The next day's matches saw Huo Yuhao unleash his full power. Even without using his Second or Third Soul Skills, the First Soul Ring's Years Erasure and Time Freeze were enough to deal with the four teams scheduled for that day.
Wang Yan said, "Huo Yuhao, with your potential, you're guaranteed to enter the Inner Courtyard in the future. Counting today's four victories and yesterday's one, you're currently ranked first in Group 33. Tomorrow's five battles will require a reasonable arrangement of your stamina and Soul Power."
"Thank you for the reminder, Teacher Wang. However, our group is about to undergo a major reshuffle. The teams that lost all five matches have already left the academy. I heard that the teams for tomorrow's five matches will be redrawn!" Huo Yuhao asked Wang Yan about it.
Wang Yan nodded. "That's right. Aside from avoiding teams from the same class, the redraw means that with your five consecutive victories, you'll face at least one team that has also won all five matches. So give it your all tomorrow!"
"Of course!" Huo Yuhao smiled faintly. After bidding Wang Yan farewell, he headed back toward the dormitory with Xiao Xiao and Song Hanqing.
"It really went too smoothly. With the class monitor around, there were no surprises." Song Hanqing let out a deep sigh of relief. Once Huo Yuhao made a move, everyone was completely frozen, leaving him with nothing to do afterward. It had been easy and pleasant.
"Exactly!" Xiao Xiao nodded repeatedly, and her gaze at Huo Yuhao became increasingly dazzled.
Huo Yuhao shook his head slightly. "The teams will be regrouped tomorrow. We'll have to face at least one team with a perfect record. Get a good rest today and prepare for tomorrow's matches."
The New Student Dormitory was right before them, but Huo Yuhao suddenly flushed for no apparent reason.
Ma Xiaotao had arrived. Dressed in red, she stood before the New Student Dormitory Building. Her graceful figure and fiery-red hair instantly made her the center of attention there.
Huo Yuhao recalled what had happened at the Bottom of Sea God Lake three months ago. Even now, merely thinking about it made him blush.
"Xiao Tao, what brings you here?" Huo Yuhao walked up to Ma Xiaotao and asked.
Ma Xiaotao flushed as well. Ignoring the curious gazes around them, she grabbed Huo Yuhao's hand in broad daylight and swiftly whisked him away.
All that remained were Song Hanqing, wearing a look of shock, and Xiao Xiao, whose eyes were wide open. Seeing this, Mu En chuckled. "Young people need to learn some restraint."
At the Lakeside of Sea God Lake, Ma Xiaotao and Huo Yuhao appeared.
"I... My Evil Fire is about to erupt. I had no choice but to come looking for you." Ma Xiaotao's usual fiery temper failed her in front of Huo Yuhao. This eleven-year-old boy had also left a deep impression on her heart.
Huo Yuhao nodded slightly. "I can also sense the terrifying Evil Fire contained within you, Xiao Tao."
Huo Yuhao vaulted over the railing. The instant both his feet landed on the lake's surface, a thick layer of ice immediately spread beneath them.
"This is different from last time. I can feel that the purity of the Evil Fire within you is far more terrifying than before." Huo Yuhao frowned slightly.
Ma Xiaotao sighed and landed on the ice as well, sitting cross-legged opposite Huo Yuhao.
"This is all your fault!" Ma Xiaotao raised her willow brows and glared at Huo Yuhao.
"Me? What does this have to do with me?" Huo Yuhao retorted.
"The mysterious flame aura within you is tremendously beneficial to me. Last time, I absorbed only a tiny bit, yet my Soul Power broke through smoothly. Based on my past experience, after suppressing the Evil Fire once, I'd be fine for four or five months as long as I didn't fight with all my strength. But it's only been three months, and the backlash from the Evil Fire is already more dangerous than ever."
Ma Xiaotao's eyes were replaced by a peach-colored glow, while an intoxicating flush crept across her pretty face. Huo Yuhao could clearly feel her body temperature suddenly soar. Even the ice beneath her feet began to give off cold vapor.
Huo Yuhao sighed helplessly. The Heaven and Earth Yuan Power of Extreme Fire was indeed beneficial to Ma Xiaotao. However, as long as the Evil Fire remained, Ma Xiaotao would suffer increasingly severe attacks from it.
The Evil Fire would grow more dangerous each time, until it completely devoured Ma Xiaotao. By then, her Martial Soul might no longer be the Evil Fire Phoenix.
Huo Yuhao watched as Ma Xiaotao slowly approached him. There was only one way to eradicate the Evil Fire.
"Xiao Tao, are you still conscious?" Huo Yuhao looked into Ma Xiaotao's peach-colored eyes and asked seriously.
"Hurry up and say it! I can't hold on much longer!" Ma Xiaotao's voice trembled as she spoke. The black Evil Aura within the Phoenix Flame was spreading around her delicate body, and she was on the verge of losing control.
Huo Yuhao said, "I can help you resolve the Evil Fire problem once and for all. However, in return, you must keep it a secret for me."
Ma Xiaotao covered her head in pain, doing everything she could to remain conscious. "Cut the nonsense. As long as you completely solve my Evil Fire problem, I, Ma Xiaotao, can even marry you in the future!"
Huo Yuhao: "!!!"
Solving the problem and getting a wife in return? This was a deal he couldn't lose.
Huo Yuhao took the Ruyi Hundred Treasures Pouch from the Soul Tool ring Qian Renxue had given him. The instant he opened it, various miniature Immortal Herbs appeared inside.
Huo Yuhao took out a brilliant-red Immortal Herb. It appeared to consist of only a few red leaves, each shaped like a cockscomb, while the veins were a rare scarlet-gold color.
The Immortal Herb, Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower.
Ma Xiaotao's consciousness gradually blurred. At that moment, when she saw Huo Yuhao take out a red herb, her first reaction was that this boy was unreliable.
She had been tormented by the Evil Fire for more than a decade, enduring the agony of burning desire every time. Ma Xiaotao assumed Huo Yuhao had said those things merely to comfort her, so she had jokingly declared that she would marry him in the future if he solved her Evil Fire problem.
"The Immortal Herb, Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower. Once Xiao Tao consumes it, her Evil Fire can be eliminated forever."
Ma Xiaotao accepted the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower Huo Yuhao handed her. After examining it carefully for a moment, she slowly raised her head. Seeing how serious Huo Yuhao looked, she said nothing more and swallowed it in one bite.
Huo Yuhao said, "Sit cross-legged and absorb its medicinal power. Raise both hands and press your palms against mine. I'll transmit the Extreme Fire Heaven and Earth Yuan Power I've accumulated within my body to you."
Ma Xiaotao immediately sat cross-legged, her palms meeting Huo Yuhao's. The instant the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower entered her stomach, it transformed into a Warm Current that swept through her limbs and organs.
At the same time, Huo Yuhao mobilized the Extreme Fire Heaven and Earth Yuan Power within his body and transmitted it into Ma Xiaotao.
Huo Yuhao was also absorbing the Heaven and Earth Yuan Power of Extreme Ice. The amount he absorbed was directly proportional to the Heaven and Earth Yuan Power he transmitted into Ma Xiaotao.
For a time, Huo Yuhao's body glowed blue while Ma Xiaotao's glowed scarlet. One cold and one hot, the two energies circulated wildly.
As the floating ice beneath their feet shattered, the two unconsciously embraced each other and sank together to the bottom of Sea God Lake...
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