Farewell

As the referee delivered the verdict, Zhuqing Zhu slowly closed her eyes. A ball of light separated from her body and rapidly reverted into the form of a young man.

The ball of light landed beside her and transformed back into Yuhao Huo.

"How do you feel?"

Yuhao Huo chuckled. This Martial Soul Fusion Skill was led by Zhuqing Zhu; he had only been able to contribute his power throughout the process.

Zhuqing Zhu spoke while recalling the sensation.

"It was a truly marvelous feeling. The speed of my Hell Spirit Cat was greatly enhanced; even a slight movement produced an effect akin to teleportation. Beyond that, it came with the aura-concealing effect of your Simulation Soul Skill, as well as the Spirit Detection effect. It's a pity there wasn't time to test the other abilities."

Yuhao Huo nodded and comforted her softly, "We have plenty of time, and many more opportunities to experiment slowly."

Hearing this, Zhuqing Zhu immediately recalled the image of them embracing, her face flushing slightly as she nodded gently. "Mm, we can try more in the future."

After registering their record, the Hao-Qing Duo stood at one win and zero losses! The two shared a smile and returned to the academy.

Yuhao Huo opened his door, stood by the frame, and scratched his head, saying to the young girl beside him with some embarrassment, "Come on in."

Zhuqing Zhu's face was rosy as she lowered her head and stepped into the room, her voice as soft as a mosquito's hum.

"Excuse the intrusion."

Inside his mind, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was howling, "Oh, well done Yuhao! A teenage boy and girl alone in a room in the dead of night—the sparks of love are flying!"

A-Lu's curious voice followed immediately, "Is this where they mate? I must learn from this."

Yuhao Huo, following behind Zhuqing Zhu, stumbled; he felt that A-Lu was being corrupted by Brother Sky Dream.

"What's wrong?" Zhuqing Zhu asked with concern.

"It's nothing. Find a place to sit; it's a bit messy, sorry about that."

This wasn't false modesty from Yuhao Huo; it was indeed a bit cluttered.

The desk was covered with various Soul Tool parts. Zhuqing Zhu looked them over with curiosity; while it was messy, it was very clean.

She then sat on Yuhao Huo's bed with some restraint.

"Let's begin, then. First, let's talk about some of the mistakes you made during your duel with that soul master named A-Ying... At this moment, you could have shifted your position to dodge; there was no need to activate the Soul Guidance Shield, which wasted quite a bit of soul power... And here..."

To ease the awkwardness, Yuhao Huo quickly entered the review phase.

During the soul fight, he had been using Spirit Detection to monitor the situation while blocking Luo Dong's support, so he had essentially memorized every detail of Zhuqing Zhu's combat.

His serious expression made even Zhuqing Zhu feel less nervous, and the two discussed things until the second half of the night.

Yuhao Huo took a sip of water to soothe his dry throat. "Did I explain that clearly?"

Zhuqing Zhu's eyes brightened as she nodded. "Understood, thank you."

After Yuhao Huo's explanation, Zhuqing Zhu felt that her progress could be described as a complete transformation.

If she repeated this process of soul fighting and reviewing every day, her combat experience would improve rapidly.

Lifting her eyes to look at Yuhao Huo's serious profile, Zhuqing Zhu's face flushed again.

"I have a question."

"Hm?"

Yuhao Huo looked up and smiled. "What question?"

Zhuqing Zhu took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly.

"Are you... are you and Xiao Wu boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Eh?"

Yuhao Huo was stunned; he truly hadn't expected Zhuqing Zhu to ask about such a private matter.

"I'm just curious, since you two seem very close," Zhuqing Zhu added.

Yuhao Huo scratched his head. "Xiao Wu and I have known each other since primary academy; we are not boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Then I still have a chance."

A cold, clear voice echoed in the dormitory.

Yuhao Huo stared at Zhuqing Zhu in shock.

"??"

"I never imagined little Yuhao's ancestor would have such a proactive personality! You really can't judge a book by its cover~" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm chuckled deviously.

"May I pursue you?" Zhuqing Zhu raised her head to meet Yuhao Huo's eyes.

Yuhao Huo gave a bitter smile and raised a hand to his forehead.

"...If I say I don't agree, will you give up?"

