Support from the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect

Most importantly, Huo Yuhao was shocked to discover that he was out of money!

Soul masters could never advance without money and resources. Huo Yuhao's meager savings, along with the leftovers he had picked up from soul masters hunting soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest, could not possibly sustain his expenses. If this continued, Little Huo Grilled Fish would have to make a comeback!

Huo Yuhao had even considered grilling fish to build up some starting capital, then buying rare metals to cobble together soul tools and sell them for money.

But Ning Tian's presence changed his mind. Perhaps he could set up a grilled fish stall, but it definitely would not be his main source of income.

The golden glow of the setting sun cast a warm hue over Shrek Academy's training grounds, yet an invisible tension hung in the air.

Ning Tian stood at the center of the grounds, her Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda silently appearing behind her. The seven-tiered pagoda shimmered with dazzling light. Wu Feng stood at her side, glaring at Huo Yuhao as he slowly approached. It seemed that at a single command from her young mistress, she would immediately rush forward and tear her opponent apart.

"The rules are simple: stop at the proper point." Ning Tian's voice carried a trace of barely detectable tension. "Begin."

Huo Yuhao did not immediately release his martial soul. He merely gave a slight nod. "Please enlighten me."

Before his words had faded, two streams of light burst from the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda behind Ning Tian and entered her and Wu Feng's bodies respectively. "The Seven Treasures have names: first, strength; third, speed!" The augmentation light caused both their auras to surge instantly. Wu Feng let out a low roar as the Flame Dragon Martial Soul possessed her body. Her sharp claws and fangs gleamed coldly under the sun as she lunged at Huo Yuhao like an arrow.

Huo Yuhao's eyes narrowed slightly. Watching Wu Feng charge at him like a flaming cannonball, he shifted the soul power beneath his feet and slid to the side like a phantom. At the same time, the Spirit Eye on his forehead lit with a faint golden glow. His spiritual detection instantly captured every detail of Wu Feng's trajectory—after receiving the dual augmentation of "strength" and "speed," her claws carried scorching gusts of air, and she was nearly thirty percent faster than during their probing exchange in class.

Spiritual interference. Huo Yuhao silently thought, and a faint yet precise thread of spiritual power quietly pierced Wu Feng's sea of consciousness.

Wu Feng only felt the scene before her eyes sway slightly, causing a momentary deviation in the angle of her attack. That hairbreadth of an opening was already enough for Huo Yuhao to evade with ease.

Ning Tian remained where she was, the light of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda growing ever more brilliant. She fixed her eyes on Huo Yuhao's every movement, her surprise mounting steadily—his use of spiritual power was extraordinarily subtle. His seemingly simple evasions and interference always neutralized Wu Feng's fierce assaults at exactly the right moment.

"Why isn't he attacking?" Ning Tian frowned slightly, then increased the strength of her augmentation. "The Seven Treasures have names: second, dispel."

With the support of her second soul skill, Wu Feng broke free from Huo Yuhao's spiritual interference. As soul power surged through her body, her flames became even more tyrannical, and the temperature across the entire training ground seemed to rise.

Huo Yuhao remained calm as Soul Ice Threads extended outward, accurately connecting Ning Tian and Wu Feng.

Ning Tian and Wu Feng felt a bone-piercing chill rise from their souls, as though their very souls were about to freeze. The soul skills they had been using were all interrupted. Though Ning Tian was a Rank 31 Soul Elder and a support-type soul master, she was even less able to withstand it than Wu Feng. Her martial soul was forcibly dismissed.

Ning Tian's expression changed as she turned to look at Huo Yuhao. Could this icy attribute be innate to Huo Yuhao's martial soul?

No, impossible. A spiritual-type martial soul could not be overlaid with another attribute. His two martial souls must have exceptional compatibility, allowing the attribute of his second martial soul to be attached to the first.

Huo Yuhao made no further move. He merely looked quietly at Ning Tian and asked in an even tone, "Do you still wish to continue?"

