Stars

"Ice Radiance Ring."

Dark-blue rings of ice flew from Huo Yuhao's hands, binding Ma Xiaotao's limbs and neck. With her martial soul sealed, Ma Xiaotao was ultimately suppressed.

"This soul skill of yours is really useful, Senior."

Huo Yuhao grabbed Ma Xiaotao and tossed her into Sea God Lake, finally leaving her motionless.

"Stop! What are you doing?" At that moment, an elderly man in white rushed over and barked angrily. Huo Yuhao gave him an indifferent glance and ignored him. Then, a white-haired, blue-eyed girl hurried over as well.

"Yu Tong! Are you all right?"

As Ling Luochen was preparing to return to the Inner Court, she sensed a familiar aura—Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire. Without a moment's hesitation, she rushed over. Ma Xiaotao usually cultivated in the Inner Court, yet she had appeared in the Outer Academy now. There was only one possibility—she had lost control again.

The instant Huo Yuhao saw her, his indifferent expression vanished, replaced by a smile. It was as though, in his entire world, she was the only one worth caring about.

"Senior, were you worried about me?" Huo Yuhao's voice was as pleasant as silver bells as he flashed before Ling Luochen and took her hand.

"See? I'm fine. I'm a super genius girl, after all."

Ling Luochen looked him over from head to toe before finally breathing a sigh of relief. "It's good that you're all right. Thank goodness. You scared me to death."

"Wang Dong'er, you idiot, what nonsense are you saying?!" Huo Yuhao suddenly blushed furiously and hurriedly released Ling Luochen's hand. "Senior, listen to my explanation, actually—"

Before he could finish, Huo Yuhao moved again. He abruptly pulled Ling Luochen toward him, bringing their faces very close together.

"Senior, don't I look pretty in my girl form?"

Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, countless Dragon Butterfly Wings extended from behind Huo Yuhao. Just as his hand was about to touch his own chest, they wrapped him up tightly and covered his mouth as well.

"Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm..."

Ling Luochen was startled by this series of sudden changes. Entangled by the Dragon Butterfly Wings, Huo Yuhao lost his balance and was about to fall. Ling Luochen hurriedly reached out to support him, only to see Huo Yuhao turn into a streak of light and divide into three figures, collapsing into her arms.

"Qiu'er! Dong'er! Yu Tong!"

"...That was what happened." Huo Yuhao explained the entire incident to the elderly man in white, from encountering Ma Xiaotao by Sea God Lake, to using the Martial Soul Fusion Skill, and finally fainting in Ling Luochen's arms.

The elderly man in white was Yan Shaozhe, the dean of Shrek's martial soul department Outer Academy. He frowned. He had not expected Ma Xiaotao to lose control twice in a single day. If those students had not reacted swiftly and possessed considerable strength, another major disaster might have occurred.

"Enough. Do not speak of today's events. Anyone who spreads word of this will be expelled. Teacher Li, give them high-grade compensation."

As soon as he finished speaking, a middle-aged man in white stepped out from nearby. He was the Soul Sage who had stopped Huo Yuhao during Zhou Yi's practical combat class. Three green pills the size of walnuts flew from his hand and landed in Huo Yuhao and the other two's hands.

Huo Yuhao showed no reaction and merely accepted it calmly. Yan Shaozhe was somewhat displeased by this.

"Do you think you've been wronged? These are Soul-Raising Pills. Fewer than five soul masters in the world can make them, and fewer than twenty appear across the entire Douluo Continent each year. Though they occasionally appear at high-end auctions, most of the time they are priceless and unavailable."

Huo Yuhao did not avoid his gaze, instead looking Yan Shaozhe straight in the eye.

"I was only wondering what compensation a Soul Elder would receive if they encountered something like this."

"The same."

"What about a Soul Emperor?"

"No change."

"Then... what about a Titled Douluo?"

Yan Shaozhe's expression turned somewhat ugly. A mere One-Ring Soul Master dared speak to him like this? He truly did not know the immensity of heaven and earth!

Seeing that Yan Shaozhe did not answer, Huo Yuhao smiled and bowed.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior. This junior understands."

Yan Shaozhe understood Huo Yuhao's implication. The out-of-control Ma Xiaotao was very dangerous, and one day she would bring disaster upon Shrek.

But what the hell were you? Just a One-Ring Soul Master with poor aptitude. Could you even become a Soul King in the future? What right did you have to remind me?

As for that miracle of a One-Ring Soul Master defeating a six-ring opponent, the rumors said it had been a girl. She must have done it using a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Did she really think she was that strong?

That Soul Elder student from this morning had been seriously injured and nearly died. Even he had been overwhelmed with gratitude upon receiving a Soul-Raising Pill. Yet you... not only received a Soul-Raising Pill without suffering a scratch, but had also been fortunate enough to enter the Inner Court, a place you could never reach in your entire life. Where did you get the nerve not to be grateful?

Yan Shaozhe sneered. He could not be bothered to argue with a One-Ring Soul Master, but neither would he give him a pleasant expression. "Go back. The Inner Court is not somewhere ordinary people may remain. If you fail the freshman assessment, you will still be expelled. Remember, forget what happened just now."

"And this is Shrek. Even if a Titled Douluo comes... it will be the same!"

No one saw them off. They were merely told to leave Sea God Island. Huo Yuhao and the other two stood by the lake, considering how to reach the opposite shore.

"So you're here." Just as they were considering making Wang Dong'er suffer a little and slowly flying across, Ling Luochen appeared.

"Senior, about what happened just now..." Huo Yuhao blushed as he was about to explain, but Ling Luochen pressed a finger to his lips.

"I know. It was a Martial Soul Fusion Skill." With that, she raised her hand and flicked Qiu'er and Dong'er on the forehead once each. "You actually dared to tease your senior. You deserve that!"

"I'll take you back to the Outer Academy." With a wave of Ling Luochen's hand, an ice boat appeared on the lake, and the four of them boarded together.

It was already night. The waters of Sea God Lake reflected the stars overhead, and the little ice boat sailed through the river of stars, as though they had entered a world glittering with starlight.

The ice boat refracted the starlight, like the exclusive carriage of a princess entering a dream in a fairy tale. The stars upon the lake were reflected in their eyes as well, as though carrying them into a breathtaking dream.

"Did you make Dean Yan angry?" Ling Luochen suddenly asked. "You must have. They didn't even send anyone to take you back."

Huo Yuhao said nothing. He knew that he had let his temper get the better of him and angered Dean Yan.

"I think Yu Tong was right. If Yu Tong hadn't reacted quickly, we'd all be charred corpses by now. No pill would have helped," Wang Qiu'er said righteously.

"Exactly. Ma Xiaotao was clearly the one who attacked first, yet he acted so condescendingly. It's really irritating." Wang Dong'er also agreed with Huo Yuhao. If a Titled Douluo truly came, Yan Shaozhe would behave himself.

"Dean Yan... he's a Titled Douluo. Not even an ordinary Titled Douluo, but a Super Douluo." Ling Luochen murmured, her tone full of awe. Then she suddenly noticed Huo Yuhao staring at her, his gaze completely different from before.

Huo Yuhao still said nothing. He raised his head to look at the stars in the sky. He had not finished his question back then.

What if it were a Limit Douluo?

What if... it were a god?

The answer would be different, wouldn't it?

"The starry sky is so beautiful," Huo Yuhao murmured softly, as though speaking in a dream.