The Soul Fighting Zone was even livelier tonight than it had been during the day.
News spread faster than the wind.
It had even made the academy's front-page headlines.
Shocking!! Two top geniuses from the Inner Academy were openly dueling!! And it was all for him?!!
When there was juicy gossip to be had, people never minded the effort.
"Ma Xiaotao from the Inner Academy is about to fight Dai Yueheng!"
"Seriously? Aren't they both key members of the Inner Academy?"
"I heard it's over a new student from the Outer Academy!"
"Holy crap? A new student from the Outer Academy? Who's that bold?"
"Huo Yuhao! The guy who sells grilled fish!"
Word spread from one to ten, then from ten to a hundred. In just a short while, the area around the Soul Fighting Zone was packed with Outer Academy students.
Quite a few hadn't even finished eating. They came running with half a flatbread still in their mouths.
You've got to be kidding! This was a duel between top students from the Inner Academy!
You couldn't just watch something like this whenever you wanted!
And today, not only could they watch, but there was juicy gossip to go with it!
Who could possibly resist???
By the time Huo Yuhao and the others arrived, the largest Soul Fighting Arena was already surrounded by layer upon layer of people. The crowd stretched as far as the eye could see, chattering noisily in an uproar that made the place feel like a festival.
"Look, look! They're here!"
"Holy crap, it really is Sister Xiaotao and Senior Dai!"
"Why are those two fighting? I heard it's over a new student?"
The crowd parted on its own, and everyone's eyes settled on Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng as they walked at the front.
The two of them stepped onto the Soul Fighting Arena one after the other and faced off ten meters apart. The air was so thick with tension it was almost choking.
Ma Xiaotao had arranged for Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong to sit in the spot below with the best view.
It was Wang Dong's first time seeing something like this, and she was a little nervous. She turned and quietly asked Huo Yuhao.
"Are they really going to fight? I heard that Dai Yueheng is pretty strong too. Can Sister Xiaotao handle him on her own...?"
"She'll win."
Unlike Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao merely said it calmly.
After all, he had personally dealt with the Evil Fire inside Ma Xiaotao. No one understood her current condition better than Huo Yuhao did.
The Evil Fire Phoenix and the Evil Eye White Tiger were both top-tier Beast Martial Souls, but when it came down to a real fight, the deciding factor was their individual strength.
And whether it was talent or battle instincts, Dai Yueheng couldn't match Ma Xiaotao.
If Ma Xiaotao were still like before, constantly wary of her Evil Fire and forced to keep it suppressed, Dai Yueheng would have a chance of winning.
After all, Ma Xiaotao would have to worry about the Evil Fire turning on her, putting her at a disadvantage in a battle of endurance.
Against Dai Yueheng, she would have to end the fight quickly. Otherwise, she would definitely lose.
The reverse was true as well.
As long as Dai Yueheng could withstand Ma Xiaotao's first wave of attacks, he could practically declare victory.
But things were different now.
After Huo Yuhao had helped her sort things out, Ma Xiaotao no longer had to worry about the Evil Fire turning on her. She could fight to her heart's content.
Facing an Ultimate Fire Soul Master at the same level who was going all out, Huo Yuhao couldn't imagine Dai Yueheng having any chance of winning.
On the other side of the stands, several Inner Academy students in red uniforms had somehow joined the crowd.
Gongyang Mo was dressed in flashy clothes, and he was flamboyantly waving a folding fan in his hand.
As soon as he heard the news, he'd hurried over. How could he miss out on a spectacle like this?
Gongyang Mo leaned against the railing, sweeping his gaze over the area below before pinpointing the spot Ma Xiaotao was guarding.
"Well, this is interesting."
He tapped his fan against his palm and turned to tease the few Inner Academy companions beside him.
"Everyone says a man will fly into a rage for a beauty. Looks like Sister Xiaotao has flown into a rage for a pretty boy!"
"Which one is that little boyfriend she's always talking about? That new student who looks pretty refined?"
He'd mistaken Wang Dong for Huo Yuhao.
That was understandable. Wang Dong was so strikingly beautiful that it was hard not to notice her.
Gongyang Mo hadn't bothered to lower his voice, so the people around him heard every word.
