Gold Experience Appears! Part Two

"Healing? You can't mean you'll create a healing-type soul beast." Flender's thinking was still rather rigid, though that was understandable. An ability like a Stand demanded quick thinking and imagination; someone slow to adapt would have a hard time figuring it out. It was even harder when they had only just encountered one.

"I can't do it yet, but I'll get the hang of it soon. If I can create life, what about parts of a living body? I should be able to create organs," Jodio said with a smile.

"Create organs?" Flender felt as though his entire understanding of healing had been upended. He had never imagined it could work that way. Conventional healing-type soul masters, whether they used a healing staff or Oscar's sausages or Shao Xin's jelly beans, healed injuries. But creating a whole new organ? What kind of bizarre approach was that?

"Yeah. If an organ or a patch of skin is damaged, why not replace it? Apart from the brain, you can replace just about any part of the human body," Jodio said, as if it were obvious.

"Well..." Flender wanted to say something, but the words would not come. He had no idea how to describe such an ability.

"It would hurt. This is surgery, not healing. Say someone had an arrow lodged in his palm. I'd pull it out, turn a stone into new flesh, and put that flesh into his palm to fuse with it. The fusion would still hurt. It's not like I can make anesthetic," Jodio explained.

"Hongjun and the others are in for a treat," Flender remarked dryly.

"But that still won't solve Hongjun's martial soul problem, will it? This is only healing," Flender asked.

"That's what I'll have to test. I need to find the source of Hongjun's evil fire and see which organ is causing the trouble. I'll even have to see whether replacing an organ in time can reduce the severity of an outbreak. It'll all take experiments," Jodio explained.

"Hongjun really is lucky to have you," Flender said dryly once more.

Their soul-beast hunt ended quickly. They had worked so efficiently that they returned a little after eight that evening. On the way back, Jodio spotted Ma Hongjun and Oscar, those two little troublemakers, slacking off again to eat roast rabbit. After a quick word with Flender, he decided to give the pair a scare.

Slacking off was absolutely not allowed. When Jodio let the two boys sneak off for a little fun, it was usually after training. At this hour, they were supposed to be in their dormitory memorizing their lessons. If they were out having a picnic, they clearly had not done that.

"Gold Experience." Jodio's second soul ring lit up. Gold Experience struck the stones beside a tree, turning them into a whole crowd of wild rabbits. These rabbits were unusually sturdy, each about the size of a small dog.

"Go." Jodio waved the rabbits toward Ma Hongjun and Oscar. They burst out from under the tree and charged straight at the two boys roasting rabbit on the field ridge.

"Huh?" Ma Hongjun froze.

"What is it?" Oscar looked up from the delicious-smelling rabbit, his mouth watering.

"Something feels wrong. I think there's danger nearby." Ma Hongjun scanned their surroundings. He had picked up a few things from spending over a year with Jodio. Jodio had taught both boys reconnaissance in earnest, including the fundamentals of intelligence gathering that lay at the heart of Stand battles.

"When's Boss supposed to get back?" Ma Hongjun asked Oscar.

"He left this afternoon, didn't he? Soul beasts aren't easy to hunt, and I think he wants a rare one. Maybe he won't be back until tomorrow?" Oscar prodded the crisp rabbit meat with a little wooden skewer.

"No! Something's definitely wrong! Come out, Phoenix Legend!"

Ma Hongjun swiftly rolled over and summoned his martial soul. Violet flames blazed across his body as the Evil Fire Phoenix possessed him, illuminating everything around them. Now he saw them clearly: countless pairs of eyes in the shadows, fixed on him with a look that said they were ready to pounce.

"What the hell?!" Oscar jumped in fright, then hurried behind Ma Hongjun and stood back-to-back with him, on guard.

Rumble...

"Rabbits? Wait, how can rabbits be that big?" Ma Hongjun shouted, staring at the rabbits emerging from the shadows. Each was the size of a dog, with remarkably thick muscles in its legs. Ordinarily, he and Oscar would have been delighted to add them to the menu. But this scene was far too strange, especially at night!

A rabbit suddenly lunged at Ma Hongjun, ready to kick him hard. Possessed by his martial soul, Ma Hongjun was just fast enough to dodge. He swung back and punched the rabbit. It coughed up blood, collapsed, and struggled on the ground. But then—

Rumble!

The rabbit twisted and slowly turned into a rock, roughly the same size it had been. Cold sweat broke out across Ma Hongjun's skin. He was scared now, truly scared!

"It's a martial soul attack!" Ma Hongjun shouted.

"Oscar! Stay close! Don't get separated!" Ma Hongjun looked around nervously. Who was it? Who had the nerve to attack Shrek Academy? There was a Soul Sage and three Soul Emperors here!

In theory, seven-and-a-half-year-old Ma Hongjun should have been a clueless little kid, screaming in panic. But Jodio's training had paid off. The first lesson he had taught Ma Hongjun was: "Never dismiss an attack. Your enemies won't always act the way you expect."

You might think the academy was safe because it had one Soul Sage and three Soul Emperors. But the enemy might not know that. And how could you be sure the enemy feared those teachers? At worst, what if someone had come for revenge, intent on killing you even if he died in the attempt? What would you do then?

"The moment you come under a martial soul attack, you must treat it as a fight to the death! Immediately!"

Ma Hongjun activated his first soul skill, Phoenix Scorching Flame Protective Shield, at once. Oscar, working in perfect sync with him, gripped a sausage and prepared to fight. Both boys were sweating as they waited tensely for the next assault. They were only soul masters without even a second soul ring, their levels just eighteen and fifteen. Forget an enemy on the headmaster's level; even Jodio could deal with them easily. All they could do was hold out and wait.

The rabbits suddenly sprang forward. Ma Hongjun lashed out with both fists, knocking one away after another without mercy and forming a swinging defensive line. Oscar pressed close against his back to keep Ma Hongjun from being attacked from behind. Oscar himself had already been kicked several times, but his sausage restored his energy. He could endure it!

"Ma Hong... JUN!" Oscar roared, his face lined with utter terror and fury.

To be continued.