After that, life at the academy completely returned to normal.
The daily schedule was packed to the brim.
Early mornings were spent in the Mimicry Cultivation Grounds, engaging in the most basic yet crucial meditation, feeling every increment of growth in Soul Power.
Mornings consisted of Teacher Wang Yan's theory classes and physical training.
Every time, all the students, including Caelus, felt they gained a lot.
Afternoons were dedicated to Han Ruoruo's practical combat guidance classes.
In the Soul Dueling Area, they would spar with classmates to familiarize themselves with their Spirit Abilities and hone their combat instincts.
Caelus's life included one more activity than the others.
Every so often at dusk, he would go alone to that secluded grove by the Sea God Lake to meet Ma Xiaotao.
The process of suppressing the evil fire had become second nature.
A strange tacit understanding had formed between the two of them.
The initial awkwardness and embarrassment were gone, replaced by a sense of calm.
Ma Xiaotao would sit there quietly, waiting for that icy power to flow through her entire body.
Meanwhile, Caelus would close his eyes and precisely manipulate his Soul Power, treating it as an exercise to refine his control over his Ultimate Ice Soul Power.
Only occasionally, after they finished, would the look Ma Xiaotao gave him become somewhat complex.
In her eyes, there was gratitude, reliance, and something else she couldn't quite explain herself.
Time flew by in this cycle of cultivation, study, combat, and occasionally acting as a fire extinguisher.
In the blink of an eye, winter was approaching.
The first semester at Shrek Academy was also nearing its end.
The air began to fill with a relaxed yet restless atmosphere known as 'vacation.'
It was during this time that Caelus discovered a massive change in his life, one that made all the Core Disciples green with envy.
The cause was his meals.
As Core Disciples of the Outer Court, each of them was assigned a specialized nutritionist by the academy, responsible for providing tailor-made nutritional meals most beneficial for Soul Power cultivation and physical growth.
This in itself was top-tier treatment that ordinary students wouldn't even dare to dream of.
Caelus was naturally no exception.
But since he started regularly suppressing the evil fire for Ma Xiaotao, he noticed the contents of his tray had undergone a world-shaking change.
Initially, his nutritional meals primarily consisted of meat from ten-year and hundred-year Soul Beasts, paired with some aged common herbs capable of nourishing Qi and blood.
This was already the standard for Core Disciples.
Later, however, the hundred-year Soul Beast meat on his tray was gradually replaced by Thousand-Year Spirit Beast meat.
Bear paws from a thousand-year Earthen Bear radiating dense Soul Power fluctuations, fresh soup brewed from thousand-year-old water-element Jade-Eyed Spirit Fish... every time, it made Zhou Sichen and the others drool.
Eventually, meat from ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beasts even began to appear occasionally on his tray.
This treatment had completely exceeded the scope of an Outer Court Core Disciple, and was even superior to that of some elite students in the Inner Court.
It was truly a world of difference.
Of course, because of their outstanding performance during the mission in Dragon City, Gu Yuena and Ye Guyi's meal treatment was also above that of ordinary Core Disciples like Zhou Sichen.
But at most, high-quality Thousand-Year Spirit Beast meat would appear on their trays; compared to Caelus's occasional ten-thousand-year feasts, it was still insignificant.
Caelus didn't even have to think to know whose handiwork this was.
Yan Shaozhe.
That seemingly stern but actually shrewder-than-anyone Dean of the Martial Soul Department.
'Nourishing things silently?'
Caelus thought calmly.
By using this subtle method to continuously provide him with top-tier resources beyond the norm, Yan Shaozhe wanted him to get used to this treatment, thereby creating a deeper sense of belonging and reliance on Shrek Academy psychologically.
This was an investment, and also an open scheme.
Any normal Genius, when faced with this kind of cultivation that almost disregarded cost, could not possibly remain unmoved, and could not help but develop the thought of 'a scholar dies for the one who recognizes his worth.'
Thinking of this, a faint smile that no one noticed curled at the corner of Caelus's mouth.
'Unfortunately...'
'He doesn't know that everything he's doing is redundant.'
Caelus put a small piece of tender beast meat into his mouth, his gaze passing through the dining hall window toward that distant, mist-shrouded Sea Gods Pavilion, which symbolized Shrek's highest authority.
Yan Shaozhe didn't know that his initial goal was to become the master of that pavilion and take complete control of the entire Shrek Academy into his own hands.
Even if he did nothing, Caelus would absolutely never leave Shrek Academy.
As for the cultivation and investment the Star Luo Empire's imperial family had put into him, he naturally wouldn't forget that either.
Moreover, his repayment had already begun long ago.
And it was proceeding silently in a way that no one could imagine, a way sufficient to subvert the layout of the continent.
After Castorice obtained her fifth Spirit Ability, Simultaneous Engraving and Fate Exchange, the repayment began.
After studying it carefully for a period and personally testing it several times, Castorice finally thoroughly understood the essence of this Spirit Ability.
It wasn't just a simple transfer of damage.
Its true power lay in exchanging, transferring, and even... tampering with fate itself.
Thus, a secret plan began to be executed by Castorice.
Within the gloomy headquarters of the Holy Spirit Cult, Castorice easily came into contact with many high-level and core members of the cult by virtue of her status as the Death Saintess.
She selected some Evil Soul Masters whom she personally disliked, who were usually overbearing, and who possessed good talent but wicked Mind and natures.
Then, using 'Simultaneous Engraving and Fate Exchange,' she quietly established invisible threads connecting their fates.
The other end of the threads crossed a vast distance, connecting to the Soul Engineers in the Star Luo Empire who worked day and night in the research institutes, pouring their hearts and souls into the development of the Empire's spirit tools.
A silent transfer of fate unfolded.
Simply put, the 'destined' opportunities and the 'Luck' that should have made everything go smoothly for those chosen Evil Soul Masters were forcibly stripped away.
They would find that the Bottlenecks they were about to break through became as solid as rock, impossible to shake in the slightest.
They would find that when they went out searching for Opportunities, they would always mysteriously miss out on Heaven And Earth Treasures.
Their 'Luck' seemed to have been completely drained overnight.
And at the same time, in the Star Luo Empire's Spirit Tool Research Institute...
Those Soul Engineers who had been stuck for months due to a certain technical problem might have a flash of inspiration in their dreams one night, waking up with a sudden realization and overcoming the difficulty in one fell swoop.
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