"All right, sorry for the trouble, Senior Sister Xiaotao. Please lead the way."
Dongfang Hao clasped his hands behind his back, the corners of his lips lifting slightly. There was not a trace of fear on his face; instead, he agreed without the slightest hesitation.
His breezy composure made Ma Xiaotao grind her teeth in fury.
"You reckless little bastard! Your mouth really is as big as ever!"
Ma Xiaotao snorted and shot the boy a vicious glare, a dangerous, mocking glint flashing in her phoenix eyes:
"Since you insist on meeting her, I'll take you there! But let me warn you: the Inner Court's eldest senior sister, Zhang Lexuan, isn't as good-tempered as I am. She's always dignified and composed, and her strength is unfathomable. If you dare show even a hint of that lecherous, frivolous face in front of her, even Xuan Zi won't be able to save your hide!"
Faced with Ma Xiaotao's threats, Dongfang Hao merely smiled indifferently and offered no rebuttal.
An ordinary young Soul Master might have gone weak at the knees before the eldest senior sister's terrifying presence, but deep within Dongfang Hao's Sea of Consciousness dwelled a genuine divine sea of spiritual power at the Spirit Abyss Realm. What was more, he possessed a ten-million-year divine skill!
If it truly came down to their methods, who would put whom in their place remained to be seen!
With Ma Xiaotao leading the way, the two crossed a white jade arch bridge in the heart of Sea God Island and arrived at the entrance to a tranquil, elegant courtyard.
Inside stood a breathtaking woman in a pale yellow dress, quietly tending a flower bed with a watering can, her movements gentle.
She looked to be in her early twenties, with dark hair cascading like a waterfall to her waist. Her beauty was exquisitely pure and otherworldly, and her expression held a gentleness and serenity as soothing as a spring breeze. Yet deep within that seemingly delicate body lurked a terrifying fluctuation powerful enough to make all of Sea God Lake tremble!
The true backbone of the Shrek Inner Court, the eldest senior sister whom countless Inner Court students revered like a deity-Zhang Lexuan!
"Eldest Senior Sister!"
Ma Xiaotao hurried forward. For once, her alluring face, ordinarily so wild and haughty, lost its sharp edge as she greeted her with visible respect.
"Xiaotao? You're in such a rush. Has the evil fire inside you started acting up again...?"
Zhang Lexuan slowly turned. Her beautiful eyes, clear and gentle as autumn waters, settled on Ma Xiaotao. A moment later, however, her gaze shifted to the black-clad boy behind her, and curiosity appeared on her lovely face:
"And this junior brother is...? I don't believe I've ever seen him in the Inner Court."
"Eldest Senior Sister, he..."
Ma Xiaotao was about to explain the little bastard's ultimate ice, but before she could finish, Dongfang Hao stepped half a pace forward.
Under Ma Xiaotao's astonished gaze, the boy who had dared tease the vice dean to her face, whose arrogance had known no bounds, now wore a solemn expression. He respectfully cupped his fist toward Zhang Lexuan and greeted her in a calm, courteous voice:
"Dongfang Hao pays his respects, Senior Sister Zhang. I've only recently arrived on Sea God Island. Hearing of the Inner Court's eldest senior sister and her peerless grace, I longed to meet you. Now that I have, your reputation is indeed well deserved."
"Huh?!"
Seeing Dongfang Hao behave like an impeccably modest gentleman, Ma Xiaotao's eyes widened, and she froze. Had this little bastard... changed his nature?!
Zhang Lexuan responded with a gentle smile, as lovely as melting snow in early spring:
"You flatter me, Junior Brother Dongfang. Since you're a friend Xiaotao brought along, there's no need to stand on such ceremony."
After exchanging a few perfectly ordinary pleasantries, Dongfang Hao took the initiative to bid farewell. Taking the utterly bewildered Ma Xiaotao with him, he calmly left the courtyard.
"Hey! Little bastard, what are you playing at?!"
They had barely gone any distance from Zhang Lexuan's courtyard when Ma Xiaotao could no longer hold back. She flung off Dongfang Hao's hand, her phoenix eyes wide as she demanded suspiciously:
"Weren't you going on and on about having a huge appetite and wanting to meet the Inner Court's senior sisters?! I introduced you to the eldest senior sister herself, so why did you act like a turtle pulling its head into its shell, say a couple of polite words, and scurry away?! Where did all those outrageously bold tricks of yours go?!"
"Don't be impatient, Senior Sister Xiaotao."
Dongfang Hao clasped his hands behind his back and casually invented an excuse. "The eldest senior sister's aura is as deep as the sea. Clearly, she's in the midst of some crucial contemplation or enlightenment. If I rashly pestered her now, wouldn't I only make myself unwelcome? Once the time is right, there'll naturally be plenty of opportunities."
Though somewhat suspicious, Ma Xiaotao did not pursue the matter.
Yet she could never have dreamed that a thin film of cold sweat had already quietly seeped across Dongfang Hao's back!
What a formidable Zhang Lexuan...
Dongfang Hao marveled inwardly, his expression turning utterly grave.
The instant he had stepped into the courtyard, his divine sea of spiritual power at the Spirit Abyss Realm had clearly sensed the spiritual origin within Zhang Lexuan, restrained to the utmost!
That woman's spiritual awareness was so vast that it was no weaker than that of an ordinary Level 90 Titled Douluo!
Had he truly disregarded everything and forcibly attempted to control her, her keen spiritual awareness would almost certainly have detected him on the spot!
Against such an exceptional prodigy, acting rashly without absolute certainty would be no different from beating the grass and startling the snake!
Tap, tap, tap.
Just as Dongfang Hao was silently considering his options, crisp footsteps suddenly came from around a bend in the shaded path ahead, accompanied by a wave of bone-piercing cold that swept toward them!
Dongfang Hao and Ma Xiaotao stopped at the same time and looked up.
A tall, slender young woman was walking slowly toward them along the path.
She wore a moon-white robe specially made for the Inner Court, with long ice-blue hair falling loosely over her shoulders. Her delicate face was pale as snow, her expression so cold it seemed almost devoid of human emotion. She was like a mass of ten-thousand-year profound ice walking among mortals, radiating an aloof chill that warned strangers away!
An Inner Court core disciple and a top-tier ice-attribute control-type Soul Master-Ling Luochеn!
"Ling Luochеn?"
At the sight of her, Ma Xiaotao raised her brows slightly, while deep within Dongfang Hao's dark golden eyes, a brilliant gleam quietly kindled!
Another exquisite beauty!
And... she even has a rare ice-attribute martial soul!
This time, it seems I won't have to tread nearly as carefully as I did with Zhang Lexuan...
As Ling Luochеn slowly approached, the surrounding temperature plunged below freezing almost in an instant.
Two gazes collided fiercely in midair, and a low crackling sound seemed to erupt between them!
"Well, if it isn't our Inner Court's renowned ice beauty, Junior Sister Ling?"
Ma Xiaotao folded her arms and tipped her chin up. A provocative sneer appeared on her wildly beautiful face as she deliberately thrust out her breathtakingly full curves and spoke with barbed sarcasm:
"Usually, you'd freeze even Sea God Lake three feet thick. What put you in such a leisurely mood today that you came out to bask in the sun?"
Before you continue