Douluo: Wuhun Qimen Formation, control everything!

Chapter 124 Huo Yuhao leaves
Zhou Xuan looked around and clapped his hands: "Alright, now that everything is here, let's not gather here anymore. Let's get to work according to the division of labor we agreed on before!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the laboratory dispersed and returned to their respective work stations.

The experimental table was filled with all kinds of soul guidance equipment, some of which were common soul guidance tools, while others were specially modified new equipment.

Because the soul-guided computer they are making is not in the existing category of soul-guided devices, it requires many delicate parts, so many tools need to be specially made.

In the corner, a small mountain of rare metals was neatly stacked. Although everyone was a student of Shrek Academy, none of them had ever seen so many rare metals at once, and they were all a little envious.

Zhou Xuan returned to his workbench, where several unfinished soul cores and a thick stack of draft papers were scattered about, covered with design sketches.

He had sketched it casually in the lab before yesterday, and he picked up the draft paper and flipped through a few pages.

He shook his head and muttered to himself, "It's still a bit immature. Oh well, I'll just write the report on the Soul Guidance Phone first."

To be honest, he hasn't written anything like this in a long time, but it's okay, this is the only time, he won't do it again no matter what.

Writing reports sounds good, but in reality, few people are willing to do it because it's too troublesome.

Thus began Zhou Xuan's "secluded" scientific research life, from morning till night, he hardly left the laboratory.

Aside from relaxing time each evening with Jiang Nannan, including meals and walks, there was almost no rest.

The same was true for the other laboratory members. Fortunately, they were all Soul Masters, and their physical abilities were far superior to those of ordinary people, so no one died suddenly.

About a week later, one afternoon, there was a knock on the laboratory door.

"Who is it?" The student closest to the door carefully put down the soul guide core in his hand, somewhat dissatisfied.

Logically speaking, no one should normally come to someone else's lab.

Upon opening the door, the man saw an old man standing at the entrance with a little girl with green hair.

"Who are you?" the student asked, somewhat disgruntled.

No one would be in a good mood if their research was interrupted.

Elder Xuan wasn't angry with him, and said with a smile, "We've come to find young Zhou Xuan."

Zhou Xuan, who was fiddling with a small square piece, looked up when he heard his name called.

"Elder Xuan, Xiao Xiao? What brings you here?" Although he was speaking, his hands did not stop moving.

Under his precise mental control, the carving knife traced delicate marks on the small square piece like a high-precision machine tool, leaving Elder Xuan in awe.

Zhou Xuan gestured for the student to continue his work, and then gestured to Elder Xuan and Xiao Xiao to wait a moment.

A few minutes later, he finished his work, carefully put down the metal square in his hand, and then stood up.

"Let's go outside and talk." Zhou Xuan led Elder Xuan and the other two out of the laboratory and to a quiet little rest area nearby. There were a few simple tables and chairs there, and the group casually found a place to sit down.

Before Elder Xuan could even speak, Xiao Xiao couldn't wait any longer.

"Zhou Xuan, thank you so much this time. If you hadn't reminded me, I probably would have really fused with that soul bone."

Her green twin ponytails swayed slightly with the rhythm of her speech.

Elder Xuan watched with amusement as Xiao Xiao recounted the entire soul-hunting process, like spilling beans.

“Disciple, didn’t I tell you before that you shouldn’t tell anyone about the soul bone? You’ve only been here two days, how come you told Zhou Xuan everything?”

Xiao Xiao's excited face froze instantly. She turned to look at Elder Xuan, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "I'm sorry, Master, I was just too excited."
And wasn't it precisely because Zhou Xuan didn't absorb that palm bone immediately that he luckily escaped this calamity?

Elder Xuan shook his head, but his tone was not stern: "This is a one-time exception; there will be no next time!"

Actually, he trusted Zhou Xuan quite a bit.

"Zhou Xuan, we really owe you a lot this time!"

"It's okay, it's just a small favor."

Elder Xuan, however, said solemnly, "This is no small matter. Without your reminder,..."
I really would have let Xiao Xiao fuse that piece of right palm bone back then; the consequences would have been unimaginable!

