Two Ranks Up, A Disappointed Wang Dong'er

"Ultimate Fire! It really is the Ultimate Fire!"

Ma Xiaotao's voice trembled with excitement. She extended her hand, watching the golden flames dance upon her fingertips, and her eyes instantly turned red.

It had been over a decade. For more than ten years, she had been tormented by the Evil Fire, waking up countless times in the dead of night from the agony of her heart being scorched, and living in constant fear that she would become a mindless Evil Soul Master.

Now, she had finally cast off the shackles of the Evil Fire completely and awakened the true Ultimate Fire Phoenix!

"This is amazing! Yuhao!"

Ma Xiaotao spun around abruptly and pulled the blushing Huo Yuhao into a tight embrace, her tone filled with heartfelt gratitude.

As her soft body pressed against him, carrying a faint, delicate fragrance, Huo Yuhao froze instantly. His cheeks turned so red they looked as if they might bleed, and he even forgot how to breathe.

"Se, Senior Sister... I'm just glad I could help..."

Huo Yuhao stammered, his gaze darting around, not daring to meet Ma Xiaotao's eyes.

Ma Xiaotao released him, and seeing his incredibly shy appearance, she couldn't help but laugh, her eyes filled with tenderness.

She pulled a heavy bag of Gold Soul Coins from her Soul Tool, shoved it into Huo Yuhao's hands, and said with a smile:

"Here, this is your payment! Don't you dare say it's too little! If you ever need more in the future, just let me know."

She paused, then leaned in close to Huo Yuhao's ear, whispering in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Yuhao, if I ever need to buy more Life Crystals in the future, I'll be coming back to you."

With her warm breath brushing against his ear, Huo Yuhao felt a tingling sensation, and his face turned even redder.

He nodded frantically, grabbed the money bag, scrambled out of the Medicinal Pool, and hurriedly put on his clothes:

"Se, Senior Sister! I still have class! I have to go!"

Without waiting for Ma Xiaotao to say anything else, he turned and bolted out of the secret chamber as if something were chasing him.

Watching his fleeing back, Ma Xiaotao couldn't help but chuckle, a flash of tenderness crossing her eyes that she didn't even notice herself.

She looked down at the golden flames dancing on her fingertips, a brilliant smile spreading across her lips.

Huo Yuhao ran wildly until he was well clear of the Sea God Lake area before slowing his pace.

He patted his burning cheeks and took several deep breaths to calm his racing heart.

Just then, he suddenly felt a surge of soul power within his body.

His soul power, which had been stuck at level twelve, was rising rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it broke through to level thirteen, and it didn't stop there—it continued to climb, quickly touching the threshold of level fourteen!

"Master! Elder Electrolux! What is happening?!"

Huo Yuhao asked in his sea of consciousness, both shocked and delighted.

"Why did my soul power suddenly jump two levels?!"

Zhao Ze leaned back on his recliner and said with a smile:

"Silly boy, this is a good thing.

It must be that you have further absorbed the Source of Life I gave you, combined with the medicinal bath brewed from that Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Herb, which not only cleared your meridians but also nourished your foundation once more. Naturally, your soul power would rise."

Electrolux stroked his beard, nodded, and added:

"The Ultimate Fire on that young girl also provided a positive stimulus to your body.

The Ultimate Fire resonated with your Source of Life, triggering the latent vitality within you. With all three factors working in tandem, it allowed you to break through two levels at once."

"So that's how it is!"

Huo Yuhao suddenly understood, a look of pleasant surprise on his face.

He had only intended to help Ma Xiaotao cure her Evil Fire, never expecting such an unexpected harvest.

Not only did he earn a large sum of Gold Soul Coins, but his soul power also rose by two levels—it was a massive gain!

He touched the heavy money bag in his chest and felt the surging soul power within him, his heart filled with motivation.

The path to becoming stronger had only just begun.

