The Troubles of Rising Soul Power

Hey, buddy, I've realized that brute strength works better than any soul skill!

With the boost of fourfold strength, Lin Huo hurled stones with incredible speed and force. Every stone was no less powerful than a weaker first soul skill from a hundred-year Soul Ring.

With countless broken stones scattered across the training ground, Huo Wu was soon engulfed by a barrage of rocks.

In her panic, Huo Wu controlled her Fire Shadow Martial Soul to raise a wall of flames before herself.

But how could flames with form but no substance stop stones with both form and substance?

The instant they collided, the flaming barrier was torn apart by the savage rain of stones.

At the critical moment, the teacher who had long been standing by in the arena appeared before Huo Wu in time. With a casual wave of his hand, he blocked all of Lin Huo's attacks.

"Battle over! I declare student Lin Huo the winner!"

Watching the five Soul Rings floating beneath the teacher's feet, Lin Huo was not surprised in the slightest that his attack had been blocked with a wave of the man's hand.

Relying on brute strength to bully Soul Masters was one thing, but against a Soul King, the gap in strength was simply too vast.

Behind the Soul King teacher, Huo Wu seemed to have lost all the strength in her body. She sat collapsed on the ground in a duck-sitting posture, utterly dazed.

Her talent was the greatest the Fire Clan had seen in nearly a century, and ever since childhood, her entire family had placed immense hopes upon her.

The abilities she displayed had indeed lived up to her family's expectations.

No matter where she went, she had always been the brightest star and the strongest among her peers.

Only her older brother, Huo Wushuang, had managed to suppress her temporarily by cultivating for one year longer than her. Even so, that suppression would not last much longer.

For three years, she had always stood above everyone else, living a life surrounded by admiration.

Until today, when a mere six-year-old Soul Warrior had defeated her in every aspect with only Level 6 Soul Power.

How could such a crushing disparity not leave her mentally shaken?

The Soul King teacher silently watched Huo Wu slump on the ground. In his eyes, the young miss's defeat was merely temporary.

Perhaps this student Lin Huo could rely on his inborn divine strength to dominate among Soul Masters, Soul Grandmasters, Soul Elders, or even Soul Ancestors.

But how could Innate Soul Power Level 5 compare to Innate Soul Power Level 9?

The gap in talent would eventually create an enormous distance between the young miss and Lin Huo.

Thus, this temporary defeat was not worth mentioning. A sufficiently powerful opponent could instead help the young miss better understand herself and keep her from drowning in pride and complacency.

Since no one had been hurt and he had done what he needed to do, the Soul King teacher quietly withdrew from the training ground, leaving the space to the youngsters.

Only then did Lin Huo walk over to Huo Wu. "Sister Huo Wu, it's time to snap out of it."

The dejected Huo Wu seemed to awaken from a dream. She raised her head to look at Lin Huo, her dark red eyes filled with deep unwillingness.

Forcing down her resentment, Huo Wu gritted her teeth and admitted defeat. "I was inferior this time, but I'll definitely win next time!"

"If Sister Huo Wu has that determination, then I'll be ready anytime," Lin Huo agreed. But another thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.

"Say, Sister Huo Wu, you aren't planning to wait until you break through to Soul Grandmaster and then come teach me, still a Soul Warrior, a lesson, are you?"

"No."

Huo Wu, who had still been unwilling to accept it moments ago, instantly lost her temper. She guiltily turned her head away, not daring to meet Lin Huo's eyes. She really had been thinking exactly that.

"Really not?" Lin Huo asked suspiciously.

"Really not!" Huo Wu still sounded guilty.

"Rea—"

"You've got some nerve! I said no, so it's no!"

"Fine, fine. No, then."

Seeing that Huo Wu was about to explode, Lin Huo decisively surrendered.

As for whether Huo Wu would break through to Soul Grandmaster and then come bully someone weaker than herself—

Forget it. The speed at which Huo Wu broke through to Soul Grandmaster might not even match the speed at which he broke through to the Soul Master realm.

From the experience he had gained just from that fight, he could already feel that his next cultivation session would bring him to Level 8 Soul Power.

That was another headache entirely. His Soul Power was rising too quickly, and he had no idea what excuse he could use to brush it off.

Lin Huo pulled Huo Wu up from the ground, then handed her a handkerchief.

"If there's nothing else, I'll head to the library first, Sister Huo Wu. If you need another sparring partner this afternoon, remember to send someone to call me."

"Fine, go soak yourself in your library." Huo Wu accepted the handkerchief and waved Lin Huo away. As for sparring that afternoon, she treated it as though it had never been mentioned.

What a joke. She could not beat him in close combat because she lacked the strength, could not evade his stones at range, and even her greatest asset, her flame attacks, did absolutely nothing to Lin Huo.

Against an opponent like that, other than getting beaten nonstop, what kind of training effect could there possibly be?

Unless...

Unless Lin Huo was willing to accept a two-against-one fight against her and that idiot brother of hers. Then there might still be some hope.

Lin Huo soon left the training ground, leaving Huo Wu alone behind.

In the quiet training ground, Huo Wu stared at the handkerchief in her hand. After a moment, she stored it in her Soul Tool.

Having lost the mood to continue training, Huo Wu turned toward the dormitories. She needed to wash the dust off herself.

Meanwhile, Lin Huo claimed he was going to the library to study, but after leaving the training ground, he immediately found an empty secluded corner and crouched down.

Fourfold strength had not reinforced his body's structure. Throwing stones with such force had placed no small burden on his arms, leaving signs of muscle strain.

Since Huo Wu had just contributed a large wave of experience, Lin Huo decided to use the opportunity to hide away, raise his Soul Power Level, and Ingrain for a while to replenish the losses in his body.

After a round of Meditation and Ingrain, it was already late morning. His injuries had completely recovered, and as expected, his Soul Power had broken through to Level 8.

Lin Huo, however, frowned and began worrying again.

Too fast! His Soul Power was rising far too fast! He truly had no idea how he was supposed to explain it.

Raising his Soul Power by three levels in less than a month—even a Titled Douluo would probably be curious about that.

If word of this got out by accident, he feared someone might capture him, lock him up, and study him thoroughly.

After thinking for a long time, Lin Huo still could not come up with a good solution. He could only hope that the books in the library might help him find a suitable excuse.

As for now, since things had come to this, he might as well eat first.

After wolfing down a meal, the full and satisfied Lin Huo headed to the library.

The library was as deserted as ever. There was no one at the front desk in the main hall, and he did not even see Book Elder from yesterday.

Preoccupied with worry, Lin Huo did not linger and headed straight for the Soul Master theory section.

He searched through the shelves for the books he wanted. Shortly afterward, Lin Huo carried a stack of books as tall as a person over to a desk.

As for Book Elder, who had disappeared somewhere earlier, he was now quietly seated beside the desk Lin Huo had chosen.