The Fall of the Frost Goddess

Star Luo Plaza was filled with a deafening roar of noise.

Although the matches had concluded, Huo Yuhao was in no rush to lead his team away.

As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. While he possessed absolute confidence in his own strength, he decided to stay and observe the capabilities of the other academies just to be safe.

He didn't know until he looked, and once he did, he was shocked.

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

As the tournament progressed, the various powerhouse teams made their appearances one by one.

On the competition stage, brilliant soul skills danced through the air, dazzling the eyes of all who watched.

"Is that... a Spirit King?!" Xiao Xiao covered her small mouth and exclaimed in shock.

Within her line of sight, a team from the Heaven Spirit Empire featured a powerhouse who possessed five rings.

The pitch-black ten-thousand-year soul ring shimmered with a heart-stopping luster under the sunlight.

And this was not an isolated case.

In the matches that followed, Spirit King-level powerhouses appeared one after another, and some teams even consisted entirely of Soul Ancestors at a minimum.

In comparison, the configuration of the Shrek Reserve Team seemed somewhat "shabby."

Aside from Huo Yuhao, who was a walking cheat code, and Jin Nier, the highest cultivation among the others was only a Soul Elder, and three of them were merely Soul Grand Masters.

"The pressure is so intense..." Xiao Xiao's small face turned somewhat pale.

"If we encounter a team where everyone is a Soul Ancestor or even has a Spirit King, can we really win?"

Even the usually haughty Wang Dong had her brows tightly locked together, a hint of gravity flashing through her pink-blue eyes. Only Huo Yuhao kept his hands in his pockets.

"Alright, stop boosting others' morale and diminishing our own." Huo Yuhao reached out to ruffle Xiao Xiao's hair and smiled. "Soul Power Level doesn't represent everything. Besides, if the sky falls, I'll be the one to hold it up."

Although Huo Yuhao's words were lighthearted, the girls still felt a heavy weight in their hearts, as they truly didn't know what role they could play in battles of this caliber.

To avoid affecting their mental state, Huo Yuhao didn't linger any longer and led everyone back to the Star Emperor Hotel.

Just as they returned to the top-floor suite and Huo Yuhao was preparing to head to Ma Xiaotao's room to check on her condition, his sleeve was suddenly tugged.

"Hey, are you going to that crazy woman's room again?" Wang Dong puffed out her cheeks, looking thoroughly dissatisfied. "She's been hogging you for days! You have to stay and practice the Power of Haodong with me today! Besides, her injuries haven't healed yet; you should let her rest. Don't be... too excessive!"

By the end of her sentence, Wang Dong's cheeks were slightly flushed.

Huo Yuhao was stunned, then realized that the frequency with which he had been helping Ma Xiaotao "suppress the Evil Fire" over the past few days had indeed been quite high. Although it was for treatment, the physical toll was certainly not insignificant.

"Fine, I'll listen to you. I won't bother Sister Xiaotao today," Huo Yuhao agreed with a nod.

Wang Dong's face immediately lit up with joy, and she pulled Huo Yuhao toward her room. "Then hurry up, don't dawdle!"

However, fate had other plans.

Just as the two reached the corner of the hallway, a cold, blue figure blocked their path.

"Huo Yuhao, wait a moment."

The person who arrived was none other than the control-type Spirit King from the main team, Ling Luochen.

Usually as cold and aloof as an iceberg, her eyes flickered at this moment. She didn't dare meet Wang Dong's gaze, which seemed ready to spit fire, and instead stared straight at Huo Yuhao. "My injuries have had a relapse, and the cold energy within me is becoming uncontrollable... Your Ultimate Ice is a great help to me. Could you... help me regulate it?"

This was a reason he could not refuse.

As a member of the main team, Ling Luochen's recovery was directly related to the upcoming matches.

As the captain, Huo Yuhao had an unshirkable duty.

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

"You, you guys!"

Wang Dong watched Huo Yuhao's back as he followed Ling Luochen away, stomping her feet in anger. She clenched her pink fists and gritted her teeth, muttering, "They're all coming to snatch you away from me! It's infuriating! Huo Yuhao, you big blockhead!"

Inside Ling Luochen's room, a faint, elegant scent of orchids permeated the air, as cold and refined as she was herself.

Closing the door, the clamor of the outside world was shut out.

Ling Luochen leaned against the door panel, a layer of crimson flushing across her originally cold, pretty face, and her heartbeat quickened involuntarily.

The cold persona she maintained daily collapsed the moment she was alone, replaced by the shyness and nervousness of a young girl.

