"Clap, clap, clap!"
The familiar sound echoed once again. The hotel staff, used to such occurrences by now, placed the midnight snack and tea that Huo Yuhao had ordered at the door of the room and left immediately.
Inside the room, Huo Yuhao's body was covered with bruises, some places even oozing blood. Yet, his eyes remained wide open, and he did not utter a single cry or groan.
Over the past few days, he had become accustomed to this kind of pain. He knew it was only temporary; the more pain he endured now, the easier it would be to absorb the medicinal power of the Foundation Building Elixir, and his cultivation level would grow faster.
Finally, a streak of red energy lashed viciously across Huo Yuhao's chest, and the count by Yao Lao reached one hundred and eight.
Huo Yuhao had endured one hundred and eight lashes of energy and had not yet collapsed, which made Yao Lao marvel inwardly.
Even in Yao Lao's world, people with such resilient spirits as Huo Yuhao were rare. All of those individuals had reached the pinnacle of cultivation and were revered by many.
Huo Yuhao, gritting his teeth, took step after step toward the large wooden tub in the room, leaving bloody footprints behind, showing the immense pain he was enduring.
With a thud, Huo Yuhao fell headfirst into the tub filled with pale green medicinal liquid. As the cool liquid soaked into his wounds, he sighed in satisfaction and immediately lost consciousness.
Yao Lao shook his head helplessly, looking at Huo Yuhao with some pity. He then opened the small porcelain bottle on the table, guiding the drop of green liquid he had refined earlier into Huo Yuhao's mouth.
"Buzz!"
A layer of mist emanated from Huo Yuhao's pores, his body seemingly glowing with a faint greenish light.
Huo Yuhao's skin seemed to be lightly pulsating, and within this pulsation, tiny streams of air were released from his pores.
The pale green mist continued to flow in and out through his pores, gradually deepening in color and losing its fragrance.
As the mist cycled through Huo Yuhao's pores, it carried out many impurities from his body and meridians. The powerful medicinal energy circulated within his meridians, gradually transforming into pale yellow Burning Qi, which Huo Yuhao absorbed into his body.
Unknowingly, Huo Yuhao's soul power cultivation broke through to the twelfth level, then thirteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth, and finally stabilized at the eighteenth level.
The greatest effect of the elixir refined by Yao Lao was not increasing cultivation, but enhancing Huo Yuhao's innate talent.
Huo Yuhao's meridians, originally frail and blocked due to congenital malnutrition, became clearer and more resilient with the help of the medicinal power, making them more suitable for the flow of soul power.
If the human body's meridians were compared to modern roads, an ordinary soul master's meridians would have more green lights and fewer red lights, allowing a decent flow of soul power.
However, Huo Yuhao's meridians had nine and a half out of ten traffic lights showing red, with the remaining half showing yellow, making the flow of soul power extremely slow.
But with the catalysis of this drop of elixir, Huo Yuhao's meridians were now all green lights, allowing his soul power to flow unimpeded, vastly superior to the effects of the original Xuan Water Pill.
Yao Lao observed the flow of medicinal energy in Huo Yuhao's meridians and its primary points of action, mentally selecting the ingredients needed to refine the previously mentioned [Foundation Establishment Pill: Soul Master Edition].
Suddenly, Yao Lao's brows furrowed, and he transformed into a beam of light, instantly retreating into the black ring.
"Creak"
The room's window was slowly pushed open, and a figure dressed in red leaped in—it was Ma Xiaotao.
Upon entering the room, Ma Xiaotao noticed the bloody footprints on the floor with some curiosity. Following the trail, she quickly saw Huo Yuhao soaking in the bath.
"Ah!"
The medicinal power of the Foundation Building Elixir in the bathtub had already been absorbed by Huo Yuhao, turning the once pale green liquid into clear water. From Ma Xiaotao's vantage point, she had an unobstructed view of Huo Yuhao's naked body.
At nearly twenty years old, Ma Xiaotao had some understanding of such matters. Seeing Huo Yuhao's well-proportioned muscles, refined by the dual tempering of the Foundation Building Elixir and the green medicinal liquid, and other parts of his body, her face instantly flushed red with embarrassment.
"Hmm?!"
Having absorbed the medicinal power, Huo Yuhao, who had been in a deep sleep, gradually woke up. His instincts as a top assassin immediately alerted him to the presence of an unfamiliar aura in the room. With a splash, he leaped out of the bathtub.
In a flash, Huo Yuhao's body left an afterimage as he instinctively grabbed a dining knife from the table and held it to Ma Xiaotao's throat. However, he quickly recognized her and his expression softened from cold indifference to calmness.
A sharp glint flashed in Ma Xiaotao's eyes. The sharpness of Huo Yuhao's instincts and the speed of his reaction were completely unlike a soul master of his level. Even the extreme speed of an agility-type Soul Elder couldn't match his.
Although she could dodge Huo Yuhao's knife, even if he had struck, it wouldn't have harmed her due to her Phoenix Evil Fire protection. Thus, she remained unpanicked.
"It's you?" Huo Yuhao tossed the knife back onto the table and said coolly. "What's the matter? Do you need something from me? We don't seem to have any relationship, do we, Senior Sister Ma Xiaotao?"
"You know me?" Ma Xiaotao frowned instantly.
"Flame Demon Ma Xiaotao. Your reputation at Shrek Academy is well-known. It's easy to find out." Huo Yuhao shrugged. "But I've never been fond of you self-important prodigies, and I don't want any association with you."
"I know you resent me, but I have my reasons. Here, I apologize to you first."
"Apologize? If an apology was enough, we wouldn't need officials," Huo Yuhao sneered. "You are a prodigy of the inner court. Even if you killed me by the Sea God Lake, the academy's authorities would only confine you. They would never expel you."
"But what about me? I was just admiring the scenery by the Sea God Lake and nearly got killed by a fellow student! And then I was warned that if I spoke of this, I would be expelled from Shrek!"
"A Soul Ascension Pill—that's the compensation I received for nearly losing my life! Isn't it laughable? I think it's laughable! Sorry, we commoners cannot be compared to you prodigies. I won't help you. Please leave."
Ma Xiaotao's eyes widened, her pink pupils deepening in color. An indescribable pressure suddenly pressed down on Huo Yuhao.
"Aren't you afraid of me?"
Huo Yuhao coldly smiled, revealing his white teeth. "You can try, but you'll be the first to die. Don't believe me? Try it."
Huo Yuhao extended his palm, and a strange dark red flame appeared. The flame flickered slightly in the wind, emanating an aura of darkness and evil.
"Phoenix Evil Fire?! How is this possible?"
Ma Xiaotao was shocked and wanted to say something, but she suddenly felt her own Phoenix Evil Fire stirring under the influence of the flame in Huo Yuhao's hand.
"Stop, stop!" Ma Xiaotao screamed, forcibly suppressing the familiar hot feeling inside her.
If Huo Yuhao continued to control her like this, the scene by the Sea God Lake would undoubtedly repeat itself.
But this was the heart of Shrek City. If she lost control and caused a massacre here, not even Shrek Academy could protect her.
"As long as you help me suppress the evil fire's backlash, I'll give you anything you want!" Ma Xiaotao said anxiously.
"You seem very afraid of your own power." Huo Yuhao retracted the Phoenix Evil Fire, smiling slightly. "Since you put it that way, I won't refuse."
"I can help you suppress the evil fire's backlash, but in return, I want a soul bone!"