Ning Tian looked at Wu Feng, who was shivering faintly from the cold, then at Huo Yuhao, who remained composed and unruffled. Turbulent waves rose in her heart. She finally understood that Huo Yuhao's strength far exceeded what appeared on the surface—despite being only a Grand Soul Master, he had faced head-on a power-attack Grand Soul Master who had received her triple augmentation, and still gained the upper hand. Such combat ability could no longer be described merely as "genius."

What concerned her even more was that Wu Feng's Flame Dragon Martial Soul was also fire-attributed. Yet the moment it touched that icy chill, even her martial soul had nearly become unstable and dissipated on its own. Huo Yuhao's second martial soul had to be extremely powerful.

"There's no need." Ning Tian took a deep breath and suppressed the turmoil in her heart. "You're very strong."

Huo Yuhao smiled, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda in Ning Tian's hand. His tone carried a perfectly measured hint of regret. "The Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda's augmentation truly is formidable. Unfortunately... a soul master like me with no backing can only slowly save up resources to improve my strength. I'm not like Class Monitor Ning, with an entire sect supporting me."

Ning Tian's heart stirred, and she instantly understood Huo Yuhao's implication. He was hinting that he lacked money!

That saved her quite a bit of effort. Ning Tian feigned casualness as she said, "Resources are indeed important. However, Shrek Academy has never been stingy toward geniuses. As long as you have sufficient strength, the academy's resource vault will always be open to you. Of course..."

Her tone shifted, and her gaze at Huo Yuhao gained a deeper meaning. "If you are willing to cooperate with the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, we would also be happy to offer some 'additional' assistance. For example, rare metals, soul tool materials, or even soul bones suited to your cultivation."

Huo Yuhao's eyes lit up slightly. This was exactly what he wanted.

Yet he displayed a perfectly appropriate hesitation. "Cooperate with the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect? I'm just an unknown nobody. I'm afraid I'm not qualified."

Ning Tian waved a hand. "I am the young mistress of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect. If I say you are qualified, then you are qualified. Besides, the strength you have displayed is already beyond that of an ordinary genius soul master, not to mention the strength you have hidden."

"Furthermore, the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect has never been stingy when investing in talented soul masters, as long as you can show us that you possess value worth investing in."

She handed him a jade token. "This is a token for the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect's shop in Shrek City. With it, you can receive ten thousand gold soul coins for free every year. Whenever you have made up your mind, you can come find me."

Huo Yuhao took the jade token. It felt warm and smooth in his hand, and exquisite glazed pagoda patterns were carved upon it. He knew this was the olive branch Ning Tian had extended.

"Thank you, Class Monitor Ning." Huo Yuhao put away the jade token, and his smile became far more sincere. "Tomorrow, by Sea God Lake, it'll be my treat."

Ning Tian nodded and called Wu Feng away. Watching the two of them leave, Huo Yuhao weighed the jade token in his hand, a smile curling at his lips. It seemed Little Huo Grilled Fish would not need to make a comeback for the time being.

Elsewhere, Wu Feng asked in confusion, "Young Mistress, why did you give him resources? And why did you accept his invitation to eat with him?"

Ning Tian did not slow her pace, her tone resolute. "Someone who can defeat you through strength while also knowing how to reveal his weaknesses at the right time is worth our investment. As for the meal..." She recalled the look Huo Yuhao had worn when he mentioned "saving up resources," and the corners of her lips unconsciously lifted. "Since he said it will be by Sea God Lake, he should be making it himself. It wouldn't hurt to give it a taste."

The setting sun's lingering glow fell over the training grounds as Huo Yuhao tightened his grip around the jade token. He knew this was only the beginning.

Revealing his potential, such as his second martial soul, could indeed earn him Shrek Academy's full support. But what lay ahead made Huo Yuhao understand that Shrek Academy would never support his attempt to take revenge on the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. Therefore, no matter how favorable his impression of Shrek Academy was, he could not become too closely involved with it before taking his revenge.