Training

"Nothing."

Shen Zhou shook his head. "White Emperor and Tian Meng are fighting over territory in the Consciousness Sea."

Qian Daoliu paused for a moment, then laughed as well.

"Neither of those two is easy to deal with."

The two continued onward, and the outline of White Tiger City gradually appeared on the horizon.

In the night, the glow of Martial Soul Academy was like a star fallen into the mortal world, warm and bright.

By the time they returned to the academy, it was already late into the night.

Golden Crocodile Douluo was dozing at the main gate. Hearing footsteps, he opened his eyes, saw Shen Zhou and Qian Daoliu returning, and rose to his feet.

"Big Brother, Eighth Brother, you're back? How did it go?"

"It's settled," Qian Daoliu said calmly.

Golden Crocodile Douluo did not ask further.

He knew that when his big brother said it was settled, it was truly settled.

There was no need to ask for details or the process. The result was simple—Xuan Zi was dead, and Shrek's people were either dead or had fled, while Martial Soul Academy remained unharmed.

"Go get some rest."

Qian Daoliu patted Golden Crocodile's shoulder and headed deeper into the academy.

Shen Zhou followed behind him, then stopped at the lakeside and looked toward the Spirit Pagoda at the center of the lake.

Moonlight spilled across the water, and the Spirit Pagoda's blue glow reflected upon its surface, shimmering beautifully like a painting.

"Master?"

Huo Yuhao's voice came from behind him.

Shen Zhou turned around and saw Huo Yuhao walking over in an outer robe, rubbing his eyes.

He had clearly heard the commotion, woken from his sleep, and run out to take a look.

"Why are you awake?"

Shen Zhou asked.

"I heard Master had returned, so I came to see."

Huo Yuhao walked to Shen Zhou's side and looked up at him. "Master, did something happen tonight?"

Shen Zhou fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Yes, something minor happened. It's been dealt with, so don't worry."

Huo Yuhao bit his lip. He seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he merely nodded.

"Master, please rest early."

"You should go sleep too. You still need to cultivate tomorrow."

"Mm."

Huo Yuhao turned and took a few steps, then stopped and looked back at Shen Zhou.

"Master, you smell of blood."

Shen Zhou froze for a moment, then smiled.

"Go to sleep."

Huo Yuhao nodded and jogged back to the dormitory.

Shen Zhou stood by the lake and lowered his head to look at his robes.

There were not many bloodstains, only a few specks. They had splashed onto him from Xuan Zi's blood.

He raised two fingers, and a stream of Soul Power swept over his robes. The bloodstains vanished, and his clothes returned to pristine condition.

"Eighth Brother."

Qian Daoliu's voice came from behind him.

Shen Zhou turned and saw Qian Daoliu standing beneath a willow tree by the lake. Moonlight fell over his long golden hair, making him look like a statue.

"Big Brother, you're not sleeping either?"

"I can't sleep."

Qian Daoliu walked over and stood with his hands behind his back. "Eighth Brother, do you think what happened tonight was worth it?"

Shen Zhou remained silent for a while.

"Big Brother, this isn't a matter of whether it was worth it. Xuan Zi deserved to die, and Ma Xiaotao had fallen into evil; she couldn't be spared either. What we did was right."

Qian Daoliu nodded and said nothing more.

The two stood by the lake, staring at the Spirit Pagoda beneath the moonlight for a long time without speaking.

Deep within the Consciousness Sea, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm poked his head out from the Golden Star, glanced at the soundly sleeping Er Ha, snorted, and shrank back inside.

Er Ha rolled over and mumbled indistinctly.

"Fierce..."

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window lattice into Martial Soul Academy's Cultivation Room.

The Cultivation Room was located on the academy's eastern side, next to the Martial Arts Arena. Spirit Gathering Array Patterns covered all four walls, and the Heaven and Earth Origin Power in the air was so dense it seemed almost tangible.

