Book 2: Academy of Monsters
Chapter 14.1: Skydream Points
Huo Yuhao didn’t forget to dig out the golden spirit coin from the grill that he’d earned from yesterday’s roasted fish before following Tang Ya to see Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi compete. When Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong arrived at the dining hall, they secretly felt a little rich and imposing.
The breakfast that they had was especially sumptuous, and greatly replenished their bodies’ needs. They were the earliest to arrive at the dining hall, and even by the time they’d finished eating, not many students had arrived.
“There’s still a while till we have to be in class. Let’s return to the dorm room.” Huo Yuhao patted his satisfied belly and stretched his body for a while with a content look on his face.
Ever since he arrived at Shrek Academy, he’d gradually become cheerful. He finally had friends here, but even more so, he had Teacher Xiao Ya and his Eldest Senior Brother Bei Bei who both cared about him. This was worlds better compared to the previous kind of atmosphere he’d experienced when he was in the Duke’s mansion, where everything was ice-cold.
Wang Dong replied, “Save it. You’re just gonna go back and cultivate again anyway. Bowstrings that have been stretched too tightly will break, you know. If you need to relax, then you should just relax. Let’s take a walk by Sea God Lake and relax for a while. The Mysterious Water Pill just helped you increase your cultivation by quite a bit; you shouldn’t care about this short moment of relaxation.”
“Alright then.” Huo Yuhao happily agreed. Every since entering the academy a few days ago, he still had yet to visit Sea God Lake. Moreover, it really was almost time for them to head to class. It would be a good idea if he took the chance to take a walk too.
The two left the dining hall and cut through the school building for new students as they headed to the east along the south side of Shrek Plaza. Soon afterwards, they arrived at the alley to the lakeside.
As they passed through the forest next to the alley, Sea God Lake, with its gleaming waves that were reflected in the sunlight, and its water that was both clear and crystalline, was presented before their eyes.
A gust of wind that contained a gentle mist mixed with fresh air buffeted them. Even though Sea God Lake was a man-made lake, the water that it held was extremely clear. The azure lake was blue to the point that its surface was both pure and deep, yet so blue that it was also tender, calm, and graceful. A slight ripple that looked like the luminous eyes of a young lady was also full of life that undulated on the surface of the lake and looked like a blue brocade.
The lake reflected an inverted image of the blue sky and white clouds, as well as the trees that lined the lakeside.
“So beautiful!” Wang Dong couldn’t help but inhale deeply, physically exerting himself as he stretched his body.
When he stretched his body, his shirt was inevitably pulled up, revealing his perfectly rounded and perky butt. Huo Yuhao absolutely didn’t deliberately focus his attention on it, but an unintentional look was enough to remind him of the shining patch of white that he’d seen yesterday…
He turned his head away, feeling somewhat embarrassed, and looked far out into the distance across Sea God Lake. Sea God Lake occupied an extremely wide area; perhaps it was even larger than the main Shrek Academy campus that was to the west of Shrek Plaza. There was even a layer of fog atop the water’s surface in the distance.
After Huo Yuhao’s Purple Demon Eyes had evolved, the sight of his Spirit Eyes had substantially increased once again. Even though he hadn’t poured soul power into his Spirit Eyes to activate them, Huo Yuhao could still see far into the distance. He faintly saw what seemed to be houses amidst the mist that rested upon the surface of the lake in the distance. He couldn’t help but think that the inner courtyard was probably at that end of the lake, as he’d associated those houses with Xiao Ya and Bei Bei’s description.
If such an outstanding Soul Master like his eldest senior brother was only able to study in the outer courtyard, then how strong would the upperclassmen from the inner courtyard be!?
“Eh?” At the exact moment that Huo Yuhao was preoccupied with his thoughts, he suddenly saw what appeared to be a red dot appear in the mist above the lake.
“What is it?” Wang Dong asked curiously.
