Chapter 45: Pidgeotto's Maiden Flight

At six o'clock the next morning, Mo Hui woke up from his bed and began to wash up.

Unlike usual, Mo Hui had refrained from cultivating last night, choosing instead to read for a while before going to sleep on time. Consequently, his complexion appeared much more refreshed than normal.

The mental toll exacted by prolonged cultivation was immense. Although Mo Hui could bear it, the resulting mental fatigue remained difficult to avoid. After all, soul power was not like the spiritual energy found in pure cultivation worlds, which could perpetually sustain a person's body at its absolute peak state; fatigue would inevitably set in when it was due.

After washing up, Mo Hui walked over to his desk, pulled out a book on meditation experiences, placed it on the tabletop, and began to study.

To this day, Mo Hui had still never laid eyes on a genuine meditation method. However, after gaining the highest viewing clearance in the Divine Wind Academy's library, he had caught faint glimpses of the embryonic forms of meditation methods hidden within many obscure texts.

Although these fragments remained unsystematized and could only serve as auxiliary tools to aid a soul master's own meditation practice, they nonetheless demonstrated that the Douluo world was capable of developing meditation methods. It was even possible that certain factions already possessed some low-level meditation methods internally, but his level was simply not high enough for him to have seen them.

"I still need to research this. Although the cultivation speed of the Pidgeotto meditation method is already quite decent, compared to those top-tier geniuses, it still falls just a fraction short," Mo Hui sighed inwardly as he read.

The current cultivation speed of the Pidgeotto meditation method was roughly equivalent to the meditation method attached to a high-grade martial soul with innate rank-seven soul power. To make a direct comparison, it was about on par with Zhu Zhuqing of the Shrek Seven Devils.

Innate rank-seven soul power was also the dividing line for true geniuses. With normal cultivation, this level of innate soul power could reach the Soul Saint realm. If one practiced with extraordinary diligence, coupled with good luck and sufficient fortune, there was even the possibility of breaking through to become a Titled Douluo.

From this, one could also perceive just how formidable the innate talents of the Shrek Seven Devils truly were. Among the seven, an astonishing three possessed innate full soul power: aside from Oscar, who was a genuine innate full soul power holder, there was also Tang San, who was a pseudo-innate full soul power holder relying on the Mysterious Heaven Skill.

Additionally, Xiao Wu was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast in human form, which was also equivalent to innate full soul power—a fact that could be discerned from her ability to keep pace with Tang San's cultivation speed, that walking cheat.

Among the remaining four, Ning Rongrong possessed innate rank-nine soul power, while Zhu Zhuqing, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjian, though not explicitly stated, presumably possessed innate rank-seven or eight soul power; otherwise, it would have been utterly impossible for them to meet Shrek's enrollment standards.

It could only be said that the family inheritance of the Star Luo Empire suffered from a severe mental deficiency. Otherwise, geniuses like Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai—who were virtually guaranteed to become Soul Saints, had a high probability of reaching the Soul Douluo realm, and could even execute a martial soul fusion skill—would never have been driven to run around in exile.

One had to bear in mind that a martial soul fusion skill executed by two Soul Saints could normally run roughshod over Soul Douluos, and if any of them managed to break through to the Soul Douluo realm, they would even be able to contend against Titled Douluo.

For combat power of this caliber to be squandered entirely on internal friction was something only the Star Luo Empire could pull off. It was hardly surprising that later on, Star Luo, Heaven Dou, and the other factions were still being beaten black and blue by the Spirit Hall on the main battlefield, requiring the protagonist group of cheaters to come in and save the day.

At this thought, Mo Hui could not help but shake his head. The Douluo Continent was simply a world of competing mediocrity. The reason the Spirit Hall appeared so formidable was not because they were exceptionally strong, but because the other factions were far too weak.

