ciples)]
[Host comprehension insufficient for practical application. Required: Spirit King cultivation OR 10,000 Rebellion Points for forced integration.]
He didn't have either. But he didn't need full integration. He just needed inspiration.
He spent a week designing a new spirit circuit based on the dragon crystals' resonance patterns. It was unstable, inefficient, and consumed spirit power at a terrifying rate. But in simulations run through the Black Book's computational functions, it showed something remarkable: when active, it could predict an opponent's next move with 83% accuracy, 0.5 seconds before they made it.
Half a second of foresight in combat was eternity.
He couldn't include this in either the public or real versions—the energy signature would be detectable. But he filed the design away in the Black Book's memory banks. For the future.
---
During this time, his social landscape shifted. Jing Ziyan's research group accepted him as a junior member, impressed by his solution to their shield generator problem. They gave him access to better tools and materials, though he was careful to only use them for his "public" visor.
The Meng siblings made their move one week before the exhibition. Huo Yuhao was in the library when Meng Hongchen approached, her brother Xiao Hongchen a silent presence behind her.
"Huo Yuhao," she said, her tone pleasant but with steel underneath. "We've been watching your progress. Impressive."
"Thank you, senior."
"My brother and I are entering our own project in the Advanced Exhibition," she continued. "A collaborative plasma cutter. We could use someone with your... eye for detail. Join us, and we'll ensure you have all the resources you need for your own project."
It was a test. Join them, become part of their faction. Refuse, become an enemy.
Huo Yuhao bowed slightly. "I'm honored, senior. But Vice-Principal Xu has forbidden me from collaborative work until after the Freshman Exhibition. She wants to assess my individual capabilities."
A half-truth. The vice-principal had said no such thing, but invoking her name gave him protection.
Meng Hongchen's smile tightened. "I see. Well, after the exhibition, then. We'll be watching your performance with interest."
As they walked away, Xiao Hongchen glanced back, his eyes lingering on Huo Yuhao with cold calculation.
"They don't believe you," Tianmeng said. "They think you're hiding something."
"I am hiding something," Huo Yuhao replied mentally. "The trick is making sure they never find out what."
---
The day before the exhibition, Huo Yuhao completed the public version of the Combat Diagnostics Visor. He demonstrated it for Ke Ni in their dorm room.
"Put it on," Huo Yuhao instructed.
Ke Ni did. The visor's lenses glowed softly. "I can see... your spirit power. It says you're at rank 16? But you're only rank 14 officially!"
"The visor estimates based on energy density," Huo Yuhao explained. "I've been cultivating hard." He'd actually broken through to rank 16 a week ago, using the Unbound Heaven Technique, but had been suppressing his aura to appear weaker.
"It's showing weak points too," Ke Ni said, amazed. "Your left knee has slightly uneven spirit flow... your right shoulder..."
"Exactly. In combat, knowing where your opponent is unbalanced could let you strike more effectively."
Ke Ni took off the visor, handing it back reverently. "You're going to win, Yuhao. This is incredible."
Huo Yuhao hoped so. But he'd seen the other first-years' projects in their final workshops. There was talent here. A girl named Feng Ling had built a functional flight pack—unstable and short-ranged, but flight nonetheless. A boy from a military family had created a grenade launcher that fired spirit energy shells.
He wouldn't win on novelty alone. He'd need to demonstrate why his tool was useful.
The night before the exhibition, he made one final adjustment to the public visor: he added a "training mode" that could be linked to a practice dummy. When activated, the visor would guide the wearer through optimal attack patterns against the dummy's simulated defenses.
It was a flashy, demonstration-friendly feature that didn't reveal the visor's true capabilities.
Then he slept. Or tried to. His mind kept returning to the dragon-crystal circuit design, to the "impossible" version of the visor he couldn't build yet. Someday, he thought. Someday.
---The Freshman Exhibition was held in the academy's Grand Engineering Hall, a vast space usually reserved for graduation ceremonies and imperial inspections. The hall was filled with rows of demonstration tables, each with a first-year student standing nervously beside their creation.
Faculty judges walked the rows, evaluating. Vice-Principal Xu led them, her expression unreadable. In the observation galleries above, older students watched—including Jing Ziyan's group and, in a prominent booth, the Meng siblings.
Huo Yuhao's table was number 47, near the middle. He'd set up his visor on a stand, with a practice dummy beside it. He wore his academy uniform, freshly cleaned, and stood with what he hoped was confident calm.
The judges approached.
"Name and project," said a stern-faced teacher with a clipboard.
"Huo Yuhao. Combat Diagnostics Visor, Class-2 soul tool."
