Ma Xiaotao's Suppressed Radiance

The next second, both of them closed their eyes and, following Zhao Ze's instructions, began to circulate the soul power within their bodies at a steady pace.

A gentle, pale blue icy halo shimmered around Huo Yuhao, the essence of the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Marrow flowing slowly through him.

Ma Xiaotao was enveloped in fierce yet restrained golden flames, the Ultimate Fire moving docilely within her body without the slightest leakage.

Zhao Ze's vast spiritual power silently enveloped the two, forming an invisible bridge that precisely controlled the two diametrically opposed forces of ice and fire.

Threads of icy power seeped into Ma Xiaotao's flame origin, while waves of heat from the Ultimate Fire surged into Huo Yuhao's meridians.

This allowed the two forces to stimulate and temper one another, perfectly avoiding any conflict or backlash.

In just a short while, both clearly sensed their soul power rising at a speed several times faster than usual.

Their meridians were being scoured by these two homologous forces, becoming wider and tougher, while the aura around them grew increasingly condensed.

Feeling the tangible improvement in their cultivation, Ma Xiaotao felt an irrepressible joy surge in her heart, and she threw herself into the practice, not daring to be the least bit distracted.

The cultivation lasted for nearly half an hour when Ma Xiaotao suddenly frowned, noticing that the circulation of soul power between them remained somewhat sluggish, with much of the energy being wasted during the transfer.

She quietly opened her eyes and looked at Huo Yuhao, who was practicing with his eyes closed, his expression clean and focused, and her cheeks grew slightly hot.

After hesitating for a long time, Ma Xiaotao blushed, lowered her voice, and spoke as softly as a mosquito's hum.

"Yuhao... I feel that if we were to get a little closer, making the channel for soul power circulation smoother, wouldn't we be able to reduce the loss and speed up our cultivation?"

As the words fell, Ma Xiaotao's cheeks turned completely red, and even her neck was stained with a pale pink hue.

She closed her eyes tightly the moment she finished speaking, not daring to look at Huo Yuhao's expression, her palms sweating from nervousness.

When Huo Yuhao heard this, his face turned so red it looked like it could drip blood, and he even began to stutter:

"S-Senior Sister Xiaotao, th-then what should we do?"

Ma Xiaotao bit her soft lower lip, her fingertips digging deep into her palms. With her eyes closed, she steeled herself, her voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz:

"That... try hugging me."

Ma Xiaotao didn't know why she had said such a thing.

Perhaps it was because she had endured the Evil Fire for so long that she was somewhat...

Overly repressed!

And although her martial soul had evolved into true Ultimate Fire, that sense of repression had not vanished.

But now, as she drew closer to Huo Yuhao, she felt more and more that the repression in her heart was about to be released!

"Ah?!"

Upon hearing Ma Xiaotao's words, Huo Yuhao's eyes snapped open, and he was so shocked he nearly jumped.

"H-hug you, Senior Sister?"

He widened his clear eyes, his face full of disbelief, and stammered:

"Th-this, this isn't appropriate..."

Seeing his bashful, hesitant appearance, Ma Xiaotao's face turned even redder, her earlobes burning hot.

She had finally overcome her shame and summoned all her courage to say those words, only for this brat to push back and make excuses!

A nameless fire instantly surged into her heart. She glared at Huo Yuhao indignantly and blurted out:

"I'll pay you more! Is that enough?!"

"P-pay me?"

Huo Yuhao was completely bewildered, staring blankly at Ma Xiaotao, at a loss for what to do.

He hadn't even mentioned money; how did it suddenly turn to that?

"Forget it, it's settled!"

Without waiting for him to argue, Ma Xiaotao lunged forward, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.

"Ugh!"

Huo Yuhao let out a muffled groan, his entire body stiffening.

The soft sensation accompanied by a faint scent of gardenias washed over him; it felt like he was holding a scorching little furnace.

The intense heat transmitted through his thin clothes instantly ignited the blood throughout his body.

He could clearly feel Ma Xiaotao's rapid heartbeat and the tickle of her hair brushing against his neck. Every hair on his body stood on end, and he subconsciously wanted to push her away.

Zhao Ze's voice suddenly echoed in the Sea of Consciousness:

"Yuhao, hurry and circulate your soul power. Take advantage of this opportunity to cultivate properly; don't waste it!"

Electrolux also chimed in with a laugh:

"Indeed, indeed. This blending of auras is of great benefit to the tempering of your origin."

Hearing the words of the two elders, Huo Yuhao barely managed to suppress the panic in his heart. He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and slowly began to circulate the ice-attribute soul power within him.

Sure enough, the next second, the speed of his soul power circulation surged instantly!

The pale blue icy power and the golden Ultimate Fire blended together without any obstruction, circling madly along each other's meridians.

Ma Xiaotao's Ultimate Fire acted like the most potent catalyst, causing the power of the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Marrow within Huo Yuhao to erupt completely, incessantly tempering Ma Xiaotao's flame origin.

"Mmm... Yuhao, I feel... my soul power is circulating even faster..."

Ma Xiaotao murmured, the extreme sensation of comfort causing her to subconsciously tighten her arms, pulling Huo Yuhao even closer.

Golden flames and pale blue ice mist enveloped them completely, forming a perfect cocoon of ice and fire.

Soul power surged rapidly through both their bodies, their cultivation levels rising steadily at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Huo Yuhao was held so tightly that his entire body stiffened; he didn't even dare to breathe too heavily, his cheeks burning hot enough to boil water.

He struggled and shifted slightly, his voice as thin as a mosquito's hum:

"S-Senior Sister Xiaotao... could you perhaps loosen your grip... you're, you're holding me a bit too tight..."

Ma Xiaotao was taken aback by his words, then furrowed her brows, glaring at him with a hint of coquettish reproach:

"I'm not even complaining about you, so why are you the one acting shy? You really are just a little brat."

"It's not shyness, it's..."

Huo Yuhao was so anxious he wanted to explain, but the words died on his lips; he couldn't exactly say that being held by her made his heart race so fast he was struggling to breathe.

"I don't care!"

Ma Xiaotao huffed, instead tightening her arms even further, pressing her entire body against his.

"I'll just pay you more!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than she suddenly felt something pressing against her, making her feel a bit uncomfortable.

Ma Xiaotao frowned in confusion, reaching out while looking at Huo Yuhao:

"Yuhao, what did you put in your pocket?"

"Whoosh!"

Huo Yuhao's face turned so red it looked like it could drip blood; he tried to break free, but he couldn't move at all.

He opened his mouth, but not a single word came out; he could only keep his head buried low, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

The sleeping dragon had been awakened.

On the other side, after capturing the dragon, Ma Xiaotao froze for a moment, then seemed to suddenly realize what it was, her eyes widening in shock.

"You, you..."

Ma Xiaotao pointed at Huo Yuhao, stuttering and unable to form a sentence; her hand recoiled as if she had been electrocuted, and she subconsciously wanted to push him away.

But just then, she clearly felt that their soul power was circulating at an unprecedented speed.

Ma Xiaotao's movements froze instantly.

Push him away?

If she pushed him away, she wouldn't have such an incredible cultivation effect!

Don't push him away?

This was just too awkward!

She bit her lower lip, a fierce battle raging within her heart for a long moment, before finally steeling herself, slamming her eyes shut, and whispering in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz:

"F-forget it... let's continue cultivating, but, you are not allowed to move!"