"Senior Sister, where are you feeling uncomfortable?" Huo Yuhao turned around, his gaze clear.

"It's just... my meridians are somewhat congested..." Ling Luochen stammered, her eyes wandering. "I need you to use your Ultimate Ice to help me clear them."

Huo Yuhao nodded. Just as he was about to act, he thought of something and quickly said, "Senior Sister, how about I go back and take a shower first? I'm covered in sweat after the match, and I'm afraid of offending you with the smell."

"No!" Ling Luochen blurted out instinctively, then realized her reaction was too intense and quickly added, "That... it's too much trouble to go back and forth. Just use my bathroom here."

Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow, but he didn't stand on ceremony. "Alright, then I'll borrow your bathroom."

Listening to the sound of splashing water coming from the bathroom, Ling Luochen sat on the edge of the bed, her hands gripping the sheets so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

She was nervous, and even more so, expectant.

Ultimate Ice, after all...

For an ordinary soul master, that might just be a powerful attribute. But for her, possessing an ice-element martial soul, the aura on Huo Yuhao was like a lethal poison, carrying an irresistible temptation.

That attraction, stemming from the very origin of her martial soul, made it impossible for her to control the urge to draw closer to him.

A moment later, the sound of water abruptly ceased.

The bathroom door opened, and a wave of warm steam surged out.

Huo Yuhao walked out with only a white bath towel wrapped around his waist, his upper body bare.

Transformed by the soul rings and soul bones of the Ice and Snow Emperors, Huo Yuhao's physique could be described as perfect.

With broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs, his muscle definition was smooth and firm—neither exaggerated nor lacking in explosive power.

Water droplets slid down his solid pectoral muscles, traced the grooves of his abdominals, and finally disappeared into the edge of that thought-provoking towel.

For Ling Luochen, whose heart was just beginning to stir with romantic feelings, this scene had the impact of a nuclear bomb.

She was completely stunned, her once-haughty heart of ice seemingly thrown into a furnace, melting into a pool of spring water.

"Yu... Yuhao, you..." Ling Luochen turned her head away in a panic, her earlobes turning red enough to bleed. "Why aren't you wearing any clothes?"

"I'm used to it; I thought I was in my own room," Huo Yuhao said, scratching his head.

The rush of masculine pheromones, mixed with the crisp, clean scent unique to Ultimate Ice, made Ling Luochen feel a wave of dizziness.

"I... I'm going to take a shower too!" Like a startled deer, Ling Luochen rushed into the bathroom in a panic and slammed the door shut with a "bang."

Inside the bathroom, the shower was turned on to its maximum setting.

Ling Luochen leaned her back against the cold tiled wall, gasping for air as she tried to calm a heartbeat that felt like it was about to jump out of her throat.

"Ling Luochen, what are you doing? You are the cold, aloof goddess of the Inner Court; how can you be so... so shameless?"

She questioned herself in her heart.

Yet, she could not banish the image of Huo Yuhao's aggressive figure from her mind; that longing was not just physical, but a trembling from the depths of her soul.

Especially when she thought of Ma Xiaotao's room right next door, the thrill of such moral transgression only made her desires grow like wild grass, flowing beneath the surface.

"Ultimate Ice... it is my opportunity, and also my... tribulation."

Ling Luochen closed her eyes, letting the hot water wash over her body. Finally, the confusion in her eyes dissipated, replaced by a desperate sense of resolve.

Since she could not resist it, then... she would sink into it.

Twenty minutes later, the bathroom door opened once again.

Ling Luochen stepped out amidst a hazy mist.

She wore only a pale blue silk bathrobe, which was extremely short, barely covering her hips and revealing two long, fair, and beautiful legs. Her damp, long hair was draped loosely over her chest and back, with water droplets dripping from the tips onto her collarbone, crystal clear.

Her originally cold and aloof temperament was now replaced by a breathtaking allure.

That intense contrast was enough to drive any man to madness.

Huo Yuhao looked up, his gaze burning.

Their eyes met.

Ling Luochen's expression was shy yet carried a hint of heat; it was a silent invitation and a total surrender.

"Yuhao... we can begin."

Her voice trembled, carrying a hint of sweet, nasal inflection.

Huo Yuhao's Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he stood up and moved toward her.

So, she had... figured it out.

No excessive words were needed; the temperature in the room seemed to plummet in that instant, yet simultaneously soar.

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

As the ultimate chill invaded her body, Ling Luochen let out a sigh of satisfaction.

It was not just the healing of her injuries, but the fusion and resonance of two forces of the same origin.

That night, the ice and snow melted, turning into a pool of spring water, rippling layer upon layer within the storm...