Meals and Special Ability Scores

At night, the moon hung high and the stars still shone. Moonlight illuminated the world, and it also fell on Huo Yuhao and the others as they ate together. They were already exhausted from an afternoon of training, and now they were having dinner at a restaurant in a remote corner of Shrek City. Xu Sanshi, the rich dog, was treating them. He looked quite charming as he casually spent his gold marriage coins—so long as you ignored his handsome face, now swollen and red with a shoe-shaped imprint.

Anyone who knew him could barely hold back their laughter. This was a rare sight; no one had ever broken through his defenses during training. That meant that while everyone else was struggling, he could stand off to the side, cool as a cucumber, making snide remarks. He was utterly annoying, hated by man and beast alike, yet no one could do anything about it.

Seeing Xu Sanshi like this was immensely satisfying. After his initial attempt at a simple disguise failed, he gave up. His outfit and unmistakable flashy air made him recognizable at a glance. So Xu Sanshi started greeting people he knew openly. As long as he took the initiative, he could avoid the worst of the embarrassment. Huo Yuhao and the others were waiting for him to buy them dinner, so they held off on exposing his disguise. After all, it would be humiliating for the famous Eternal Defense to get slapped in the face by a one-ring Support System Soul Master.

There was no rush to spread the news. They could use it to keep Xu Sanshi in line and stop him from getting too cocky. They could hold it over him for the rest of his life.

"Hey, hey, stop laughing already. When you walk by the river, it's inevitable that your shoes get wet now and then. This is just a tiny setback on the road of life. Besides, that kid's Spirit System abilities really aren't simple. It wasn't my fault." As he spoke, he continued waving his fan.

Under normal circumstances, Huo Yuhao's attacks that afternoon wouldn't have been able to hurt Xu Sanshi. That was without using Soul Skills, of course. Xu Sanshi's teacher had surely warned him to be careful when facing Spirit System Soul Masters, but these young geniuses were too proud and too young to take the warning to heart. Spirit System Soul Masters were also so rare that it was hard to form a proper understanding of them.

If Xu Sanshi had released his Martial Soul and carefully constructed his defenses, and hadn't foolishly tried to test Huo Yuhao's mental power, Huo Yuhao wouldn't have stood a chance. A full-power Mental Attack could defeat—or even kill—any low-level Soul Master who wasn't of the Spirit System. But it was a move that injured the enemy a thousand times while harming oneself eight hundred times. Huo Yuhao would very likely have ended up a fool too. This wasn't a fight to the death, and by the time Huo Yuhao could precisely control his Mental Attack, his enemies would probably have found a way to resist it.

Still, Mental Attacks were unbeatable in one-on-one fights. They could guarantee at least a draw.

Xu Sanshi had gained valuable experience fighting a Spirit System Soul Master, even if the process hadn't been pleasant.

He had been about to block that kick with ease when, just as it was about to connect, Xu Sanshi saw Huo Yuhao's eyes. His First Soul Ring flared brightly, and the Ten-Year Soul Ring that should have been utterly unremarkable released a light beyond its rank.

Mental Interference Domain + Mental Attack + Purple Demon Eye!

The three effects stacked together, leaving Xu Sanshi's mind completely blank. Huo Yuhao's raw mental power had already reached the level of a six-ring Soul Master. Even if its quality wasn't high—like that of a certain enormous bug whose quantity of mental power was unprecedented and would never be surpassed—it was still beyond what an ordinary person could resist. Xu Sanshi's movements froze for an instant, right as the attack was about to hit him in the face.

Huo Yuhao twisted in midair to dodge Xu Sanshi's blocking arm, then struck a flying kick that sent him tumbling away. That was how he got the shoe-shaped mark on his face.

Huo Yuhao wasn't in good shape either. The backlash from the Mental Attack left him dizzy, and the most obvious sign was that his nose was bleeding again. He was sure to suffer from anemia in the future, and for quite some time.

The slight tremor in the Sea of Spirit woke Tian Meng again. He was dazed for a moment before figuring out what had happened. Then he said to Huo Yuhao, "I didn't realize the backlash from Mental Attacks was this strong. We Spirit Beasts really don't have to worry about that. I'll help you limit its power for now. Your Sea of Spirit is too fragile, and you can't push it too hard, or you'll leave hidden injuries that could affect your future growth."

"If you want to attack beyond the limit, call on me to do it. You can't control it properly yet; it's too dangerous. Hurry up and work toward level twenty. Then we'll be able to take off."

