"So, you two tried Martial Soul Fusion yesterday!"
Xiao Xiao narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists, her heavy iron vest scraping noisily.
"Haha, guess what? It looks like we even succeeded!" Wang Dong'er exclaimed excitedly.
There was still a hint of provocation in her eyes, and the look she gave Huo Yuhao was stranger still.
Looking at the two of them, Huo Yuhao really had no idea what to do. He started running on his own, no longer getting involved in their contest.
The two stayed where they were, secretly scheming against each other. They completely ignored what Zhou Yi had said earlier.
When Huo Yuhao finished a lap and passed them, Wang Dong'er reached out, grabbed him straight by the collar, and unceremoniously poured her Soul Power into his body.
Their Soul Power fused in the blink of an eye and completed a full circuit in an instant, their presence abruptly rising a whole level.
Xiao Xiao stared at them, her eyes full of disdain for Wang Dong'er. "What are you so pleased about, you grown man? I'm Yuhao's girlfriend! Get out of my way!"
Xiao Xiao pulled Huo Yuhao straight over and ran forward, instantly breaking the connection between the two.
Wang Dong'er glared angrily at Xiao Xiao ahead of her and stamped her right foot hard on the ground. She touched her short hair, looked down at her chest, and murmured, "A man? I don't have to be one..."
An unusual light shone in Wang Dong'er's eyes as she stared at Huo Yuhao in the distance, the corners of her lips lifting slightly with a trace of infatuation.
"Wang Dong, what are you doing? Do you not want to stay at this school anymore?!" Zhou Yi's voice rang out from behind her.
Another heavy iron vest was thrown in front of her. Wang Dong'er picked it up and slipped it on naturally, casting a brooding glance at Zhou Yi before she began jogging.
Zhou Yi adjusted her glasses. As Wang Dong'er's brooding gaze surfaced in her mind, an inexplicable shiver ran through her.
She thought to herself, Wang Dong really is acting strange today. How did she suddenly become like this? She probably just hasn't fully woken up...
After reassuring herself that she had probably been under too much pressure lately, Zhou Yi checked that the three had no problems before returning to the classroom.
"All right, you three, prepare properly for tomorrow's assessment. What disagreement could possibly be impossible to resolve? Go back for now." Seated in her office, Zhou Yi spoke calmly.
"Understood, Teacher Zhou." Huo Yuhao bowed solemnly and answered earnestly.
"Teacher Zhou, it won't happen again."
Xiao Xiao bowed as well, apologizing with a sincere expression.
Wang Dong'er snorted coldly, threw down her iron vest, and turned to leave.
"Teacher Zhou, he's just in a bad mood today. Please don't hold it against her. We'll do our best." After offering an explanation, Huo Yuhao left the office with Xiao Xiao.
Watching the three leave, Zhou Yi rubbed the space between her brows, her head aching. She slowly removed a mask, and her aged features disappeared, revealing a refined, elegant face.
Her slightly furrowed willow-leaf brows brought out the full beauty of that city-toppling face, lovely, poised, and captivating.
Zhou Yi looked up and out the window, worry in her beautiful eyes. Not far beyond the window lay the outer court's Soul Tool Department grounds.
She stood, opened the window for some fresh air, then picked up the mask on her desk, put it on, and left the office.
By Sea God Lake.
Xiao Xiao was pulling Huo Yuhao along on a stroll.
Her little hand naturally clasped Huo Yuhao's somewhat rough palm. Wang Dong'er's inexplicable madness today had given her a sense of crisis.
For some reason, she kept seeing Wang Dong as a girl today and feeling inexplicably jealous.
Thinking it over carefully, Wang Dong had only been joking. Had she been a little too sensitive?
Still, Wang Dong had been acting strange today too.
Unable to figure out why, Xiao Xiao gave up thinking about it.
She shook her head hard, shaking out all those miscellaneous thoughts.
Seeing her adorable gesture, Huo Yuhao could not resist patting her head again.
"Yuhao, do you think I was being far too sensitive today? I even thought of Wang Dong as a girl. I don't know what got into me today either. When I heard Wang Dong say those things, I instinctively wanted to beat him away."
Xiao Xiao stopped and looked earnestly at Huo Yuhao, her expression conflicted and regretful.
The corner of Huo Yuhao's mouth twitched. There really did seem to be something to this talk of women's sixth sense.
"I think you did nothing wrong. Things have been going too smoothly for Wang Dong'er these past few days. Taking the edge off her arrogance is a good thing." Huo Yuhao stepped forward, took hamburgers out of his storage ring, and handed one to Xiao Xiao.
Xiao Xiao said hesitantly, "Yuhao, when we go back later, apologize to him for me. If your Martial Souls really can fuse, that's a good thing for the freshman assessment too. We're all teammates, after all."
Xiao Xiao really did feel that she had gone too far-so far that she had even come to blows during Teacher Zhou's class.
Huo Yuhao sat on a bench, crumpled the wrapper in his hand into a ball, and threw it toward the trash can behind him.
