Ma Xiaotao, Get Lost

"Senior sisters, may I ask what you wanted to see me about?"

Holding a tray, Huo Yuhao calmly sat down in an empty seat across from them.

"Junior, how did you end up in the Inner Court?" Wu Ming, blunt and hot-tempered by nature, was the first to ask. She was indeed rather curious. By the rules, Outer Court students generally were not allowed to enter the Inner Court grounds freely.

Han Ruoruo was equally curious, her beautiful eyes resting on Huo Yuhao before her.

"It was because of Sister Luo Chen. I stayed overnight in the Inner Court yesterday."

Huo Yuhao did not hide this and answered honestly.

"Luo Chen? Ling Luochen?" Han Ruoruo said softly. As one of the previous generation's Shrek Seven Devils, she naturally knew the current Shrek Seven Devils.

Wu Ming lightly nudged Han Ruoruo with her elbow and gave her a meaningful look.

Having been close friends for years, Han Ruoruo immediately understood Wu Ming's meaning. This junior probably already had someone in his heart, and Ling Luochen had beaten everyone else to the punch.

Han Ruoruo immediately shot Wu Ming several irritated glares, warning her with her eyes not to spout nonsense again.

Wu Ming instead returned an encouraging look that told her to keep trying, making Han Ruoruo even more embarrassed.

For the next while, the three of them chatted idly, trading remarks back and forth.

Most of the time, though, it was the outgoing Wu Ming who took the initiative to throw out all sorts of questions, with Huo Yuhao answering. Han Ruoruo would occasionally add a few words from the side or correct Wu Ming's overly flighty remarks.

Still, the questions Wu Ming asked felt strangely odd. Huo Yuhao got the feeling that she was investigating his entire background.

After breakfast, Huo Yuhao rose and bid Han Ruoruo and Wu Ming farewell.

Only after Huo Yuhao, carrying the packed lunchbox, had completely disappeared through the cafeteria entrance did Wu Ming drop her serious facade. Covering her mouth, she giggled coquettishly and leaned close to Han Ruoruo's ear.

"Sister Ruoruo, what do you think? Has your heart been stirred? That little junior and Ling Luochen probably haven't reached that stage yet. If you take the initiative now, you still have a very good chance."

Han Ruoruo shot Wu Ming an annoyed glare.

"Ming'er, with all that questioning and talking you did just now, aren't you the one who has taken a liking to that junior?"

"I wouldn't fall for a man weaker than me." Wu Ming stretched lazily, displaying her lovely curves to the fullest. "But if that little junior can defeat me with his own strength someday, I'd gladly throw myself at him."

"Ming'er, it's exactly because of that attitude that you've never found a suitable partner." Han Ruoruo shook her head helplessly.

"Hmph, Sister Ruoruo, aren't you the same?"

Carrying the lunchbox, Huo Yuhao walked along a path on Sea God Island.

The morning sun had just risen, its golden radiance piercing the thin mist and scattering across the shimmering lake, where a hazy layer of fog still floated.

A gentle breeze carrying the moist scent of water mingled with the fresh fragrance of grass and trees, making him feel utterly refreshed.

Huo Yuhao slowed his pace, enjoying this brief moment of peace and leisure.

At the same time, Ling Luochen leaned against the railing of the second-floor balcony of her loft, gazing into the distance.

When she saw Huo Yuhao appear at the end of the path, unconcealable delight immediately appeared on her cool face.

She had thought Huo Yuhao had already left.

When her gaze fell upon the lunchbox in his hand, warmth surged in Ling Luochen's heart.

Sure enough, her junior still had her in his heart.

Watching Huo Yuhao bathed in the golden glow of dawn, his figure seeming to shine brilliantly, Ling Luochen was just about to raise her hand and call out to him.

However, at that moment, a tall woman in red rushed out from nowhere and lunged straight toward Huo Yuhao.

The smile on Ling Luochen's face instantly froze.

The next moment, an inexplicable fury erupted from the depths of her heart. A frosty gleam flashed through her ice-blue eyes as she shouted sharply, "Ma Xiaotao, get lost!"

As she spoke, she had already leaped down from the second-floor balcony and activated her Martial Soul Possession in an instant.

Five Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black—appeared around her in rhythmic pulses.

Piercing cold erupted at once, and a layer of fine ice crystals swiftly covered her entire body.

Immediately afterward, her second Soul Ring flared up. The ice crystals covering her body rapidly combined and transformed, condensing into a suit of ice-crystal armor that gleamed with a pale blue radiance.

Almost simultaneously, her first Soul Ring lit up as well.

Ling Luochen raised her right hand, spread her fingers, and grabbed at the air.

At once, amid a dazzling flash of blue light, a magnificent two-meter staff formed entirely from translucent ice crystals appeared from thin air and was grasped firmly in her hand.

Pointing her staff toward the sky, Ling Luochen's third Soul Ring instantly shone.

An ice-blue curtain of light appeared in the sky. Streams of visible ice-blue air rapidly gathered before surging toward Ma Xiaotao below as though guided.

Blue light descended, and the space around Ma Xiaotao instantly froze, forming a sturdy ice prison.

Ma Xiaotao's charging momentum came to an abrupt halt.

Yet an even fiercer and more violent Phoenix Flame immediately erupted from her fiery red figure.

Crimson flames collided fiercely with the ice-blue prison.

"Boom!"

In an instant, the seemingly unbreakable ice prison shattered completely, turning into wisps of white vapor that dissipated into the air.

But that brief obstruction was enough for Ling Luochen to react.

Her figure flashed, and she drifted down before Huo Yuhao like an ice spirit, shielding him firmly behind her as she faced Ma Xiaotao, who resembled a humanoid ferocious beast.

At this moment, even the air around Ma Xiaotao was faintly distorted by the extreme heat. Her scarlet eyes brimmed with savagery, and her entire body emitted a chillingly fierce aura, as though she were a terrifying Soul Beast.

"Yuhao, don't worry about me. Leave this place quickly and return to the Outer Court. I'll hold her off here first."

Ling Luochen was frightened as well. Ma Xiaotao in her out-of-control state was likely no weaker than a Soul Saint who had not activated a Martial Soul Avatar.

But precisely because of that, she could not allow Ma Xiaotao to approach Huo Yuhao.

In this state, Ma Xiaotao could easily take Huo Yuhao's life by accident.

But where were the Inner Court teachers?

Ma Xiaotao had already lost control to this extent. Why had no teacher come out to save them yet?

Just then, Ling Luochen felt a warm palm suddenly press against her back.

Almost in the next instant, an indescribably frigid chill surged into her body from behind.

Ling Luochen felt as though her ice-element Martial Soul had been completely sublimated at that moment, utterly transformed into another, higher-level existence.