As he finished speaking, the Soul Ring that Huo Yuhao hadn't had time to put away gave a faint flash, then fell silent again. No one noticed—probably. Even if anyone had, they wouldn't have said anything. Respecting others had always been one of Bei Bei's admirable qualities, and one reason he was so popular.

The rest of the time was simple. Xu Sanshi obediently served as a punching bag for Huo Yuhao, while Bei Bei and Tang Ya watched for flaws in Huo Yuhao's Tang Sect Secret Techniques and his order of execution. Huo Yuhao didn't use his Soul Skill again. Bei Bei had noticed that using it put tremendous strain on his body, so it was better not to use it when he could avoid it.

Without a complete set of Soul Skills, they couldn't teach him carelessly. They had no way of knowing what kind of Soul Skills he might acquire later. This was especially true for Soul Masters who had awakened among commoners, and all the more so for someone like Huo Yuhao, whose attributes were exceptionally rare. Finding a suitable Soul Ring was already a stroke of luck. The great clans didn't have to worry about this problem. Thousands of years of experience let them find the most suitable path for their growth.

Take the White Tiger Family, for example. They were a family with a Power Attack System Martial Soul, and anyone familiar with them could tell you their Soul Ring Configuration below the six-ring level. If a wandering Soul Master with no backing had those details exposed, it would be extremely dangerous; they might be targeted and ambushed. At first glance, the Soul Rings paired with the Evil Eye White Tiger might seem mediocre, but working backward from the results showed that they were a top-tier configuration.

Why?

If the same old Soul Skills had no obvious weaknesses, there could only be one reason: they were extremely mediocre. You heard that right. The top clans had always used mediocre Soul Ring Configurations, yet those few mediocre Soul Rings brought out the Martial Soul's full potential.

To answer this, we had to return to the basics. What was the job of a Power Attack System Soul Master?

It was to charge forward, like a soldier. To smash and shatter the enemy's formation, keep the enemy's Power Attack System Soul Masters from threatening their own back line, and deal with the enemy's back line as best they could.

That required a Power Attack System Soul Master to have immense offensive power and explosive strength. Endurance and defense could be left to their teammates. Looking at those Soul Skills made the logic clear: a substantial boost to oneself meant they could still unleash impressive bursts of power without Support, giving them a chance to turn things around even in a desperate situation. Powerful single-target attacks guaranteed their offensive strength, complemented by area attacks. By then, area attacks were already high-level Soul Ring Skills. Even so, a focused attack could still hurt if it hit a frail opponent.

That created a near-perfect, well-rounded fighter. They might not be able to measure up to the absolute geniuses, but they wouldn't hold the geniuses back either. That was enough to ensure a clan's survival.

Most importantly, these Soul Skills weren't as demanding to obtain as those in the top-tier Soul Ring Configurations. They could be assigned on a large scale. There was strength in numbers, after all. A large group of clan Soul Masters who were both cheap to train and numerous wasn't easy to deal with.

Huo Yuhao would face this problem in the future. He needed to forge his own path, but he had no room for trial and error or failure. That would take a little luck. His First Soul Ring already gave him top-tier Support abilities. Should his future Soul Rings focus on control, defense, speed, or offense? He couldn't choose them all; otherwise, he'd be mediocre at everything. One person couldn't defeat a team. He needed to find his place within one. Bei Bei seemed to have some ideas, which was why he'd called Xu Sanshi over to help.

No matter what, Xu Sanshi was a top Soul Master among people his age. He wouldn't let just anyone use him as a punching bag. Since Bei Bei had taken an interest in Huo Yuhao, he was naturally interested in helping him too.

Most people could get by in a Support role. Not every team could be made up entirely of top-tier Soul Masters. But to form a truly top-tier Soul Master team, they needed a top-tier Support Soul Master. One could raise both the team's floor and its ceiling.

Two Power Attack System Soul Masters against a team would ultimately lose. But if one of them had a Support Soul Master on their side, they might have a slim chance. Take the top-tier Support Martial Soul, the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, for example. It could boost Soul Power, attack power, speed, defense, attributes, and even mental power.

At that point, it came down to which side fell first. Would the Power Attack System Soul Master overwhelm the other side with sheer force and defeat all seven, or would he get trapped and ultimately lose? Either way, he might still manage to take a few of them down.

Support boosts were terrifying, which made cultivating powerful Support Martial Souls more difficult than cultivating other types. The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul had especially severe restrictions: most of its users were limited to level seventy-nine. Only the first generation of the Shrek Seven Devils had managed to break through that limit, cracking the shackle and giving people hope.

