Ice and Fire

By Sea God Lake, a gentle breeze stirred.

The grilled fish over the charcoal sizzled. Golden oil slid down its sides and dripped into the coals, sending up little sparks as its tempting aroma filled the air.

"That's pretty much what happened."

Huo Yuhao deftly turned the fish as he recounted the "adventure" he had carefully made up.

Across from him, Xiao Xiao rested her chin in her hands, her big eyes sparkling with admiration. "Class monitor, you're incredible! You went away and not only kept up with your cultivation, you made amazing progress! We're sure to win the freshman assessment now!"

Unlike Xiao Xiao, who was practically bursting with excitement, Wang Dong looked utterly dejected.

She held a grilled fish in her hand but still hadn't taken a bite. Looking at the faint smile on Huo Yuhao's face, Wang Dong felt as though her future had gone dark.

Three months! Did he have any idea what she'd been through these past three months?

To wash away the humiliation of having her butt spanked, she'd trained day and night. Her cultivation had improved considerably. She'd thought that when Huo Yuhao came back, she could give him a good spanking.

And what happened?

He'd gone on a trip, taken a nap, and come back as a thirtieth-level Soul Elder!

What was the point of spanking him now?

He'd already beaten her up when he was a one-ring Soul Master. Now he had three rings. Wasn't she just going to get beaten even worse?

Just thinking about it made her butt ache.

It's over. It's all over... Wang Dong lamented inwardly. Am I destined to be bullied by this bastard for the rest of my life? Destined to bring him foot-washing water forever? Heavens, how unfair!

Seeing Wang Dong's mournful expression, Huo Yuhao stifled a laugh. "Eat up. Don't pull such a long face. Don't worry, we'll definitely win this assessment."

Wang Dong gave him a resentful look, as if to say, Why don't you try bringing me foot-washing water for three months?

She took a fierce bite of her fish, as if she were biting into Huo Yuhao.

After eating, the three of them packed up and prepared to leave.

Just then, an unexpected change occurred!

The previously calm waters of Sea God Lake suddenly churned. A terrifying wave of heat swept over them, setting the dark night ablaze with crimson light.

The surrounding vegetation withered and turned black in an instant.

"What's going on?!" Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao cried in alarm.

Before they could react, a red figure shot toward them like an arrow loosed from a bow, racing across the lake.

Wherever the figure passed, the water instantly evaporated, turning into a vast cloud of mist.

An oppressive heat and sense of evil washed over them, like flames from the depths of hell.

"Ugh..."

A searing gust swept over them. Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao were only Soul Grandmasters; they couldn't withstand such horrifying heat. Both groaned, rolled their eyes back, and fainted.

Huo Yuhao's gaze sharpened. It's here!

Better late than never—Ma Xiaotao!

The red figure reached the shore in the blink of an eye. It was a woman with an extraordinarily curvaceous figure. Her wine-red hair whipped wildly behind her, and though she had stunning features, her face was twisted with pain and madness. Her eyes were blood-red, and dark crimson flames curled around her like those of a Flame Maniac gone berserk.

"Hot... So hot..."

Ma Xiaotao was out of her mind. Sensing the cool aura around Huo Yuhao, she instinctively lunged at him.

"Hmph!"

Huo Yuhao snorted and didn't retreat an inch.

A month ago, he might have been doomed to die—or had to let Brother Sky Dream step in. But now—

"Heavenly Snow Woman!"

In an instant, Huo Yuhao's entire bearing changed. The gentle youth became noble and aloof, like an Ice Snow Monarch looking down upon all living beings.

Ultimate cold burst from his body, and a thick layer of frost instantly covered the scorched ground around him.

Three black Soul Rings rose beneath his feet.

Their color came from Simulation.

As the terrifying Evil Fire rushed toward him, Huo Yuhao raised his right hand. The ethereal image of a breathtaking Snow Maiden appeared behind him, and he struck with his palm!

Boom!

Ultimate Ice and Phoenix Evil Fire collided violently in midair.

Although Huo Yuhao's Soul Power was far below Ma Xiaotao's, Ultimate Ice had an absolute advantage over the Evil Fire in terms of attributes!

