The next second, they both closed their eyes and, following Zhao Ze's instructions, began circulating their Soul Power at a steady pace.
A gentle, pale blue glow of icy coldness shimmered around Huo Yuhao, as the pure essence of the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Marrow slowly flowed through him.
Around Ma Xiaotao, blazing yet restrained golden flames coiled. The Ultimate Fire coursed obediently through her body without the slightest trace of escaping.
Zhao Ze's vast spiritual power silently enveloped them both, forming an invisible bridge that precisely controlled their two opposing forces of ice and fire.
Threads of icy power seeped into the source of Ma Xiaotao's flames, while waves of the Ultimate Fire surged into Huo Yuhao's meridians.
The two forces stimulated and tempered each other, while perfectly avoiding any clash or backlash.
In just a short while, both of them clearly sensed that their Soul Power was rising several times faster than usual.
Their meridians were flushed by the two forces, which shared the same origin, growing broader and tougher, while the aura around them grew ever more condensed.
Feeling their cultivation genuinely improve, Ma Xiaotao was overcome with joy. She threw herself wholeheartedly into cultivating, not daring to let her attention wander for even a moment.
They cultivated for nearly half an hour when Ma Xiaotao suddenly furrowed her brow, sensing that the flow of Soul Power between them was still a little sluggish. A great deal of energy was being wasted as it passed between them.
She quietly opened her eyes and looked at Huo Yuhao, who was cultivating with his eyes closed, his expression clear and focused. Her cheeks warmed slightly.
After hesitating for a long while, Ma Xiaotao finally spoke in a lowered voice, her face flushed and her words as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
"Yuhao... I think if we moved a little closer, the channel for our Soul Power to flow through would be smoother. Wouldn't that reduce the loss and speed up our cultivation?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Ma Xiaotao's cheeks turned scarlet, and even her neck was tinged pink.
She immediately shut her eyes, not daring to look at Huo Yuhao's expression. Her palms were damp with nervous sweat.
Hearing her words, Huo Yuhao's face turned red in an instant, as if blood might drip from it. He could barely get the words out:
"L-lear Ma Xiaotao, th-then what should we do?"
Ma Xiaotao bit her tender lower lip, her fingertips digging deep into her palm. With her eyes closed, she steeled herself and spoke in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz:
"Um... try hugging me."
Ma Xiaotao didn't know why she had said that.
Perhaps it was because she had endured the Evil Fire for so long, leaving her a little...
Far too repressed!
Although her Martial Soul had evolved into the true Ultimate Fire, that repression hadn't disappeared.
But now, as she drew closer to Huo Yuhao, she increasingly felt that the repression deep in her heart was about to burst free!
"Ah?!"
Huo Yuhao's eyes flew open at Ma Xiaotao's words, and he was so startled he nearly jumped up.
"H-hug you, Senior Ma Xiaotao?"
His clear eyes widened, and he stared at her in disbelief, stammering.
"Th-that doesn't seem right..."
Seeing him acting so awkwardly, Ma Xiaotao's face grew even redder, and the tips of her ears burned.
She had finally overcome her embarrassment and summoned every ounce of courage to say those words, only for this brat to hem and haw!
A nameless fury flared in her heart. She glared at Huo Yuhao and blurted out:
"I'll pay you extra! Is that good enough?"
"P-pay me extra?"
Huo Yuhao was completely dumbfounded. He stared blankly at Ma Xiaotao, at a loss for what to do.
He hadn't said anything about money. Why had she suddenly brought it up?
"Forget it. It's settled!"
Before he could object again, Ma Xiaotao lunged forward and pulled Huo Yuhao into her arms, wrapping both arms tightly around his waist.
"Mmph!"
Huo Yuhao let out a muffled groan and froze completely.
A soft sensation and a faint gardenia scent enveloped him. It felt like he was holding a little furnace blazing hot in his arms.
The scorching heat passed through their thin clothes and set his blood alight in an instant.
He could clearly feel Ma Xiaotao's rapid heartbeat, along with the ticklish sensation of her hair brushing against his neck. Every hair on his body stood on end, and he instinctively tried to push her away.
Zhao Ze's voice suddenly rang out in the Sea of Consciousness:
"Yuhao, circulate your Soul Power right away! Make the most of this chance to cultivate. Don't waste it!"
Electrolux chimed in with a laugh:
"Exactly, exactly. Merging your auras like this will greatly benefit the tempering of your source."
Hearing the two elders, Huo Yuhao finally managed to suppress his panic. He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and slowly began circulating the ice-attribute Soul Power in his body.
Sure enough, the very next second, the flow of his Soul Power surged at once!
The pale blue icy force and the golden Ultimate Fire blended together without obstruction, racing in a continuous cycle through their respective meridians.
Ma Xiaotao's Ultimate Fire was like the most potent catalyst, causing the power of the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Marrow within Huo Yuhao to erupt completely and continually tempering the source of Ma Xiaotao's flames.
"Mmm... Yuhao, I feel... the Soul Power is flowing even faster..."
Ma Xiaotao murmured. The overwhelming comfort made her tighten her arms without thinking, holding Huo Yuhao even closer.
Golden flames and pale blue mist enveloped them completely, forming a perfect cocoon of ice and fire.
Soul Power raced through both their bodies, and their cultivation steadily improved at a visible pace.
Held tightly in her arms, Huo Yuhao was stiff from head to toe. He hardly dared breathe, and his cheeks were hot enough to boil water.
He shifted uneasily and spoke in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz:
"S-Senior Ma Xiaotao... could you loosen up a little? Y-you're holding me a bit too tight..."
Ma Xiaotao paused at his words, then furrowed her brow and shot him an almost coquettish glare.
"I'm not complaining about you, so why are you getting all shy? You're such a little kid."
"I'm not shy, it's just..."
Huo Yuhao was desperate to explain, but the words wouldn't come. He couldn't very well tell her that being held by her made his heart beat too fast and left him nearly unable to breathe.
"I don't care!"
Ma Xiaotao huffed and tightened her arms around him even more, pressing almost her entire body against his.
"I'll pay you even more!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly felt something poking her, making her a little uncomfortable.
Ma Xiaotao frowned in confusion and looked at Huo Yuhao as she reached out.
"Yuhao, what are you keeping in your pocket?"
"Whoosh!"
Huo Yuhao's face turned scarlet in an instant, as if blood might drip from it. He tried to break free, but he couldn't move at all.
His mouth opened, but not a single word came out. He could only lower his head, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
The slumbering giant dragon had been awakened.
On the other side, after capturing the giant dragon, Ma Xiaotao froze for a moment. Then, as if she had suddenly realized what was happening, her eyes flew wide open.
"You, you..."
Ma Xiaotao pointed at Huo Yuhao and stammered, unable to get the words out. Her hand jerked back as if she'd been shocked, and she instinctively tried to push him away.
But at that moment, she clearly felt their Soul Power racing at an unprecedented speed.
Ma Xiaotao froze.
Push him away?
Then they wouldn't get such amazing results from their cultivation!
Not push him away?
This was far too embarrassing!
She bit her lower lip, torn between two choices for a long while. Finally, she steeled herself, shut her eyes, and spoke in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz:
"F-forget it... let's keep cultivating. But you're not allowed to move!"
Before you continue