Although few people had broken through the limit over the past ten thousand years, the eighth Soul Skill was simply too powerful. A single life-saving skill could provide an enormous margin for error. It gave Soul Skills with severe restrictions a chance to be used on the battlefield, and with the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda's terrifying boosts, even incinerating the heavens and boiling the seas wasn't out of the question.

A good Support Soul Master was therefore both crucial and incredibly rare. Without special circumstances, it was best to raise one from childhood. The best ones had already been spoken for, so it was best to rely on your own judgment and seek out hidden talent. Finding a Soul Master with powerful Support abilities at a low level was an enormous stroke of luck. The geniuses of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect already had their own circles, and Bei Bei and the others weren't part of them.

That was when Huo Yuhao's value became clear. Whether or not his background was aboveboard, he was certainly "clean." He couldn't even afford food.

Bei Bei didn't have much money either, but to the young masters of these great clans, anything money could solve wasn't a problem. Xu Sanshi clearly had plenty. Just look at his clothes; they weren't cheap.

Even paying for Huo Yuhao's meals at this cafeteria for the next few days wouldn't be a burden. And if it became one, Xu Sanshi could always sell his pants. As long as you didn't give up, there were always more solutions than problems.

Only then did Xu Sanshi realize how serious the situation was. "You brat, you made that bet because you had your eye on my wallet! I knew you old schemer, Bei Bei, were up to no good."

Huo Yuhao thought about how much all that food would cost and felt embarrassed. He was just about to say something when Xu Sanshi cut him off.

"Don't even think about refusing. I, Xu Sanshi, always honor my promises when I lose a bet. I'd better eat a few more bites now, or I'll be drinking the northwest wind for the next few days."

Everyone couldn't help laughing at how seamlessly he switched between a serious and a comical expression.

After seeing that everyone had finished eating, Bei Bei summed things up. "Thanks to someone's generous sponsorship, I won't have to worry about my junior brother starving for the next few days. That's a good sign. I hope my junior brother does well in the Individual Battle and gets into Shrek Academy, so he can keep being my junior brother."

"Thank you, everyone." Huo Yuhao felt warm inside, touched by their trust. Their expectations also strengthened his resolve to get into Shrek Academy.

"By the way, Xu Sanshi, don't forget to keep helping my junior brother train over the next few days. No slacking off."

Xu Sanshi gave a mournful smile. It was the helpless look of someone who had thought school was out, only for the teacher to keep everyone in the classroom for more lessons.

"Ahhh, what do you call this? Losing the wife and the soldiers?"

"No. Selling yourself and still counting the money for someone else."

And so the days of hellish training began, urgently building up Huo Yuhao's combat experience. He was hesitant at first, but soon adapted to the rhythm of battle. Huo Yuhao truly didn't have much experience in face-to-face combat, but all things shared the same underlying principles. He only had to adjust his experience killing people a little, and he could put it to use in actual combat.

His rapid improvement was alarming to witness. That slightly soothed Xu Sanshi's heart, which had been aching as his wallet grew thinner and thinner. Because the food was so high in energy, Huo Yuhao only needed one meal a day; he couldn't eat any more.

Even though a cocoon formed from the Green Aura absorbed a large portion of it, the conversion was still too slow. It wasn't like when the Green Aura had been active before, when it had digested everything and converted it into energy all at once. As a result, Huo Yuhao visibly gained weight over the next few days. His face was flushed, and he looked perfectly healthy.

He took a little time out to participate in the special ability assessment. The assessment was basically a formality. Most people had few secrets left, since everything was already written in their personal files. The teachers would discuss things briefly and then come up with a score.

But Huo Yuhao was given only twenty-two points. Everyone frowned at the result. Something was definitely wrong. As a Support Soul Master, and with the unique nature of his Martial Soul, Huo Yuhao could even have aimed for a perfect score.

Huo Yuhao understood that this was already his final score. He didn't know why the academy's teachers were targeting him, but there was no point investigating it now. He had only a slim chance if he performed well in the Individual Battle and had luck on his side.

He did the math in his head. Twenty-two plus eighteen was only forty, so he needed twenty points in the Individual Battle. He had to get the points from the first round, the Support division's internal match. That left him with two options. In the second round, he could use a Support Soul Master's privilege to forfeit, then hope to face an exhausted Soul Master who had been badly injured in the third round and pick up the win. Or he could fight both rounds and draw both times.

Those were the less favorable plans. If he got lucky and faced a Soul Master who had been badly injured after fighting desperately in the first round, he could pick up the win and pass without a worry.

Thinking of Tian Meng's promise, Huo Yuhao felt some of his unease slip away. Beneath the bright moonlight, he fell asleep, ready to face tomorrow's competition.