Dinner with Ma Xiaotao and Her Warm Hospitality (Please Bookmark and Request More Updates)

Yan Shaozhe's face darkened at once. Xu Sanshi had spoken ill of Ma Xiaotao right in front of him, so he flicked Xu Sanshi hard on the forehead and said sternly:

"Xu Sanshi! Don't speak ill of Ma Xiaotao again. If I hear it once more, I'll make you taste what I can do."

He would never let anyone get away with speaking ill of Ma Xiaotao. He might usually be petty, but he was never petty with his disciples.

"Ow, ow, ow! I know I was wrong, Dean. I won't dare say anything bad about Xiaotao again."

Xu Sanshi clutched his aching head with both hands and apologized over and over.

Why am I the only one getting hurt!?

This is too much. Still, he couldn't help wondering.

Who on earth suppressed Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire?

He really wanted to see this hero with his own eyes!

That person is my hero!

If he ever found out who it was, he would have a statue of the hero made.

Ma Xiaotao had put him through such misery that he had been longing to pay his respects to this hero.

Before long, evening arrived.

The sky had darkened. Moonlight streamed through the open window into the room where the two of them stood.

"Xiaotao? Xiaotao?"

Lin Fan's feet had gone numb. He looked up at Ma Xiaotao, who had held him without moving for ages, and called to her.

"Sorry. I got so excited that I held you for far too long."

Ma Xiaotao came to her senses, her cheeks burning red. She quickly released Lin Fan and took a step back, looking embarrassed as she offered a muddled explanation.

"I thought you'd fallen asleep too."

Lin Fan chuckled.

"You're the one who fell asleep. Anyway, now that my Evil Fire is under control, and it's already evening, let's have dinner together."

Ma Xiaotao gave a little huff, then brightened and said softly:

"All right. I'm hungry too. After using Soul Skills so many times, I can finally eat."

Lin Fan said happily:

Ma Xiaotao led Lin Fan out of the room and into the living room. She told him to wait there while she went to the kitchen to make dinner.

After quite some time, Ma Xiaotao carried plate after plate from the kitchen and set them on the dining table.

Everything was neatly arranged and looked appetizing: braised fish, braised duck, old duck soup, and more.

Lin Fan's eyes lit up. After tasting the food, they lit up again. Ma Xiaotao's cooking was better than the cafeteria's.

The fragrant dishes made it all too easy to keep eating. He looked at Ma Xiaotao and praised her.

"Xiaotao, your cooking is really good. It's much better than the cafeteria food."

Ma Xiaotao propped her fair cheek on one hand and chuckled.

"Of course it's better than the cafeteria's. You can count the people who've eaten my cooking on one hand! And you're one of them, little brother Lin Fan."

Lin Fan bent over his bowl and ate in great mouthfuls before looking up to ask:

"Who are the others?"

Ma Xiaotao looked up and thought for a moment, counting on her fingers before answering:

"There's Yan Shaozhe, my teacher, and then there's me. Add you, and that makes three. Hee-hee, take your time. No one's going to snatch it from you."

Lin Fan sighed.

"I can't help it, Xiaotao. I'm starving. So, including you and me, that's only three people."

Ma Xiaotao sighed. "Mm. Look how hungry you are, and you only used a few Soul Skills."

Lin Fan smiled and said:

"Using Soul Skills takes effort too, Xiaotao."

Ma Xiaotao rolled her eyes at him. Then she watched him tuck into the food with a smile in her eyes and asked coyly:

"Little brother Lin Fan, is my cooking good?"

Lin Fan tore off a chunk of duck, swallowed it, and answered slowly:

"If you'd cooked this duck a little longer, both the texture and the flavor might have been even better."

Ma Xiaotao pressed him:

"But is my cooking good?"

Lin Fan gave his honest opinion:

"It is. Your cooking is good, Xiaotao. If you'd cooked the braised duck, braised fish, and old duck a little longer, they'd be even better."

The corners of Ma Xiaotao's mouth lifted. Her smile grew brighter, though her tone held a trace of resignation.

"All right, I'll keep that in mind. If you like it, eat more, little brother Lin Fan. You're so skinny."

Lin Fan looked at her.

"Mm. You should eat too, Xiaotao! If you wait any longer, the food won't taste as good."

Ma Xiaotao looked at Lin Fan and nodded.

"Mm. Once we've finished, I'll take you back."

Someone else cared about her. That was nice. Besides her teacher, she now had little brother Lin Fan too.

"Thank you, Xiaotao."

Lin Fan thanked her.

After they finished eating, Ma Xiaotao took Lin Fan back to the Dormitory Building.

In a few minutes, they flew out of Sea God Island and passed through the mist that hung over the lake year-round.

Less than a few dozen minutes later, Ma Xiaotao landed with Lin Fan. The entrance to the Academy's Dormitory Building stood a hundred meters ahead.

The two walked toward it at an easy, strolling pace.

Ma Xiaotao leaned toward Lin Fan and asked:

"Oh, right, little brother Lin Fan. I almost forgot. What level is your Soul Power now?"

Lin Fan thought for a moment, then looked at her and replied, "Me? I'm level thirty-eight."

Surprise crossed Ma Xiaotao's face.

"Level thirty-eight? Your Soul Power is already level thirty-eight?"

Lin Fan feigned confusion.

"What's wrong, Xiaotao? Is level thirty-eight really that impressive?"

When he had awakened the system, he had received the Explosive King Mecha Martial Soul in his beginner's gift pack.

The gift pack had also given him a hundred-year First Soul Ring, a thousand-year Second Soul Ring, and a thousand-year third Soul Ring.

His First Soul Ring was 999 years old, while his Second Soul Ring and third Soul Ring were both 9,999 years old.

Soul Power had poured into him as well, sending him straight to level thirty-eight and into the ranks of Soul Elders.

"Of course it's... not impressive! There were plenty of impressive people back in my day, you know. I was one of them. Hee-hee."

Ma Xiaotao forced a smile. Inside, she was stunned and grumbling, though a playful note entered her voice.

That's far too impressive. Lin Fan has already surpassed everyone his age. Anyone his age would be afraid to face him.

After all, he was more gifted than she had been at that age. Calling him a genius barely began to cover it.

"You were that amazing, Xiaotao!"

Lin Fan sounded envious.

"Of course I was! Hee-hee. Back then, I could take on anyone under the heavens. No one could beat me."

Ma Xiaotao spoke with pride.

"That's amazing, Xiaotao."

Lin Fan sounded envious, then said uneasily, "I'm worried about the assessment in three months. I don't know how strong my opponents will be, or whether I'll pass."

Ma Xiaotao kept up her strained smile and patted his shoulder encouragingly.

"You'll definitely be fine in the assessment three months from now, Lin Fan. Believe in yourself. Oh, which class were you assigned to?"

You're already level thirty-eight. You've surpassed every other freshman, so of course you'll pass the Academy assessment.

She thought the other freshmen were the ones who should worry about whether they could beat him. He would be a shark in a pond of minnows.

"Class One. Freshman Class One."

Lin Fan answered without hesitation.

Ma Xiaotao realized which class he meant.

"Oh, that old witch's class. I heard she's terrifyingly strict with her students. Only one in ten from her classes advances to the next year, though the ones who do are all outstanding. She was reported for it and demoted to teaching freshmen. Be careful."

Lin Fan said:

"Mm, I will."

If she expels all the weaker students and leaves only the outstanding ones, of course everyone who advances will be outstanding.

Ma Xiaotao stopped walking and turned to Lin Fan.

"All right, I've brought you to the Dormitory Building entrance. You can go the rest of the way yourself. See you next time, Lin Fan."