The Exchange Game Starting with Lu Mingfei

Chapter 126 From Unrequited Love to Public Awareness

"certainly."

Lu Mingfei put the snacks into his storage soul tool and suddenly became more energetic.

"I never imagined I'd be a detective!"

Investigate the truth and unravel the conspiracy lurking in the shadows —

This is a side story!

This game is definitely more fun when you have a large map!

Gu Yuena didn't understand why Lu Mingfei was excited again, but it seemed like a good thing. Besides, she was also a little curious as to why the town was so quiet.

"Let's take a look around," Lu Mingfei suggested. "Let's look for those Soul Masters who have vanished without a trace in this town."

"Okay, should we turn back?"

Huo Yuhao has been learning alchemy from the vice principal for a week.

However, rather than studying, it would be more accurate to say that he is still studying those weighty classics and notes on his own.

Huo Yuhao still hasn't found the answer to the question he encountered on the first day of learning.

He couldn't understand the vice principal's statement that "alchemy is an ascetic practice that gives soul to matter."

However, this week wasn't entirely fruitless. He has recently learned many spell arrays and techniques, and his understanding of alchemy is growing.

He began to realize that his initial idea that alchemy was inferior to soul tool technology was too hasty.

Alchemy is far more than just a scientific technique for transforming matter and manipulating energy. It is closer to a profound philosophy, exploring the hidden and fundamental connections between matter and spirit, form and essence.

Huo Yuhao found this course very interesting, much more interesting than simply making soul-guided turrets by hand.

Sometimes he would think, "Humans in this world must have so much free time, how come their thinking is so scattered?"

They seem to be constantly thinking, constantly asking questions, and constantly trying to understand, define, and transform everything in front of them in various ways.

Although some people say, "When humans think, God laughs," so what?

God does not exist, but human thought will never cease.

Alchemy is one of the products of this kind of thinking. It is not just about the technology of transformation, but also a grand attempt to understand the nature of the world and even to imitate the logic of creation.

Huo Yuhao found an anime about alchemy in Lu Mingfei's memories. One sentence in it surprised him greatly: "Alchemy is a tool left by the gods for mortals to imitate creation."

Creation?

The alchemy of this world is clearly closer to "human transmutation," after all, the ultimate goal of alchemy is...

It is to become a god.

And the gods are the dragons.

Although Angers remained steadfast in his belief in slaying the dragon, many others, especially those who wielded power and wealth, feared death and yearned for immortality.

Only the poor feel that living is difficult.

"For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away."

As for the original meaning of this sentence, it is no longer important; people now only recognize its literal meaning.

The Tao Te Ching contains a similar statement: "The way of Heaven is to take from those who have too much and give to those who have too little. The way of man is not so; he takes from those who have too little to give to those who have too much."

Therefore, for those old, immortal members of the secret society who have everything, their only enemies are old age and death.

Thinking back to last year's trial of Chu Zihang, those old guys who relied on their dragon bloodline and scientific technology to survive in the cryogenic ward, and who would jump out to "uphold justice" whenever something happened, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but show a look of disgust.

He hadn't met many elderly people, but neither the kind and steady Old Mu nor the slovenly and unreliable Old Xuan would become so unsightly just to survive.

Even though Elder Mu still had many wishes to fulfill and was still worried about the future of Shrek Academy, he still stood in front of everyone in times of crisis, even at the cost of his life, despite his crippled body protecting Shrek Academy for so many years.

Those kinds of elderly people are the real "treasures" of the family!

Their very existence is a symbol of heritage and spirit, rather than a cold symbol of power that needs to be maintained by technology and lineage.

number.

However, Huo Yuhao had a pretty good impression of Angers.

Although he was a battle maniac whose mind was full of dragon slaying, he mostly practiced his ideals in his actions.

Perhaps, the burning flames of revenge are the reason why he has been able to remain active even now?

etc----

Huo Yuhao suddenly put down his book and turned to look at the vice principal, who was watching an old movie: "Vice Principal, you're also an S-rank, right?"

"Hmm, what's on your mind now?" the vice principal asked casually.

In fact, he had just noticed that Huo Yuhao was distracted and wasn't reading properly at all.

However, it's normal to have some thoughts while reading, and besides, even if Huo Yuhao is really daydreaming, he won't care.