When the wild dark crimson flames met the pure power of ice and snow, they seemed to encounter their natural enemy. They quickly dwindled and went out.

Ma Xiaotao's forward rush abruptly halted. Some of the madness faded from her eyes, leaving a trace of bewilderment.

Just as the two were locked in a stalemate—

"Stop!"

Several streaks of light shot over from deep within the Shrek Inner Court. The man at their head was none other than Yan Shaozhe, dean of the Martial Soul Department.

When Yan Shaozhe and several Inner Court teachers landed and saw the scene before them, their eyes nearly popped out of their heads.

What were they looking at?

A new student from the Outer Court had actually managed to suppress the rampaging Ma Xiaotao all on his own!

And—

"Three rings? All of them ten-thousand-year Soul Rings?!" Yan Shaozhe cried, feeling as if his entire worldview had shattered. "What family did this monster come from?!"

What shocked him even more was the aura around Huo Yuhao.

"Such pure ice attribute energy... It can actually suppress Xiaotao's Evil Fire? Is this... Ultimate Ice?!"

Yan Shaozhe was overjoyed!

He'd searched high and low, only for the solution to fall right into his lap!

The Academy had been troubled by Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire for ages. Who would've thought the antidote was right before them?

"Good! Good! Good!" Yan Shaozhe exclaimed three times.

"Student, we owe you for what you just did. The Evil Fire inside Xiaotao..."

Huo Yuhao withdrew his Martial Soul and calmly replied, "During our clash, I used Ultimate Ice to temporarily suppress the Evil Fire inside her. It shouldn't flare up again for a while."

"That's wonderful." Yan Shaozhe looked at Ma Xiaotao. The blood-red in her eyes was gradually fading, and she no longer attacked at random.

He glanced at the unconscious Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, then waved his hand. Three exquisite jade bottles flew toward Huo Yuhao.

"These are Marrow Cleansing Pills and Soul Ascension Pills. Consider them the Academy's compensation for the scare you went through, as well as payment for your silence. Don't tell anyone about what happened today."

After that, Yan Shaozhe had one of the Titled Douluo healers who'd come with him examine Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao. Once they confirmed the two were unharmed, he hurried off with Ma Xiaotao.

Looking at the pills in his hand, Huo Yuhao muttered, "These Marrow Cleansing Pills and Soul Ascension Pills are useless to me. Looks like I got the short end of the stick."

Late that night, in the freshman dormitory building.

Huo Yuhao carried Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, one under each arm, back to the dormitory.

Standing at the door, he was stumped.

He couldn't go into the girls' dorm, so the only choice was to bring Xiao Xiao back to the dorm he shared with Wang Dong.

But where was everyone supposed to sleep?

Wang Dong was disguised as a boy, but Xiao Xiao didn't know that. If he put Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong in the same bed, it'd be hard to explain when they woke up.

Fine. I'll put up with it.

Huo Yuhao sighed, gently laid Xiao Xiao on his bed, and thoughtfully tucked her in. Then he carried Wang Dong over to her bed and lay down with her.

The next morning, just before dawn.

"Ah—!"

A scream shattered the dormitory's silence.

Then came the sound of something heavy hitting the floor.

"Huo Yuhao, why are you in my bed?!"

Thinking back to when she'd just woken up, Wang Dong had found herself curled up in Huo Yuhao's arms, with one of his big hands resting on her thigh. She was going out of her mind!

"Wang Dong, what's wrong with you? If I didn't sleep with you, was I supposed to sleep with Xiao Xiao?"

Huo Yuhao had spent the past month either traveling or absorbing Soul Rings, and he was exhausted. He'd slept like a log and never expected to be woken up like this.

The commotion woke Xiao Xiao, too. She looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings, then noticed the blanket over her, which carried a faint masculine scent. Her face turned red as a ripe apple.

"C-Class monitor... Why am I in your bed?!"

"Do you remember what happened yesterday?" Huo Yuhao asked, exasperated.

Wang Dong suddenly remembered and hurriedly asked, "H-How did we get back? And what happened to that red monster?"

