The three had just left the arena when another team with an equally spotless record came toward them—
Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, and Cui Yajie.
At the head of the group, Dai Huabin was tall, with golden hair and emerald eyes, and a commanding presence. But now, his gaze at Ji Jing was filled with undisguised hostility and arrogance.
"Hmph. Don't get too smug."
Dai Huabin blocked their way, lifting his chin slightly.
"You only took care of a Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda. When we meet in the competition, I'll let you experience firsthand what a true top-tier Power Attack System Martial Soul is—the might of the White Tiger!"
Hearing this, Ji Jing could only think that the guy was utterly absurd.
He merely glanced at him coolly, not even bothering to reply.
In his eyes, this level of provocation didn't even deserve a raised eyebrow.
Forget Dai Huabin—even if Dai Hao were standing right in front of him, Ji Jing wouldn't give him the time of day.
Ji Jing didn't care, but Wang Dong couldn't hold back.
Wang Dong stepped forward and shot back without the slightest courtesy:
"Our Ji Jing beat your team to a pulp without even using his Martial Soul. If you've got what it takes, stop running your mouth and face us in the arena!"
Dai Huabin glared fiercely at Wang Dong, then glanced at Ji Jing's expressionless face. With a cold snort, he stormed off with Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie, leaving behind one last remark:
"Fine. We'll settle it in the arena!"
The brief clash was soon over.
Once the two teams had gone their separate ways, Ji Jing and Wang Dong were about to continue on when they noticed Huo Yuhao still standing there, head bowed. His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had gone faintly white, and his body was even trembling slightly.
Ji Jing watched him for a moment before reminding him:
"They're long gone, Yuhao."
Huo Yuhao jolted. Only then did he raise his head as if waking from a dream, the hatred still lingering in his eyes.
Looking at him, Ji Jing spoke calmly:
"Yuhao, I can see the hatred in your heart."
"I need to remind you: hatred is a double-edged sword. It can drive you forward, but it can also become an abyss that swallows you whole. Don't let it blind you. Learn to master it and turn it into strength that carries you forward."
He paused, his deep gaze seeming to see right through a person:
"If you ever need help, you can come to me."
With that, Ji Jing said no more and turned toward the dormitory.
He had offered those words as a friend. How much Huo Yuhao would understand, and what choice he would make, was up to him.
Wang Dong glanced at Huo Yuhao, who seemed lost in thought, then hurried after Ji Jing.
On the way back to the dormitory, a figure appeared before them without warning. It was Yan Shaozhe.
Yan Shaozhe's gaze settled on Ji Jing, and a warm smile appeared on his face.
"Hello, Ji Jing. I'm Yan Shaozhe, dean of the Martial Soul Department. Sorry to bother you, but I have a favor to ask."
He briefly explained Ma Xiaotao's situation, then said earnestly:
"Your Ultimate Yang Fire and Ultimate Yin Fire are the only powers we can think of that might be able to suppress Xiaotao's Evil Fire. So I'd like to ask you to help her eliminate this hidden danger."
Ji Jing listened quietly.
Putting out Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire would be as easy as lifting a finger for him.
He could even solve the problem with a simple choice of wine from his father's collection—one that could improve the quality of flames.
But he didn't want to do that.
Ji Jing knew full well that meeting Ma Xiaotao and forming a bond with her by helping her was an important step on Huo Yuhao's path to growth.
That favor and opportunity were of no use to Ji Jing.
He didn't need anyone's help. Huo Yuhao did.
With that in mind, Ji Jing shook his head, showing a hint of "reluctance."
"Dean Yan, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. My Martial Soul is still fire, after all. Fighting fire with fire, I can at most suppress it by force. That would treat the symptoms, not the root cause."
"To eliminate something like Evil Fire, you ultimately need a Soul Master with an ice- or water-type ability, or a celestial fire-type treasure. I imagine you know more about this than I do."
Hearing this, the hope in Yan Shaozhe's eyes dimmed. He sighed.
"I see. I was oversimplifying things."
He pondered for a moment, then made another request:
"All right. Could I ask you to settle for the next best thing? Until we find a way to cure Xiaotao's Evil Fire, if it suddenly flares up, could you help suppress it? That way, we can prevent anything irreversible from happening."
"That's no problem."
Ji Jing agreed readily.
He didn't mind suppressing it. It was a small favor.
"That's wonderful! Thank you, Ji Jing!"
Yan Shaozhe said with relief,
"Don't worry. The academy won't ask you to help for nothing. We'll make sure to reward you generously."
After exchanging contact information with Ji Jing, he hurried off.
Back at the dormitory, after shaking off the day's fatigue, Wang Dong immediately returned to her lively self and clung to Ji Jing.
"Ji Jing, I'm hungry! We worked so hard today. I want a feast!"
"All right, all right. I'll make you something."
Ji Jing smiled helplessly, his affection plain. He rarely turned down anything she asked for.
Before long, tempting aromas filled the dormitory.
Once the dishes were on the table, Ji Jing took out the Best Wine Cup in the Village.
Wang Dong was already used to the cup.
Though it could conjure all sorts of things out of thin air, Ji Jing had explained that it was merely a well-crafted Soul Tool with spatial properties.
Given Wang Dong's current cultivation and experience, she naturally couldn't tell that it was actually a divine artifact.
Ji Jing picked up the cup and poured an amber liquid into the cups in front of himself and Wang Dong.
Unlike the sweet, juice-like wines with barely any alcohol he usually poured, today's wine was a much deeper color, and a clean, tranquil aroma drifted through the air.
Just one sniff was enough to refresh the mind and calm the spirit.
"This wine... seems different from the others?"
Wang Dong asked curiously.
"Mm,"
Ji Jing nodded and cautioned her seriously,
"The wine I'm giving you today is called Moon Spring Meditation."
"It can help a Soul Master enter a state of Deep Meditation quickly, and greatly enhance the effects of Deep Meditation."
He looked at Wang Dong and continued explaining:
"However, the wine's medicinal properties are also rather potent. Combined with the essence of the food we're eating, they'll form a mild but immense surge of energy."
"So after we eat, if you don't want to get drunk, you'll need to start cultivating right away. Use meditation to guide and absorb that energy. I'll clean up the dishes, and once I'm done washing them, I'll come cultivate with you."
Hearing his explanation, Wang Dong's hand paused as she held her cup, and a wave of emotion stirred in her heart.
She wasn't an ignorant girl.
She knew just how precious these things were.
Whether it was this miraculous wine or the top-grade ingredients they ate every day—food that even the Shrek Inner Court's cafeteria might not be able to provide—each and every one was worth a fortune.
Before you continue