Dai Huabin's skin and flesh began to grow back, but he never managed to recover completely. His face and body were still covered in hideous burns. That was Xiao Yi's doing, of course. The burns were bad enough, but the heartfire of the Fallen Heart Flame would torment him without end, scorching his soul.
Yan Shaozhe helplessly glanced at Xiao Yi and the group of people behind him, with Bei Bei among them, who had just come up. He waved for the students in the stands to leave.
"You lot—don't let this happen again. The other side started it this time, so I won't say any more." Yan Shaozhe gave the group a stern telling-off, but the look he gave Xiao Yi was practically blazing with excitement. A peculiar First Martial Soul, and an Ultimate Fire capable of regenerating severed limbs—both were unprecedented.
It seemed he couldn't keep this genius under wraps. He had to convene a Sea God Pavilion Meeting. Yan Shaozhe weighed it over. He had wanted to keep Xiao Yi hidden for a while and let his disciple, Ma Xiaotao, spend more time growing closer to him. But now, nearly the entire Outer Academy knew what had happened. He had to get in first. Xiao Yi might not be interested in the Soul Tool Department, but what if he was?
Seeing Yan Shaozhe let them go just like that, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu, who had only just recovered their senses, were furious but didn't dare say a word. From the looks on their faces, you'd think they were the ones who'd been wronged. But it was true what they said: evil people always met someone worse.
Xiao Yi coldly glanced at Dai Huabin's venomous expression and sneered.
For someone like him, the best revenge was to take everything from him in the cruelest way possible: his looks, his cultivation, and then to watch as Huo Yutong, the person he looked down on, surpassed him, while he himself became a cripple.
The heartfire formed by the Fallen Heart Flame inside him would keep disrupting his cultivation. And no one but Xiao Yi could remove it.
The others dispersed outside. Xiao Yi had just started to leave when Tang Ya called out to him.
"Xiao Yi, could I ask you for a favor?" Tang Ya twirled a loose strand of hair by her temple around her finger, looking a little embarrassed as she spoke. Xiao Yi understood. She probably still wanted to recruit him into the Tang Sect.
When Xiao Yi agreed, Tang Ya's worries finally eased. At the same time, she felt a little nervous. She had already made up her mind, but when the moment actually came, she couldn't help feeling apprehensive.
Bei Bei, who hadn't gone far, saw the whole thing. His heart ached, but he had no standing to say anything.
Tang Ya took Xiao Yi by the wrist and led him to the dormitory building. Then she hesitated. She glanced at Xiao Yi, gritted her teeth, pulled an outer garment from her Storage Soul Tool, and tossed it over his head. Then she dragged him toward the girls' dormitory.
Xiao Yi's vision went dark. A delicate fragrance filled his nostrils. The scent was familiar.
Before long, he felt himself being pulled into a room. The door slammed shut with a bang. Why did this scene feel so familiar?
Xiao Yi pulled the garment off his head. It was a pink dress. Without thinking, he rubbed the fabric between his fingers. When he looked up, he met Tang Ya's eyes. Her cheeks were visibly flushed, and a few damp strands of hair clung to her forehead.
That little bit of exercise wouldn't have been enough to make a Soul Master sweat. Clearly, it was for some other reason.
"Xiao Ya, why are you only back now?" Before either of them could speak, a voice called from the bathroom. The door clicked open, and Jiang Nannan stepped out with her head lowered, rubbing her hair with a towel, completely naked.
Her skin, still flushed from her bath, looked soft and smooth. Her striking figure and beautiful body were laid out before Xiao Yi in full view. But before he could look any longer, Tang Ya yelled, "Nannan!" and covered his eyes with both hands.
A burst of frantic commotion followed. When Xiao Yi could see again, Jiang Nannan was sitting on the bed, blushing and hastily fixing her clothes, while Tang Ya stood beside her looking awkward.
The strange atmosphere lingered for quite some time before Tang Ya finally led Xiao Yi to sit opposite Jiang Nannan.
Jiang Nannan gave Tang Ya a resentful look. She'd asked Tang Ya to help her find Xiao Yi because she needed something, so why had Tang Ya brought him here? Tang Ya was embarrassed too. She hadn't expected Jiang Nannan to come out naked. She didn't usually do that.
"Ahem, Nannan, didn't you have something to ask Xiao Yi? Go ahead." Xiao Yi looked at Jiang Nannan curiously. She needed something from him?
"Junior Xiao Yi, your Second Martial Soul was in Yutong before. Can it regenerate severed limbs?" Jiang Nannan looked at him hopefully, then quickly added, "I'll pay you afterward. Anything you want." Jiang Nannan lowered her blushing face. For some reason, she didn't feel the same resistance and disgust toward Xiao Yi that she felt toward Xu Sanshi.
Tang Ya couldn't sit still anymore. "You little—Jiang Nannan, with those big, innocent eyes, who'd have thought you were so good at stealing men?"
"Xiao Yi, what I told you before still stands. If you join the Tang Sect, you can have the sect master's position—and me, too." Tang Ya anxiously grabbed Xiao Yi's arm. Her eyes plainly said, Pick me already!
Xiao Yi looked at the two of them, baffled. Sure, he was greedy and lecherous, but they couldn't test a cadre like this. What cadre could possibly withstand it?
When Xiao Yi didn't respond, Tang Ya simply pressed herself against him. He felt two soft objects squeezing his arm.
"Senior, just tell me what's wrong. There's no need to go to all this trouble." Xiao Yi gave Tang Ya a helpless look. He suspected she'd put Jiang Nannan up to this.
"My... my mother has a congenital heart condition. She needs treatment from a healing-type Soul Master capable of regenerating severed limbs, so I..."
"No problem." Jiang Nannan looked up at Xiao Yi in disbelief, surprised. She'd thought he would take the opportunity to ask for something. Then she cast Tang Ya a strange look. This wasn't what you'd told me would happen!
Xiao Yi was at a loss for words. It all clicked at once. No wonder Ma Xiaotao hadn't broken through to the Soul Emperor rank. In his previous life, he remembered Ma Xiaotao suppressing her Evil Fire with Xu Sanshi's help around this time. Since Jiang Nannan hadn't sold herself to save her mother, Xu Sanshi's Martial Soul naturally hadn't awakened.
"Senior, don't listen to Xiao Ya's nonsense. She came up with all that herself. I never said any of it." He hadn't refused, either—but Xiao Yi kept that last part to himself.
"It's just a small favor. We'll pick a time, and I'll go home with you." Xiao Yi said it simply. Jiang Nannan visibly relaxed, as though a huge weight had lifted from her heart.
"As for you, Xiao Ya..." Xiao Yi glanced at Tang Ya, who was leaning half her body against him. An unusual feeling welled up inside him. He was a normal man, after all. Ma Xiaotao had tempted him all night yesterday, and today these two had stirred him up again. He felt a little restless.
He thought it over. The principle was the same: he was going to pursue Tang Wutong anyway, so the Tang Sect would be family property. Besides, the Divine Realm had gone silent, so there was nothing to worry about.
"I agree. I can join the Tang Sect." Tang Ya's face lit up with joy. But when she met Xiao Yi's gaze, her cheeks instantly turned red, and she looked away in embarrassment. Xiao Yi lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes.
"But, Senior Xiao Ya, from today onward, you belong to me." Xiao Yi looked Tang Ya up and down, then swept out his hand. A wall of fire blocked Jiang Nannan's view.
As for whether there were any feelings involved, they could talk about that later.
Before you continue