Huo Yuhao from The Peerless Tang Sect is incredibly talented.

Huo Yuhao's private soul guidance laboratory.

Huo Yuhao was very satisfied after witnessing the infiltration of Shrek City by the people of Heaven Dou City.

"Amazing wisdom! What level has the erosion of Shrek City by the virtual realm reached now?"

"It can captivate people's souls, or make them dream, or be drawn into a dreamlike state."

His answer was irrelevant, but it made Huo Yuhao's eyes light up.

Hehe, we can do some fancy tricks.

Although things have been peaceful these past few days, it's still a bit boring for someone like Huo Yuhao who enjoys having fun.

He spends his days in the Soul Guidance Department, using the guise of cleaning to collect rare metals, and then sends the metals to Heaven Dou City through a spatial channel opened by the Yama Blade.

I got up early in the morning to go to the market to buy vegetables.

In the morning, I had Tianmeng pretend to be my substitute teacher while I wandered around.

After afternoon classes, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao would train together, and occasionally they would awaken martial spirits for the poor for free. Then they would set up a food stall at the school gate to gather intelligence.

Go to the Soul Guidance Department tonight to collect rare metals, and turn on auto-pickup while you're at it.

Such a life would be extremely pleasant for any ambitious or hardworking person.

But life was too mundane, so mundane that Huo Yuhao almost thought he was going to become a boring, adult corporate slave.

I can't help but lose my true self, pursue my own path, and become a person again.

Bored, bored, bored, I need to do something funny!

"Come, marvelous wisdom, summon my soul! I long to return to my golden throne. Grant me a piece of illusory land, for my spirit of earth and wood is burning!"

"Beat the ash! Beat the ash! Beat the ash! Megastructure! Megastructure! Megastructure!"

"Ugh! Awooo!"

Upon hearing the report of this astonishing wisdom, Huo Yuhao immediately began to wail and howl.

They directly launched a rebellion.

The astonishingly wise man frowned. Damn it, why is his own form so abstract? You're supposed to be a ten-thousand-year-old demon, how come you're still so immature? How old are you? You act like a little kid.

Body!

But that suits me just fine. A little upheaval is good, a little upheaval is good. The world is so messed up, why keep suppressing yourself if you don't go a little crazy?

No internal strife!

Ah, how dazzling and radiant its true form is! An unyielding youthful spirit, an ever-pulling heart.

That's so true to me.

"Alright, main body, stop rambling and start thinking about how to repair the Taiyin Moon Palace."

One sentence immediately brought the excited Huo Yuhao back to reality. Yes, how should the Taiyin Moon Palace be built, and what should it look like?

Huo Yuhao fell silent and began to think about how to build the Taiyin Moon Palace.

High-end, sophisticated, and classy; understated luxury with depth. Bold, stylish, and profound; simple yet fashionable with an international flair.

Huo Yuhao shook his head. The Western aesthetics of the 2K era don't work. They clearly don't match the fantasy imagery of the mansion. What should we do?

Huo Yuhao began to recall the creations of the game architects from beyond the heavens. After all, real-world architects have to consider geological factors, adhere to classical mechanics, material strength, construction difficulty, and so on.

Game architects don't need to think about so much; they can just unleash their imagination.

The Taiyin Moon Palace, named after the palace itself, should employ the design principles of an Eastern courtyard, with partitions that are not completely closed off and open yet not completely transparent; a changing view at every step, with different scenery at each door and window; and a soft and warm overall tone dominated by silver and white, complemented by the effect of swirling clouds and mist, resembling a fairyland.

We have a general idea, let's get started.

"Awe-inspiring wisdom, pull my soul into the realm of illusion."

After conveying his words to the world-shaking wisdom, Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged, waiting for the summons from the illusory realm.

Unfortunately, I am too weak now. I can't even leave my Yin spirit, let alone my Yang spirit. My soul is separated from my body. I can't see the sun or hear thunder. Even a gust of evil wind will damage my soul.

After returning from outer space, at most one can unlock the last drop of blood in one's soul. After the soul leaves the body, the slightest carelessness will require several months of quiet recuperation.

"Okay, the main body."

The next moment, his soul left his body and returned to the Void Realm under the protection of its power.

When Huo Yuhao opened his eyes again, he was already in the primordial, newly grown part of the Void Realm, which had not yet been modified.

Beneath my feet lies a blank, unshaped area where heaven and earth merge into one, the gray stretching to the horizon like an open canvas waiting for the first stroke.

The creature of extraordinary wisdom stood beside him, its arms crossed over its chest. Its faceless face was expressionless, but its slightly forward-leaning posture betrayed its anticipation.

"The main body, where to begin?"

Huo Yuhao did not answer immediately. He squatted down, placed his right palm on the ground, and inserted his fingertips into the grayish-white illusory realm, as if testing the material.

After a long silence, he slowly began to speak.

