In that brief span, Su Ling not only heard that Huo Wu's affection had increased, but the other three goddesses present had also gained some affection for him!
[Ding... Shui Bing'er's affection +2. Obtained White Chest ×1] [Ding... Bing Yuhuang's affection +4. Obtained White Chest ×2] [Ding... Shui Yue'er's affection +5. Obtained White Chest ×1, Yellow Chest ×2]
Sure enough, everyone liked good looks, but they liked formidable strength and potential even more.
Huo Wu stepped onto the platform and walked straight up to Su Ling. "You're very strong. From the look of you, you aren't twenty yet, are you?"
Su Ling nodded. "Not yet. I'm a few months short."
"Then you're a little older than me. May I call you Big Brother Su?" Huo Wu asked.
"Suit yourself!"
"Big Brother Su, would you like to visit our Blazing Fire Academy?" Huo Wu asked again.
Had he been a Soul Master of another attribute, she would not have valued him so highly. But Su Ling's earlier arrow had carried powerful fire-attribute soul power.
A rank forty-three, fire-attribute Soul Ancestor under twenty-wasn't he exactly the sort of person who could become a mainstay in the next Advanced Soul Master Tournament?
Huo Wu was confident that she could get him to accept her invitation. After all, whether at Blazing Fire Academy or elsewhere, no one she invited had ever refused her.
Who would have thought that Su Ling would remain unmoved by her invitation?
"No need. I'm only passing through. I still have things to do, so I'll be leaving." Without paying Huo Wu any further attention, Su Ling jumped off the arena platform and strode away.
"You..." Huo Wu was momentarily speechless and stamped her foot in anger. This fellow had actually rejected her.
With so many people watching, Huo Wu could hardly chase him down outright. She could only let Su Ling leave.
Feng Xiaotian, on the other hand, was delighted. "Little Sister Huo Wu, that fellow is far too arrogant. He doesn't know what's good for him, actually rejecting you. Hmph..."
"Shut up!" Huo Wu said coldly, still unwilling to let it go.
Suddenly, something else occurred to her. Looking at the departing Su Ling, she called, "You defeated me just now. You're entitled to a reward of three thousand Gold Soul Coins."
"No need. I said I'd defeat you without using my martial soul, but I used a soul skill, so it naturally doesn't count. I'm off!" Su Ling spoke without even turning his head. He had only come to gain some initial affection. For now, reaching the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well took priority.
Huo Wu bit her lip tightly, looking so alluring that Feng Xiaotian and her other admirers nearby were utterly spellbound.
Meanwhile, two teachers from Blazing Fire Academy came out to welcome the other four academies that had arrived for the exchange.
Huo Wu's thoughts, however, were elsewhere. When everyone entered the academy, she stayed behind.
"Brother, I'm going to bring that Su Ling back," Huo Wu said.
Huo Wushuang said, "Little sister, don't tell me you want to recruit him into our academy?"
"That's right. He's very strong, and his martial soul is rather unusual. He's exactly what our Blazing Fire Academy lacks. Without him, we're still quite good within the Heaven Dou Empire, but we might not measure up at the Advanced Soul Master Tournament. He could raise the ceiling of what our academy can achieve."
"All right, then. Be careful," Huo Wushuang said helplessly. Although Huo Wu was discussing it with him, he could never stop his little sister once she had made up her mind.
With that, Huo Wu ignored her injuries and ran straight outside to find Su Ling.
At that point, Su Ling had only just left Blazing Fire Town.
"Wait, Big Brother Su!" Huo Wu shouted when she spotted him.
Su Ling stopped and turned to look at Huo Wu as she caught up. "Is there something else?"
"Big Brother Su, I'd like to ask you something. Which academy are you a student at?" Huo Wu asked. First, she needed to confirm which academy he belonged to.
"Shrek Academy. I don't know if you've heard of it," Su Ling replied.
Huo Wu froze. She really had never heard that academy's name before.
"With your soul power, you should be graduating soon, shouldn't you?" Huo Wu asked.
"Yes. According to the academy's requirements, I'll have to graduate in a few months," Su Ling said with a nod.
