Ever since that kiss by the corridor, the relationship between Huo Yuhao and Dong'er had quietly crossed that hazy boundary. Qiu'er had merely stumbled upon them by chance. No one had chased after her to explain, and she had not asked any questions. The next day, the atmosphere among the three became even subtler and heavier.
In the quiet room that afternoon, the Destiny Record continued.
This was already the third day. Xuan Zi had broken down their task: Huo Yuhao was to turn the Soul Beast riot outside the city, the corridor rune patterns, and the reactions to Wang Qiu'er's aura into data. He Caitou, meanwhile, helped him improve two versions of the sensing stone base. Wang Dong'er had been assigned to purification coordination training with Xiao Xiao and Jiang Nannan, while Qiu'er followed Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi in practicing frontal formation-breaking.
That night, Huo Yuhao fell into an exceedingly unusual dream.
There was no Shrek in the dream, nor was there Sea God Lake. There was only an endless sea of golden mist. Dong'er stood on the left, extending her hand toward him. She wore that familiar academy coat, its collar slightly open to reveal her delicate collarbones and soft, rising curves. A gentle smile rested at the corners of her lips, as though she were waiting for him to return with her after fighting side by side countless times. The lingering warmth of their first kiss seemed to remain—her soft, moist lips, her slightly hurried breathing, and the warm sensation against his chest when she drew close all set Huo Yuhao's heart burning hot.
Qiu'er stood on the right, quietly gazing at him. She was not smiling, yet those eyes identical to Dong'er's burned with wild and blazing desire. In the mist, her clothes were outlined by golden light, turning faintly translucent and revealing her slender, powerful waist and firm legs. Her fingertips gently brushed across Huo Yuhao's arm, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees along with a scorching warmth. The sensation was unfamiliar yet alluring, as though it carried a primal possessiveness.
Huo Yuhao wanted to walk toward them, but three flickering threads of fate appeared beneath his feet. One led to Dong'er, one led to Qiu'er, and the third stretched from between them into the depths of the mist—where a blurry silhouette of a girl stood.
She turned back, her voice as soft as a sigh.
"Will you forget them?"
All at once, the mist surged. Dong'er's body pressed against his, carrying her familiar sweet fragrance. Qiu'er approached from the other side, her wild, powerful arm wrapping around his waist as her burning palm rested against his back. In an instant, the breaths of all three intertwined. Huo Yuhao felt his blood race as a powerful urge churned within his chest. He reached out, wanting to hold them, only to discover that the two figures were slowly overlapping, merging into a silhouette he could not make out, yet could not tear his eyes away from.
"Dong'er!"
Huo Yuhao jolted awake. It was already broad daylight. He sat up, his forehead covered in fine cold sweat, while some part of his body still retained that suppressed emotion from the dream. Within his Spirit Sea, both Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and the Ice Empress remained silent, clearly having sensed the dream's abnormality as well.
"It wasn't an ordinary dream," Huo Yuhao murmured.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm sighed. "Little Yuhao, the Eye of Destiny has been stirring far too often lately. These two threads, Dong'er and Qiu'er... they may run deeper than we imagined."
The Ice Empress said coldly, "If this keeps going, something will happen sooner or later."
Huo Yuhao fell silent.
But would avoiding them really keep anything from happening?
After morning class, Xuan Zi once again arranged for the three of them to enter the quiet room. Seeing Huo Yuhao's pale face, Dong'er immediately asked with concern, "Didn't sleep well last night?"
Huo Yuhao did not hide it. "I had a dream..."
"Was it about us?" Dong'er sounded slightly tense.
Qiu'er turned her gaze toward him as well. Yuhao did not answer, his expression full of worries. Dong'er did not press him, merely saying in a soft voice, "Then don't force yourself today."
But Qiu'er said, "The stronger the reaction, the more we should figure it out."
Dong'er frowned. "Can't you let him rest?"
"Resting won't make fate stop," Wang Qiu'er answered calmly.
Xuan Zi said in a deep voice, "Today, we'll only conduct the most basic level of resonance. None of you are allowed to push yourselves."
The three stood before the sensing stones. Huo Yuhao released Spirit Eyes Spirit Detection, Wang Dong'er released her light Butterfly Goddess martial soul, and Wang Qiu'er released the golden aura of the Emperor Auspicious Beast. At first, the formation remained stable, and the sensing stones lit with a gentle glow. Huo Yuhao deliberately suppressed the Eye of Destiny, refusing to peer into those blurry threads of the future. Yet the instant Wang Dong'er's and Wang Qiu'er's auras met, a sudden change erupted.