"An Inner Court senior sister lost control while cultivating and nearly roasted you two alive. Thankfully, the teachers arrived in time and took her away. I didn't want you two sleeping outside, so I brought you back. And someone repaid me by kicking me right out of bed."

Wang Dong stubbornly retorted, "I told you, I hate people getting into my bed."

"We're buddies. What's there to be embarrassed about?" Huo Yuhao said unconcernedly.

Xiao Xiao nodded, too. "That's right, that's right."

Wang Dong couldn't say what was really on her mind. She pouted and muttered, "We're buddies, and you still make me bring you foot-washing water every day."

Huo Yuhao couldn't help laughing.

"Wang Dong, what did you say?" Xiao Xiao hadn't heard her clearly.

"Nothing. I didn't say anything." Wang Dong quickly denied it. She didn't want anyone else to find out something so embarrassing.

Wang Dong hurriedly changed the subject and looked at Huo Yuhao suspiciously. "Then how come you're fine? That senior sister's aura was terrifying—at least as strong as a Spirit Emperor. We both fainted, so why didn't you?"

Huo Yuhao rolled his eyes, walked over, and flicked Wang Dong hard on the forehead.

"Thonk!" (What a skull!)

"Ow! You're bullying me again!" Wang Dong clutched her forehead and glared at Huo Yuhao with tears in her eyes.

"Serves you right for being so ungrateful!" Huo Yuhao said irritably. "You'd rather I got hurt? If I hadn't risked my life to hold that madwoman off for a moment, do you think you'd still be bouncing around here, defying me?"

"Yeah, right! What a load of nonsense!" Wang Dong curled her lip, clearly unconvinced. "You? Hold off a Spirit Emperor? If you can hold off a Spirit Emperor, I'll eat this blanket!"

As far as she was concerned, Huo Yuhao might be a freak, but he was still only a Soul Elder. There was no way he could fight a Spirit Emperor three major realms above him. The teachers must have arrived quickly, and Huo Yuhao was just taking credit for himself.

Huo Yuhao couldn't be bothered to explain it to this tsundere. He turned to Xiao Xiao. "Xiao Xiao, do you believe me?"

Xiao Xiao was still embarrassed about "sleeping in the class monitor's bed." At his question, she immediately nodded like a bobblehead, her eyes full of admiration. "I believe you! I believe everything you say, class monitor! You're the best!"

Watching Xiao Xiao fawn over him, Wang Dong put a hand to her forehead in exasperation. "It's over. This girl's a lost cause. She's completely fallen for him."

"All right, enough fooling around."

Huo Yuhao took out the pills Yan Shaozhe had given him the night before and handed them to the two of them. "These are the Academy's compensation. Soul Ascension Pills and Marrow Cleansing Pills—both are valuable. You've turned a bad situation into a blessing."

Wang Dong's eyes lit up at the sight of the pills. As the little princess of the Clear Sky Sect, she knew what they were worth. These were treasures you couldn't buy even if you had the money.

"At least you have some conscience. You didn't keep them all for yourself." Wang Dong grumbled as she put the pills away, and her resentment eased somewhat.

Huo Yuhao wasn't having that. "What the hell? Give me my share back. I'll give it all to Xiao Xiao."

"No, I was wrong." Wang Dong immediately backed down.

Wang Dong ended up with two Soul Ascension Pills and one Marrow Cleansing Pill, while Xiao Xiao received two Marrow Cleansing Pills and one Soul Ascension Pill.

"Class monitor, are you sure you don't need these?" Xiao Xiao asked, hesitating to accept the pills that belonged to Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao waved his hand. "Why didn't they give us these good things earlier? I'm already a Soul Elder, so taking them now wouldn't do me any good."

"Oh, then thank you, class monitor."

Wang Dong didn't say anything, but she was touched all the same. She just couldn't understand why Huo Yuhao bullied her so mercilessly, yet was now giving her pills worth a fortune.

Even if Huo Yuhao didn't need them, he could've sold them for a handsome sum.

Huo Yuhao glanced at the sky outside the window and clapped his hands. "Hurry up and wash up. The matches start today."

"Yes, class monitor!" Xiao Xiao replied energetically.

At last, the three-person team had assembled, ready to claim the championship.