Two Girls Vie for His Heart

The villa's underground training room.

As usual, Mo Xie sat cross-legged in the center, meditating.

Instead of continuing his forging training, he quieted his mind and cultivated his Lightning Element stardust.

He had sensed that morning that his Lightning Element was about to break through to the second level of the Basic Tier.

Sure enough, as he meditated, his Lightning Element stardust began expanding on its own until it was a full circle larger than before.

Mo Xie was pleased. All the progress he had built up through forging training had finally paid off.

The expansion gradually stopped. His Lightning Element had naturally reached the second level of the Basic Tier!

His eyes snapped open, lightning flashing within them.

Seven stars swiftly linked into a star path around him. The whole process took only three seconds.

The star path formed, and magic appeared!

Lightning gathered in Mo Xie's hand, its purple arcs lively and volatile.

"Thunder Seal: Wild Strategy!"

Mo Xie hurled a claw-shaped bolt of lightning, which lashed the Humanoid Puppet in the distance.

Violent lightning raced across the Humanoid Puppet, leaving a deep scorch mark.

Then the puppet shattered into specks of charred powder.

Mo Xie nodded in satisfaction. Wild Strategy was far stronger than Python Mark. It could inflict fatal damage.

Fire Burst worked the same way: the first level's burn did little beyond leaving a few marks, but the second level's Burning Bones could truly hurt Demon Beasts.

He had started cultivating the Lightning Element first, so it was the first to break through.

Mo Xie believed it would not be long before his Fire Element and Ice Element reached the second level too.

His Lightning Element stardust was also a circle larger than he had expected, giving him quite a bit more magic energy. He did not know why.

It was probably thanks to his forging training. Whatever the reason, the extra magic energy could only benefit him.

He stood and left the basement.

Early that morning, he had taken Mu Bai and the other two to Chenxi to awaken their magic.

Mo Xie had thought carefully about helping the three of them awaken their magic.

Mu Bai and Zhang Xiaohou were talented. In the future, they would at least fully cultivate the Super Tier.

Spending a little money to earn a few favors seemed like a good deal to Mo Xie.

Zhao Kunsan's talent was average, but they were good friends. Of course Mo Xie would help him too.

The company employees had shown much more restraint today. They had not greeted Mo Xie, treating him almost like a stranger.

Yesterday, the boss had brought his younger brother. He was family, so there had been no problem. But with outsiders around, the employees knew where to draw the line.

Notably, Lin Jiayu had not been at the reception counter in the awakening hall today, and Jiang Ya had not come to report on work.

When Mo Xie asked the receptionist, he learned that Lin Jiayu had taken sick leave. Apparently, Jiang Ya had too.

He figured they had drunk too much the night before, so he called to check on them and told them to rest at home.

He had asked Mu Bai and the others if they needed Guiding Stones, but they had firmly refused, so he let them have their way.

Mu Bai successfully awakened the Ice Element, while Zhang Xiaohou and Zhao Kunsan awakened the Wind Element.

Nothing had changed from what Mo Xie remembered. It seemed Mo Fan was the only exception.

See? Simple. They had created a world where only Mo Fan suffered!

When Mo Xie reached the living room, Ye Xinxia was watching television on the sofa. Mo Jiaxing had gone to work, and Mo Fan seemed to have been cultivating in his room the whole time.

"Mo Xie!"

The moment he appeared, Ye Xinxia's attention flew to him, and she called out in delight.

He walked over and ruffled her hair.

"Xin Xia, I'm in a good mood today. How about I make you dessert?"

"Okay!"

Mo Xie's desserts were delicious, and she had been craving one for ages.

If she had not been afraid that too much sugar would make her gain weight and cause Mo Xie to dislike her, she would have eaten several.

Not long after Mo Xie went into the kitchen, the doorbell rang.

Ye Xinxia frowned. Apart from acquaintances and relatives, people rarely visited their home.

And acquaintances or relatives would knock or ring the bell at the front door, not the one outside the yard.

She opened the door and immediately spotted a graceful silver-haired figure beyond the wooden gate. Ye Xinxia froze. She had not seen Mu Ningxue in years.

"Xin Xia, who is it?"

At the sound of that familiar yet distant voice, Mu Ningxue trembled and raised a hand slightly.

"No one. A classmate came to see me. I'll be back soon."

"Okay. Be careful out there."

The door closed. Mu Ningxue lowered her raised hand. Her lips parted, but in the end, she did not know what to say.

Ye Xinxia turned and looked calmly at Mu Ningxue.

"Since you're here, come for a walk with me."

Mu Ningxue pressed her lips together and nodded.

"Okay."

Mu Ningxue pushed Ye Xinxia along the road. The two girls, each beautiful in her own way, drew countless men's glances.

"Come to think of it, it's been a long time since we walked together like this."

Ye Xinxia spoke first, breaking the silence.

"Yes. Four years."

"Four years already. Time goes by so quickly."

As they passed the neighborhood park, Ye Xinxia looked over.

"Let's go there."

Mu Ningxue nodded and pushed the wheelchair into the park.

They stopped beside a pond. Goldfish swam beneath the lotus leaves, sending faint ripples across the water.

Gazing at the clear water, Ye Xinxia asked calmly,

"What brings you here after four years?"

"Actually, I wanted to say I'm sorry."

Mu Ningxue's expression turned solemn. She bent before Ye Xinxia in a deep bow.

"Sorry?"

"Yes. I deeply regret how childish I was and what I did back then. I caused your family serious trouble. I don't expect forgiveness; I just want you to know I'm sincere."

"Then I'm not the one you should apologize to. You should apologize to Dad Mo, Mo Fan, and Mo Xie."

"I know, but..."

"But I didn't give you the chance?"

Seeing Mu Ningxue's stunned expression, Ye Xinxia could not help smiling.

"That's because I have a little selfish reason of my own."

She narrowed her bright eyes and slowly looked Mu Ningxue's outfit up and down.

"You didn't dress like this just to apologize, did you?"

Ye Xinxia's piercing gaze made Mu Ningxue uneasy. She folded her arms across her chest, her whole body tense.

"If you'd dressed like this before, Mo Xie would have fallen for it."

Mu Ningxue lowered her head, unable to speak.

"Back then, you were both my rival and my close friend. You might have been a threat. But now..."

A flicker of hostility passed through Ye Xinxia's beautiful eyes, then vanished. She gave a soft laugh.

"You know that from the moment you made that mistake, you were out of the running."

"And besides..."

Ye Xinxia looked straight at Mu Ningxue and smiled with casual disdain.

"The loser doesn't get a chance."

Mu Ningxue pressed her lips tightly together, her fingers digging into her arms.

Bitterness and resentment filled her heart, but Ye Xinxia was right. She had already lost.

From the moment their relationship fell apart when they were twelve, she had no longer been able to compete with Ye Xinxia.

But...

"If you want to apologize, come back when the whole family is here. I'm leaving."

Ye Xinxia turned her wheelchair and started away.

"I... won't..."

"Hmm?"

The wheelchair stopped. Ye Xinxia waited quietly for her to continue.

"I won't give up!"

Ye Xinxia smiled faintly, and her wheelchair carried her out of the park.

"A loser's declaration."