Bronze Skin, Golden Muscle Formed, First Meeting with Xiao Xiao

It is unknown how much time had passed when the first sliver of dawn light appeared on the horizon, the morning mist cool and damp.

Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes, a flash of clear, profound light flickering through his pupils before receding into nothingness.

A long, turbid breath was exhaled from his lungs, transforming into a faint white mist that dissipated into the air; after a night of meditation, both his spirit and Soul Power had reached a state of fullness.

There were exactly five days left until the start of the new semester at Shrek Academy.

During these five days, Huo Yuhao had scheduled his time with absolute precision; aside from simple meals, every single second was dedicated to cultivation.

Every morning, after washing up and eating, he would sit in quiet concentration to practice the Great Evolution God-Viewing Technique.

Using his own body as a furnace, his intent as fire, and his soul as the medium, he visualized himself as the heavens and earth, as a deity, bit by bit condensing his will and honing his mental strength, making his already extraordinary spiritual foundation even more stable and profound.

At high noon, the medicinal bath began right on schedule.

As the crimson Body Tempering Powder liquid entered the tub, the scalding medicinal power surged into his flesh; he sat as steady as a rock, enduring what others could not, absorbing every drop of the medicine into his body.

Once the bath ended, he immediately continued by practicing the Myriad Tribulation Indestructible Body, using the technique to lock the medicinal power in place and thoroughly refine it into physical strength.

When night fell, he would replace sleep with the Dao Heaven Art, circulating his Soul Power throughout the entire night without pause.

Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

This morning, Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged on his bed, a palm-sized circular Soul Tool floating quietly beneath him.

This was a piece he had crafted himself, carved from a piece of Spirit Gathering Crystal from his storage Soul Tool into a second-rank Spirit Gathering Soul Tool core array, supplemented by other metals.

Although it was a second-rank core array, Huo Yuhao's Soul Power level was not high, so the quality could only be considered one-and-a-half rank.

Even so, the effect of this Soul Tool was still highly practical, capable of actively gathering the free-roaming Soul Power between heaven and earth to form a small, dense vortex of energy to assist in cultivation.

With the help of this Spirit Gathering Disk, combined with the consecutive days of medicinal baths, Huo Yuhao's meridians had been quietly widened by the medicinal power.

A Soul Master's cultivation speed was inherently tied to the width, resilience, and clarity of their meridians.

The wider and clearer the meridians, the more Soul Power from heaven and earth could be contained and drawn in, and the faster it could be done; conversely, even in a place where Soul Power surged like a spring, narrow and blocked meridians would result in slow absorption.

At this moment, with his meridians widened by nearly half and the Dao Heaven Art in operation, his Soul Power flowed into his body like a stream merging into the sea, surging in frantically.

The results of just five days of bitter cultivation were already astonishing.

Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes, a faint, imperceptible arc tugging at the corners of his mouth.

The Soul Power within his body was clear and steady, far more vigorous and refined than it had been five days ago—

His Soul Power level had officially broken through to the fourteenth rank.

As for his physical body, the progress was even more terrifying.

In his past life, he had already cultivated the Myriad Tribulation Indestructible Body to the eighth level; his understanding of every layer, every realm, and every diagram was etched into his bones, like an instinct carved into his soul.

Practicing it again from the beginning in this life, bolstered by the high efficiency of the Body Tempering Powder, was like sailing with the current, advancing a thousand miles in a single day.

In just five days, he had completely perfected the Flesh Realm.

The skin on his body faintly shimmered with a very pale, dark bronze luster, tough as old oxhide and impervious to blades—this was the Bronze Skin.

Beneath his muscles lay hidden pale-gold patterns; usually soft as normal, they would instantly harden beyond fine steel the moment he exerted force, his explosive power and leaping ability far exceeding that of Soul Masters of the same rank—this was the Golden Muscle.

Bronze Skin and Golden Muscle, both realms achieved simultaneously.

At this moment, Huo Yuhao still appeared to be that same thin, lean youth, but the foundation of his physical body had long since been reborn, far beyond what it once was.