Had it not been for Tang San forcefully opening up cheats, had it not been for Bibi Dong—that love-brained fool—undergoing a drastic change in temperament and subsequently falling into a state of mental madness affected by the Rakshasa God's trials, under normal circumstances, the Spirit Hall was practically destined to unify the world.

The only forces capable of offering the slightest resistance were the Clear Sky School and Sea God Island. Yet, facing a Spirit Hall that possessed numerous Titled Douluo and dual gods, that was nothing more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

"Knock, knock—"

After about an hour or so, a few knocks sounded on the indoor door.

Immediately afterward, Feng Yan's voice called out from outside: "Mo Hui, the people from the other four elemental academies are about to arrive. The headmaster is calling for you to go to his place!"

"Understood, I know."

Mo Hui replied, closed the book and returned it to its original spot, then walked over and opened the door.

"Where is the headmaster right now?"

Stepping out of his living quarters, Mo Hui asked Feng Yan, who was standing before him.

Feng Yan answered: "He's at the spirit battle arena right now. As you know, this exchange meeting has brought a great many people from the other academies, and the only place in our academy with enough space for battles is the spirit battle arena."

An exchange meeting was, after all, an exchange meeting. Communication between soul masters naturally could not be confined to mere verbal discussions; physical combat was a certainty.

At the same time, this was a smokeless war among the Five Elemental Academies. Although the Five Elemental Academies claimed to be branches of the same family, even as allies, they still competed for supremacy among themselves.

Who among the Five Elemental Academies should hold the dominant position? This had always been a subject of endless debate.

And the Five Elemental Academy Exchange Meeting was precisely an opportunity to showcase their respective strengths. Whichever academy's students performed better at the exchange meeting would represent whose younger generation possessed greater strength, thereby granting that academy a heavier voice within the alliance.

"Then let's go, Teacher Feng."

Hearing these words, Mo Hui nodded and spoke casually.

However, Feng Yan shook his head and said, "I won't be going with you. Actually, I just snatched a moment to come call for you; shortly, I still have to head to the academy gates to welcome the people from the other elemental academies."

With that, Feng Yan leaped into the air, spread his wings, and flew toward the academy entrance.

"Teacher Yan still comes and goes in such a rush."

Witnessing this scene, Mo Hui could not help but smile wryly. He always felt that Feng Yan was simply far too busy, as though a vast majority of the affairs at the Divine Wind Academy were handled by him.

Yet, the next moment, Mo Hui rubbed his chin in contemplation. "Can he fly, though? Pidgeotto should be capable of it by now, right?"

As an external martial soul, Pidgeotto naturally possessed some of the characteristics of tool-type martial souls—namely, that you could make it grow larger or smaller to a certain extent simply by willing it.

In the past, Pidgey had been far too small; even if enlarged, it would still have been somewhat difficult to use as a mount. But given Pidgeotto's current size, if it grew a bit larger, acting as a mount should be entirely feasible.

"Come out, Pidgeotto!"

Thinking along these lines, Mo Hui summoned Pidgeotto on the spot, preparing to give it a try.

Pidgeotto's normal size roughly reached his chest, but as Mo Hui continuously poured his soul power into it, Pidgeotto's physique expanded dramatically, eventually surpassing his height by more than a full head.

Mo Hui himself now stood a little over one meter seventy, yet Pidgeotto was taller than him by more than a head—by any calculation, that made it at least two meters tall, rendering it even larger than a standard Pidgeot.

Seeing this, Mo Hui nodded in satisfaction and said, "At this size, it should be plenty large enough to carry a person."

Although maintaining Pidgeotto at this size consumed a non-trivial amount of energy for him, it was by no means unbearable.

Without further ado, Mo Hui impatiently leaped onto Pidgeotto's back, patted it, and instructed, "Pidgeotto, let's head to the spirit battle arena!"

"Pip-pip!"

The next instant, Pidgeotto beat its powerful wings in unison, soared into the air, and transformed into a streak of cyan light that vanished from the spot.