"What Wuqing said makes sense. The reason we completed the task faster than the others is because our cultivation is higher, so we could output more soul power. But that doesn't mean we have better control over it. Now, although a portion of our soul power is sealed, we've already succeeded once and figured out some methods. Even with just level thirty soul power now, we're faster than when we started with sealed soul power. I suppose that's why the Young Master didn't seal our soul power from the very beginning."
The other two nodded upon hearing this, feeling that it made sense.
As if thinking of something, Xiang Wuqing added, "So, does that mean once we succeed this time, the Young Master might seal more of our soul power?"
"That's right. That's inevitable," Lin Kong nodded, affirming Xiang Wuqing's speculation.
In the following days, the group continued practicing walking on water daily. After the trio succeeded again, they didn't even wait for Huo Yuhao to act—they proactively sealed their own soul power. The others followed their example.
Seven days later, everyone could now stand easily on the surface of the lake using only soul power at the Soul Scholar level—still below a Soul Master.
That was the upper limit—there was no way to reduce the soul power further. Were they supposed to not use soul power at all? Impossible.
And so, Huo Yuhao arranged the next stage of training.
This time, Huo Yuhao found a wooded area and once again began with a demonstration.
Everyone watched as Huo Yuhao stood before a large tree. The next moment, he placed his right foot on the trunk, then the left. When both feet were on the tree trunk, his body was already parallel to the ground.
Yet, he didn't fall. Gravity? Doesn't exist here. This is Douluo Continent—Newton doesn't live here.
Everyone watched as Huo Yuhao walked upward step by step, as leisurely as if he were strolling in a garden, until he ended up hanging upside-down from a tree branch.
"Earlier, walking on water was about repulsion. Climbing trees, however, requires you to use your soul power to adhere your feet to the bark. It's still a practice in soul power control, but with a different twist. The requirement is that you must not harm the trees while climbing."
Huo Yuhao explained briefly. In truth, their soul control was already sufficient—unless their cultivation rose significantly, further improvement wasn't urgent.
Everyone's soul power had an attribute—fire, ice, metal, etc. When soul power touched the tree, it would naturally cause damage. Huo Yuhao's goal was to have them learn to fully control it—gather it at will, explode it when needed.
Being able to do this, combined with soul skills, would greatly increase combat effectiveness. For example, a Soul Master attacking with a sword would deal very different damage depending on whether the soul power was dispersed over the blade or focused at the tip.
Huo Yuhao's Heavenly Wall Barrier was built on the same principle—there's a big difference between soul power spread across the body and concentrated at one point. Think of a single sheet of paper versus a stack of dozens—one is easily pierced by a pencil, the other, not so much.
Another ten days passed.
When Huo Yuhao arrived in the forest again, he was momentarily stunned—the place was a wreck. Over twenty trees lay scattered on the ground, and those still standing were barely intact, bark shredded.
Looking at the training group nearby, Huo Yuhao had to suppress the urge to beat them all.
Thankfully, these little idiots hadn't gone too far. After realizing the damage, they started using wooden stakes as thick as a person's leg to replace the trees. Otherwise, who knows what state this forest would be in?
The only one still using live trees for training was Ye Lingling—only her soul power didn't harm the trees. In fact, her power contained a faint healing element, which was even beneficial to plants.
Climbing trees was far harder than walking on water. That's why Huo Yuhao had them start with the simpler exercise first. After ten days, they'd all mastered it. Even Ye Lingling, who had the lowest cultivation, was walking freely among the branches.
"You've all done well. There's no need to continue the training. If your soul power significantly increases and feels unstable, you can come back to stabilize it. Otherwise, manage your own schedules from now on—no need to report here again," said Huo Yuhao, preparing to leave.
"Huh? That's it? I thought we'd at least have some combat training!" Xiang Yuqing remarked.
Huo Yuhao rolled his eyes. "When it comes to real combat experience, you all probably have more than me."
Everyone froze, then smiled knowingly. They hadn't expected Huo Yuhao to admit that so straightforwardly—he was turning out to be a pretty interesting guy.
"Then we should keep sparring with each other." Xiang Yuqing, being lively by nature, immediately suggested.
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao smiled at her. "That's a good idea. Shall we have a sparring match then?"
His tone was gentle, but Xiang Yuqing shivered. She remembered the horror of that first encounter—ten of them had teamed up and still got absolutely wrecked by Huo Yuhao. This guy didn't care if you were male or female—if he got a hold of you, you were getting a proper beatdown.
She looked carefully at Huo Yuhao again. His face still bore that calm, gentle smile, but she couldn't shake the feeling that his intentions were... not so pure.
"No, no, I've got things to do later—probably won't have the time." Xiang Yuqing quickly waved her hands. That was just a slip of the tongue—she didn't want to get pummeled for no reason.
Her eyes lit up suddenly as she continued, "But my brother and the others are free these days. If it's okay, I'll leave them to you."
Xiang Wuqing: "…"
Everyone else: "…"
"Oh, is that so?" Huo Yuhao turned to look at Xiang Wuqing, his tone full of interest.
Meeting Huo Yuhao's calm gaze, Xiang Wuqing shuddered and forced out a smile uglier than a grimace. "Young Master, this… uh…"
"No need to be shy. I've got time these days—we can spend more of it 'exchanging pointers,'" Huo Yuhao interrupted him mid-sentence, leaving no room for refusal. With a wave of his hand, the matter was settled.
Xiang Wuqing: "…"
Please, that's not what I meant!
The others giggled with schadenfreude. But Huo Yuhao's next words wiped the smiles right off their faces.
"Oh, and you all as well. Teammates should share joy and hardship. And with how close we've become, I'm sure you won't mind helping me gain more combat experience."
Everyone: "…"
You just want to beat someone up, don't you? At that moment, everyone wanted to say, "We're not that close, okay?!"
(End of Chapter)