“Okay.” Huo Yuhao nodded his head in agreement. However, how could he express the pain in his heart with mere words? How could the pain be dispelled with just a few sentences?
Wang Dong moved forward to hug him before turning and leaving. Huo Yuhao’s pain diminished a little as he felt Wang Dong’s sympathy.
He stood up and came to his bedside. He gazed at the sea of clouds that was drifting slowly by and clenched his fists tightly.
“Teacher, I’ll get stronger and restore your divine sense too! I’ll work hard!” He clenched his lips tightly, and Electrolux’s voice and smile surfaced in his mind.
Slowly, Huo Yuhao’s eyes turned greyish-white. His demeanor also changed. As a dim light flashed, he exuded a special aura – it was cold and emotionless.
A greyish soul ring slowly rose from his feet. Compared to an ordinary soul ring, this greyish soul ring was almost fifty percent larger. Behind him, a dim light projection also slowly surfaced. It had the appearance of Electrolux.
Huo Yuhao’s greyish-white eyes slowly turned completely white. He looked terrifying. As he turned to face the blurry, illusory projection, his white eyes started to tear up.
“Teacher, I’ll make you clearer and enable your necromancy to prosper in this world. I will use necromancy to resist evil and my strength to reduce the sorrow in this world.”
---
One day later. Huo Yuhao walked out of his room calmly.
Wang Dong rushed over immediately as soon he received word.
“Yuhao, how are you?” Wang Dong looked at his eyes and was stunned to see him smiling. However, the look in his eyes was completely different. It was much less brighter, and he seemed more mature. It felt as if he had grown older by five years.
When Elder Mu passed away, Huo Yuhao had been on the verge of going crazy. He had buried himself in his cultivation as a way to cope with his grief. This time, he was much more mature. Wang Dong couldn’t sense any sorrow from him. He was only very determined and unyielding.
“I’m fine.” Huo Yuhao smiled. “Can you find something for me to eat? It feels as if I haven’t eaten since I came to your house. I’m starving.”
Wang Dong was relieved. He said encouragingly, “Yuhao, don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”
Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, “Don’t worry, I’ve thought it out. Sorrow is a show of weakness. I’ll be more resolute in facing things that can’t be reversed. One day, I will turn all the sorrow that I’ve once felt into joy.”
Wang Dong was surprised. “Although I don’t think this is appropriate, I have to say that you’ve grown up.”
Huo Yuhao laughed bitterly. “I don’t know if I’ve grown up, but I know I’m very hungry now.”
Wang Dong laughed. “Let’s go. I’ll bring you to eat.”
The food in Clear Sky Castle was much simpler than Huo Yuhao had expected. There weren’t any delicacies or particularly valuable food items. There was only an aromatic and tasty bowl of mushroom soup which left a deep impression in Huo Yuhao’s mind.
Wang Dong said that the mushrooms had been boiled in chicken soup, after which they were ground up and mixed with the soup. He also said that they drank this soup every day.
Wang Dong didn’t discover anything wrong with Huo Yuhao as they consumed their meal, and was finally completely relieved.
Huo Yuhao rubbed his stomach satisfactorily and asked Wang Dong, “Wang Dong, have you obtained your soul ring? How long was I unconscious for?”
“Of course not. I wasn’t able to relax because of the state you were in! I’m relieved now that you’re fine. You can’t scare me like this anymore.”
Huo Yuhao looked at Wang Dong seriously and said, “Wang Dong, I have a secret, but I’m not telling you. Will you be mad?”
Wang Dong laughed mysteriously and replied, “I also have my own secret that I’m not telling you! Don’t worry, we’re still young. I believe that your secret won’t remain a secret forever. Furthermore, I won’t blame you even if it remains a secret forever!”
Huo Yuhao was also a little dizzy as he heard those words. “Why do you sound like you’re mouthing a tongue twister? Let’s not force each other. I will tell you one day if I think that you should know about it. I promise you that you’ll be the first to hear about it when I’m willing to tell someone.”
Wang Dong laughed. “Alright, we’ll make that a promise. You have to stay in my house for a few more days. We’ll go after I get my soul ring, okay? After this matter, my eldest and second uncles aren’t interested in testing you anymore.”
Huo Yuhao nodded. “Do you need me to follow you to obtain your soul ring?”