Zhuqing Zhu actually thought about it seriously for a moment, then seemed to realize something, a smile appearing on her face.

"...Indeed, I won't. Then I'll take that as your tacit consent. I will work hard; I won't let you be given to anyone else."

Having said so many impulsive things, she seemed too embarrassed to stay any longer and took the initiative to hug Yuhao Huo. "See you tomorrow."

"Mhm, goodnight." Feeling the fiery figure in his arms, Huo Yuhao nodded woodenly, watching Zhu Zhuqing leave.

"A-Lu, did you see that? You have to be like this girl and be proactive! In his past life, Huo Yuhao was neither proactive nor rejecting, nor accepting; he owed a mountain of emotional debts. If you aren't proactive, you won't have a chance!" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm egged her on.

"Brother Sky Dream!!!"

A-Lu nodded in a daze, "I see, I've noted that down, Brother Sky Dream."

"Mhm, not bad, a child worth teaching."

Then, Tian Meng added with a skip in his step.

"Huo Yuhao! You can't play favorites. Whatever the other girls have, our A-Lu must have too! Look at you humans, don't you all have three wives and four concubines? Rest assured, everyone supports you!"

"Ice Empress, come out and handle Brother Sky Dream!" Huo Yuhao's face flushed red as he shouted in the mental space.

"Hehehe, don't worry Huo Yuhao, it's useless even if you scream until your throat breaks. Not just the Ice Empress, even Elder Yi agrees!"

"...I do not agree!"

"You don't have the right to object. Tell me honestly, if Qiu'er and Xiao Tao were standing before you again, could you really reject them a second time?"

"I..." Huo Yuhao was rendered speechless.

Then, the voice of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm rang out again, this time with a very serious tone.

"Huo Yuhao, your past life's experiences have taught you a lesson. We are all living with everything we have; living for those who love you is the attitude you should have. Don't lose yourself for those who don't like you, and don't forget how to be happy in front of those who do."

"Don't let down anyone who treats you with sincerity again, okay?"

"...I'll think about it..."

Early morning.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Huo Yuhao, we're about to set off. Aren't you coming out to say goodbye?"

Xiao Wu's energetic voice rang out from outside the door.

"Coming, coming." The door was opened quickly.

"Eh? Huo Yuhao, didn't you sleep well last night?"

Appearing before everyone was a slightly haggard face; anyone could tell that Huo Yuhao's spirit didn't seem too good.

"No... it's nothing. Just thought about some things and didn't sleep much, it's no big deal."

Huo Yuhao waved his hand; he couldn't exactly say he had been fighting a war within his own heart all night.

"How strange. We just went to see Zhu Zhuqing, and she was the same, with obvious dark circles under her eyes," Ning Rongrong said, looking suspicious.

Behind the group, Zhu Zhuqing's face turned bright red instantly. Recalling her impulsive behavior from last night, she felt like she wanted to crawl into a hole in the ground.

!!!

Cold sweat began to trickle down Huo Yuhao. Are girls' senses really this sharp?

Wait, why am I nervous?

"Who doesn't know they are the most diligent at cultivation? It's probably just a cultivation issue."

Xiao Wu pursed her lips; although reluctant, she still smoothed things over.

"That's true. Let's go, Huo Yuhao, let's go eat together, and then we'll be heading out."

Ning Rongrong grabbed Huo Yuhao's hand with a grin, showing no signs of avoidance.

"?"

Xiao Wu's eyes widened as she looked at Huo Yuhao. Years of being together made Huo Yuhao understand her meaning instantly—I need an explanation! What is going on with Ning Rongrong!?

Heaven is my witness, Huo Yuhao didn't even know what was happening himself. As he was about to be dragged away, he hurriedly shot Xiao Wu a desperate look for help.

"Huo Yuhao, I want to eat Grilled Fish." Xiao Wu snorted coldly and hugged Huo Yuhao's arm, looking at Ning Rongrong with a provocative gaze, asserting her sovereignty.

"Now? Isn't it morning?"

"What does that matter? We're leaving for several days soon. Xiao San wants to eat it too, right?" As Xiao Wu spoke, she cast her gaze toward Tang San, hinting wildly.

"Uh... I do indeed miss it a bit." Tang San nodded stiffly.