To truly learn something, you naturally need patience.

But why is this child suddenly asking this?

"Have you seen the meditation method I gave Principal Angers before?" Huo Yuhao asked.

The vice principal paused the movie with the remote control, turned to Huo Yuhao and said, "The idea is excellent, and the actual results are quite surprising. Even for me, it has been very inspiring."

Huo Yuhao:

I've never seen the vice principal do anything productive!

He spends his days either drunk, watching movies, playing games, reading magazines, or browsing forums—in short, living a very homebody-like, happy life.

Huo Yuhao hadn't seen him come downstairs at all!

Seeing Huo Yuhao's suspicious look, the vice principal snorted and finally moved his noble backside, got up from the sofa, went to the bookshelf where he kept magazines, picked up a booklet, and handed it to Huo Yuhao.

"I made some slight adjustments to make it more suitable for students with lower ethnic backgrounds."

Huo Yuhao took it with both hands, and upon closer inspection, he became increasingly shocked.

To be honest, he thought that the little devil's modification of the meditation method was already the best version, but he didn't expect that the vice principal could actually improve it!

This version of the meditation method is indeed more accessible and easier to learn.

Huo Yuhao turned his head and stared blankly at the vice principal.

Is this the power of the strongest alchemist of our time?

The vice principal raised his head slightly, revealing his thick neck.

Huo Yuhao's expression once again became indescribable.

He thought he saw the black mud mark on the vice principal's neck—was that dirt?

The vice principal was once again angered by Huo Yuhao's gaze.

He subconsciously rubbed his neck, and then—his hand became chapped.

The vice principal exchanged an awkward glance with Huo Yuhao: "Ahem, I guess I need to take a shower."

Huo Yuhao gave an awkward but polite smile.

"If you don't have anything else to do today, you can go back now." The vice principal was only embarrassed for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure and prepared to send Huo Yuhao away.

"Um, Vice Principal, actually I wanted to ask, how long did it take you to find your spiritual sea through meditation?"

Huo Yuhao had previously felt that Chu Zihang's cultivation speed was abnormal, but he couldn't figure out why.

Perhaps we can get the answer by asking the vice principal now?

"78 minutes."

Hearing the vice principal utter such precise figures, Huo Yuhao wanted to admire the vice principal's meticulousness as a technician, but what concerned him more was not this.

"Vice Principal, is there a significant difference in bloodline between you and the Principal?"

It's worth noting that Angers is also an "S" rank, yet he only took about ten minutes to find the Sea of ​​Spirit!

The time required for the vice principal is about the same as that for Caesar, who is an "A" grade.

Angers, Caesar, and Chu Zihang—their cultivation speeds are all off!

“Angers and I don’t have much difference in bloodline,” the vice principal said with a smile when he saw Huo Yuhao looking thoughtful. “It seems you’ve also discovered something. Why don’t you continue thinking along this line of thought? I’m also looking forward to you finding the answer.”

After saying that, the vice principal kicked Huo Yuhao out of the attic.

Soon, the sound of a bath could be heard coming from the attic.

Huo Yuhao walked down from the pavilion in a daze until the scorching sunlight hit his body and he felt a clear burning sensation on his skin. Only then did he come to his senses, stop, and turn to look at the small pavilion at the top of the clock tower.

From the outside, the attic looks only 20 or 30 square meters at most, but in reality, the attic has an area of ​​at least two bedrooms and a living room.

Is it a space expansion technology similar to the Seamless Stretch Spell and the Storage Soul Tool?

Huo Yuhao withdrew his gaze and continued to ponder the vice principal's words.

So, the vice principal also thinks it's unreasonable for Principal Angers to cultivate so quickly, right?

Moreover, Angers is over 130 years old, but judging from his condition, he is not much different from someone in their fifties or sixties.

Huo Yuhao suspected that Angers might even be able to maintain this condition and live to be two hundred years old.

Of course, this is on the premise that he continues to maintain his strong desire for revenge.

Once the hatred is over, Angers, having no regrets, will lose his spirit and may soon pass away with a smile on his face.

But why was Angers the only one who survived the world-destroying power of the Word of Power?

Those who were stronger than him back then are all dead. Was he really that lucky to survive under the protection of others, hiding in places like basements?

Moreover, Chu Zihang was acting very strangely.

