The Four Elemental Academy Deans' Decision

Feng Xiaotian carried the still-warm breakfast and stepped briskly through the gates of Blazing Fire Academy.

Morning light spilled across the grounds, and he was already considering how to broach the subject.

Saying it outright would seem too deliberate, but if he said nothing, he really could not contain the excitement bottled up inside him.

As he thought, he spotted that familiar fiery-red figure on the training grounds before he had gone very far.

Huo Wu had just finished a round of morning practice. Her long, dark-red waves gleamed faintly in the morning light, and her fair face still bore a light flush from exercise.

"Huo Wu!"

Feng Xiaotian hurried over, undisguised delight in his voice, and offered her the breakfast.

"I brought this for you. It's still hot."

Huo Wu glanced at him, irritation and impatience lingering in her heart. She made no move to accept it and said coldly:

"Feng Xiaotian, if you have this much time on your hands, you should put that energy into cultivation instead."

Feng Xiaotian gave an awkward smile, but shamelessly held the breakfast a little closer.

"Take it. I know you've finished morning practice and haven't had breakfast yet."

Huo Wu sighed inwardly. She had made her stance clear long ago, yet the man before her still refused to give up. If she insisted on refusing now, Feng Xiaotian would probably keep pestering her.

After a brief hesitation, she accepted the breakfast and casually set it on the stone platform beside her.

"All right, get back to Godwind Academy early."

Hearing that, Feng Xiaotian was hardly willing to leave just like that.

Having only just acquired his second Martial Soul, he had intended to find a chance to show it off. As he silently weighed his words, footsteps approached, and Huo Wushuang came toward them.

"Feng Xiaotian, you're here early today."

Huo Wushuang greeted him casually.

Feng Xiaotian turned to look, and inspiration struck. He seized the opportunity to invite him:

"Huo Wushuang, perfect timing. How about a spar?"

The sudden proposal surprised Huo Wushuang a little, but he readily nodded his agreement.

The two moved to the center of the sparring grounds. Seeing this, the students training nearby stopped what they were doing and gathered around.

"It's Feng Xiaotian! He's come to spar at our academy again!"

"This will be worth watching. Feng Xiaotian's Gale Twin-Headed Wolf is unmatched in speed among his peers, and the captain's One-Horned Fire Tyrannosaurus has ferocious offense and defense. Their matches are always spectacular!"

"I wonder who'll gain the upper hand today!"

The students whispered in small groups, their discussions tinged with the excitement of watching a spectacle.

The two in the arena had already taken their positions facing each other.

Huo Wushuang said solemnly:

"Let's begin."

As his words fell, two bursts of Martial Soul light flared at once.

Behind Huo Wushuang, the majestic crimson phantom of a One-Horned Fire Tyrannosaurus rose. Rolling waves of heat surged outward, its violent fire-attribute Soul Power pressing down in every direction.

Gales howled around Feng Xiaotian as the Gale Twin-Headed Wolf manifested through the air. Both wolf heads growled continuously, and sharp wind blades swirled around him, displaying the full force of its speed.

The battle began immediately!

Huo Wushuang launched a fierce offensive, flames wrapping his fists as they thundered out, the scorching force fierce and overbearing.

Relying on his wind Martial Soul's extreme speed, Feng Xiaotian flitted and dodged, constantly drawing out the fight while unleashing an unbroken stream of fine wind blades.

One fire, one wind; one strength, one speed. They exchanged dozens of moves without breaking the deadlock, the battle intensely close.

The longer Huo Wushuang fought, the more seriously he took it, his attacks growing faster and sharper.

Then they clashed head-on once more, their forces canceling each other out-at the instant Huo Wushuang's old strength had faded and his new strength had yet to rise!

Feng Xiaotian seized the fleeting opening with a thought!

Boom!!

The Gale Twin-Headed Wolf withdrew, and a dazzling blaze of crimson light erupted!

