Festival

Today, Blazing Academy—or rather, Blazing City—was exceptionally lively from one end to the other.

Lin Li walked down the street with the Huo siblings, taking in the festive atmosphere.

Only now did Lin Li realize that even another world had the unique liveliness of a festival.

The eaves throughout the city were adorned with feminine decorations; beneath the apricot trees and beside the white tiles, laughter and cheerful voices filled the halls.

"How is it? Our Blazing City is pretty lively, right?"

Huo Wushuang said this with considerable excitement. Even though he had lived here since childhood, he was no less excited than an outsider.

"Indeed."

Lin Li praised the sight, sweeping his gaze over the surrounding scenery. After spotting a shop, he quickly walked toward it.

The shop occupied barely more than a meter of space. A clean cloth had been spread on the ground, displaying red pearl-like jade and gemstones, along with some handmade trinkets.

The person calling out to customers was the Bearded Boss who had brought Lin Li there.

When the Bearded Boss saw Lin Li approach, he seemed excited.

"It's you, little brother. Do you want to buy something? I'll give you a discount!"

Huo Wushuang followed over and asked in confusion, "You know each other?"

"Of course we do. Little brother, do you want to buy something? I'll give you a discount too!" The Bearded Boss seized the opportunity to do business and enthusiastically greeted Huo Wushuang. "Judging by the features of the beautiful lady behind you, she should be your sister, right? This bracelet would suit her perfectly!"

"This Red Jade Bracelet was bought from Vast Sea City. They say it's a gemstone mined from beneath the sea. It's top quality, and I'll let you have it for just fifty Gold Soul Coins!"

Huo Wu was clearly less interested than the two of them. Although she was a girl, she was more interested in cultivation and combat.

The moment she walked over, she was startled by the Bearded Boss's enthusiasm.

Huo Wushuang examined the Red Jade Bracelet in the Bearded Boss's hand. Its quality seemed quite good, clear and free of impurities, with a small gold ring serving as decoration.

"Come to think of it, I really haven't bought my sister anything before."

Huo Wushuang rubbed his nose, then took the bracelet from the Bearded Boss and put it on Huo Wu's wrist.

She lightly furrowed her brows, then relaxed and raised her hand to examine it in the sunlight.

"Thank you for your patronage!"

The Bearded Boss, who had received the Gold Soul Coins, immediately broke into a grin and watched the customers leave.

Lin Li spent the entire afternoon wandering around Blazing City, gaining a general understanding of the other world's distinctive customs.

Acrobatics, Soul Fights, storytelling and music...

In a small courtyard in South City, white cloth and paper flowers hung everywhere, completely at odds with the festival.

Lin Li passed by without entering. He paused at the entrance for a moment before leaving.

He had once believed that people grew through the passage of time, but later realized that it was events that taught them. Even in a world where one could cultivate and wield immense power, there were still things beyond one's reach.

They continued wandering like this, and evening soon arrived. The three of them headed toward Blazing Academy.

Lin Li could feel that his bond with this world had grown a little stronger.

As they neared Blazing Academy, the noisy footsteps and waves of heat rushed toward them, slapping them in the face.

After pushing open the gates, they saw that a huge bonfire had already been built on the plaza, which could accommodate more than a thousand students practicing martial arts.

Judging by its size, at least a hundred people would have to join hands to encircle it.

Near the bonfire, beautiful young girls sang and danced. They wore the brightest crimson dresses and danced barefoot on the ground, the ringing of their bells mingling with the laughter and sounding especially crisp.

Outside that ring was a moving crowd.

People could go inside the academy to bring out the prepared food and eat, or sit in a corner of the courtyard and chat.

Huo Wushuang seemed to spot someone he knew. After telling the other two to wait a moment, he turned and walked away.

Huo Wu looked at Lin Li's back and finally mustered the courage to speak.

"How did you manage your Soul Ring? If you don't want to say, forget it. I was only asking..."