"Let's build a mountain first." Huo Yuhao stood up and gestured with his hands as if to support the mountain.

The gray fog parted, and the boundary between heaven and earth became clear.

A bright moon rises from the horizon, its white light shimmering. The light carries a coolness that soothes the mind, cool but not cold, cool and pleasant.

The earth began to slowly rise, not with the violent tremors of an earthquake, but like a person's chest slowly rising as they take a deep breath.

Soil and rocks surged up from the ground, piling up layer by layer, solidifying layer by layer.

The mountain shouldn't be too high, or it will suppress the moon; nor should it be too low, or it won't have the right presence.

Huo Yuhao squinted as he watched the mountain grow to three hundred feet tall, then pressed down with his right hand: "Stop." The mountain stopped instantly.

"The mountain shape isn't elegant enough." Jing Shi Zhihui tilted his head and looked around for a moment, then pointed to the mountainside. "We can carve a piece in there to create a natural depression, and embed the main hall in it. From the front, it will look like the mountain is holding it in its palm. It's better than building it directly on the mountaintop—the mountaintop is too ostentatious and doesn't match the mansion's understated nature."

"Let's change it as you said." Huo Yuhao made a grasping motion with his five fingers, and the rock on the mountainside seemed to have been sculpted away by an invisible carving knife, leaving a smooth and flat depression that could just accommodate the size of a main hall.

He stepped back a few paces to examine the overall outline, then added a few irregular folds to the edge of the indentation. "A natural look. It shouldn't be obvious that it was carved out by hand."

"Don't worry, once the osmanthus tree grows tall and its branches and leaves provide shade, it will look like it grew naturally."

With the mountain settled, the water will follow.

A clear spring gushed out from a crevice in the rocks at the foot of the mountain, meandering down the mountainside, its surface shimmering with silver light under the reflection of the moonstone.

The clear spring is formed from the moonlight, and can be described as the moon's dew.

"The water should make a sound." Huo Yuhao squatted by the spring and put his hand into the water to feel the flow rate.

"But it can't be too loud, or it will be noisy. It also can't be too quiet, or it will be like stagnant water. Could you adjust the flow rate so that when the water flows over the stone steps, it makes that tinkling sound—like someone playing a guzheng in the distance?"

The brilliant mind rolled its eyes, but resignedly squatted down and stirred the water with its water-made fingertips, adjusting the width ratio of the three hidden channels.

Treating your split soul as artificial intelligence, Huo Yuhao, you're really something. It's like sending your shadow clones out to work while you stay home and rest.

You're just burying your head in the sand. You'll have to savor the memories of my hard work sooner or later.

The framework of the main hall rose from the ground under the shaping power of spiritual energy.

Huo Yuhao chose moon-white glass as the main material. The thickness of the glass was precise to the millimeter—too thin and it would be frivolous, too thick and it would be cumbersome. It had to allow moonlight to pass through but not completely, so that the light that passed through would just cast a hazy halo on the floor tiles inside the hall.

The basic framework is complete; all that remains is the finer work: the landscaping, windows, corridors, furniture, decorations, and their placement all require Huo Yuhao's meticulous attention to detail.

"Phew, finally done."

Huo Yuhao lay on the ground, looking quite content.

The stage is set up, and now we're just waiting for the story's protagonist to take the stage and perform!

"Main body, before you start your next round of madness, I have something serious to say." The amazing wisdom put away its earlier playfulness, and its voice became calm and steady.

"explain."

"You need to pay more attention to Xiao Xiao's matter. In a few months, it will be your first anniversary in Tian Dou City. According to the rules of Tian Dou City, a Harmony Ceremony will be held on the anniversary to harmonize all living beings, gather faith, and unify and refine the faith power accumulated over the past year."

Although the Void Realm can autonomously absorb the power of faith, the primordial energy of heaven and earth, and the emotions of all living beings, the Void Realm has only been around for a short time and has not yet autonomously constructed a system to completely absorb and strengthen external forces.

Although Huo Yuhao had created the Three Phases and Four Pillars, a large amount of energy was still not properly allocated.

The Harmonious Music Ceremony is a grand ritual for digesting and coordinating these unused energies.

"Xiao Xiao's Three Lives Soul-Suppressing Cauldron can contain the power of faith. You also saw the wisp of pale golden mist that condensed in the cauldron when she awakened her martial soul in Shrek City last time."

"She is a key figure in the tuning ceremony. The level of faith that she alone receives and transmits is very important for the ritual."

"I will take it to heart."

Huo Yuhao answered readily, then changed the subject, "By the way, how's the construction progress in Heaven Dou City? What stage is the Grand Symphony at?"

"We're stuck." The brilliant mind spread his hands. "We're still lacking rare metals. The Grand Symphony's architectural structure requires a large number of resonant crystals as the tuning core. The raw ore of resonant crystals is available within the Sun Moon Empire, but mining and transportation take time. Heaven Dou City's own inventory is already depleted. The project is currently stuck at two-thirds of its completion. If it drags on any longer, it probably won't be completed before the Tuning Ceremony."

