Huo Yuhao didn't know how long he cried.
At last, he fell into a deep sleep in Ji Siyuan's arms.
She couldn't cry beside her father, because he was her enemy; she couldn't cry in front of Tian Meng, because Tian Meng was training her to be strong. She couldn't even cry alone, because she held herself to high standards and feared she might grow timid. But she could cry beside Ji Siyuan, because she knew he would protect her.
Ji Siyuan gently picked Huo Yuhao up, intending to carry her to her own bed. But his presence was what let Huo Yuhao sleep peacefully, so in the end, he had no choice but to sleep beside her.
Tang San: "Oh, you two are sleeping together already? You can't be far from winning her over now. Xiao Wu and I were just like that back in the day, though we were in a shared dormitory then."
At Tang San's teasing, Ji Siyuan didn't know how to respond. Luckily, he'd only started in his teens, so he couldn't compare with Uncle Tang, who'd started at six.
After nearly a month of hard work, the girl could finally enjoy a peaceful sleep. Her sleeping posture wasn't the best, though. After enduring so much cold, she was craving warmth.
The evening breeze swept by, carrying away their fatigue.
"Ah!"
A scream jolted Ji Siyuan awake. "What's wrong?"
"Why am I in your bed?" Though surprised, Huo Yuhao first made sure it wasn't her own bed.
"Well, yesterday you wouldn't let go of me, so I had no choice but to sleep with you." He was stating a fact, but it sounded like a sweet nothing.
Huo Yuhao immediately sat up, about to apologize, but then realized this was a good opportunity and lay back down.
"Hmm? Why are you lying back down? We have plenty to do today. Wake up." Ji Siyuan gently prodded Huo Yuhao awake.
"I don't want to. I shot all the way up to Level 25, and I'll soon reach Level 26. You said we had to balance work and rest, so I'm going to get some proper rest." She unconsciously let a whiny note creep into her voice. Though she'd simulated herself as a boy, she was still showing her girlish side.
Besides, she'd deliberately mentioned her Soul Power Level to let him know she'd caught up to him.
With the Red Lotus Seed and the Ice Empress absorbed, she had Ultimate Ice, while Ji Siyuan had Ultimate Fire. Their cultivation speed would only be faster than anyone could imagine.
Huo Yuhao's words softened Ji Siyuan's heart. Fine, they'd rest properly first.
But they'd clearly forgotten that they were at the Outer Court. They really did have classes to attend.
Even if they were just easy classes, they still had to show up and mark their attendance.
And Wang Dong'er already knew Huo Yuhao was back, so she was even more worried.
Then came a rapid knock at the door, waking them both.
After tidying up, they opened the door. Wang Dong'er stood there with her hands on her hips. "What's going on with you two? You didn't even go to class today? We have a training match to play."
Fortunately, their homeroom teacher was Zhang Lexuan, so being late for a class or two now and then wasn't a problem. Though Ji Siyuan was late now and then rather often.
Huo Yuhao looked puzzled by Wang Dong'er's plans. "A training match? What training match?"
"Ugh, he didn't tell you?" When she realized he really hadn't, Wang Dong'er took it upon herself to explain.
Huo Yuhao nodded along, thoroughly agreeing with the idea.
"This way, we can build up our combat experience quickly." At the Outer Court, fighting Xu Sanshi and Bei Bei already counted as a pretty high-quality Soul Fight.
Ji Siyuan: "I've got a lot planned for today, and some of it's important, so we may have to put the Soul Fight off for now."
"What could be more important than a Soul Fight that builds experience?" Wang Dong'er snorted. "We can still cultivate tonight."
"I'm taking Huo Yuhao to meet his master."
"Meet his master?"
Huo Yuhao saw the teacher Ji Siyuan had found for him: the old man he greeted every day.
Mu En sat in his wheelchair, smiling at the three of them. "Are all of you here to become my students?"
"Only Huo Yuhao." Ji Siyuan stepped half a pace back, bringing Huo Yuhao into focus.
Mu En knew they had secrets, so he decided they should talk somewhere quiet.
"I'm coming too," Wang Dong'er declared beside them. She absolutely wouldn't let them go alone.
