Meanwhile, a clear, pleasant electronic prompt suddenly rang out in Huo Yuhao's mind:
[ Ding! Detected a sharp emotional upheaval in Sea God Tang San. He is in a state of extreme breakdown! ] [ Congratulations, Host. You have gained +9999 Anger Points! ] [ System evaluation: Nicely done! ]
Hearing the voice in his mind, Huo Yuhao's lips curled into a knowing smile.
As expected, that lofty, "pure and spotless" God King Tang had been spying on them all along.
If you're getting worked up, then I'm even happier.
Wang Dong sat where she was, looking in the direction the two had left before glancing at Huo Yuhao, who remained completely calm. Her expression was complicated. "Yuhao, why did you have to go that far? Even if you didn't want to join, you didn't have to be so harsh."
"Better a short pain than a long one." Huo Yuhao sat back down and picked up another grilled fish. "What about you, Wang Dong? You're from the Clear Sky Sect. Why are you so set on joining a sect that's doomed to disappear?"
Wang Dong fell silent for a moment, then said softly, "I don't know, either. Ever since I was little, it's felt like there's always been a voice in my head telling me that I have to join the Tang Sect, that I have to restore its former glory... It's like fate."
"Fate?" Huo Yuhao scoffed inwardly. It was nothing but a divine sense suggestion Tang San had left behind. "Take your fate into your own hands instead of entrusting it to some ethereal voice. Follow me, and your future will lie among the stars—not in that decaying sect."
Looking into Huo Yuhao's resolute eyes, Wang Dong felt some of the confusion in her heart fade. In the end, she nodded and said nothing more.
To ease the awkward atmosphere, Xiao Xiao blinked and asked curiously, "Wang Dong, since you're from the Clear Sky Sect, why isn't your Martial Soul the Clear Sky Hammer?"
Wang Dong was taken aback, then gave a mischievous grin and looked at Xiao Xiao. "Xiao Xiao, since you already know I'm from the Clear Sky Sect, how do you know I don't have Twin Martial Souls?"
"Huh?" Xiao Xiao's mouth fell open, and she was too surprised to speak.
Wang Dong raised her chin smugly and glanced at Huo Yuhao, hoping to see even a hint of shock on the face of their class monitor, who stayed calm even when Mount Tai crumbled before him.
But Huo Yuhao simply picked out a fish bone, not even lifting an eyelid.
"Hey! What's with that reaction?" Wang Dong complained. "I have Twin Martial Souls! The Clear Sky Hammer and the Light Goddess Butterfly. Aren't you even a little surprised?"
Huo Yuhao finally looked up and regarded her like she was an idiot. "Why should I be surprised? Who doesn't have Twin Martial Souls these days?"
"Huh?"
Now Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao were the ones left dumbfounded.
"Could it be that you..." Xiao Xiao swallowed.
Huo Yuhao shrugged. A shadow flickered behind him. Though he didn't release his Martial Soul, a flash of the bone-deep chill belonging to the Heavenly Snow Woman appeared—utterly unlike the mental fluctuations of his Golden Eyes.
"So do I."
Silence.
Deafening silence.
A moment later, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao exchanged a look. Both saw deep shock in the other's eyes.
So after all that, every member of their new-student trio had Twin Martial Souls?!
"Monster..." Wang Dong struggled for a long while before finally managing to get the word out. "One Martial Soul is already ridiculously powerful, and you've got two? You're not leaving the rest of us a chance!"
Just as Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao were still reeling from the revelation that their entire group was made up of geniuses, a wave of scorching air suddenly descended from above.
A flash of fire, and a slender figure landed in front of them.
Red as fire, with a curvaceous figure—it was Ma Xiaotao.
Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao immediately went on guard, stepping in front of Huo Yuhao. The memory of being attacked by the lakeside last time still lingered.
"Relax. I'm not here to fight." Seeing the three of them braced for battle, Ma Xiaotao awkwardly waved a hand. Then she fixed her gaze on Huo Yuhao, her tone sincere. "Huo Yuhao, I'm here to apologize. Something went wrong with my cultivation earlier, and I nearly hurt you. I'm sorry."
A genius of the inner court was actually lowering herself to apologize to a new student?
Huo Yuhao remained calm. "The academy has already compensated us. That matter is behind us. You didn't come all this way just to apologize, did you, Senior?"
"It's refreshing talking to someone clever." Ma Xiaotao bit her lip, seeming a little hesitant. "Um... I need your help."
"What do you need help with?"
"Help me... suppress my Evil Fire." Two red spots appeared on Ma Xiaotao's cheeks.
"Pfft—" Wang Dong, who had been drinking water, spat it out. Xiao Xiao's eyes widened, and her face turned red.
Suppress... her Evil Fire?
Why did that sound so improper?
"Senior, that's pretty bold of you..." Wang Dong stammered. "How could you ask a junior to help with... with something like that?"
Ma Xiaotao froze, then realized what they were thinking. Instantly embarrassed and furious, she cried, "What on earth are you imagining?! I mean the flaw in my Martial Soul! The Evil Fire of the Evil Fire Phoenix! I need his Ultimate Ice Attribute to suppress it! Not that kind of Evil Fire!"
"Ohh..." Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao drew the sound out, wearing expressions that said, "I get it, but I don't believe you."
Huo Yuhao, however, remained composed. He naturally knew what was going on with Ma Xiaotao.
"Sure." Huo Yuhao nodded. "But I'll charge you."
Ma Xiaotao was overjoyed. "As long as you can solve my Evil Fire problem, name your price!"
Huo Yuhao smiled. "We can talk about the terms later. Have you eaten, Senior? Why don't you sit down and join us?"
Ma Xiaotao's nostrils flared at the aroma, and her appetite stirred. She immediately sat down and accepted a grilled fish from Huo Yuhao, parting her red lips to take small bites.
"Your Martial Soul has the Mental Attribute. No wonder you can control the heat so precisely," Ma Xiaotao praised. "It tastes great. It's the best grilled fish I've ever had."
Ma Xiaotao ate quickly, finishing the fish in just a few bites. Not a trace of oil stained her hands or red lips. Even the fish bones quietly melted away in her flames.
Ma Xiaotao's talent truly far surpassed Ma Hongjun's before he had consumed an Immortal Herb, and her control over fire was exceptional. She was hailed as a once-in-a-century Soul Master at Shrek Academy.
"All right, I'm full. Thanks for the meal, little brother. I'll come find you when I need you." Ma Xiaotao patted her still-flat stomach, then turned and walked off into the night.
Only then did Wang Dong ask, "Yuhao, are you really going to help Senior Xiaotao suppress that... Evil Fire?"
Xiao Xiao also looked forward to Huo Yuhao's answer, a little nervously.
Huo Yuhao watched Ma Xiaotao's retreating figure. Her curvaceous, voluptuous figure and stunning face were certainly captivating.
Compared with Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, who were still growing into their figures, Ma Xiaotao was clearly more alluring.
"It's no trouble. Having a promising inner-court senior owe me a favor isn't a bad thing."
Before you continue