"Demonstrate."
Huo Yuhao put on the visor. He activated the training mode, linked it to the dummy, and began. The visor's display showed him the dummy's "weak points"—simulated spirit power imbalances he'd programmed in. He moved through a basic combat form, striking where the visor indicated.
Strike left shoulder—87% efficiency.
Dodge simulated counter—predicted trajectory displayed.
Strike right knee—92% efficiency.
He finished the demonstration smoothly. The judges watched, taking notes.
"Can it analyze live opponents?" asked Vice-Principal Xu.
"Yes, ma'am. It detects spirit power levels, elemental affinities, and physical imbalances."
"Analyze me."
A challenge. Huo Yuhao turned the visor toward her. The display flooded with data—spirit power levels so high they went off the scale, complex elemental signatures (water and something darker, sharper), and... no physical imbalances. None the visor could detect, anyway.
"Spirit power beyond measurement," Huo Yuhao reported, sticking to what the public version could legitimately detect. "Dual elemental affinity. No detectable physical weaknesses."
The vice-principal almost smiled. "A diplomatic answer. What about him?" She pointed to a nearby student—a boy with a fire-attribute spirit who was sweating nervously.
Huo Yuhao scanned him. "Fire attribute, rank 18. Slight imbalance in right wrist—recent strain from over-practice. Left ankle favors inward rotation, potential old injury."
The fire-attribute boy's eyes widened. "How did you... I sprained that ankle six months ago!"
The judges murmured. Accurate physical analysis was rare in low-class soul tools.
They moved on. Huo Yuhao breathed out. The first hurdle cleared.
For the next three hours, he demonstrated the visor to curious students and teachers. Word spread. By afternoon, a small crowd had gathered around his table.
Then the Meng siblings descended from their booth.
"May we try it?" Meng Hongchen asked, her tone polite.
Huo Yuhao handed her the visor. She put it on, examined her brother, then turned it on the crowd. "Fascinating. The resolution is exceptional for a Class-2 tool." She took it off, examining its construction. "Your spirit circuits are... unusually efficient. Where did you learn this patterning?"
"From the old journals, senior. The ones from fifty years ago."
"Indeed." She handed the visor back. "We look forward to seeing how you place."
As they walked away, Huo Yuhao noticed Xiao Hongchen discreetly scanning the visor with a palm-sized device. Checking for hidden functions or unusual energy signatures. They found nothing—he'd been careful.
The judging concluded at dusk. All first-years gathered at the front of the hall as Vice-Principal Xu stepped onto the podium.
"First, commendations to all participants. The talent displayed today is promising for our empire's future." She began reading the honors list.
Third place: Feng Ling, for her flight pack.
Second place:Military boy with the grenade launcher.
"And first place in the Freshman Exhibition..." She paused, looking directly at Huo Yuhao. "...Huo Yuhao, for his Combat Diagnostics Visor, a tool with immediate practical applications for our combat engineers."
Applause. Ke Ni, watching from the first-year section, beamed. Jing Ziyan's group clapped politely. The Meng siblings' expressions were unreadable.
Huo Yuhao stepped forward to receive his award: a medal, a certificate, and a resource voucher for 100 mid-grade spirit crystals—a fortune.
But the real reward came afterward. Vice-Principal Xu gestured for him to follow her to a side office.
"The surveillance on you will cease," she said once the door was closed. "You've proven your value. However..." She fixed him with a serious look. "Winning comes with expectations. The Imperial Soul Engineering Corps has taken notice. They may request your presence for demonstrations. The military might want to commission your design."
"I understand, Vice-Principal."
"Also, your status changes. You'll be moved to the Advanced Track dormitories. You'll have a private workshop. And..." She handed him another document. "...you're required to select a specialization within two weeks. Combat Engineering, Theoretical Research, or Military Applications."
Huo Yuhao looked at the options. Combat Engineering would put him closer to the front lines when the war escalated. Theoretical Research would give him more freedom but less protection. Military Applications would tie him directly to the empire's war machine.
"I'll need to think, Vice-Principal."
"Think quickly. The empire doesn't wait for indecision."
As he left, she added one last thing. "And Huo Yuhao? Whatever you're hiding... keep hiding it well. This academy protects its assets, but only if those assets remain useful and not troublesome."
He nodded, understanding the warning.
That night, as he packed to move to his new dorm, the Black Book system chimed.
[Mission Completed: Win the Freshman Exhibition]
[Reward: 1000 Rebellion Points, Academy Favor (Sun Moon Empire), "Rising Star" Title obtained.]
