Huo Wu's Breakthrough

The purple Soul Ring seemed alive as it slowly descended over Huo Wu's Martial Soul under her guidance. Vast energy surged into her body like a bursting river.

Normally, absorbing a five-thousand-year Fourth Soul Ring posed considerable risks and pain for a Soul Ancestor who had just reached Level 40. The lingering will of the Soul Beast and the violent energy within the Soul Ring had to be slowly worn away and absorbed through a Soul Master's strong will and abundant Soul Power.

Yet Huo Wu's experience at that moment was completely different from what the textbooks described.

The energy was still immense, pounding against her Meridians and Dantian, but the expected agony of her Meridians being torn apart and the spiritual assault from the Soul Beast's lingering will... were almost nonexistent!

Although the energy remained turbulent after entering her body, it was unusually "docile," as though some force had already "tamed" it beforehand. The faint trace of lingering will belonging to the Lava Lizard posed virtually no threat before her powerful Spiritual Power and was easily dispersed and purified.

Was it because the Lava Lizard had been scared out of its wits by Zhang Bufan before it died, leaving even its lingering will incomparably weak?

That thought flashed through Huo Wu's mind, only to be drowned out by the exhilarating sensation of her rapidly swelling Soul Power.

Soul Power raced through her Meridians, repeatedly crashing against and expanding their former limits. The Level 40 bottleneck was like a paper window before that pure, enormous energy—it broke with a single poke!

Her Soul Power Level began soaring at a visible rate!

Level 41, Level 42...

And it was not merely the total amount of her Soul Power that increased. She could clearly feel that her Flame Martial Soul had also undergone subtle changes. Its blazing core seemed more condensed, its color growing deeper, with the faint sheen of... dark gold?

Was it an illusion? Or was it because she had absorbed the Soul Ring of this mutated Lava Lizard, or perhaps... because she had been invisibly nourished by the Earth Fire Dragon King's source energy in the air?

Huo Wu could not be sure. She could only calm her mind and guide the energy with all her strength, stabilizing her rapidly rising cultivation.

Time passed bit by bit.

When Huo Wu opened her eyes again, a blazing glint flashed through them. Her aura had completely stabilized, and she was several times stronger than before!

Level 43!

She had risen three levels at once! From a Soul Ancestor who had just broken through Level 40, she had leapt directly to Level 43! Such a feat was rare even in the entire history of Soul Masters!

Moreover, she could feel that her foundation had not become unstable from advancing too quickly. On the contrary, it was incomparably solid. Her Soul Power was condensed, her Martial Soul pure, and her condition could not have been better.

She slowly raised her hand. A flame fiercer and more condensed than before rose from her palm, faintly carrying a heavy, explosive aura. This was her Fourth Soul Skill—Lava Burst! A powerful Soul Skill combining fierce offense, area damage, and continuous burning!

Feeling the brand-new power endlessly flowing through her body, Huo Wu could not help curling her lips into a beautiful smile. Greater strength was always pleasing.

But when her gaze swept across her surroundings, that smile faded slightly.

Brother Huo Wushuang leaned against the rock wall, his face still somewhat pale. Yet his eyes were filled with relief as he looked at her, along with... a trace of indescribable complexity.

Teacher Chen, Teacher Li, and the other Team Members were gathered around her. Their faces held the relief of surviving disaster and smiles of happiness for her, but lingering fear remained deep in their eyes, and their gazes kept involuntarily drifting in one direction.

Huo Wu followed their gazes.

Zhang Bufan had somehow finished his fruit. He was squatting beside the Lava Lizard's corpse, poking its hard scales with a small branch while muttering, "This hide is pretty thick. Too bad it lost most of its energy after dying. Otherwise, skinning it and making Wu'er a leather armor from it would've been nice... Hmm, the meat probably doesn't taste good either. Forget it, forget it."

Huo Wu: "..."

The joy and confidence she had felt from her increase in strength were instantly diluted by an inexplicable sense of helplessness when she saw Zhang Bufan acting so down-to-earth.

