The Ice Goddess's Fall

Star Luo Plaza was deafening with noise.

Although the match was over, Huo Yuhao didn't hurry to lead his team away.

As the saying went, know your enemy and know yourself, and you could fight a hundred battles without defeat. Though he had absolute confidence in his own strength, he decided to stay and observe the other academies' abilities, just to be safe.

He hadn't known what to expect, but what he saw was shocking.

Of course, it was Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and the others who were stunned.

As the competition progressed, one formidable team after another took the stage.

Brilliant Soul Skills filled the arena, dazzling the eye.

"Is that... a Soul King?!" Xiao Xiao covered her little mouth and cried out in surprise.

In one team from the Dou Ling Empire, a powerhouse with five Soul Rings had appeared.

The black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring shimmered in the sunlight with a disconcerting sheen.

And that wasn't an isolated case.

In the next few matches, Soul Kings appeared one after another. Some teams even had Soul Ancestors across the board.

By comparison, the Shrek Reserve Team looked rather "underpowered."

Apart from Huo Yuhao, the cheat-level powerhouse, and Jin Nier, no one was above Soul Elder. Three of them were only Soul Grandmasters.

"The pressure's intense..." Xiao Xiao's little face had gone pale.

"If we run into a team made up entirely of Soul Ancestors, or even one with a Soul King, can we really win?"

Even Wang Dong, who was usually so haughty, had her brows knitted tightly. A trace of solemnity flashed in her pinkish-blue eyes. Huo Yuhao alone still stood with his hands in his pockets.

"All right, stop talking up the other teams and putting ourselves down." Huo Yuhao reached over and ruffled Xiao Xiao's hair with a smile. "Soul Power Level doesn't mean everything. Besides, if the sky falls, I'll hold it up."

His words were lighthearted, but the girls still felt a weight in their hearts. They truly didn't know what they could contribute in a battle at this level.

Not wanting to affect their morale, Huo Yuhao didn't linger. He led everyone back to the Star Emperor Hotel.

As soon as they returned to the suite on the top floor, Huo Yuhao was about to check on Ma Xiaotao when someone grabbed his sleeve.

"Hey, are you going to that crazy woman's room again?" Wang Dong puffed out her cheeks, looking displeased. "She's had you to herself for days! Today, you have to stay and cultivate the Power of Haodong with me! Besides, she hasn't recovered from her injuries. You should let her rest, and not be so... so excessive!"

By the end, Wang Dong's cheeks had turned faintly red.

Huo Yuhao paused, then recalled that he had been helping Ma Xiaotao "suppress her Evil Fire" rather frequently these past few days. It was for treatment, of course, but it did put a considerable strain on the body.

"All right, I'll listen to you. I won't put Xiaotao through anything today." Huo Yuhao nodded.

Wang Dong's face instantly brightened. She tugged him toward her room. "Then hurry up. Don't dawdle!"

But things didn't go as they hoped.

The two had just reached the corner of the hallway when a cool, blue-clad figure blocked their way.

"Huo Yuhao, wait a moment."

It was Ling Luochеn, a control-type Soul King and one of the main team members.

Usually as cold as an iceberg, she now seemed unable to meet Wang Dong's practically blazing glare. Instead, she stared straight at Huo Yuhao. "My injuries have been acting up. The cold in my body is getting hard to control... Your Ultimate Ice helps me a great deal. Could you... help me get it under control?"

It was a reason he couldn't refuse.

As a member of the main team, Ling Luochеn's recovery directly affected their upcoming matches.

As captain, Huo Yuhao had a duty to help.

"Okay." Huo Yuhao let go of Wang Dong's hand and gave her an apologetic look. "Wang Dong, the bigger picture comes first. I'll be right back."

"You... you two!"

Wang Dong watched Huo Yuhao leave with Ling Luochеn, stamping her foot in anger. Her fists clenched as she ground her teeth. "Every single one of them is trying to steal you from me! I'm so mad! Huo Yuhao, you big jerk!"

A faint, orchid-like fragrance filled Ling Luochеn's room, cool and elegant, just like her.

She closed the door, shutting out the noise from outside.

Leaning against it, Ling Luochеn felt her usually cool, pretty face flush with crimson. Her heartbeat quickened without her even realizing it.

The aloof persona she maintained every day crumbled the moment they were alone, replaced by a young woman's shyness and nervousness.

