"Really?"
Huo Yuhao was overjoyed. Ever since he entered Shrek Academy, he had increasingly felt how minuscule his knowledge was. After seeing so many powerful individuals, his desire for strength had grown even stronger. Unfortunately, his innate talent was lacking, so he could only work hard in secret. Now, even the Heavenly Dream Iceworm was praising him; how could he not be ecstatic?
The Heavenly Dream Iceworm said, sounding utterly exhausted, "However, that single finger strike just now used my origin power. This is my spiritual source power, and it was only thanks to it that I could temporarily take control of your body. Furthermore, after your body sustained that impact, my power won't be able to possess you again for at least a year. You must be extremely careful. Alright, I won't talk to you anymore; I'm going back to sleep. Work hard to increase your strength quickly. Once you are strong enough, you won't need to keep bothering me."
Every time the Heavenly Dream Iceworm appeared, it was always in such a hurry. Huo Yuhao wanted to ask it some questions about controlling soul skills, but it had already fallen into a deep sleep, and his surroundings returned to their usual tranquility.
...
Wang Dong was the first to wake. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw a middle-aged man in white standing before him. Before he could even speak, Huo Yuhao, who was beside him, also let out a groan of pain and slowly opened his eyes.
Unlike Huo Yuhao, who had a vague idea of the situation, Wang Dong's mind was a complete blank. He asked in bewilderment, "What on earth happened? What was that monster just now?"
The middle-aged man in white said indifferently, "Since you two are fine, be smart and forget everything that just happened. Otherwise, you will be expelled from the academy. These two items are for you; consider them compensation. I trust you are both intelligent individuals."
With that, he tossed a green object to both Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao.
The two instinctively reached out to catch them. The middle-aged man then soared into the air, heading toward Sea God Lake.
"Go back to class. Remember, forget everything you saw."
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong exchanged glances, completely dumbfounded.
"Huo Yuhao, tell me, what exactly happened just now?"
Wang Dong asked in a low voice.
Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, "I don't know either. It seems we just ran into a madman."
Wang Dong looked down at the green object in his palm. He froze for a moment, and then his face lit up with sheer joy. "Wow, we're rich! An Ascending Soul Pill! It's actually an Ascending Soul Pill!"
Huo Yuhao looked at the green object in his hand with doubt. It was an emerald-green pill about the size of a walnut, emitting a refreshing fragrance. Its exterior was a vibrant green, and a translucent light seemed to flow within it, brimming with the aura of life.
"An Ascending Soul Pill? Is it also a type of medicinal pill, like the Profound Water Pill?"
Huo Yuhao asked curiously.
Wang Dong said, "Yeah! And it's a pill of the same grade. Generally speaking, the Profound Water Pill is extremely precious because it can easily help me cleanse my marrow. But for someone whose cultivation has surpassed rank thirty, reaching the threshold of a Soul Master, the Shenghun Pill is much better than the Profound Water Pill. Therefore, the value of the Shenghun Pill and the Profound Water Pill are on par with each other. Quickly put it away. I heard it's not easy to refine this kind of pill. I can't believe that teacher just now paid us so much in hush money. I've decided to pretend I didn't see anything that happened earlier."
Huo Yuhao asked, "Can you explain it clearly? What exactly does this Shenghun Pill do?"
Wang Dong chuckled and said, "I'm not telling you, beg me!"
Having said that, he turned and ran towards the freshman teaching building.
Huo Yuhao was silent for a moment, carefully put the Shenghun Pill into his Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges, then turned and chased after Wang Dong. As he ran, he shouted, "If you don't tell me, I'll go ask Senior Brother. Senior Brother will definitely know. And now, lunch is on me."
Wang Dong slowed down, waiting for him to catch up. "Alright then, I want to eat."
Huo Yuhao took out all his possessions and said, "Anyway, I'm an orphan with no home to return to. This is all I have. You can take a look and decide for yourself."
Wang Dong fell silent for a moment and said, "You... you're an orphan?"
Huo Yuhao nodded.
Wang Dong continued, "Your dorm bed doesn't even have a mattress. Is it not because you want to cultivate diligently, but because you don't have money to buy one?"
Huo Yuhao said, "I think saving money for food is more important. Food here is too expensive."
Wang Dong unconsciously stopped walking. Huo Yuhao, who was walking with him, naturally stopped as well and asked, "What are you doing? Class is about to start, we need to hurry up."
Wang Dong pressed his lips together, staring intently at Huo Yuhao. Huo Yuhao was startled and asked nervously, "What's wrong with you? Did that guy just now mess with your head?"
Wang Dong took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled and said, "Huo Yuhao, I'm really sorry. I didn't know you were an orphan. I shouldn't have bullied you."
Huo Yuhao chuckled and said, "Aren't you used to bullying others?"
Wang Dong angrily slapped his shoulder and said, "Can you not ruin my moment of emotion? Let's go, hurry up. From now on, all your meal expenses are on me."
Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, "That won't do either. Teacher Xiao Ya has already figured out a way to help me. Every day after class, I go sell grilled fish, which is enough for my living expenses. Tonight, I'll treat you to grilled fish."
As they spoke, the two of them set off towards the teaching building. As they walked, Wang Dong explained the effects of the Shenghun Pill to him.
The main effect of the Shenghun Pill is to increase Soul Power. It is refined from several types of rare treasures of heaven and earth as medicinal catalysts. Each Soul Master can only use one in their lifetime. The increase in Soul Power is roughly equivalent to helping a Rank 30 Soul Master advance to Rank 31, sometimes even more. An increase of one rank in Soul Power—this is truly a rare and excellent item! However, if one consumes too many, it will affect the user's cultivation potential.
Furthermore, the Sheng Hun Dan is somewhat similar to the Xuan Shui Dan, because in addition to stimulating potential, its primary purpose is to provide nourishment, so its medicinal properties are mild. Any Soul Master of Rank 10 or above can use it.
—If I take it, will my Soul Power increase?
Huo Yuhao asked tentatively.
Wang Dong shook his head and said, "I don't know. I've never heard of a Rank 10 Soul Master consuming a Sheng Hun Dan. This thing, for better or worse, is a good item, and it rarely appears at auctions. I heard that only a few Plant-type Soul Masters know how to make it, and the annual production is no more than twenty pills. We really got lucky this time. It seems the academy is still very fair; that guy threatened us, but unexpectedly gave us such a good item."
Unlike Wang Dong, who was beaming with joy, Huo Yuhao felt no joy whatsoever. He knew full well that if it hadn't been for the Heavenly Dream Iceworm's last-minute rescue, he and Wang Dong would have long since been burnt to a crisp. They wouldn't even have had the chance to use any elixirs.