At this point, Elder Xuan sighed, "To be honest, I was really too excited at the time. You know, Xiao Xiao is my only disciple in my entire life."
What master doesn't hope their apprentice will succeed? And that was a rare piece of the right palm bone of a dark gold dinosaur.
How could I not be tempted? If Xiao Xiao hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't even have realized that Xiao Xiao's current physical condition might not be able to withstand the impact of this soul bone.
After all, the soul bones of a soul beast like the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear aren't easy to fuse with. In this respect, I'm not even as good as my own disciple.

He never expected that, under such a huge temptation, Xiao Xiao would still remember Zhou Xuan's instructions.

From this perspective, it seems that the right disciple was chosen.

Elder Xuan glanced at Xiao Xiao and continued, "Furthermore, I examined this soul bone carefully afterward. Although it's not very old, it's definitely not something Xiao Xiao can absorb at her current stage."
So I plan to wait until she reaches the fourth ring before having Xiao Xiao try the fusion; by then, it should be about right.”

Zhou Xuan glanced at Elder Xuan with some surprise. He hadn't expected Elder Xuan to have such awareness.

"Elder Xuan, you flatter me. If you didn't believe me at the time, nothing I said would have mattered. So it was you who changed."

"I know you're just flattering me. Actually, I've been thinking a lot lately about whether I didn't do a good job before, whether it was in Star Luo City, or when I was in Evil Soul Master, or even before that."

Elder Xuan's voice grew increasingly low.

"You even know that?" But Zhou Xuan only dared to say this to himself.

After a while, Elder Xuan calmed himself down and said, "Ah~ When people get old, they like to think about the past. Young Zhou Xuan, I owe you a favor for this."

Zhou Xuan raised an eyebrow, not expecting such an unexpected gain.

Although he couldn't quite judge Elder Xuan, and he didn't know if Elder Xuan truly understood his problem, he still valued Elder Xuan's promise.

No matter how much people tease him about being the Grand Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult, he always keeps his promises. Moreover, in Shrek Academy, Elder Xuan is second only to the leader.

The three chatted for a while longer before Elder Xuan prepared to leave.

Although Xiao Xiao was a little reluctant, she obediently followed her master away.

After the two figures disappeared around the corner, Zhou Xuan did not linger and went straight back to the laboratory.

Pushing open the door, a familiar scene of bustling activity came into view. Zhou Xuan returned to his seat and continued to complete the work he had just finished.

When people get serious, time always flies. This didn't last long before Huo Yuhao came to find him.

Laboratory entrance.

"Senior Brother Zhou, I've come to say goodbye," Huo Yuhao said with some reluctance.

Zhou Xuan put down his tools and pondered for a moment before coming to his senses: "Hmm? Where are you going?"

He'd been so busy these past few days that he hadn't immediately realized where Huo Yuhao was going. "Hey? Brother Zhou Xuan, don't you know? It's the exchange program at the Sun Moon Soul Guidance Academy. Dean Yan said it was because you didn't want to go..."
This spot was only meant for me; after all, your mental strength is far superior to mine.

"Oh, so that's what it is. I almost forgot about it if you hadn't mentioned it. Okay! Being out in the world is not like being at Shrek Academy; we have to be careful about everything."

Remember this: you're here to learn. When you're in someone else's territory, don't be too flamboyant or cause trouble, but don't be afraid of trouble either, after all, Shrek Academy is behind you!

Zhou Xuan patted him on the shoulder with a smile.

Huo Yuhao's experiences have changed considerably from the original novel, and his personality, under Zhou Xuan's deliberate guidance, is not as extreme as in the original work.

Huo Yuhao nodded seriously: "Don't worry, Brother Zhou Xuan, I've remembered everything! Then I won't bother you any longer."

"Go!" Zhou Xuan waved his hand at him.

After seeing Huo Yuhao off, he returned to the laboratory.

As the days went by, the research and development of the Soul Guidance Computer was progressing steadily, but the price was that, including Zhou Xuan, they hadn't had a good night's sleep for nearly a month.

The clock in the laboratory ticked away. Zhou Xuan looked up and saw that it was already late at night.

He rubbed his sore eyes and stood up to stretch his limbs.

He quickly tidied up and got up to leave: "Everyone should rest now. There's no need to push yourselves so hard. A little relaxation is necessary."

Although we are all Soul Masters, even the best bodies can't withstand this kind of abuse.

He then made a joke.

"I'm really afraid you'll all suddenly die here, then I'll be in real trouble!"

