then.
The only fortunate thing was that the Variant Frost Jade Centipede martial soul didn't require a second meal—Huo Yuhao didn't have to spend extra money.
After breakfast came the morning culture class.
Although Huo Yuhao had read quite a lot of books, the knowledge taught by the teacher was still useful to him.
But not entirely useful.
For instance, when it came to soul master roles and different battle strategies depending on a soul master's classification—Huo Yuhao didn't quite agree.
The rise of soul tools had blurred the lines between offensive and defensive soul masters. Huang Tao didn't cover this topic, although in the original work, Zhou Yi had taught these aspects in class.
Maybe that was because Huang Tao leaned more toward traditional soul master thinking.
This was a common issue at Shrek Academy.
As for soul tool knowledge, Huang Tao did provide some general education—since it was part of the curriculum.
Those genuinely interested in soul tools would register for the Soul Tool Department after the freshman assessment.
But registering required passing the freshman assessment, which ironically didn't include any soul engineer tests and didn't even allow the use of soul tools.
Honestly, that left Huo Yuhao speechless.
As for why Zhou Yi would go the extra mile to teach about soul tools—well, obviously, she had a vice dean from the Soul Tool Department backing her.
Still, whether it was the traditional soul master classifications or the new soul master-soul tool hybrid styles...
Huo Yuhao wasn't going to follow any of it.
After all, he wasn't your typical soul master.
To achieve his ultimate goal, Huo Yuhao had to grow stronger in every way.
Of course, he still carefully memorized all this knowledge.
He might not use it himself, but his enemies were all trained this way.
Time passed quietly, and the culture class ended.
But before class was dismissed, Huang Tao informed Class 2 of some news:
"There's a match this afternoon in the Soul Dueling Zone featuring top students from the upper grades. After lunch, you can go and observe—it'll be good experience."
His gaze swept briefly over Huo Yuhao and Xie Huan Yue.
Clearly, he hoped these two standout students would go and watch.
Watching battles between powerful soul masters wasn't just about learning—it helped clarify future goals.
Plus, one of the fighters today was an excellent defense-type soul master. Perfect for Xie Huan Yue to learn from.
Huo Yuhao and Xie Huan Yue both nodded sensibly.
Only then did Huang Tao leave.
Xie Huan Yue wanted to go to the match together with Huo Yuhao.
After all their recent sparring, Xie Huan Yue had developed a bit of a fondness for Huo Yuhao, considering him someone he could talk to.
Just as he stood up—
A mob of girls surrounded Huo Yuhao. A few bold ones even began... "exploring."
"W-Wait, don't do that…"
Huo Yuhao, as usual, looked torn between resistance and enjoyment.
That only made the girls more excited.
Xie Huan Yue suffered massive emotional damage.
Why was Huo Yuhao so popular? Was it really just because he was handsome?
Yes. Yes, it was exactly because he was handsome.
Having undergone transformation from the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Lotus, Huo Yuhao wasn't just stunning—he carried a naturally aloof, cold aura. That made girls even more eager to conquer him.
Then, once you got to know him, you'd find that under the icy exterior was a "pure and clueless" boy—the ultimate gap moe.
Just like guys wanted to tame a seductive queen, girls wanted to conquer a cold prince.
A cold, handsome guy who turns out to be a shy, sweet bottom boy? That's like catnip to any looks-obsessed girl.
Of course, not all girls were that shallow. But hey, this is Douluo Continent—shallow girls were everywhere.
And these girls? All very good-looking too. If they weren't, Huo Yuhao's big ol' spirit beast fists would've smacked them away long ago.
Huo Yuhao didn't even get a word in with Xie Huan Yue before being swept away by the girls.
Leaving behind a heartbroken Xie Huan Yue.
Even though Huo Yuhao had always been like this, this time, Xie Huan Yue felt the gap between them more clearly than ever.
Right then, Luo Tianlong and Luo Tianba, two brothers, came up behind him. One on each side, patting his shoulder to comfort their friend.
