Wang Yan took the cigar, and He Caitou conjured a flame from his right hand, lighting the other end for him.
"Cough—"
Unprepared for the thick smoke, Wang Yan choked and coughed violently. But he quickly recovered, pulling the cigar from his lips with a look of surprise before taking another deep drag.
"This is incredible. It feels like my mental power has been enhanced. Caitou, does this soul skill of yours boost mental power?"
He Caitou nodded. "Yes, this is my first soul skill—Spirit-Enhancing Thick Cigar. It amplifies mental power by roughly ten percent."
The moment these words left his mouth, the lighthearted atmosphere stiffened. Everyone exchanged glances, their expressions shifting to shock.
Even Xuan Zi's eyes burned with intensity as he stared at He Caitou.
Wang Yan was the most stunned of them all. "A ten percent mental power increase—just from your first soul skill?!"
"Yeah, what's wrong?" He Caitou scratched his bald head, confused. "Isn't this standard for food-type soul masters? It's nowhere near as strong as an auxiliary-type soul master. Take Ning Tian from the second grade—her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul is way more powerful."
In truth, Ning Tian had nearly become He Caitou's junior sister.
Her talent in soul tools was top-tier.
While it had taken He Caitou a year and four months to officially become a first-level soul engineer—already a prodigy in recent years—Ning Tian had reached the threshold in just one year with only part-time training. Though she had the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's secret techniques to aid her, her innate talent was undeniable.
Fan Yu had been certain she could become a Class 1 soul engineer by her second year and had even considered taking her as a disciple.
'If I can't have Huo Yuhao, someone else will do.'
But fate had other plans.
By her second year, Ning Tian outright refused to continue studying soul tools, convinced of her "lack of talent" and choosing to focus solely on martial cultivation.
Fan Yu: At this point, I'm used to it. Talented soul masters avoiding soul tools? Nothing new…
Wang Yan frowned, his tone serious. "Caitou, you can't compare these two types of martial souls. Ning Tian's boosts require constant soul power expenditure, but your cigars don't. Each has its strengths and weaknesses."
"Moreover, food-type soul skills have always been the most soul-power efficient. Among food-type soul masters, your Thick Cigar's amplification is nothing short of genius-level!"
He Caitou blinked, dumbfounded.
'Me? A genius?'
'For real?'
He had always believed his martial soul was practically useless outside of cultivation. Fan Yu had trained him strictly as a soul engineer, and his soul skills were so easily misunderstood that he rarely used them.
Until today.
After Huo Yuhao's suggestion and Wang Yan's repeated emphasis…
'Am I actually a prodigy among food-type soul masters?'
For a moment, He Caitou questioned everything.
Wang Yan then had him demonstrate his other soul skills.
"I have a Big Cigar!"
"I have a Long Cigar!"
"I have a Thin Cigar!"
Without exception, each was as bizarre as the first—boosting strength, defense, and soul power respectively.
Suppressing a laugh, Wang Yan reassured him, "Don't doubt yourself. You're absolutely a genius the Martial Soul Department missed."
This level of talent reminded Wang Yan of Oscar from the original Shrek Seven Monsters. His sausage martial soul had been equally odd, yet obscenely powerful—so much so that he eventually broke conventions and married Ning Rongrong, the jewel of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
'Was there a rule that the weirder a food-type soul master's skill, the stronger it was?'
Xuan Zi couldn't hold back.
"Fan Yu, you bastard! Wasting a talent like this on soul tools—what a disgrace!"
"Don't scold him, Elder." He Caitou defended Fan Yu without hesitation. To him, Fan Yu was like a father. Though his usual meekness hid deeper emotions, his respect for his teacher was unshakable.
"Hmph!" Xuan Zi snorted but said no more.
"Caitou," Wang Yan cut in, "how many Thick Cigars can you produce with your current soul power? And how long can they last?"
"At least a thousand," He Caitou answered matter-of-factly. "But they'll only keep for two days—much shorter than normal cigars."
The inner courtyard disciples except Huo Yuhao gaped.
'This was short?'
Most food-type skills lasted three hours at best. Twelve hours was already exceptional.
But forty-eight hours?
That was unheard of!
This could single-handedly supply an army and sway the outcome of a small-scale war!
"Xiaotao, Yuhao, everyone—give them a try," Wang Yan instructed.
Under Huo Yuhao's lead, the seven inner courtyard disciples each took a cigar and puffed away.
They were long used to odd martial souls.
If it worked, who cared how weird it sounded?
Only by experiencing it firsthand did they grasp the true potency of He Caitou's cigars.
They also discovered something else—the same cigar had different effects depending on the user.
For soul masters whose attributes aligned with the boost, the effect was stronger.
Take Huo Yuhao. With his Spirit Eyes, the mental power boost from the Thick Cigar wasn't just 10%—it was at least 15%.
And his mental power was already nearing the Tangible-Intangible threshold. A 15% jump was staggering.
Even the Ice Empress and Skydream commented: "Yuhao, this thing's legit. Use it often—it'll help you break through completely."
The inner courtyard six's gazes toward He Caitou shifted instantly.
Ma Xiaotao clapped him on the shoulder. "Well done! We've finally filled our food-type gap!"
