An Unwelcome Visitor at the Door

Lin Huo silently put aside his ambitions for the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

His strength did not yet match his aspirations. Thinking too much about certain things could easily lead him into unrealistic fantasies and make him lose his way.

Back to the point: besides its most basic life-restoring effect, the Ingrain skill also had an extremely weak Soul Power recovery effect.

According to Lin Huo's estimate, there were two possible explanations.

One possibility was that while Ingrain absorbed nutrients from the soil, it also absorbed the heaven-and-earth Soul Power contained within the earth and converted it into his own Soul Power.

It was equivalent to carrying out an alternative form of meditation while ingrained.

The other possibility was a deduction Lin Huo had made based on Tang San possessing the Taoist cultivation technique known as the Mysterious Heaven Technique, confirming that Taoist theories from his previous life could be applied in the Douluo world.

According to Taoist theory, essence, qi, and spirit were the three fundamental treasures of the human body, supporting one another in a complete cycle.

Now, Ingrain had replenished his vitality, which was equivalent to increasing his essence.

With essence, one of the three treasures, strengthened and replenished, the other two naturally rose along with it.

Just like now, not only was his Soul Power slowly recovering, but his mind felt clearer and more refreshed than ever before.

About another hour passed before Lin Huo's body gave him a sensation akin to being overly full, making him realize that he could not continue using Ingrain.

With a thought, Lin Huo released the Ingrain skill, unfolded his crossed legs, and rose from the ground.

He took a deep breath and clenched his fists tightly. It felt as though inexhaustible strength was surging through his body.

The extraordinary change made Lin Huo realize something. He quickly walked to the full-length mirror at the edge of the training ground and examined himself closely.

Just as Lin Huo had expected, compared to the somewhat pale, malnourished complexion he had worn upon arriving at the academy, the face in the mirror was now completely replaced by a healthy rosy glow.

"Holy shit! What a tonic! No wonder plants live longer than animals! With this ability to ingrain, absorb nutrients, and sustain life, plants leave animals far behind!"

Lin Huo exclaimed in surprise. The shock in his heart lingered for a long time; the power of Ingrain had far exceeded his initial expectations.

"Decided. After every intense training session from now on, I have to find a patch of fertile soil and ingrain myself for two hours."

Lin Huo slapped his forehead and settled the matter. The existence of Ingrain gave him enough confidence to ignore any hidden injuries and undertake hellish training in the future.

After a long while, Lin Huo's emotions finally calmed completely.

Feeling the small amount of Soul Power remaining within him, Lin Huo concluded that today was no longer suitable for experimenting with skills.

He briefly tidied up the traces left behind on the training ground. Only after ensuring that he would not leak any information about himself did Lin Huo turn and leave in peace.

The first time was unfamiliar, the second time came easily. Returning to the dorm with his body drenched in smelly sweat, Lin Huo swiftly went into the bathroom and took a shower.

He changed into pajamas and was drying his damp hair when someone suddenly began pounding violently on the dormitory door.

"Open up, little sis! Your big brother needs to discuss something with you!"

The savage banging made the doorframe rattle. It was easy to tell that the visitor had an impatient temperament.

As for who it was, who else could call himself Huo Wu's brother besides Huo Wushuang?

Outside the door, Huo Wushuang clutched his butt and occasionally sucked in a breath of cold air. The sharp pain tugged by each inhalation made his breathing turn shallow again.

Huo Wushuang looked around nervously, as though he were worried about something terrifying.

Just as he anxiously prepared to pound on the door again, it opened from within.

"Little sis, listen—"

Before he could finish speaking, the rest of his words went back down his throat. Huo Wushuang stared blankly at Lin Huo, who had opened the door, frozen in place.

"Who the hell are you? Why are you in my little sister's room?!"

Seeing Lin Huo in pajamas, still toweling his hair, looking fair and clean after a shower, Huo Wushuang snapped back to his senses. Dark thoughts sprang into his mind, and he suddenly flew into a rage.

His little sister was only eight! Even if she wanted to keep some pretty boy, she should not be doing it at this age!

No matter what, as Huo Wu's good big brother, he had to stop this unhealthy trend in time!

"You little pretty boy, get the hell out here!"

Huo Wushuang cursed as he reached out to grab him, but Lin Huo reacted quickly and dodged.

"Ugh!"

Huo Wushuang took a large step forward, but his hand grabbed only air. The forceful movement pulled at his injury, making him suck in a breath again and instinctively clutch his butt in pain.

Lin Huo watched Huo Wushuang, who seemed to be performing some kind of interpretive art, his eyes flickering thoughtfully.

As for Huo Wushuang's earlier rudeness, Lin Huo did not take it to heart at all.

After all, Huo Wushuang was only a little over a year older than Huo Wu. A nine-year-old brat was not worth getting angry with.

With a turn of his thoughts, Lin Huo had already figured out how to handle Huo Wushuang. "You're the unreliable, stupid big brother Huo Wu mentioned?"

Huo Wushuang, both hurt and furious, suddenly crumpled at Lin Huo's words and froze in place. "Un... unreliable, stupid big brother?"

Lin Huo seemed to hear the shattering sound of Huo Wushuang's mental defenses being breached. As expected, Huo Wushuang really was a sister-obsessed fool.

That made handling Huo Wushuang even easier.

After feeling hurt for a moment, Huo Wushuang's gaze somehow suddenly became resolute. "No! You pretty boy must be lying to fool me! How could my dear little sister be so harsh toward her wonderful big brother?"

"Don't believe me?" Lin Huo curled his lips into a mocking smile. "Then go ask Huo Wu yourself. I didn't lie to you, anyway."

What Lin Huo said was indeed the truth, without the slightest bit of falsehood.

"Unreliable, stupid big brother" was exactly what Huo Wu had said when she introduced the dormitory to Lin Huo.

Huo Wu had even given Lin Huo advance warning, specifically to prevent a situation like this, where the uninformed Lin Huo might be harmed by the hot-tempered and easily enraged Huo Wushuang.

"Hmph! Whatever! Since you pretty boy have the guts to live under the same roof as my little sister, I'll beat you up first and teach you a lesson!"

Nine-year-old Huo Wushuang was completely reckless by nature. Seeing that words had failed, he immediately raised his fist, ready to solve the problem with violence.

That punch truly caught Lin Huo off guard, but fortunately, he had remained on guard. He casually slammed the door shut in front of him.

Bang! The solid wooden door shook but was not punched through.

Although Huo Wushuang had said he would teach Lin Huo a proper lesson, his mind was still very clear.

Knowing his own strength, Huo Wushuang had not used Martial Soul Possession, and he had even controlled the force behind his punch.

Otherwise, with a Soul Master's strength, punching through a door panel would have been effortless.

Unfortunately, this cautious move only resulted in both his fist and his butt hurting at the same time.

"Ugh!" Shut outside, Huo Wushuang sucked in another breath. He had not infused much Soul Power into his fist just now.

As a result, most of the force from striking the solid door rebounded into his fist, leaving it throbbing with numb pain.

With pain striking from both sides, Huo Wushuang's anger surged. Just as he was about to lose his temper and activate Martial Soul Possession, Lin Huo opened the door again at precisely the right moment.

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't be so quick to smash the door, brother. You dare smash Huo Wu's door? Aren't you afraid she'll come looking for trouble with you?"

With those words, Huo Wushuang's head abruptly cooled down. In the end, he did not activate Martial Soul Possession and merely darted into the dormitory.