Do not use your second Martial Soul, but that doesn't mean you can't use the power of your blood essence.
Just as Huo Yuhao mustered his strength, preparing to swim upward, Electrolux's voice echoed by his ear.
"Slow down, don't rise too fast! Otherwise, your lungs will explode directly from the pressure!"
Huo Yuhao froze for a moment, then immediately stabilized his body and began to swim upward slowly.
"Right! Keep this rhythm. This Body Sect of theirs does have some tricks. Circulate the power of your blood essence to every part of your body, feel the pressure the great ocean brings to you, and try to control your body to share this pressure."
Huo Yuhao blinked twice. Following Electrolux's instructions, he controlled the power of his blood essence to spread throughout his body, using Spiritual Detection to assist his vision as he continued to swim upward slowly and steadily.
On the surface of the sea, the strange-faced Du Busi stood with his arms crossed. "...Is it that the Xiantian Secret Technique is too strong, or is this kid a freak?"
On the surface of the sea, Huo Yuhao's figure could already be faintly seen.
One must know that the vast majority of Body Sect disciples, when first undergoing the Second Awakening test, could not even hold on for five hundred meters. Back then, he himself had fainted at only one hundred meters.
As a result, aside from a bit of panic at the very beginning—where he spat out a mouthful of water causing an imbalance in body pressure—this kid didn't panic at all throughout the entire process. He was steady and calm, not at all like someone his age should be.
By the time Huo Yuhao broke through the surface, his face was pale, and he tried his best not to gasp for air, stabilizing his breathing.
Du Busi waved his hand, and dark green Soul Power scooped Huo Yuhao out of the sea, landing him on a boat that had appeared there at some unknown time.
"Relax your body, feel the Xiantian Qi within you."
As he spoke, he extended both palms, striking Huo Yuhao's body hundreds of times within the span of a few breaths, each strike hitting a major acupoint.
With every strike, his hands momentarily transformed into a special dark green color, injecting a strange aura into him.
Huo Yuhao cooperated with Du Busi's strikes to circulate the Xiantian Secret Technique.
The pain gradually vanished, replaced by a warm current rising from his lower abdomen, spreading through his entire body. It was as comfortable as soaking in a hot spring.
Particularly his brain—his entire consciousness became crystal clear.
Accompanying Du Busi's strikes, his head also emitted a faint, multi-colored halo.
Du Busi naturally saw this strange layer of colored light, but he could sense nothing from it.
He had never seen this kind of Xiantian Qi before; could it be related to spiritual power?
This made sense; after all, his Eye Martial Soul was related to the spiritual attribute, and it was likely a top-tier combination of eyes and brain.
This made Du Busi look forward to it even more. Wei Na's Brain Martial Soul and Gu Tong's Eye Martial Soul were both Silver-level Second Awakenings; at the very least, Huo Yuhao would be Silver-level.
A moment later, Huo Yuhao opened his eyes. His face was still pale, but his spirit was clearly much better.
The first sensation was hunger...
Du Busi had already set up a grill with a large fish of unknown origin on it. "Hungry, right? Eat up."
...
Ten days later.
Two thousand meters below the sea surface, Huo Yuhao looked at the thousand-year-old Bluefin Tuna in front of him. Though he really wanted to curse, he held it back.
That old rogue Du Busi—ever since he tasted a meal of grilled fish made by Huo Yuhao, he waved his hand and told Huo Yuhao to remember to catch some seafood whenever he swam up from the depths.
Now, not only did he have to endure the pressure of the seawater, but he also had to find and fight sea soul beasts himself, because he still had to cook after getting back to shore...
The key was that the old rogue Du Busi was a picky eater, demanding that the seafood brought up couldn't be the same every day. This resulted in Huo Yuhao having to stay underwater for at least two hours each time, half of which was spent looking for seafood.
Of course, this wasn't without benefits. The pressure of the seawater had an excellent tempering effect on the body. Although he had thinned down quite a bit, Huo Yuhao could clearly feel the blood essence vortex at his chest constantly expanding, with a faint tendency to condense.
The thought of having to endure this for a full thirty-nine more days made Huo Yuhao feel like his life was bleak...
A Spiritual Shock knocked out the unlucky Bluefin Tuna, and Huo Yuhao dragged it all the way up.
After casually drying the seawater off his body and enduring the dizziness and discomfort in his head to finish grilling the fish, Huo Yuhao couldn't care less about "respecting the elderly" and started eating in large gulps himself.
Du Busi also rushed over to grab a piece of fish meat. "You brat, save some for this old man."
Huo Yuhao ignored him, his hands moving fast. Master and disciple soon split a whole Bluefin Tuna between them.
Du Busi only ate a few bites before stopping. He just watched the ravenous Huo Yuhao with a smile, quietly letting him have the better pieces of meat.
Once Huo Yuhao finished eating, Du Busi took him back to the sect's base.
Huo Yuhao casually tossed his catch to Long Qiuer, who had been waiting there early. "Alright, your little girlfriend has been waiting anxiously. Don't forget to cultivate when you get back; we continue tomorrow."
Huo Yuhao nodded weakly, and Long Qiuer didn't say much, supporting him as they returned to his room.
Looking at the exhausted Huo Yuhao, Long Qiuer asked uncertainly, "Are you really okay?"
Huo Yuhao finally straightened up and smiled helplessly. "I'm fine. I can feel the changes in my body. Although it's tiring, I am indeed making progress."
Long Qiuer crossed her arms, saying pensively, "...Perhaps this is where Soul Beasts are inferior to you humans. Our method of strengthening the body is just to eat—the more we eat, the more energy we have, and the more we can gather our own blood essence. But you humans can develop all sorts of cultivation methods to strengthen yourselves."
Huo Yuhao gave a bitter laugh. "This can be considered an advantage for Soul Beasts. Why don't you try it too?"
Unexpectedly, Long Qiuer actually put on a serious, thinking expression. "It's not impossible, but then again..."
Long Qiuer tilted her head to look at him. "In your eyes, do I count as a human?"
"Huh?"
Huo Yuhao was stunned. What kind of question was that?
"I respect your thoughts, but in my view, whether you are a Soul Beast or a human, you are my..."
Looking at Long Qiuer's breathtakingly beautiful face, Huo Yuhao swallowed hard.
It was a good thing he could admire a beauty every time he came back from the sea; otherwise, Huo Yuhao really didn't think he could keep going.
"Uh, friend."
"Friend, huh..."
Long Qiuer lowered her eyes. After a moment, she took off her boots, sat on the bed, and signaled for him to sit down too.
Huo Yuhao struggled to pull his body into position, sitting face-to-face with Long Qiuer to begin their cultivation.
Can we only be friends...