[ Rewriting Ma Xiaotao's fate: +20,000 Fortune Points! ]
What a surprising windfall!
"About 10,000 Fortune Points," Zhuge Lan said with a smile. "Now we have some reserves to fall back on, which makes me feel much safer."
Huo Yuhao nodded enthusiastically.
10,000 Fortune Points!
The first stage of the Muscle Transformation Manual only cost 5,000 Fortune Points.
What a steal!
"Excellent!" the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm exclaimed. "We're 10% closer to awakening spiritual telekinesis!"
"You're celebrating too soon," Zhuge Lan drawled. "Little Yuhao has already grasped the basics of the Muscle Transformation Manual. It's time for him to learn something else."
Learning new things always required expenditure.
But this was Huo Yuhao's Fortune Points to begin with. What could the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm say?
"Besides, even if we're awakening spiritual telekinesis, shouldn't we start with Little Yuhao?" Zhuge Lan pressed his advantage.
"Hmph!" the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm snapped angrily. "You're always bullying me! I'm ignoring you!"
It burrowed into the ground and vanished without a trace.
Zhuge Lan chuckled softly. "Such a fiery temper," he remarked.
"Brother Lan, Brother Tianmeng, we're a trio. There's no need for this," Huo Yuhao interjected, trying to mediate.
"Our top priority is to strengthen you. You're the foundation of our efforts," Zhuge Lan analyzed. "We have 10,000 Fortune Points this time. Do you want to invest in offensive capabilities or Movement Skill?"
"I'll follow your lead, Brother Lan."
"Alright then. You focus on cultivating the Profound Water Pill. I'll give it some thought."
"Understood."
Huo Yuhao devoted himself entirely to refining the Profound Water Pill.
Zhuge Lan began to ponder.
As expected, Huo Yuhao was assigned to Class 1 of the freshmen cohort, under Instructor Zhou Yi.
The tri-annual assessments were a critical hurdle; failure meant expulsion.
Therefore, developing a powerful offensive technique seemed most appropriate.
However!
Zhou Yi was just like Yu Xiaogang—both believed in nurturing only their chosen geniuses while relying on... running as their standard training method.
How absurd was that?
With so many efficient training methods available, they insisted on long-distance running.
It was truly unparalleled in its... uniqueness.
Nevertheless, Zhuge Lan knew of a specific Movement Skill that could be enhanced through running. Moreover, when combined with spiritual telekinesis, this skill could produce a synergistic effect greater than the sum of its parts.
[ Condition: Movement Skill from the Eightfold Path Heavenly Dragon martial arts novel, the Carefree Sect's Lingbo Micro-Step! ]
[ Cost: 50,000 Fortune Points! ]
[ Create? ]
'That's so expensive!'
Zhuge Lan changed the condition.
[ Condition: Movement Skill from the Profound Heaven Treasure Record, the Ghost Shadow Traceless! ]
[ Cost: 8,000 Fortune Points! ]
[ Create? ]
'Seems the price is correct.
Well, expensive is fine as long as it's effective.'
He checked his balance: 46,521 Fortune Points!
Of that, 20,000 was his private stash, and the rest was recent earnings, half of which came from Huo Yuhao.
'Still far short.
No rush to use it now. I'll just keep saving up.'
The night passed uneventfully.
Huo Yuhao continued cultivating until daybreak, a thick black shell forming on his body. The overpowering stench, even carried by the wind, reached the dormitory building.
"Hmm—"
"Who pissed their pants?"
"Did the sewers explode?"
"Find him! Find the bastard and drag him out!"
The commotion jolted Huo Yuhao awake. Emerging from his cultivation state, he instinctively took a deep breath...
"Ahh—"
Holy shit!
Is the smell really that overpowering?
Hearing the furious shouting, he felt a pang of guilt.
Looking up at the lounge chair, he found it empty—chair and occupant alike had vanished.
The reason was obvious.
Huo Yuhao hurried to the bath.
Then he chuckled.
Three Profound Water Pills had accelerated his progress in the Muscle Transformation Manual by two months' worth. The first stage was now at around 5% completion.
