Abundance Begins to Emerge

"Brother Yao, are you really leaving?"

At the entrance of Bluestone Town Junior Soul Master Academy, Tian Dali stood with tears in his eyes, hugging Yao Shi's leg as he spoke dramatically. He even secretly wiped a handful of snot onto Yao Shi's pants.

"I have to go register at Shrek Academy... Damn it, Fatty, you wiped your snot on my pants!"

Yao Shi put on an inscrutable air as he spoke to the two of them, but when he glanced down and saw the fat boy wiping his snot on his trouser leg, he immediately began shoving the clingy Tian Dali away in disgust. It took all his strength to push him off.

"Hehe, it's just that I can't bear to see you go." Tian Dali rose to his feet and immediately tidied up his appearance.

"Come on, it's not like I'll never come back."

Five years had passed, and Yao Shi was now twelve years old. After five years of cultivation, his Soul Power Level had reached level 24, making him the strongest student in the entire academy. He had even surpassed some of the teachers.

No one now looked down on his branch Martial Soul. His powerful healing abilities far exceeded those of healing Soul Masters with higher cultivation than his. His reputation as the Medicine King had spread throughout Bluestone Town, and even the neighboring towns had heard of him.

Now that both his cultivation and age met the requirements, he was preparing to register at Shrek Academy. He wanted to see for himself this so-called number one academy on the continent.

"I won't say any more mushy things. Brother Yao, take care. We'll miss you."

Tian Dali and Niu San patted Yao Shi on the shoulder and spoke solemnly.

"Take care, brothers. I'll come back to see you when I have time."

Yao Shi smiled at them, then left the academy.

They were all fifth-years now. Since Yao Shi's cultivation had already reached level 20, he had applied for early graduation. Tian Dali and Niu San, however, had low innate levels, and after five years, their Soul Power had only barely reached level 11, so they still needed another year at the academy. Of the dozens who had enrolled alongside Yao Shi, those who had yet to reach level 10 had all given up on attending school and chosen to withdraw.

Before heading to Shrek Academy, Yao Shi had one more thing to do.

He arrived at a shop in town and called inside.

"Grandpa, I'm back."

A middle-aged man sat in front of the shop, wearing glasses as he read a newspaper. Hearing the voice, he looked up and smiled. "Little Pebble is back."

The middle-aged man was Yao. He now ran a shop in Bluestone Town, which Yao Shi had bought with the money he had earned from treating nobles over the past few years.

Yao had suffered enough in his previous life. Now that Yao Shi had the means, he felt it was time to let him enjoy life properly. So, he bought him a house here and opened a shop for him. In his spare time, Yao Shi taught him how to read. Now, Yao lived a leisurely life. When customers came, he received them; when there were none, he sat down and read the newspaper.

"Grandpa, I'll be setting out tomorrow to register at Shrek Academy."

Yao Shi entered the shop, pulled over another chair, and sat down.

Yao folded up the newspaper and placed it aside, looking deeply at Yao Shi. He was content with his current life, a life so perfect that he had never dared dream of it in his previous life. Looking at the youth before him, now nearly taller than himself, he could hardly imagine that he had once been a scrawny little child just a few years ago.

Over the past few years, through books and newspapers, he had ceased to be an illiterate old farmer and had come to understand some things about the world of Soul Masters. He knew how gifted Yao Shi was, and he also realized how small Bluestone Town was. Yao Shi's talent deserved a broader sky. This place was too small; the world of Soul Masters was where he belonged.

So Yao told him kindly, "Little Pebble, no matter what you do, Grandpa will support you. Shrek Academy is good—the number one academy on the continent. With your talent, Little Pebble, that's where you should go."

"Remember, Little Pebble, this will always be your home. If anyone mistreats you out there, come back to Grandpa."

"Yes... Grandpa."

They had spent twelve years together day and night. If Yao had not taken him home and raised him, Yao Shi would likely have starved to death after being reborn into this world. Perhaps what he had done over the past few years was enough to repay Yao's kindness, but if Yao had not taken him in, he would not still be alive, nor would he have been able to accomplish any of this. Yao had given him his life, so this debt of gratitude would be worth repaying for a lifetime.

That night, Yao prepared a lavish dinner to see Yao Shi off on his journey the next day.

The next morning, Yao Shi packed everything he needed into his storage rings. Although he had earned a large sum by treating nobles, storage items were simply too expensive, and supplies were scarce in remote regions. He had only bought two simple storage rings with a capacity of 0.5 cubic meters each—one for daily necessities and currency, the other for food. The two storage rings had cost him a total of 24 Gold Soul Coins, and Yao Shi's heart had ached over it for quite some time.

"Grandpa, I'm setting off!"

Yao Shi bid farewell to Yao, who leaned against the doorway behind him, then set out on the road to Shrek Academy.

He passed by a river, its calm waters reflecting his current appearance. He was over 1.7 meters tall, his pale golden hair having grown down to his waist. His skin was snow-white, his features exquisite. His golden-green eyes looked through the river's surface at his reflection as he murmured softly.

"Ambrosial Arbor's growth, a male body with a female appearance, the eradication of all illnesses... As expected, as expected, was it the Abundance Aeon?"

A year ago, after Yao Shi had finished treating a noble, a leaf had inexplicably grown from the noble's body. Fortunately, Yao Shi had reacted quickly and plucked it off before the noble noticed. It was then that he learned his Martial Soul was not an ordinary Ambrosial Arbor.

The powerful healing ability, branches and leaves growing from flesh—these signs quickly reminded Yao Shi of the Abundance Aeon from the Astral Express. Their manifestations were practically identical. At the time, he had been so frightened that he immediately ran home to check Yao's physical condition. Fortunately, perhaps because his Martial Soul had only recently awakened and its abilities were still bound by the laws of the Douluo Plane, his healing had not yet been tainted by Abundance Power. It had merely healed Yao's injuries and extended his lifespan somewhat.

Now that he had obtained his second soul ring, Abundance Power was gradually beginning to emerge. Alongside the changes in his appearance, his Martial Soul had also quietly changed. The branch Martial Soul fused into his body and became his true form.

At the same time, in the Duke's Mansion of the Star Luo Empire.

An eleven- or twelve-year-old boy quietly slipped out through the back gate. He turned to look at the Duke's Mansion, his eyes filled with hatred.

"Mother, watch over me from heaven. No matter how much effort it takes, one day I will return and trample everything here beneath my feet. I will make the White Tiger Duke come to your grave and atone with his death."

"From this day onward, I will take your surname. My surname will be Huo. My name is Huo Yuhao."

After saying this, he took one final, deep look at the Duke's Mansion before leaving resolutely...

Shrek Academy was located at the border of several great empires, in the north of the Star Luo Empire, a great distance from Bluestone Town. Yao Shi washed his face with the river water. Just then, a merchant caravan happened to pass by, and their destination lay in the same direction as Shrek Academy. When they learned that Yao Shi was heading to register at Shrek Academy, they invited him to travel with them.