[Title Effect: +15% reputation gain with Sun Moon factions, +10% resource acquisition efficiency.]
[New Status: Officially recognized genius. Surveillance reduced by 70%.]
He also had a new message from the live-stream chat—from Lelouch.
[Lelouch_vi_Britannia]: "Congratulations on your victory. But understand what you've done: you've moved from 'interesting unknown' to 'valuable asset.' Assets are protected, but they're also controlled. Your freedom has just become more expensive. Choose your next steps carefully."
Huo Yuhao looked around his new private dorm room—larger, with a direct door to a personal workshop. He looked at the resource voucher worth 100 mid-grade crystals. He looked at the specialization form.
He'd won safety, for now. But he'd also stepped onto a larger, more dangerous stage.
He picked up the Combat Diagnostics Visor—the public version. Then he opened the hidden compartment in his old dorm room's floor and retrieved the "real" version, slightly more advanced.
He had tools. He had resources. He had a fragile but real position.
Now he needed to decide: what was he building toward?
Not just a tool. Not just survival.
He remembered Tang San's smile in the cave. The god's gentle, predatory curiosity.
He remembered his mother's last words: "Be free."
He looked at the Black Book in his spiritual sea, at the stolen treasures, at the dragon-crystal circuit design waiting to be built.
"I'm building a weapon," he whispered to the empty room. "A weapon to cut the strings of fate."
And for the first time, he felt not just fear or determination, but something colder, sharper.
Ambition.
End of Chapter 9
---
📘 CHAPTER 10: Specialization
The Advanced Track dormitory was a different world. Where the first-year dorms had been cramped and noisy, these were spacious suites with soundproofed walls, individual cultivation chambers, and workshop access from 0600 to 2300 daily. Huo Yuhao's new room overlooked a training field where upperclassmen practiced with military-grade soul tools.
His first visitor on moving day was Jing Ziyan.
"You chose well," she said, examining his new workspace. "Private workshop is essential. What specialization are you considering?"
Huo Yuhao showed her the form. "I'm leaning toward Theoretical Research. It offers the most freedom to explore different concepts."
Jing Ziyan shook her head. "Don't. Theoretical Research is where they put people they don't trust with practical applications. It's a gilded cage—all the resources but no real power. If you want freedom, choose Combat Engineering."
"But Combat Engineering would mean—"
"Frontline deployments eventually, yes. But it also means field testing, access to restricted military blueprints, and the chance to prove your worth in real combat. Combat engineers who distinguish themselves gain autonomy quickly." She met his eyes. "You're hiding something, Huo Yuhao. I don't know what, and I don't need to know. But if you want to keep hiding it, you need a position where your value protects your secrets. Combat Engineering gives you that."
She had a point. The live-stream chat agreed.
[Viewer_MilitaryTactics]: "She's right. In wartime, combat engineers get away with eccentricities if they deliver results."
[Viewer_FreedomCalc]:"Theoretical = constant supervision. Combat = 'as long as it works, we don't care how you built it.'"
Huo Yuhao marked "Combat Engineering" on the form.
"Good," Jing Ziyan said. "My group specializes in combat applications. You'll be working with us regularly now. Starting tomorrow, we have a project—adapting your visor for squad-level use. The military's interested."
After she left, Huo Yuhao explored his new workshop. It was equipped with standard tools, a basic spirit furnace, and a material locker. Using his resource voucher, he ordered supplies: phantom silver for interference fields, spirit crystals of various grades, and rare metals for experimentation.
Then he began his real work.
First, he built proper security. Using principles from the Spiritual Interference Field blueprint, he created a low-power field generator for his workshop. When activated, it would scramble all external surveillance—thermal, spiritual, and auditory. He keyed it to respond only to his spirit signature.
Next, he began upgrading his equipment. His "real" Combat Diagnostics Visor received improvements: better sensors, longer battery life, and a stealth mode that minimized its energy signature.
But his most important project was personal cultivation. With 100 mid-grade spirit crystals at his disposal, he could finally accelerate. The Unbound Heaven Technique was efficient, but it still required energy input.
He set up a cultivation array in his private chamber—a circle of spirit crystals arranged according to a pattern the Black Book's Analysis Module had derived from studying the Dragon God soul shard. The array amplified energy absorption by 400%.
For three days, he cultivated intensely, breaking through from rank 16 to rank 19. His spirit power swelled, and his spiritual sea expanded. Tianmeng's consciousness grew clearer, more present.
"Your growth is unnatural," Tianmeng remarked as Huo Yuhao finished a session. "Even with the best techniques and resources, this speed... it's like you're not just absorbing energy, but remembering power you already had."