"Chin up."
"It's okay."
That's what they said, but they were clearly jealous too.
These two were Xie Huan Yue's teammates during the freshman trials in the original story, and they were friends outside of class.
Luo Tianlong was Xie Huan Yue's roommate, so naturally Luo Tianba knew him too.
The two brothers were tall and thin—sticks compared to the mountain that was Xie Huan Yue. That only made their contrast more ridiculous.
Xie Huan Yue wiped away his envious drool, firming his resolve again.
"That's right. I can't give up. I'm Class 2's strongest student! I enrolled as a Soul Elder! Someday, a sharp-eyed girl will fall for me!"
"That's the spirit!"
"Exactly!"
The three of them hooked arms like close bros, full of manly camaraderie.
One mountain and two toothpicks—just the sight gave the remaining girls in class goosebumps. Most of them quickly left the classroom.
Xie Huan Yue burned with renewed fighting spirit. He even skipped lunch, determined to grab a good seat at the Soul Dueling Zone and watch the upperclassmen fight.
Even though the Variant Frost Jade Centipede martial soul had beaten him multiple times, Xie Huan Yue didn't believe he was weaker than Huo Yuhao.
On the contrary—he thought he was holding back during their duels.
The centipede's twin halberds could barely scratch his defense, and he couldn't break the centipede's defenses either.
Most of the time, he only lost because his soul power ran dry. After all, the centipede didn't need to drain Huo Yuhao's soul power to move.
And whenever they sparred, Xie Huan Yue's only allowed target was the centipede.
Huang Tao had forbidden him from attacking Huo Yuhao's real body.
In Xie Huan Yue's opinion, if they really fought for real, he could ignore the soul beast, rush Huo Yuhao directly, and slap him down in two hits.
A soul master who couldn't merge with their martial soul—what's the difference from a support-type?
Actually, some support-types could at least shield themselves a bit—survive more than two slaps.
It wasn't just Xie Huan Yue who thought this. Huang Tao and the rest of the class agreed.
To them, Xie Huan Yue was still the strongest student in Class 2.
Huo Yuhao was only famous because of his looks and strange martial soul.
Oh, and his soul power wasn't low—he had Level 25 at enrollment, which was already among the best in Class 2.
After lunch—
Huo Yuhao walked out of the cafeteria with a group of girls, enduring the envy, jealousy, and hatred of countless single dogs.
The cafeteria wasn't a great place for dates. No seats at all.
But Huo Yuhao hadn't taken the girls there to flirt anyway.
He went to eat. The girls followed him.
Who got swept away by whom?
From a relativistic perspective, the girls swept Huo Yuhao away, and Huo Yuhao also swept them away.
In reality, all he did was give everyone an equal opportunity to eat with him.
So their dreams that night wouldn't be empty pixelated fluff with some mystery "Boyfriend A."
He sacrificed himself—to adorn their dreams. What a noble cause.
Also, he paid for his own food.
It wasn't like there weren't rich girls trying to sugar-daddy him.
But was Huo Yuhao that kind of guy?
The girls chirped away, clinging to his arms.
"Yuhao~ Let's take a walk by Sea God Lake…"
"The sun's too bright today! What if you get a tan? Let's go hang in Shrek City instead."
"How about a nap in my dorm? My pet bunnies can backflip."
"..."
They practically had a map of their hearts plastered on his face.
Huo Yuhao smiled at the girls around him.
"How about we head to the Soul Dueling Zone and watch the upperclassmen's match?"
"Eh… fine…"
"As long as it's with Yuhao~"
"Whatever Yuhao says~"
The girls instantly changed tune, following his suggestion without hesitation.
A faint light of Buddhist compassion faded in Huo Yuhao's eyes.
The Soul Duel Area was a vital part of Shrek Academy. Located in the northwest corner of the Martial Soul Department, it was near Shrek City and not too far from the Beast Duel Area. On another side was the Soul Tool Testing Grounds.
