Chapter 203: By the Sea God Lake, a Golden World! 

After lunch, Jing Shaoyu and the others parted ways to attend to their own matters.

Gu Yue went to the Designer Association, where she planned to research materials in preparation for their One-Word Battle Armor. Xu Xiaoyan headed to the training ground at the academy; the commission she had accepted had already begun, requiring her to go once every three days for a total of five visits, after which she would directly receive five thousand Contribution Points—averaging one thousand Contribution Points per visit, a great deal.

Jing Shaoyu was also busy; they had not yet fully explored the map of the outer academy, so this afternoon, he planned to continue familiarizing himself with the academy, at least illuminating the locations they had not yet touched.

The three agreed to meet for dinner at the cafeteria and then dispersed.

Jing Shaoyu set off, walking from the cafeteria to the Spirit Ice Square, and using it as a base, he began his exploration. Since he no longer needed to visit the snack street from the night before, he headed directly to the adjacent street.

It must be said that the shops in the outer academy were quite comprehensive, offering not only various snacks and delicacies but also a range of clothing, shoes, luxury goods, and more. These shops occupied two or three streets, and it was impossible to count them all at a glance. There were many people shopping in the afternoon, mostly girls from various grades, and Jing Shaoyu even spotted a few girls wearing inner academy uniforms.

Indeed, shopping is in a girl's nature, and even Soul Masters are no exception.

He did not linger too long on these streets, quickly passing through to other streets. As he left the clothing street, a shop assistant glanced at his back, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes.

That shop assistant was none other than Yuanen Yehui.

Jing Shaoyu was unaware that Yuanen Yehui was working part-time on this street; even if he knew, he wouldn't have cared, as they currently had no need to interact.

The most numerous shops in the inner city of Shrek were actually Soul Master resource stores. These stores primarily dealt in various types of Soul Master resources, including specialty shops like Soul Guidance Device stores, rare metal shops, and herbal medicine shops, as well as large comprehensive malls. The prices of goods in these stores were generally two to three percent lower than similar products in the outer city, but even so, they were still more expensive than those outside.

One could only say that they were truly treating the students of Shrek Academy as easy targets.

Jing Shaoyu wandered around the inner city for about two hours, and before he knew it, he was almost at Sea God Lake. Looking at the lake, which was no more than five hundred meters away, he thought to himself that as a student of Shrek Academy, how could he not take a look at Sea God Lake?

Without hesitation, he immediately headed toward the lake.

Sea God Lake has only four docks, one in each direction—east, south, west, and north. Each dock has specific paths and floating bridges built about three kilometers on either side, allowing outer academy students to enjoy and observe the lake. Aside from these twenty kilometers of lakeside paths, the remaining shores of Sea God Lake are dense with forests and grasslands. Although the academy does not prohibit students from entering these undeveloped areas, very few actually do.

After all, aside from various large trees, there is nothing particularly noteworthy in these lakeside forests, and the scenery cannot compare to the lakeside paths. Inside, it is silent and undisturbed, offering no benefits whatsoever.

At this moment, Jing Shaoyu was in an undeveloped lakeside forest, but he didn't mind. After looking around and finding no one nearby, he directly climbed over the guardrail by the road and ventured into the lush forest beside the road. After all, he was the embodiment of the master of nature; how could he be afraid to enter the forest?

"Oh—" As soon as he entered the lakeside forest, Jing Shaoyu felt a wave of relaxation wash over him. The unique scent of the forest invigorated him, and he let out a comfortable sigh, his face beaming with joy. "Indeed, a real forest is just different!"

As Jing Shaoyu entered, the plants in this forest became more vibrant. The weeds and shrubs that cluttered the ground instinctively parted to create a small path for him, while the tall trees moved their chaotic branches aside, afraid of snagging Jing Shaoyu's clothes.

Jing Shaoyu felt as if he had returned home, unconsciously radiating waves of soul power around him. These waves, infused with the essence of the Origin Elf, made the plants that sensed them even more excited and fervent. He walked, looked around, and laughed, feeling an unprecedented joy.