"Maybe I am," Huo Yuhao said, thinking of the future him's fragment. "Maybe some part of me knows how to be a god."
On the fourth day, his new life established, he received his first Combat Engineering assignment: report to Workshop Delta-7 for squad tactics training.
Workshop Delta-7 was a simulated combat environment—a vast room with holographic projectors, moving terrain, and automated enemy drones. A dozen students were already there, all third-years or higher.
The instructor was a grizzled man with a mechanical right arm—Senior Engineer Kael, a retired military combat engineer.
"Listen up!" Kael barked. "Combat Engineering isn't about building pretty toys. It's about keeping soldiers alive and killing enemies. Today's exercise: urban clearing. Two teams, four members each. Blue team defends a position. Red team assaults. All of you will use standard issue Class-2 combat gear. Except..." He pointed at Huo Yuhao. "...you. You're Red team's combat analyst. Use that visor of yours. I want to see if it makes a difference."
Huo Yuhao was assigned to a team with three third-years who looked at him with skepticism. "A first-year analyst? Great," muttered the team leader, a boy named Rourke with a "Steelhide Rhino" spirit.
The exercise began. Blue team took up positions in a simulated ruined building. Red team approached from the street.
Huo Yuhao activated his visor. Immediately, data flooded his display: Blue team's positions (inferred from spirit power signatures), structural weaknesses in the building (spotted by his enhanced vision), and predicted enemy movements.
"Rourke, two defenders behind the northwest wall," Huo Yuhao reported through the team's comms. "The wall has stress fractures. A concussive blast at coordinates 7-3-2 will collapse it on them."
Rourke blinked. "How do you—"
"Just do it."
A grenadier fired. The wall collapsed, taking two Blue team members out of the fight.
"Second floor, east window," Huo Yuhao continued. "Sniper. She's about to fire at our forward scout. Scout, duck left in three, two, one—"
The scout ducked as a simulated energy bolt shot past where he'd been standing.
"Spirits above, he's right!" the scout exclaimed.
For ten minutes, Huo Yuhao directed the team with uncanny precision. He predicted enemy movements, identified structural advantages, and even warned of traps Blue team had laid. Red team cleared the building with no casualties and minimal resistance.
Afterward, Senior Engineer Kael examined the combat logs. "Red team victory. Analysis shows 92% prediction accuracy from the visor." He looked at Huo Yuhao. "How?"
"The visor reads subtle spirit power fluctuations that precede movement, sir. And it analyzes structural integrity through resonance scanning."
"Bullshit," said a Blue team member—a tall girl with fire dancing at her fingertips. "No Class-2 tool can do that. He's cheating somehow."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "Cheating how?"
"He must have pre-scanned the simulation parameters or—"
"I didn't," Huo Yuhao said calmly. "But if you'd like, we can run the exercise again with randomized parameters. My visor will perform just as well."
The challenge hung in the air. Kael smiled—a rare, sharp expression. "Do it. Randomized urban environment, unknown defender positions. Both teams swap roles."
The second exercise was harder. The environment shifted constantly—collapsing buildings, energy storms that interfered with sensors, and drones that mimicked enemy spirits. But Huo Yuhao's visor, enhanced by his own Spirit Eyes feeding it data, adapted. He filtered interference, tracked real enemies amid decoys, and guided his team to another victory.
Afterward, even the skeptical Blue team members were impressed. "Okay," the fire girl admitted. "That's... actually useful."
Kael pulled Huo Yuhao aside. "The military wants fifty of those visors for field testing. Can you produce them?"
Huo Yuhao calculated. "Not alone, sir. And my original design requires rare materials for the predictive functions."
"Strip it down. Make a version that just does spirit power detection and weak point analysis. Good enough for squad leaders. Can you do that?"
"Yes, sir."
"You have two weeks. Workshop and materials are yours. Report to me daily." Kael leaned close. "And kid? That prediction function? The one you 'stripped down'? The military doesn't need to know about that. But I do. Show me the real version sometime."
He walked away, leaving Huo Yuhao with a new understanding: in the Sun Moon Empire, secrets were currency, and everyone was trading.
Over the next two weeks, Huo Yuhao designed a mass-producible version of the visor—the "Tactical Analysis Scope, Mark I." It lacked the predictive functions and could only detect obvious weak points, but it was cheap to produce and easy to use.
He didn't work alone. Ke Ni joined him as an assistant, his Measurement Compass spirit perfect for precision calibration. Two members of Jing Ziyan's group helped with assembly. Even Rourke, the skeptical third-year, volunteered after seeing the visor in action.
