After one class, Huo Yuxi had gained a more concrete understanding of Soul Tools and Soul Power cultivation. She also unexpectedly discovered that circulating Soul Power after pushing her body to its limit produced much better results than usual.
Huo Yuhao was called away by Zhou Yi, and Xiao Xiao also had something to do. Huo Yuxi returned to the dormitory alone, sat on her bed, and began cultivating. The little spider lay beside her, sleeping on its back with its belly exposed.
Meanwhile.
Tang Ya and Bei Bei walked along the lakeside school path. "Bei Bei, I really want to eat little Yuhao's grilled fish!"
Seeing how greedy she looked, Bei Bei smiled. "Today is the first day of class. Based on Teacher Zhou's teaching style, he probably needs a good rest."
"That's true. Then let's go see him, and Xixi too. It feels like we haven't seen them in ages."
The moment she said it, Tang Ya pulled Bei Bei to the dormitory entrance. They happened to run into Huo Yuhao, who had just returned from the Soul Tool Hall. "Little Yuhao."
"Teacher Tang Ya, Senior Apprentice Bei Bei?"
"Little Yuhao, are you short on money?" Tang Ya asked eagerly.
"Yeah. Senior Apprentice said there are some jobs available in the academy. I was planning to go take a look later."
"No need." Tang Ya cut off his idea. "Your grilled fish is absolutely amazing. I have the ingredients, so I'll take you out to set up a stall later."
Ever since eating it on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest last time, she had been craving it constantly. She had been preparing this plan for a long time.
"That's right, we can set up a stall." A smile appeared on Huo Yuhao's face. His Spirit Eyes could precisely control the heat, making his grilled fish taste perfect. That was an advantage unique to them.
"Let's make this clear first—you have to sell to me first."
"Of course," Huo Yuhao said seriously.
Tang Ya patted his shoulder. "Where's Xixi?"
She had not seen Huo Yuxi in a long time. Thinking of those soft, blank little eyes, she could barely restrain herself from wanting to squeeze her cheeks.
"Xixi went back to rest first. I just came back from Teacher Zhou's."
"All right." Since she still had class in the afternoon, Tang Ya agreed on a time with him and prepared to leave. Then, remembering something, she turned back and said, "Oh, right, little Yuhao. Your Senior Apprentice Bei Bei and I successfully advanced to fourth year."
"Then congratulations, Teacher Tang Ya and Senior Apprentice Bei Bei. I'll treat you to grilled fish tonight to celebrate."
Thinking that Huo Yuxi had skipped lunch, Xiao Xiao brought some bread back from the cafeteria. The moment she entered, she saw Huo Yuxi lying face-down on the bed, dejectedly saying something to her spider martial soul.
"Xixi, I brought you some bread. Come eat some first." She placed the bread on the bedside table, then went to change clothes and prepare to rest for a while.
Today had truly exhausted her. Two hours, one hundred laps—this was the first time she had undergone such intense exercise. Even with Soul Power supporting her, she was starting to reach her limit.
"Thank you, Sister Xiao Xiao." Huo Yuxi took a piece of bread and began nibbling on it while lying down.
"What's wrong? Are you unhappy?"
Xiao Xiao sat by the bed and looked at her. Although Huo Yuxi appeared to come from a poor family, she was very well-mannered. She always ate at a table with proper posture and had never even eaten while sitting on a bed. What was going on now?
Huo Yuxi looked at herself, remembered her mother's patient teachings, and hurriedly got up to sit by the table.
"It's actually nothing serious. I just feel like I've already touched the bottleneck before a breakthrough, but I've tried for several days and it still hasn't worked."
"You're seriously showing off!" Xiao Xiao laughed in exasperation. She had thought something terrible had happened to her, but this was it?
"Breaking through to the next rank is usually difficult. Besides, how old are you? Why are you in such a hurry?"
"After Teacher Zhou made us run today, I found that my cultivation was much more effective than usual. I felt like I could break through that barrier, but I still failed."
"Don't be anxious. If you can feel that, it means you're not far from a breakthrough. The biggest taboo in cultivation is rushing for success."