"Ow."
A deep voice came from behind him.
Bronze skin gleamed beneath the sun. His tall body was strong and powerful, his muscles prominent and defined. Some unknown Soul Tool was fitted over his right shoulder, shimmering like an exoskeleton. He was holding two large boxes that looked heavy, though there was no telling what they contained.
"Sorry, big brother. Are you all right? I wasn't paying attention." Huo Yuhao picked up the paper ball from the ground, his face apologetic.
"We're really sorry. Sorry... sorry!"
Xiao Xiao ran over in a slight panic, pulling Huo Yuhao along as she repeatedly bowed and apologized.
The man laughed, freed a hand to scratch his head, and showed them as sunny a smile as he could manage. "Ah, it's fine, it's fine. It's nothing," he said good-naturedly. "You're freshmen, right? I'm He Caitou, from the Soul Tool Department. If you're interested in Soul Tools, you can come find me."
"Hello, Brother He. We will. Goodbye," Xiao Xiao said politely.
Huo Yuhao helped steady the boxes in He Caitou's hands. "Brother He, we'll be going, then. We'll come find you when we have time. We'll head off now."
"All right!"
He Caitou smiled good-naturedly and slowly walked away carrying the two large boxes.
He glanced back again, his gaze landing on Xiao Xiao's small figure. Confusion showed on his face; he kept feeling that he had seen this little girl before.
The moment he saw Xiao Xiao and Huo Yuhao clasp hands, his heart inexplicably clenched hard.
He Caitou thought, How strange. What's wrong with me? Still, these two juniors have a pretty good relationship. I hope they'll be happy. Teacher Fan Yu is still waiting for my rare metals. I'd better hurry.
He Caitou gave them one last look before hurrying toward the Soul Tool Department.
The knot in Xiao Xiao's heart finally dissolved at that moment. She held Huo Yuhao's hand, happiness written all over her face.
She skipped along, her fingers interlaced with Huo Yuhao's, smiling happily.
Huo Yuhao stayed beside her, the breeze brushing his face. Everything was so wonderful.
The two soon entered the dormitory area.
Huo Yuhao's left hand was checked, and he turned to look. Xiao Xiao had stopped. She tucked her drifting hair behind her ear and took a belt from her storage pouch.
The belt was made from a peculiar metal, with a metallic sheen yet a soft texture. Spatial stones studded the metal, and its design was the most fashionable style of the day.
A blush colored Xiao Xiao's pretty face. Her fingers trembled slightly as she reached around Huo Yuhao's waist and fastened it for him.
"Yuhao, I picked this out especially for you. And there's something inside, too. This... I hope you'll always keep it with you."
Xiao Xiao tapped a spatial stone twice, and an emerald-green jade flute flew out, landing steadily in her hand.
This jade flute was an heirloom passed down in her family. Her father had always stressed that when she met the one person meant for her in this life, the jade flute pendant would glow. Just now, when she touched Huo Yuhao, the pendant had lit up.
Huo Yuhao's eyes shone. That jade flute was a fine thing indeed. It gave off a faint breath of life and felt warm and gentle in the hand.
Looking closely, he saw a translucent green gemstone hanging from the jade flute pendant, giving off a faint glow. The breath of life came from within it.
Huo Yuhao reached out and touched it. His Sea of Consciousness roiled, and Electrolux's divine consciousness immediately stirred, about to draw on the gemstone.
"Child, this thing will be of great benefit to us. Give it to me," Electrolux said slowly.
Huo Yuhao's gaze was firm as he refused decisively. "Elder Yi, not this Gold of Life. I'll find you something else in the future."
Electrolux fell silent again, making no further movement. It seemed he had tacitly accepted Huo Yuhao's decision.
Huo Yuhao put it away in the belt, his expression solemn. He felt around, but he really had nothing presentable to give.
At last, his hand settled on the short sword at his waist.
He slowly took it off. A tiger's head was carved into the scabbard, its eyes set with one red gemstone and one blue.
Huo Yuhao took Xiao Xiao's hand and solemnly placed it in her palm. "Xiao Xiao, I know that jade flute is precious. This is the most important thing I have. As long as you have this short sword, no one in the Star Luo Empire will make things difficult..."
Xiao Xiao shook her head hard. She knew how important this short sword was to Yuhao. She absolutely could not accept it.
"Then just think of it as keeping it safe for me. You can give it back when I need it."
Without giving her a chance to refuse, Huo Yuhao fastened it at her waist himself, then rubbed his head again before entering the dormitory building.
As the warmth on her head faded, Xiao Xiao watched Huo Yuhao walk away and stroked the tiger-head carving, her face brimming with happiness.
At that moment, her heart belonged completely to Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao touched the belt at his waist, excitement surging in his heart. He was delighted.
Trading a Class 3 close-combat Soul Tool for a storage belt made of Flowing Cloud Crystal and a small piece of Gold of Life was simply perfect.