A platinum-white radiance burst from Huo Yuhao's brow as the Eye of Destiny opened fully beyond his control. Every soul tool rune inside the quiet room trembled at once, and the three sensing stones exploded into fragments. Huo Yuhao felt enormous waves rise within his Spirit Sea as the scene before his eyes was instantly swallowed by golden mist.
"Yuhao!"
Dong'er and Qiu'er rushed forward at the same time, supporting him from either side. The moment they touched him, the heartbeats of all three seemed to be forcibly pulled into the same rhythm. Once, twice, three times... Huo Yuhao heard not only his own heartbeat, but Dong'er's panic, Qiu'er's worry, and—far away in the future—the faint sigh of that blurry girl. The scene unfolded once more, clearer this time. Dong'er smiled within the light. "Yuhao, don't forget me." Qiu'er stared stubbornly from within the golden mist. "And don't remember only her." The two figures slowly drew closer, overlapping—
Her again! The girl from the dream again.
Huo Yuhao's heart clenched. "No!"
He violently tore free from the vision. The Eye of Destiny erupted with light, and Xuan Zi's expression changed drastically as he immediately acted to suppress the formation. "Steady yourselves!"
Huo Yuhao's entire body trembled as he gasped for air. Wang Dong'er tightly held his arm, her voice trembling with tears. "Yuhao, what did you see?" Qiu'er's hand rested on his shoulder, hesitation appearing on her face for the first time. Huo Yuhao opened his eyes and looked at Dong'er first, then Qiu'er—the fear of almost losing them had yet to fade.
"What exactly did you see?" Dong'er asked softly.
Huo Yuhao remained silent. He could not describe the image of them merging, much less the tangled sensations from his dream. Yet Wang Qiu'er seemed to read something from his eyes. "Was it related to the two of us again?"
Huo Yuhao nodded.
"Will it make me leave?" Qiu'er asked.
Dong'er's expression shifted slightly. "What do you mean, leave?"
"I saw it vaguely too," Wang Qiu'er murmured. "She and I... won't always stand by your side like this."
Xuan Zi said gravely, "We'll stop here today. The threads of fate between the three of you have become completely entangled. If you force yourselves to peer further, you'll only drag the future closer ahead of time."
Dong'er gripped Huo Yuhao's hand tightly. "Then what do we do?"
"Become stronger." Xuan Zi sighed and looked at Huo Yuhao. "Strong enough that even if fate wants to drag you away, you can strike it back."
He raised one finger. "First, spiritual endurance. Your spiritual power is strong enough, but what the Eye of Destiny touches is too heavy. Right now, you're like someone using a thin thread to pull a mountain. No matter how sharp the thread is, it will still snap."
He raised a second finger. "Second, resistance to fate. What you just saw were fragments of the future. It's a gift, but also a danger. From now on, during every training session, you're only allowed to look for an instant, then immediately use Ultimate Ice to freeze your Spirit Sea. Train until the visions can no longer drag you in."
He lowered his third finger. "Third, tactical conversion. Don't treat the Eye of Destiny as an eye that merely sees. You were able to shift Qiu'er's attack by half an inch on the training ground, which means it can also interfere with judgment for the briefest of moments. Train that ability, and it will become one of your killing moves."
"But all these forms of training require the two of them to coordinate with you using their respective martial souls and auras."
Huo Yuhao looked at Dong'er and Qiu'er, his gaze gradually growing firm. The relationship between the three of them could no longer be merely a jealous "Asura field"; they had to begin truly cultivating side by side. He feared that future, but fear was useless. If fate wanted to take Dong'er and Qiu'er away, then he would become stronger—strong enough that even fate could not choose for him.
"Yuhao," Dong'er said softly, "no matter what you saw, I won't let you bear it alone."
Qiu'er spoke as well. "I don't like the feeling of being unable to control my own fate."
Huo Yuhao took Dong'er's hand, then looked toward Qiu'er. His voice was low, yet filled with unwavering resolve:
"I won't let fate take either of you away."
Outside the quiet room, sunlight spilled over the threshold. The shadows of the three overlapped. Huo Yuhao did not know who the girl in his dream was, but he understood that from this moment on, what he had to protect was no longer only the present, but also the future that was drawing ever closer.
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