The next morning.
Shui Bing'er opened her eyes and found Huang Yan already dressed, sitting by the table and watching her.
"Awake?
How do you feel?"
Huang Yan poured a cup of water and handed it to her.
Shui Bing'er sat up, took the cup, and circulated her Soul Power slightly. A trace of surprise flashed through her ice-blue eyes.
"My Soul Power... it has improved so much. Even my meridians are much tougher than before."
"I didn't lie to you, did I?"
Huang Yan chuckled and stood up.
"Come on. Wash up. It's time to handle some business with the Elite Class."
Spirit Hall Academy, Elite Training Ground.
Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan had been waiting for quite a while.
When they saw Huang Yan enter with Shui Bing'er, the three wore different expressions.
Hu Liena in particular snorted coldly and immediately turned her head away.
"Huang Yan, what are you bringing her here for?
This is the Main Team's exclusive training ground."
Yan frowned, his tone unfriendly.
"Of course, she's here to take a main team spot."
Huang Yan said calmly.
"A main team spot?"
Hu Liena abruptly turned back, sneering.
"The Martial Soul Hall Team's main team roster was decided long ago. Why should an outsider like her cut in line?"
"By strength."
Shui Bing'er stepped forward, her ice-blue eyes calmly sweeping over the three of them.
"Arrogant!"
A scorching aura suddenly erupted from Yan's body.
"Yesterday, you only blocked one of Nana's attacks because of attribute suppression. Do you really think you can strut around Spirit Hall now?"
"Whether I'm arrogant or not, we'll find out after we fight."
Shui Bing'er's tone was chilly, without the slightest hint of retreat.
Xie Yue raised a hand to stop Yan, who was about to flare up, then frowned at Huang Yan.
"Are you serious?
Aside from the four of us, the team currently has three other main members.
Who do you want her to replace?"
"Anyone is fine."
Huang Yan shrugged.
"As long as she can prove she's stronger than the current members, isn't that enough?"
"Fine, then I'll be her opponent!"
Yan pointed at Shui Bing'er and shouted.
"I'm fire attribute, and you're ice attribute.
I'd like to see whether your ice can freeze my Flame Lord!"
Huang Yan raised a brow and snorted.
"Yan, you're a level forty-seven assault-type Soul Master challenging a level forty-one control-type Soul Master. Have you no shame?"
"She's the one trying to take a main team spot!
If she can't even beat me, what right does she have to represent Spirit Hall in battle?"
Yan snorted coldly.
Shui Bing'er's gaze sharpened as she prepared to step forward.
"Fine, I..."
Before she could finish, Huang Yan snorted and stepped directly in front of Shui Bing'er.
With a shrill Phoenix Cry, dark-red Evil Fire surged into the sky, its blazing heat instantly warping the air within the training ground.
Yellow, yellow, purple, black, black.
Five soul rings rose one after another beneath Huang Yan's feet, and the immense pressure of a five-ring Soul King burst forth without reservation.
Forced back half a step by that aura, Yan gritted his teeth hard. Veins bulged on his forehead, but he stubbornly refused to lower his head.
"Yan, have I been too nice to you, to the point that you no longer know your place?"
Huang Yan looked down at him, his voice icy enough to freeze the air.
"Remember, I'm the captain of this team!"
Yan's face turned ashen as his fists clenched with cracking sounds.
"You're abusing your authority for personal gain!"
"If you're not convinced, you can challenge me right now."
Huang Yan stepped forward and glared at Yan.
"As long as you win, you can arrange the main team positions however you like.
But if you lose, get the hell out of the team!"
Yan's pupils contracted sharply, and the fury filling his chest instantly caught in his throat.
He knew perfectly well that he was only level forty-seven. Against Huang Yan, who possessed ten-thousand-year fourth and fifth soul rings, he had no chance of winning.
Moreover, he absolutely did not want to be expelled from the team, much less leave Hu Liena.
Frustrated to the extreme, Yan turned to Hu Liena and Xie Yue, hoping they would step in and smooth things over.
However, Xie Yue merely frowned deeply and said nothing.
Hu Liena bit her red lip and silently watched it all unfold, with no intention of speaking.
The stifling feeling of being isolated and helpless surged into Yan's heart.
Yan clenched his back teeth, his eyes reddening as he glared at Huang Yan. Then he abruptly flung his hand.
"You win!"
After saying that, Yan turned around and strode out of the training ground.
After Yan left, Xie Yue sighed and looked at the remaining three main team members.
"Zhang Ping, Li Kai, Xu Yu.
Miss Shui, choose one."
Shui Bing'er's gaze was calm as she pointed directly at one of them.
"Li Kai."
Half an hour later.
With Li Kai blasted out of the arena by the "Resist Ice Ring," Shui Bing'er secured a main team position without any suspense.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was the end of the month.
Late at night.
In Huang Yan's room, there were none of the usual steady Soul Power fluctuations. Instead, it radiated suffocating heat and violent dark-red firelight.
Bang—
A muffled sound came from behind the door, accompanied by Huang Yan's agonized, suppressed roar.
Outside the door, Shui Bing'er tightly gripped the corner of her clothes, her eyes full of anxiety and heartache.
Over the past month, Huang Yan had defied all opposition to protect her, spending his energy every night to nourish her meridians with pure Phoenix Power.
That domineering yet meticulous tenderness had long since completely melted the ice in her heart.
She discovered that not only had she grown accustomed to Huang Yan's presence, she had fallen deeply in love with this man.
Shui Bing'er took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
The temperature inside was terrifyingly high, almost enough to ignite the air.
Huang Yan's eyes were blood-red, and violent Evil Fire coiled around his body. He stared fixedly at Shui Bing'er, who had barged in, his voice hoarse like that of a beast.
"Get out!
The Evil Fire has completely erupted tonight... I'm about to lose my mind. Don't come near me!"
Shui Bing'er closed the door behind her. Not only did she not retreat, she walked toward him step by step.
"I'm not leaving."
"Have you lost your mind?!"
Huang Yan clutched his forehead in agony, his nails nearly digging into his flesh.
"Tonight, meridian fusion alone can't suppress it at all!
You'll get hurt... while I can still control myself, get out!"
"For this past month, you've always been helping me and protecting me."
Shui Bing'er walked up to him. Looking at Huang Yan's pain-filled face, a trace of determination and tenderness flashed in her eyes.
"Today, it's my turn to help you."
"Shui Bing'er!
Do you know what it means if you stay?"
Huang Yan gripped the edge of the bed tightly, veins bulging across the back of his hand as he stared at her.
"If you stay... I'll ruin your purity!"
"I know."
Shui Bing'er spoke softly and reached up to untie her sash.
Her ice-blue gown slowly slid down her fair skin.
Dense icy energy spread through the room, meeting the violent dark-red flames.
Huang Yan's breathing suddenly halted, and even crazier flames ignited in his blood-red eyes.
"You... won't regret this?"
Shui Bing'er leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Huang Yan's scorching body without hesitation.
She pressed her cool lips to Huang Yan's ear, her voice gentle yet resolute.
"Huang Yan, take me.
I'm willing."
Before you continue