"Ji Siyuan, can we really eat here?"
Ji Siyuan picked up his food and dug in. "Why not? This is one of our perks. We might as well enjoy it."
After receiving special status, Ji Siyuan had brought Huo Yuhao here to enjoy the food.
He was making up for all the losses he'd suffered in the past few days.
More than anything, the difference in food was just too great for him.
After going from Chef God's food to ordinary fare, he needed to find something good to eat.
The food in the Core Zone was much better than in the ordinary area.
Century-old Earth Dragon Tendon, Moonlight Rice—in short, it was all good stuff.
Both of them could feel their strength increasing as their bodies digested the food.
Accumulated over time, the effect far surpassed that of ordinary food.
Huo Yuhao patted his stomach. "I'm so full. There's still time to meditate and cultivate, too."
"Forget it. Cultivation needs a balance between exertion and rest." Ji Siyuan decided to relax for a while and take his supplements that evening.
He could definitely melt the solidified Whale Rubber.
The two strolled beside Sea God Lake. Compared to the abstract sculptures of the Shrek Seven Monsters, Ji Siyuan preferred the lake.
At least, the Tang San inside him really liked the name.
Tang San said, "Those statues over there make me sick just to look at them. Stay away from them in the future, Siyuan."
"Oh, come on, Uncle. You have a statue there too. You should appreciate it."
"Hmph. You want me to appreciate a memorial to that disgusting thing? If I could do it myself, I'd change it so he was kneeling."
Tang San wasn't the only one who hated them. So did Ji Siyuan.
Compared to the statues, he found the natural scenery much more relaxing.
Ripples spread across the blue lake.
Huo Yuhao pointed at the rows of buildings in the distance. "Siyuan, do you think those are the Inner Court? Siyuan?"
"Probably."
"I heard the Inner Court is full of outstanding senior students. Do you think we—do you think I could get into the Inner Court? Even Senior Bei Bei isn't an Inner Court student."
Ji Siyuan didn't know how to answer. Other people might not know your potential, but how could I not?
Just as he was thinking of how to respond to Huo Yuhao, Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eye spotted something new. "Huh? There's a ball of fire rushing over from that way."
Fire? How could a ball of fire be rushing over from that direction?
Could it be Ma Xiaotao?
Was his luck really that bad?
No, this wasn't luck. It was coming for Huo Yuhao, drawn by his destiny.
"Run!"
The ball of fire grew visibly larger.
Even the air above the lake rippled.
Ma Xiaotao was moving so fast that there wasn't enough time for the two of them to escape.
Huo Yuhao tried to use his Second Martial Soul.
His Martial Soul activated, and nine lotus seeds formed a barrier of fire.
Ma Xiaotao, her whole body wreathed in flames, slammed into the barrier.
"Fire Demon Vortex!"
Ultimate Fire surged toward Ma Xiaotao, but she tore through it in a second.
Just as Huo Yuhao was about to be overwhelmed, a shaft of moonlight descended and stopped Ma Xiaotao.
A woman with long black hair cascading like a waterfall watched as Ultimate Fire burned across Ma Xiaotao's body.
Two yellow, two purple, and three black Soul Rings—the standard configuration. But the final ring was blood-red: a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.
Tang San said, "She has good talent. She can be cultivated."
Ji Siyuan said, "You scared me to death. I thought you were about to say something like, 'You can take her in.'"
"Of course not. Do you think I'm the sort to egg you on?"
"Sometimes you are, sometimes you aren't. Sometimes you just give me orders."
Tang San was a little displeased. "A Daughter of Destiny who already likes you, and you're still taking your sweet time. If I gave you two more, wouldn't you be exhausted?"
"Uncle, I'm already working on building a relationship with her. Don't give me any more tasks. Wait, two more?"
"These two seem talented, but they both have some problems."
Ji Siyuan said, "Some problems? They have huge problems! She's gone berserk and can't control her Martial Soul. That's a complete failure."
"What about the other one?"
"If I'm not mistaken, she seems to be someone else's fiancée. At least, that's what the book I read said."
"Then let's forget both of them. You can stick with one plus three. You've settled on four now, and you might find a few more on your own later."
Shafts of moonlight descended upon Ma Xiaotao, simply suppressing her.
The beautiful woman stepped down through the moonlight. "You two students aren't hurt, are you?"
Ji Siyuan was chatting with Tang San, while Huo Yuhao watched him.
"I'm Zhang Lexuan, an Inner Court student. Could you keep what happened today a secret? The academy will compensate you."
Neither of them replied, but Huo Yuhao was urgently poking him.
Ji Siyuan shook his head and stopped talking to Tang San.
"Senior, may I ask what the compensation will be?"
No sentiment, just business.
They'd nearly been hurt. They deserved a good compensation package, didn't they?
Zhang Lexuan smiled. "What kind of compensation would you two junior students like? I can put in a request with the academy."
"The academy keeping Evil Soul Masters captive is a serious matter. The compensation for something like this should be substantial." Ji Siyuan decided to make the matter sound as serious as possible, hoping to get more out of it.
"Hmm, Junior Ji Siyuan, that's not quite right. Your senior here isn't an Evil Soul Master. There's a problem with her Martial Soul, and the academy is still trying to find a solution."
Huo Yuhao's eyes widened. How did she know Ji Siyuan?
Before they'd even settled on the compensation, Ma Xiaotao woke up from under the moonlight's suppression.
She was awake, but not conscious. Her mind was still muddled.
Her piercing cry wasn't a scream of pain so much as an emotional outburst.
The scorching flames on her body burned her, causing her pain. But they weren't her flames. They belonged to Ji Siyuan.
She locked onto Ji Siyuan with pinpoint accuracy. His flames weren't just painful—they were delicious, too. She lunged at him, wanting to claim that pure fire, but the moonlight suppressed her once more.
Ma Xiaotao was no match for Zhang Lexuan.
The crescent moon grew fuller, and Lunar Radiance poured down like flowing water, trapping Ma Xiaotao securely.
"Junior Ji Siyuan, could you take back your Ultimate Fire first? If I step in, I might hurt your senior."
"We'll have to work that into the compensation."
"How about I treat you both to a meal?"
Huo Yuhao immediately jumped in. "No! We can't go eat."
Tang San said, "Tsk. I told you to make your move. See? I was right."
Ji Siyuan ignored Tang San's assessment. "Looks like my roommate doesn't think that's good enough, Senior. Could you get us a Soul Ascension Pill?"
Zhang Lexuan frowned. "You want to use it?"
It was said to raise one's cultivation level without cost, but that only meant there was no research proving it came with a cost.
She didn't want Ji Siyuan to use it.
Ji Siyuan pointed at Huo Yuhao.
She understood at once. "All right."
The flames withdrew, and Ma Xiaotao fell unconscious.
Several people dressed in white flew over from the direction the flames had come from.
Zhang Lexuan smiled. "Looks like it's time to part ways. Someone from the academy will contact you about your compensation, including the reward we just discussed."
They took Ma Xiaotao away, and Zhang Lexuan left with them.
It had been a close call, but they'd escaped unscathed.
Huo Yuhao suddenly stared at him. "Tell me, how do you know such a beautiful senior?"
"Huh? When did I ever meet her?"
"She clearly knew your name."
"Get a grip. Didn't you see that she's already a Soul Douluo? How could we possibly know each other?" Ji Siyuan tapped him on the head. "Cultivate hard. Next time we run into that senior when she's gone berserk, we won't have to wait for someone else to save us."