For now, Huo Yuhao had only fifteen short years. It wasn't realistic for Spirit Hall to develop the Soul Tool System on a large scale within that time.
The only way was to replace the Sun Moon Empire from ten thousand years ago. That way, he could rely on the elite Soul Engineer legions from ten thousand years later to deal with the armies of the Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire from ten thousand years ago, achieving a true dimensionality-reduction strike.
As for the lofty Tang Shenwang, who looked down upon the mortal world, Huo Yuhao had also decided to put on a great show for him—one called "taking the fire from under the pot."
Huo Yuhao's ambitions had never stopped there. He had joined Shrek Academy only to form the Yin Yang Complementary Twin Soul Cores. What he truly intended to do was start at Shrek Academy, change history bit by bit, then overturn the continent's landscape ten thousand years later, and finally pull the lofty Tang Shenwang down from his altar, making him watch as Huo Yuhao climbed to the summit from Shrek Academy.
Huo Yuhao would climb to godhood one step at a time, then drag him down.
What Huo Yuhao intended to do was subordinate over superior!
If this plan succeeded, the Sun Moon Empire would be renamed the Spirit Hall Empire from then on. The tide of history would not be stopped, even by Tang San, a God King.
Furthermore, the membrane surrounding the outside of the planet Douluo Continent was also accumulating and replenishing energy, waiting to deal Tang San a fatal blow in the future.
"Greetings, Teacher." Huo Yuhao bowed slightly to Fan Yu.
"Good child, get up." Fan Yu looked at Huo Yuhao with satisfaction and patted him firmly on the shoulder, smiling. "Learning Soul Tool Crafting can't be accomplished in a day. It takes long-term effort, and it might even take a lifetime. You're an Ultimate Attribute Soul Master, and I don't want to disrupt your normal cultivation. How about this? Starting tomorrow, come here for two hours after class each day to learn Soul Tool Crafting. You can manage the rest of your time yourself. If there's anything about Soul Tools you don't understand, you can ask me, too."
Huo Yuhao nodded. "All right."
Fan Yu gave Huo Yuhao a key to the Soul Tool Laboratory and showed him around the place so he could get familiar with it.
At dusk, Huo Yuhao finished dinner but didn't return to the New Student Dormitory. Instead, he went to the Lakeside of Sea God Lake.
Now that Huo Yuhao had become a Core Disciple of both the Soul Tool System and Martial Soul System, he no longer had to pay for meals in the canteen, and he could enjoy the finest ingredients at every meal.
The night was beautiful. Stars hung high in the sky, and a bright Full Moon cast down its gentle light.
"You're here early."
Ma Xiaotao's voice came from behind him. Huo Yuhao turned to see her dressed in red—the color that marked an Inner Courtyard Disciple.
Leaning against the railing by Sea God Lake, Huo Yuhao took a deep breath of the evening breeze and felt refreshed. "I'm a person who keeps my promises. Once I agree to something, I'll follow through."
"Could you tell me about the mysterious Fire Elemental Energy inside you?" Ma Xiaotao leaned against the railing as well, meeting his gaze.
Huo Yuhao looked at her for a while, until her face reddened. He then coughed to break the awkward silence. "Do you know about Heaven and Earth Yuan Power?"
"I read about it in the Inner Courtyard Library Pavilion. Heaven and Earth Yuan Power is the energy at the source of the world, the root of all matter and spirit. Our world is made up of various elements, such as metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Martial Soul attributes are related to them, too. My Evil Fire Phoenix, for instance, has a Fire Attribute."
"Could the mysterious, unknown energy that flowed into my body earlier have been the legendary Heaven and Earth Yuan Power?"
Huo Yuhao nodded. "That's right. My body contains Heaven and Earth Yuan Power with both Extreme Fire and Extreme Ice attributes, and its concentration is very high. My Second Spirit, the Ice Jade Scorpion, and your Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul correspond to those two attributes respectively. The Heaven and Earth Yuan Power inside me has a significant effect on our cultivation speed and Martial Soul Quality."
"I only obtained it through a chance encounter. That kind of opportunity can't be replicated."
After Huo Yuhao explained, Ma Xiaotao finally understood how much she had benefited from him when they'd dealt with her Evil Fire crisis together the first two times. For a moment, she felt Huo Yuhao's place in her heart grow heavier.
Most of all, she felt guilty. She had received such an enormous favor, yet had nothing to give in return.
But when she remembered how, while her Evil Fire was out of control, she had blurted out that she'd solve the crisis by marrying Huo Yuhao in the future, even Ma Xiaotao—with her usual boldness and fiery temper—couldn't help blushing.
"Why... have you been so good to me?" Ma Xiaotao asked suddenly after a long silence.
"First, I need to absorb the Extreme Ice Heaven and Earth Yuan Power inside me for my cultivation, and to do that, I have to resolve the problem of Extreme Fire. So I need the help of a Soul Master who also has Extreme Fire."
Ma Xiaotao felt a trace of disappointment at his answer, but quickly accepted it.
Then Huo Yuhao changed his tune. "Second, as I've said before, I'm a person who always keeps my promises. If I make an agreement, I have to honor it. Like that day at Sea God Lake... I believe you're a person who keeps her promises, too, Sister Xiaotao."
At that, Ma Xiaotao nearly fled the scene. She was a nineteen-year-old woman, being confessed to by an eleven-year-old boy. What kind of situation was this?
Ma Xiaotao's face reddened for only a moment before she took the initiative to cover Huo Yuhao's hand with hers. Together, they went to a bench like one in a park and sat down.
At that moment, the Extreme Fire and Extreme Ice Heaven and Earth Yuan Power inside Huo Yuhao slowly flowed into both his and Ma Xiaotao's bodies in equal proportions.
Ma Xiaotao closed her beautiful eyes in comfort, and Huo Yuhao began absorbing the energy as well. His Soul Power circulated rapidly, temporarily freeing him from the slow cultivation typical of an Ultimate Attribute Soul Master. As the two types of Heaven and Earth Yuan Power left Huo Yuhao's body and entered Ma Xiaotao's, their Soul Power—previously repelling one another—began to draw closer. As the Extreme Fire Heaven and Earth Yuan Power coursed through them, some of Huo Yuhao's Soul Power entered Ma Xiaotao's body, circulated once, and then returned to his.
Huo Yuhao and Ma Xiaotao opened their eyes almost at the same time, both looking incredulous.
Huo Yuhao felt that his Soul Power had reached the peak of level thirty-six. He would be able to break through in just a few days.
Ma Xiaotao was surprised to discover that her Soul Power showed signs of fusing with Huo Yuhao's. This meant that if they continued cultivating this way, they might produce a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
Then both of them immersed themselves in cultivating with the two kinds of Heaven and Earth Yuan Power. They sat upright on the bench, initially keeping about twenty centimeters between them.
As time passed, their bodies gradually drew closer. By the time the sun began to rise in the east and a pale glow appeared on the horizon, Ma Xiaotao and Huo Yuhao woke up back to back. They exchanged smiles; that night's cultivation had brought them great gains.
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