The blue-green colored vortex spun out like a small tornado.
The Spirit Ice Plaza wasn't particularly dirty to begin with, there was just a bit of dust, and there was no visible trash within the line of sight.
As soon as the vortex landed, a strange scene unfolded. Upon closer inspection, one could see that the floating dust on the plaza was quickly absorbed into the vortex, while the ground itself became cleaner and fresher, almost as if it had been scrubbed.
"We've let Gu Yue do it all by herself, I feel a little guilty," Xie Xie chuckled.
"Look at you, acting all sleazy. You're clearly happy inside, right?" Xu Xiaoyan said with a half-smile.
Xie Xie grumbled, "I'm just saying that Gu Yue is amazing."
"Hmph!" Xu Xiaoyan snorted.
When they were handling their enrollment, each of them was given two school uniforms and a student identification card for Shrek Academy. Gu You didn't go to handle this himself, but Xie Xie had helped him by asking Shen Yi to take care of it.
Gu You was quite touched by this.
This guy... he's reliable.
The student card was made of metal, with clear soul guide patterns etched on it. The design was very intricate, indicating that the designer of the array had put in a lot of effort. The teacher from the academic office explained that this card was their official identification. They needed it to go anywhere in the academy, including leaving and returning to the academy.
Shrek Academy wasn't as strictly managed as they had imagined. At least there were no restrictions on students coming and going. In fact, the outer academy was essentially a city. Everything could be handled here, and there was no need to leave the academy unnecessarily.
And why leave the academy? If they still wanted to enter the inner academy, they had to work hard.
However, the living conditions were still too poor. While Gu Yue was cleaning the plaza, Gu You went outside to buy some luxurious living essentials and had Xie Xie carefully arrange them. The one directing the setup was Xu Xiaoyan, as girls generally had a higher sense of aesthetics, and naturally, the room looked beautiful after her arrangement.
Gu You also observed that not every room in the working-study student dormitory was occupied. In fact, only about three or four rooms showed signs of use. From the outside, these rooms looked extremely simple.
This seemed to be a tradition among the working-study students, and they clearly weren't meant to disrupt the simplicity.
Even though Gu Yue used her quick soul skills to clean, it still took her a full four and a half hours to complete the cleaning of the entire Spirit Ice Plaza, finishing around the afternoon.
This showed just how large the plaza was. The four of them stayed in their room to meditate and cultivate for the rest of the day.
Crash!
A powerful aura erupted, and the third blood-soul ring rose beneath Gu You's feet. Unlike the purple and blue hues of the first two, this one was purple-gold. Destructive energy seemed to overflow from this soul ring, emitting a terrifying blood aura. However, Xie Xie and the others didn't feel uncomfortable at all. Instead, they only sensed their blood flowing rapidly through their bodies, as though being drawn by the energy.
Purple Gold Dragon Armor!
This was the power of the third blood-soul ring in Gu You's mind. Having absorbed the Golden Dragon King's power from Tang Wulin, he had indeed inherited a certain skill, though it was quite overpowered.
His overall defensive ability increased by 60%, and even if real damage came, it would be reduced significantly. Once activated, his entire body became covered with dragon scales, making him appear somewhat dragon-like in human form, while also emitting destructive waves in a small radius, dealing damage.
A majestic and domineering purple-gold dragon-shaped spirit appeared behind Gu You, smaller than before. Unlike the first time he had awakened his martial soul, this time, the aura it emitted was calm, no longer as violent. However, the blood-red eyes still contained no emotion.
"So cool!" Xie Xie couldn't help but praise. He felt that ever since he started cultivating with Gu You, his cultivation speed had somehow doubled, whether it was just a feeling or something else.
Gu Yue, on the other hand, continued meditating, seemingly unaffected by the fluctuations from Gu You's side.
"Stop staring at me like that. Let's go eat. What time is it? I'll treat you guys." Gu You opened his eyes, a flash of purple light passing through them.
"Alright! Great!" Xie Xie was the first to rush out the door.
The academy's cafeteria was vast, and all the students from the outer academy seemed to eat there. The working-study students had different rules from the other students. Regular students ate for free, as it was provided by the academy, but working-study students had to pay, using the task points they earned by completing work and assignments at the academy.
Today, the four of them had taken on a task that only earned them 100 contribution points, which wasn't enough to eat much. But Gu You had his way. He exchanged some of his unused spirit-forged ore at the contribution point exchange center, earning a total of 8,000 contribution points.
It's so much better when money is involved, Gu You thought. He wanted to eat at the academy, but the outer academy was like an outer city, huge and requiring a half-hour walk to get in and out. It was better to just solve things locally.
Gu You found a large table and began instructing Xie Xie to bring food, all the most expensive dishes. The Shrek Academy cafeteria was enormous, able to accommodate a thousand people dining at once.
Xie Xie struggled as he carried one plate after another. The other three ate sparingly, but Gu You ate a lot. He had to take plenty for himself.
At first, they didn't attract much attention, but soon, when the plates on the table were stacked three high, someone walked over.
It was a young man, around twenty years old, with a stern face and a red armband on his right arm.
Gu You glanced up and thought, "Oh, an official."
"I am Xie Peichen, a member of the academy's enforcement team. Which class are you from? Why are you taking so much food? Don't you know the academy rules? If you waste food, you'll be fined ten times the amount you waste," Xie Peichen said coldly.
Xie Xie stopped in his tracks, looking a little awkward. He glanced at Gu You but didn't speak.
"Senior, we'll eat all this food," Gu You stood up to defuse the situation.
"You'll eat all this?" Xie Peichen's voice rose. He had originally thought Xie Xie was gathering food for other students to share, but even so, the amount he was carrying was enough for thirty people. There were only four people at this table. And this wasn't even regular food—there were numerous hundred-year-old ingredients mixed in. Wasting any of it would be disrespectful to the food, and even with contribution points, this amount of waste wasn't acceptable.
"Yes," Gu You replied.
"You… fine! I'll watch you eat. If you don't finish, don't blame me for being rude," Xie Peichen's expression darkened, but his words stopped there…
(End of Chapter)