Chapter 31: The True Form

A martial soul fusion skill is indeed powerful. Even for a three-ring or four-ring spirit master, being enveloped in this web of hair leaves no room for resistance.

"Truly terrifying..."

Huo Yuhao sighed for a moment, then focused his mind and unleashed a mental shock into the depths of the hair web.

The battle ended.

The sky-filling strands of hair receded like a receding tide, revealing the two sisters lying unconscious on the ground. Even after completing their spirit power fusion, their mental resistance was as fragile as paper before Huo Yuhao; they stood no chance against such a sudden soul shock.

"Teacher."

Under Wang Yan's gaze—which looked as if he were seeing a ghost—Huo Yuhao adjusted his clothes and nodded toward him. This battle was less a case of the weak overcoming the strong, and more him using his vastly superior mental power to bully those beneath him.

"Ah? Oh..."

Wang Yan blinked blankly, his eyes darting as he looked down at the roster in his hand. Was something wrong with his vision? He had just witnessed a one-ring spirit master break a two-ring martial soul fusion skill head-on—and not by interrupting them during the casting, but by taking the full brunt of the initial attack, struggling, and then launching a counterattack.

*How did this world suddenly become so strange?*

Wang Yan had no appetite for the following matches. His lips felt dry; he would have given anything for a cigarette or a drink right now. As he expected, Huo Yuhao, who could overcome even a fusion skill, breezed through the rest of the matches with ease, ending fights with nothing more than a casual glance.

"Student Huo Yuhao!"

After the matches concluded, Wang Yan hurried to catch up with him. "Wait a moment... could I have a little of your time?"

"Of course."

Huo Yuhao already had a rough idea of what he wanted to ask.

"It's like this~" Wang Yan rehearsed his words in his mind, fearing he might say something wrong. "According to my observations over the past two days, you can defeat your opponents with a simple glance, and your spirit power fluctuations are barely noticeable..."

"If I'm not mistaken, you're achieving this through mental attacks. And they are quite pure mental attacks at that, requiring little to no spirit power assistance." Wang Yan tried to verify his guess. "Your first spirit skill must be something like a mental shock, right?"

"No," Huo Yuhao denied it on the spot. "My first spirit skill is Mental Interference, which can scramble an opponent's mind. As for mental shocks... I just project my mental power directly."

As he spoke, he paused, as if something had suddenly clicked in his mind. *Project it?* That’s right—the Spirit Eye martial soul essentially had two characteristics: either exploring and receiving external information, or projecting spirit and soul outward. Either seeing, or glaring. This sudden inspiration lifted Huo Yuhao's spirits, and he was now in a better mood to deal with Wang Yan's questions.

"Ahem~ I still have some questions. To be able to instantly defeat two two-ring masters, your total mental power must exceed that of an ordinary spirit elder. And to withstand the power of a martial soul fusion skill head-on, your physical constitution cannot be weak either."

Wang Yan continued his inquiry, though this time his expression was conflicted as he carefully observed Huo Yuhao's reaction. "How did you acquire such formidable power? Of course, I don't demand an answer; it's fine if you don't want to say."

Digging into someone else's secrets was like digging up their roots; he wasn't sure if the student would suddenly turn on him.

"A good body and a good mind given by my elders."

"..."

"It really was given by my elders," Huo Yuhao reaffirmed with a firm nod, as if after careful consideration.

"Then... what is your martial soul?"

"Eyes. I usually call it the Spirit Eye." Huo Yuhao pointed to his glowing eyes.

*Eyes? A Body Martial Soul!!*

Looking into his eyes, Wang Yan's expression turned tense, fearing his expectations would be dashed. "Are you from the Body Sect?"

"What's that?"

It was the first time Huo Yuhao had heard of this organization. "I have no intention of joining any sect for now; I only seek to find an academy where I can grow." He added, as if fearing Wang Yan wouldn't believe him: "Beibei and Tang Ya from the senior grades can vouch for me on this."

A Body Martial Soul that hadn't joined any organization! And with natural physical strength and a mental mutation to boot! In an instant, a look of pure ecstasy filled Wang Yan's eyes. He abandoned his usual composure and gripped Huo Yuhao's shoulders tightly. "Body... Body Martial Soul!"

"Haha... Heaven bless Shrek! I never expected the academy to stumble upon such a massive stroke of luck!"

Overwhelmed, Wang Yan became somewhat incoherent. "No wonder~ No wonder you could possess such strength despite holding only a ten-year spirit ring. So that's why~"

The shock the Body Sect had brought to Shrek in the past was profound; a few years ago, they had even gathered a team specifically to study Body Martial Souls. The more they studied, the more shocked they became. A Body Martial Soul not only perfectly enhanced the user but could also undergo multiple transformations as cultivation increased and the soul was developed, allowing it to leap into the ranks of top-tier martial souls. Even setting aside the potential limits, the mere fact that it could improve the body's constitution was enough to drive people mad. After all, it meant the body could withstand higher-year spirit rings! Even if Huo Yuhao's martial soul strength wasn't exaggerated now, he would surely be able to obtain the same spirit ring configurations as those top-tier beast martial souls in the future.

"Huo Yuhao..."

Wang Yan struggled to calm his emotions and gave his shoulder a heavy pat. "Alright~ go back and rest for now. I'll come find you again in a while! I might just have a surprise for you."

A super genius among the freshmen with a mental-attribute Body Martial Soul. This news had to be told to Elder Xuan. If it could garner the attention of the Sea God's Pavilion and secure intensive training, this child's future would be limitless! He might even be able to attach a ten-thousand-year black ring at his fourth spirit ring.

"For the glory of Shrek!"

Wang Yan left with a solemn expression and a feverish gleam in his eyes, as if his life suddenly had a new purpose.

"...Tianmeng, do you know what the Body Sect is?" Huo Yuhao looked at Wang Yan's slightly neurotic retreating figure, feeling speechless, and poked Tianmeng, who was watching the scene unfold in his mental sea.

"You've come to the right person for that."

Tianmeng shifted his head. It just so happened that he had previously tried to attach himself to a mental-attribute spirit master and had gained some of the person's memories, giving him some understanding of these matters.

"The Body Sect is a reclusive sect that suddenly appeared thousands of years ago. The members are all people like you, who use parts of their own bodies as martial souls. However, these people are powerful yet highly elusive, keeping a low profile so the world has no way of finding their base."