Golden Apple! Enchanted Golden Apple!

"I don't know this either..."

Inside an enormous golden tree was a very simple room.

The furnishings were extremely sparse. There was only one window, beyond which golden leaves swayed gently in the breeze, casting mottled patterns of light and shadow.

A wooden table, a reclining chair, and a half-worn bookshelf stood in the corner, with a few yellowed books scattered across its shelves.

Mu En, seated in the reclining chair, carefully examined the golden apple in his hand.

Ever since Bei Bei had brought it back, Mu En had been investigating information about this golden apple. Yet no records from any region mentioned it. Still, Mu En was certain that its effects were anything but ordinary.

As a Rank 99 Limit Douluo, even with his cultivation, Mu En could feel his martial soul and body yearning for this golden apple.

It was an almost instinctive summons. Even the old injury that had plagued him for most of his life gave an imperceptible tremor at this moment.

If he could eat it, then his old injury...

But Mu En quickly dismissed the thought.

There was no need. He knew his own condition. Even if he absorbed this strange apple, he could not fully recover. At most, it would only prolong his lingering life for a little while.

But it would be different if Bei Bei ate it. If Bei Bei's martial soul could fully awaken...

Other than Shrek, the person Mu En cared about most was his great-grandson, Bei Bei. As long as Bei Bei could completely awaken his martial soul, the future position of Sea God Pavilion Master would surely be his. With Mu En paving the way for him, Bei Bei would even certainly become a Limit Douluo in the future!

"There's nothing wrong with it. You can try swallowing it directly. I'll stand guard for you."

Mu En had inspected it thoroughly. There was nothing unusual inside, and swallowing it directly would not cause any problems. Even if something did happen, nothing would go wrong with him guarding Bei Bei.

"Yes, Great-Grandfather."

Bei Bei nodded, then sat down cross-legged and swallowed the Golden Apple bite by bite.

Immediately afterward, Mu En sensed a peculiar force surging from Bei Bei's body. At the same time, Bei Bei's martial soul possessed him uncontrollably. Dragon scales unfurled from his arms, covering his shoulders and neck, while blue-violet arcs of lightning crackled around him.

Bei Bei furrowed his brows tightly and continuously suppressed the power within his body. As he did so with all his strength, the blue lightning around him gradually turned into golden arcs, their power becoming even more violent.

Did it work?!

Yet only a few breaths later, Mu En sensed the power surging from within Bei Bei gradually receding. The golden lightning flickered several times before dimming, returning to blue-violet. It was not a true awakening.

"Ah..."

Mu En let out a soft sigh, and the light in his eyes dimmed a little. He could see it clearly: the Bright Sacred Dragon bloodline within Bei Bei had indeed been stirred, but it had only poked its head out. In the end, it had failed to ignite.

Still not enough...

Mu En extended his withered, deadwood-like hand and gave Bei Bei a gentle push. A golden leaf descended onto Bei Bei's forehead.

Bei Bei felt the power inside him being suppressed. Great-Grandfather intervened? But I could still hold on.

Upon waking, Bei Bei withdrew his possessed martial soul and raised his head to look at Mu En in confusion. He had clearly felt the power of his martial soul being awakened just now.

"It cannot help you awaken. It can only make your awakening consume less of your origin."

Before his martial soul completely awakened into the Bright Sacred Dragon, Bei Bei could also consume his own origin to force an awakening. However, this not only drained him greatly, but also harmed his future potential. If he used it often, he would suffer even greater hardships when trying to truly become a Bright Sacred Dragon in the future.

"I sealed that power inside your body and left the method to unlock it there as well. You can release it yourself when you need it. That power should be enough to support one awakening."

In the future, whenever necessary, Bei Bei would be able to awaken once without any cost.

Mu En was actually somewhat regretful. If there had been a few more of these fruits, could Bei Bei truly have awakened?

What a pity... It was just a little short. If only the medicinal effect had been a little stronger...

"An Enchanted Golden Apple?"

Huo Yuhao looked at the golden apple in his hand, which gave off a purple glow. This was different from the apple he had given Big Brother Bei Bei last time. It looked as though it had been coated in purple frosting.

"An Enchanted Golden Apple. This is different from the Golden Apple you gave him last time. It's a little stronger."

"Mm. Yuhao, I just ate both the Golden Apple and the Enchanted Golden Apple you mentioned earlier. The Golden Apple can draw out the hidden power within a person's body, but it only draws it out. The Enchanted Golden Apple is different. It erupts the power within the body and clears out old injuries. The power-eruption effect can only be used once. If you eat one afterward, it will only heal injuries."

After explaining the difference between the Golden Apple and the Enchanted Golden Apple, Electrolux began analyzing Huo Yuhao's current condition.

"Yuhao, your body is underdeveloped. Although that big bug's origin previously helped cleanse the impurities inside you, there are still some flaws in your body."