Huo Yuxi nodded. Her appetite had always been small, and after eating one piece of bread, she was clearly full.
It was getting late, and there were still afternoon classes. After walking around the dormitory twice to help digest her food, Huo Yuxi quickly lay down to rest.
Zhou Yi had said that they would be training their physical fitness for the next three months. With her small body, she needed to get enough rest.
That afternoon's training involved running while carrying thirty pounds of iron clothing. Huo Yuxi's body could not withstand such intense exercise, so Zhou Yi arranged a different lesson for her.
Sitting on a bench by the lake, Huo Yuxi stared blankly at the faintly visible island across the water. During her nap, the Soul Devouring Spider had hidden in her spiritual sea to cultivate, so she could not even talk to it.
This was so boring! Teacher Zhou had told her to wait here for someone, but she had no idea who she was waiting for.
Suddenly, a ball of fire flew out from Lake Center Island. Only when it drew close did she realize that it was a girl, with a pair of fiery red wings behind her shining in the sky like flames.
Huo Yuxi stood up and watched nervously as she landed in front of her. The girl was beautiful, but the lofty aura she carried made people want to submit. "You're Huo Yuxi?"
"H-Hello, big sister." Huo Yuxi involuntarily straightened her body. Her deer-like eyes were moist, and paired with her pale little face, she looked utterly pitiful.
Ma Xiaotao furrowed her elegant brows. This child looked so fragile. Did she really possess twenty-ninth-rank Soul Power?
She controlled her tone and said, "Hello, my name is Ma Xiaotao. I heard that your Soul Power has already reached rank twenty-nine. Can you show me your martial soul?"
"Y-Yes."
Huo Yuxi closed her eyes. A golden-blue pattern lit up between her brows, and an ancient formation appeared before her. The Soul Devouring Spider slowly crawled out from it.
"It's actually a corporeal beast martial soul." Ma Xiaotao's voice carried obvious surprise. No wonder!
"All right. Today's lesson will take place on Lake Center Island. Get ready, I'll take you over."
With that, her enormous flaming wings spread open. She stepped beside Huo Yuxi, scooped her up in a princess carry, and flapped her wings, crossing the lake to the legendary Lake Center Island.
"Wow." Huo Yuxi looked at the buildings here and could not help gasping in admiration. "Sister Xiaotao, it's so beautiful here."
"Mm." Ma Xiaotao's tone was cold, but there was a trace of indulgence in her eyes, as though she thought that children were still children after all.
She brought Huo Yuxi to an open area, then walked to the opposite side and stood still. Soul rings rose from beneath her feet one after another—two yellow, two purple, and two black. A Soul Emperor!
The powerful pressure unique to a Soul Emperor swept toward her, nearly forcing Huo Yuxi to collapse onto the ground. She had not expected this senior sister to have already reached the same rank as Teacher Zhou at such a young age.
"I'll suppress my strength to the Soul Master level. Try fighting me once. I'll first get a grasp of your martial soul and skills so I can better guide your later lessons."
"Huh?" Huo Yuxi froze. She was a Soul Master, and she was supposed to fight a Soul Emperor? This senior sister did not look easy to deal with. Would she really not accidentally beat her to death?
"Come on. Don't be nervous. I won't actually hurt you."
"O-Okay."
When Ma Xiaotao saw the one yellow and one purple Soul Ring, shock flashed through her eyes. As the captain of this generation's Shrek Seven Devils, many people called her a monstrous genius. But now she had discovered that this child was even more monstrous than she was!
First Soul Skill, Gui Yan Blade.
The Soul Devouring Spider doubled in size and leaped from Huo Yuxi's shoulder. Eight blades spun at extreme speed.
Despite the vast difference in their ranks, Ma Xiaotao did not relax when facing Huo Yuxi. Her teacher had personally taught her this as captain of the Shrek Seven Devils: no matter how weak an enemy was, she could never underestimate them.
Especially when facing a little monster like Huo Yuxi, along with her unknown corporeal martial soul, Ma Xiaotao became even more cautious.
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