Huo Yuhao Gets Beaten Up Again

Jiang Nannan did not know what Feng Piaoling was thinking, but seeing his furrowed brows, her previously relaxed mood inexplicably tightened.

"Benefactor, is something weighing on your mind?" she asked with some hesitation.

"No, it is nothing." Feng Piaoling shook his head and continued walking forward.

Jiang Nannan followed silently by his side, suddenly realizing that she knew nothing about this benefactor—not his past, not his worries, and certainly not what he desired.

He was like a dense fog; no matter how she tried to approach, she could not touch even a fraction of him.

They did not speak another word until they reached the dormitory building.

"Benefactor, are you leaving now?" Jiang Nannan asked, watching as Feng Piaoling prepared to head toward the white freshman area, her words catching in her throat.

"Yes, you should head back early as well." Feng Piaoling nodded, walked past her, and headed toward the dorms.

"Benefactor." Jiang Nannan stepped forward and called out to him.

"Yes?" Feng Piaoling turned around, gave a soft acknowledgment, and stood quietly, waiting for her to continue.

"During the soul duel earlier, I observed that your control over soul power is extraordinary. If I have any questions regarding cultivation in the future, may I come to you for guidance?"

Jiang Nannan gathered her courage to ask.

The two stood under an ancient tree beneath the teaching building. As a gentle breeze blew, their hair and clothes swayed in the wind. They just looked at each other in silence.

Feng Piaoling was silent for a moment before nodding. "Of course you may."

Jiang Nannan smiled.

It was a genuine smile; she had finally moved one step closer to her benefactor.

Meanwhile, things were miserable for Huo Yuhao.

Inside the dormitory building, shortly after the students who had gone to watch the soul duel left, he began to feel hungry.

He exited his meditative state.

Realizing that night had fallen and he had missed mealtime, he took some hardtack and water from the Imitation Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges soul tool that Tang Ya had given him, intending to eat a simple meal before continuing his cultivation.

Who would have thought that just as he took a few bites, Dai Huabin would storm in and kick the water and hardtack out of his hands.

"What are you doing? I already helped you make your bed." Huo Yuhao was both shocked and furious.

"I never would have guessed you had a talent for being a servant."

Dai Huabin glanced at his own bed, seeing that Huo Yuhao had tidied it meticulously, just like a house slave from the White Tiger Duke Mansion, and felt slightly surprised.

Then, his tone shifted, and he said coldly, "But you shouldn't have—you absolutely shouldn't have—brought the food of you commoners into this young master's dormitory. It makes this young master very angry, and I feel like hitting someone."

As he spoke, Dai Huabin lashed out with a kick.

Huo Yuhao had not expected Dai Huabin to resort to violence so suddenly. Unable to activate his Spirit Eye Martial Soul for Spirit Detection in time, he was kicked squarely in the abdomen and sent flying backward, crashing onto his own cot.

Dai Huabin had not used any soul power for this kick; he had relied solely on his own physical strength.

Even so, it was enough to make Huo Yuhao vomit up the food he had just eaten.

Because he had lost to Feng Piaoling earlier and lost all face in front of a crowd, Dai Huabin had been bottling up a rage inside.

Still not having vented his anger, he lunged forward, jumped onto Huo Yuhao, and began raining frantic punches down on his head.

Huo Yuhao could only cower and protect his head.

"Yuhao, endure it, endure it! Dai Huabin isn't using soul power to beat you right now. If you dare to fight back, it won't just be a simple beating that solves this. You must remember: if you cannot tolerate small things, you will ruin great plans," Sky Dream Ice Silkworm urged earnestly.

"I'll endure it, I'll endure it. In just one year, I won't have to fear Dai Huabin anymore." Huo Yuhao protected his head with all his might.

And so, he truly endured it.

As he suffered the brutal beating, he thought of his mother once again.

Mother, Mother... Huo Yuhao screamed frantically in his heart.

The obsession in his heart surged suddenly, and in that moment, all his pain was eclipsed by that longing and grief.

Mother, one day, I will fulfill your wish.

I will make Dai Hao kneel before your grave and beg for your forgiveness.

I will make everyone who bullied you in the past pay the price.

Mother, for your sake, I must be strong. I must be strong. No matter what, I must hold on.

I am not a coward. I am Huo Yuhao, I am my mother's son.

For my mother's sake, I must live on, strong and brave.

I will not become a person like Dai Hao; I will surpass him.

And Dai Huabin, you just wait. I will repay today's humiliation a hundredfold in the future.

The obsession in his heart transformed into an indescribable power that erupted within his spirit. Huo Yuhao stubbornly held on, even as he was beaten black and blue, even as his nose and mouth bled.

He did not let out a single sound.

After a long while, perhaps because Dai Huabin was tired from the beating or his anger had finally dissipated, he stepped off of him.

By this time, Huo Yuhao had been beaten into a complete pulp, his face swollen like a pig's head.

Dai Huabin let out a long breath. "Remember this: if I ever catch you bringing that peasant food into the dormitory again, I'll beat you just the same."

Having said that, he sat cross-legged on his bed, feeling satisfied and purged of his malice, and began to cultivate.

At this moment, one of Huo Yuhao's eyes was swollen shut, puffed up as if an egg had been stuffed inside, while the other was bloodshot.

He forced himself to sit up cross-legged and began to circulate the Mysterious Heaven Skill, mending his injuries while simultaneously cultivating his soul power.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was stunned. To be able to endure such a brutal beating and then immediately force oneself to cultivate through the pain—what kind of deep mental obsession was required to achieve this?

In that moment, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm couldn't help but feel a sliver of admiration for Huo Yuhao.

Having previously regretted not sacrificing himself to Feng Piaoling, he once again felt that he had chosen the right person.

Meanwhile, Feng Piaoling, who had already returned to his dormitory, naturally did not know that Dai Huabin had beaten Huo Yuhao again after returning.

Upon arriving at his room, he simply ate some of the dry rations and water he carried with him, then swallowed the Soul Ascension Pill and entered a state of cultivation.

As the medicinal effects took hold, Feng Piaoling was pleasantly surprised to discover that his soul power had increased by a significant margin. Originally, it would have taken him nearly two months to reach level thirty-five.

Now, it would take him at most half a month.

Beyond that, his already formidable cultivation speed had increased by about thirty percent.

In other words, thirteen days of cultivation in the past was now equivalent to ten days, saving him over eighty days throughout the year.

"This Soul Ascension Pill is truly a good thing. Not only can it increase soul power, but like the Mysterious Water Pill, it can stimulate potential and provide extra nutrients. It's a pity one can only take a single pill; taking another would impair one's future cultivation potential."

Calming his mind, Feng Piaoling began to cultivate.

The night soon faded away.

The next day, inside the Shrek Academy cafeteria.

Feng Piaoling and Jiang Nannan stood by a window, eating their breakfast.