Hunting for Spirit Rings

Inside Zhang Lexuan's office, Zhang Lexuan sat in her office chair. Ma Xiaotao, on the other hand, unceremoniously propped her legs up on the desk.

In the past three months, Ma Xiaotao has experienced a life she had never had in the previous ten years.

She no longer had to worry about the Evil Fire" problem, and her cultivation speed was much faster than before. She even gained a cute little brother who was an excellent cook—it was practically a fairytale life. Therefore, she applied to Yan Shaozhe to become a teaching assistant in Huo Yuhao's class in the Outer Court.

Lying on the recliner, Ma Xiaotao couldn't help but hum softly:

"After eating Grilled Fish with tofu, even Lao Tzu, the Laozi of the Sea God, is no match for me!"

"Xiaotao, you brat, can't you act like Teacher for once?"

Seeing Ma Xiaotao's nonchalant attitude, Zhang Lexuan was furious. Back in the Inner Court, she was the one taking care of those naughty girls like a mother, and now she had to take care of this troublesome Ma Xiaotao in the Outer Court.

Thump!

Ma Xiaotao took her long legs off the desk, rubbing the large bump on her head, and said:

"Ouch, it hurts! Grandmaster, couldn't you be a little gentler? You'll break your head!"

After saying that, Ma Xiaotao roared and pounced on Zhang Lexuan.

"Teacher Zhang, you were looking for me?"

Just as the two girls were playfully bickering, Huo Yuhao knocked on Zhang Lexuan's office door.

"Ahem, Xiaotao, stop fooling around. Someone's coming."

After tidying up her somewhat disheveled clothes, Zhang Lexuan called out towards the door.

"Come in!"

Upon hearing Zhang Lexuan's voice, Huo Yuhao pushed open the door and entered Zhang Lexuan's office.

"Hello, Teacher Zhang, and Sister Xiaotao..."

Before he could finish speaking, the erotic scene before his eyes cut him off.

Ma Xiaotao, lying on the recliner, had a flushed face.

The long red dress was a little disheveled from the playful fighting. The black stockings on her long legs also had a few small holes from the tussle, revealing the smooth, fair skin underneath.

Ma Xiaotao's high heels had also disappeared, leaving only her two small, delicate feet dangling in mid-air.

Huo Yuhao forcibly shifted his gaze from Ma Xiaotao to Zhang Lexuan.

"Teacher Zhang, has my leave application been approved?"

Zhang Lexuan smiled kindly at Huo Yuhao's question.

"No need to be so polite. Just call me Grandmaster like Xiaotao Tao does. Anyway, I heard that you'll be able to enter the Inner Court soon."

"Grandmaster is exaggerating!"

Huo Yuhao waved his hand, saying that he knew his own limitations. Although he was already level 40, seemingly having met half the requirements, he was still quite a distance from becoming Level 5 Soul Engineer. It would take him at least a year and a half to reach that Level 5 Soul Engineer.

Zhang Lexuan handed the sick leave slip to Huo Yuhao, smiling gently.

"Here, this is your leave slip. I've granted you half a month of leave; I hope that's enough for you."

"Thank you so much Grandmaster!"

Huo Yuhao took the leave slip and turned to leave the office, but Ma Xiaotao suddenly leaned close to Huo Yuhao and said:

"Yuhao, since you won't let Xuan Zi take you Soul Hunt Soul Hunt, how about your sister takes you?"

"Xiaotao, don't make things worse."

Ma Xiaotao pouted and muttered somewhat discontentedly:

"Where did I cause trouble? What's so difficult about a Soul Emperor like me Yuhao, a Soul Elder, hunt for their fourth Spirit Ring? Soul Hunt Rings is a piece of cake!"

"Sister Xiaotao, the place I'm going to this time is deep in the Star Dou Great Forest Mixed Zone. The only place where I'm looking for Spirit Ring is there, so it would be a bit dangerous for you to go. I'd rather have Sister Xue'er take me."

Upon hearing Huo Yuhao's words, Ma Xiaotao, disregarding her image, plopped down on the recliner, kicking her feet wildly in the air while wailing and crying.

"Little brother Yuhao, you're already complaining about my lack of skill, even though I just supported you a few days ago. Waaah! Why is my life so miserable? I only just recognized you as my little brother and you're already complaining about me."

"Xiaotao Tao! Don't be like this! How about this, when I get back I'll cook you a few big meals, okay?"

Huo Yuhao comforted Ma Xiaotao with a hint of helplessness, unsure whether Ma Xiaotao 'Ma Xiaotao personality was shaped by the suppression of her Evil Fire, or if this was simply her true nature.

For the past three months, whenever Ma Xiaotao had a problem, she liked to lie on the ground and act spoiled. Basically, every time she used this trick, she either extorted something from Yan Shaozhe or got a big meal from him.

"Okay! It's a deal!"

Upon hearing Huo Yuhao's assurance, Ma Xiaotao instantly stopped crying and fussing. Without even putting on her shoes, she sprang up barefoot from the recliner, grabbed Huo Yuhao's hand, and said with bright, sparkling eyes, a trickle of saliva still dripping from the corner of her mouth.

Shrek City

Huo Yuhao was strolling along the commercial street outside the academy, heading towards the Star Spirit Hotel.

Even from a distance, the sharp-eyed hotel manager forced a bright smile and greeted them.

"Young Master Huo, you've arrived!"

Huo Yuhao nodded in satisfaction at the hotel manager in front of him and said:

"Manager Wu, is Sister Xue'er here?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Emperor Snow is currently in a suite on the top floor of the hotel."

For the past few years, Snow Empress's public identity has always been that of the Grand Elder of the Ice God Family in the Extreme North. In order to facilitate her actions in the Star Luo Empire, she agreed to Xu Jiawei's request two years ago to take up a position as a worshipper in the Worship Hall.

Xu Jiawei didn't ask Snow Empress to do anything; he only asked Snow Empress to be Huo Yuhao's Guardian.

He wasn't worried that Huo Yuhao would be taken back to the Far North by the Snow Empress. Xu Jiawei believed that Huo Yuhao wasn't the kind of person who would be ungrateful. Besides, Huo Yuhao was already part of his family now! So there was even less to worry about.

As he gestured for Manager Wu to continue with his work, Huo Yuhao walked past Manager Wu and headed into the hotel.

The Star Spirit Hotel has nine floors. The first eight floors each have twenty single rooms and two suites. The ninth floor is never open to the public.

Although the ninth floor is described as a suite, it actually occupies a vast area, consisting of living areas, dining areas, fitness areas, and a simulated training ground suitable for ice-type Soul Master.

The architects of the Star Luo Empire even installed a sky-high hot spring connected to the underground on the ninth floor. It's unclear how the empire's architects prevented the hot spring from cooling down or leaking.

These buildings were specially constructed for the Snow Empress Snow Empress by the Empire, who knew that she would protect Huo Yuhao at Shrek.

Huo Yuhao pushed open the door and saw that Snow Empress was lying in the hot spring in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window. She was enjoying the bath while looking down at Shrek City.

"Sister Xue'er, did I come at the wrong time?"

"Oh! It's okay, wait for me a moment. I'll be right there."

Upon seeing Huo Yuhao enter, Snow Empress remained calm and simply waved her hand. A white mist, imperceptible even to Huo Yuhao, enveloped the entire hot spring.

Huo Yuhao only heard rustling sounds as the white mist gradually dissipated.

Snow Empress, dressed in a long white dress and with a mink cloak draped over her shoulders, stood in front of Huo Yuhao.