Wang Dong shook his head and said, “It’s fine, I can go alone. It’ll take at least a day, and at most three days. It’s very close to my house too. That place is a forbidden ground of the Clear Sky Sect. Otherwise, I’d let you go with me.”
Huo Yuhao said, “No worries, I’ll cultivate here while I wait for you. You must be aware of your own safety.”
Wang Dong nodded and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll be back very soon.”
Huo Yuhao asked, “When are you setting off?”
Wang Dong replied, “Tomorrow morning.”
Huo Yuhao asked, “What about our cultivation? While this matter has dealt me some harm, it has also increased my soul power. My cultivation has also reached a bottleneck. However, I’ll only add a soul ring after we return to Shrek.”
“What?” Wang Dong was shocked. Huo Yuhao’s soul power had been increasing very slowly over these few years, and the other six among Shrek’s Seven Monsters had widened the gap with him. Wang Dong was surprised to find out that Yuhao had reached Rank 50. After all, Huo Yuhao’s cultivation had been lagging behind all this time. Even though he had a rich array of fighting styles, he would be unable to catch his partners when they became seven-ringed Soul Sages. But if he was a Soul King now, he was maintaining the gap he had with the rest of them.
“It increased that much?”
Huo Yuhao laughed bitterly. “It’s all thanks to the Frigid Jade Essence Bed. I’m really embarrassed to have destroyed such a treasure. However, you know how poor I am. Besides my body, I don’t know how to compensate the sect for it.”
Wang Dong chuckled and said, “Then you can pay with your body.”
Huo Yuhao also laughed. He was in much better spirits now. “Alright! Then I shall sell my body to you. Just don’t resell me.”
“I couldn’t bear to.” Wang Dong replied almost instinctively. However, he blushed immediately after saying this and quickly changed the topic, “Yuhao, I won’t be cultivating with you tonight.”
“Oh? Why?” Huo Yuhao was a little stunned and said, “If we cultivate for one night, you’ll be able to reach your peak state. Won’t it be more beneficial for you tomorrow?”
Wang Dong was a little coy and shook his head, “No. I want to relax and have a good sleep tonight. I won’t cultivate tonight.”
Huo Yuhao didn’t force him either and replied, “Alright.”
The two of them returned to their own rooms and didn’t talk for the whole night. The next morning, Wang Dong left Clear Sky Castle after bidding goodbye to Huo Yuhao. Huo Yuhao sent him off along with the two sect masters.
After Wang Dong disappeared, the sect master tapped Huo Yuhao’s shoulder and said, “Young man, let’s talk.”
“Alright,” Huo Yuhao answered respectfully.
The two sect masters brought Huo Yuhao back to Clear Sky Castle and led him directly to the hall on the third floor.
“Take a seat.” The sect master pointed to a stone chair.
Huo Yuhao sat down cautiously and said, “Sect master, second sect master, I’m really sorry. I brought so much trouble to the both of you. I’ll think of a way to repay you for the Frigid Jade Essence Bed. I’m sorry.” As he spoke, he stood up and bowed to the two sect masters.
The two sect masters didn’t stop him. After he sat down, the sect master smiled and said, “Although the Frigid Jade Essence Bed was very valuable, it wasn’t very useful to our sect. You don’t have to compensate us. We didn’t call you here today to ask for your compensation, either.”
“We’re only conversing leisurely today. Tell us how you know Wang Dong and what he’s normally like. We’re very interested in knowing more.”
Huo Yuhao was puzzled as he looked at the both of them. He asked, “Doesn’t he relate his experiences in the academy to you?”
The sect master chortled and said, “Young people are naturally different from how we hope they are. He doesn’t bother to talk to me much. He only comes back a few days a year! Moreover, I’m sure you’ll have a different set of things to say from him. We’re also interested in learning more about his life from your perspective. We are indeed quite lonely in this castle.”
Huo Yuhao thought the two sect masters had called him over to talk about the incident that had happened the other day. He hadn’t expected them to ask about Wang Dong instead.
He nodded and said, “I met Wang Dong in the academy. We entered the academy together. When we first met, there was a slight dispute. Come to think of it, it’s really fate that we met. We were even put in the same dorm room.”
“What?!” the two sect masters exclaimed in unison, giving Huo Yuhao a shock.