This was one of the facilities that came with the Academy Construction Card, designed specifically for Soul Masters to cultivate. Its effects far surpassed those of Cultivation Rooms in ordinary academies.

Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, his eyes closed as the Soul Power within him slowly circulated.

After a month of body-tempering cultivation and the baptism of the Spirit Pagoda, his body had grown much stronger than when he first arrived. Though he still could not be called burly, he no longer looked malnourished.

Shen Zhou had not slept all night, yet he showed no trace of fatigue.

He stood in the center of the Cultivation Room with his hands behind his back. His right Heavenly Eye was slightly open, golden vertical patterns slowly flowing within his pupil.

He was observing the circulation of Soul Power within Huo Yuhao's body. The path of Soul Power within the Spirit Eye Martial Soul differed from ordinary Martial Souls. Most of it was concentrated in the brain and required special methods to guide it effectively.

"Yu Hao," Shen Zhou said.

Huo Yuhao opened his eyes and looked at his master.

"Master, what is it?"

"Your Soul Power is circulating too slowly." Shen Zhou walked in front of him, crouched down, and met his eyes. "The core of the Spirit Eye Martial Soul is mental power, not Soul Power. You've focused too much attention on accumulating Soul Power and neglected the training of your mental power."

Huo Yuhao was stunned.

"Master, how do I train mental power...?"

Shen Zhou did not answer directly. Instead, he raised his right hand, pressed his index and middle fingers together, and touched Huo Yuhao's forehead.

A cool energy flowed from Shen Zhou's fingertips and seeped into Huo Yuhao's mind.

Huo Yuhao felt his mind become incomparably clear, as though something had been opened. The entire world became clearer than ever before in his eyes.

He could feel the wind outside the Cultivation Room, the ripples on the lake, and even the blue light radiating from the distant Spirit Pagoda.

"This is..." Huo Yuhao's eyes widened.

"Mental Probe." Shen Zhou withdrew his hand. "The soul skill granted by the first Soul Ring of your Spirit Eye is Mental Shock, but Mental Probe is the true core of the Spirit Eye. Only after detecting an enemy's position, movements, and even thoughts can you make the most effective response."

Huo Yuhao closed his eyes and carefully sensed the path through which that energy had flowed.

A moment later, he opened his eyes. A faint glimmer of golden light flashed through them, subtle but unmistakably present.

"Master, I think... I felt it."

"What did you feel?"

"There's wind outside the Cultivation Room, blowing from the east. There are ripples on the lake; fish are swimming beneath the surface. There's blue light over by the Spirit Pagoda, flashing on and off..."

The corners of Shen Zhou's mouth rose slightly.

To reach this level after a single guiding attempt, Huo Yuhao's talent truly was extraordinary.

In the original story, his first Spirit Eye soul skill had been Mental Probe, but he had only achieved it with Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's help.

Yet now, without Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's help, Huo Yuhao had touched the threshold of Mental Probe through his own talent.

"Not bad." Shen Zhou stood up. "From now on, the first thing you do every morning is use Mental Probe to sense your surroundings. Start with the Cultivation Room, then the entire academy, and then White Tiger City. Once you can cover all of White Tiger City with your mental power, your Spirit Eye will have truly entered the beginner stage."

Huo Yuhao nodded heavily, his eyes filled with excitement.

"Master, what comes after the beginner stage?"

"After the beginner stage?" Shen Zhou smiled. "After the beginner stage, the real cultivation begins."

Just then, the door to the Cultivation Room was pushed open.

Qian Daoliu walked in. His long golden hair gleamed beneath the sunlight, and his white robes made him appear like a heavenly god descending to the mortal realm.

Yu Mengdi followed behind him. The golden-haired woman had changed into a neat, fitted combat outfit. Her back was straight, her steps steady, and four purple Soul Rings slowly revolved around her. Behind her, the vague phantom of a pair of white angel wings could be seen.