Before this man, even the greatest accomplishments seemed... insignificant.

She stood and walked over to Zhang Bufan, saying softly, "I'm done absorbing it."

Zhang Bufan tossed aside the branch, stood up, and dusted off his hands. He looked her over from head to toe, then nodded approvingly. "Mm, not bad. Level 43, solid foundation, and the Soul Skill is decent too. My efforts weren't wasted... uh, I mean, this lizard didn't contribute itself for nothing."

He had nearly let slip that his efforts in scaring it half to death had not been wasted.

Huo Wu looked at him, and those complicated feelings surged through her heart again. Gratitude? Of course there was. Without him, forget absorbing the Soul Ring—their entire team might already have been buried in the dragon's belly. Shock? That went without saying. His incomprehensible power was enough to shake anyone to their core. But beyond that, another emotion she could neither explain nor understand was growing within her.

Was it dependence? Perhaps a little. Curiosity? Extremely strong. Or... something else?

She shook her head, temporarily suppressing those chaotic thoughts, and said solemnly to Zhang Bufan, "Zhang Bufan, thank you. If it hadn't been for you today, we..." She did not finish, but the meaning was obvious.

Zhang Bufan grinned and leaned a little closer. "You really want to thank me? Then... how about going shopping with me? I've been in Heaven Dou City for so long, but I haven't properly looked around yet."

His breath brushed Huo Wu's ear, making her cheeks warm slightly. Instinctively, she wanted to step back, but her feet seemed nailed to the ground. Looking into Zhang Bufan's expectant, slightly sly eyes, she somehow gave a soft "Mm."

Her voice was barely louder than a mosquito's buzz, but Zhang Bufan heard it perfectly clearly.

A huge smile immediately bloomed across his face, so brilliant it was dazzling. "Then it's settled!"

At that moment, Huo Wushuang walked over with Teacher Chen supporting him. He looked at Zhang Bufan with an exceedingly complicated expression. After struggling for a moment, he still bent at the waist and said in a deep voice, "Brother Zhang... no words can repay such great kindness! If you ever have need of me, Huo Wushuang... will brave ten thousand deaths without hesitation!"

Calling him "Brother Zhang" had been difficult, but his sincerity was unmistakable. The gap in their strength was simply too vast. He no longer had even the slightest desire to compare himself with Zhang Bufan; all that remained was pure gratitude and reverence.

Zhang Bufan casually helped him up. "You're too polite, Brother-in-law. We're family—no need to stand on ceremony."

Huo Wushuang's mouth twitched. This time, however, he did not refute him and merely gave a bitter smile. His little sister had already been "reserved" by the man, and the difference in their strength was like a heavenly chasm. What else could he say?

Teacher Chen stepped forward as well and said respectfully, "Young Master Zhang... it would be unwise to remain here. Though the Earth Fire Dragon King has been... dealt with by you, the disturbance just now was too great. It may attract other powerful Soul Beasts or people with ulterior motives. We should return to the academy as soon as possible."

Zhang Bufan nodded indifferently. "Fine, we'll do as you say. Let's go."

He naturally walked to Huo Wu's side and set off beside her. Huo Wu stiffened slightly, but seeing that her brother and teachers silently accepted it—or rather, did not dare object—she gradually relaxed.

The group composed themselves and set out on the road back to Heaven Dou City, bringing along the badly injured Huo Wushuang and the Team Members who had reaped abundant gains—along with an equally abundant amount of psychological trauma.

On their way here, the atmosphere in the group had been tense and expectant.

On their way back, the atmosphere was... strange and silent.

Nearly everyone's gaze, intentionally or not, was focused on the young man who looked completely relaxed and had even begun humming an odd little tune.

Who exactly was he?

That question hung over everyone's hearts like a nightmare.

And as Huo Wu felt the warm presence beside her and listened to the strange yet inexplicably pleasant tune he hummed, her heart quietly skipped several more beats.