Ji Siyuan immediately stopped Wang Dong'er. "Don't make a fuss. Let them talk."
Mu En said, "Some secrets are bound to see the light of day eventually. Why not start with one now?" His expression was kindly. Though he didn't know what secret they had to reveal, they could take it one step at a time.
Ji Siyuan had no problem with that, and Huo Yuhao had come up with a fairly reasonable explanation, so they agreed to go together.
Once they reached a quiet little room, two white Soul Rings rose from Huo Yuhao. "Actually, this isn't my only Martial Soul." The two white Soul Rings became one.
A chill spread through the room.
Mu En's cultivation made him impervious to the cold, and Ji Siyuan wasn't bothered by it either. Only Wang Dong'er couldn't withstand the chill.
As the cold spread, she instinctively sought out a source of warmth and grabbed Ji Siyuan's hand. "Quick, start a fire. I'm freezing to death."
"I told you not to come." Flames flared around him, driving away the chill nearby.
"I wanted to come! How else would I find out about this? You have Twin Martial Souls!"
Since the two of them weren't the main topic, Mu En asked Huo Yuhao, whose eyes had been fixed on them, "Yuhao, what is your Second Martial Soul?"
Huo Yuhao hurriedly came back to himself. "The Ice Jade Scorpion."
Before Mu En could start asking questions, Huo Yuhao took the initiative to explain what he'd done before.
It was like admitting to a misdeed, then trying to cover it up.
"My Martial Soul broke, so I had to go to the Extreme North. At the time, I had only one thought: to head there. It seemed like that place could soothe my Martial Soul. In the end, I passed out, with a scorpion lying beside me. I only learned later that it was an Ice Jade Scorpion." Huo Yuhao thought he'd come up with a reasonable explanation, but to Ji Siyuan and Mu En, it was full of holes.
But Mu En wasn't concerned with the reason. It was perfectly normal to have secrets.
Mu En nodded in approval. "Martial Souls are strange and varied. No one, from ancient times to the present, has ever been able to understand them completely. So all of this is perfectly normal." He smiled. "Since you've shown me your Twin Martial Souls, I should show you my sincerity in return."
Light blazed around him as his Soul Rings appeared: two yellow, one purple, three black, and three red. "Not quite as impressive as Ji Siyuan, but not bad."
Ji Siyuan's mouth twitched. Why was he being used as a comparison?
That Soul Ring Configuration was downright invincible. Three Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings.
Huo Yuhao was so stunned he couldn't speak.
"I am Mu En, Level 99, a Titled Douluo. I believe I can teach someone with an Ultimate Martial Soul. Huo Yuhao, would you be willing to become my student?" Of course, he wasn't asking Huo Yuhao alone. He was asking Ji Siyuan, too.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and Ice Empress both urged him to agree. "Yuhao, he's a Limit Douluo, stronger than the Ice Empress (me) was in life."
Huo Yuhao glanced at Ji Siyuan. He had brought her here, so naturally, he approved.
"This disciple pays respects to his teacher."
The moment had come a little sooner, because Huo Yuhao had gained the Ice Empress Martial Soul sooner, too.
"I want to, too! I want to!" Wang Dong'er stepped in front of Mu En. "I want to become your student, too. I also have Twin Martial Souls. My First Martial Soul, the Light Goddess Butterfly, matches yours very well. I'm from the Clear Sky Sect, and my Second Martial Soul is the Clear Sky Hammer. You must know about it, too."
"Huh?" Huo Yuhao cried out in surprise. "Wang Dong'er, you have Twin Martial Souls, too?"
Wang Dong'er said, "So you're allowed to have them, but I'm not?" As she spoke, she showed off her Clear Sky Hammer.
After she'd pestered him relentlessly, Mu En had no choice but to agree.
Once they were done, the three of them exchanged a knowing glance at Ji Siyuan.
"Uh, I'll pass. I already have a teacher." He didn't just mean he wouldn't take a master; he was also saying he had a Second Martial Soul.
Mu En nodded in approval of Ji Siyuan's decision, then smiled kindly at his new students. "I won't let your talents go to waste. I'll make sure the world knows how strong you are!"
Two people with Twin Martial Souls were worth holding a Sea God Pavilion Meeting for.