Production became a miniature assembly line. By the end of the second week, they had fifty-three units ready—three extras for testing.
During this time, Huo Yuhao continued cultivating at night. He broke through to rank 20, a significant milestone that allowed him to absorb his second spirit ring. But he waited. His Primordial Ice Seed was still growing, now equivalent to a 2000-year spirit. He wanted it stronger before adding a ring.
He also worked on personal projects. Using the dragon-crystal resonance principles, he built a prototype "Predictive Module"—a separate device that could link to his visor for short bursts of combat foresight. It was unstable, draining a mid-grade spirit crystal in minutes, but it worked.
He kept it hidden, along with his "real" visor.
On the day of delivery, Senior Engineer Kael inspected the fifty units. "They'll do. The military will test them at the front. If they perform well..." He handed Huo Yuhao a new document. "...you'll be commissioned as a Junior Combat Engineer, with corresponding clearance and privileges."
The document listed the privileges: access to Class-4 and below blueprints, ability to requisition rare materials, permission to conduct independent field tests, and a monthly stipend of 20 mid-grade spirit crystals.
It also listed obligations: mandatory participation in military exercises, possible deployment after reaching rank 30, and loyalty to the Sun Moon Empire above all else.
Huo Yuhao signed. The privileges were worth the risk.
That evening, celebrating with his small team, he received an unexpected visitor: Xiao Hongchen, alone.
"Congratulations on your commission," Xiao Hongchen said, his voice cool. "My sister and I have a proposal."
"We're listening."
"We're developing a new generation of powered armor for elite troops. It enhances strength, speed, and spirit power. But it has a flaw: it overloads the user's nervous system after twenty minutes. We think your analytical abilities could help diagnose the problem."
Huo Yuhao considered. Working with the Meng siblings was dangerous. But their project was exactly the kind of high-level work that would advance his skills.
"What's in it for me?"
"Access to our research on spirit-human integration. Materials you can't get anywhere else. And..." Xiao Hongchen leaned forward. "...protection. The military has noticed you, but so have other factions. The Body Sect has spies in this academy. The Star Luo Empire would pay well for someone with your talents. We can help you disappear if needed."
The offer was clear: ally with us, and we'll protect you from other predators.
"I'll need to see the project specs first."
"Of course." Xiao Hongchen handed him a data crystal. "Non-disclosure agreement is embedded. View it only in a secure terminal."
After Xiao Hongchen left, Huo Yuhao examined the crystal with his Spirit Eyes through the Black Book's analysis. The NDA was standard, but there was a second layer—a tracking program that would report where and when he viewed the files.
He isolated the tracker in a virtual partition, then accessed the specs.
The powered armor was impressive: Class-4 technology that could boost a spirit master's abilities by one full rank temporarily. The overload problem was real—the spirit circuits were too efficient, flooding the user with more energy than their body could handle.
The solution, Huo Yuhao realized after an hour of study, was to add a dampening array that learned the user's limits and adjusted output accordingly. It would require...
He stopped. He was solving their problem too easily. That would make him too valuable, too quickly.
He closed the files. He'd help them, but slowly. And he'd insert his own safeguards—hidden functions only he could access.
As he prepared for bed, the Black Book system alerted him to a new development.
[External Communication Received: Multiverse Chat Group Request]
[Sender: "Tanjiro_Kamado"]
[Message: "Huo Yuhao, I've been watching your stream. You're helping build weapons for a war. Please remember—every tool you create will be used by someone. Make sure it's used for protection, not just destruction."]
The message was gentle but firm. Huo Yuhao remembered Tanjiro from the chat group—the demon slayer who valued all life.
He looked at the tactical visors packed for shipment. They would be used by soldiers. Some would use them defensively, to protect comrades. Others would use them offensively, to kill more efficiently.
He couldn't control how they were used. But he could design them with limitations—safeguards that made them less effective against retreating enemies, or that prioritized defensive alerts over offensive ones.
He spent the rest of the night modifying the visor's software. Small changes. Ethical nudges.
It wouldn't change the war. But it might save a few lives on both sides.
As dawn approached, he lay in bed, thinking of the path ahead. Combat Engineer. Military contractor. Potential ally of the Meng siblings. All while hiding from a god and building power to break free.
He was becoming exactly what he needed to be to survive this world.
But he wondered, as sleep finally took him: what would he become by the time he was strong enough to challenge Heaven?
End of Chapter 10
---
📘 CHAPTER 11: The Armor and The Ice
The next morning, Huo Yuhao reported to Senior Engineer Kael's office to finalize the visor delivery. The senior engineer wasn't alone—a military officer in the crisp uniform of the Sun Moon Imperial Army stood by the window, examining one of the tactical scopes.
