Wang Dong's Admiration, Bing'er Gets Jealous

"Yes..." The students began packing up their books, rising in twos and threes to leave.

Lan Susi and Lan Luoluo walked out of the classroom side by side, their pale blue hair gleaming softly in the sunlight at the door.

Without a word, Dai Huabin rose and left through the back door with Zhu Lu.

Ning Tian and Wu Feng discussed the lesson as they walked, while Cui Yajie followed behind them and occasionally chimed in.

After packing up her notebook, Xiao Xiao stood and glanced at Wang Dong, who was still sitting at her desk. "Wang Dong, aren't you leaving?"

"You go ahead. I still have something to ask Teacher Huo." Wang Dong did not even look up. She held her notebook in hand, but her gaze was fixed on the podium.

Xiao Xiao did not think much of it and nodded. "Then I'll head out first."

After she left the classroom, only Huo Chen, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong remained.

Huo Yuhao had finished packing as well. He stood up, looked at Wang Dong, then at his uncle, faintly sensing an unusual atmosphere.

Tactfully, he did not ask further and simply said, "Uncle, I'll head back first."

"Alright."

Huo Yuhao left the classroom and casually pulled the door shut behind him.

The classroom fell silent.

Holding her notebook, Wang Dong walked to the podium and stopped before Huo Chen.

She wore a neat school uniform today. Her short pink hair glimmered softly in the morning light, and a trace of barely perceptible nervousness lay within her golden eyes.

"Teacher Huo, I have a question I'd like to ask you."

"Go ahead."

Wang Dong opened her notebook and pointed to a passage she had written down. "You said earlier that ultimate attributes can break through their bottlenecks by integrating with other laws. Then if a martial soul is not originally an ultimate attribute but wants to evolve toward one, where should it begin?"

She asked very seriously, her tone carrying a deliberate calmness.

But Huo Chen noticed that the fingers gripping her pen tightened slightly. Whenever their gazes met, her eyes would unconsciously dart away. That was not the state of someone merely seeking guidance—it was the state of someone trying to use a question to get closer to him.

Huo Chen did not expose her and answered earnestly, "First, you need to determine your martial soul's attribute inclinations. Take your Light Goddess Butterfly, for example. It naturally leans toward light and strength attributes. If you want it to evolve toward the ultimate level, you must first find the breakthrough point best suited to you."

He explained in great detail, going through everything from analyzing attribute inclinations to selecting an evolutionary path, then moving on to specific cultivation methods.

Wang Dong listened attentively and nodded from time to time, but her gaze fell more often on his face than on her notebook.

"That is roughly how it works." After finishing, Huo Chen looked at her. "Do you have any other questions?"

Wang Dong closed her notebook and looked up at him. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but hesitated. In the end, she merely shook her head. "No. Thank you, Teacher Huo."

She did not leave immediately. Instead, she remained where she was, as though waiting for something. Huo Chen did not urge her either, merely quietly organizing the lesson plans on the podium.

Just then, faint footsteps sounded at the classroom door.

They were very light, yet especially clear in the empty classroom. Huo Chen looked up and saw someone standing at the doorway.

The Ice Empress.

She carried a food box in one hand and wore casual ice-blue clothing. Her short hair shone with a cold glint beneath the corridor lights.

Her expression appeared calm, but Huo Chen noticed that the fingers clutching the handle of the food box tightened slightly, her fingertips turning faintly white.

Her eyes settled on Wang Dong.

Wang Dong sensed that gaze as well.

It was an indescribable feeling. There was clearly no fluctuation of soul power, yet the air around her seemed to have suddenly dropped several degrees.

She instinctively turned her head and saw the woman with short ice-blue hair at the door.

The woman was looking at her, her gaze calm yet carrying an inexplicable pressure, like the frigid wind of the Extreme North crossing a thousand miles of snowy plains and silently blowing into this classroom.

Wang Dong involuntarily took half a step back.

Instinctively, she felt that it was no longer appropriate for her to stay here.

"Teacher Huo, I'll be going first." She hurriedly said this, hugged her notebook, and quickly headed toward the door. As she passed the Ice Empress, her pace quickened further, and she practically slipped out while brushing against the doorframe.

The Ice Empress did not look at her. Her gaze remained fixed on Huo Chen inside the classroom.

After leaving the classroom, Wang Dong stopped in the corridor and looked back at the half-closed door.

Her heartbeat was still a little fast. Though that chill had already faded, the sensation of being watched still lingered on her skin.

She bit her lip, turned, and hurried away.

Inside the classroom, the Ice Empress carried the food box in.

Her pace was neither hurried nor slow, her heels tapping crisply against the tiled floor.

She walked to the podium, set the food box on the desk, and opened its lid, revealing several neatly arranged pastries inside: osmanthus cakes, mung bean pastries, and several pieces of candied fruit cut into small chunks.

"Class is over?" she asked flatly.

"Just ended." Huo Chen looked at her. "Why are you here?"

"I was passing by, so I brought you something to eat." The Ice Empress's tone remained flat, but her gaze swept across the classroom before returning to the food box. "Looks like I came at a bad time and interrupted your conversation with a student."

Huo Chen heard the faint sourness in her words.

He did not rush to explain. Instead, he picked up a piece of osmanthus cake, took a bite, and nodded. "It's good. Did you make it?"

"...Mm." Ice Empress's gaze shifted slightly away. "I had nothing to do this morning, so I tried making some. It tastes average—not as good as the ones sold outside."

"I think it's delicious."

Ice Empress said nothing, but the corner of her lips moved slightly.

Huo Chen set down the osmanthus cake, looked at her, and said seriously, "That student just now was Wang Dong. She's a core disciple of Class One and also Yuhao's friend. She was asking me about cultivation."

"I know." Ice Empress's tone remained indifferent. "It's not like I said anything."

"You didn't say anything, but the way you looked at her just now nearly froze her into an ice sculpture."

Ice Empress's ears reddened slightly, but she quickly returned to her cool expression. "That was because she felt guilty. What does it have to do with me?"

Huo Chen could not help laughing.

His laughter made Ice Empress a little uncomfortable. She turned her head away and pretended to study a soul power circulation diagram hanging on the classroom wall. A few seconds later, she suddenly said, "You talked in your sleep last night."

Huo Chen froze. "What did I say?"

"You called my name." Ice Empress's tone remained flat, but her ears turned even redder. "Several times."

Huo Chen fell silent for a moment, then smiled. "Isn't that perfectly normal?"

Ice Empress did not respond, but the corners of her lips curved into that small smile. She turned around and pushed the food box toward him. "Hurry up and eat. It won't taste good once it gets cold."

Huo Chen lowered his head to look at the neatly arranged pastries in the box, then looked up at her face as she pretended to remain calm. A warm feeling rose in his heart.

He picked up a mung bean pastry and took a bite. The flaky crust was crisp, the filling delicate, and the sweetness just right.

"Ice Empress."

"Mm?"

"Make me pastries every day from now on."

Ice Empress paused, then gave a huff. "In your dreams. How could I have that much free time?"

But she did not refuse.