Chapter 11: Consecutive Breakthroughs! Recruiting Ma Xiaotao!

“Drink quickly,” Xu Sanshi reminded, “or Beibei will be back, and then you won’t get a chance.”

Huo Yuhao obediently lifted the teacup. The fragrant tea filled his nostrils, soothing and invigorating like a warm current in winter. A subtle surge of soul power radiated from his stomach into every limb and joint.

Just one sip was worth two hours of grueling training.

—And that’s two hours of the Tendon Changing Classic!

Unable to resist, Huo Yuhao drank the rest of the tea in one gulp.

Then he circulated the Tendon Changing Classic; his soul power was refined at an astonishing speed.

Xu Sanshi was visibly surprised and got up to pour another cup for Huohao.

“Drink more, little Yuhao. I’ve been drinking this tea since I was a kid; it no longer works on me.”

Huo Yuhao nodded and downed the tea in one swallow.

The Tendon Changing Classic circulated smoothly, refining effortlessly.

Xu Sanshi’s surprise grew.

He kept pouring tea, and Huo Yuhao kept drinking.

Soon the entire pot was emptied. Huo Yuhao’s vitality surged noticeably, and the progress of his newly advanced soul power had already passed the halfway mark.

It was incredible!

“Are you even human?” Xu Sanshi exclaimed. “An ordinary first-tier soul master needs to spend over an hour digesting half a cup of this tea. You’re level eleven and drank a whole pot without feeling anything?”

Huo Yuhao blinked.

Was it really that potent?

He muttered vaguely, “Brother Sanshi, you must be joking. My cultivation method is a bit special; it just happens to harmonize perfectly with this Bichun tea.”

Xu Sanshi caught a different meaning in his words.

Cultivation method?

This junior who could see through his soul beast’s flaws seemed to have an unusual background!

“I want to see how much you can drink today.”

“No need,” Huo Yuhao said shyly. “This Bichun tea must be precious. Brother Sanshi, you—”

“Enough said, just trust me!”

Xu Sanshi discarded the used leaves, took the ceramic jar, and brewed a fresh pot.

He placed the entire pot in front of Huo Yuhao.

“Drink as much as you can. Today, you’ll be full.”

Huo Yuhao hesitated, reluctant to make a move.

“What are you afraid of, kid?” Zhuge Lan said gruffly. “They’re asking a favor from you. The more you drink, the happier they are.”

“Huh?” Huo Yuhao worried. “That’s a big debt of gratitude. What if I can’t repay it...”

“Don’t be afraid with me around,” Zhuge Lan instructed. “Besides, favors are a two-way street. Refusing now would only damage the relationship.”

Huo Yuhao considered this and nodded.

“Thanks a lot, Brother Sanshi.”

He lifted the teapot and poured tea into his mouth without using a cup.

“Glug, glug, glug—”

As the tea slid down, the Tendon Changing Classic was already at work digesting it.

He finished the entire pot.

The soul power was fully refined; a faint aura burst forth from his body.

He had broken through to level thirteen!

[Rewritten Huo Yuhao’s fate, +300 fortune points!]

Xu Sanshi rubbed his yellow hair, preparing to brew more tea.

“No need, Brother Sanshi,” Huo Yuhao interrupted. “I can feel the effect weakening. Isn’t the Mystic Water Pill also an auxiliary ingredient? After taking it, this Bichun tea probably won’t work on me anymore.”

Xu Sanshi agreed and didn’t discard the pot of Bichun tea; he kept brewing and offering it to Huo Yuhao.

“The second brew is only a tenth as potent, but it still has some effect. Try it.”

Huo Yuhao glanced toward the trash bin.

You poured the first brew straight in there?

Such extravagance!

“Creak—”

The dormitory door opened. Beibei stepped in first, followed by a long-haired girl. From afar, a wave of heat could be felt radiating from her.

Xu Sanshi immediately rose with a smiling face to greet them.

Huo Yuhao stood as well.

