Unrivaled Tang Sect Volume 24

Book 24: The Sea God's Fated Blind Date

Chapter 210: The Sea God's Fate on the Sea God's Island?

Huo Yuhao wanted to get the Tang Sect on track in one month, and wanted to get the plan that they’d devised the previous day underway. He also wanted to establish the Tang Sect’s subdivisions so that he could focus on closed-door cultivation without any distractions. Furthermore, there was one more important thing to do before the big competition: obtain his Spirit Eyes’ fifth soul ring.

The quality of soul beasts in the Great Star Dou Forest was better than the Sun Moon Empire’s Jing Yang Mountain Range. As such, he was confident that he could find a suitable one if he spent enough time on the endeavor.

He didn’t care too much about the activity that his eldest senior brother had mentioned, and the young girl that he’d encountered that day had been thrown to the back of his head.

Huo Yuhao had always had one dream, which was to make the Tang Sect flourish and return to its original glory and splendor—this wasn’t just because he was part of the Tang Sect and the sect’s Secret Techniques had been imparted to him, but because he felt an attachment to the Tang Sect. His dream was also because of Tang Ya.

Tang Ya was the first person who Huo Yuhao had ever called teacher, and even though Bei Bei had probably guided him more than Tang Ya, both her and Bei Bei shared a special place in his heart.

He’d met them when he was in the most difficult and painful of times back in the day, and they had been the ones to bring Huo Yuhao to Shrek Academy, who’d in turn taught him the Tang Sect’s Secret Techniques. Huo Yuhao would never forget that day, and it was from that day onwards that his life had been turned around.

Huo Yuhao had felt as agonizing and terrible as Bei Bei when Tang Ya disappeared. However, how could he display his own grief when Bei Bei was already so sad?

Even now, there was still no news from Tang Ya. Huo Yuhao could tell that his eldest senior brother’s eyes always held a dash of faint anguish even when he was smiling. More than two years had gone by, and Bei Bei seemed a lot more mature for his age—only he knew the amount of agony and torment he’d been languishing in over the past two years.

The only thing that Huo Yuhao could do for Tang Ya since he couldn’t find her was attempt to accomplish her dream for her. This was the same dream that everyone in the Tang Sect shared: To restore its glory and splendor. Bei Bei had stayed strong and emerged from the initial pain and suffering because of this target. No matter how important his personal cultivation was, Huo Yuhao would always prioritize the Tang Sect, and was willing to sacrifice and delay his cultivation without hesitation or regret.

Huo Yuhao could tell that Bei Bei had lost weight, but he didn’t know how to console him, so all he could do was give everything he had for the Tang Sect. All he hoped for was that he could alleviate his eldest senior brother’s burden and suffering with everything that he was doing.

When Bei Bei came to visit Huo Yuhao in the foundry a second time, he saw Huo Yuhao carving a formation array with intense concentration in the distance. The youngest member of the Sea God’s Pavilion in its history was currently sitting on a wooden stool at the foundry’s entrance. His clothes had been stained with all sorts of dirt and grease, and his hair was messy and unkempt—but there was only focus in his unnaturally sparkly eyes.

Little junior brother has grown up. A gratified and pleased smile could be seen on Bei Bei’s face, but something sparkly and translucent quickly appeared at the corners of his eyes.

Where are you, Xiao Ya? You’re still alive, aren’t you? The Tang Sect is on the right track; I’ll search for you once I fulfill the promise I made. I’ll search for you for an entire year if that’s what it takes. I’ll search for you for my entire lifetime if that’s what it takes! I won’t stop until the day I meet you, and if I never find you, then we’ll meet again on my path to find you, even if that means it’s in another world.

He took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the roiling emotions in his heart. He was the Tang Sect’s eldest senior brother; he never wanted to let his junior brothers and sisters see his fragile and vulnerable side—at least not on the surface

—and he would never want his negativity or grief to affect

them. He tried his best even though he knew that it wasn’t entirely possible. 

Bei Bei walked up to Huo Yuhao and said softly, "Why are you still here, little junior brother? Go and wash up and change your clothes. We’ll be heading back to the Sea God’s Pavilion soon.”

