Pinned face-first by a soft, delicate, pretty young girl, Ao Yin was so embarrassed he could have dug a three-bedroom apartment out of the floor with his toes.
Everyone in the room stared, making the scene unbearably awkward!
If he hadn't caught her off guard and flustered her just now, Xiao Wu's grappling techniques would never have let him win so easily!
Fresh from the fight, Xiao Wu's blood still raced and her cheeks were flushed. Though she was a little worn out, she felt as if she hadn't had enough.
She casually brushed the dust from her pink-and-white dress and smiled. "I give up! From now on, you're my boss!"
She finished speaking and pursed her rosy lips slightly.
Lifting one slender, fair ankle, she wiggled it at Ao Yin.
A ring of faint red fingerprints stood out clearly against her snow-white skin.
"You're way too strong. You grabbed my ankle so hard it's all sore."
The image of them grappling at close quarters, limbs tangled together, was still vivid in his mind.
When they had pressed close, the girl's faint, sweet scent had drifted straight into Ao Yin's nose.
While she had pinned him, his face had nearly been buried against her. He still remembered the soft warmth.
Ao Yin's heart stirred, and an uncomfortable heat ran through him.
Xiao Wu was, after all, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit in human form!
Her body's resilience and explosive strength far surpassed those of human Soul Masters at the same level.
Yet she had been unable to break free of his one-handed grip!
Xiao Wu was both shocked and curious.
The flush had yet to fade from her face. She tilted her head up and stared at Ao Yin without blinking, her long lashes trembling as she edged far too close.
This human smells so nice. Being near him feels so comfortable!
"Ao—"
"Just call me Little Ao," Ao Yin said hurriedly.
"Little Ao, what move did you use just now?" Xiao Wu tilted her head and leaned even closer.
"I didn't sense any Soul Power from you the entire time, so you didn't use a Soul Skill! But it was completely different from my grappling techniques. How strange!"
Ao Yin rubbed his nose. He still hadn't recovered, and now she was questioning him right in his face. Suppressing the flutter in his chest, he put on a calm smile.
"It's a martial technique that doesn't use Soul Power. It's called Awei's Eighteen Forms. The whole set, no shortcuts."
"Wow! That name is so cool!"
Xiao Wu's eyes lit up at once. Curiosity filled her face, and she was thoroughly intrigued.
Her petite frame swayed slightly, and she looked eager to try again.
"I must've let my guard down just now! My grappling techniques are amazing!"
"Next time, I'll fight you seriously and see all of Awei's Eighteen Forms!"
Seeing how proud yet adorable she looked, Ao Yin felt a tickle in his chest and chuckled.
"Hahaha. We'll have plenty of chances to spar later."
Wang Sheng and the others, who had watched the whole mortifyingly intimate spectacle, were still staring in a daze.
They hurriedly came to their senses, bowed in unison, and shouted loud enough to shake the room.
"Boss! From now on, everyone in Dorm Seven will listen to you!"
Ao Yin suppressed the heat inside him and gave a faint nod.
He looked around the dormitory. It was plain and simple, but compared with the drafty, dilapidated wooden house in Holy Soul Village, it was heaven and earth apart.
"Boss, where do you want to sleep? Take your pick!"
Wang Sheng knew how to read a room. Ao Yin had crushed him with one palm, then defeated Xiao Wu with swift, ruthless moves. He also carried an indescribably noble air.
Wang Sheng felt Ao Yin was no ordinary work-study student. He might well come from a great family or a top sect, and Wang Sheng needed to stay on good terms with someone like that.
Ao Yin glanced around, chose an empty bed, and tossed his battered backpack onto it.
He was about to lie down and rest when Xiao Wu suddenly came over.
"Um... can I sleep with you?"
"Huh?"
Ao Yin turned back in disbelief and found Xiao Wu looking at him in complete earnest.
"Well, Xiao Wu still hasn't quite adjusted since leaving home. I keep having trouble sleeping at night."
"I used to sleep holding Da Ming and Er Ming..."
"Da Ming and Er Ming?"
"They're my pets. I always slept soundly when they were around."
"You don't feel quite the same as Da Ming and Er Ming, but being near you feels comfortable. Xiao Wu... really likes it!"
Ao Yin gave Xiao Wu a strange look. By Da Ming and Er Ming, she meant those two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest, didn't she?
Yet she was calling them pets that helped her sleep?
Ao Yin nearly laughed aloud. Xiao Wu was too cute; she couldn't even come up with a convincing lie.
Wait!
No... does Xiao Wu mean she sees me as a pet that helps her sleep?
Ao Yin quickly caught the logic in her words and broke into a helpless smile.
She really likes... being close to me?
That must be [Maxed-Out Charm] at work!
Ao Yin smiled knowingly. Goddess Xiao Wu had offered to warm his bed herself. What reason did he have to refuse?
"Ah, all right! I suppose I can agree!"
Ao Yin pretended to accept with great reluctance.
"Yay! Xiao Wu can finally get a good night's sleep!"
Ao Yin shrugged and said with a straight face, "What can I say? I'm a kind man. I just don't want a pretty girl lying awake all night."
Xiao Wu immediately bounced around in delight. Wang Sheng and the others were dumbfounded.
Overwhelmed by Ao Yin's kindness, they gave him a thumbs-up and praised him.
"One word: incredible!"
At the very moment Xiao Wu and Ao Yin were on the verge of sleeping together, Tang San was in an office listening to Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang's brilliant Martial Soul Theory.
"...As for your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, I suggest developing it along the control path!"
"Control?"
By now, Grandmaster's brilliant theory had completely won Tang San over. He pondered the suggestion.
"Exactly. I'll use the characteristics of your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul to find you a suitable Soul Ring!"
"But that will have to wait until your Soul Power reaches level ten!"
Hearing that Grandmaster intended to hunt down a Soul Ring for him, Tang San grew excited. "Teacher, when my Martial Soul first awakened, my innate Soul Power was indeed only level nine..."
"But that was three months ago. My Soul Power Level has reached ten now!"
Yu Xiaogang was both surprised and delighted. As expected of someone with Twin Martial Souls—his Soul Power had risen again in just three months!
Tang San was immensely proud. Since his Martial Soul awakened, cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Skill had become much easier, and his Soul Power had grown considerably. But a month ago, he had hit another bottleneck.
After hearing Grandmaster's explanation, he guessed it had something to do with Soul Rings.
"Good! Since your Soul Power has reached level ten, I'll take you to obtain your First Soul Ring tomorrow!"
"Go back for today. Your lodgings have already been arranged!"
As he spoke, Yu Xiaogang handed Tang San the bedding he had prepared.
"I made a point of placing you in Dorm Seven. Someone from your hometown is there, so you two can look out for each other."
"Someone from my hometown?"
Tang San's pupils narrowed. He gritted his teeth and murmured, "Teacher, do you mean Ao Yin?"
Yu Xiaogang nodded.
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