He had to work even harder to become a true powerhouse as soon as possible, to avenge his mother, and to live up to the expectations of his Master and Elder Electrolux.

When Huo Yuhao rushed into the classroom, panting, he arrived just in time for the break.

The noisy classroom went quiet for a split second, only to erupt into an even more boisterous commotion. All his classmates swarmed over, firing questions at him from every direction.

"Yuhao! You're finally back! What exactly did Senior Sister Ma want with you?"

"Yeah, yeah! Teacher Zhou said you went to help her cultivate—what kind of help was it?"

"Hehehe, I saw the way Senior Sister Ma was looking at you; did she fall for you?!"

"I smell gossip! Tell us, tell us!"

The students crowded around his seat, their eyes sparkling with the light of pure curiosity.

There was no helping it; this piece of gossip was simply too massive!

That was Ma Xiaotao!

A genius of the Inner Court! A student of Yan Shaozhe, the Dean of the Martial Soul Department!

Huo Yuhao was surrounded so tightly he couldn't even breathe, so he could only wave his hands repeatedly and laugh it off, saying:

"It's not what everyone thinks! I really just helped the senior sister solve a minor issue with her cultivation, nothing more!"

He managed to squeeze his way out of the crowd with great difficulty and fled back to his seat.

Just as Huo Yuhao let out a sigh of relief, Cao Jinxuan, who was sitting next to him, couldn't wait to lean in. He nudged Huo Yuhao with his elbow and asked in a hushed, winking tone:

"Yuhao, where did you go last night? You didn't return to the dormitory all night! Does it have something to do with Senior Sister Ma Xiaotao?"

Huo Yuhao was stunned, only then remembering that he had become so engrossed in researching Soul Tools that he had slept in the workshop all night. No wonder Cao Jinxuan was letting his imagination run wild.

He hurriedly shook his head to explain:

"Don't let your imagination run wild! I was researching Soul Tools in the Soul Guidance Department's workshop last night, and it got too late, so I just slept there.

As for Senior Sister Ma, she only sought me out because she needed my Life Crystal to suppress her Evil Fire."

"Oh, so that's how it is."

Cao Jinxuan nodded in sudden realization, then sighed.

"I thought there was some unspeakable secret between you and the senior sister. I got excited for nothing."

When Huo Yuhao heard him say that, the scene from the secret chamber flashed through his mind, and his cheeks turned bright red in a "whoosh."

He quickly lowered his head, pretending to organize his textbooks.

This scene was captured perfectly by Wang Dong'er, who was sitting diagonally in front of him.

From the moment Huo Yuhao entered the classroom, Wang Dong'er's gaze had never left him.

She had pricked up her ears, listening to every word of their conversation. Seeing Huo Yuhao blush like that when he mentioned the Life Crystal, alarm bells immediately rang in her heart.

Something was wrong!

Something was definitely wrong!

If it were just a simple trade of a Life Crystal, why would he blush like that?

Wang Dong'er's eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of scrutiny and suspicion flashing through her powder-blue pupils.

She bit her lip, the more she thought about it, the more she felt this matter wasn't simple; there must be some hidden story she didn't know about.

But before she could figure it out, another thought popped up, making her feel even more restless.

Speaking of Life Crystals...

Almost every student in the class had consumed Huo Yuhao's Life Crystal by now. Their cultivation speed would surely advance by leaps and bounds; it was possible that before long, they would be faster than her.

Wang Dong'er gripped the pen in her hand so tightly her knuckles turned white.

She was the young lady of the Clear Sky Sect; how could she be left behind by others?

Especially by Huo Yuhao, a one-ring Soul Master who was only level twelve!

But... if she were to eat a Life Crystal, she would feel uncomfortable all over; she would rather die than do it.

Just as Wang Dong'er was feeling incredibly restless, A soft voice suddenly sounded in her ear:

"Do you want to speed up your cultivation? I have a way..."