Chapter 43: Trying Martial Soul Fusion

Huo Yuqing began a more challenging path of study.

She took the Heavenly Shui Pill, and her soul power steadily grew to level 16. Her meridians were expanded by the pill's strength, making them more resilient, and her natural talent was greatly improved, accelerating her cultivation speed by five to six times.

The Heavenly Water Pill's effects were even more potent than the Mysterious Water Pill. Its most valuable trait was that its medicinal power did not take full effect all at once. Once the body reached its limit in absorbing the pill's power, the remaining gentle medicinal force would be stored in the meridians, nourishing them like the true spring water, continuously nurturing and strengthening the meridians.

Additionally, under the continuous supplementation of medicinal meals by Lu Mingyou, Huo Yuqing's childhood nutritional deficiencies were also greatly supplemented. Within a month, she had grown an entire centimeter taller.

The little girl now spent her mornings memorizing herb compatibility theories with Lu Mingyou and learning to identify rarer medicinal herbs. In the afternoons, she went to New City's Soul Engineer shop in Emerald City to learn from Wen Qiang.

Wen Qiang... this guy had his own special teaching method: starting with dismantling.

Over the past two weeks, besides learning the most basic soul engineer theory, Huo Yuqing had taken apart almost every type of soul device she could find.

From auxiliary soul devices to combat soul devices, ranging from long-range to close combat, she dismantled them all with great satisfaction, even taking apart some relatively safe Level 7 soul devices.

However, in most academies on the continent, soul engineers taught apprentices by starting with metal forging, learning how to make the outer shell, then the inner shell, and finally carving the core formation. Once they were skilled, they would begin assembling and designing their own soul devices.

Wen Qiang went against the grain. He first had Huo Yuqing dismantle many soul devices made by different people, then summarize a set of ideas for designing soul devices before learning how to inscribe core formations and create the inner and outer shells.

If any academy saw this teaching method, they would undoubtedly criticize it as unconventional.

As for the first step in soul device creation—refining metals...

Wen Qiang believed that a true soul engineer should skip this step. While other places might not know this, New City directly provided the refined metals, even molten alloys, when making soul devices.

After all, a soul engineer only needed to shape the metal as they wanted; they didn't need to forge it like a blacksmith.

This teaching method was highly suitable for those with a talent for summarizing and finding their own approach, but completely unsuitable for ordinary people.

Fortunately, Huo Yuqing's mind worked well, and this method allowed her to form a unique way of thinking and understanding early on. If another normal 11-year-old child had been taught this way, they would likely have been confused.

In contrast to Huo Yuqing's smooth progress, the situation for Wang Rui was not as good.

The magic taught by Illex was from a completely unfamiliar system, and Wang Rui had lived for over ten thousand years in the Douluo Continent, so certain ways of using power had already become ingrained instincts. On top of that, the laws of the two worlds were very different, which caused Wang Rui a bit of trouble while learning magic.

The first thing he had to figure out was the conversion between magic and soul power.

However, magic was ultimately another way of wielding power, and in the end, the forces of each world were ultimately the same... Unlike the powers of soul masters, which came with their own attributes, magic was more about using mental power, specific incantations, and inscriptions to control the elements in the air.

Once he got the magic-soul power conversion figured out, learning magic was not as difficult.

After memorizing the theoretical knowledge, Wang Rui clumsily tried out all the light-based magic that the former Light Child remembered.

It was alright, though not perfect.

Wang Rui's martial soul only simulated Ultimate Fire, so in his human form, he couldn't use the abilities of his true Ultimate Light. However, magic helped make up for this shortcoming, providing him with additional means of self-preservation.

Learning existing light-based magic was one thing, but improving contract magic was another.

Breaking down existing contract magic, re-coding it, and adjusting it to achieve the effect Wang Rui needed was no easy task.

Especially since Wang Rui wanted to add some elements related to fate in the contract—although Electrolux studied the Grand Turtle Shell Technique, which was a form of using fate power, fate was ultimately a power reliant on talent. Magic related to fate was rare in the Holy Magic Continent, and Electrolux's understanding of fate was limited...

So, the Necromancer Sage happily ran off to study his Bone Dragon and magic cannon.

Despite Wang Rui spending every moment immersed in his mental space to study magic, the progress on altering the contract remained slow.

"I still want to finish the new contract before going to Shrek, so I can sign it with Jiang Nannan and Yan zhi..." Wang Rui slumped his head on the table, feeling utterly dejected.

Electrolux was speechless at this.

Two weeks and you want to finish a hammer, young man... no, young beast, how impatient.

The time quickly passed in a blur of busyness.

Tomorrow was the last day of Shrek's enrollment period.

Wang Rui stayed on the second floor of Emerald Pavilion, studying his contract inscriptions. He had reworked it again and again, but the results were still unsatisfactory.

Huo Yuqing continued learning soul devices at Wen Qiang's shop, and recently, she had begun studying the principles of core formations and attempting to inscribe Level 1 formations.

As the sun slowly set, Wang Rui looked out the window.

The sunset today was beautiful. The sun wasn't blinding, and the gray sky met the forest's edge, where an unusually blood-red sun hung—beautiful, yet inexplicably oppressive.

The ten-thousand-year-old Sharp-tailed Swift, Xiaobai, landed on the windowsill. "I've finished looking into what you asked me to."

Wang Rui nodded.

"There was indeed someone from Clear Sky Sect during the Shrek enrollment period, registering a boy named Wang Dong. But I didn't see what he looked like, nor if he had powder-blue hair. He hasn't gone to the school yet. However, his class placement has already been decided, and it's Class 1. The homeroom teacher is the most capable one among the first-year teachers. Apparently, the class he's led has the highest promotion rate." The bird-like surveillance device chattered on.

