Can't Pay back at all

Huo Yuhao looked at the scale in his hand and fell silent for a moment.

The reverse scale of the Silver Dragon King, a divine artifact containing the creative power of the Silver Dragon King.

Its function was to alert Gu Yuena when the holder was in danger, allowing her to sense it and rush to their side through this item. It was quite similar in function to the Star's Blessing, truly a case of mutual courtesy...

'Come to think of it, wasn't it supposed to be Ditian who would give me the reverse scale?'

Huo Yuhao's thoughts strayed for a moment, but he quickly shook his head to dismiss them.

He looked up in Gu Yuena's direction, only to find that she was already engrossed in fiddling with the Star's Blessing, not paying attention to him.

Given her current state, it would be difficult to return it.

With a complicated expression, Huo Yuhao stored the reverse scale.

He wanted some peace and quiet, don't ask who "quiet" was.

'Hmm?'

Just as he was about to put away the reverse scale, Huo Yuhao suddenly noticed that the bloodline vortex in his body had started to fluctuate due to the scale. The mere aura emanating from it caused the Silver Dragon King bloodline within him to boil.

Clearly, the reverse scale, imbued with creative power, would greatly benefit the growth of his bloodline vortex.

Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow slightly but didn't delve into it further. Instead, he directly stored the reverse scale into his Life's Eye.

He was still hesitant about whether to use it, but since Gu Yuena had sincerely given it to him, he had to take good care of it.

In the Sea of Consciousness, Tianmeng, who had taken the form of a boy, twitched his mouth as he looked at the new divine artifact that had replaced the Star's Blessing.

"It's over, we can't repay this."

The reverse scale of a dragon... By giving this to Yuhao, Gu Yuena had essentially given away the Star's Blessing for free.

"Tianmeng, do you think she might be wise but feigns ignorance?" Bing Bing stroked her chin, her expression serious. "How is it that she always manages to hit the right spot?"

Outsiders wouldn't know, but since they had been with Huo Yuhao all along, they naturally understood the shifts in his attitude toward Gu Yuena, which were evident from his actions.

The first time was when Gu Yuena covered for Huo Yuhao, concealing the fact that Bing Bing's martial soul was present. Huo Yuhao had her call him "Yuhao," treating her as an ordinary friend to be wary of.

The second time was when Gu Yuena sincerely studied forging and asked Huo Yuhao if he was satisfied with the Spirit Pagoda.

When Gu Yuena was asked in return and replied that she didn't dislike this era, Huo Yuhao had already shifted her from someone to be wary of to a kindred spirit. The thought of shielding her from harm had disappeared, though he still occasionally complained in his heart.

After that, Huo Yuhao's attitude toward Gu Yuena became one of a good friend. From Bing Bing's perspective, Yuhao sometimes even seemed to dote on her

Yesterday marked the third time, when Gu Yuena came because she was worried about Huo Yuhao's safety.

What her initial intentions were didn't matter much to Huo Yuhao's personality. What mattered was that Gu Yuena had come when he might have been in danger. Someone willing to share hardships was rare, and naturally, Gu Yuena's status in Huo Yuhao's heart rose.

Later, when Huo Yuhao asked Gu Yuena why she had come, Bing Bing knew that Gu Yuena's intuition was correct, Huo Yuhao was truly angry, but at himself.

And today, Bing Bing believed it might become the fourth time.

After all, it was the reverse scale of a dragon, and the symbolism behind it was extraordinary.

"I think it's innocence defeating cunning."

Tianmeng, recalling a term he had recently learned online, quipped.

...

A moment later, the members of Class Zero also arrived at the training ground. Huo Yuhao walked up to Wang Jinxi and handed him a soul tool.

"This is a bloodline suppressor. It can inhibit the growth of your bloodline. Before you've decided on your future path, you can wear it to avoid the influence of Wulin's bloodline aura."

This soul tool was created by Huo Yuhao using the Blood Source Core Crystal, based on a design developed by a researcher from the Spirit Pagoda.

"Thank you." Wang Jinxi smiled and nodded at Huo Yuhao.

He didn't want to give up the martial soul fusion skill with Yang Zi, as it was a symbol of their friendship.

"Yuhao, thank you! Wulin, thank you!" Zhang Yangzi also expressed his gratitude to Huo Yuhao and Tang Wulin, who stood nearby.

Tang Wulin quickly waved his hand. "It's Yuhao's doing."

"Without the bloodline you provided, I couldn't have made this soul tool," Huo Yuhao shook his head and then asked, "Wulin, how's Jinyu doing?"

Tang Wulin smiled. "I followed your suggestion and went to the Spirit Ascension Platform. It's already recovered."

While the boys were chatting, Xu Xiaoyan approached Gu Yuena on the other side. Seeing the bracelet she was fiddling with, Xu Xiaoyan couldn't help but feel curious.

Now that the Star's Blessing was under Gu Yuena's control, it had lost its starlight and appeared to be just a beautiful accessory. However, Xu Xiaoyan could still sense a familiar aura emanating from it.

"Na'er, what's this?"

"Yuhao gave it to me," Gu Yuena replied, her eyes soft and filled with a gentle smile.

Xu Xiaoyan's eyes widened, and she whispered excitedly, "Can you tell me more about it?"

"Ahem." A light cough interrupted them as Luoyang Lu and Wu Zhangkong walked in, dashing Xu Xiaoyan's hopes of hearing some gossip.

"The semester is almost over. In three days, the Spirit Ascension Platform's turbulence period will begin, and that will be your final exam. Everyone, do your best."

Luoyang Lu scanned the group. "The turbulence in the Spirit Ascension Platform originally stemmed from the instability of its internal energy. With technological advancements, the turbulence period has become controllable."

"During the turbulence period, the soul beasts inside the platform become more active, their numbers increase, and the danger level rises. Each turbulence period, the Eighteen Heavenly Pillars offer three hundred entry slots. This time, you'll have access to five of those slots."

"Five?" Xie Xie was puzzled.

"That's right, only five. And the entrants won't include Yuhao and Gu Yuena."

Luoyang Lu looked at Xie Xie with a faint smirk, sending a chill down the latter's spine. "Xie Xie, weren't you planning to team up with Yuhao to clear the virtual battlefield exam?"

"Uh, but Yuhao didn't agree last time either."

Xie Xie's face turned red as he awkwardly laughed.

After learning about the team option, he had indeed considered teaming up with Huo Yuhao to breeze through the exam, basically, a free ride. But after finding out that the team mode had a contribution value algorithm, he gave up on the idea.

"You shouldn't even have thought of it," Wu Zhangkong said coolly. "This time, I won't give you that opportunity."

The turbulence period exam was his idea. Gu Yuena, Huo Yuhao, and the others were on a completely different level. He couldn't let them rely too much on the two, as it would become a bad habit.

"Do you have confidence? The turbulence period's limit is level 39, meaning you might face opponents at the peak of the Soul Elder realm," Luoyang Lu asked.

The five exchanged glances and smiled.

"Yes!"

Three months had passed, and now Xu Xiaoyan was at level 22, Xie Xie, Wang Jinxi, and Zhang Yangzi were at level 23, and Tang Wulin was at level 16.

In just three months, everyone had leveled up twice, something they wouldn't have dared to imagine before joining Class Zero.

And this was without consuming any elixirs. Otherwise, the gains would have been even greater.

As for combat experience, under Wu Zhangkong's guidance and after battling the numerical anomalies in the virtual battlefield for months, they were confident in their abilities.

Leaving aside monsters like Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena, even against Soul Elders, they believed they could hold their own if they worked together.