He could be certain that the age of the plants in this lakeside forest was absolutely incomparable to that of the East Sea Park. If the plant soul beasts from East Sea Park were transplanted here, there would surely be even more plant soul beasts born. However, what puzzled Jing Shaoyu was that although the plants in this lakeside forest were very active and ancient, he did not sense the presence of a single plant soul beast.

This was quite abnormal, but considering that this was Shrek Academy, Jing Shaoyu felt it was also quite normal.

He shook his head, dismissing these distracting thoughts. Now was not the time to consider such matters; he would think about them when he had control over Shrek Academy.

Jing Shaoyu entered the forest less than five hundred meters from Sea God Lake, and he soon arrived at the lakeside.

The plants growing by Sea God Lake were considerably fewer; on the land about fifty centimeters from the lake surface, there were only a few small grasses, with no particularly tall or lush plants, forming a natural path along the lakeside.

Standing by the lake, with the clear waters of Sea God Lake beneath his feet and the dense, verdant primeval forest behind him, he gazed at the vast, misty expanse of the lake before him. This scenery would make anyone sigh in awe, feeling small in the grand scheme of things, a mere speck in the vast ocean. Such feelings and sights were nothing more than that.

Of course, Jing Shaoyu would not be swayed by such emotions. He closed his eyes, spread his arms, and felt the cool breeze blowing from the lake, the gentle sound of the water lapping at the shore, and the rustling of the leaves behind him. The rich, moist air and the fragrance of the plants flowed through the atmosphere, and the consciousness of the forest and the lake seemed to merge in his mind at that moment. The world fell silent, and only a strange sound echoed in his spiritual world.

Jing Shaoyu fell into a special state of enlightenment, the Origin Elf Soul unconsciously releasing its energy. The Crown of Nature emitted a faint green light, flickering as if it were breathing. A golden light shone from his chest, that was the Heart of Eternity. His body instinctively sat down on the ground, surrounded by a special aura that blended his breath and form into the nature around him. If one could not see with the naked eye, no one would think that a handsome young man was sitting there.

The wind gently blew by. Jing Shaoyu was immersed in his spiritual world, and through his own mental power, he could clearly sense that countless green and blue light points had appeared around him. The green light points represented the natural essence of the forest, while the blue light points represented the natural essence of the ocean. These two types of light points continuously merged into his spiritual world, causing it to expand rapidly.

Jing Shaoyu could feel that each of these light points radiated a joyful and jubilant emotion. From them, he sensed a warmth and love akin to that of family, and a joyful smile appeared on his face—a carefree, unburdened smile.

Time in happiness is always immeasurable. An unexpected visitor made Jing Shaoyu once again feel the passage of time. In his spiritual world, the blue and green natural light points had vanished, replaced by a dazzling golden light point. The number of these golden light points was no less than before, and in addition to their rich natural essence, they also carried an undeniable sacred aura and a sense of time.

He paused, his consciousness slightly disoriented, as if a disc had skipped. In the blink of an eye, his awareness vanished from his spiritual world and appeared in a strange space filled with all sorts of bizarre plants, each more peculiar than the last, all in a pale golden hue. This space was brimming with life energy; just breathing it in could extend one's lifespan by several years.

As Jing Shaoyu was filled with uncertainty, a kind, gentle voice echoed, "I've finally been waiting for you."

An old man appeared, his figure hunched, dressed in a golden robe, with white hair and beard that flowed down to the ground. Upon closer inspection, one would find that two strands of hair were actually his eyebrows, quite exaggerated. The old man's eyes were exceptionally clear and transparent, unlike those of an elderly person, resembling the eyes of an infant—dark and gem-like. He gazed quietly at Jing Shaoyu, his eyes filled with joy. 

"Who are you?" Jing Shaoyu instinctively asked.

"Hehe," the old man squinted his eyes and chuckled, "It's not the right time yet. Go on, you are still too weak now. I hope you can grow quickly; time is running out…"

"What?" Jing Shaoyu was filled with confusion, just as he was about to ask further, the old man gently waved his hand. In the next moment, the golden world suddenly collapsed before Jing Shaoyu, and he felt darkness envelop him, his consciousness short-circuiting.