Huo Lei had made this decision after careful consideration. First, Skywater Academy was entirely female, so living there would be somewhat inconvenient for him and Jin Shan.
Second, Shui Bing'er, Shui Yue'er, and Xue Wu had been away from home for four years and wanted to see their families. With the three of them gone, there was little point in two grown men staying at Skywater Academy.
Third, and most importantly, although Shui Wanrou had asked them to stay, what little Huo Lei and Jin Shan knew of her suggested that she harbored some prejudice against men. Her invitation had likely been nothing more than courtesy. Taking all these reasons into account, they remained firm in their decision to leave and stay at a hotel in Skywater City, where they could enjoy greater freedom.
After bidding farewell to Shui Wanrou, Shui Bing'er, and the others, Huo Lei and Jin Shan contacted An Jun. An Jun had settled into a luxurious hotel in northern Skywater City, very close to Skywater Academy. Without hesitation, Huo Lei and Jin Shan checked into the same hotel.
Three mornings later, Huo Lei met Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu at Skywater Academy again, and the three said their farewells to Headmistress Shui Wanrou. Together, they boarded the carriage driven by Jin Shan and left Skywater City, heading northeast.
They had not brought Shui Yue'er because she had a water attribute and had just acquired a Soul Ring. The environment of the Frozen Forest was unsuitable for her cultivation.
Xue Wu, by contrast, was entirely different. Her Martial Soul, Snow Dance Silk, had a cold attribute belonging to the ice and snow category, making the Frozen Forest an ideal place for her to cultivate. There was another important reason as well: Xue Wu was already close to