“Huo Yuhao, I didn't expect your grilled fish to be so delicious. After this, tonight I'll treat you to dinner, and then you can make me grilled fish, okay?”
Wang Dong, with a lingering look of craving, excitedly asked Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao chuckled:
“Do you really want to eat grilled fish every night? No matter how delicious it is, eating it like that every day will make you utterly sick of it.”
Wang Dong shook his head:
“No, no, let's just eat first and worry about it later. So it's decided, tonight I want four fish. Two isn't enough! I saw a lot of people queuing earlier. You should grill a bit more. It doesn't take much time anyway. If you keep grilling the same amount, others will have eaten all the fish before you're even done.”
After cleaning up their stall, the two returned to their dormitory, ate dinner, and then went back to their room.
“Senior Brother just gave me another Profound Water Pill. Wang Dong, after I take this Profound Water Pill, can I immediately use a Soul Ascension Pill?”
Huo Yuhao asked Wang Dong. After all, Wang Dong knew more than he did, and having just received two precious elixirs, he was indeed a bit eager to immediately increase his cultivation and catch up with his fellow students.
Wang Dong thought for a moment:
“In my opinion, you shouldn't rush to use either the Profound Water Pill or the Soul Ascension Pill right now!”
“Why?”
Huo Yuhao asked, surprised.
Wang Dong replied:
“You just took one yesterday. Many impurities in your body have been expelled, and the medicinal power in your body hasn't been fully absorbed yet. If you take another one now, while it will still have an effect, you'll waste a lot of its medicinal power. Both Profound Water Pills and Soul Ascension Pills are heavenly and earthly treasures; you must think carefully when using them. I suggest you cultivate for about ten more days, fully absorb the medicinal power of yesterday's Profound Water Pill, and only then continue to take more, gradually improving both your physique and increasing your soul power. After fully absorbing two Profound Water Pills, your physical quality will have improved significantly. At that point, you can continue with the Soul Ascension Pill, and the benefits you gain will be much greater.”
Listening to Wang Dong's analysis, Huo Yuhao nodded:
“Thank you. It's really fortunate to have you by my side; otherwise, I would have wasted so much. What about you? Are you using yours today?”
Wang Dong nodded:
“I'm currently at level twenty-one, and my meridians are in perfect condition. Using a Soul Ascension Pill now is extremely suitable. After taking the Soul Ascension Pill, I'll need a bit of time to assimilate its medicinal power... Haha, tomorrow I'll at least reach level twenty-two, maybe even level twenty-three. Didn't Xiao Ya say that if I get first place in the assessment, I'll be able to enter the Tang Sect? After taking the Soul Ascension Pill, my chances of winning are even higher. Alright, I'll start now. You should cultivate too.”
After saying that, he took out the Soul Ascension Pill and put it into his mouth, gently biting into it. A delicate, fragrant aroma wafted from the elixir. Wang Dong gently inhaled, and a stream of blue liquid flowed out and went straight down into his stomach. After that, he directly chewed the entire elixir.
At this moment, a pure fragrance, like a myriad of flowers blooming, filled the entire room. Huo Yuhao felt incredibly comfortable; all his pores opened up, and a sense of exhilaration spread throughout his body. Not daring to miss this opportunity, he immediately sat cross-legged, circulated his soul power, and began to meditate.
After his meridians had been cleansed by the Profound Water Pill, cultivation was now pure enjoyment for Huo Yuhao. He quickly entered a state of deep meditation, and the Profound Heaven Art naturally circulated smoothly and steadily.
A layer of jade-green light appeared around Wang Dong, and a fresh aura permeated the room. A portion of it was absorbed by Huo Yuhao, while the larger part entered Wang Dong with his breathing. Stimulated by the Soul Ascension Pill, his soul power increased at an astonishing rate.
After the initial two days of unfamiliarity, Huo Yuhao's life at the academy began to stabilize, and his reputation gradually took shape. Of course, this reputation wasn't based on his strength, but on his superb fish-grilling skills. Almost all the teachers and students who tasted his grilled fish praised it endlessly.
The number of grilled fish Huo Yuhao made increased from twenty to thirty per day, but it still couldn't satisfy the demand. Despite this, he refused to make more. After all, his cultivation time was still the most important.
To get a taste of the grilled fish, many students rushed to the gate to queue up immediately after class. Furthermore, because of the overwhelming demand, Huo Yuhao limited sales to one fish per person, with no exceptions. His fair handling of the situation earned him the goodwill and praise of many teachers and students.
The Outer Court's number one beauty, Jiang Nannan, finally got to taste the grilled fish. This time, she even queued up to buy it herself. More interestingly, although Xu Sanshi failed to win Jiang Nannan's affection with the grilled fish, he was captivated by its flavor and became one of Huo Yuhao's regular customers.
Three months passed in a flash. Under Zhou Yi's strict instruction, Freshman Class One was completely transformed. What startled the senior students, however, was that after three months of enduring Zhou Yi's harsh training, sixty-seven students remained, far exceeding the expected one-third.
Over these three months, the person who had changed the most was Huo Yuhao.
When he first entered the academy, his soul power was only at rank ten, and he had only recently acquired his first soul ring. His strength could be said to be at the very bottom of the academy.
But after three months, Huo Yuhao had undergone a complete transformation and was unanimously chosen by his peers to be the class monitor.
This was not because his strength was the highest, but because his unyielding perseverance had earned the respect of the entire class. It was also thanks to his influence that more than two-thirds of the class managed to endure Zhou Yi's harsh training and remain after three months.
Huo Yuhao was incredibly hardworking; almost all the students and teachers of the freshman class knew him. Whenever he was in class, whether in the morning or afternoon, no matter how difficult the curriculum, he always listened intently to the teachers' explanations.