An enormous wolf phantom manifested from the flames beside Feng Xiaotian!

Crimson Flame Demon Wolf!

Without the enhancement of a single Soul Ring, merely the Martial Soul itself made manifest, it still exuded a pure, weighty fire-attribute pressure.

This sudden second Martial Soul utterly surpassed everyone's expectations!

Huo Wushuang's pupils contracted sharply. His composure gave way to astonishment, and he hurriedly drove his Fire Tyrannosaurus to defend.

But a scorching wave of heat swept toward him the very next second. Caught completely unprepared, he was blasted several steps backward, a fierce burning pain shooting through his arms.

The entire arena fell deathly silent.

The next second, cries of shock erupted from all sides!

"Twin Martial Souls?! How is that possible!"

"Feng Xiaotian actually hid a second Martial Soul? None of us have ever seen it!"

"This is outrageous! We always thought his Gale Twin-Headed Wolf's speed was top-tier. Who knew he had such heaven-defying talent too!"

At the edge of the arena, Huo Wu froze completely.

The irritation and indifference in her eyes vanished without a trace. Her cool eyes fixed on the fire wolf Martial Soul standing beside Feng Xiaotian, her heart reeling as she stood rooted to the spot in utter disbelief.

After stumbling to regain his footing, Huo Wushuang stared fixedly at the crimson demon wolf phantom, his voice filled with shock:

"Feng Xiaotian... you actually have twin Martial Souls?!"

At a second-floor window not far from the sparring grounds, a middle-aged figure stood in silence.

Huo Lie, the dean of Blazing Fire Academy, stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze passing through the morning light to the fire wolf Martial Soul slowly fading in the arena.

"So that brat Feng Xiaotian has twin Martial Souls? Those fellows at Godwind Academy certainly kept that well hidden."

After a sigh of amazement, he murmured thoughtfully:

"But why not keep hiding it? Why reveal it at a time like this?"

Standing by the window, his eyes were full of puzzlement.

After considering it briefly, Huo Lie made up his mind to go over himself and ask Feng Xiaotian why.

The uproar on the sparring grounds went on and on.

Under the shocked gazes of everyone present, Feng Xiaotian's eyes instinctively drifted toward the edge of the arena.

Seeing Huo Wu's cool profile, utterly dazed and astonished, swept away all the pent-up frustration of repeatedly being ignored and treated coldly. Undisguised satisfaction and pride surged within him.

"What are you all crowding around here for? Get back to cultivating."

A steady, authoritative voice came from behind the crowd.

The students around the sparring grounds turned at the sound and hastily cleared a path, lowering their heads in greeting.

"Dean!"

"Hello, Dean."

Huo Lie approached slowly. His gaze lingered on Feng Xiaotian for an instant, then swept over Huo Wushuang and Huo Wu's differing expressions. His tone was calm but brooked no refusal.

"Xiaotian, come with me. Wushuang, Xiao Wu, you two come as well."

The three exchanged looks, but dared not ask questions. They followed Huo Lie across the sparring grounds and all the way to the dean's office on the second floor.

The office was simply furnished, its window overlooking the entire sparring grounds.

Huo Lie motioned for the three to sit and took his own seat behind the desk. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Feng Xiaotian, he changed the subject.

"Xiaotian, if I remember correctly, neither of your parents has a fire-attribute Martial Soul, do they?"

Feng Xiaotian nodded and scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"That's right. My family all have wind attributes. None of my ancestors had a fire-attribute Martial Soul either."

He paused, a bashful look appearing on his face, then continued:

"I chose this fire-attribute Crimson Flame Demon Wolf as my second Martial Soul partly because it's also a wolf Martial Soul, sharing the same origin as my Gale Twin-Headed Wolf, and partly... because I wanted to get closer to Huo Wu. That's why I chose a fire-attribute Martial Soul like this."

The office abruptly fell quiet at his words.

Huo Wushuang frowned and gave Feng Xiaotian a strange look, while Huo Wu haughtily turned her head aside and snorted.