"This is Colonel Liang," Kael said. "He'll be overseeing the field tests."
Colonel Liang turned. He was a man in his forties with sharp eyes and a scar across his chin. "The visors show promise. But my men need durability. Can they withstand battlefield conditions—mud, impacts, spirit energy interference?"
Huo Yuhao had anticipated this. "The housing is sealed against dust and moisture. The lenses are treated spirit crystal, resistant to scratches. As for spirit energy interference..." He activated a demonstration unit. "They have basic filtering, but intense energy fields will cause static. I'm working on an improved version with better shielding."
"Work faster," Colonel Liang said bluntly. "The war doesn't wait for perfect tools. It uses the best available." He set down the visor. "Kael tells me you're a Combat Engineering student. What's your specialty?"
"Analysis and prediction systems, sir."
"Prediction." The colonel's eyes gleamed. "Can you predict enemy troop movements?"
"On a small scale, yes. Squad or platoon level. Large-scale predictions would require different tools and data sources."
"Interesting." Colonel Liang picked up a data pad. "There's a frontier outpost—Watchtower Gamma-7. They've been hit three times by Star Luo raiders in the past month. The attacks follow no pattern our analysts can detect. Could your tools find one?"
Huo Yuhao considered. "Possibly. I'd need battle logs, terrain maps, and if possible, spirit power readings from the attackers."
"You'll have them. Kael, arrange his security clearance. Huo Yuhao, you have one week to give me something useful. If you succeed, there's a place for you in Army Intelligence's R&D division."
After the colonel left, Kael gave Huo Yuhao a serious look. "This is a test. Succeed, and you leapfrog years of academy politics. Fail, and you're just another promising student who couldn't deliver under pressure."
"I understand, sir."
The data arrived that afternoon: hundreds of pages of logs, maps, and sensor readings. Huo Yuhao set up in his workshop, using the Black Book's Analysis Module to process information at speeds no human could match.
The attacks seemed random—different times of day, different approaches, different unit compositions. But the Black Book found a pattern: the attacks always occurred when the outpost's spiritual detection array was undergoing its daily calibration, a 15-minute window when its sensitivity dropped by 40%.
"Someone's feeding them information," Huo Yuhao murmured.
"Or they have their own analyst," Tianmeng said. "A spirit master with detection abilities could sense the array's weak periods."
Huo Yuhao dug deeper. Using principles from the dragon-crystal resonance study, he created a simulation that mapped the outpost's energy signatures over time. He found something else: before each attack, there was a subtle, almost imperceptible spike in ambient spirit energy—like someone testing the waters.
He cross-referenced the spike patterns with known Star Luo spirit techniques. A match: the "Whispering Wind" technique, used by Star Luo scouts to test defensive arrays without triggering alarms.
He had his answer. Now he needed a solution.
He designed a simple modification to the outpost's detection array: a secondary sensor net that activated during calibration windows, using a different frequency that the Whispering Wind technique wouldn't detect. It wasn't foolproof, but it would force the raiders to change tactics.
He also designed a counter-technique—a pulse of spirit energy that would travel back along the Whispering Wind probe to disrupt the user's spirit.
He presented his findings to Colonel Liang two days early.
The colonel examined the report, then the proposed modifications. "Elegant. Simple. Cheap to implement." He looked up. "You're sure this will work?"
"The modifications will detect the probes. The counter-technique requires a spirit master with precise control to implement, but it could incapacitate their scout."
"We'll test it. If it works..." Colonel Liang handed him a new badge. "Provisional security clearance, Level 3. Access to restricted military research databases. And your first field assignment: you'll accompany the engineering team implementing your modifications at Watchtower Gamma-7."
Field assignment. Outside the academy's walls. Huo Yuhao's heart raced. This was opportunity and danger combined.
"Be careful," Tianmeng warned. "Outside the academy, Tang San's gaze might find you more easily. And the front lines are chaotic."
"I'll be careful."
---
Preparations took three days. Huo Yuhao was assigned to a four-person engineering team led by a veteran combat engineer named Sergeant Mao. The other two members were academy graduates—brothers named Li and Kang who'd been working frontier posts for a year.
"You're the kid who designed the modifications?" Sergeant Mao asked when they met. He was a solid man with a practical, no-nonsense demeanor.
"Yes, Sergeant."
"Keep your head down, do what you're told, and don't touch anything that looks like it might explode. Understood?"
"Yes, Sergeant."
