Huo Yuhao looked at Qi Xuan in alarm, and even the look in his eyes grew a little strange.
Qi Xuan stretched. "While the boost Tian Meng gave your physique is still fresh, let me help temper your body with lightning."
Only then did Huo Yuhao relax, but out of embarrassment, he still took off only his shirt.
Huo Yuhao was not particularly well-built. Having lacked adequate nutrition as a child, he looked rather frail.
But after absorbing the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's power just now, his entire body glowed with a faint, lustrous white sheen.
According to the conclusions Qi Xuan had reached by electrocuting himself, there were two ways to temper the body with lightning.
The first was to scour the surface of the body with lightning, which could improve physical strength to a degree and grant some resistance to lightning;
The second was to draw lightning directly into the meridians and cleanse them. Not only could this purge impurities, it could also greatly improve physical strength, and some lightning-attribute martial souls could even evolve.
Ordinary people naturally chose the first method. Apart from those who possessed lightning martial souls themselves, few were willing to try the second. After all, letting lightning surge through one's body was indeed a little dangerous.
One careless slip could easily leave you fried crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.
Naturally, Qi Xuan had prepared the first method for Huo Yuhao.
Lightning was one of the most violent attributes to begin with, liable to explode at the slightest mishap. Qi Xuan did not dare expose Huo Yuhao's meridians to that risk.
Crackle. Dancing arcs of electricity appeared in Qi Xuan's hand.
Huo Yuhao swallowed.
Tiny currents began weaving and flowing across Huo Yuhao's fair, delicate skin, giving off faint popping sounds.
Qi Xuan guided the lightning as though threading a needle, weaving a lightning sweater over Huo Yuhao's body as if making a net.
By the time he finished the last strand, Huo Yuhao's entire body was covered in the woven garment.
"This might hurt a little. Bear with it."
Huo Yuhao felt only a tingling numbness, much like a massage. It did not seem very dangerous.
Once he saw that Huo Yuhao was gradually adapting, Qi Xuan formed a hand seal with his left hand:
"First soul skill, Crimson Palace Thunder!"
Zzzap! A bolt of lightning shot from Qi Xuan's fingertip and slammed straight into Huo Yuhao's flesh.
Completely unlike the gentle massage from before, this strike unleashed its full, ferocious force. Flowing electricity ravaged Huo Yuhao's skin without restraint.
"Urgh-"
Huo Yuhao clenched his teeth, refusing to cry out.
What incredible willpower.
Qi Xuan silently praised him. The first time he had drawn down heavenly lightning himself, he had been struck into a truly miserable state.
Within Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm discovered to his delight that, as Huo Yuhao endured the heavenly lightning head-on, his formerly blocked, narrow meridians actually responded to the external stimulation and began expanding slightly. He hurriedly mobilized his own power and poured it into Huo Yuhao's meridians.
As Huo Yuhao gritted his teeth and struggled through the pain, he suddenly felt a gentle power flow through his body, filling his nearly exhausted frame with renewed strength.
"Keep going, Brother Qi. I can still hold on."
Qi Xuan nodded. Lightning splashed from his hands, and several lightning serpents surged toward Huo Yuhao.
The currents plunged straight into the acupoints on Huo Yuhao's back. His meridians, atrophied for years, erupted with needle-like pain from the inside out.
By now, every strand of Huo Yuhao's hair stood on end from the electricity, and his body trembled uncontrollably, yet he still made not a sound.
Only after Qi Xuan had released all sixteen streaks of lightning from his hands did Huo Yuhao finally reach his limit and slump unconscious onto the bed.
The next day, Huo Yuhao felt refreshed and clearheaded. Everything that had happened yesterday seemed so extraordinary that, in his daze, he thought he must have been dreaming.
Then he checked his meridians, and his eyes widened in disbelief.
Rank fourteen. In just one night, he had risen three whole ranks! For Huo Yuhao, whose innate soul power had been only rank one, this was something he would never have dared imagine. It equaled an entire year of his past painstaking cultivation.
"Making a fuss over nothing," the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm drawled in his mind. "That kid Qi Xuan helped refine your body with lightning. Under that stimulation, all the atrophied meridians inside you were cleared. Add my enormous life energy to that, and gaining two or three ranks was a breeze."
Huo Yuhao checked and found that his soul power circulated far more freely than before. Even its recovery speed had increased considerably.
Only then did he notice that Qi Xuan was not in the room.
"Where did Brother Qi go?"
"Oh, Yuhao, you're awake?" As the words rang out, the door opened. Qi Xuan stood there with a piece of bread between his teeth and a bundle in his hand.
Huo Yuhao finally realized that hunger radiated through every part of his body. His improved physique now required more nutrition as well.
Qi Xuan tossed him the bundle. "Change your clothes, take a bath, and come downstairs to eat."
During yesterday's lightning treatment to clear his acupoints, his shirt had escaped disaster because he had taken it off beforehand, but his trousers were already in tatters, scorched black by the electricity.
As for the damage to the room, Qi Xuan had given the proprietor another gold soul coin that morning as compensation.
After eating and drinking their fill, the two stood at the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest. Huo Yuhao asked eagerly, "Where are we going next?"
"To school." Qi Xuan had already made his plans. "With Brother Sky Dream's help, you don't have to worry about knowledge of soul beasts or obtaining soul rings. But only an academy can give you access to learning how to make soul tools."
Although Qi Xuan felt that traveling the continent with Huo Yuhao would still lead to impressive achievements, thanks to his own foreknowledge and Huo Yuhao's host of cheats, it would undoubtedly squander Huo Yuhao's talent for soul tools.
After all, he himself knew nothing about soul tools.
"Soul tools?" Huo Yuhao's interest was piqued.
Qi Xuan nodded. "That's right. Crude soul tools existed in the past, and soul tool technology has now reached a crucial stage of development. Although the mainstream soul master world still believes a soul master's own power is the strongest, the advancement of soul tool technology is certainly the trend of the future."
"The great tide of history cannot be stopped."
Huo Yuhao nodded, only half understanding. "I'll make sure to study soul tools properly."
"Then we have a few choices." Qi Xuan raised his hand and folded down his fingers one by one. "The Star Luo Royal Academy, the Heavenly Soul Royal Academy, the Dou Ling Royal Academy, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, and Shrek Academy."
Just as Qi Xuan had expected, Huo Yuhao immediately ruled out the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. He did know something of the situation on the continent. He considered himself a citizen of the Star Luo Empire and was unwilling to help another country harm his own.
The second to be ruled out was the Star Luo Royal Academy. The White Tiger Duke's Mansion wielded considerable influence within the Star Luo Empire. He might enroll one moment only for the Duke's Mansion to find out the next, so that was not an option either.
As for the remaining three choices, Huo Yuhao easily spotted the name that stood out most from the others:
"Shrek Academy? What's that?"
Before you continue