After returning to his dormitory, Zhu Ziyang still had plenty of time left in the day. After taking a shower, he sat on the bed and began reading, not rushing into cultivation.
He believed that rushing cultivation could be counterproductive. Balance was key, and Zhu Ziyang had always understood how to alternate between effort and rest.
"...Dragon God Douluo Mu En, the 260th headmaster of Shrek Academy, a Rank 99 Ultimate Douluo, Martial Soul: Holy Bright Dragon... Mu En was born into the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan, a descendant of Yu Xiaogang, one of the academy's founders... Awakened his Holy Bright Dragon martial soul at age six with innate full soul power... Reached Grandmaster at eight... Reached level 69 at eighteen... Later led Shrek Academy to victory in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament... Became a Title Douluo at thirty... Reached level 98 at fifty... Reached level 99 Ultimate Douluo at seventy, hailed as the most powerful figure in Shrek Academy's thousand-year history..."
He was absorbed in reading when a knock at the door startled him.
Zhu Ziyang blinked, puzzled. He put down the book—The Complete History of Shrek Academy Headmasters—and got up to open the door.
To his surprise, it was Jiang Nannan!
"Nannan!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing in the boys' dorm?"
"Hehe," she giggled. "I asked around—apparently boys aren't allowed in the girls' dorm, but no one said girls can't visit the boys' dorm!"
She strolled in cheerfully, eyeing his room curiously.
"What's this? Thinking of moving in?" Zhu Ziyang teased with a smile, remembering the three years they had lived together at Anyang Academy.
"I wish!" Jiang Nannan replied, plopping down on his bed naturally. "But the school doesn't allow it."
"When we make it to the Inner Court, we'll be able to live together again," he said, sitting beside her and pulling her gently into his arms.
"Eee~!" she giggled like a bell, curling up comfortably against his chest.
After a few moments of cuddling, Jiang Nannan sat up and said, "Ziyang-ge, where are your dirty clothes? Give them to me."
"Sure," he said without hesitation. He handed her his used uniform. Back at Anyang Academy, she had always done his laundry. She was incredibly capable and diligent.
After taking the clothes, Jiang Nannan didn't linger.
"I'm heading back now," she said.
"Don't cultivate too late tonight," Zhu Ziyang reminded her. "Make sure to get some sleep."
"I know!" she replied sweetly before leaving his room.
Zhu Ziyang watched her disappear down the stairs before closing the door behind her.
After she left, he read for a while longer, then began his evening cultivation.
He sat cross-legged on the bed, breathing steadily, quickly entering an optimal meditative state.
His consciousness entered his spiritual sea, where the gray soul orb of Electrolux still floated calmly. Nearby, the silver crystal drifted in silence, unchanged.
After checking over his spiritual sea, Zhu Ziyang activated the Great Radiance Technique. His soul power surged from his chest and circulated through all his meridians.
When the energy passed through the acupuncture point near his right eye, that strange sensation returned again. It had begun after the Dragon Wolf's sacrifice and felt like something was quietly being nurtured inside him.
At first, it had frightened him. But over time, he realized it wasn't harmful—in fact, it was nourishing his eye.
Since the emergence of this sensation, he suspected that his right eye had undergone a mysterious transformation. It seemed to be gradually forming a connection to his spiritual sea—slowly, steadily, even without his intervention.
He had a hunch: once that connection completed, the transformation would be finished, and he'd finally discover what was happening.
By his estimate, it would take about one to two months.
He pushed aside those thoughts and focused on cultivating.
Morning.
Zhu Ziyang woke up, got dressed, washed up, and left his dorm room.
At the dormitory entrance, the old man was still there—relaxed on his reclining chair as always. Yu Beibei was already waiting too, looking a bit conflicted. But when he saw Zhu Ziyang, he smiled and nodded.
Zhu Ziyang returned the greeting with a friendly smile and began reading again as he waited.
Before long, Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya came downstairs. The group gathered briefly before splitting up—Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan went for their usual morning run, while Beibei and Tang Ya headed to breakfast.
After breakfast, the morning class began.
For Class Four, it was a Soul Master Theory lesson, taught by a middle-aged male teacher. The material was more advanced than at Anyang Academy, but not by much—just fundamental knowledge, such as the nature of soul power, soul ring years, and martial soul identification.
After all, most first-year students had only completed basic-level education. Except for a few particularly gifted individuals, the majority couldn't yet grasp advanced concepts.
Once the morning class ended, the group went to eat lunch together. Afterward, Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya returned to their dorm to cultivate, while Yu Beibei disappeared to who knows where.
As for Zhu Ziyang, he went to the Dueling Grounds and rented a training arena to practice martial soul control and scythe techniques. He didn't plan to return to the dorm—he wasn't in the habit of taking naps, so he might as well spend the next four hours refining his combat skills.
The training arena wasn't cheap—ten gold soul coins per hour—far beyond what the average student could afford. Most preferred to practice soul skills in quiet corners of campus. Shrek allowed this, as long as students didn't cause major damage—violators were fined ten times the repair cost. That's why only high-year students rented training arenas. Lower-year students couldn't do enough damage to justify the cost.
Zhu Ziyang, however, was confident in his scythe mastery, so he didn't mind spending 30–40 gold coins to hone his skills.
He cycled through the five forms of his scythe techniques:
Two-Form Rotational Style,
Ninefold Chain Slash,
Half-Moon Death Arc,
Quadrant Combo Style,
Unity Return Slash.
Golden blades danced and shimmered as he moved—cutting, stabbing, sweeping in brilliant arcs. The motions flowed naturally from one to the next, growing smoother and more refined with each repetition. His techniques were steadily internalizing and evolving.
The first two forms, Rotational and Half-Moon Death Arc, remained incomplete—they required mastery of the fusion between Light and Death attributes, which he hadn't achieved yet. At present, he could only channel either Light or Death, not both at once.
The Ninefold Chain Slash and Quadrant Combo leaned more on physical technique. He was currently limited to executing four consecutive strikes, occasionally five if he pushed his limits.
The Unity Return Slash was already quite advanced. He could now fuse his first and second soul skills, or his second and third, thanks to the supportive nature of his second skill, Blessing of Light, which enhanced his strength and the cutting power of his scythe, Pacifier of the Dead.
In truth, it was less about "fusion" and more about using one skill to enhance the others.
Until he mastered the Light–Death fusion, this move's development would remain limited.