No one knew how much time had passed before Huo Yuhao groggily opened his eyes. However, the moment he regained consciousness, he immediately realized something was off. Shouldn't I be lying on the grass outside like usual? Why am I in a room? No—there's someone else in here.
Almost instantly, Huo Yuhao noticed a thin figure standing by the window.
But once he saw the figure clearly, Huo Yuhao calmed down.
"Senior, you finally decided to show yourself."
Huang Yan was momentarily stunned. From those words, it was clear that the young master had already noticed his presence—and even guessed his identity. Otherwise, facing a Soul Douluo, Huo Yuhao wouldn't be this calm.
"Subordinate greets the young master. Congratulations on your successful awakening."Although Huo Yuhao was only a Soul Elder, Huang Yan didn't dare underestimate him. He bowed slightly out of respect. After all, this was the Sect Master's only disciple, and he had also heard of the young master's feat of once chasing down a Soul King. Not to mention, he had personally witnessed the young master's monstrous talent recently.
"No need for that. Did you come out because there's something important?"Huo Yuhao waved his hand. He had already felt the unusual state of his martial soul. More importantly, after waking up this time, he realized that the seal Du Busi had placed on him was gone. He could use his soul power again.
"The Sect Master anticipated that you might have questions upon awakening, so he ordered me to provide you with answers."Huang Yan said respectfully.
Huo Yuhao frowned slightly. To be honest, having a Soul Douluo treat him so respectfully felt a bit uncomfortable.
He nodded gently, then released his martial soul. Yellow, purple, and black soul rings appeared around him. In that instant, Huo Yuhao felt a transformation like never before. Without even trying, just by glancing around, he could clearly see tiny dust particles floating in the air. Everything moved dozens of times slower in his perception. Within a kilometer, even the faintest rustle of grass from a breeze was as vivid as if he were using spiritual detection.
Huo Yuhao was utterly stunned. Even though he had mentally prepared himself, he was still blown away. Compared to before, this was a complete metamorphosis.
"What a powerful feeling."Huo Yuhao couldn't help but mutter.
"This method really is impressive. Your spiritual power is now at the peak of the 'tangible but formless' level, and it's already showing signs of advancing to 'tangible and substantial.' Incredible, simply incredible."Tianmeng's voice echoed in Huo Yuhao's mind.
Before today, he had been snoring away in the Sea of Spirit. But the dramatic increase in spiritual power during Huo Yuhao's second martial soul awakening had expanded the Sea of Spirit and woken up the lazy Skydream Iceworm.
Snow Empress and Ice Empress also remained silent. At this point, even they had to acknowledge the innovative potential of humans. No wonder soul beasts had been replaced as the continent's dominant species—humans truly had their strengths.
Huo Yuhao gave a light "Mm" in response. In the current soul master world, spiritual power wasn't yet classified in detail. But as far as he knew, it was mainly divided into two realms: "tangible but formless" and "tangible and substantial."
To even begin reaching the "tangible but formless" level, an ordinary soul master had to at least be a peak Soul Sage. Reaching its peak was roughly equal to the spiritual power of an ordinary titled Douluo.
Beyond that was the "tangible and substantial" stage, which typically only Super Douluo at level 98 could achieve. The peak of this stage even allowed for the spiritual power to take form—a sign of being able to send one's mind beyond the physical realm. That was also the symbol of level 99.
Back in the Extreme North, Huo Yuhao's spiritual power had barely reached the "tangible but formless" threshold. That's how he was able to split off a small part of his soul. But it had been risky—any split-off soul was on the verge of collapse. If not for his reluctance to face Snow Empress, he wouldn't have taken such a gamble.
And now, in such a short time, his spiritual power had already reached the level of an ordinary Titled Douluo. Three rings! Who would believe it? Even Huo Yuhao himself felt a strong sense of unreality.
"Um, Senior, why are you looking at me like that?"Sensing something, Huo Yuhao looked at Huang Yan, who was staring at him with a strange expression.
Huo Yuhao didn't get it. This guy had been secretly protecting him and had seen both his soul rings and spiritual power. Nothing should surprise him anymore. So what's with that face?
"Young master, take a look for yourself."As he spoke, Huang Yan handed over a palm-sized mirror.
Seeing this, Huo Yuhao had a sudden thought. He took the mirror and looked at his reflection—and then he, too, felt weird.
His face was the same as before, but his eyes had undergone a complete transformation. Originally blue, they were now a light purple, faintly speckled with starlight. The starry glow didn't clash with his features—it added a mystical quality, almost like he had transcended the mundane.
Looking deeper, there was a faint trace of red deep within his purple pupils. Unlike the serene starlight, that red gave off a slightly eerie vibe. Fortunately, it was subtle—hard to notice without close inspection.
Huo Yuhao stared dumbfounded at his reflection. As far as he remembered, even Dai Yuhao in the original story didn't have such changes after his second awakening. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't figure it out. In the end, he could only chalk it up to their different awakening methods.
Thinking it over, Huo Yuhao withdrew his martial soul and looked at the mirror again. As expected, the starry glow in his eyes disappeared.
Whew.Huo Yuhao let out a breath of relief. Although his eyes remained purple and the red tint lingered, at least he didn't look as alien anymore.
"What grade is this second awakening of mine?"Huo Yuhao looked up and asked Huang Yan.
"Young master, your awakening is of the golden grade. Very few in our sect's history have awakened at golden grade on their first try. Your subordinate is in awe."Huang Yan's eyes were filled with admiration—truth be told, it had never happened before.
"Alright, I got it. You may go."Huo Yuhao waved his hand, dismissing Huang Yan.
"Yes, young master. Please rest well. I take my leave."
Huang Yan was a little surprised. He thought Huo Yuhao would have a million questions. Who knew the young master would dismiss him so quickly? What he didn't realize was that Huo Yuhao had already mentally labeled him a bootlicker.
In reality, Huo Yuhao had misunderstood Huang Yan—his words were truly heartfelt.
[Regarding the eye change—don't overthink it. Honestly, I just really like purple. You can ignore this if you want—it doesn't affect the plot, haha.]
(End of Chapter)