Huo Yuhao pointed in the direction that he was looking. “Look, there seems to be some sort of red dot over there.”
Wang Dong followed where Huo Yuhao’s finger was pointing, and looked in the direction that he was pointing. However, all he saw was a sea of mist. “Where?” He was questioning Huo Yuhao’s words one moment, when in the next moment, he opened his eyes wide and stared. He’d also seen the so-called red dot that Huo Yuhao had mentioned. However, it wasn’t some red dot. It was clearly a red-coloured figure that was currently running on the surface of the water at an astonishing speed. In addition to that, looking closely at the figure, it actually seemed to be rushing in their direction!
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong both exchanged a glance before simultaneously crying out in surprise, “An upperclassman from the inner courtyard?!”
The red figure’s speed was extremely shocking. In just a short period of time, it had already reached the center of the lake. Every time the tips of his toes briefly touched the surface of the lake, he’d create a ripple that spread out across the lake. However, he was also continuously speeding up with the help of that slight buoyancy from the lake, rapidly flying forwards like a red cloud.
As the figure got closer, Huo Yuhao was also able to see it even better. The red colour wasn’t only due to the fact that the clothes on its body were red in colour, but even its hair was a blood-red colour. The figure was slender, yet was emitting a sort of biting fierceness from its whole body, just like a frightening soul beast. The figure was wearing a mask that was also similarly red in colour; even its eyes were blood-red.
The air surrounding its body seemed to be distorting slightly. The mist would even somewhat dissipate beneath his feet wherever he passed.
“This senior seems to be very strong! Look, he can even run on the surface of the water without releasing his Martial Soul.” Wang Dong said to Huo Yuhao with an excited look on his face, as per his analysis of the situation.
Huo Yuhao’s cultivation wasn’t as good as his, but his perception was far more acute. “Wang Dong, why do I feel that something isn’t right!?”
The red figure was truly too fast. In the period that they’d been conversing with each other, the figure had already approached the hundred-metre radius of the shore. A frightening surge of heat engulfed them in that instant. Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had astonished looks enter their eyes at the same time, because they simultaneously felt that an indescribably wild aura had exploded from that senior’s body. It definitely wasn’t an aura that should appear from a normal person.
With a swish, azure wings had spread out from Wang Dong’s back. He grabbed ahold of Huo Yuhao in an attempt to take flight. However, that red figure had already gotten close to them in the short span of Wang Dong’s movements.
The terrifying heat burst forth in an instant, causing both Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao to feel as though they’d been enveloped by a sea of fire. The wings on Wang Dong’s back crumpled in an instant, making it so that he could no longer fly. The duo fell to the ground at the same time. All of the vegetation in an area ten metres around the figure had turned burnt-yellow in an instant.
The difference in their cultivations was really too great. Wang Dong still wanted to try to release his soul skill, but just as he activated his soulforce, he immediately sustained an attack from that terrifying heat. With a dull groan, he immediately lost consciousness.
Huo Yuhao’s cultivation was inferior to Wang Dong’s, but one mustn’t forget that he still had an ice-type martial soul that had yet to take form.
Once Huo Yuhao was subjected to the intense stimulation from the external heat, his ice-attribute martial soul was immediately awakened. However, his soulforce that was only at the peak of the twelfth rank was thoroughly consumed by the external heat in just a single second. Moreover, that red figure had already swatted a large hand in his direction.
The temperature of his surroundings was already so frightening. If he really was hit, wouldn’t he die very tragically?
The last thing that Huo Yuhao could do was launch a Spirit Shock. However, the disparity between him and his opponent was too great. His Spirit Shock dissipated in the heat before it could even charge through that layer of strong fire-attribute aura. At this rate, he was going to vanish in a puff of smoke and ashes under that huge, scorching-hot palm.
It was at this exact moment that the sight before Huo Yuhao’s eyes became a field of white, and everything in his surroundings became a blur.