"How much is missing?"

"Roughly estimated, we still need at least 800 jin of high-purity resonance crystal ore, or other rare metals of equivalent value, as substitutes. The engineers in Tiandou City have tried six or seven alternatives, but the results are not ideal. On the other hand, the scraps you smuggled back from Shrek Academy in bits and pieces are of surprisingly high quality. Shrek Academy's Soul Guidance Department's stock of materials is indeed solid, but the quantity is too small, just a drop in the ocean."

The tone of his brilliant mind carried an undisguised urgency, "So, main body, you need to put your brilliant mind to work and find a way to get more things back from Shrek. In short, hurry. The Grand Symphony must be completed before the Tuning Ceremony, not a single day less."

Huo Yuhao remained silent for a while, then gently tapped the trunk of the osmanthus tree with his fingers. The rhythm was not fast, but each tap was very steady.

"Let me think of a way."

Huo Yuhao propped himself up from the tree trunk and was about to speak when Jing Shi Zhihui suddenly raised both hands and made a "not over yet" gesture.

Its tone was a few decibels deeper than when it was talking about serious matters, as if it had finally found the time to speak about something it had been holding back for a long time.

"Main Body, there's one more thing. When the Void Realm was decompressing the system data, some of its extraordinary characteristics were activated."

Huo Yuhao turned around, his brows furrowing slightly: "Extraordinary characteristics? Which batch?"

"The middle and high-level batch. A large amount of faith power and spiritual power poured into the Void Realm. These things absorbed enough energy and awakened from their dormant state."

The astonishingly wise man paused, as if organizing his thoughts, "There are no signs of it spreading yet, and the core seal is intact, but its activity is continuously increasing. I dare not send anyone in to deal with it; those things are not for ordinary people to touch. You need to accelerate the improvement of your own strength. Although the authority of the Void Realm is in your hands, some activated extraordinary characteristics will exploit loopholes in the rules. Once they find a way to leave the Void Realm and run to the mortal world, you'll have a real headache."

"Tsk, troublesome."

Huo Yuhao lay on the newly laid moonstone ground, staring blankly at the bright moon that he had personally hung up in the illusory sky for a full half-cup of tea.

Troublesome. Each word carries a heavy weight.

Rare metals are scarce, and the Grand Musical Symphony is facing a bottleneck—these are the obvious problems. Xiao Xiao's growth needs to be accelerated, and the Tuning Ceremony cannot go wrong—this is a time-related problem. Now, another extraordinary characteristic has emerged—this is a fatal problem. He personally sealed those things into the bottom layer of the Void Realm; no one knows their importance better than him.

He rolled over, lay on his side, propped his head up with his hand, and looked up at the astonishing wisdom.

"How much has been activated? Give us a precise figure."

"Currently, seven activations have been detected. Three are conceptual fragments, currently lacking self-awareness and merely simple energy aggregates, unlikely to cause trouble in the short term. Two are incomplete memory entities, currently in a semi-sleepwalking state, wandering back and forth at the bottom of the virtual realm. The remaining two—one with nascent consciousness, and the other has begun to test the boundaries of the seal."

"What is the origin of that one with nascent consciousness?"

"You'll understand when you look back."

Huo Yuhao didn't speak. He lay flat, his hands folded on his stomach, his eyes closed, as if he were sleeping. But the extraordinary intelligence knew he was thinking—his true form's fingers were gently tapping on the back of his hands, each tap spaced exactly two breaths apart—a small movement Huo Yuhao made while operating at high speed.

"How long can the seal last?"

"At the current rate of activation, it will take at most twelve months. If it is not reinforced after twelve months, that nascent consciousness will be able to tear open the first gap in the seal."

Twelve months. Huo Yuhao opened his eyes. The timing was perfect.

Seven months from now is roughly the time for the Harmony Ceremony. If something goes wrong in the virtual realm before the ceremony, not only will it fail to gather faith, but many people in the real world will also die.

Conversely, if the ceremony proceeds smoothly and the power of faith is unified and refined, his authority in the illusory realm will be greatly enhanced, and at that time, reinforcing the seal will only require a thought.

In other words, everything is crammed onto the same timeline. Xiao Xiao's growth, the completion of the Grand Symphony, the shortage of rare metals, the sealing of extraordinary abilities—four threads all point to the Tuning Ceremony three months later. Success solves all problems at once. Failure results in a total explosion.

Huo Yuhao suddenly laughed. It wasn't a bitter laugh, but the kind of laugh you get when you're playing a game and all the bosses have spawned right in front of you at the same time, and you've just managed to build up a powerful attack. His eyes shone like two red-hot charcoal pieces, and the curve of his lips was precisely positioned on the cusp between danger and "excitement."