Body Tempering Powder

All of this was taken in by Huo Yuhao, who stood beneath a tree not far away.

From the moment Lin Yan confronted Wang Dong to the start of their skirmish, Wang Dong's clean and decisive admission of defeat, and her public announcement that she would not be staying in the dorms, Huo Yuhao had observed every nuance of Lin Yan's colorful facial expressions.

In particular, the moment Wang Dong declared she "did not intend to stay in the dorms," Lin Yan's instantaneous shock, rigidity, and disbelief, followed by the rapid surge of annoyance and frustration in his eyes, did not escape Huo Yuhao's eyes, which were as calm as an abyss.

"...Idiot."

Huo Yuhao evaluated him faintly in his heart.

Trying to "intercept the dorm" to "intercept the person"?

Setting aside the fact that Wang Dong's true identity was the daughter of Tang San, and that her proud and sensitive personality was not something that could be easily approached through such shallow means.

Even just the predatory gaze and the smug, superior posture that Lin Yan could not hide were as glaring as a bonfire in the dark of night to anyone truly intelligent and sharp.

Although Wang Dong did not know exactly what Lin Yan was plotting, she instinctively sensed danger and discomfort.

He withdrew his gaze, no longer looking at the secretly frustrated Lin Yan.

The battle had been observed, and the information gathered.

He already had a preliminary judgment on Lin Yan's martial soul characteristics, soul skill effects, combat style, and even his character flaws.

There was no point in staying here and wasting time.

Huo Yuhao turned and left the clearing without a sound. His footsteps were light, and his figure quickly vanished into the shadows of the buildings and trees.

Shrek City, this super-metropolis with a population of two million, had wide streets, rows of shops, and a constant flow of people.

As the most important commercial hub at the intersection of the three great empires of the original Douluo Continent, its prosperity was no less than any town Huo Yuhao had stayed in before.

He was not in a hurry to find a place to stay; instead, he wandered through the city at a leisurely pace for nearly an hour.

On the surface, he was strolling aimlessly, but in reality, he was scouting.

Which road led to Shrek Academy the fastest? Which areas had less foot traffic and were easier for hiding one's tracks?

What were the patrol patterns of the city guards? Where were the more upscale residential areas located?

After one circuit, a rough map of the city had already been outlined in his mind.

In the end, he found a small rented courtyard in a quiet alley about a fifteen-minute walk from the east gate of Shrek Academy.

The courtyard was not large, featuring a three-bedroom, one-living-room layout, an independent kitchen and washroom, and even a small rooftop terrace where one could stretch their limbs.

The furniture was simple but complete and tidy, and the windows were bright, clearly indicating that someone cleaned it regularly.

Most importantly—it was quiet enough and sufficiently hidden.

The landlady was a kind old woman. Upon hearing that he was a freshman at Shrek Academy, her attitude became even warmer, and she took the initiative to lower the rent from the original eight Gold Soul Coins per month to five.

Huo Yuhao did not haggle; he paid eight months' rent on the spot and received the key to the courtyard gate.

Five Gold Soul Coins a month—for a place like Shrek City where every inch of land was worth gold, especially in an area near Shrek Academy, this price was so cheap it was practically a gift.

Huo Yuhao knew clearly that while the landlady's kindness was a factor, it also reflected that this area was not a mainstream wealthy district of Shrek City, and the living conditions were relatively ordinary.

However, this suited his intentions perfectly.

He did not need luxury; he only needed safety, quiet, and to be left undisturbed.

After settling his simple luggage, Huo Yuhao did not linger in the room for long.

He changed into a relatively neat set of outdoor clothes, confirmed the number of Gold Soul Coins in his storage ring, and headed out again.

The goal of this trip was medicinal herbs.

To rapidly improve his strength, relying solely on routine cultivation was far from enough.

In his past life, after unifying the continent, he had spent a great deal of time traveling the world and exploring secret realms in search of a chance to break through to the god-level.

In one extremely hidden, ancient secret realm, he had chanced upon a precious alchemy classic: Alchemy Reflections.

This classic was not a complete collection of pill formulas, but rather more like the personal notes and insights of an ancient alchemy master.

The formulas recorded within were few, but every one of them was a long-lost treasure.

