"Oh, okay."
Huo Yuhao nodded instinctively.
The two of them standing at the doorway were in full view of the students inside the classroom.
In an instant, the classroom erupted in an uproar.
"It's Senior Sister Ma from the Inner Court! She's come to see Huo Yuhao again!"
"Ooh~, does that mean Huo Yuhao and Senior Sister Ma are already dating?"
"I'm jealous!"
Hearing his classmates' teasing laughter, Huo Yuhao's face flushed bright red. He hurriedly said to Ma Xiaotao, who had drawn close:
"Senior Sister, don't do that. Everyone's watching."
"What's there to be afraid of?"
Ma Xiaotao laughed nonchalantly and moved even closer to Huo Yuhao.
"If they want to watch, let them. Come on, come on. Cultivation comes first."
With that, she took Huo Yuhao by the hand without giving him a chance to protest and headed toward Sea God Lake.
Watching the two of them walk away side by side, Wang Dong'er's delicate brows knitted together. A trace of inexplicable irritation flashed through her powder-blue eyes.
She clenched her fists until her nails dug deep into her palms. Only one thought filled her mind:
This time, I'll defeat Huo Yuhao with my own hands in the assessment!
"Dong'er, who are you picking a fight with? You're clenching your fists so tightly."
A bright, lilting voice sounded beside her. Xiao Xiao folded her arms and leaned in close, blinking her wide eyes as she watched Wang Dong'er with curiosity.
Wang Dong'er suddenly came back to her senses. A flicker of panic crossed her face, but she quickly put on a stern expression.
"I'm not picking a fight with anyone.
"I was just thinking that, in the assessment three days from now, I'll have to give it everything I've got and show certain people who the strongest freshman really is."
"Certain people? You mean Huo Yuhao, right?"
Xiao Xiao covered her mouth and giggled, deliberately drawing out her words.
"You've been in a bad mood ever since Senior Sister Ma took him away just now.
"I never would've guessed, Dong'er. You care about him that much? Could it be... that you like him?"
"What are you talking about?!"
Wang Dong'er's cheeks turned scarlet, and her voice came out rushed and embarrassed.
"How could I possibly like that guy? I just can't stand how he acts like nothing matters, and I refuse to lose to someone who was only at rank twelve three months ago!"
The more she spoke, the more worked up she became, her voice rising without her realizing it. Several students who hadn't left yet glanced over.
Wang Dong'er's face grew even redder. She hurriedly tugged Xiao Xiao toward the classroom exit.
"Enough, enough. Let's not talk about him! The assessment's about to start. We should hurry and get some practice in."
Ma Xiaotao led Huo Yuhao along with light, familiar steps, weaving around the teachers and students coming and going by Sea God Lake. She went straight to a secluded, private cultivation chamber deep along the lakeshore.
The heavy stone door slowly swung open, and familiar warmth, carrying a faint medicinal fragrance, washed over them. The sealed chamber shut out the noise of the outside world.
The moment he stepped inside, Huo Yuhao's cheeks flushed again.
The scenes from last time here surged uncontrollably into his mind. He instinctively turned his face away, unable to meet Ma Xiaotao's eyes. Scratching his head, he asked in a quiet voice:
"Senior Sister Xiaotao, do you need Life Crystals? If you do, I can give you some now. You didn't have to bring me all the way here."
Ma Xiaotao remembered what had happened last time too. The tips of her ears instantly turned pink. She coughed softly to hide her embarrassment, closed the stone door behind her, and shook her head.
"I didn't come to ask you for Life Crystals this time.
"When I took your crystals last time, I felt a very pure chill lingering inside me. Is there some ice-attribute power hidden in your Life Crystals?"
She paused, then explained earnestly:
"After awakening the Ultimate Fire, I went to ask Dean Yan about it.
"He said the chill was a good thing. Since water and fire share the same source, it could help draw out the power of my Ultimate Fire and raise the flame's purity and might another level.
"So... I wanted to cultivate with you and use the ice-attribute power in your body to temper my Martial Soul."
Huo Yuhao was stunned. He hurriedly asked Zhao Ze in the Sea of Consciousness:
"Master, there's ice-attribute power in my Life Crystals too? How come I've never felt it?"
Zhao Ze chuckled.
"The Source of Life I gave you back then contained the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Marrow from the Extreme North, so it naturally carried pure ice-attribute power.
"And water and fire really can complement and promote each other.
"Her Ultimate Fire can stimulate the ice attribute in your body until it fully awakens. In turn, your icy power can make her Ultimate Fire even more refined. It's a win-win."
Electrolux nodded and added:
"That's right. Fire and ice are powers of the same origin; they simply manifest differently.
"I believe cultivating together will let you both raise your Soul Power quickly."
After hearing them out, Huo Yuhao understood.
He looked up at Ma Xiaotao, who was watching him expectantly, and nodded with a smile.
"So that's how it is, Senior Sister. No problem. Let's start cultivating now."
"Wonderful!"
Ma Xiaotao's eyes lit up, and a radiant smile spread across her face.
Improving one's cultivation with an Ultimate Martial Soul was already slow, but with Huo Yuhao's help, she could definitely make faster progress!
Seeing the excitement in Ma Xiaotao's eyes and the delight radiating from her, Huo Yuhao tilted his head slightly and asked in a puzzled, soft voice:
"Senior Sister Xiaotao, what are we supposed to do?"
The question made Ma Xiaotao freeze on the spot. Her pretty face flushed scarlet, and she was plunged into utter embarrassment.
She had been completely focused on cultivation. As soon as she learned about the method, she had eagerly dragged Huo Yuhao to the chamber.
Yan Shaozhe had only said that water and fire shared the same source and could stimulate each other. He hadn't explained the actual cultivation method at all. It had never even occurred to her to consider how they should circulate their Soul Power or coordinate their cultivation.
Ma Xiaotao pressed her lips together, her gaze darting away. She nervously twisted the corner of her clothes and mumbled:
"I... I'm not too sure either. Dean Yan just told me to come find you. He said your ice attribute would be just right for suppressing the violent nature of my flames..."
The usual image of the dashing, decisive Inner Court genius had vanished. All that remained was a girl's awkward embarrassment.
Just as the two fell silent, unsure how to proceed, Zhao Ze's steady, composed voice rang out precisely in Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness:
"Don't panic. Face each other with your palms together, pressing them palm to palm. Circulate your Soul Power steadily and guide it back and forth through your joined hands.
"I'll handle the rest—the harmonizing of your Soul Power and the balancing of your attributes—along with Electrolux. You just focus on circulating your cultivation. Nothing will go wrong."
Huo Yuhao immediately understood and gently repeated Zhao Ze's instructions to Ma Xiaotao.
Relief washed over her. She quickly nodded, the embarrassment fading from her eyes as her earnestness returned.
The two sat cross-legged facing each other, their postures straight.
Huo Yuhao drew a deep breath and slowly raised his hands. His fingertips trembled slightly as he gently pressed his palms against Ma Xiaotao's.
In an instant, a simultaneous chill and heat flowed from their joined palms. Huo Yuhao's face flamed red, and the tips of his ears turned scarlet. He instinctively started to pull his hands away.
Ma Xiaotao trembled too. Her heart suddenly raced, pounding like a little rabbit was trapped inside her chest. She hurriedly closed her eyes, only just managing to steady herself.
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