Ma Xiaotao stood with one hand on her hip and the other holding an object, waiting for a reaction.
But Huo Yuhao remained silent, stunned.
'He's speechless, right?'
She glanced at Huo Yuhao, meeting his bewildered gaze.
"Sister Xiaotao, what's this?"
Ma Xiaotao: "..."
So she's putting on a show for a blind man?
"You don't even recognize a soul bone?" she asked incredulously. "This is a 50,000-year Emerald Spirit Eye Skull, a spirit-type soul bone. I got it from Teacher..."
"Ahem!"
"Anyway, this is my thanks for teaching me the Muscle Transformation Manual. Don't say I, Ma Xiaotao, took advantage of you!"
Huo Yuhao's face slowly contorted, his mouth agape and finger pointing at Ma Xiaotao, yet he couldn't utter a single word.
He was too overwhelmed, frozen.
Ma Xiaotao nodded in satisfaction.
'That's right!'
"That's more like it," she said, thrusting the head soul bone into Huo Yuhao's hands. "I brought this head soul bone specifically for you. Refusing it would be insulting me!"
"You said you wanted to talk to me about something. What is it?"
Huo Yuhao clutched the Emerald Spirit Eye Skull, all his excuses suddenly rendered useless.
"Brother Lan! Brother Tianmeng! What do we do?!"
"Why refuse a head soul bone delivered right to your doorstep?" the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm said, exasperated. "A 50,000-year soul bone is more than enough!"
"Exactly," Zhuge Lan agreed.
Though the Emerald Spirit Eye Skull couldn't compare to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion Destiny Skull that the original Huo Yuhao had obtained...
But!
He'd already crossed over to this world.
Was Wang Qiu'er still going to be sacrificed?
Or, to put it another way:
If the Three-Eyed Golden Lion was still called Wang Qiu'er, then Zhuge Lan and Tang San would change each other's surnames!
As for the issue of its age...
Just use some fortune points to upgrade it. What's the big deal?
With their support, Huo Yuhao's nerves steadied. He solemnly clasped his hands and bowed deeply to Ma Xiaotao.
Ma Xiaotao dodged the gesture, kicking him in the back to physically force him upright.
"Such a fuss," Ma Xiaotao grumbled, clearly annoyed. "What's a 50,000-year-old head soul bone compared to letting me train freely? Even if Teacher finds out, he'll definitely approve!"
"Find out?" Huo Yuhao seized on the weak point. "Sister Xiaotao, if he..."
"Don't worry about it!" Ma Xiaotao waved dismissively, interrupting him. "Didn't you have something to say? If you don't say it now, I'm leaving!"
She spread her wings, ready to take flight.
"I'll tell you, I'll tell you!" Huo Yuhao blurted out hastily. "The Vajra Arhat Fruit can aid in cultivating the Muscle Transformation Manual, accelerating body tempering efficiency."
He deliberately omitted mentioning the procurement matter; they already had enough Emerald Spirit Eye Skull.
At this news, a fiery glint flashed in Ma Xiaotao's eyes!
"Accelerate?" she exclaimed, laughing heartily. "At this year's Soul Master Grand Tournament, I'm definitely reaching Seven-Ring Soul Sage!"
"Little Yuhao, you're my lucky star! I'm going to buy medicinal herbs now, and I'll get you some too!"
Ma Xiaotao eagerly flapped her wings and soared toward Sea God Island.
No further explanation was needed.
A certain Titled Douluo was about to be fleeced again.
Huo Yuhao put away the Emerald Spirit Eye Skull and watched Ma Xiaotao fly off.
His eyes burned with determination.
He had to become stronger!
At least as strong as Sister Xiaotao!
"Wow! That's such a low goal!" Zhuge Lan scoffed. "Start with something small—like becoming a god!"
"Brother Lan, is that really considered small?" Huo Yuhao said, resting his forehead in his hand.
"Zhuge is right, Little Yuhao," the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm encouraged. "You need to aim higher! By the end of this semester, you must cultivate to level 20. Then I'll take you to seize a great opportunity!"