Joy rose in Huo Wu's heart when she heard that. "In that case, why not join our Blazing Fire Academy? Your soul power has the fire attribute, and our academy has the best training grounds for fire-attribute Soul Masters in the Heaven Dou Empire. They'll definitely let your soul power grow by leaps and bounds."
"Besides, the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament will begin in a little over a year. If we join forces, we'll definitely achieve excellent results. We might even win the championship."
"Is that so?"
"Sorry, I'm not interested." With that, Su Ling continued walking away.
Su Ling found Huo Wu quite easy to handle.
The more you acted like a lapdog, the less she liked you, and the less she treasured you.
Instead, showing enough strength to win her admiration could have unexpected results.
Feng Xiaotian was the cautionary example. The more he indulged her and treated her well, the more she looked down on him.
It was better to defeat her fair and square.
Rather than pursue her, it was better to make her pursue him and keep the initiative in his own hands.
This was what people called letting go in order to capture.
And Huo Wu happened to fall for precisely that tactic!
Over the years, Huo Wu had studied previous Advanced Soul Master Tournaments, yet she had never heard of Shrek Academy.
No academy called Shrek had participated in the last few tournaments, either.
Thus, Huo Wu concluded that Shrek Academy was an ordinary academy. Perhaps it wasn't even eligible to enter the tournament, or perhaps it wasn't an advanced Soul Master Academy at all.
I have to recruit Su Ling!
Huo Wu followed beside Su Ling and began trying to persuade him, looking determined not to give up until she brought him back to Blazing Fire Academy.
And so, Huo Wu followed Su Ling for dozens of kilometers.
That night, Su Ling built a fire in the wilderness and took out the food he had bought earlier in Blazing Fire City.
"Grrr..." Huo Wu's stomach rumbled.
How could she have known she would leave the academy that day? She hadn't brought any food or water.
Huo Wu was fiercely proud. No matter how hungry she became, she never asked Su Ling to share. She could only watch longingly as he enjoyed his food.
"Have some. I bought this before leaving Blazing Fire Town. It cost ten Gold Soul Coins. I'll give you half, so just pay me five," Su Ling said.
"This food cost ten Gold Soul Coins?" Huo Wu looked at the food before her. Three to five Silver Soul Coins would have been enough at most.
"If you think it's too expensive, you don't have to eat!" Su Ling said.
"Here!" Huo Wu tossed him five Gold Soul Coins. As she ate, she muttered, "What a miser. You said you didn't want Gold Soul Coins, but I never imagined you'd be this stingy!"
In the past, whenever she wanted something to eat, people willing to bring it to her could have lined up in a queue.
But right now, she was truly hungry, and she was still carrying some injuries.
Before long, the two of them had swept every last bit of the food away.
Seeing Huo Wu about to speak again, Su Ling said, "Don't talk. You're injured, so recover first. Don't worry, I won't be traveling tonight. I need time to cultivate, too."
"Oh!" Huo Wu replied.
Su Ling sat cross-legged and entered a state of cultivation.
The fire crackled, its flickering light playing across their bodies.
Their surroundings were frighteningly quiet. Huo Wu simply watched Su Ling, and as she continued staring, her expression slowly grew dazed.
Without realizing it, Huo Wu began imagining Su Ling joining Blazing Fire Academy thanks to her tireless invitations.
They would cultivate together and fight together!
Then they would enter the Advanced Soul Master Tournament together, defeat opponent after opponent, and finally win the overall championship through their teamwork.
At that moment, however, Su Ling could no longer sit still.
[Ding... Huo Wu's affection +10. Obtained White Chest ×3, Yellow Chest ×1] [Ding... Huo Wu's affection +15. Obtained White Chest ×6, Yellow Chest ×2, Purple Chest ×1]
[Ding... Huo Wu's affection +10. Obtained White Chest ×5] [Ding... Huo Wu's affection has reached 60. Would the host like to establish a bond?]
How long has it even been? Not even the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Is this girl Huo Wu winning herself over?
Her affection had risen far too quickly! It left Su Ling feeling as though none of this could possibly be real.
Before you continue