"There's no particularly special method. My Martial Soul is unique."

Lin Li pointed at himself. That was genuinely true.

Without this Martial Soul, if he wanted to absorb a Soul Ring beyond its limit, he would have had to join a powerful sect and exchange the information he possessed for resources.

And that was under ideal circumstances. Lin Li could not guarantee that he would be able to meet the upper echelons of a sect.

"If you insist on an answer, then having a strong enough body will do."

This response was more of a polite excuse. Lin Li had no intention of revealing the method he knew.

He probably would not need Whale Rubber anymore.

His physical attributes were already extremely strong. If he could obtain the Immortal Herb according to plan, he would reach the threshold and have no need for further supplementation. It might even be counterproductive. After all, too much of a good thing could turn bad.

Elsewhere, Huo Wushuang entered the courtyard and found Feng Xiaotian drinking. He asked, "Why are you here drinking by yourself? This doesn't seem like you!"

When Feng Xiaotian saw Huo Wushuang, he knew that what was bound to come had arrived.

After returning, he had spent the entire night thinking about how to phrase it, yet he still did not know how to begin.

Feng Xiaotian was simply not good with emotions. Although his decent personality allowed him to get along with his peers, that did not mean he was skilled in matters of the heart.

His pursuit of girls made it obvious. He was terribly clumsy in this regard.

"Brother Huo, I have something to tell you. Don't be too upset when you hear it."

"What is it? Tell me first."

Seeing Feng Xiaotian's expression, Huo Wushuang grew worried.

He had never seen this boy make such an expression before.

"Lin Li is dead."

"Who?!"

Feng Xiaotian thought Huo Wushuang did not believe him, so he repeated, "Lin Li is dead."

Huo Wushuang was angered into laughter. He had not expected Feng Xiaotian to have an even greater sense of humor than he had imagined.

He really wanted to say, My second brother is invincible under heaven! How could he possibly die?!

But when he saw Feng Xiaotian's expression, Huo Wushuang realized that he was not joking. He had clearly misunderstood something.

"Come on, come with me."

Huo Wushuang directly grabbed Feng Xiaotian. Since he was not good with words, he chose to take Feng Xiaotian straight to see Lin Li himself.

Feng Xiaotian had no idea what was going on, but he still followed Huo Wushuang over. Then he saw Lin Li.

"You're not dead?"

Hearing the voice, Lin Li pointed at himself. "Why would I be dead?"

"You didn't leave the city last night?"

"I did."

"Then how are you not dead?"

The two stared at each other, both utterly bewildered. Clearly, they were not on the same page.

"Uh, listen to me."

Lin Li briefly explained what he had done the previous night. He changed the Fire God Trial into obtaining a one-time-use treasure inside a volcano, which allowed him to join that battle. That was why Feng Xiaotian, who had been searching on the other side, had not found him.

"...Six."

The Huo siblings, who had been watching from the side, were clearly rendered speechless by the coincidence between the two.

One thought the other had died, while the other had no idea this had happened at all.

"By the way, why isn't Dean Huo coming?" Lin Li changed the subject and asked the two of them.

"Grandfather said that festivals like this are for young people. He was going to drink with a few old friends."

"Grandfather's exact words were clearly 'those old bastards.'"

Huo Wu added this from the side.

Feng Xiaotian gave an awkward laugh, leaving Lin Li somewhat puzzled.

"That old bastard is probably, more or less, my second uncle..."

Unfortunately, those words had come from his beloved Huo Wu, so Feng Xiaotian could not say anything.

Lin Li saw through it as well and could not help sighing inwardly: a simp who licked after someone deserved a miserable end.

Still, a simp who managed to win someone over was doing all right. He was better off than Yan from Spirit Hall, at least. That boy had not only failed to win over his goddess, but had also watched her fall for his own enemy.

It was impossible to imagine how despairing that must have been.