Here, various competitions could be held, with designated teachers acting as referees to determine winners, ensure safety, provide aid, and offer healing, among other responsibilities.
Of course, all of these services required a fee.
Participating in soul duels could earn students varying amounts of academic credits and gold soul coins. Academic credits played a crucial role in grade promotion and assessments for entering the inner court.
Thus, many upper-year students in the outer court frequently competed in the Soul Duel Area.
However, participation required at least a second-year standing.
In the original story, Tang Ya had suggested that Huo Yuhao enter the Soul Duel Area in the future to "farm gold" through matches.
The problem was, back then, Huo Yuhao had shown little potential or strength, so Tang Ya's advice was akin to drawing a pie in the sky—empty promises.
It was like telling someone: "As long as you get into a Fortune 500 company, you'll earn over ten thousand a month, and if you make it to general manager, you'll achieve financial freedom." But you're a community college grad, your best skill is dancing shuffle steps, and you're an orphan—how are you getting into a Fortune 500 company?
Although Huo Yuhao and his group weren't there to compete and were only first-years, they still managed to enter the Soul Duel Area.
The area was open to all students—so long as they paid the entrance fee of one silver soul coin.
Huo Yuhao handed over one silver soul coin.
The girls with him, not short on money, also paid for their tickets with ease.
By now, quite a few students from various years had gathered in the area to watch the upcoming match.
"Brother Hao, are you actually interested in this match?" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm asked in confusion beside Huo Yuhao.
Brother Hao didn't seem like that type, right?
Huo Yuhao rolled his eyes. "Huh? You think I'm interested in some outer court weaklings' match? Tianmeng bro, don't joke with me."
"Then why are we here?"
"To make money."
"…Huh?"
Now Tianmeng was the one confused.
"Tianmeng bro, did you forget? You can place bets in the Soul Duel Area. While there are no official betting tables, underground gambling definitely exists. In the original story, Beibei and Xu Sanshi's duel had bets going on behind the scenes."
"Right now, I'm short on cash. Isn't this the perfect opportunity to make some quick money? Whether it's a big profit or a bloodbath depends on the match!"
What? Just a small gain?
Brother Hao's dictionary doesn't have "small gain." It's either "big profit" or "bloodbath profit!"
"How can you be sure you'll win?"
"Relax, Brother Hao will take care of it!"
If the original Huo Yuhao could help Beibei cheat from the sidelines, why can't the current Huo Yuhao secretly manipulate things?
Betting against the odds? Beachside villas, here we come.
There are no kids who cry every day—and no days where Brother Hao loses!
Failure is the mother of success. But Brother Hao? He has no mother!
With a group of girls in tow, Huo Yuhao quickly attracted attention from the other students.
"Who's that guy? Surrounded by so many girls? Does his family even know how arrogant he is?"
"Looks like a freshman."
"I've almost graduated from the outer court and still haven't held a girl's hand. Why does he already have a group of girls around him on his first day? The heavens are unfair!"
"Tch, so young and already fooling around instead of training properly. Wasting his talent. Probably won't even pass the freshman assessment!"
"Jealous much?"
"I'm not. I swear. Don't talk nonsense!"
Hearing these whispers, most of which were mocking or slanderous, Huo Yuhao didn't take them to heart.
He simply walked past those students, quietly activating the White Tiger Fortune Seizing Technique.
A white tiger phantom appeared above his head and took a small bite of fortune from those people.
Though the immature white tiger could only absorb a little luck, it still caused those people to lose enough fortune to have bad luck for two days.
And they were completely unaware.
After strolling around the Soul Duel Area with the girls for a while, Huo Yuhao saw quite a few familiar faces—characters from the original story.
Even though this was his first time seeing them in person, their appearances were deeply etched in his memory.
Three pairs in particular caught his attention.
First: Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu—the two he was most interested in… as "ingredients." Or rather, talents.
Their appearances were very distinctive.
Blond hair and heterochromatic eyes—that was Dai Huabin. Walking beside him in all-black was a feline-like girl, clearly Zhu Lu.
