Taking Xiao Xiao (3000-character chapter, seeking reads)

Feng Piaoling gave a warning, and Jiang Nannan, without a moment's hesitation, wrapped her arms around his waist.

Following this, the two of them quickly tunneled into the earth.

Before submerging, Feng Piaoling glanced at the petite girl who was staring at them in despair, as well as Wang Dong'er.

He sighed inwardly and swiftly dove toward the spot where they had fallen.

Before they could hit the ground, he grabbed each of them by the shoulder, pulled them into the earth, and rapidly descended into the depths.

The next moment, a thunderous explosion erupted on the surface.

"Th-thank you..." The petite girl, having survived the ordeal, looked at Feng Piaoling with immense gratitude.

Wang Dong'er also let out a long breath, offering a shaky word of thanks, still clearly rattled.

Feng Piaoling did not answer them; instead, he focused on the surface. Under the effect of the Earth Escape Talisman, as long as the area remained within the range of his mental perception, he could clearly see everything happening above ground.

On the surface, the ball of Fire Cloud had detonated upon impact.

A young woman with a slender figure emerged from the flames.

She was dressed in red, wearing a red mask, and even her eyes were crimson. A pair of flaming wings spread out behind her, and her entire body radiated a violent, piercing ferocity.

Seemingly frustrated by the loss of her target, the young woman let out a roar toward the sky. Flames ignited in her palms, and as she beat her wings frantically, she unleashed a barrage of fireballs, instantly turning the surrounding area into a hellish sea of fire.

"Speak, what happened?" Feng Piaoling asked, looking at Wang Dong'er, whom he was still holding.

It was the first time Wang Dong'er had been in such close physical contact with a male, and her pretty face flushed slightly as she hesitated. "Could you let me go first?"

"If you want to be trapped underground and suffocated to death, then I'll let you go," Feng Piaoling replied.

"No, don't let go..." The petite girl nearby was deathly pale with fright.

Wang Dong'er stopped arguing and began to answer Feng Piaoling's earlier question:

"I don't know how it happened. I was just walking by Sea God Lake with Xiao Xiao every night. Who would have thought that a ball of fire would suddenly fly over from across the lake today? Then it started chasing us. It's fortunate we ran into you, otherwise, we would have been burned to death today."

Should I call you unlucky, or lucky? Feng Piaoling thought, speechless.

He vaguely remembered that in the original story, Wang Dong'er had dragged Huo Yuhao to the edge of Sea God Lake, where they encountered Ma Xiaotao, who had lost her mind due to an outbreak of evil fire.

Now that Wang Dong'er's identity had been exposed, she hadn't been placed in the same class as Huo Yuhao, and instead, she was dragging around Xiao Xiao—a girl who possessed Twin Martial Souls but was wasting her talent.

However, this meant Huo Yuhao wouldn't be able to receive the Soul Ascension Pill as compensation from the Inner Courtyard.

That was an unexpected bonus.

The only pity was that he had ultimately gone soft just now.

If he hadn't cared about the little girl named Xiao Xiao, perhaps this Wang Dong'er would have been burned to death.

Of course, the probability of that was zero, considering the divine consciousness of Tang San still slumbering within Wang Dong'er.

He didn't regret it, though.

"I suppose it's a bit of both," Wang Dong'er said, looking dejected.

Jiang Nannan suddenly asked, "Benefactor, who is that person above? Is she a student from the Inner Courtyard? Why would she attack us students from the Outer Courtyard?"

"I don't know, but she looks somewhat like an Evil Soul Master."

Knowing that people from the Inner Courtyard would arrive soon, Feng Piaoling secretly activated the Level 9 Soul Tool he carried: a Mental Barrier.

Evil Soul Master? Although shocked, Jiang Nannan, who had already become completely infatuated with him, believed Feng Piaoling's words without a shred of doubt.

Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao, however, were filled with disbelief. Wang Dong'er exclaimed, "No way! How could an Evil Soul Master appear in the continent's premier Soul Master Academy?"

"Where there is light, there must be darkness. Who can guarantee that Shrek is as bright and beautiful as it appears on the surface?"

As he said this, Feng Piaoling gave Wang Dong'er a pointed look and teased, "Weren't you also disguising yourself as a boy before?"

Wang Dong'er's face turned beet red. "That is completely different!"

"Disguising yourself as a boy to live with male students—that's quite a high-sounding excuse you have there," Feng Piaoling mocked.

These words left Wang Dong'er speechless and mortified.

Feng Piaoling added, "However, I advise you all: until you possess sufficient strength, it is best to bury what you saw today in your hearts. Otherwise, I fear it will only bring you a fatal disaster."

Intimidated by Feng Piaoling's warning, Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao dared not leak a word.

As for Jiang Nannan, she was even more obedient to Feng Piaoling's every word.

...After Ma Xiaotao wreaked havoc for a while, she was subdued by an elderly man in white who suddenly appeared.

Feng Piaoling didn't see how the old man moved; he only felt a flash of white light, and Ma Xiaotao lost consciousness. In her place stood an elder surrounded by nine soul rings: two yellow, two purple, and five black.

He held Ma Xiaotao and scanned the area for a moment. After confirming no one else was around, he waved his hand, and a plant-type soul master walked out from behind him.

Under the control of this plant-type soul master, the vegetation by Sea God Lake that had been burned by Ma Xiaotao began to regain its vitality.