Several students laughed upon hearing this, and one of them replied, "Don't worry, Senior Brother Zhou, even if he dies suddenly, he definitely won't die in the lab."

"Let's stay a little longer. There's still one experiment we haven't finished today. I plan to do it a few more times. Senior Brother Zhou, you can go now."

Another student added that he was still constantly adjusting a complex soul-guiding device.

Zhou Xuan smiled and shook his head: "Don't rush, research can't be done overnight. You all need to rest, you've all been exhausted lately."

"I'll be more clear-headed tomorrow, and I might make some new discoveries."

The group stubbornly shook their heads: "Let's stay a little longer, we're not too tired yet."

Zhou Xuan looked at their bloodshot eyes, and his lips twitched slightly.

Is he pushing the CPU too hard? How can there be such a conscientious employee?

It's practically an innate divine body of cattle and horses, but it would be impolite for Zhou Xuan to try to dissuade him with such an attitude.

With tears in his eyes, he could only nod and say, "In that case, I'll be going now."

"Okay, goodnight, Senior Brother Zhou!" they replied, then went back to their work.

Zhou Xuan shook his head, turned and left the laboratory. A familiar figure at the door immediately brightened his mood.

At this moment, Jiang Nannan was already waiting for him at the door. No matter how late he stayed up every day, Jiang Nannan would wait for him here.

Jiang Nannan was leaning against the wall in the corridor, her head down, seemingly doing something.
Her long eyelashes cast soft shadows in the dim light of the screen. Hearing footsteps, she looked up, her eyes lighting up.

"So early today?" Jiang Nannan walked to Zhou Xuan's side and naturally took his arm.

Jiang Nannan said with a smile, her face showing a hint of weariness. Although she was Master Song's disciple, her training volume had actually increased rather than decreased.

So by the end of the day, she was exhausted, and she couldn't help but yawn as she spoke.

Zhou Xuan reached out and gently wiped away the tears that had welled up in her eyes from yawning, saying with a hint of helplessness, "You don't have to wait for me."

However, it feels really nice to have someone waiting for you when you go home every night.

"I'm going to wait. What if you get kidnapped by the girls in the lab?" she said, sniffing Zhou Xuan like a kitten.

Zhou Xuan tapped her head: "What are you thinking about? I'm exhausted in the lab, I don't have time for this at all."

Jiang Nannan pulled her head back and stuck out her tongue: "Oh dear, it's because you're never around all day, of course people will overthink it~"

At this moment, Jiang Nannan was nothing like the aloof and mature woman in the eyes of outsiders. Instead, she was like a clingy kitten, and even her voice was a little strained.

Zhou Xuan, with a mix of helplessness and affection, put his arm around her waist, and Jiang Nannan leaned against him, feeling the warmth emanating from him.

The two walked side by side on the stone path of Shrek Academy. It was late at night, and the light from the streetlights cast long shadows on the ground.

The evening breeze, carrying a hint of floral fragrance, gently brushed against my cheeks, bringing a refreshing coolness.

"Shall we go get something to eat?" Jiang Nannan hooked Zhou Xuan's hand.

"Sure, I'm a little hungry too." It wasn't that he was really hungry, since Shrek Academy's food was all high-energy, and one meal could last him a whole day.

I'm not physically hungry, but I still feel like I need to eat something.

After being so busy for so long, I wanted to treat myself to something delicious.

Zhou Xuan often did this in his previous life.

Every night when I get back to my dorm, I think about how I've been studying all day and I want to eat something, even though I'm not actually hungry.

"What would you like to eat?" Zhou Xuan asked.

Jiang Nannan thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "I want to eat mixed noodles, the kind you made last time."

Zhou Xuan was taken aback, a sly smile appearing on his lips: "Noodles? What noodles?"

Jiang Nannan blushed, punched him in the chest, and said with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance, "What are you thinking? I was just talking about regular noodles."

Zhou Xuan deliberately drew out his words and nodded: "Regular noodles, that's fine, but we have to go back and make them. How about it? Want some?"

Since both of them were disciples of the inner court, they also had their own residences on Seagod Island, where they often stayed after returning from Star Luo City.

Jiang Nannan snorted: "Fine, I'll go. It's just noodles."

“Alright! You said it!” Zhou Xuan nodded, and the two of them stretched out their shadows, gradually disappearing at the end of the path.

(End of this chapter)