First Intimate Contact

Blazing Heaven, Rain of Fire.

The entire Training Ground turned into a hell of flames. Scorching heat waves surged and roared, and everything in sight was a blinding crimson. Huo Wu hovered in midair—the brief suspension was the effect of her Fourth Soul Skill—Soul Power billowing around her like a divine maiden commanding flames. Her beautiful eyes held determination and a trace of barely perceptible worry—though she was furious, she was also afraid someone might actually die.

However, in the next instant, her pupils abruptly contracted, as if she had witnessed the most unbelievable sight in the world.

Facing the rain of fire that could melt gold and stone, Zhang Bufan not only did not dodge or defend—he charged straight upstream! His figure became somewhat blurred amid the violent Fire Element, like a distorted streak of light. At a speed beyond the limits of Huo Wu's vision, he pierced through layer after layer of flaming curtains!

As the dense rain of fire approached a certain range around his body, it seemed to encounter an invisible barrier. It either veered away on its own or silently vanished! He simply moved through the devastating downpour as though strolling through a courtyard!

"That's impossible!" Huo Wu cried out in shock. Without even using his Martial Soul, how could he ignore her Fourth Soul Skill with nothing but his body and Soul Power?! This completely overturned everything she knew!

In less than a thousandth of an instant of distraction, Zhang Bufan had already broken through the final curtain of flames and appeared before her as if he had Teleported!

The distance between them instantly shrank to nothing!

Huo Wu could clearly see several strands of hair on his forehead, slightly curled from the scorching heat. She could smell the clean, refreshing scent on him—there wasn't even the slightest trace of smoke?! She could feel his warm breath lightly brush across her cheek.

Too close!

So close that she could count his thick eyelashes and see her own startled, flustered face reflected in his dark eyes. Those eyes, usually carrying a hint of laziness and teasing amusement, were now as deep as the starry sky. They held an understanding that seemed to see through everything, along with... a glimmer she could not comprehend, called "interest."

At some point, one of his hands had risen. Like an iron clamp, it precisely and steadily seized the wrist of her right hand, which was gathering a Soul Skill and wreathed in blazing flames.

The force around her wrist was not rough, yet it carried an irresistible sense of absolute control. The warmth of his fingertips seemed even hotter than her flames, making her heart suddenly tighten as all the strength in her body seemed to drain away beneath that grip. The Soul Power she had only half condensed scattered instantly, like a venomous snake caught by the throat.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

Within the Training Ground, only the crackling of burning flames remained, along with the clearly audible heartbeats between them, gradually falling into sync.

Huo Wu's mind went blank. All her anger, indignation, and embarrassment were replaced by the overwhelming impact of this sudden, intimate contact. She even forgot to struggle, merely staring blankly at the handsome face so close to hers and at the slight curve of his lips.

"Young ladies," Zhang Bufan said, his voice low and magnetic, carrying a faint smile as he shattered the strange silence, "shouldn't be so fond of fighting and killing. It's easy to hurt yourself, and easy to... get burned by your own fire."

His gaze meaningfully swept across their nearly pressed-together bodies and the wrist he held firmly in his grasp.

Only then did Huo Wu suddenly come back to her senses. An indescribable wave of shame and indignation rushed to her head, and her pretty face flushed bright red, more vivid than the flames of her Martial Soul.

"Y-you, let go of me!" She struggled with all her strength, only to find that his hand seemed welded to her wrist, utterly immovable. That apparently casual grip contained a power that filled her with despair.

"Let go of you?" Zhang Bufan raised an eyebrow. Not only did he fail to loosen his hold, he even used the force of her struggle to pull her slightly closer. Their noses nearly touched. Lowering his gaze, he looked at her lips, which trembled faintly from embarrassment and anger, and his eyes darkened.

Tsk, those lips look soft, like jelly... If I kissed her now, would she beat me to death? Forget it, take it slow, take it slow... There Will Be Plenty of Time.

"W-what are you trying to do?!" Huo Wu's voice carried a tremor she had not even noticed herself. Was it anger? Shyness? Or perhaps a trace of something she refused to admit—a primal flutter stirred by an absolute powerhouse?

"Nothing." Zhang Bufan chuckled and finally released her wrist, as she wished. But he let go with agonizing slowness, his fingertips seeming to casually brush across the delicate skin of her wrist, sending an almost imperceptible shiver through her.

"I was merely reminding Miss Huo Wu," he said as he stepped back, restoring the suffocating distance between them. His hands slipped back into his pockets, and he resumed that lazy demeanor. "It seems I won our wager."

Without his support—though he had only been holding her wrist, she had somehow felt as if she had a point of support—Huo Wu staggered before steadying herself. His fingertips' warmth and strength seemed to linger on her wrist, and the sensation of having been completely controlled left her emotions in turmoil.

She looked at the man opposite her, wearing an expression that said, "I'm only stating the facts." Remembering how she had practically delivered herself to him and been effortlessly restrained, then even... "teased" by him, she was overwhelmed by immense frustration and humiliation.

She, Huo Wu, the genius of Blazing Fire Academy and the object of countless admirers—when had she ever suffered such humiliation?!

Her eyes stung slightly, but she stubbornly lifted her head and refused to let those embarrassing tears fall.

"You..." She opened her mouth, only to find her voice somewhat hoarse. She wanted to throw out a few harsh words, but before this man, all her pride and confidence had been utterly shattered. She was weaker than him; even arguing with him seemed to put her at a disadvantage.

"What about me?" Zhang Bufan looked at her leisurely, admiring her pitiful appearance as she desperately held back her grievance. The little bit of mischief in his heart was deeply satisfied.

Iconic scene locked: Within the Training Ground, the Goddess of Flames stood ashamed and furious, her wrist still retaining the other party's warmth; Supreme Chaos stood lazily, the wager's victor already decided. If this scene, brimming with tension and ambiguous atmosphere, were captured by an artist, it would surely sweep the continent. Its title could be—Fire and Shackles.

"Fine, I'll honor the bet!" Huo Wu squeezed out the words through clenched teeth. She turned her face away and refused to look at him again. She knew she had thoroughly embarrassed herself today.

"Very good." Zhang Bufan nodded in satisfaction. "Then tomorrow night, at the Drunken Immortal Tower in Heaven Dou City. I'll wait for you. Don't forget—the most expensive one."

Having said that, he did not linger. He turned around, humming an unknown tune—if one listened carefully, it sounded like, "This ordinary man is really happy today"—and strolled leisurely out of the Training Ground with the swagger of someone who feared neither heaven nor earth.

Huo Wu was left standing alone, looking at the wreckage scattered across the ground, the scorching heat that had yet to fade from the air, and the lingering sensation on her wrist. Her thoughts were a complete mess.

She had lost.

Lost utterly and completely.

She had not only lost the spar. It seemed that... she had lost something else as well.