After the white-clad elder and the others left, Feng Piaoling brought Jiang Nannan, Wang Dong'er, and Xiao Xiao to a forest far from the lake and surfaced.

"Feng Piaoling, thank you. Thank you for saving us. My name is Xiao Xiao, a student in Class One. I will remember the debt of gratitude for saving my life today. I will surely repay you in the future."

Xiao Xiao expressed her thanks to Feng Piaoling once more.

Wang Dong'er also said with a haughty air at this moment, "I'll count this as me owing you a favor. Sooner or later, I will pay you back."

"What a child who knows how to return kindness." Looking at the well-behaved young girl before him, Feng Piaoling subconsciously raised his hand to gently pat her cute little head. He suddenly felt it might be necessary to recruit her.

Whether it was due to her Twin Martial Souls talent or her future marriage to that dark-skinned Xu He, Feng Piaoling felt she was worth recruiting.

His intimate gesture caused Xiao Xiao's pretty face to flush red, while also drawing a jealous glare from Jiang Nannan nearby and a look of utter disdain from Wang Dong'er.

Wang Dong'er said, "You guy, having Senior Sister Jiang Nannan isn't enough? Don't tell me you think Xiao Xiao is cute and are planning to make a move on her?"

"Make a move on her? Tell me, is there nothing in that brain of yours besides romance?" Feng Piaoling shot her a sideways glance and retorted irritably.

"Then what is it? If you don't give me a proper explanation today, I'm not letting this go." Wang Dong'er was annoyed and pressed him for an answer.

"Is this the attitude you use to treat your savior?" Feng Piaoling countered.

"Those are two different things. Repaying a debt is one thing, bickering is another. Friends don't go without arguing once in a while," Wang Dong'er retorted.

"Then let's start by repaying the debt: one Soul Ascension Pill." Feng Piaoling held up a finger.

"A Soul Ascension Pill? Do you really think these things are cabbages, asking for pills every time you see someone? That stuff is good, but a soul master can only take one in their lifetime, otherwise there will be side effects. Can you even eat that many yourself?"

Wang Dong'er said huffily.

"That's none of your concern. If I don't eat it myself, can't I give it to a friend I truly trust?"

As soon as Feng Piaoling finished speaking, Jiang Nannan stepped forward and stood beside him: "Before this, Benefactor had already given me one Mysterious Water Pill and one Soul Ascension Pill."

"Fine, you win. It's just a Soul Ascension Pill, right? I'll get it to you in ten days at most." Wang Dong'er knew she would have to get the Clear Sky Sect involved.

With the strength of the Clear Sky Sect as the number one sect in the world, purchasing two Soul Ascension Pills from Shrek Academy would not be difficult.

However, she was unwilling to be led by the nose by Feng Piaoling, "But Xiao Xiao is my friend. I must find out what you're planning for her."

Once these words were out, Xiao Xiao also looked over with curiosity. If he were actually interested in her, considering how handsome he was, how strong he was, and the fact that he had just saved her, it wouldn't be entirely unacceptable.

Immersed in a beautiful fantasy, Xiao Xiao couldn't help but cup her face and giggle foolishly.

"No bad intentions. I just suddenly had the idea of establishing a sect and wanted to recruit geniuses in advance. Is there a problem with that?" Feng Piaoling said truthfully.

"At least you're honest." Xiao Xiao possessed Twin Martial Souls; it wasn't strange that he wanted to recruit her.

However, upon hearing this, Xiao Xiao couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Wang Dong'er looked at Xiao Xiao and said, "Xiao Xiao, although this guy is a bit annoying, his talent and strength are beyond reproach. Plus, he has Twin Martial Souls just like you. If you want to go further in the future, staying by his side is a pretty good choice."

"Can you give me some time to consider?" Joining a sect was no small matter, after all; Xiao Xiao had to think carefully.

"You may. But since you have Twin Martial Souls, I must remind you: do not easily attach soul rings to your second martial soul or absorb trashy Soul Bones." Feng Piaoling felt a pang of regret when he thought of her soul ring configuration in the original story.

"Why?" Xiao Xiao was stunned.

Feng Piaoling said, "Because that is merely pulling up seedlings to help them grow. Attaching soul rings and low-quality Soul Bones to your second martial soul early on might increase your soul power quickly, but in the later stages, you will easily lack the stamina to continue. Take me, for example."

"For the soul ring configuration of my second martial soul, I intend to attach only rings over 100,000 years old. The Soul Bones must also be over 100,000 years old. You might as well imagine: once I attach nine soul rings over 100,000 years old and become a Titled Douluo, my strength will skyrocket to what level? I can guarantee that there will be no person or beast on the Douluo Continent who is my match."

Hearing this, Wang Dong'er, Xiao Xiao, and Jiang Nannan couldn't help but visualize the scene of Feng Piaoling surrounded by nine scarlet soul rings, reigning over the world.

The whole group was stunned for a moment.

Feng Piaoling curled his lips and began to paint a grand picture for Xiao Xiao: "If you are willing to join the sect I establish in the future, I won't say I can hunt nine 100,000-year soul rings for you, but I can certainly manage to have your second martial soul possess six soul rings over 50,000 years old, three soul rings over 100,000 years old, and provide you with a set of Soul Bones over 50,000 years old."