“Yes, yes.” Huo Yuhao acknowledged with his mouth, but his hands didn’t slow down at all. Bei Bei could clearly see the carving knife in Huo Yuhao’s hands waltzing and dancing with nimbleness and agility. Huo Yuhao was incredibly quick and impeccably precise with the carving knife; metal fragments continuously drifted to the ground, while an intricate and exquisite formation array gradually appeared in his hands.

Bei Bei didn’t hurry him, as he knew that soul engineers had to be very focused when they crafted soul tools, and that they were most afraid of being disturbed. He simply stood there and quietly watched Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao had truly grown up. He was a lot taller and more robust than he’d been two years ago, so much so that his steadiness and calmness sometimes made Bei Bei feel as if he were looking at Xu Sanshi instead. They hadn’t stopped exchanging letters over the past two years. Even though Huo Yuhao had never mentioned his own hurdles and difficulties in his letters, Huo Yuhao hadn’t been Bei Bei’s only source of information.

However, what made Bei Bei astonished was that he couldn’t feel a single ounce of exhaustion from Huo Yuhao; there was only flourishing energy and vitality, as if Huo Yuhao was a perpetually moving machine that didn’t feel fatigue.

Bei Bei was actually quite worried about Huo Yuhao’s state. However, he thought about the activity that was about to begin, and that worry and anxiety naturally dissipated. The corner of his mouth curved into a mischievous smile. Today will be an exceptionally exciting day.

Fifteen minutes passed before Huo Yuhao finally completed the formation array in his hands. He quickly stood up and walked into the foundry, then passed the formation array to a worker from the Tang Sect. Only then did he heave a sigh of relief.

“You’re here, eldest senior brother.”  Huo Yuhao hurriedly greeted Bei Bei when he saw his eldest senior brother standing there.

Bei Bei said exasperatedly, “My dear little junior brother, you’re treating me like the air around you! I’ve been here for quite some time, and you even answered me when I called you earlier!”

Huo Yuhao scratched his head in embarrassment. He felt like he would always be the teenager of before in front of his eldest senior brother.

“You’re  too  focused.  You’ve  just  returned  little  junior brother. You can’t tire yourself out like this. Everybody would feel pained to see you collapse from fatigue, and the academy wouldn’t forgive us either. Let’s go. Go and wash up and then change into some clean clothes. We’re heading back to the Sea God’s Pavilion.”

“Okay.” Huo Yuhao hurriedly went to take a bath before changing into a clean set of Shrek Academy’s uniform.

Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and He Caitou were waiting for him when he finished. 

Xu Sanshi whistled when he watched a clean and refreshed Huo Yuhao walk out and said, “Not bad, sixth junior brother. After two years of not seeing each other, you’ve become a real man.”

He Caitou snapped, “What kind of appraisal is that? Are you saying that little junior brother wasn’t a real man before?”

Xu Sanshi chuckled and said, “What I mean is that it’s time for sixth junior brother to find a girl.”

He Caitou’s face turned red, but it seemed like he’d suddenly thought of something. He glanced at Bei Bei as if he were asking for help and said, “Me… how about me?”

Bei Bei laughed. “I don’t know about that. It’ll all be up to your own ability. However, I think that you should have some more self-confidence. If you’re a little more thick-skinned, you’ll have a greater chance of success.”

“Oh.” He Caitou’s blushing cheeks weren’t that obvious because of his tanned skin. However, upon closer inspection, one would see that he’d become as purple as an eggplant.

Huo Yuhao was both taken aback and curious when he saw the bashful look on his second senior brother’s face. He walked up to his third senior brother and couldn’t help but ask, “Eldest senior brother, third senior brother… what’s going on with second senior brother? You guys are talking in riddles.”

Xu  Sanshi  chortled  and  said,  “It’s  about  the  activity tomorrow. Let’s go, we’ll talk about it on the way. If we don’t, we won’t make it to the Sea God’s Pavilion in time for dinner.”

The four of them left the Tang Sect and proceeded along the streets of Shrek City. Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi were more familiar with the road, thus they led the pack. It was obvious that they spent a lot less time walking, compared to Huo Yuhao when he’d tried to find his way here on his own.

“What  activity  is  it,  exactly?”   Huo  Yuhao  hadn’t  really thought too much about it at first, but after witnessing He Caitou’s conspicuously unnatural state, his youthful curiosity had been piqued. Xu Sanshi said, “Let me tell you a joke, little junior brother.

