Into the Web-Spinning Cave

"No."

Yu Shuangbai shook his head, denying Shui Rou'er's guess.

"I didn't come here to enroll at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. I'm only looking for someone."

Snow Empress folded her arms across her chest and let out a scornful laugh.

"Why would my little Shuangbai need to study at that so-called Heaven Dou Royal Academy?"

How proud was Snow Empress?

She didn't believe there was anyone in this world better suited to teach Yu Shuangbai than she was.

There were many powerful people in the world.

Perhaps top-tier powerhouses like Di Tian could leave her helpless.

But when it came to mastery of the path of ice alone,

she, Snow Empress, was inferior to no one!

Shui Rou'er was speechless.

She could tell Snow Empress's disdain wasn't deliberate; it came from the bottom of her heart.

That was precisely why she was even more curious about Yu Shuangbai and Snow Empress's origins.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy had a poor academic atmosphere and uneven standards, having admitted too many noble students.

But it was, after all, a Soul Master Academy backed by the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.

Its educational strength was beyond question.

Even the Four Elements Academies couldn't match its three Soul Douluo-level board members, not even if one academy stood alone.

In private, they looked down on the useless noble students at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, but they still recognized the academy's faculty.

Yet in Snow Empress's eyes, Heaven Dou Royal Academy's faculty was utterly insignificant.

Shui Rou'er didn't respond.

She couldn't afford to show such disdain when a mysterious senior could.

Instead, she said,

"It's getting late. The person Young Master Yu is looking for may no longer be at the academy."

"Why not rest in the city for the night and come with us tomorrow?"

"Right," Shui Yue'er chimed in.

"We've booked a hotel, and there are still plenty of empty rooms."

Yu Shuangbai wasn't one to stand on ceremony. He nodded.

"Then I'll trouble you."

Skywater Academy wasn't short on money.

Since their traveling party consisted entirely of young, beautiful girls, they had booked an entire hotel in Heaven Dou City as their temporary lodging for the Friendship Match to avoid trouble.

"Sister Bing'er, Yue'er, you're finally back!"

The moment they entered the hotel,

several pretty girls rushed over.

They immediately fussed over Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er.

Everyone on the Skywater Team got along very well.

They were more like close friends than teammates.

"All right, that's enough."

Shui Bing'er pushed away the several pale hands that were playfully reaching over her and glared at her close friends.

Then she turned to Yu Shuangbai and the others.

"Come with me, Young Master Yu. I'll show you to the vacant rooms."

Watching Shui Bing'er,

the Skywater Team girls finally noticed the two strangers who had come with them.

Their gazes fell on Snow Empress.

A glimmer of awe passed through their eyes.

The girls on the Skywater Team were all beauties.

But standing before Snow Empress, who looked like a work of art, they couldn't help feeling inferior.

Then they looked at Yu Shuangbai.

Their eyes widened.

They were filled with wonder.

What a handsome young man!

Because of Skywater Academy's special admissions requirements, the girls mostly saw other girls in their daily lives.

When had they ever seen a boy as handsome as Yu Shuangbai?

For a moment, they stared at him, dumbstruck.

Several girls instinctively began tidying up their appearance.

"Sister Bing'er, who's this young master?"

"Sister Bing'er, you've been keeping such a handsome young man all to yourself? That's not very nice!"

"May I ask your name, young master?"

"..."

Yu Shuangbai's appearance was like a boulder tossed into a still lake, sending ripples in every direction.

The beautiful girls of the Skywater Team crowded around Yu Shuangbai, chattering away with curiosity.

Someone had even managed to sneak a hand onto his abdomen amid the commotion.

Watching the noisy, giggling girls swarm around him, Yu Shuangbai's brow twitched.

He even wondered if he'd stumbled into the Web-Spinning Cave.

Beside him, Snow Empress's delicate brows were already drawing together.

Watching all the girls flutter around Yu Shuangbai, her displeasure was on the verge of boiling over.

Just as Snow Empress was about to lose her temper and use her power to make these shameless, lovesick fools back off and mark her territory,

Shui Bing'er spoke first.

"That's enough!"

Her sharp cry made the girls of Skywater pause.

Shui Bing'er frowned, clearly displeased by her close friends' outrageous behavior.

She scolded them.

"What are you doing?"

"Is this how our teachers taught you to behave?"

The girls on the Skywater Team fell silent under Shui Bing'er's scolding, not daring to argue at all.

Shui Bing'er might not have been the oldest member of the Skywater Team.

But every member wholeheartedly accepted her as their captain.

She commanded great respect among the team and was, without question, their big sister.

For a moment, the girls were like students caught misbehaving, too intimidated by Shui Bing'er to utter a word.

"Young Master Yu is our guest. Mind your manners!"

As she spoke, she shot Xue Wu a fierce glare.

She'd seen it all clearly just now.

The others had only asked a few questions.

But Xue Wu had been ready to get handsy!

Shui Bing'er was at a loss.

Her close friends were usually mischievous, but they generally knew where to draw the line.

Today, they'd been far too excited; even she hadn't seen it coming.

It seemed the academy's rules had been keeping her close friends reined in!

"Sorry you had to see that."

After scolding Xue Wu and the others, Shui Bing'er turned to Yu Shuangbai and apologized.

Her little face was slightly flushed.

Her close friends' behavior had been far too embarrassing!

She was almost too embarrassed to look Yu Shuangbai in the eye.

"It's all right."

"Please show us to our rooms, Miss Bing'er. The journey has worn me out, and I'm feeling a little tired."

Yu Shuangbai hadn't taken it too much to heart.

He'd just been a little flustered. They hadn't actually done him any harm.

Besides, he hadn't lost anything.

Rather than dwell on it and make them both more awkward, it was better to change the subject.

Seeing that Yu Shuangbai wasn't angry, Shui Bing'er let out a long breath of relief.

"All right. Young Master Yu, Senior Snow, please follow me."

Shui Bing'er glared at Xue Wu and the others, then led Yu Shuangbai and Snow Empress toward the second floor.

As soon as Shui Bing'er left,

Xue Wu and the others, who had been silent as mice, sprang back to life.

They gathered around Shui Yue'er, full of questions.

"Yue'er, who is this Young Master Yu?"

"Why did the dean personally invite him?"

"How did you meet him?"

Unable to withstand her close friends' pestering, Shui Yue'er told them everything that had happened on the road.

As they listened to her story, Xue Wu and the others' eyes sparkled.

He was handsome, and talented...

He was almost too tempting!