Even Huo Lie's hand paused as he poured water, a thoughtful look rising in his eyes.

A moment later, he spoke with clear puzzlement:

"Chose? Xiaotian, the way you put it, it sounds as though you picked this second Martial Soul yourself."

Feng Xiaotian nodded slightly, with no intention of hiding anything at all. Unable to conceal his pride, he said excitedly:

"Exactly!"

"I got this second Martial Soul from a Mysterious Shop this morning!"

At this, Huo Wu immediately raised her eyes toward him, disbelief plain in her brows as she challenged him:

"Feng Xiaotian, you can buy twin Martial Souls in a little shop now? Do you take us for three-year-olds, trying to fool us with such nonsense!"

Stung by her retort, Feng Xiaotian turned to look at Huo Wushuang. Huo Wushuang stood with his arms folded, his expression plainly saying, Go on, keep making it up.

He looked at Huo Lie. Though his face remained impassive, his slightly narrowed eyes were full of scrutiny and suspicion.

All three gazes were fixed on him, and not one of them believed him.

Feng Xiaotian put away his smug smile, composed himself, and recounted everything that had happened that morning from beginning to end, leaving out nothing.

He began with the cool, aloof girl handing him a flyer on the streets of Heaven Dou City, and the words on it: "Obtain twin Martial Souls for just one Gold Soul Coin."

Then came the peculiar Martial Soul that could open doors through space, the "Anywhere Door," and how he had stepped through it into that clean, tidy, mysterious shop.

There were also those strange devices called "Game Pods." After lying inside, he had seen Martial Soul icons filling his vision, packed as densely as a river of stars-beast Martial Souls, tool Martial Souls, plant-type Martial Souls, every type imaginable.

He had browsed for a long time before finally settling on this Crimson Flame Demon Wolf. After he confirmed his choice and exited, that Martial Soul had truly merged into his body.

When he finished, he spread his hands, his tone even more earnest than before:

"I know it sounds outrageous. Anyone would find it hard to believe. But Huo Wushuang just tested it himself. Was that Crimson Flame Demon Wolf fake? Was that pure fire-attribute Soul Power fake?"

"If you still don't believe me, you're welcome to come with me to that Mysterious Shop."

Silence filled the office for a time.

Huo Lie lightly tapped the desk twice with his fingers, seemingly weighing the truth of those words.

After a long while, he raised his eyes toward Feng Xiaotian and asked:

"Xiaotian, have you told anyone at Godwind Academy about this?"

Feng Xiaotian shook his head and scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile.

"I haven't had time yet. I sneaked out of the academy this morning to buy Huo Wu breakfast. I wouldn't dare make a fuss. Haha."

Huo Lie nodded at this. His expression remained unchanged, but his tone grew graver.

"This is no small matter. Go back now and tell your dean at Godwind Academy exactly what happened, so they're aware of it."

He paused, rose, and walked to the window. Looking toward the distant sky, he continued:

"As for me, I'll personally visit Skywater Academy and Thunder Academy. If something this extraordinary is true, it is no small matter for any of our academies."

"When the time comes, I'll bring people to meet at Godwind Academy, and we can discuss it together."

Hearing this, Feng Xiaotian hastily nodded his agreement:

"Of course, Dean. Don't worry. I'll head back right now."

Before he left, the siblings Huo Wushuang and Huo Wu still wore somewhat complicated expressions. They glanced at Feng Xiaotian but said nothing more.

Feng Xiaotian did not mind. He was still inwardly delighted.

Today's trip to Blazing Fire Academy had been worth it. When he revealed his twin Martial Souls, he had seen his goddess's dazed expression perfectly clearly.

Before leaving, he cupped his hands toward Huo Lie, then turned and strode out of the dean's office, hurrying toward Godwind Academy with wind beneath his feet.