His soul power had surged from just entering level 13 all the way to mid-level 15!
His cultivation speed had increased from five times normal to nine times normal!
Nearly doubled!
Moreover, he could sense that the effect of increasing soul power had diminished to almost nothing, yet the Profound Water Pill's ability to purify his body remained as effective as ever under the Muscle Transformation Manual.
'This Profound Water Pill accelerates the cultivation of the Muscle Transformation Manual!'
"To be precise, it's not the Profound Water Pill itself, but one of its ingredients—the Arhat Vajra Fruit," Zhuge Lan corrected. "You don't need to handle this personally. Just mention it to Ma Xiaotao, and she'll naturally provide the resources."
"Huh? Have Xiaotao buy me the resources?" Huo Yuhao hesitated.
"You can't possibly think that joining our Holy Flame Meow Meow Sect automatically grants you the Muscle Transformation Manual, can you?" Zhuge Lan said, exasperated. "We earn Fortune Points through our own efforts. What has Ma Xiaotao contributed? Shouldn't you repay your benefactor?"
Huo Yuhao scratched his head.
'That makes sense, doesn't it?'
"Alright, take a look at your stats now."
[Host: Huo Yuhao
Level: 15
Martial Soul 1: Spirit Eye
Martial Soul 2: Blank
Fortune Points: 23,241
Five-Dimensional Attributes:
Spiritual Telekinesis: 57
Immunity: 21
Cellular Vigor: 29
Muscle Strength: 27
Nervous Reaction Speed: 31
Note: Normal Level 15 attributes are 50 points!]
Huo Yuhao's eyes widened!
Only four days had passed, yet his attributes had skyrocketed?
This was absurd!
"You think that's fast?" Zhuge Lan said, lecturing him.
"You've consumed a fortune in resources. Azure Spring Tea, Profound Water Pills, and the Muscle Transformation Manual—these are opportunities most Soul Masters never get.
Cultivation is a race! A race for resources, fortune, and dominance! Don't feel guilty. Compared to the benefits the Muscle Transformation Manual brought Ma Xiaotao, your gains are trivial.
Besides, the Vajra Arhat Fruit accelerates the Muscle Transformation Manual's cultivation. That information alone is worth a fortune to Ma Xiaotao."
Huo Yuhao silently took note of this.
These principles had never been taught to him before.
If Brother Lan hadn't explained them, he would have had to learn them the hard way through bitter experience.
After a thorough wash, he finally managed to scrub away the lingering stench that had nearly permeated his skin.
Returning to the dormitory, Huo Yuhao reached for the door, but it swung open before his hand could touch it. His hand landed awkwardly on Wang Dong's chest as the latter stepped through.
Wang Dong's eyes flashed dangerously!
But Huo Yuhao withdrew his hand even faster, offering Wang Dong a friendly smile as he stepped aside to let him pass.
Wang Dong's face burned with anger, but he knew Huo Yuhao hadn't done it deliberately.
Besides, the other boy couldn't possibly know that he was...
Still, the frustration boiled over. "Class starts today! What are you still standing here for?"
This was their first conversation since the fight a few days ago.
"Right, I know," Huo Yuhao nodded. "But there's still half an hour left. I want to cultivate a bit more."
Wang Dong's expression softened slightly.
He had noticed Huo Yuhao's relentless efforts these past few days, especially how the victor was willing to abide by the rules Wang Dong had set earlier.
This earned him a measure of respect.
But only a measure.
"You'll pay for being late!"
He strode past Huo Yuhao and quickly left. Huo Yuhao sniffed the air, a strangely pleasant aroma lingering.
He didn't dwell on it.
Returning to his familiar little bed, he sat cross-legged and began circulating the Muscle Transformation Manual.
Only half an hour remained. Not enough time to expel significant impurities, so there wouldn't be any smell.
As for why he didn't go outside?
His furious classmates, seniors, and juniors were still hunting for the source of the foul odor.
He didn't want to become an easy target for their vigilante justice.