The moment he finished speaking, Huo Yuhao suddenly turned his head, his gaze meeting Gongyang Mo's directly.
They were dozens of meters apart.
Huo Yuhao said nothing. He simply looked at him in silence.
Just that one look.
The folding fan in Gongyang Mo's hand abruptly stopped.
As a support-type Soul Master, he was far more sensitive to auras than a Battle Soul Master.
In that instant, he felt as if a Ferocious Beast lurking in the abyss had fixed its eyes on him. That pure, utterly untainted killing intent shot straight up his spine to the back of his head.
So this was Ma Xiaotao's little boyfriend???
Gongyang Mo made the judgment in an instant. He shuddered violently, and goosebumps instantly rose across his arms.
"This kid..."
He put away his folding fan, all traces of his usual grinning, joking manner gone. He muttered to himself.
He was definitely no ordinary kid!
How could a first-ring student have such terrifying killing intent?
Elsewhere, Bei Bei and Tang Ya arrived late at the outskirts of the Soul Fighting Zone.
As soon as they heard that Huo Yuhao was in trouble again, they'd rushed over. Unfortunately, they'd already left Shrek City when the news reached them. By the time they got back, the Soul Fighting Zone was already teeming with people.
"Where's Yuhao??"
Tang Ya couldn't squeeze her way in, so she rose onto her tiptoes and strained to look over the crowd, searching for Huo Yuhao.
"Yuhao's fine."
Compared to Tang Ya, Bei Bei had a much clearer view.
He spotted Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong almost effortlessly, and could tell that both of them were breathing steadily and showed no signs of injury.
"That's good, that's good."
Hearing this, Tang Ya finally relaxed. As the sect leader, what worried her most was this little Yuhao, whom she'd only just taken in.
"It's quite lively today."
Bei Bei was about to say something else to Tang Ya when a lazy voice suddenly sounded beside him.
Bei Bei jumped in fright and turned around. An unkempt old man stood beside him, holding a greasy chicken leg and gnawing on it, grease dripping from his mouth.
"Elder Xuan."
Recognizing the old man, Bei Bei quickly bowed in greeting.
Tang Ya bowed her head too.
After nearly getting into trouble with Yan Shaozhe last time, she'd learned to be a little wiser.
Whenever someone appeared out of nowhere, she had to check Bei Bei's reaction first.
Xuan Zi waved a hand to indicate that they didn't need to stand on ceremony. His eyes remained fixed on the arena as he asked indistinctly,
"What are those two little brats up to?"
Bei Bei didn't dare hide anything and hurriedly recounted exactly what had happened at the grilled-fish stall.
When he finished, Xuan Zi paused in the middle of gnawing on his chicken leg.
That kid named Huo Yuhao again?
Xuan Zi smacked his lips and couldn't help grumbling inwardly.
What a little monster. He never stayed out of trouble.
How long had he even been at the academy?
He'd nearly turned the entire Outer Academy upside down already.
First, he'd put a female student in the infirmary. Now he'd got two top geniuses from the Inner Academy to duel in public.
He was even more of a troublemaker than Xuan Zi had been in his youth.
As for why Xuan Zi always happened to be around whenever Huo Yuhao got into trouble...
He couldn't exactly say that, among all the Sea God Pavilion Elders, he was the one with the most free time.
He didn't have to do anything. He could just eat and drink all day.
That was why he had time to come watch the commotion.
If he put it that way, he'd sound like he was all talk and no action.
On the arena, Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng had also noticed Xuan Zi's arrival. Their expressions turned solemn, and they bowed toward him in unison.
"Elder Xuan."
Xuan Zi grunted, swallowed the last bite of chicken, and casually tossed the bone away. He seemed interested now too.
"Since I'm here, you two may as well let loose and fight."
"Let me see whether either of you has made any progress over the years."
Xuan Zi's words raised the stakes of the whole affair once again.
Dai Yueheng, who had originally been wondering how to bring things to a dignified end, grew serious as well.
If he could earn Elder Xuan's attention today, then everything would be worth it.
Huo Yuhao might even turn out to be his benefactor.
Of course, that was only if he won—and won spectacularly.
Ma Xiaotao saw through Dai Yueheng's intentions at a glance. She curled a finger at him in disdain.
"Come on."
"Let me see what you can do now."
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