Watching Feng Xiaotian leave, Huo Lie instructed Huo Wushuang and Huo Wu not to divulge this information, then hurried away himself.

As for why he had not mentioned Elephant Armor Academy this time, the reason was simple.

Elephant Armor Academy was backed by the Elephant Armor Sect and leaned toward Spirit Hall. It usually had little contact with the other four academies, so there was naturally no need for that extra step.

About four hours later.

At noon, four figures sat around a long table in the Godwind Academy Dean's office.

The Godwind Academy Dean sat at the head, his expression grave. To his left was the Blazing Fire Academy Dean, Huo Lie. To his right sat a middle-aged woman in blue, her face cool as water—the Skywater Academy dean.

Opposite him sat a burly middle-aged man with faint sparks of electricity flickering at his temples. Naturally, he was the dean of Thunder Academy.

Besides these four high-ranking academy leaders, Feng Xiaotian, the central figure behind this uproar, also arrived.

The Godwind Academy Dean looked at him and nodded.

"Xiaotian, no need to be nervous. Just recount your extraordinary encounter this morning exactly as it happened."

Feng Xiaotian dared not be remiss. Taking a deep breath, he once again calmly recounted the entire experience without missing a word: meeting Zhu Zhuqing by chance, receiving the flyer, passing through the Anywhere Door, entering the mysterious shop, spending one Gold Soul Coin, and choosing the Crimson Flame Demon Wolf to gain twin Martial Souls.

When he finished, the office was deathly silent.

Although they had already heard Huo Lie briefly explain the matter on their way over, hearing Feng Xiaotian personally recount every detail still brought shock to the eyes of Skywater Academy's dean and Thunder Academy's dean.

After finishing, Feng Xiaotian suddenly remembered something. He hurriedly reached into his clothing, pulled out a crumpled flyer, and placed it on the table.

"Oh, right. This is the flyer. I've had it on me all along. I almost forgot to take it out."

At this, all four turned their gazes to the paper. Huo Lie picked it up and read it first, then passed it to Skywater Academy's dean beside him.

The Skywater Academy dean accepted it and, after reading it, passed it to the Thunder Academy dean. Finally, it reached the Godwind Academy Dean.

The four took turns reading the flyer. Its few short lines overturned common knowledge with every word, making their expressions increasingly grave.

Huo Lie spoke first, looking at the other three deans as he asked:

"Now that you've read it, what do you all think?"

Skywater Academy's dean lightly brushed the paper with her fingertips and slowly said:

"Frankly, based solely on Feng Xiaotian's account, I would previously have given this less than a ten percent chance of being credible. It was too absurd and bizarre. But now, with this physical flyer as evidence, its credibility has risen to around thirty percent."

Her words were well-founded. Unsupported claims were difficult to convince people with, after all, but this preserved flyer was a tangible lead.

Huo Lie nodded and picked up the conversation, taking the opportunity to present the plan he had already devised.

"Everyone, before coming here, I had already considered a course of action."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the other three seated there.

"Early tomorrow morning, if the girl handing out flyers appears on the streets of Heaven Dou City again, we can use her 'Anywhere Door' Martial Soul to go there and investigate."

"But if she doesn't appear tomorrow, that won't matter either. Since this flyer has an address printed on it, we can send someone there to investigate. What do you think?"

The Godwind Academy Dean nodded first. "Sound. We'll establish what's real before deciding our next move."

Skywater Academy's dean lightly tapped the tabletop with her fingertips and said calmly, "I have no objection."

The head of Thunder Academy slapped his thigh, his voice booming like a great bell:

"Then it's settled! First thing tomorrow morning, I'll damn well take some people to stake out the street corner myself and see just what sort of deity we're dealing with."

At that, the four exchanged glances and raised no further objections.

[Thanks to reader 2023022419_ec for the three recommendation tickets, and readers Silver Dust and Zhiwu for the seven recommendation tickets. May you never die, enjoy one stroke of good luck after another, and strike it rich!]