He slowly clenched his fist, feeling the ceaseless, surging power within his body and the deep, steady Soul Power, a faint light shining in his eyes.

Five days of bitter cultivation, brought to a perfect conclusion.

And today was the day the new semester at Shrek Academy officially began.

Huo Yuhao brushed his sleeves lightly,收敛 all traces of his aura, rose to tidy himself up, then pushed open the door and headed toward Shrek Academy.

The small courtyard he rented was located near the academy, so the journey was short; with a calm gait, he arrived in just a moment, and the building symbolizing the highest temple of Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent came into view.

Looking from afar, the white-as-jade teaching building stood tall and imposing, its gates wide open, and figures dressed in white school uniforms were filing in, full of youthful vigor.

On the left chest of every new student was embroidered a small, exquisite green monster badge; it was the unique symbol of Shrek Academy and the glory that countless Soul Masters dreamed of.

Within Shrek, students of different grades wore school uniforms of different colors, just as they belonged to teaching buildings of different colors—the hierarchy was clear and easy to distinguish at a glance.

Huo Yuhao walked at a steady pace, following the flow of people until he reached the front of the white teaching building. His gaze swept over the area, and he quickly spotted a wooden sign hanging outside the first classroom on the left of the first floor that read "Class One."

He paused for a moment, then lifted his foot and walked in calmly.

The classroom was already filled with many students, chatting in low voices in small groups, the noise tinged with the nervousness of an impending class.

Huo Yuhao scanned the room casually, his gaze landing on an empty seat in the corner, and he walked straight over to sit down quietly.

Sitting in the seat next to him was a young girl.

She was petite and delicate, her appearance not exactly stunning, but she was pretty and refined, with clean features that became more pleasing the longer one looked at her.

Xiao Xiao noticed someone sitting beside her and subconsciously turned her head. The moment her eyes met Huo Yuhao's, her cheeks flushed a faint, uncontrollable red, as if brushed by the morning sun.

She subconsciously gripped the corner of her shirt, suppressing the inexplicable shyness and flutter in her heart, took a light breath, and took the initiative to offer a shy smile, speaking in a small voice:

"H-hello... my name is Xiao Xiao."

After speaking, she added another sentence, feeling somewhat nervous, her eyes shining brightly as she looked at him: "May I ask what your name is?"

Huo Yuhao was slightly taken aback by her words.

Xiao Xiao.

In an instant, information from Wang Teng's original memories surged in his mind—Xiao Xiao, the future Xiao Ding Douluo, a Rank 96 Super Douluo, possessing the Twin Martial Souls of the Three Lives Soul-Suppressing Cauldron and the Nine Phoenixes Flute.

According to the original timeline, she should have developed feelings for the cross-dressing Wang Dong at this moment.

But in the next second, Huo Yuhao understood.

He chuckled inwardly, instantly grasping the reason.

The Xiao Xiao in the original work was inherently pure-hearted and had a fondness for people with clean, outstanding appearances; she could be considered somewhat of a looker.

The reason she was first attracted to Wang Dong was precisely Wang Dong's excessively handsome appearance.

But he himself was now different from before.

Nourished by continuous Body Tempering Powder baths and the tempering of his physique by the Myriad Tribulation Indestructible Body, his originally thin and frail body had long since become well-proportioned and upright. Coupled with the day-and-night cultivation of the Dao Heaven Art, his temperament had become even more gentle and clear, his skin fair and clean.

Now, wearing a brand-new Shrek white school uniform, his posture was upright, his features handsome, his temperament gentle yet with hidden sharpness.

In terms of appearance and bearing, he not only didn't lose to Wang Dong but even surpassed him.

It was entirely normal for Xiao Xiao to feel such closeness and affection towards him.

The thought flashed by, and Huo Yuhao showed no hint of it on his face. He merely curved the corners of his lips, revealing a gentle and clean smile, his voice clear and peaceful:

"My name is Huo Yuhao, it's a pleasure to meet you, Xiao Xiao."