It had to be said—the women of the Zhu family were indeed extraordinary. Zhu Lu embodied the phrase "slender branches, hefty fruit."
A handsome man and a beautiful woman, the couple was quite eye-catching.
Huo Yuhao nearly drooled.
The young white tiger gave a yearning growl, baring its still-growing fangs at them.
It wasn't just Dai Huabin's White Tiger bloodline that attracted it—Zhu Lu's aura stirred a strange reaction as well.
"Netherworld Civet bloodline is useful for the White Tiger too? Seems likely. Looks like the Zhu family needs to be added to the task log."
[Mission Log]
Kill God King Tang.
Kill Dai Hao.
Kill everyone in the Duke's Mansion.
Kill Shrek...
Kill Dai Huabin.
Sleep with… Zhu Lu.
When the time is right, he would definitely study Zhu Lu's body—er, secrets.
Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu also noticed Huo Yuhao.
They acknowledged his looks but disdained his character.
Seeing him surrounded by girls, they dismissed him as a vain playboy relying on his face.
Proud as they were, they didn't even spare him a second glance.
Such a person wasn't worthy of being their friend.
Huo Yuhao only smiled faintly at their retreating figures.
Next: Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao.
Among the freshmen, the only one whose looks could rival Huo Yuhao's was Wang Dong—who was, in fact, a girl disguised as a boy.
And Xiao Xiao, in the same class, somehow stood beside Wang Dong.
Maybe Wang Dong treated her as a bestie, while Xiao Xiao secretly wished Wang Dong would push her down.
The two hadn't been expelled by Zhou Yi, but from their expressions, it was clear they'd been thoroughly "trained" by her.
There was also a hidden fatigue about them—evidence of a month of grueling exercise building resilience.
Huo Yuhao was more interested in Wang Dong.
Controlling Wang Dong might not threaten a certain God King directly, but it would definitely help the plan to kill him.
And "controlling" could mean holding Wang Dong in his heart—or in his stomach.
If Wang Dong wouldn't let Hao enter her body, then Hao would enter Wang Dong's body!
Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao also noticed Huo Yuhao's group. After all, they stood out.
Huo Yuhao gave them a polite smile from afar.
Both were stunned by his looks.
Xiao Xiao was shaken: "There's actually a guy as good-looking as Wang Dong?!"
A shameless fangirl, she desperately wished to replace the girls beside Huo Yuhao.
Left hand Wang Dong, right hand Huo Yuhao—she wouldn't dare dream of more!
Wang Dong was also stunned. She was a girl disguised as a boy—was Huo Yuhao really that handsome?
Can a man really be this attractive?
But seeing the flock of girls around him, Wang Dong snorted coldly and dragged Xiao Xiao away.
"Xiao Xiao, let's go. Don't pay attention to that womanizer!"
"Okay…"
Though reluctant, Xiao Xiao didn't resist—after all, Wang Dong was holding her hand.
Sorry, Huo Yuhao. She belonged to Wang Dong now!
Still, as they walked away, Xiao Xiao kept glancing back at Huo Yuhao.
Lastly: Ning Tian and Wu Feng.
Huo Yuhao wasn't too concerned with these two.
Wu Feng didn't matter.
The key was Ning Tian.
A 30-rank support-type Soul Elder with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda—a true rich girl.
But she had far less appeal than the others.
The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was unlikely to support Huo Yuhao's cause, especially with Ning Rongrong's ties—they'd probably back the God King instead.
And gaining their support would mean offering significant benefits—like helping them evolve their spirit into the Nine Treasures form.
With that kind of power, Huo Yuhao would rather feed it to his variant Frost Centipede spirit—it might even boost his level.
Still, the fortune on them—especially Ning Tian—was considerable.
That was the only thing useful about them to Huo Yuhao.
Ning Tian also saw Huo Yuhao.
She lost focus for a moment because of his looks, then gave him a polite smile—very well-mannered.
Wu Feng, on the other hand, glared at him fiercely and drew a line across her throat in a threatening gesture.