His abnormality is similar to that of Angers.

"Cocoon?" Huo Yuhao was suddenly stunned and wanted to turn around and ask the vice principal.

It is known that dragons are difficult to kill because they "cocoon".

Their souls possess exceptional stability; even if their physical bodies are destroyed, their souls can be preserved under certain conditions and find an opportunity to be resurrected.

But resurrection doesn't happen out of thin air. The most crucial step in this process is that they must prepare a specially made "cocoon" in advance.

This is so that after their physical bodies die, their souls can transfer to the "cocoon" and wait to hatch and revive.

Therefore, there has never been a successful case of slaying a dragon before, because the dragon kings all have "cocoons".

For them, death was nothing more than another long slumber.

Constantine and Norton were killed shortly after their resurrection, and even the Dragonbone Cross was destroyed, all because they failed to prepare the "Cocoon".

If Constantine died as soon as he crawled out of the "cocoon," and Norton lost his memories of being the Dragon King after becoming Don Quixote, and was too busy avenging Constantine to have time to create the "cocoon," then what about Jormungandr?

Jormungandr had been awake for quite some time and retained her full memory. Given her intelligent and cautious nature, wouldn't she have made preparations in advance?

Based on Chu Zihang's unusual behavior, Huo Yuhao had an extremely bold idea: Could it be that Chu Zihang is the "cocoon" of Jormungandr?

Similarly, could it be that Angers survived because he became the "cocoon" of that unknown dragon king?

But this is just Huo Yuhao's guess; he can't think of a way to verify it yet.

Huo Yuhao sighed and walked dejectedly back to his dormitory.

Keep learning, there's still so much to learn!

Don't rush. It took him several years to become proficient in soul tools, and he's only been learning for a few days now.

Haste makes waste; you can't rush things.

Huo Yuhao walked back to his dormitory and successfully convinced himself.

But as soon as Huo Yuhao reached the third floor, he saw a tall figure standing in front of his room.

It was Caesar.

Isn't this old man busy reorganizing the student council lately?

Why would I have time to come and see him?

Although puzzled, Huo Yuhao didn't hesitate. He quickly took a few steps, opened the door, and invited Caesar into the room.

Caesar didn't stand on ceremony and went straight into the house.

"Have you been studying alchemy with the vice principal lately?" Caesar disliked beating around the bush, so he skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point.

Huo Yuhao nodded, a hint of weariness appearing on his face: "Yes, but I haven't even scratched the surface yet. Alchemy is far more profound than I imagined."

He didn't have this much trouble learning about soul tools back then.

"No wonder the principal treats those lunatics in the equipment department like treasures," Huo Yuhao said with a wry smile. "Becoming an alchemist really isn't something you can just do by working hard."

Caesar wholeheartedly agreed with Huo Yuhao's statement.

Those lunatics in the Equipment Department, if it weren't for their absolutely irreplaceable abilities, would have been killed long ago by others because of their aesthetic philosophy and style of doing things that "explosion is art".

Nobody wants to retrieve weapons and equipment they sent to the equipment department for repair only to find they've been converted into bombs somewhere. But even if they've been planted with bombs, so what? If something's broken, can't it just be left unrepaired?

This helplessness of "knowing there are tigers in the mountains, yet having no choice but to venture into the tiger's den" is the fundamental reason for the Equipment Department's superior status.

Moreover, those bombs, if you really have nowhere else to go, at least you can send yourself away, so you don't die too painfully, right?

"Are you still going to insist?" Caesar asked.

Huo Yuhao nodded without hesitation.

He's not the kind of person who gives up easily!

"You're doing well too," Caesar chuckled. "But you're a student council member, right? You haven't participated in any club activities in so long. Are you planning to quit?"

Hearing Caesar's teasing, Huo Yuhao began to think seriously.

Lu Mingfei's motives for joining the student council were impure, and Caesar knew this too, after all, Lu Mingfei was very good at making his crushes known to everyone.

He can't hide his emotions and is very good at deceiving himself, so his liking for Nuonuo, just like his liking for Chen Wenwen back then, is no secret at school.

P.S.: The original title was supposed to be "Lu Mingfei and Huo Yuhao's Exchange Game," but I couldn't use any entries related to Huo Yuhao, apparently due to a contract issue, so this is the only option.