"Are there many landmark buildings over there?" Shi Yu asked Jiang Nannan.
They were standing at a fork in the road with two different directions ahead.
"This way leads to the most iconic place in the academy—Seagod Lake. The night view there is especially beautiful," Jiang Nannan said, pointing in one direction.
"Seagod Lake? Could there really be a legendary god living there?" Shi Yu asked, pretending to be curious.
"How could that be possible?" Jiang Nannan chuckled.
The two began walking toward Seagod Lake. The road was lined with lights that stretched their shadows long on the ground. Along the way, Shi Yu asked questions casually, and the two chatted and laughed together, enjoying a peaceful and pleasant atmosphere.
"This is Seagod Lake. That island in the center is called Seagod Island. It's the most important place in Shrek Academy," Jiang Nannan explained.
Shi Yu looked over. The silver moon above was reflected on the lake's surface, and the shimmering light caused gentle ripples across the water—it was quite a beautiful sight.
Seagod Lake was massive. With such a large island at its center, one could imagine how vast the entire lake must be.
Of course, Shi Yu didn't need Jiang Nannan's explanation to know what was on Seagod Island. The Inner Court and the Seagod Pavilion—home to more than 80% of Shrek Academy's high-end combat forces—were all located there.
"The scenery really is stunning," Shi Yu praised. If he had a phone, he would've taken a picture right away.
Soon, something else caught his eye—a couple by the lakeside kissing passionately.
Shi Yu smiled like an old aunt watching her juniors fall in love, but he quickly averted his gaze.
"Let's head over there and take a look."
Jiang Nannan, of course, noticed those couples. She suddenly remembered the special meaning behind visiting Seagod Lake at night. Feeling a bit awkward, she wanted to get Shi Yu out of there as soon as possible.
"Okay," Shi Yu said, not thinking much of it.
After walking around the area, they returned to the dormitory building. Since the male and female dormitories were in the same structure, they entered together.
"Nan Nan, is that your boyfriend?" a good-looking girl asked teasingly when she saw Jiang Nannan walking with a handsome guy and entering the dorm building together.
She bumped Jiang Nannan lightly with a knowing look, like she wanted her to confess.
"No, don't get the wrong idea. He's just a friend I met today," Jiang Nannan explained quickly.
"Hello, Senior Sister. I'm Shi Yu, a new student," Shi Yu greeted with a smile.
"Oh? So you're my junior. You're quite handsome," the girl said openly, clearly the outgoing type.
"Senior Sister, you're too kind," Shi Yu replied, still smiling.
"You're stealing my lines," the girl pouted playfully. "Isn't that what girls usually say to boys?"
"Haha, just joking. I'm not Senior Sister Nannan's boyfriend, so don't misunderstand. I don't mind being teased, but Senior Sister Nannan is shy—wouldn't want to hurt her reputation," Shi Yu explained.
"Really?" The girl's bright eyes sparkled as she shifted from Nannan's side to stand next to Shi Yu.
"So you're saying you're still single? Should I give myself a chance to pursue you?" she teased.
Shi Yu glanced at the girl, then at Jiang Nannan, and decisively shook his head. "If I had to choose someone to pursue, I'd still pick Senior Sister Nannan."
"You're asking for a beating!" the girl said, feigning anger.
Shi Yu immediately turned and ran. After creating some distance, he turned back and waved. "Good night, Senior Sister Nannan!"
Jiang Nannan also raised her hand and waved back.
"Stinky brat!" the girl grumbled, watching Shi Yu run off.
"He was just joking. Don't take it to heart," Jiang Nannan said gently, holding her friend's hand.
"Hmph, I'm not gonna waste my time on that kid," the girl snorted.
—
When Shi Yu returned to the dorm, he found Dai Huabin already sitting cross-legged on his bed, cultivating.
He moved quietly, washed up, and also sat cross-legged on his own bed.
"If Dai Huabin is working so hard, I shouldn't slack off either," Shi Yu muttered to himself.
He began practicing according to the method he had learned from Teacher Song Lingzhen on their way here.
The general cultivation method used across the Douluo Continent was relatively basic—absorbing the energy of heaven and earth and converting it into soul power.
Shi Yu didn't have Xuantian Gong, so this was the only method he could use for now.
As his soul power circulated, it began drawing in the surrounding energy, bit by bit, into his body. After one full cycle, a portion of the energy was converted into his own soul power, while the rest leaked back out.
In soul master cultivation, absorbing more energy doesn't mean converting all of it. Typically, only 10% to 20% of the energy absorbed could actually be retained as soul power.
The higher the martial soul's level and the user's innate talent, the closer this conversion rate could get to the upper limit.
Thus, the faster the absorption and the higher the conversion rate, the faster the cultivation speed.
Even soul masters of the same level could have vastly different absorption and conversion rates, depending on their martial souls and talent.
Shi Yu felt he was doing fairly well on his own.
Back when Teacher Song Lingzhen guided him, he could complete an absorption and transformation cycle without any issues.
His overall absorption speed and conversion rate were relatively high—but since this couldn't be measured with exact numbers, he didn't have a clear idea of how good he actually was.
As he immersed himself in cultivation, Dai Huabin—across from him—opened his eyes slightly, looking over in surprise.
"What kind of martial soul is that?" he muttered, staring at the silver vortex floating behind Shi Yu. He didn't recognize it.
Shi Yu didn't stop cultivating until near dawn. Lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling, he fell into deep thought.
All kinds of questions ran through his mind—mainly about traveling back ten thousand years.
After thinking for a while, he figured out a few things.
It was likely that time travel was connected to the process of absorbing spirit rings.
To verify this, he would have to wait until the next time he absorbed one.
The second point was that after traveling ten thousand years into the past, he had stayed there for about seven days, but time in the present had not changed. It seemed that time "paused" while he was gone—when he returned, everything was exactly as it had been when he left.
In other words, if he traveled to the past today, the present wouldn't move forward during his absence.
But what concerned him most now was—would changing the past affect the present?
This time, he had stolen Tang San's external spirit bone.
Would Tang San still possess the Eight Spider Lances?
If not, some of Tang San's experiences would definitely change.
What kind of butterfly effect would that cause?
The more Shi Yu thought about it, the more confused he became.
"Maybe I can find some records of Tang San's life," he muttered and sat up suddenly.
"You can't just call the name of the Seagod Ancestor casually," came Dai Huabin's voice from across the room.
Shi Yu looked over and saw that Dai Huabin was still cultivating on his bed.
He didn't argue. This was Shrek Academy, after all. Casually mentioning Tang San—or even criticizing him—was unwise.
"Dog Tang San," Shi Yu cursed silently in his heart as he climbed down from his bed.
But then, he smacked his own head. Wait—why am I being so dumb? Dai Huabin is right here. He might know something. Why not just ask?
"Hey, bro, do you know about the Eight Spider Lance spirit bone?" Shi Yu asked tentatively.