Clearly, she would never allow someone like Huo Yuhao near Ning Tian.
Huo Yuhao smiled politely at Ning Tian and left, led away by the girls around him.
"Miss—about that boy…" Wu Feng wanted to warn her.
But Ning Tian interrupted.
"Fengmei, in the academy, just call me Ning Tian."
Ning Tian's daily effort to change Wu Feng's formality.
"Got it, Miss."
Wu Feng's daily refusal to change.
Maybe she liked that master-servant vibe.
Ning Tian sighed but didn't press further. "Fengmei, please find out who that boy is. I want to know his spirit and soul power level."
"…Huh???"
Oh no. The cabbage's about to bolt!
Whatever Wu Feng was thinking, Ning Tian was indeed curious about Huo Yuhao—but only out of interest.
It was common knowledge that martial spirits could affect appearance. She wanted to know what kind of spirit could create such a face.
If Huo Yuhao had no backing, she might consider recruiting him into the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
He could be sent to handle negotiations with noble ladies and young heiresses—surely business would become much smoother.
It didn't take Huo Yuhao much effort to find the betting stand.
Betting on soul duels had long been a tradition at Shrek Academy.
Although it looked like upper-year students were running the betting operation, it was likely unofficially sanctioned by the academy itself.
After all, the academy couldn't openly be seen managing the betting.
Otherwise, how could such a massive Soul Duel Arena have only one betting stand?
What kind of backing did they have to dare monopolize this in Shrek Academy? Don't they know who runs this place?
When Huo Yuhao arrived at the betting area with a group of girls, the senior student managing the bets immediately lit up.
Big customer alert!
I mean, you don't just walk around with that many pretty girls unless you've got either strength or wealth.
Otherwise, wouldn't you get beaten up?
The senior quickly stepped forward to enthusiastically greet Huo Yuhao and the group.
"Junior brothers and sisters here to place a bet? Welcome, welcome. Let me explain the rules and the two contestants for today's match..."
He handed Huo Yuhao a betting sheet.
The sheet listed several matches for the day, each in a different time slot.
The noon match was the highlight—the most anticipated, and the one with the most bets.
When Huo Yuhao saw who was fighting, he immediately understood why this match was such a big deal—even Huang Tao had mentioned it to him and Xie Huanyue.
The noon duel featured none other than the Outer Court's twin stars: Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi!
As a loyal little brother, of course Huo Yuhao had to support his big bro Bei Bei!
He carefully examined the betting options.
Shrek Academy's matches were essentially soul duels, so the betting followed the same structure.
There were two main types:
Victory Bet and Time Bet.
Victory betting was straightforward:
Bei Bei wins: odds 1.3
Xu Sanshi wins: odds 1.2
Draw: odds 1.1
Huo Yuhao asked the senior student for details and learned that the odds were based on Bei Bei's previous injury.
Given their history of evenly matched duels, the draw had the lowest odds.
But even the highest odds—1.3 for a Bei Bei win—wasn't worth much unless you bet big.
For smaller bets, it's just pocket change.
Big spenders wouldn't even look twice at that payout.
Then there was the Time Bet—a riskier, more thrilling option.
This bet was based on how long the match would last, regardless of who won or if it ended in a draw.
Under 1 minute: odds 10
Under 3 minutes: odds 2
Under 5 minutes: odds 1.5
Under 10 minutes: odds 1.3
Under 15 minutes: odds 2
Under 20 minutes: odds 3
Under 30 minutes: odds 5
Over 30 minutes: odds 10
The higher the odds, the lower the chance of that outcome. If the time was right on the edge, you'd get paid based on the higher tier.
The senior kindly shared past performance and battle insights.
The two were evenly matched.
Xu Sanshi had slightly higher soul power and was a defense-type soul master.
Bei Bei's attacks were stronger but he had just recovered from injury.
Their matches usually ended in 5 to 10 minutes. Anything under a minute or over 15 minutes would raise suspicion of a fixed match—thus the crazy odds.