Dai Yueheng's eyes gleamed. 'I must get closer to Junior Caitou. A strategic asset like this—perfect for the army—must be pulled into our family!'
Ling Luochen mused, 'While not as fast as Yuhao's Ultimate Ice growth, but it's still top-tier.'
Xixi sighed, 'It's a pity there's no agility-boosting cigar.'
Gong Yangmo, the other support-type, smiled gently. "Caitou, these are surprisingly smooth."
Chen Zifeng subtly edged away.
'Why does this guy get weirder around juniors?'
At Wang Yan's insistence, the reserve team also sampled He Caitou's soul skills.
Thankfully, Beibei and Xu Sanshi took the odd chants in stride, even joking about them.
But the four girls flat-out refused. Wang Yan didn't push it—this competition would hinge on the main team anyway.
…
Backed by He Caitou's Spirit-Thick Cigars and Soul-Thin Cigars, the group made swift progress.
Eventually, even Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya caved, taking tentative puffs.
'…It actually smells good?'
Only then did the reserve team grasp the true value of a food-type soul master.
Auxiliary-types might offer stronger buffs, but they didn't last.
For prolonged missions like this, food-types were unmatched.
A top-tier food-type soul master could elevate an entire team's combat capability exponentially!
They traveled nonstop until noon.
When Wang Yan distributed the inner courtyard's standard field rations—nutrient-packed but notoriously foul-tasting—disgusted looks abounded.
At Ma Xiaotao's insistence, "Little Huo's BBQ" made its grand debut, instantly winning over the inner courtyard disciples.
Even Wang Yan, never picky, couldn't stop eating.
And Xuan Zi? He shamelessly mooched off them.
The meal left everyone in high spirits.
…
Time flew, and soon they reached the Star Luo Empire's Western Legion outpost.
Here, Huo Yuhao met Dai Hao—the biological father Huo Yuhao had often mused about in the novel's early chapters.
The man was undeniably handsome—early thirties, chiseled features, an iron-willed military aura.
Huo Yuhao hadn't inherited his looks. His face favored his mother's, and after several enhancements, his refined handsomeness stood out even more.
Despite the military camp's simplicity, there was something primal about feasting on meat and swigging wine from bowls.
Mid-banquet, as spirits ran high—they received their intel.
The Death's Hand bandits operated deep in the Mingdou Mountains. Over 300 strong, all young adults, with roughly 10% being soul masters.
As for their leader? Only known as "The Death God." No details on his cultivation or abilities.
Why so little intel?
Simple—the Death's Hand left no survivors.
After confirming the target location and resting, the group set out.
By dusk, they'd reached the Mingdou Mountains' heart.
As darkness fell, Ma Xiaotao called for a break. "Rest up, recover your energy, and eat something."
Seizing the chance, Huo Yuhao expanded his mental detection.
'Everything leaves traces.'
Once the group had rested, Huo Yuhao spoke up. "I've found the evil soul master's trail. Follow me."
Ma Xiaotao waved. "Then we will follow Yuhao."
Nearby, Wang Yan—who'd been scouting to show off his tracking skills—paused, baffled.
'You found them without even doing anything?'
'Are you really not cheating?'
'Oh, right. Spirit attribute. Never mind.'
Huo Yuhao: This is the power of Spirit Detection + mental fusion!
As they advanced, subtle clues emerged—broken branches, faint footprints, scraps of cloth, dried blood on thorns.
All signs pointed forward to the clue that The Death's Hand was close.
"There." Huo Yuhao pointed. "A cave under that hillside, a kilometer ahead. That's their hideout."
The others were stunned by his mental prowess. 'Soul Ancestor-level external detection? At his age?'
Wang Yan nodded. "Reserve team, stay with me for backup. Xiaotao, you lead the assault."
"Leave it to us!" Ma Xiaotao's pink eyes blazed with battle-lust. Now that they had their target, only one thing remained—Kill.
"Change into uniforms," Wang Yan ordered. "Shrek's Supervision is moving out."
"Wait—where's Elder Xuan?" Tang Ya suddenly asked, uneasy.
The elder had vanished after delivering them to the military camp, citing "old bones needing rest."
He'd even skipped the banquet—it was truly unusual for him.
Now, with battle imminent, he was still absent.
The reserve team tensed.
Dai Yueheng chuckled. "This is our mission. Elder Xuan's here for safety, not to do our jobs."
Ma Xiaotao added, "First missions are nerve-wracking, but the satisfaction of crushing evil yourselves? It's unmatched."
Huo Yuhao cut to the truth. "Elder Xuan's watching over us in secret."
He didn't mention the Death's Hand's danger—future knowledge was his secret to keep.
Besides, even with his intel?
There was nothing to fear.
"But Yuhao," Xu Sanshi fretted, "what if their leader's weird skills one-shot us?"
The cave's confined space worried him—if things went south, retreat would be hard.
He could take hits, but Jiang Nannan?
"Thunk!"
A chicken bone fell from the sky, bonking Xu Sanshi's head.
From above, Xuan Zi's voice rang out, punctuated by a burp: "With me here, you've got nothing to fear!"
…
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