“Little Yuhao, this is senior Ma Xiaotao from the inner courtyard,” Beibei introduced. “Xiaotao, this is Huo Yuhao I told you about. We call him Little Yuhao.”

“Hello, Senior Xiaotao,” Huo Yuhao greeted politely.

“You look quite pretty for a junior,” Ma Xiaotao said cheerfully. “If Beibei hadn’t told me, I would have thought you were a freshman.”

“Then take a look. If you can find a way to fix my soul beast’s flaw, I won’t treat you unfairly.”

“Alright, Senior Xiaotao.”

Huo Yuhao activated his soul beast spirit eyes, a pattern appearing on his forehead.

He pretended to examine her for a moment.

In fact, he was listening to Zhuge Lan.

“This girl’s soul beast is the Evil Fire Phoenix, the soul beast of the Phoenix God,” Zhuge Lan explained. “Once the evil fire takes hold, it can’t be shed like a second skin. It clings on relentlessly.”

“Prosperity and downfall both lie in this evil fire. It ignites her negative emotions. Once it bursts out, she loses all reason and falls into corruption as an evil soul master.”

“Whether using soul skills or cultivating, the evil fire accumulates inside her. External conditions can only suppress it temporarily but cannot cure it.”

A trace of pity appeared in Huo Yuhao’s eyes.

Such a valiant and spirited senior burdened with such a soul beast...

It was truly unfortunate.

“Brother Lan, is there any way to fix it?” Huo Yuhao asked.

“Ultimate Ice can temporarily suppress it, but it’s only a stopgap,” Zhuge Lan said. “However, she’s lucky. The Tendon Changing Classic can prevent new evil fire from forming during cultivation. After that, we can find a way to evolve her soul beast into a Fire Phoenix, and the evil fire will be resolved.”

Huo Yuhao breathed a sigh of relief.

At least there was a solution.

“But Little Yuhao, have you decided what to say?” Tianmeng Ice Silkworm suddenly asked. “Will you give the Tendon Changing Classic away for free, or recruit her into the Sacred Flame Meow Meow Sect?”

Huo Yuhao didn’t hesitate.

“Of course, I want Senior Xiaotao to join the Sacred Flame Meow Meow Sect and become one of us!”

“The Phoenix God’s soul beast, a descendant of a deity, and a Shrek inner courtyard student—if she becomes one of us, that will definitely add a lot of fortune points, right?”

Zhuge Lan was quite surprised.

“You’ve thought this through, Little Yuhao,” he agreed. “That’s right. Ma Xiaotao has a high fortune value. If she joins us, conservatively, that’s at least 10,000 fortune points, plus ongoing gains.”

“Then just a tenth of the awakened spirit telekinesis is already in the bag,” Tianmeng Ice Silkworm said happily. “Quick, Little Yuhao! Get her on board!”

Huo Yuhao nodded subtly.

He then briefly relayed Zhuge Lan’s words.

“Senior Xiaotao, Ultimate Ice is hard to find, so the only current method is my Sacred Flame Sect’s unique cultivation technique—the Tendon Changing Classic.”

“But this technique can’t be used by outsiders—”

“I’ll join!” Ma Xiaotao interrupted without hesitation. “As long as I can cultivate without restraint, I’ll join the Sacred Flame Sect!”

Huo Yuhao was slightly taken aback.

So straightforward?

Unbeknownst to him, two days ago, Moon had visited the Sea God Pavilion and highly praised Huo Yuhao’s method, instructing the academy to find ways to recruit or cooperate.

Ma Xiaotao’s teacher, Yan Shaozhe, head of the Soul Beast Division, treated her like his own daughter and immediately informed her of this news.

Coincidentally, Beibei had contacted her earlier to introduce Huo Yuhao to help with her soul beast flaw.

So she came well prepared today.

She just didn’t expect to be so blunt that it might “raise suspicion.”

No good!

She had to find a way to make amends.

Ma Xiaotao slapped the tea table and pretended to be angry—