After absorbing the Ice Silkworm's Soul Ring, Huo Yutong tried out her Soul Skill.
"Mental Interference?"
It had low consumption, but its effects weren't particularly powerful either.
"It feels like it falls far short of Siyuan's Blazing Fire Lotus." Without realizing it, she compared her new Soul Skill with Ji Siyuan's.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm said, "You're comparing the killing power of a control-type Soul Skill with an attack-type one? What are you thinking? You should be looking at how wide an area it can affect and what kind of effects it can produce. This Mental Interference can affect enemies within dozens of meters, and it uses so little Soul Power. It's a powerful Soul Skill!"
Even after hearing Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's explanation, she still felt a little disappointed.
Ice Empress said, "If you want to compare killing power, you should compare it with your Second Martial Soul, not your First Martial Soul."
Now fully awake, Ice Empress also explained the abilities she had provided, then warned Huo Yutong, "Don't use them carelessly. A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Skill consumes a great deal of Soul Power. You can't withstand that kind of strain yet."
Huo Yutong reviewed everything she had gained on her trip to the Extreme North and found that her Soul Power had risen to the peak of Rank 25. She could break through to Rank 26 at any time.
Huo Yutong eagerly prepared to return to Shrek. "Let's go!"
After talking things over with Mu En for a while, Ji Siyuan left and returned to the dormitory.
"Why are you back so late?" Wang Dong'er stood outside their dormitory, waiting for him.
Ji Siyuan was even more convinced that Shrek's dormitory setup was utterly ridiculous. How could they let boys and girls live together? And even if they did, why could the girls come over to the boys' rooms? Was it some privilege for the upper floors?
"Open up! Do you know how many people have been staring at me out here?"
"Couldn't you have just gone back to your own dorm and waited?" Ji Siyuan asked, half amused and half exasperated. What was this about?
He opened the dormitory door, and Wang Dong'er came closer.
"You're not planning to learn the Tang Sect Secret Arts in the dorm, are you?"
Wang Dong'er answered matter-of-factly, "Of course I am. Even if I can't learn Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track or Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, there's still Hundred Hidden Weapon Solutions. You should teach me that, too."
"I'm not very good at that. You'll have to ask Bei Bei or Tang Ya to teach you." Ji Siyuan refused again and again.
"Then teach me the basics first." Wang Dong'er moved closer on her own.
"Wait, be careful. Hidden weapons are dangerous." The only Hidden Weapon Ji Siyuan had with him was a Dragon Whisker Needle, which wasn't suitable for a demonstration.
The two of them leaned together, fiddling with the tiny Dragon Whisker Needle. Before he could demonstrate it, they heard the dormitory door move.
Click, followed by the sound of the door opening.
"Siyuan, I'm back." Huo Yutong had changed back into Huo Yuhao and called out to Ji Siyuan, brimming with excitement.
Then she saw Wang Dong'er leaning against Ji Siyuan, with one of his hands pressing down on Wang Dong'er's palm.
For a moment, Huo Yuhao even forgot the apology she had prepared. "Sorry, I'll go back out."
"Wait, don't! Come over and pull her away." Ji Siyuan panicked, too. She couldn't have come back at a more awkward time.
Tang San nodded repeatedly. "This is the test."
Ji Siyuan had no time to deal with Tang San. He stood up, put the Dragon Whisker Needle away, then crossed the room in three strides and grabbed Huo Yuhao. "Perfect timing. Quickly, tell Wang Dong'er how dangerous the Dragon Whisker Needle is. She won't believe me."
At a time like this, he absolutely couldn't let either of them leave before he'd cleared things up.
Otherwise, the misunderstanding would really become a misunderstanding, and that wouldn't do at all.
"Dragon Whisker Needle?" Huo Yuhao looked at Ji Siyuan in confusion, then remembered the state Dai Huabin had been in on the first day.
Not wanting Wang Dong'er to end up the same way, she began explaining it to her.
Ji Siyuan finally managed to pull away.
"Not bad. Letting the two of them interact and changing the subject of their conversation will let the Daughter of Destiny learn what just happened. It'll also help them get used to each other ahead of time." Tang San thought it over, then praised Ji Siyuan's move.
"Uncle, what does any of that have to do with this? I need to go keep things under control."
Even if there was no problem, he still had to keep an eye on them.
Of the three of them, he was the only one who knew how to use the Dragon Whisker Needle.
"Could you demonstrate it?" Wang Dong'er looked at Ji Siyuan, her eyes full of longing.
"Didn't you explain it to her?"
"Um, Siyuan, I actually want to see it, too," Huo Yuhao replied, a little embarrassed. Tang Ya had been the one to deal with Dai Huabin the first time, and the Dragon Whisker Needle had been hers. Ji Siyuan had taken it out and hadn't returned it.
Left with no choice, Ji Siyuan demonstrated it for them.
He took a piece of meat out of the Space Soul Tool and showed it to them, then cut it open so they could see what happened when the Dragon Whisker Needle pierced it.
Fortunately, they were only curious about the Dragon Whisker Needle and didn't have anything else in mind.
And so, the whole episode passed without a sound.
Before long, Wang Dong'er left. Since she couldn't learn Hundred Hidden Weapon Solutions, she lost interest.
Ji Siyuan happily saw Wang Dong'er off.
When he returned to the dormitory, he saw Huo Yuhao waiting for him, looking nervous.
Huo Yuhao bit her lip and said in a low voice, "Siyuan, I'm sorry. I ate the Lotus Seed."
Ji Siyuan sighed. He had felt the Lotus Seed disappear.
Huo Yuhao looked at Ji Siyuan with resolve. Tears glimmered in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. "I know the Lotus Seed was incredibly precious. I'll definitely repay you."
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and Ice Empress had both said it was God Rank, so there was no way she could afford to repay him.
"Siyuan, that Lotus Seed saved my life. Once I've avenged myself, I can give you my life."
Ji Siyuan had been trying to think of how to persuade her, but when he suddenly heard this out-of-nowhere remark, anger flared in him. "Oh, now you're offering me your life? What were you thinking when you were taking that risk? Besides, what would I want your life for?"
Ji Siyuan paused for a moment. "What exactly happened? You ate the Lotus Seed? If it's a secret, I don't have to ask. You can tell me when you're ready."
Huo Yuhao's heart shook. "It is a secret, but I can tell you. I awakened a Second Martial Soul."
Ji Siyuan showed no reaction, only watching her with interest. He wasn't shocked that she had acquired Twin Martial Souls after birth.
Huo Yuhao didn't mind his reaction. She intended to tell him some of the truth. "I didn't awaken my Martial Soul. I shaped it. My Second Martial Soul is the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, the second of the Three Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North. My Martial Soul is Ultimate Ice, too!"
That genuinely caught Ji Siyuan by surprise. He hadn't expected Huo Yuhao to tell him. She really did trust him a great deal.
"Aren't you surprised? You can doubt me, too. Maybe I'm lying." It sounded so unreal.
"I believe you." Ji Siyuan said it lightly, giving Huo Yuhao an answer she hadn't expected.
"A four-hundred-thousand-year-old Soul Beast—how tremendous must its power be? It must have hurt so much to absorb it. Did your body freeze up, leaving you no choice but to eat the Lotus Seed? My Lotus Seed must have helped a lot." His smile and his words were etched deep in Huo Yutong's heart.
At last, her pain had somewhere to pour out.
She threw herself into Ji Siyuan's arms and sobbed. "It hurt. It really hurt. I almost passed out in the Extreme North."
"You're back now. I'm here."