The journey to Watchtower Gamma-7 took two days via armored transport. The landscape changed from academy grounds to fortified cities to open, scarred battlefields. Huo Yuhao saw the war's reality: burned villages, makeshift graveyards, and the constant tension in every soldier's eyes.
The outpost was a stark metal tower rising from a rocky plain, surrounded by trenches and automated turrets. The commander, a weary-looking captain, greeted them without enthusiasm.
"Your predecessors said the last modifications would work. They didn't. Make these work, or we're all dead next time the raiders come."
Sergeant Mao nodded. "We'll get it done."
The work was grueling. They had to integrate Huo Yuhao's new sensor net into the existing array without disrupting its primary functions. This required precision spirit circuit work in cramped access panels, often while wearing protective gear against the dusty wind.
Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes and steady hands proved invaluable. He could see spirit energy flows directly, making connections faster and more accurately than the others. By the end of the first day, even skeptical Sergeant Mao was impressed.
"Where'd you learn to work like that, kid?"
"Self-taught, mostly."
"Hmph. Well, self-taught or not, you're competent. That's what matters out here."
On the second day, as Huo Yuhao was calibrating the secondary sensor net, his Spirit Eyes caught something: a faint, almost invisible thread of spirit energy stretching from the outpost's command center toward the horizon. A surveillance feed. But not theirs.
He followed it mentally, using his enhanced vision. The thread connected to a camouflaged observation post five kilometers away—Star Luo positioning.
He didn't alert anyone immediately. Instead, he modified one of the sensors to trace the thread's origin more precisely. It was definitely Star Luo technology, but with a signature he recognized from academy studies: the "Silent Watcher" system, used by Star Luo's elite scouts.
The outpost had a leak. Not just information from array calibrations, but live surveillance from inside their own command center.
That evening, he reported to Sergeant Mao privately.
"Are you certain?" the sergeant asked, his face grim.
"I can show you the energy signature. It's subtle, but it's there."
Sergeant Mao brought the captain. Huo Yuhao demonstrated, using a modified version of his visor to make the thread visible.
"Spirits damn it," the captain swore. "No wonder they've been hitting us perfectly. They've been watching us the whole time." He looked at Huo Yuhao. "Can you trace it to the specific device?"
"Maybe. But if I probe too aggressively, they'll know we've detected them."
"Then we need to feed them false information." The captain thought for a moment. "Can you create a filter that lets us control what they see?"
Huo Yuhao considered. "I could insert a buffer in the surveillance line. It would require accessing the command center's main spirit circuit hub."
"Do it. But quietly. If there's a traitor here, we don't want them knowing we're onto them."
That night, while the outpost slept, Huo Yuhao and Sergeant Mao entered the command center. The main hub was a complex of spirit crystals and silver wiring behind a secured panel.
Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes saw the intrusion immediately: a hair-thin spirit silver wire spliced into the communication line, carrying data to the external transmitter.
Working with delicate tools, he inserted a "mirror circuit"—a device that would intercept outgoing data, allow them to modify it, then send it along unchanged. It was risky work; one mistake could disrupt the outpost's entire communication system.
Two hours later, it was done. The mirror circuit was active and undetectable without specialized equipment.
"Now we control what they see," Huo Yuhao said quietly.
Sergeant Mao nodded. "Good work, kid. Now get some rest. Tomorrow we finish the sensor upgrades."
But rest didn't come easily. Huo Yuhao lay in his bunk, feeling the weight of the situation. He was in a real war zone, manipulating battlefield intelligence. People would live or die based on his work.
The live-stream chat was quiet—viewers respecting the gravity of the moment.
He thought of Tanjiro's message: "Make sure it's used for protection."
He was protecting the outpost, yes. But he was also helping the Sun Moon Empire's war effort. A war of expansion and conquest, according to the history he knew.
Where was the line between protection and complicity?
He fell into a troubled sleep, dreaming of ice and dragons and a god's smiling face.
---
The next morning, as they completed the sensor upgrades, the outpost's alarms blared.
"Incoming! Multiple hostiles, east sector!"
Huo Yuhao rushed to the command center. Screens showed a dozen heat signatures approaching—Star Luo raiders, moving fast under some kind of optical camouflage.
"Activate the modified array," the captain ordered.
Huo Yuhao's sensor net came online. It immediately detected the Whispering Wind probes testing their defenses. The counter-technique activated automatically, sending disruptive pulses back along the probes.
On the screens, three of the advancing signatures stumbled, their camouflage flickering.
"Direct hit! Their scouts are down!" the sensor operator reported.
The raiders, now visible, hesitated. Their plan had relied on their scouts identifying weak points. Without that information, they were attacking blind.
