"To think it ended in a draw. I doubt anyone saw that coming."
"Exactly. If those Soul Douluos hadn't stepped in in time, they might both have died-one sealed away for good, the other torn to pieces."
"Yeah, that Zhu Wuxin was incredibly fierce. She actually drove Ling Xinyao, number 68 on the Heavenly Prodigy Ranking, into a corner and forced her to use a secret technique that would hurt them both."
"Ling Xinyao deserved her spot at number 68, too. Anyone else might have been beaten senseless long before that. Her strength really lived up to her reputation."
"Still, Ling Xinyao wasn't just strong. She was genuinely beautiful, too."
"Which girl on the Heavenly Prodigy Ranking isn't both beautiful and talented? Look at Liu Ruyan over there, or Miss Chen Yanwu. Which of them falls short?"
"I honestly never would have guessed that a mere Follower of the Chen Clan could be this strong. It's astonishing."
"She'll definitely make the next Heavenly Prodigy Ranking."
"That goes without saying. It's already set in stone."
"For a sparring match to turn so deadly... all I can say is, you have to be twice as careful when dealing with female Soul Masters. When they go wild, they throw everything to the wind."
"What made Ling Xinyao go wild, then?"
"Who knows? Maybe it was over some man-no, some boy."
After an unknown length of time, Ling Xinyao slowly opened her eyes in a haze and found herself in an unfamiliar room.
The furnishings were simple yet elegant, with faint fluctuations of soul power in the air. Clearly, this was a recuperation room prepared especially for Soul Masters.
Just then, a gentle voice sounded beside her. "You're both awake."
"The chill struck you fiercely, but it faded quickly, too."
"I've just nourished