Chapter Eighteen: Magic Power Equals Soul Power

In the small grove, Wang Dong sat beside the campfire, waiting for dinner, quietly watching Huo Yuhao as he prepared the grilled fish.

“What flavor do you want?” Huo Yuhao shook the seasoning bottle in his hand.

“Anything’s fine,” Wang Dong smiled. “I love whatever you grill.”

At first, he had just taken a few tentative bites, but unexpectedly, these simple grilled fish were transformed into a delicacy that rivaled gourmet fare.

Just a few bites in, he found himself somewhat addicted.

“In that case, let me have you try a new recipe I just came up with,” Huo Yuhao said, suddenly energized. Excitedly, he pulled out several unfamiliar powder jars and sprinkled them haphazardly. “After you eat, remember to give me a useful review—no more ‘delicious’ or ‘I love it’!”

Day after day, it was always the same two phrases.

“Hmph! Isn’t that review useful enough?” Wang Dong made a face, playfully poking at Huo Yuhao’s ribs. “You’ve got this young master’s appetite firmly in your grasp. One day without this unforgettable flavor, and it feels like ants are crawling all over me.”

“Hey!” Huo Yuhao suddenly shivered. “Don’t scare me like that all of a sudden.”

“We’re both guys here! Roommates, no less!”

“Please don’t awaken any strange feelings… If that happens, we can’t live in the dorm anymore.”

Thinking this, Huo Yuhao glanced at Wang Dong out of the corner of his eye.

Fair-skinned, slender.

Sometimes he exuded a strange, gentle aura.

“Ugh!”

Huo Yuhao drew in a sharp breath, involuntarily reminded of the ancient Chrysanthemum Douluo discussed in class.

It was a bit unsettling.

“Hey! What are you thinking about!”

Sensing that strange look, Wang Dong’s expression changed slightly. “This young master is definitely straight. Keep those disgusting, filthy thoughts to yourself! If you have that kind of energy, better put it into grilling fish.”

Yeah, yeah…

I have dirty thoughts. I’m disgusting.

You’re pure and virtuous, right?

Huo Yuhao sighed helplessly and refocused on the campfire.

As his gaze sharpened and he concentrated, a mysterious ripple seemed to emanate from him, slowly extending forward along the direction of his eyes.

Wang Dong, watching quietly beside him, paused slightly; a flicker of scattered blue light sparkled deep within his pupils.

Soul power.

Though no one had taught him how to release soul energy, after a month of careful exploration, Huo Yuhao had discovered a method uniquely his own, successfully manipulating a portion of his astral soul through his eyes.

“Whoosh~”

The flames flickered imperceptibly, then gradually calmed, settling into a gentle blaze, maintaining their heat and state.

“This is the element…”

In Huo Yuhao’s vision, the fire was composed of clusters of crimson light points with varying activity. As his soul energy spread over them, a few elemental points actively approached him.

All he needed to do was capture them back into the sea of spirit and fuse them with some mental power to generate magic.

—At least, that was what the cultivation manuals said.

But when Huo Yuhao actually tried, he found that the fusion process directly consumed mental energy, leaving only soul energy corresponding to the element’s attribute.

“This must be due to the adaptive laws of the dimensional plane,” Tianmeng speculated.

“From experimental results, it seems that Douluo Continent also allows the release of so-called magic, but the energy used by the caster is strictly limited to the type of energy permissible in this realm.”

“If you try the cultivation methods for internal and external spiritual energy, the results will most likely transform into soul energy—either increasing soul power or enhancing the body.”

Overall, this rule actually worked in Huo Yuhao’s favor.

Since he began capturing elemental energy, his total soul power had surged by nearly fifty percent in just a few days. Although the growth rate was now rapidly slowing, it was still much faster than his previous slow progress relying solely on meditation.

“I wonder what level I’m at now,” Huo Yuhao murmured.

“Want to know?” Wang Dong suddenly spoke, then grinned mischievously as he pulled out a blue crystal orb. “I happen to have a tester here, but if you want to use it, you’ll have to trade something.”

Trade something?

Huo Yuhao felt a headache coming on. “I only have a few fish left right now. Can I make it up to you tomorrow?”

“No need to make it up~” Wang Dong’s lips curled upward as he tossed the crystal orb into Huo Yuhao’s lap. “If you want it, I can just give it to you. If you feel it’s unfair, just keep this in mind as a debt. When you get strong enough, you can fulfill one of my wishes.”

“Then forget it,” Huo Yuhao said, a dark line appearing on his forehead.

This guy had no good intentions. Just for a simple crystal orb, he wanted to charge a king’s ransom—a wish in exchange? That was way too greedy!

No doubt about it; this deal would definitely be a loss for him.

“Hey~ I’m joking. Try it quickly, let me see how much soul power you really have.”

Wang Dong leaned in a bit, curiosity getting the better of him regarding this astonishingly talented oddball.

“Alright…”

Huo Yuhao placed one hand on the crystal orb. A pair of characters appeared amid a flash of light at its center:

Sixteen.

“Wow.”

Wang Dong muttered numbly, snatching the orb back.

Sure enough, a freak is a freak.

He had just started with soul rings barely a month ago, yet he had raised his soul power level by six whole levels in just over a month. It was like cheating—completely illogical.

A crushing blow…

“How do you cultivate so fast?” Wang Dong sighed. “You’ve always had strong mental and physical strength, and now your soul power level is almost catching up to me.”

“You should really think about whether you’ve been seriously cultivating,” Huo Yuhao retorted. “Every time you come back to the dorm, you spend most of your time lying around sleeping, not cherishing the moment. You’re just too lazy.”

“You!”

Wang Dong’s face flushed bright red. “Who sleeps instead of meditating like you every day? You training maniac! If you keep up this anti-human schedule, you might never grow taller!”

Never grow taller?

That affects development?

Huo Yuhao sat up straight with a hint of contempt and gestured twice above both their heads. “But I haven’t really seen you get any taller either… I’m still a bit stronger than you.”

“That’s because—”

Wang Dong was speechless, unable to finish his sentence. Instead, he swallowed it back and glared fiercely. “Just you wait! One day, I’ll surpass—”

“Dinner’s ready.”

Huo Yuhao shot him a sideways glance and handed over a skewer of fragrant, oily grilled fish.

“Alright, thanks!”

Wang Dong’s face instantly lit up with a bright smile.