While Huo Yuhao's heart was in turmoil with a mix of emotions, Furina wasn't idle at all.
She had been studying the "Water God Art" until her head spun—this high-grade stuff was indeed profound, much harder than making cakes—so she prepared to take a break and distribute Cultivation Techniques to everyone tomorrow.
The first person to receive a Cultivation Technique was Huo Yuhao.
This kid was a key investment target; she had to arrange good things for him so he could grow up sooner.
Those who Cultivate seriously are definitely different from someone like her who relies on a System; his potential in many aspects was much higher than hers.
Furina yawned. "So tired, so tired. Time to sleep, no more thinking."
...
Early the next morning, Furina went to the kitchen to find Huo Yuhao. He was a diligent child; as soon as she reached the kitchen door, she smelled an enticing aroma.
She poked her head in and saw Huo Yuhao busy at the stove, his profile looking exceptionally serious.
"Little Yuhao!" Furina called out.
Huo Yuhao jolted at the sound as if startled, the spatula in his hand nearly falling to the ground.
He quickly turned around and saw it was Furina. His eyes instantly became incredibly complex, filled with gratitude, excitement, and a hint of something hard to describe... adoration?
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he only responded softly, "Sister Furina..."
Furina was a bit oblivious and didn't notice his subtle emotional shifts. She walked over excitedly and stuffed two scrolls into his flour-covered hands. "Here, take these! I've got two Cultivation Techniques for you!"
Huo Yuhao looked down; the two scrolls had an ancient texture and were clearly not ordinary items.
"This 'Taiyi Spirit Refining Art' is specifically for cultivating mental force." Furina pointed to the scroll that felt more mysterious. "Your Martial Soul is your eyes, so having strong mental force will definitely bring huge benefits! You must focus on practicing this, don't miss a single day!"
She pointed to the other one, her tone a bit casual. "This 'Mysterious Heaven Skill'... is a Cultivation Technique I obtained by chance. Use it to Cultivate, and your Soul Power will increase very quickly. This way, even an ordinary person with average talent can catch up to a typical Genius."
"Our Cult doesn't have any better Foundation Establishment Cultivation Techniques right now, so just make do with this for now. Put your main energy into the 'Taiyi Spirit Refining Art,' understand?"
She muttered to herself: Anyway, the Tang Sect has declined so much, there's no harm in using their Cultivation Technique, right? Maybe I can even help them 'carry it forward.' Although Tang San might not be happy, since he's such a stingy person! Even after becoming a god, he only left behind a defective version; all I can say is: impressive.
Huo Yuhao gripped the two scrolls tightly, his fingertips turning white. He looked up at Furina, remembering the life-saving money pouch and letter from before, and the meticulous care he'd received lately. His throat felt choked up, a thousand words stuck in his chest, eventually only turning into a heavy nod. His voice carried a trace of imperceptible sobbing. "Mhm! I understand! Thank you... thank you, Sister Furina! I will definitely train with all my might!"
"Oh, why are you being so polite with your sister!" Furina patted his shoulder with satisfaction. "Right, your Soul Power has reached level ten too. It's not good to keep holding back without a Breakthrough. Get ready, tomorrow I'll take you out of the city to find a suitable spirit ring for you!"
What she was thinking, however, was: I can't go to the Extreme North Land for now, but I can try my Luck on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest!
Although the time hasn't come yet, Huo Yuhao is, after all, the child of destiny of the Douluo Continent.
With Luck on his side, maybe as soon as I take Huo Yuhao there, the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm will come looking for him, and then Electrolux's Soul fragments will also show up. That would be a huge profit!
After all, getting their help early on would have a huge impact on Huo Yuhao's future development.
Hearing that a spirit ring was within reach, Huo Yuhao's eyes brightened even more, and he nodded vigorously. "Okay!"
After arranging things for Huo Yuhao, Furina hurriedly sent someone to gather the cadres of the Cult.
Before long, about a dozen people gathered in the small Meeting Hall.
There was Shi Meng, who managed daily order; Old Zhang, responsible for logistics and procurement; Mr. Wang, who ran the Enlightenment School; the newly joined captain of the Guard Team who was originally a mercenary; and even City Lord Thunder Leopard, who sat low-key in a corner wearing plain clothes—he was now an Advanced Consultant for the Axis Cult.
Everyone greeted each other, curious about what big news the Pope suddenly gathered them to announce.
Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Furina cleared her throat and directly took out a stack of copied introductory booklets for the "Mysterious Heaven Skill."
"Everyone, if our Axis Cult is to develop in the long term, we must build a solid foundation!" She waved a booklet. "This is a set of Foundation Establishment Cultivation Techniques I obtained called the 'Mysterious Heaven Skill,' a Cultivation Technique specifically for cultivating Soul Power. From today on, all core personnel in our Cult must start practicing this!"
She had Neuvillette distribute the booklets. When everyone received them and flipped through, they saw clear Internal Energy circulation routes and mnemonic annotations. It was rigorously structured and clear in thought, many times more Advanced than the crude Soul Power guidance methods they had encountered before!
Shi Meng flipped through a few pages and rubbed his hands in excitement. "Pope! This... is this something from a Sect from ten thousand years ago? Good stuff! With this Cultivation Technique, the strength of the brothers in our Cult can be raised by a large margin!"
Thunder Leopard also looked closely, his eyes flashing with sharp light. As a Spirit Emperor, he could see the extraordinary nature of this "Mysterious Heaven Skill" even better. Although it was just the basics, it was balanced and peaceful with huge potential. By studying this Cultivation Technique and cultivating with it, the speed would be much faster than a normal person's; even an ordinary person would have a chance to overtake a Genius.
"Your Excellency," Thunder Leopard spoke up, "this Cultivation Technique is indeed exquisite. I wonder... are there any restrictions? Can it be promoted to the City Defense Forces for selected people to Cultivate as well?"
Furina waved her hand grandly. "No problem! As long as they sincerely join our Axis Cult and pass inspection, anyone can practice it! From now on, this will be our basic Cultivation Technique! City Lord Lei, you coordinate with Neuvillette to arrange this. Prioritize distributing it to core personnel and well-performing believers first, then gradually spread it out."
She paused and added, "Cultivating is cultivating, but you can't neglect the work that needs to be done! If anyone only Cultivates and doesn't do their work, I will take back the Cultivation Technique!"
Although taking it back was already useless since they'd already practiced it, the words still had to be said.
Everyone laughed and promised they wouldn't neglect their official duties. The atmosphere in the Meeting Hall was enthusiastic, and everyone was full of confidence in the future development.
Looking at the energetic cadres, Furina felt delighted.
The Cultivation Techniques were distributed, Huo Yuhao was settled, and tomorrow they'd go to the Star Dou Great Forest to try their Luck... What if she really found a treasure?
She was already looking forward to tomorrow's treasure hunt, praying for good Luck to encounter the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm and Electrolux just like in the original story, but also hoping not to run into the Auspicious Beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, since she had Buddha Tang's handiwork on her...