Star Luo City, sneaking into bed

Xuan Zi and Wang Yan were stunned when they saw Wang Dong'er and Huo Yuhao save everyone else.

Such powerful healing was already on par with that of a healing-type Soul Saint.

And the two of them could actually use a second Martial Soul Fusion Skill. It was simply unbelievable.

"How exactly did you do that?" Wang Yan asked.

Wang Dong'er shook her head. "I don't know either."

Huo Yuhao was still dazed, so he had even less idea what had happened.

"Ma Xiaotao, how are you all feeling?" Xuan Zi asked.

"Xuan Zi, we're much better. My injuries have all healed. A few more days of rest, and I'll be fully recovered."

"My injuries have healed too," Dai Yueheng added.

The others had suffered more serious injuries to begin with. Even after treatment, their conditions had only stopped worsening. A full recovery would still take quite some time.

"Wang Dong'er, Huo Yuhao, thank goodness for you two. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have been able to answer to the academy," Xuan Zi said, thanking them.

Ma Xiaotao walked over and lowered her head slightly as she spoke to Wang Dong'er. "I'm sorry. We didn't listen to your advice. And thank you and Yuhao for saving us."

Without Wang Dong'er's earlier warning, they wouldn't have been mentally prepared to react when the corpses exploded. If they had been completely unprepared, it was hard to imagine how disastrous the consequences would have been.

"This was all my fault. I was the one who put you in danger," Xuan Zi said reproachfully.

"Let's not dwell on that," Wang Yan said. "Everyone, hurry back to the military camp and get some proper rest."

The cave reeked of blood and decay. None of them wanted to stay inside any longer.

Supporting one another, they returned to the military camp.

When Dai Hao heard that Shrek's students had been injured, he hurried over to visit them.

"Your Grace, the students may have to impose on your hospitality for a couple of days," Wang Yan told him.

"That's fine. Stay as long as you need. If I'd known, I would have sent some men along with you."

Wang Yan shook his head. "We were all too careless."

That night, Wang Dong'er and Huo Yuhao slept together, holding hands to restore their soul power quickly.

They rested in the military camp for several days. Once they could move around reasonably well, they immediately set out for the Star Luo Empire.

The main concern was that there wasn't much time left before the tournament. They had to register as soon as possible, or they would lose their eligibility.

Their injuries slowed their progress. After more than two days of hurrying along as best they could, they finally reached Star Luo City, the capital of the Star Luo Empire.

As the largest city in the Star Luo Empire, Star Luo City was not only vast but also exceptionally prosperous.

Arriving in Star Luo City stirred deep feelings in Huo Yuhao. He had always wanted to come and see it, but he had been trapped in that tiny courtyard.

Only after entering Star Luo City did they truly feel how much ordinary people loved the Soul Dueling Tournament.

The city was already packed with visitors.

Soldiers maintaining order could be seen everywhere on the streets. Reportedly, more than thirty thousand soldiers were on duty within the city alone.

After all, many of the visitors were Soul Masters. If any disputes broke out, the repercussions could be considerable.

They arrived at Star Luo Plaza, where they would fight their tournament matches.

An enormous hotel stood on the eastern side, reserved specifically for the competing teams.

Wang Yan immediately went to the registration desk to sign in. Fortunately, they had made it in time.

If Shrek Academy had failed to register, it would have become the laughingstock of the continent.

They checked into the hotel.

As the previous tournament's champions, they were assigned a luxurious suite, with a separate room for each person.

Huo Yuhao actually felt that was a bit of a shame.

After a day of rest, Wang Yan gathered everyone for a meeting.

"I went to learn about the tournament yesterday. The matches officially begin tomorrow."

"A total of one hundred and thirty-three teams are participating. First comes the knockout round, which will eliminate half the teams. The knockout matches will be seven-on-seven team battles."

"We'll have to send a team out to fight tomorrow."

"Teacher Wang, we can compete," Ma Xiaotao said.

Wang Yan shook his head. "You and Dai Yueheng are in better condition, so competing won't be a problem for you. But the others haven't fully recovered. If fighting aggravates their injuries, the later matches will be even harder."

"Here's what I propose. The teams we face in the early matches won't be too strong, so why don't you and Dai Yueheng take turns leading Huo Yuhao and the others into battle? Winning those matches shouldn't be too difficult."

"Besides, keeping the regular members out of the early matches will help conceal information about them, making it harder for the other academies to work out counters to their moves."

The regular members discussed it and decided there was no problem with the plan.

As captain, Ma Xiaotao nodded. "Teacher Wang, let's do as you suggest."

"Good. Then Ma Xiaotao will lead the team tomorrow. He Caitou from the Reserve Team will sit out for now."

"You're dismissed. Go back and prepare properly. Those who aren't fighting tomorrow should rest and recover their condition as quickly as possible."

Everyone returned to their rooms to meditate and cultivate, bringing themselves into the best possible condition.

Knock, knock, knock!

Wang Dong'er suddenly heard someone knocking at her door.

"Who is it? Come in."

The door opened, and Huo Yuhao poked his head in.

"Hehe, Dong'er, can I come in?"

"Come on in."

Huo Yuhao tiptoed inside, closed and locked the door behind him, then climbed straight into Wang Dong'er's bed.

"Let's cultivate together after all. Doing it alone just feels too slow."

He took Wang Dong'er's hand, only to notice that she seemed distracted.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just a little nervous about tomorrow's match."

In truth, Wang Dong'er felt that they might only get to fight one or two matches before losing any further chance to compete.

"Hey, it's fine. We've still got Senior Ma Xiaotao, haven't we? If it comes to it, we can use our Martial Soul Fusion Skill to control the opponents, then let Senior Xiaotao sweep them away in one go."

"All right, don't think so much. Let's get cultivating."

Wang Dong'er closed her eyes and began circulating her soul power.

Early the next morning, Wang Dong'er and Huo Yuhao came out of the room.

They suddenly noticed that everyone's eyes were on them.

Everyone was giving them strange looks.

"How did you two end up in the same room?" Ma Xiaotao asked.

"I bet you're so used to sleeping together that suddenly being apart felt strange," Xu Sanshi teased.

Huo Yuhao flushed slightly and hurried to explain. "We cultivate faster together, so we cultivated in the same room."

"Fine, let's say you were cultivating."

Despite his words, Xu Sanshi's expression showed that he didn't believe them at all.

"All right, that's enough joking around. Let's have something to eat and head out." Wang Yan brought everyone back to the matter at hand before things went any further.