The outpost's defenders opened fire. Turrets spun up, spirit energy bolts lighting the morning sky. The raiders tried to push forward but ran into concentrated fire at exactly the points they'd expected to be weak.
After ten minutes of fighting, they retreated, leaving two dead and several wounded.
The outpost had sustained minimal damage.
The captain turned to Huo Yuhao, a genuine smile on his face for the first time. "Your modifications worked. You saved lives today, engineer."
Huo Yuhao felt a mix of relief and unease. Yes, he'd saved Sun Moon lives. But the raiders he'd helped defeat were someone's sons, brothers, fathers too.
Sergeant Mao clapped him on the shoulder. "Good work. But the job's not done. We need to find that traitor."
Using the mirror circuit, they began feeding false information: reports of "malfunctions" in the eastern turrets, "shortages" of spirit crystals, and "low morale" among the troops.
Two days later, they got a bite. The surveillance line activated at an unusual time, specifically requesting data on the eastern defenses. Someone had taken the bait.
They traced the signal not to an external device, but to a storage locker in the barracks. Inside, they found a communication device hidden in a soldier's personal effects—a young corporal who'd been at the outpost for six months.
The corporal broke under questioning. Star Luo Intelligence had captured his family, promising their safety if he cooperated. He'd been feeding them information and planting the surveillance device.
The captain had him arrested. The surveillance line was severed.
Their mission was complete.
On the journey back to the academy, Sergeant Mao spoke to Huo Yuhao privately. "You've got a talent for this work. A mind that sees what others miss. The army could use someone like you."
"I'm still a student, Sergeant."
"For now. But when you graduate... think about it. We're not just fighting a war. We're building a new world. The Sun Moon Empire will unite the continent, end the constant wars between empires. That's worth fighting for."
Huo Yuhao didn't answer. He knew the future—or a version of it. The Sun Moon Empire would indeed try to unite the continent, by force. And it would cause unimaginable bloodshed.
But Sergeant Mao believed in the cause. So did Colonel Liang. So did millions of Sun Moon citizens.
Where did he stand?
He looked out the transport's window at the passing landscape. He wasn't Sun Moon. He wasn't Star Luo. He wasn't even fully of this world.
He was a reader in a story, trying to change the ending.
And sometimes, to change a story, you had to play a role in it first.
Even if you didn't believe in your lines.
---
Back at the academy, news of his success preceded him. Colonel Liang personally commended him, and his security clearance was made permanent. The Tactical Analysis Scope was approved for mass production, with Huo Yuhao receiving a royalty for each unit produced.
He was now a known quantity: Huo Yuhao, combat engineering prodigy, valuable military asset.
The Meng siblings renewed their invitation to work on the powered armor project. He accepted, this time on his terms: limited hours, access to all research data, and the right to pursue his own projects simultaneously.
He also reached rank 21. His Primordial Ice Seed had grown to equivalent of a 3000-year spirit. It was time.
That night, in his private cultivation chamber, surrounded by a soundproofing field and spiritual interference generator, he prepared to absorb his second spirit ring.
He didn't hunt a spirit beast. He used the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Lotus from the Black Book's treasury.
The lotus floated before him, radiating pure, ancient cold. As he began the absorption process, he felt its consciousness—not a beast's mind, but the accumulated wisdom of ten thousand years of stillness, of observing the world freeze and thaw.
It didn't resist. It merged with his Primordial Ice Seed, becoming its first ring.
The process was smoother than any spirit ring absorption should be. The Ice Lotus wasn't dying; it was transforming, becoming part of something new.
[Second Spirit Ring Acquired: Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Lotus Ring]
[Spirit: Primordial Ice Seed has evolved to "Manifest Ice"]
[New Abilities Unlocked: Ice Clone (create a duplicate of ice), Frozen Domain (small area temperature control)]
[Spirit Power Increase: Rank 21 → Rank 24]
When he opened his eyes, the room was covered in delicate frost patterns that hadn't been there before. He could feel the cold as an extension of himself.
He was stronger. More capable.
But as he tested his new abilities, creating an ice clone that mirrored his movements, he felt a familiar gaze brush against his spiritual defenses—a divine attention, curious and persistent.
Tang San was still watching.
And now, Huo Yuhao had given him something new to watch.
End of Chapter 11
---
(Note: The story continues to expand with academy politics, military engagements, technological development, cultivation breakthroughs, and the ever-present shadow of Tang San's manipulation. Huo Yuhao will eventually need to confront the moral complexities of his role in the war, choose allies carefully, and continue building the power needed to challenge divine control. Each chapter advances these intertwined threads.)