"Five levels in a year... With the Muscle Transformation Manual, that should be manageable!" Huo Yuhao agreed. "I'll work hard!"
With that, he pulled out some dried meat and quickly filled his stomach with water. He then sat cross-legged on the rooftop and began cultivating.
'Since I'd just be cultivating under the tree anyway when I got back, why waste the time?'
As for the Emerald Spirit Eye Skull...
'I'll wait and see.'
From Ma Xiaotao's words, it was clear she hadn't obtained the soul bone with Yan Shaozhe's permission. If he couldn't produce it when the dean came looking, that could lead to trouble.
Within the spiritual world:
"Tsk!" the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm clicked his tongue. "Little Yuhao is great in every way, except he's too cautious. Just absorb it completely—does anyone at Shrek dare kill someone for a bone?"
"In the past, they might have," Zhuge Lan said slowly. "But not anymore. They wouldn't dare now."
The enigmatic Holy Flame Meow Meow Cult, the miraculous Muscle Transformation Manual, and the immensely promising Huo Yuhao—all of these were more valuable than a single Emerald Spirit Eye Skull.
Yet caution was prudent, so neither the man nor the silkworm pressed the matter.
The midday break passed quickly.
Huo Yuhao went to the bathhouse early, cleaned up, and returned to the classroom to scope out the situation.
"Yuhao's here."
"Call him Class Leader."
"Class Leader Yuhao?"
"Class Leader Huo, sit down quickly! The old hag's coming!"
...a completely different reception from this morning.
Huo Yuhao smiled and responded to each greeting, settling back into his seat in the front row.
This time, Zhou Yi didn't push open the door but walked onto the podium through the teacher's entrance.
"Huo Yuhao, is everyone present?"
"Yes, Teacher Zhou. All 93 students are here," Huo Yuhao replied.
Zhou Yi nodded and raised her hand.
Clatter, clatter, clatter—
A pile of iron armor materialized out of thin air, so tall it obscured Zhou Yi completely.
"One suit per person. Huo Yuhao, lead them in a run. Anyone who falls out of line before the bell rings will be expelled."
"Only soul power is allowed. No Martial Souls or soul skills. Violators will be expelled."
"There are too many of you—93. At least three must be expelled."
Three expulsion threats in quick succession tightened every face in the room.
Huo Yuhao pressed his hand against the desk, flipped over, grabbed his iron armor, and tossed it to the back.
"More people, help distribute them!"
"Those who got armor, put it on after you've filed out. Take your time to adjust—don't rush!"
"Remember!"
"We're a team. As long as we support each other, Teacher Zhou can't expel all of us, right?"
These words gave the group confidence. Wang Dong and others stepped forward to help.
Watching the smoothly functioning team, Zhou Yi's lips curved imperceptibly upward.
'This Huo Yuhao... he's truly amusing.'
Drawing on their morning experience, the 93 students effortlessly formed a triangular formation, with the physically stronger students supporting the weaker ones.
For the first hour and a half, things went relatively smoothly. Though drenched in sweat, everyone persevered.
But even the human body has its limits.
The weakest students began collapsing one after another, their bodies failing under the strain.
Each student, even the lightest, weighed over a hundred pounds with their iron armor.
Zhou Yi, Zhuge Lan, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm, Wang Dong, and others all watched, waiting to see how Huo Yuhao would respond.
"Pick them up!"
Huo Yuhao was the first to step forward, helping Wang Dong carry a fallen classmate.
He shouted loudly:
"We're a team! This is just training!"
"We can't leave any of our classmates behind! Help them up!"
"We'll slow down and run together. We can definitely make it!"
His words rang with conviction. Several strong boys moved toward their fallen classmates. But...
Selfishness is human nature.
Some students broke away from the group and continued running ahead.
One of them glanced back, his gaze filled with mockery and contempt.
"Do they really think they're saviors? Like they can save everyone?"