What Huo Yuhao needed at this moment was a formula called "Body Tempering Powder."

This formula used Body Tempering Flower and Bone Refining Grass as the main ingredients, supplemented by over a dozen auxiliary herbs with fierce medicinal properties that stimulated one another, boiled into a medicinal liquid through a special process.

Its effect was simple and brutal: using nearly tyrannical medicinal power to forcibly temper the user's muscles, bones, and internal organs, significantly increasing their physical fitness and soul power capacity in a very short time.

In his past life, Huo Yuhao had seen this formula in Alchemy Reflections.

At that time, he had scoffed at the formula for being too radical; such a tyrannical method of body tempering was nothing short of torture for the user, and a slight carelessness could even damage one's foundation.

It was not until he studied it deeply later that he understood the true essence of Body Tempering Powder: the more violent the medicinal power, the more thorough the tempering; the deeper the pain, the more complete the transformation.

It was not a health-preserving formula for those living in luxury, but one tailored for those with no way out who had to be reborn in the shortest possible time.

And the current Huo Yuhao was exactly such a person.

He needed to temper this malnourished, long-weakened boy's body into one capable of carrying stronger soul power and enduring more intense combat in the shortest possible time.

The tyranny and pain of the Body Tempering Powder were not obstacles to him, but the catalysts he needed most.

However, the Body Tempering Powder also had extremely stringent requirements for its medicinal herbs.

Especially for the main ingredient, the Body Tempering Flower, one must select a specimen at least three years old and harvested no more than two months ago for the medicinal efficacy to be sufficient.

He had to find a long-standing pharmacy with a reliable reputation and guaranteed quality of medicinal herbs.

During his previous "scouting" process, Huo Yuhao had already quietly inquired with several passersby about the state of pharmacies within Shrek City.

He asked casually, as if he were a newcomer expressing ordinary curiosity about local shops, but every bit of small talk and every evaluation was silently noted down.

After synthesizing and comparing information on four or five pharmacies, he finally locked onto a long-standing establishment located in a bustling area of the eastern city, said to have been operating for forty-three years across three generations—

Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion.

Huo Yuhao stood before the entrance of Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion and looked up to appraise it.

The storefront was not large, but it was kept elegant and tidy. An ancient plaque hung above the lintel, the three characters for "Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion" written with vigorous brushwork that faintly carried the style of a master.

Two well-pruned orchids were placed at the entrance, and a crisp, rich medicinal fragrance drifted through the air; it was not the mixed, pungent scent of ordinary pharmacies, but rather possessed a steady, calming quality.

He pushed the door open and entered.

The interior was brightly lit, with rows of transparent glass counters arranged neatly. Under the warm yellow glow of the Soul Tool lamps, the medicinal herbs displayed inside were clearly visible.

Century-old ginseng, premium-quality lingzhi, translucent spirit shells, deep-hued dragon's blood resin... every herb was housed in an exquisite box or jade case, with labels detailing the name, age, origin, and price.

It was truly worthy of being the most reputable long-standing shop.

The care and grandeur in this display alone far exceeded that of ordinary pharmacies.

However, the moment the shop assistant behind the counter looked up and saw Huo Yuhao, the enthusiastic smile he had prepared to greet a customer with visibly cooled.

His gaze swept over Huo Yuhao with extreme speed—coarse fabric clothing that was clean but washed to a faded state, cloth shoes that, while not broken, showed signs of wear at the edges, and not a single decent accessory on his entire person, lacking even the most basic jade pendant or Soul Tool trinket.

A pauper.

The shop assistant quickly made his judgment.

He had worked at Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion for over a year; what kind of customers had he not seen?

Those truly wealthy patrons, were they not all dressed in brocade and silk, surrounded by attendants?

Even if they deliberately kept a low profile, the confidence in their gestures could not be concealed.

The youth before him was clearly the child of an ordinary family, someone from a poor background who had likely saved up for ages just to afford a few cheap herbs.

What could a customer like this possibly buy?

A few stalks of common herbs only a year or two old? A few taels of common dried tangerine peel or atractylodes?

The transaction amount would be a few Silver Soul Coins at most, and his tiny commission of a few thousandths wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps in his teeth.

Why bother being enthusiastic? It was a waste of expression.