After absorbing his second spirit ring, Huo Yuhao returned to Shrek Academy with the hunting party. The journey back was uneventful — no ambushes, no new dangers.
The entire trip had taken fourteen days, leaving sixteen days before the end of the break.
Yuhao had no plans to go anywhere else. With all immediate goals met, it was finally time to turn inward — to study, refine, and prepare.
Thus, he confined himself to the dormitory, venturing out only for meals or brief exercise. Most of his waking hours were spent within his spiritual sea, analyzing and experimenting on his newly acquired second soul skill: Mental Suggestion.
"Testing results are about what I expected," Yuhao murmured to himself. "It works — altering perception through specific spiritual frequencies that bypass soul power defenses and mental awareness — but the effect is too weak. Likely because of the ring's low age."
"That mutant Three-Eyed Demon Ape must've used this skill together with another strong-control mental ability to influence the apes. But compared to Elder Yi and Skydream, its mental strength was still far inferior."
He concluded: "On its own, Mental Suggestion's not much use. Combined with other psychic techniques, though, it could be powerful."
As he spoke, spirit energy gathered around his fingers. A large projection of his second spirit ring materialized before him in his mental sea — its violet hue pulsing faintly.
Yuhao began editing it. He preserved the martial soul's underlying influence but overlaid new structures — modifying, merging, and layering intricate runic patterns across its frame.
Gradually, the color deepened to a pure black ring, exuding an aura of unsettling calm.
"Combine Mental Suggestion, Mental Suppression, and Mental Disruption… this should be enough," he muttered. "It'll maximize the original ring's advantages — bypassing psychic defenses and corrupting enemy perception while remaining nearly undetectable. A perfect tool for infiltration and confusion."
He smirked. "Let's call it Spiritual Collapse."
From within his sea of consciousness, Electrolux's calm, aged voice rose.
"Interesting… the way you construct these 'soul power circuits' resembles the magical matrices I once used. Though the foundations differ, your method of structural layering feels familiar."
"Your eyes, little one, are far from ordinary. Even I need effort to dissect a soul technique's internal logic — but for you, it's as simple as a glance."
Yuhao smiled faintly as Electrolux continued:
"You base your soul circuits on this world's existing frameworks. A crude imitation perhaps — but effective. Allow me to show you something in return."
A wisp of gray mist flowed from the hovering sphere that represented Electrolux's consciousness, intertwining with Yuhao's projected ring.
Instantly, the black construct disintegrated, breaking down into raw streams of psychic energy. Those streams reformed into two geometric diagrams, elegant and simple — minimalistic yet precise.
"Tell me," Electrolux asked, "can you identify these?"
Yuhao activated his Eye of Truth, studying them closely. Lines and curves pulsed faintly with power. He frowned in concentration.
"Is this… Thunder Dragon Claw? No — wait, the structure suggests Wind Blades instead… And the other one — is that my Spiritual Collapse? No… there are additional sigils woven in — absorption symbols?"
He compared them rapidly against his mental archives. Both structures were skeletal yet perfectly symmetrical. Each could be drawn in under three breaths.
"Correct," Electrolux said, pleased. "The first is the Swiftwind Dragon Claw, formed of condensed air elements. The second is indeed your Spiritual Collapse, but I've added a secondary formation — a psychic absorption array."
"This isn't something you can safely test within your mind," he went on. "Return to your body and try it in the real world. I'll conceal your energy fluctuations."
Back in his dormitory, Yuhao exhaled slowly and traced the sigil in the air using pure spiritual force.
Lines shimmered briefly — then elemental wind gathered at the formation's core, shaping into a miniature dragon's claw made of compressed air. When Yuhao relaxed his focus, it dissipated instantly.
He blinked, astonished.
So the air's elemental particles naturally filled in the gaps of the structure?
Electrolux chuckled.
"Precisely. Your earlier circuits were cluttered with redundant stabilizers. They traded efficiency for endurance — allowing your skills to persist longer but slowing activation drastically."