"The disciple from Clear Sky Sect greeted the teacher at the registration desk. If any Tang Sect disciple enters, they'll be placed in the same dorm as Wang Dong... Tch." Xiaobai's face twisted with disgust. "Both the Tang Sect and Clear Sky Sect are no good birds... But since when did Clear Sky Sect's main branch have the surname Wang? Is it a fake name?"

Wang Rui calmly nodded. "I understand. Thanks, you can go back now."

Xiaobai jumped in the window frame, theatrically whining, "You really are a cold-blooded person who just uses me and throws me away."

Wang Rui: ...

"Alright, enough with the useless chatter." The Swift flapped her wings, "I don't trust other members of my clan. I'll stay by your side and deliver messages for now."

"Just don't get caught," Wang Rui nodded and didn't stop her. He knew how capable a ten-thousand-year-old Sharp-tailed Swift was—though she couldn't beat anyone, generally, no one could catch her either.

"Don't underestimate our weak species' ability to hide." The Swift chirped. "Even if I stood on the head of a Title Douluo, they wouldn't notice that I'm a soul beast, not just an ordinary swallow. Do you believe that?"

With that, she flew off.

Wang Rui watched her leave and turned his gaze back to the blood-red sunset.

For some reason, over the past two days, Wang Rui had been feeling a faint sense of discomfort in his heart.

It didn't feel like a life-threatening crisis, but rather a vague, unexplainable sense of unease.

With fate power involved, any abrupt sensation like this should not be taken lightly.

...Although it might sound superstitious, this feeling was likely some kind of warning.

He had indeed avoided many crises through similar premonitions before... But perhaps because his fate vision had evolved due to the attribute connection, this feeling was different from usual.

If past premonitions felt like sharp needles stirring within his mind, this time, it felt more like a toad crawling across the bottom of his foot—an uncomfortable sensation.

Wang Rui wasn't sure what this sudden feeling of discomfort meant. He opened his Fate Vision to check his surroundings, but everything seemed normal. The cloud-like flow of fortune continued undisturbed, with no apparent changes.

...Maybe this meant there was no life-threatening danger, but something very annoying was about to happen.

Wang Rui thought about Shrek and felt his guess was reasonable.

The sun slowly set.

"Wang Rui, I'm back! Today I successfully inscribed the core of a Level 1 soul device... Huh? Why isn't the light on?" Huo Yuqing pushed the door open, her voice sounding happy.

"I was thinking about something and forgot to turn it on." Wang Rui smiled, shaking his head, temporarily setting aside his worries.

"Tomorrow is the last day for Shrek's exam! Today, both Teacher Wen and Teacher Lu gave me an assignment for a storage soul tool, reminding me to keep practicing even when I'm at Shrek!" Huo Yuqing chattered on, naturally walking up to stand beside Wang Rui at the window.

"We're leaving soon... I feel a bit reluctant. I've never really taken the time to enjoy the view, but the golden tree looks beautiful at night..." the girl said softly, looking out the window.

The giant tree's golden branches emitted a soft glow, and the green leaves rustled in the evening breeze. Although it was late, the night in Emerald City was far from quiet. Many soul beasts with nocturnal habits were out roaming.

A bat with golden-red markings flew past their window, looking like a large dog with wings. Farther away, a gray-white giant wolf sat down, ready to howl at the night sky, only to be bitten on the tail by a companion.

"I wonder what the number one academy on the continent is really like... Although it seems like Sister Nan Nan doesn't like it much, Shrek Academy is so famous, it must have something special, right?" Huo Yuqing murmured.

Seeing the longing and expectation in Huo Yuqing's eyes, Wang Rui didn't burst her bubble.

After all, as long as she had normal mental abilities, the academy would probably quickly do that for her once she was there.

"By the way, Yuhao, you're from the Star Luo Empire, right?" Wang Rui suddenly spoke up. "You must know about the White Tiger Duke and his family's affairs, right?"

Huo Yuqing was startled, thinking Wang Rui had discovered her identity. She carefully glanced at his expression, and upon seeing no unusual signs, she cautiously replied, "Of course, I know about that."

"Then you also know that the White Tiger Douluo line possesses a powerful ability called the Martial Soul Fusion Technique?"

Huo Yuqing nodded.

"I feel like there's also a Martial Soul Fusion Technique between us... I've always felt the pulling force from you. I don't know if you've felt it too," Wang Rui said, trying to keep his words casual to avoid arousing any suspicion from Huo Yuqing.

"I have... Um... How about we try it out?" Huo Yuqing blushed slightly, remembering the rumors she had heard about Martial Soul Fusion Techniques.

"Okay, let's do it. Sit down first," Wang Rui gestured as he sat down on the bed and patted the spot next to him.

Huo Yuqing carefully climbed onto the bed, sitting cross-legged a few feet away from him.

The bedding Jiang Nan Nan had brought was very soft, but neither of them had slept much this month. This was probably the first time the bed had been used in this way.

With such close proximity, Huo Yuqing could see every detail of Wang Rui's face. His fiery red eyelashes seemed to have two light golden clusters.

"What's wrong?" Wang Rui asked, noticing Huo Yuqing hadn't moved, looking puzzled.

"Nothing... nothing at all!" Huo Yuqing answered quickly and loudly, then followed his instruction, extending her hand out.

"Good," Wang Rui said, without emotion.

"Now, stretch your hand out," he added.

"Okay, okay," Huo Yuqing realized her earlier reaction was a bit off and quickly followed his command, extending her hand.

It wasn't a hug, but for some reason, the girl felt a little disappointed.

Wang Rui raised his hand to meet hers, and they placed their palms together, with their hands facing each other.