Before long, the first pale streaks of dawn appeared on the horizon, and the morning mist turned cool.
Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes. A flash of clear, bright light passed through them, then swiftly withdrew without a trace.
He let out a long breath of turbid air, which became a faint white cloud and dissolved into the air. After meditating all night, his mind and Soul Power had both reached their peak.
There were still five full days until the new students started at Shrek Academy.
Huo Yuhao had scheduled every minute of those five days with meticulous care. Apart from taking time to eat, he devoted every remaining second to cultivation.
Each morning, after washing up and eating, he sat quietly and focused his mind, cultivating the Great Evolution God-Viewing Technique.
Taking his body as the furnace, his thoughts as the fire, and his spirit as the medium, he visualized himself as the heavens and earth, as a deity. He gathered his thoughts bit by bit and tempered his spiritual power, making his already exceptional spiritual foundation ever more stable and profound.
At noon, his medicinal bath began right on schedule.
He poured the scarlet Body Tempering Powder into the tub. The scalding medicinal force washed over his body as he sat as firmly as a boulder, enduring what ordinary people could not and drawing all the medicine's power into himself.
As soon as the bath ended, he immediately continued cultivating the Myriad Tribulation Indestructible Body, using the technique to lock in the medicinal power and refine it completely into physical strength.
When night fell, he used the Dao Heaven Art in place of sleep, circulating his Soul Power through the night without pause.
Five days passed in the blink of an eye.
That morning, Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged on his bed, a palm-sized round Soul Tool floating quietly beneath him.
It was something he had crafted himself. He had carved a Spirit Gathering Crystal from his storage Soul Tool ring into a second-grade Spirit Gathering Soul Tool Core Array, then added other metals to complete it.
Although it was a second-grade Spirit Gathering Soul Tool Core Array, Huo Yuhao's Soul Power Level was not high, so its quality could only be considered halfway between first and second grade.
Even so, the Soul Tool was extremely useful. It could actively draw in the free-floating Soul Power in the surrounding world, forming a small vortex of concentrated Soul Power to aid cultivation.
With the Spirit Gathering Disk's help, along with the medicinal baths he had taken over the past few days, the medicinal power had quietly widened Huo Yuhao's meridians.
A Soul Master's cultivation speed was closely tied to the width, resilience, and unobstructed flow of their meridians.
The wider and clearer the meridians, the more Soul Power from the world they could contain and draw in, and the faster they could do so. Conversely, even in a place where Soul Power surged like a spring, narrow, blocked meridians would still make absorption slow.
Now, his meridians had widened by nearly half. As the Dao Heaven Art circulated, Soul Power poured into his body like streams flowing into the sea.
Five short days of arduous cultivation had already yielded astonishing results.
Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes, the corner of his mouth lifting almost imperceptibly.
The Soul Power within him was clear and steady, far more abundant and concentrated than it had been five days ago—
His Soul Power Level had officially broken through to level fourteen.
His physical progress was even more terrifying.
In his previous life, he had already cultivated the Myriad Tribulation Indestructible Body to its eighth layer. His understanding of every layer, every stage, and every illustrated diagram had sunk into his bones, like an instinct carved into his soul.
Starting over in this life, with an efficient medicinal solution like Body Tempering Powder to aid him, was like rowing downstream, making a thousand-mile journey in a single day.
In just five days, he had completely perfected the Flesh Realm.
His skin glimmered with an exceedingly faint, dark copper sheen. It was as tough as old oxhide, leaving no mark when struck by a blade—this was Copper Skin.
Beneath his muscles lay faint golden patterns. Normally, they were as soft as ever, but the instant he exerted himself, they hardened beyond refined steel. His explosive power and leaping ability were several times greater than those of Soul Masters at the same level—this was Golden Muscle.
Copper Skin and Golden Muscle: he had achieved both realms at once.
Huo Yuhao still looked like the same slender young man, but the foundation of his body had long since been reborn, utterly transformed from what it had once been.
He slowly clenched his fist, feeling the ceaseless surge of strength within him and his Soul Power, steady as an abyss. A glimmer lit his eyes.
Five days of arduous cultivation, brought to a perfect close.
And today was also the day new students officially began classes at Shrek Academy.
Huo Yuhao lightly brushed his sleeve, drawing in every trace of his aura. Once he had tidied himself up, he rose and headed out, making his way toward Shrek Academy.
The small courtyard he had rented was near the academy, so the journey was short. With unhurried steps, he soon saw the building that symbolized the highest seat of Soul Master education on the Douluo Continent.
From a distance, the white jade-like classroom buildings stood tall, their gates thrown open. One after another, figures in white uniforms streamed inside, full of youthful energy.
On the left breast of every new student's uniform was a tiny green monster badge, the unique emblem of Shrek Academy and an honor that countless Soul Masters dreamed of attaining.
At Shrek, students in different grades wore uniforms of different colors, just as they studied in classroom buildings of different colors. The distinctions were clear and unmistakable.
Huo Yuhao followed the crowd at an unhurried pace. When he reached the white classroom building, he glanced around and quickly spotted a wooden plaque marked "Class One" outside the first classroom on the left of the ground floor.
He paused for a moment, then stepped inside calmly.
Quite a few students had already arrived. They chatted quietly in groups of two and three, their chatter tinged with the nervousness of an impending first lesson.
Huo Yuhao casually surveyed the room. His gaze fell on an empty seat in the corner, and he walked straight over and sat down quietly.
A young girl sat beside him.
She was petite. Though she was not breathtakingly beautiful, she had a clean, delicate look about her, with neat features that grew more pleasing the longer one looked.
Xiao Xiao noticed someone sit down beside her and instinctively turned her head. The moment her gaze met Huo Yuhao's, her cheeks flushed faintly against her will, as if brushed by the morning sun.
She unconsciously clenched the hem of her uniform, forcing down the inexplicable shyness and flutter in her heart. After taking a quiet breath, she gave him a bashful smile and spoke softly:
"H-hello... I'm Xiao Xiao."
After that, a little nervously, she added, her eyes shining as she looked at him, "May I ask your name?"
Huo Yuhao was slightly taken aback.
Xiao Xiao.
In an instant, information from Wang Teng's memories of the original story surged through his mind—Xiao Xiao, the future Xiao Ding Douluo, a level ninety-six Super Douluo who possessed the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron and the Nine Phoenixes Flute as Twin Martial Souls.
According to the original story, she should have been developing a fondness for Wang Dong, who was disguised as a boy, at this point.
But in the next instant, Huo Yuhao understood.
He smiled to himself, immediately grasping the reason.
The Xiao Xiao in the original story had been innocent by nature and was quite fond of people with clean, striking looks. She could be considered something of a beauty enthusiast.
The reason she had first been drawn to Wang Dong was precisely her exceptionally handsome appearance.
But he was no longer the same as before.
Nourished by daily Body Tempering Powder baths and strengthened by the Myriad Tribulation Indestructible Body, his originally thin, frail frame had long since grown well-proportioned and upright. The Dao Heaven Art's day-and-night cultivation had also made his bearing gentler and clearer, while his skin was fair and clean.
Now, in his brand-new white Shrek Academy uniform, he stood tall, with clear, handsome features and a mild air that concealed a sharp edge.
In terms of looks and bearing, he was no worse than Wang Dong—in fact, he was even a little better.
It was only natural that Xiao Xiao would feel such an immediate fondness for him.
The thought passed in a flash. Huo Yuhao showed nothing on his face; he merely curved his lips into a warm, genuine smile. His voice was gentle and calm.
"My name is Huo Yuhao. It's nice to meet you, Xiao Xiao."
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