After successfully reaching level 34 with the help of the spirit bone attached to the Time and Space Demon Eye, Huo Yuhao could clearly feel that his cultivation speed had slowed significantly compared to before.
Under normal circumstances, it would take him at least three years to reach the next bottleneck at level 40.
Although the strength of a martial soul with extreme attributes far surpasses that of ordinary martial souls, it comes at a cost. To consolidate the body's acceptance of these extreme attributes, the cultivation speed becomes slower.
The soul power cultivated by a soul master with extreme attributes is extremely condensed, which is why the progress between levels 30 and 70 is notoriously sluggish.
However, the existence of extreme attributes also means that the soul master will not encounter any bottlenecks during cultivation.
Without special opportunities, it is normal for a soul master with extreme attributes to take over half a year to break through from level 34 to level 35.
Fortunately, Huo Yuhao had the assistance of Yuanshi, allowing him to practice non-stop around the clock.
Combined with his innate talent, his cultivation speed remains much faster than that of ordinary soul masters, even with the limitations imposed by his extreme attributes.
After two months, with the help of two external spirit bones, Huo Yuhao managed to break through to level 35.
Of course, there is another way for him to quickly improve his soul power: absorbing high-quality spirit bones and adding spirit rings to his second martial soul. However, this approach would be counterproductive and akin to throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
…
The first three months of the freshmen's studies had passed.
During this period, the academy's curriculum focused primarily on physical fitness and soul power training, supplemented by practical lessons.
In the entire freshman Class 9, no one had been expelled, and the class consistently maintained its full roster of 100 students.
Huo Yuhao, however, stood out among them. The entire freshman class was aware of the eccentric, good-looking student in Class 9 who often skipped classes and took frequent leaves. Some even disliked his behavior and complained to the teaching department, but to no avail.
Huo Yuhao: 'Who in the hall is suing me?'
The Dean of the Martial Soul Department and the director of the outer courtyard were both on his side.
As long as he didn't commit any grave misconduct, he could essentially do as he pleased in the outer courtyard. Over time, everyone grew accustomed to his behavior.
It's worth mentioning that, thanks to Zhou Yi, the number of students in the freshman class had dropped sharply to just over 50 in just three months.
Any freshman who dared to talk back to Zhou Yi or disobey her was promptly expelled! Nearly half of the class had been ruthlessly dismissed for trivial or unfounded reasons.
Eventually, the Academic Affairs Office was forced to intervene and reprimand Zhou Yi, causing her to tone down her actions slightly. Otherwise, even fewer students would have remained in the freshman class.
On the top floor of the teacher's office building, in a room much larger than Wang Yan's office, sat a tall, stern-looking middle-aged man in his forties. The room was modestly decorated, with four bookcases filled with a rich collection of books. The badge on his chest bore his name and position: Du Weilun, Director of the Martial Soul Department.
As the director of the Martial Soul Department of Shrek Outer Courtyard, Du Weilun wielded significant authority. An eight-ring Soul Douluo, his strength was formidable. However, he never expected that Zhou Yi, despite being demoted to teaching freshmen for her harsh expulsions, would become even more stubborn and unreasonable.
"Hey, I don't know what's wrong with Huo Yuhao. He keeps coming to me with complaints. He's not even from that freshman class..."
Thinking of this, Du Weilun couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. Although he was dissatisfied with Zhou Yi's behavior, he couldn't easily take action against her.
Zhou Yi's husband, Fan Yu from the Soul Tool Department, was an eighth-level Soul Guide—one of the few in Shrek and the most likely to break through to the ninth level. As the designated successor to the dean of the Soul Tool Department, Fan Yu commanded significant respect. Du Weilun was in no position to openly offend him.
"However, Zhou Yi cannot be the head teacher of the first class after the class division," Du Weilun decided, crossing out her name.
'Humph, you think you can get away with offending the abbot?' While he couldn't expel her openly, he wasn't powerless in other ways.
With Huo Yuhao's support, Du Weilun had already reported Zhou Yi's behavior to Dean Yan Shaozhe. If she continued to act recklessly, she would face consequences sooner or later.
According to Shrek's tradition, freshmen would be divided into classes after the assessment. Each grade was divided into four classes:
Class 1: Strong attack and control system soul masters.
Class 2: Defense and agility system soul masters.
Class 3: Auxiliary combat soul masters.
Class 4: Food system, healing system, and soul masters with various special attributes.
"This time, the head teacher of Class 1 will be Wang Yan and Mu Jin. Wang Yan specifically requested to teach the first grade this year. I guess he's heard some news. I can rest assured with him in charge."
Du Weilun knew how much the academy leadership valued Huo Yuhao. If Zhou Yi, that unreasonable woman, were to clash with Huo Yuhao, it would spell trouble. He still wanted to remain the director of the outer courtyard for a few more years.
…
In the classroom of Class 9, the bell had already rung, but the students were still buzzing with excitement and anxiety. The grouping for the freshman assessment was about to begin, and their futures hinged on the results.
Everyone secretly glanced at Huo Yuhao, who was resting with his eyes closed, and silently prayed. If they could latch onto the class monitor's coattails, their success would be all but guaranteed.
Although Huo Yuhao rarely participated in practical lessons and often took leaves, everyone in Class 9 knew he was the strongest among them. Even Wu Feng, with Ning Tian's assistance, couldn't defeat him.
"After the freshman assessment, we will tailor our teaching to each student's strengths. Write down your future cultivation direction and hand it in later. Now, let's discuss the freshman assessment," Mu Jin explained, distributing the cultivation tendency forms.
The freshman assessment would be a three-person team battle, with each team allowed at most one strong attack system soul master. The assessment would begin the next day, with over 300 groups competing. Only the top 150 groups in the competition points ranking would remain.
Every student listened intently, afraid to miss a single detail. For them, being eliminated meant returning to a second-tier academy, potentially cutting them off from the continent's top masters forever. After three months of hard work, no one wanted to be eliminated now.
"Now, let's divide the groups. There are exactly 100 students in our class. Originally, I could recommend a special recruit to pass directly to the Soul Guidance Department, leaving 99 students to form 33 groups. However, due to special circumstances, the academy requires one of you to form a group alone. This means we'll have 34 groups in total."
The class erupted in murmurs. Everyone's eyes involuntarily turned to Huo Yuhao. If anyone could form a group alone, it had to be the class monitor.
Huo Yuhao remained unusually calm. 'It's just one against three. A small matter.'
…
If you'd like to support me and gain access to 60+ advanced chapters, you can follow the link:
patreon.com/DarkLord621
📖 Explore my fanfiction collections:
🔹 Douluo: Infinite Lottery System - 206+ Chapter
🔹 Douluo: Peerless Gu Master - 144+ Chapter
🔹 My Disciple Are All Dou God - 60+ Chapter
Thank you for your support!