"So, junior, what are you planning to bet on? I'd recommend—"
"No advice needed," Huo Yuhao interrupted.
"I'm betting on a one-minute match," he declared.
The senior froze. "Are you sure?"
"Yep."
"Why?" asked the Skydream Iceworm (Tianmeng Bingcan).
"Because it has the best payout and shortest wait. After the match, I can still go take a nap," Huo Yuhao replied.
Skydream Iceworm: "Savage~"
The senior asked why again.
This time, Huo Yuhao put on an earnest expression.
"Bei Bei is my big brother! With his strength, Xu Sanshi is no match—he'll finish it in one minute! I believe in him!"
The senior was stunned that Huo Yuhao actually knew Bei Bei—and amazed at how smitten he seemed.
Surrounded by all these girls and still head over heels for Bei Bei?
What kind of magic does that guy have?
But Huo Yuhao thought:
"Bei Bei gives me endless luck. Even all these girls combined can't compare. How could I not love him?"
Indeed, his recent fortune had been dwindling, and Huo Yuhao was already longing for Bei Bei's "luck aura."
As for the girls around him...
Huo Yuhao turned to them, looking a bit shy and bashful.
"Um, sisters… I want to borrow a little money to support big bro Bei Bei…"
"Of course, anything for little brother."
"You can have it all."
"Even if we lose, we can always 'compensate' in other ways…"
The girls agreed without hesitation.
To Huo Yuhao's surprise, they managed to gather 300,000 Gold Soul Coins for him!
He was shocked by this disparity of wealth.
"I underestimated these girls. Small chests, but deep pockets."
Actually, these funds had been prepared by their families to help them build connections with Shrek's top talents.
If they could flirt—or better yet, seduce—a genius, it would be a huge win.
Now, all of it was being redirected to pamper a little cutie.
When Huo Yuhao walked up to place the bet, carrying a stack of gold cards and a pouch of coins totaling 300,100 Gold Soul Coins...
Even the betting senior student was floored.
Three sentences, and the girls forked over 300,000?
He almost dropped to his knees to worship Huo Yuhao as a master.
But he kept his cool and accepted the bet.
After all, once the betting stand is open, there's no reason to turn anyone away—especially for such a ridiculous bet with nearly zero chance of success.
"Junior, remember—small bets are for fun, big bets will ruin you!"
The senior sighed as he watched Huo Yuhao walk away.
Once the match ends and that 300,000 is gone… how many billions of apologies will he owe these girls?
But what did it matter to him?
From that bet, he'd earn at least 5,000 in commission.
Huo Yuhao, surrounded by girls, took a seat in the audience.
Girls in front, behind, left, right—fully encircled—drawing envious looks from others.
If not for the rules protecting new students, someone would've already challenged him to a duel out of jealousy.
Finally, the match between Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi began.
Both wore their academy uniforms as they stepped onto the field.
After half a month, Huo Yuhao saw Bei Bei again, and his body trembled slightly with excitement.
"Bei Bei's fortune is back!"
He was like a mouse spotting cheese.
Bei Bei looked different from before—no longer drained and weak, but back to his elegant self.
Though if one looked closely, a layer of sorrow still lingered in his eyes, adding a mysterious allure.
He had spent the past half month recovering under Mu En's care.
This match was meant to loosen up his body—and vent the emotions he had kept buried.
His body may have healed, but his heart hadn't.
He missed Tang Ya terribly.
In the original story, Tang Ya had disappeared on her own, uninjured.
Now, she had left under duress, badly hurt and with her foundation damaged.
Bei Bei couldn't stop worrying. Could she survive out there alone?
At that moment, the referee entered, and the soul barrier activated.
The match was about to begin.
The crowd fell silent in anticipation.
Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi exchanged a few words—likely some pre-fight banter.
Then, at the referee's signal, both activated their martial souls.
Electric light sparked around Bei Bei.
Xu Sanshi's body swelled.
Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes.
Skydream Iceworm:
"Here we go! It's starting!"