"Senior, where does it hurt?" Huo Yuhao turned around, his gaze clear.

"It's... my meridians are a little blocked..." Ling Luochеn stammered, her eyes wandering. "I need you to use your Ultimate Ice to help clear them."

Huo Yuhao nodded, but just as he was about to begin, he remembered something and quickly said, "Senior, should I go back and take a shower first? I just finished a match, so I'm all sweaty. I don't want to stink you out."

"Don't!" Ling Luochеn blurted out, then realized she'd overreacted and hurried to cover it up. "Um... going back and forth would be a hassle. You can shower here."

Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow, but didn't make a fuss. "All right, then I'll borrow your bathroom."

As water pattered in the bathroom, Ling Luochеn sat on the edge of the bed, clutching the sheets so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

She was nervous—and even more, she was looking forward to it.

Ultimate Ice...

To an ordinary Soul Master, it might have been nothing more than a powerful attribute. But to her, with her Ice Element Martial Soul, the aura around Huo Yuhao was like a deadly poison, carrying an irresistible allure.

The attraction came from the very origin of their Martial Souls. She couldn't control her urge to draw closer to him.

A moment later, the water stopped.

The bathroom door opened, and a cloud of warm steam billowed out.

Huo Yuhao walked out bare-chested, with only a white towel wrapped around his waist.

After being transformed by the Soul Rings and Soul Bones of the Ice and Snow Emperors, Huo Yuhao had a nearly perfect physique.

Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs; his muscles were sleek and firm, neither exaggerated nor lacking in explosive power.

Water droplets slid down his solid chest, traced the grooves of his abs, and disappeared beneath the edge of the tantalizing towel.

For Ling Luochеn, whose heart had only just begun to stir, the sight hit like a nuclear bomb.

She stared at him, dumbstruck. Her proud, icy heart seemed to have been thrown into a furnace, melting into a puddle of spring water.

"Yu... Yuhao, you..." Ling Luochеn turned her face away in a panic, the tips of her ears so red they seemed about to bleed. "Why aren't you dressed?"

"I'm used to it. I thought I was in my own room." Huo Yuhao scratched his head.

The rush of masculine scent mingled with the crisp chill unique to Ultimate Ice, making Ling Luochеn feel dizzy.

"I... I'll take a shower too!" Like a startled fawn, Ling Luochеn rushed into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

Inside, she turned the shower on full blast.

Ling Luochеn leaned against the cold tiled wall, panting heavily as she tried to calm her heart, which felt ready to leap out of her chest.

"Ling Luochеn, what are you doing? You're the aloof goddess of the inner court. How can you be so... so shameless?"

She questioned herself in her heart.

But Huo Yuhao's imposing figure from moments ago wouldn't leave her mind. Her longing wasn't merely physical; it was a tremor from deep within her soul.

Especially when she remembered that Ma Xiaotao's room was right next door, the thrill of doing something forbidden made her desire grow wildly, like weeds.

"Ultimate Ice... It's my opportunity, and also my... calamity."

Ling Luochеn closed her eyes and let the hot water wash over her. At last, the confusion in her eyes faded, replaced by a kind of desperate resolve.

If she couldn't resist, then... she would give in.

Twenty minutes later, the bathroom door opened again.

Ling Luochеn stepped out through a haze of mist.

She wore only a pale blue silk bathrobe, so short that it barely covered her hips, revealing a pair of long, slender, pale legs. Her wet hair fell loosely over her chest and back, and droplets slid from the ends to collect in the hollow of her collarbone, glittering like crystal.

Her usual cool demeanor had been replaced by a startling, alluring charm.

The contrast was enough to drive any man wild.

Huo Yuhao lifted his head, his gaze blazing.

Their eyes met.

Ling Luochеn's gaze was shy yet heated. It was a silent invitation—and an utter surrender.

"Yuhao... we can begin now."

Her voice trembled, sweet and soft with a hint of a nasal lilt.

Huo Yuhao's Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he rose and stiffened.

She'd... made up her mind.

No words were needed. The temperature in the room seemed to plunge, then rise all at once.

It was a collision of ice against ice, yet it sparked the hottest flames.

As the Ultimate Cold invaded her body, Ling Luochеn let out a satisfied sigh.

It wasn't merely the healing of her injuries. It was the mingling and resonance of two powers with the same origin.

That night, the ice and snow melted into a pool of spring water, rippling in waves amid the storm...