For Shrek Academy, the matches that followed felt like they were playing at double speed.
The next day's individual match barely even got Huo Yuhao out of his chair. The Dou Ling Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy didn't stand a chance; Ma Xiaotao took over the match herself.
"Phoenix Sky-Screaming Strike!"
With a clear, ringing cry like a phoenix's, terrifying dark-red flames swept across the arena. Ma Xiaotao descended like a flame empress and, with nothing but herself and her sword (though she didn't actually use it), accomplished the incredible feat of defeating all seven opponents on her own!
Some opponents were burned black and blue, while others were scared out of their wits. Shrek Academy stormed into the quarterfinals with sheer, overbearing force.
Next came the quarterfinal match, against Zhengtian Academy.
In the original story, this might have been a tough fight. But in this timeline, Huo Yuhao could win even with a depleted team. Now, with Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochеn, two of their mainstays, back in the lineup, and Huo Yuhao holding down the fort, Ye Wuqing, Zhengtian Academy's captain, looked at their hopelessly stacked lineup with a face more miserable than if he were about to cry.
The result was never in doubt. They swept the match.
Shrek Academy advanced to the semifinals with ease.
Since the matches had been so easy, Huo Yuhao had been bored out of his mind these past few days. With no fun to be had in the arena, he turned his surplus energy toward the living quarters.
Inside a luxurious suite at the Star Emperor Hotel.
"Brother Yuhao, y-you can't do that..."
On the sofa, twin sisters Lan Susu and Lan Ruoruo were cornered by Huo Yuhao. He braced one hand against the back of the sofa, a roguish smile on his face as his gaze shifted between their identical pretty faces.
"Susu, Ruoruo, you two look so alike. I'm face-blind, so what if I mix you up?" Huo Yuhao leaned closer, the tip of his nose almost brushing Lan Susu's cheek.
Lan Susu's little face flushed red, and her heart pounded like a drum. "Th-then how do you want to tell us apart?"
Huo Yuhao reached out and gently lifted a lock of Lan Susu's hair, twirling it around his finger. "I heard twins can sense each other's feelings. If I kiss the older sister, will the younger one feel it?"
"Huh?" The two sisters exclaimed in unison, their faces red as ripe tomatoes.
Before they could react, Huo Yuhao had quickly pecked each of them on the cheek. Then he turned and left with a loud laugh, leaving the sisters covering their faces as they looked at each other, embarrassed and annoyed, yet a little pleased. "You scoundrel..."
Elsewhere, Ning Tian sat by the window reading.
Huo Yuhao walked over and sat beside her as if it were the most natural thing in the world, then took one of her soft hands. "Ning Tian, your complexion's been looking a little dark lately. Have you hit a bottleneck in your cultivation? Come, let this Grandmaster read your palm."
Ning Tian's cheeks warmed, but she didn't pull her hand away. Instead, she leaned a little closer, her eyes hazy. "So... what did Grandmaster see?"
"I saw... that your five elements are missing me."
Ning Tian couldn't help but laugh. She shot him a coquettish look. "You certainly know how to sweet-talk."
As for Xiao Xiao, she was Huo Yuhao's personal "hug pillow." He would often use "checking her Soul Power" as an excuse to pat her head or pinch her cheeks. Every time, the little girl would be so embarrassed she wanted to crawl into a crack in the floor, but she never actually resisted.
Of course, all that was just a warm-up. Huo Yuhao's real target was the eldest senior sister, Zhang Lexuan, who was as cool and luminous as the moon.
The night was as still as water on the hotel's rooftop terrace.
Zhang Lexuan stood alone by the railing, moonlight spilling over her as if draping her in a veil of silver.
"Eldest Senior Sister, it's so late and you're still awake. Are you thinking about me?"
Huo Yuhao's voice broke the silence. He walked over with two glasses of red wine and handed one to Zhang Lexuan.
She took the glass and gave him a helpless look. "Yuhao, you've been far too bold these past few days."
"Young people should be a little reckless." Huo Yuhao stepped beside her, standing shoulder to shoulder, and gazed at her intently. "Besides, I'm only this 'bold' around you."
Zhang Lexuan's heart gave a faint flutter, and she turned away from his heated gaze. "I'm your senior sister, and besides..."
"Besides what?" Huo Yuhao stepped closer, closing the distance between them until he could even smell her faint fragrance. "Besides, you're engaged? Or do you think there's too much of an age gap between us?"
He reached out and gently smoothed the hair the night breeze had ruffled at Zhang Lexuan's temple. His fingertips brushed her delicate skin, sending a shiver through her.
"Sister Lexuan, do you know? The moon is beautiful tonight, but not as beautiful as you."
Zhang Lexuan's heart skipped a beat. Reason told her to push away this brazen junior and give him a stern scolding. But her body seemed to have been bound by a spell, clinging to the warmth of his fingertips.
She looked into Huo Yuhao's eyes, which seemed to hold a sea of stars. They held no reverence for a senior sister—only naked, undisguised possessiveness and affection.
"You... really are very patient." Zhang Lexuan sighed softly, a hint of indulgence in her voice.
"For you, I have a lifetime's worth of patience." Huo Yuhao raised his glass and gently clinked it against hers, the glasses ringing clearly.
Wang Dong saw the whole scene from behind the door.
"I'm furious! I'm so furious!"
Back in the room, Wang Dong grabbed a pillow and beat it wildly, as though it were Huo Yuhao's head. "That jerk! That womanizer! He dares to go after Eldest Senior Sister! And he won't leave Ning Tian or the Lan sisters alone, either! Is he some kind of stud?!"
At the other end of the room, Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochеn were leisurely drinking tea.
Seeing Wang Dong in such a fit of rage, Ma Xiaotao didn't get angry at all. Instead, she giggled. "Oh, little Wang Dong, can't take it already?"
Wang Dong whipped around and stared at them in disbelief. "Sister Xiaotao, Sister Luochеn, aren't you angry? He's flirting with other girls!"
Ling Luochеn put down her teacup, a faint smile appearing on her cool face. "What's the point of getting angry? That guy's so outstanding he's practically a monster. He was never going to belong to just one person."
Ma Xiaotao stretched languidly, her ample curves making Wang Dong's head spin. She walked over and patted Wang Dong on the shoulder, speaking earnestly:
"Little Dong, you're still young. When you're my age, you'll understand. With a peerless monster like him, as long as he has you in his heart, turning a blind eye to the rest can actually be more fun. Besides, having a few more sisters to share the burden isn't a bad thing. That guy's stamina... tsk, tsk. You couldn't handle him alone."
"Y-you..." Wang Dong's little face flushed red. She couldn't make sense of her seniors' way of thinking and felt as if her entire worldview had shattered.
In the corner, Jin Nier, with her brilliant golden hair, held a bag of chips and stared at the scene without blinking, her golden eyes fixed on it.
Her mind raced as she tried to analyze the information before her:
"Is this what humans call 'courtship behavior'? The male attracts multiple females by displaying his strength and using verbal seduction... The females experience an exclusive emotion called 'jealousy,' but high-ranking females choose to share resources to maintain the stability of the group..."
Jin Nier tilted her head and popped a chip into her mouth.
"Humans are so complicated. But... that male called Huo Yuhao does smell pretty good."
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