Unrequited Love

Several days later, at the central plaza of Blazing Fire Academy's main campus in Blazing Fire City.

The enormous plaza was already packed with voices and people, shoulder to shoulder.

Soul Masters, merchants, and even nobles from across the continent had gathered here, surrounding the entire plaza so tightly that not even water could pass through.

Sunlight poured down, and the air carried not only the scent of dust but also the scorching heat produced by countless colliding Soul Power fluctuations, as though every breath contained sparks.

Amid this sea of clamor, two utterly different auras collided with a bang, instantly drawing the entire crowd's attention.

"You stinking ice bird! You old bastard, you still haven't kicked the bucket?"

Huo Zhenshan, the dean of Blazing Fire Academy, stood with his robe hanging open, his booming voice sounding as if it could blow the roof off. His signature red hair blazed like living flames, radiating a wild and unruly air.

Across from him, Shui Canglan, the dean of Skywater Academy, wore a pale blue robe and possessed an icy, abyss-like presence. Yet at those words, a mocking smile curled across his lips. "Heh. You fire lizard haven't turned to ash yet, so how could I bear to die? Afraid you'd be lonely without anyone to bicker with, even the King of Hell wouldn't dare take me."

These two renowned "sworn enemies" of the continent nearly always fought until the skies darkened whenever they met. Just like their martial soul attributes, water and fire could not coexist, and they saw red at the sight of one another.

Just as the two stood at daggers drawn and the atmosphere froze, a white figure nimbly squeezed through the crowd, breaking the deadlock.

"Elder Huo, Elder Shui, you two are still the same. The moment you meet, you start going at each other like fighting cocks. Don't you ever get tired?"

Xiao Bai shook her head helplessly, though her voice carried a familiar, amused warmth.

Huo Zhenshan's surging anger instantly vanished, and every wrinkle on his face bloomed with delight, as though he had just seen his own daughter. "Ah! Isn't this Miss Xiao Bai? Long time no see! You're even more radiant than before!"

"I haven't seen Elder Huo in quite some time either. It seems your cultivation has been going rather smoothly lately?"

Xiao Bai returned the greeting with a smile, then shifted aside to reveal Li Yingxue behind her, graceful and refined, with a gentle temperament.

"Elder Huo, Elder Shui, allow me to introduce her. This is Miss Li Yingxue, the biological daughter of our family head. I brought her out to gain experience this time, and to let her witness your Exchange Tournament while we were at it."

Shui Canglan's gaze immediately fell upon Li Yingxue, and a flash of astonishment and gravity passed through his eyes.

Naturally, he knew the weight carried by this young woman—the eldest daughter of the Li Family, the direct bloodline of Li Yuntian, who was now unrivaled in prominence throughout the Soul Master world!

The Li Family of today was no longer what it had once been.

With Spirit Hall as its towering backer, Family Head Li Yuntian was a power-attack Title Douluo, while his wife, Yang Wanqing, was an agility-attack Soul Douluo.

Even as the dean of a top-tier Soul Master Academy, he had no choice but to treat such family standing with utmost seriousness.

"Greetings, Elder Huo. Greetings, Elder Shui." Li Yingxue gave a slight bow, elegant and proper in every movement, displaying the poise of a great family.

"Miss Li, there is no need for such formality." Shui Canglan responded gently. Just as he was about to continue the pleasantries, a teasing voice drifting over from afar interrupted him.

"Miss Li is too polite. I have long heard of the Li Family's gifted daughter, and now that I see you, your reputation is indeed well deserved." Huo Zhenshan laughed heartily.

"By the way, Elder Shui, didn't that guy come?" Xiao Bai looked around Shui Canglan's side.

Shui Canglan had just opened his mouth to answer when a voice sounded from afar.

"Oh? It's so lively here. Were you talking about me?"

Everyone turned toward the voice and saw a blue-haired woman in magnificent court attire approaching with graceful steps.

She was tall and breathtakingly beautiful, with a heroic air between her brows. She was none other than Skywater Academy's core disciple and Shui Canglan's treasured daughter—Shui Qingxue.

She first gave Huo Zhenshan and Li Yingxue slight nods in greeting. "Greetings, Elder Huo. Greetings, Miss Li."

As for Xiao Bai? Shui Qingxue directly rolled her eyes at her twice, as though Xiao Bai did not exist at all. Clearly, the two had a history, and their relationship was rather complicated.

"Hahaha! Look at that! Look at that!"

As though he had seized a tremendous weakness, Huo Zhenshan slapped his thigh and pointed at Shui Qingxue as he laughed at Shui Canglan. "Your daughter is so much better than you! Well-mannered and incredibly gifted! If you didn't have the same martial soul, I'd suspect she wasn't even your daughter."

"Qingxue must have been born into the wrong family. An old bastard like you isn't worthy of her in this lifetime!"

"Get lost! Is spewing shit the only thing that comes out of your mouth?" Shui Canglan glared furiously, then turned to complain to his daughter.

"Sweetheart, don't call him Elder Huo from now on. Learn from your father and call him Fire Lizard! It rolls right off the tongue!"

"Uh... heh heh." Shui Qingxue gave a dry laugh. Clearly, she had long become immune to this routine bickering and had even grown accustomed to it.

Her gaze swept through the crowd, but she did not see that familiar figure. Unable to help frowning, she asked curiously, "Sister Xiao Bai, where is Young Master Zhang? Didn't he come with you?"

"Hmph, do you think you can see my young master whenever you want?" Xiao Bai snorted, lifting her chin with a hint of proud protectiveness.

Li Yingxue, however, froze and blurted out, "You know my brother?"

Hearing that, Shui Qingxue blinked playfully, a teasing curve rising at the corner of her lips. "Mm, my name is Shui Qingxue. Of course, you can also call me Sister-in-law. I wouldn't mind~"

"W-What?! Sister-in-law?!"

That form of address struck like thunder from a clear sky, leaving Li Yingxue utterly dumbfounded. Her little face instantly flushed red, and even her words became stammering.

Oh no, oh no! My brother has a woman outside behind my back!

The scene Mom, Yang Wanqing, predicted before has already started happening!

No, I need to stay calm. What should I do? Should I write to Mom and tell on him right now?

Seeing Li Yingxue's expression of utterly shattered worldview as she waged an intense inner battle, Xiao Bai stomped her foot in frustration.

"Yingxue, don't listen to her nonsense! This woman is the textbook case of unrequited love—a toad lusting after swan meat. How could Young Master possibly be interested in her?" Xiao Bai shot Shui Qingxue a fierce glare, hurried forward, and took Li Yingxue's hand as she explained.

"Back when Young Master and I went to Skywater City to establish a branch, we truly needed to seek cooperation with the Water Family in order to open up our business chain. It just so happened that we encountered Shui Qingxue while she was suffering from martial soul backlash and frozen meridians."

Xiao Bai curled her lips and continued, as if exposing her dirty laundry. "At that time, the entire Water Family was helpless, and things were about to turn serious. It was Young Master who stepped in, helped clear her meridians, and resolved the martial soul backlash. That was how she barely got her life back."

"Elder Shui also readily reached a partnership agreement with us because of it."

"But who would have thought that after being saved, this woman would start acting so shamelessly!" Xiao Bai glared at Shui Qingxue irritably.

"She was like a piece of sticky plaster—we couldn't shake her off no matter what! All day long, it was Young Master Zhang this and Young Master Zhang that, making it sound as though our young master were her fiancé!"

"She's so annoying!"