After all, Huo Yuhao had been frail since birth and was still far inferior to ordinary people.

Thus, everyone decided to have Huo Yuhao eat the Enchanted Golden Apple to purge the impurities from his body and reshape his muscles and bones. The sooner he took it, the farther he could go in the future.

"Alright."

At Xia Liang's reminder, Huo Yuhao took several gold soul coins that Bei Bei had generously sponsored and left to rent a private room at a hotel in Shrek City.

Authority: Invisibility

Xia Liang arranged the power of an invisibility potion around them. However, with his current ability, the Authority was not enough to completely conceal every trace. Electrolux still had to use the little life energy he currently possessed to set up an array, while Tianmeng constructed a mental barrier.

Watching the others do everything they could to help him, Huo Yuhao silently made up his mind.

I have to become stronger!

After all the preparations were complete, Huo Yuhao sat on the bed and swallowed the Enchanted Golden Apple.

Huo Yuhao felt a warm, peculiar power flowing through his body, filling countless hollows within him.

Even his spiritual power was nourished.

The others outside watched Huo Yuhao, all of them able to simultaneously sense the changes within his body.

"A new development."

Tianmeng's connection with Huo Yuhao was the deepest, and he was the first to notice something wrong.

Golden particles appeared around Huo Yuhao's body, like countless tiny golden fireflies drifting out of him. They floated in the air and slowly revolved around his body.

More and more particles gathered, growing denser and denser until they gradually enveloped his entire body. A layer of gold surrounded him, brighter than sunlight and more brilliant than gold itself. Even his skin turned a pure golden hue, as though his entire body had been forged into a golden statue.

The next instant, Huo Yuhao abruptly opened his eyes. His originally azure Spirit Eyes had become a pure golden yellow.

"Your spiritual power and physical body have both been enhanced greatly, but it's temporary. It also consumes a great deal of soul power and spiritual power."

Three minutes after transforming, Huo Yuhao collapsed into unconsciousness from exhaustion. However, the Enchanted Golden Apple's effects continued. Once he woke up tonight, he would begin a brand-new life.

The next day, just as Huo Yuhao woke up, Xia Liang's voice reached his ears.

"Only Rank 12? You only broke through one rank?"

"After all, this Enchanted Golden Apple only strengthens one's foundation and heals injuries. Naturally, it cannot increase power too much. But Yuhao's aptitude now should be about the same as those people the little bug called innately full soul power."

"Everyone..."

Huo Yuhao sat up and looked around blankly. Seeing that they were still discussing matters, he did not interrupt them. He picked up the cup beside him and wanted to take a drink.

Crack—

The sound of shattering glass rang out, crisp and piercing. Huo Yuhao stared at his hand in surprise. The wall of the cup had split into several pieces in his palm, and shards pierced his fingertips, yet he felt no pain.

Huo Yuhao blankly loosened his grip. The glass fragments fell onto the table. Lowering his head, he looked at his hand. The skin on his fingers and palm was completely unscathed—not even a red mark remained.

"It's fine. You're just not used to your new body yet."

Xia Liang explained that Huo Yuhao's physical fitness had improved considerably, so it was normal for him to temporarily have trouble controlling his strength.

"Let's head back first. Get used to your strength along the way."

"Okay."

On the way back after checking out, Huo Yuhao kept familiarizing himself with his strength. Yet he always felt as though there was an extra key inside his body.

"A key? Mm, that's quite an apt description. I don't know what it is either, but it should be the result of your martial soul awakening again."

Xia Liang answered. The description of a key was indeed quite fitting.

"Elder Electrolux."

"Mm."

The gray bead representing Electrolux projected a light screen, showing Huo Yuhao's new golden form from the night before.

"Is that me?"

Huo Yuhao looked at himself on the screen, finding it hard to believe.

"It should be your Gold Particle Mode. Tianmeng tested it. At that time, your physical fitness, strength, and spiritual power all increased severalfold. If you went all out, you could fight an ordinary three-ringed Soul Elder."

"That strong?"

"It only lasts three minutes. Don't get cocky."

Yes, that was right. Huo Yuhao's Gold Particle Mode only lasted three minutes. One second more, and he would go limp.

"Even so, it's still amazing."

Huo Yuhao chatted as he returned to the dormitory, only to see a handsome youth inside, tidying up his belongings.

"Mm?"

"Mm?"

Their eyes met. The first thing Huo Yuhao noticed was the other's blue-pink eyes and hair. Those eyes were like a lake steeped in sunset glow, clear and bright, with a faint blush of pink at the edges of the pupils. Combined with his fair skin and exquisite features, he was so beautiful that he seemed unreal, not quite human.

How can someone be this good-looking?

"Are you my roommate?"

"Hmph~ I'm Wang Dong. From now on, you..."

Five Wang Dong Treaties appeared. After hearing them, Huo Yuhao's face darkened. He had thought someone so good-looking would have a kind heart as well. He had never expected this.