Yuhao was walking through the corridors of his dormitory, heading toward the so-called bath, which was basically a huge open area where multiple boys showered together. Something he would still like to say was that it didn't seem worth the money paid to Shrek as tuition.
He entered the bath, finished bathing quickly, and stepped out since it was still very early in the morning. Today was, after all, the day classes officially began, so Yuhao had stopped training a bit earlier than usual in case the place got crowded.
As Yuhao walked outside the dorm, he saw Old Mu sitting there, gazing at the dark sky while the sun slowly began peeking through the horizon.
"Old Mu, did you not sleep?" Yuhao asked curiously after greeting the old man, surprised to see him awake so early.
"Hm... I did sleep," Old Mu replied with a warm smile, though Yuhao noticed a hint of sadness hidden in it. "It's just that an old man like me sometimes feels nostalgic and wakes up a bit early."
"Oh." Yuhao nodded and didn't pry further. It was Old Mu's personal matter, not something he had to question unless Old Mu decided to tell him on his own.
"Still, it's quite early," Yuhao said as he sat beside Old Mu. "Say, Old Mu, why is it that we have to fight with over two hundred students for a bathroom in the dorms?" he asked while accepting the water Old Mu handed him.
"Heh, in my days, I had to fight with over four hundred people for the toilet in the morning," Old Mu said with a slightly mischievous smile.
"So you thought, why not let us suffer too?!" Yuhao asked, eyes widening as Old Mu simply continued smiling.
'He definitely did!' Yuhao thought as his eye twitched in speechlessness.
---
When Yuhao entered Class Nine after having breakfast with Old Mu, he noticed the classroom was completely empty. He was probably the first to arrive.
Yuhao picked a random seat in the middle row, sat down, and began meditating while waiting for others to show up.
After nearly thirty minutes, the classroom door opened again and a beautiful, tall girl with blonde hair and golden eyes walked in. She was followed by another girl with short red hair and red eyes. Both of them paused for a moment when they saw Yuhao already there so early. They seemed to consider approaching him, but in the end they decided not to and instead went to find their seats.
Yuhao sensed their presence but didn't bother glancing at them, continuing his meditation as time passed. After a while, the rest of the class finally arrived, and Yuhao slowly opened his eyes, a golden glint flashing within them before returning to normal.
Some students who noticed him stop meditating looked like they wanted to speak to him, but the door opened at that moment. A pretty woman with indigo hair and light blue eyes walked inside, dressed rather formally. The students immediately quietened down.
"Hello, students!" she greeted as she walked to the podium in front. "I am Mu Jin, your class teacher." Her voice was gentle and her smile kind.
"I know you must all be excited, so let us begin with simple self-introductions from everyone in the class. After that, I will explain some changes to the academy rules that were recently implemented." She gestured toward a random student to begin.
The boy she pointed at stood up. He looked slightly chubby but otherwise ordinary, around Yuhao's age, with short brown hair and black eyes. "My name is Zhang Hao. Martial Soul: Iron Panda. Level 19 Soul Master."
The introductions continued one after another until the blonde girl Yuhao had seen earlier stood up.
"My name is Ning Tian. My Martial Soul is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, and I'm a Level 31 Soul Elder," she introduced herself with a graceful bow. Her spirit rank surprised Yuhao a little. Although there were a few students in the twenty-plus range here, he hadn't expected a Soul Elder.
Next was the red-haired girl. "Wu Feng, Martial Soul: Red Dragon, Level 24 Soul Grandmaster." Her tone carried a trace of arrogance, as if she only acknowledged Ning Tian and no one else.
After a few more introductions, Yuhao found himself interested in only one other person besides those two.
A tall boy with long greyish-white hair and red eyes stood up. "My name is Gu Cong. I am a defense system and agility-attack system Soul Master. My Martial Soul is the Bone Dragon. I am a Level 30 Soul Grandmaster." He bowed politely, though his gaze, respectful, stayed firmly on Ning Tian, while Wu Feng openly glared at him.
'...Elder Yi... what do you mean an Undead Attribute spirit master is following a Space and Defense path?' Yuhao asked mentally, confused. Elder Yi calmly explained that Gu Cong's main attribute was Undead but had a minor space attribute and for some reason, he followed the Space attribute path instead of the Undead.
Yuhao, once again, was stunned by something other than Wang Dong'er.
Finally, it was Yuhao's turn. He stood up and said, "My name is Huo Yuhao. Martial Soul: Spirit Eyes. Level 25 Soul Grandmaster." He politely nodded before sitting back down.
Yes, that was right. He had broken through again.
What kind of cheat was he?! For him, breakthroughs were as simple as eating or drinking! What about the feelings of other geniuses who spent months reaching the next rank?!