A Challenge!

"Ling Luocheng finally left."

Under cover of night, Ma Xiaotao sneaked into Ling Luocheng's dormitory.

The inner courtyard students' dorm layouts were all more or less the same. After checking several cultivation rooms, Ma Xiaotao turned her attention to Ling Luocheng's bedroom.

Creak—

The door was pushed open, and intense cultivation fluctuations poured out from within.

"Just as I thought, he's here!"

Ma Xiaotao's heart leapt with joy. She entered the room and immediately saw Ling Feng, his entire body burning hot as he panted heavily.

At that moment, Ling Feng was trying to suppress the effects of his excessive yang energy.

Seeing that something was wrong with him, Ma Xiaotao froze for a moment before quickly realizing that he had just consumed whale glue.

Ma Xiaotao had not originally known about whale glue's side effects, but Yan Shaozhe had taught her many strange and unusual methods lately, including the effects of whale glue.

"Then can I take this chance..."

Ma Xiaotao realized that this was a perfect opportunity!

It might even be the only opportunity she would ever have in her life!

Her gaze involuntarily drifted downward. As she confirmed that Ling Feng really was suffering from whale glue's side effects, Ma Xiaotao's pupils contracted. She unconsciously took half a step back, covering her red lips with one small hand as she nearly cried out in shock.

"Th-This is too..."

Ma Xiaotao was still an innocent young woman. When had she ever seen something like this?!

After mentally preparing herself for a long while, Ma Xiaotao finally stepped forward and slowly reached out toward Ling Feng.

"What are you trying to do?"

Before Ma Xiaotao's hand could reach him, Ling Feng seized her wrist, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at her.

"I..."

Caught red-handed, Ma Xiaotao felt somewhat guilty.

"I want to help you."

"No need!"

He flung Ma Xiaotao's hand away with such force that she stumbled back.

Ling Feng glared at her viciously.

"Luocheng was still too optimistic about your bottom line. I never thought you'd actually dare sneak in here... Aren't you afraid the elders of the Sea God Pavilion will find out?"

"Teacher was the one who told me to come in the first place..."

Ma Xiaotao muttered softly, but Ling Feng heard every word clearly.

"What the hell has that bastard been teaching you?!"

Ling Feng cursed inwardly. Enduring the side effects of his excessive yang energy, he tried to reason with Ma Xiaotao.

"My current state is about the same as when you're afflicted by evil fire."

"So stop trying to seduce me here."

"Be careful, or my little head might take control of my big head and ruin your innocence!"

Ma Xiaotao pressed her red lips together.

"But I came here to seduce you."

That single sentence nearly made Ling Feng pass out on the spot.

Ling Feng could not help looking Ma Xiaotao over as she stood in the room.

To avoid being discovered, Ma Xiaotao had even changed into a night outfit.

Her originally voluptuous figure was perfectly concealed beneath the dark clothing. With the night so dim, even her natural curves could barely be seen.

This was how you tested an official?

What official could withstand a test like this?!

If you wanted to seduce me, then seduce me properly!

At least put on a black silk miniskirt or something!!!

"Get the hell out! Don't force me to fuck you!"

Ma Xiaotao had truly enraged Ling Feng.

That woman's brain had probably been frozen stupid last time.

"I..."

Ma Xiaotao opened her mouth, thought for a moment where she stood, then spoke again.

"Which kind do you mean...?"

"Though either kind seems fine."

"Anyway, let me help you solve it... a little!"

As she spoke, Ma Xiaotao moved close to Ling Feng, placing both hands against his back.

"You brought this on yourself!"

Anger had already appeared in Ling Feng's eyes.

Last time by Sea God Lake, this woman had ignored his objections and held him down to suppress her evil fire.

This time, he would settle both old and new scores together!

As he mobilized the soul power within his body and prepared to make a move, two streams of scorching fire-attributed energy poured into his back.

Carrying Ma Xiaotao's Soul Emperor-level power, the fire-attributed energy moved through Ling Feng's body in an orderly flow.

Ling Feng was not afraid that Ma Xiaotao would use this opportunity to harm him.

He knew very well that all Ma Xiaotao wanted was for him to help suppress her evil fire.

If anything truly happened to him, it would bring Ma Xiaotao no benefit at all—not to mention what Mu En and the others would do.

"Guard your mind and circulate your soul power to absorb it!"

Gradually, an unceasing stream of fire-attributed energy seeped into Ling Feng's meridians, subtly helping him refine the medicinal power of the whale gelatin within his body.

"This woman really is helping me."

Sensing that Ma Xiaotao was sincerely helping him now, Ling Feng temporarily lowered his guard.

His body temperature continued to rise rapidly. Left with no choice, Ling Feng circulated the Ultimate Ice soul power within his body.

For a moment, Ling Feng's body became a battlefield.

The fire-attributed energy and Ultimate Ice clashed within him, making Ling Feng, whose body had already been burning hot, alternate between freezing cold and scorching heat.

Yet amid this torment of ice and fire, Ling Feng discovered in astonishment that his body's endurance was improving at a visible rate!

Even Ma Xiaotao, who was channeling soul power into Ling Feng, was affected. Ling Feng's origin soul power entered her body through the hands she had pressed against his back, tempering her body in the same manner.

Reddish-brown sweat poured from Ling Feng's body like rain, yet it was either rapidly evaporated or frozen into chunks of ice.

One moment cold, the next hot, the alternating temperatures rapidly dissipated the excess yang energy within Ling Feng's body.

Or rather, Ling Feng was so absorbed by the ice and fire within his body that he had no time to notice the side effects brought by the whale gelatin.

It was not until the sky gradually brightened that Ling Feng finally absorbed all of the medicinal effects.

As the last trace of the whale gelatin's effects took hold in Ling Feng's body, his physical strength successfully broke through the ten-thousand-year threshold!

At the same time, Ling Feng's first two soul rings successfully reached the ten-thousand-year level!

As long as Ling Feng absorbed the God-Bestowed Soul Ring in the system space, he would possess three ten-thousand-year soul rings!

A soul master with three ten-thousand-year soul rings!

Even a Soul King would be no match for him!

Ling Feng swiftly got out of bed. He had not forgotten that there was still an uncertain factor in the room.

Seeing how Ling Feng seemed terrified of staying with her for even another moment, Ma Xiaotao immediately felt somewhat upset.

"I stayed with you all night, and this is how heartless you're going to be?"

"Don't make it sound so suggestive! At most, we were cultivating!"

Ling Feng rubbed his temples.

"And don't think I don't know that while you did help me, you also gained quite a few benefits."

"This is called mutual benefit."

Ma Xiaotao snorted coldly.

"Then I'll tell Ling Luocheng that the two of us cultivated together in this room all night!"

"You wouldn't dare!"

When Ma Xiaotao mentioned Ling Luocheng, Ling Feng felt his anger flare.

If Ling Luocheng found out that Ma Xiaotao had secretly slipped in right after she left, who knew how upset she would be.

"Tell me, then. You clearly don't need to suppress your evil fire anymore, so what exactly do you want to do... what do you want?"

Ling Feng hurriedly changed his wording, afraid that Ma Xiaotao would say something else that would shatter his worldview.

After being snapped at by Ling Feng, Ma Xiaotao also felt somewhat wronged.

At the very least, she had sincerely wanted to help Ling Feng, yet Ling Feng had always remained wary of her.

"Then how about we have a fight?"