"I'm going to find him right now!"
Ma Xiaotao wiped away the tears of joy and turned to hurry off. She couldn't wait another moment.
"Wait!"
Yan Shaozhe hurriedly called after her and shook his head helplessly.
"It's too late now. Don't disturb his rest.
Besides, Huo Yuhao is now a core student personally selected by Mu En. His status is no ordinary matter, so you can't just barge in and bother him."
Seeing how anxious Ma Xiaotao was, he added with a smile:
"Don't worry. Given that child's nature, he'll definitely be willing to help you."
Ma Xiaotao stopped, took a deep breath, and tried to suppress the excitement surging inside her.
She nodded, a light unlike any before shining in her fiery red eyes. "All right, I'll listen to you. I'll go tomorrow."
Moonlight fell across her face, dispelling the weariness and restlessness that had long weighed on her brow, leaving only boundless anticipation.
The night passed.
Huo Yuhao had finished reading three books on basic theory and was now studying the Core Array of a first-grade Soul Guidance Ray from a diagram.
"Master, look at this Core Array. If we changed this part, wouldn't it increase the speed at which Soul Power gathers?"
Huo Yuhao pointed to a corner of the diagram and looked up at Zhao Ze.
Zhao Ze leaned over to take a look and nodded.
"Not bad. You've got a keen eye, Yuhao. You really are talented."
Electrolux put down the book in his hands as well and said with a smile:
"This child's comprehension is truly astonishing. He's better than many Soul Engineers who've studied for half a year."
Huo Yuhao felt a little embarrassed by the praise and scratched his head.
His comprehension was astonishing, but Zhao Ze and Electrolux were clearly even more capable. They had mastered all that knowledge in no time.
Huo Yuhao continued poring over the diagram for quite a while, until his neck started to ache. Then he stretched out with a long yawn.
He instinctively glanced up at the Soul Tool clock on the wall. His pupils contracted sharply. There were only ten minutes left before the morning class for Class One!
"Shoot! I lost track of time!"
Huo Yuhao sprang from his chair, frantically stuffing the diagrams and textbooks on the table into his Soul Tool. He grabbed the uniform draped over the back of his chair and bolted.
He had been so engrossed in studying Soul Tools last night that he hadn't even noticed the sky growing light. There wasn't time to return to his dorm and wash up, so he could only sprint all the way toward the teaching building.
By the time he reached the door of the Class One classroom, gasping for breath, the bell had just rung.
He was about to push the door open when he saw a graceful, fiery-red figure standing outside, talking to Zhou Yi.
The woman wore a red outfit of close-fitting martial clothes. Her waist-length red hair danced like flames, and her peerless beauty was touched with a heroic air. It was Ma Xiaotao.
Hearing footsteps, she immediately turned around. Her eyes fell on Huo Yuhao, and they lit up at once.
Zhou Yi had spotted Huo Yuhao too. A rare hint of a smile appeared on her normally stern face as she beckoned him over.
"Yuhao, you're just in time. This is Ma Xiaotao, a senior from the inner courtyard. She came here especially to find you."
"Senior Ma Xiaotao?"
Huo Yuhao froze for a moment, then hurriedly stopped and greeted her.
"Hello, Senior."
Ma Xiaotao looked him up and down, then broke into a radiant smile. Her tone was almost excessively enthusiastic.
"You're Huo Yuhao, right? Just like the rumors say, you're an adorable little brother."
Under her gaze, Huo Yuhao felt a little embarrassed. He scratched his head and asked, puzzled:
"Senior, is there something you need? I'm just a new student. I'm afraid I can't be much help."
"You can help me! You're the only one who can!"
Ma Xiaotao stepped forward and gripped his arm tightly, her voice urgent and earnest.
"I want you to help me cultivate! Your Life Crystal is exactly what I need to solve my biggest problem!"
"Life Crystal?"
Huo Yuhao blinked, puzzled.
His Life Crystal could heal injuries and improve people's constitutions, but how could it help someone cultivate?
Then he thought again: he didn't mind selling Life Crystals in the first place, and it made no difference who bought them. So he nodded and agreed readily.
"No problem, Senior. How many do you need? I can sell you as many as you want."
"That's wonderful!"
At his answer, Ma Xiaotao jumped up in excitement.
She had been waiting for this day for a long time. Now, at last, she had hope of rooting out her Evil Fire.
Ma Xiaotao lost control of her emotions for a moment, spread her arms, and pulled Huo Yuhao into a hug.
Huo Yuhao went completely stiff. His cheeks turned red in an instant, like ripe apples, and he stammered:
"S-Senior..."
"Hey! What are you two doing?!"
Just then, an angry voice suddenly rang out beside them.
The two hurriedly separated and turned to look. Wang Dong'er stood not far away, textbooks in hand. Shock and displeasure filled her pink-blue eyes as she glared at them.
She had been cutting it close on her way to class,
and never expected that, just as she reached the classroom door,
she would see Ma Xiaotao hugging Huo Yuhao.
A nameless fury flared in Wang Dong'er's heart, leaving her feeling stifled.
Ma Xiaotao raised an eyebrow at Wang Dong'er's puffed-up expression. The corners of her mouth curled into an amused smile. She didn't bother to explain and simply said to Huo Yuhao:
"It's nothing. I just came to ask Junior Yuhao to help me cultivate.
Come on, Junior Yuhao. Let's go somewhere else to talk. It's not convenient with so many people around."
Without giving him a chance to object, she took Huo Yuhao by the wrist and turned to lead him out of the teaching building.
"Huh? But, Senior, we still have class..."
As she pulled him along, Huo Yuhao glanced back at Wang Dong'er by the classroom door, hesitating.
"It's fine. I already spoke to Teacher Zhou and got you half a day off!"
Ma Xiaotao replied without looking back, her footsteps light. She was clearly in a wonderful mood.
Watching the two walk away side by side, Wang Dong'er focused especially on Ma Xiaotao's hand around Huo Yuhao's wrist. She stamped her foot, her displeasure growing even stronger.
Biting her lip, she hurried over to Zhou Yi and frowned.
"Teacher Zhou! How can you just give someone leave like that?
And what's with that senior? Grabbing and tugging at him in broad daylight—what kind of behavior is that!"
Zhou Yi glanced at her puffed-up expression and calmly replied:
"Ma Xiaotao's situation is special. It's a good thing that Huo Yuhao can help her. Don't worry about it. Hurry back to class."
"But..."
Wang Dong'er tried to say more, but Zhou Yi stopped her with a stern look.
"No buts."
Zhou Yi's voice turned grave.
"If you don't get to class right now, you'll run twenty extra laps during today's physical training."
Watching the two disappear at the end of the corridor, Wang Dong'er felt both angry and anxious, but there was nothing she could do.
She could only stamp her foot and trudge into the classroom, sulking.
She couldn't focus for the rest of class. The image of Ma Xiaotao hugging Huo Yuhao kept replaying in her mind, and the more she thought about it, the more irritated she became.
Where was that senior taking Huo Yuhao?
She lay on her desk, wondering.
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