"You, however, are a spirit-type master. Your strength lies in mental force, not soul power. My modification abandons the cumbersome energy-binding layers."
"Instead, it lets pure mental energy draw in ambient elements to complete the construct. The result's potency depends on two factors — your spiritual intensity and the density of surrounding elements."
"In essence," he explained, "your spirit determines the upper limit of power; the environment determines the lower limit."
"Also remember — your body's elemental affinity subtly shapes your spirit's nature. Currently, your spiritual power is nearly attribute-neutral — only faintly tinged with ice due to the worm's influence. You'll need to enhance that affinity to attract more elements effectively."
Yuhao nodded thoughtfully. "Understood. I know a place filled with rare herbs that can boost both affinity and constitution… I'll look into that later."
He paused, then asked, "And the second formation, Elder Yi?"
"Ah," the old man replied, his tone softening. "Spirit power cannot exist without anchor. It's tied to the soul's strength, and the soul, in turn, requires a body as its vessel."
"Without your spiritual sea as its anchor, even my divine sense would scatter."
"You were right to merge Mental Suggestion with domination-type abilities — but when facing an enemy of stronger mental magnitude, your attacks will dissipate before taking hold."
He gestured toward the diagram. "This absorption construct converts your opponent's psychic energy into fuel for your Spiritual Collapse — feeding upon their mind to power your skill. Even against stronger foes, you can erode their defenses bit by bit, until they crumble entirely."
"I call it Spiritual Devour."
Somewhere deep in Yuhao's consciousness, Skydream Iceworm, half-asleep, twitched irritably — as though someone had insulted him again. Then it yawned and rolled over, continuing to nap.
Yuhao's eyes brightened. "Ingenious… using the opponent's mental energy against them."
He grinned. "I understand, Elder Yi. From now on, I'll study both paths — soul circuits and spiritual construction — together. Balanced progress, no blind spots."
He hesitated before adding, "But Elder Yi, you've only shown me two samples so far. Perhaps—"
"Enough, little one," Electrolux interrupted with faint amusement. "Chew what you have before asking for more. I must rest and repair my consciousness."
The link severed. Yuhao sighed. "Chew what I have, huh… but I still feel it's not enough."
His gaze unfocused as his mental energy shifted and reformed between his fingers. No matter how far he had come, he couldn't forget the sword named Tang San still hanging above his head — a constant reminder of the main story that awaited.
Soon, Elder Xuan would send Shrek's main team on their expedition. Yuhao knew he'd have to tread carefully. Even with his growing strength, Xuan Zi's oppressive aura was not something he could yet challenge head-on.
He sat cross-legged and summoned his martial soul.
"Skydream," he said aloud, "wake up. Time to work."
The Iceworm stirred groggily. "Huh? Oh—ah, right! Got it!"
As its vast spiritual essence flowed into Yuhao, his second ring began to change. Its purple light deepened, patterns shifting and growing ever more intricate.
The ring's original structure — which should have simply reinforced its base skill — now morphed under Yuhao's precise control.
One thousand years… two thousand… three thousand…
The Iceworm's energy not only nourished the ring but also shielded Yuhao's body, sealing away every trace of external energy fluctuation.
Finally, when the ring's age reached fifteen thousand years, Yuhao halted the process.
"It's done — Spiritual Devour complete," he whispered. "Your turn, Skydream."
Relinquishing control, Yuhao withdrew from the process. The Iceworm took over, expertly sealing the ring's age back down for safety.
Fourteen thousand… thirteen thousand… twelve thousand…
"Can't suppress any further," Skydream finally said. "Push it lower and the internal structure will collapse."
Yuhao nodded. "That's fine. This level's perfect."
Opening his eyes, he gazed at the violet ring encircling his feet. The once-simple pattern now gleamed with countless refined lines, pulsing softly with psychic energy.
He smiled. "A little heavier on spirit and soul power consumption, but worth it."
The Spiritual Devour technique was now complete — elegant, silent, and terrifyingly efficient.
(End of Chapter)