As there’s four of us, it’s quite relatable.”

“What’s it got to do with tomorrow’s activity?”  Huo Yuhao asked skeptically.

Xu Sanshi replied, “Nothing at all!”

“……”

Bei Bei laughed and said, “Can you not see, little junior brother, that he’s trying to change the topic and talk about other things? He doesn’t want to tell you!”

Xu Sanshi sincerely said, “It’s for your own good. Can’t you see that He Caitou has become stifled and taciturn? I believe that you’ll be like him if you know what the activity is about. It’s not my fault that the two of you are still virgins.”

“What’s  this  got  to  do  with  being  virgins?”  Huo  Yuhao suddenly felt that something was amiss. Bei Bei said seriously, “Don’t look down on virgins. I’m also a virgin.”

“Ahem! Actually, me too…  at least, I’m one in spirit.”  Xu Sanshi immediately tried to explain himself.

Bei Bei muttered contemptuously, “You? Would Nannan reject you like she does if you were still a virgin? You still have the shame to laugh at others—I want to see how you pass this hurdle tomorrow.”

Xu Sanshi was utterly destroyed by Bei Bei’s words, and his face immediately turned gloomy and depressed.

Huo Yuhao played the good samaritan in the end and hurriedly said, “Weren’t you about to tell us a joke, second senior brother? Come on and tell us.”

Xu Sanshi’s personality didn’t have many merits, but his skin was really thick. If not, he wouldn’t have been able to keep at it with Jiang Nannan for so long without giving up. He suddenly became invigorated when he heard Huo Yuhao’s question. “This joke…”

“Shut it,” Bei Bei abruptly interrupted Xu Sanshi and said, “we’re  about  to  have  dinner;  keep  your  disgusting  joke  to yourself so that you don’t affect everyone’s appetites. Let me tell you, I’m the host for today. If you antagonize me, I’m going to stir things up even if you can pass that hurdle with Nannan.”

“Ugh… Bei Bei, are you even human?”

Bei Bei leisurely continued, “We have to treat other humans like humans, but it’s hard to say for those things crawling on the ground.”

“Who are you referring to by ‘things crawling on the ground’?!” Xu Sanshi infuriatingly replied.

Bei Bei answered, “Some tortoise, of course. I wasn’t talking about you—there are people who pick up money from the ground—but I never thought there’d be people who insulted themselves.” “That’s it!” Xu Sanshi was about to lunge at Bei Bei.

Bei Bei didn’t seem to care as he muttered to himself, “I think that some people don’t even need to think about tomorrow’s Sea God’s Fate at the Sea God’s Lake anymore.”

“I…” Xu Sanshi stopped in his tracks resentfully. “Forget it. I’m a magnanimous and accommodating person, so I won’t fuss with you. But seriously, you have to help me tomorrow! If I fail one more time, I’ll lose all my confidence.”

Bei Bei rolled his eyes and said, “Your skin is thicker than the city wall—is it really possible for you to lose your confidence? I’m not sure who that was last night, but that person told me that he would never stop until he got what he wanted, no matter what he had to do. However, I’m quite curious—what did you do to Nannan all those years ago? You’ve been nice and decent to her over the past two years, yet why won’t she accept you? I’ve asked her privately before, but she still wouldn’t tell me anything.”

Xu  Sanshi  replied  solemnly,  “Then,  I  can’t  say  anything either. Otherwise, I won’t have a chance at all.” The smile on Huo Yuhao’s face became wider as he watched his brothers bicker and banter. It feels great to be home! Eldest senior brother and third senior brother are still the same. However… He suddenly realized something, and cut into the conversation from the side. “Eldest senior brother, what’s this ‘Sea God’s Fate on the Sea God’s Lake’ that you just mentioned?”

Bei Bei chuckled and replied, “That’s tomorrow’s activity.

You’ll have to work hard, little junior brother.”

Huo Yuhao pulled a long face and said, “You still haven’t told me what the activity is about, eldest senior brother! How can I work hard?”

Xu Sanshi chimed in. “Two words are enough to describe it: Blind date!”

“Blind date?” Huo Yuhao’s eyes widened. “What blind date?”

Xu Sanshi replied, “You don’t understand? It means finding a girl for yourself! Do you understand now?” “Uh…” Huo Yuhao’s expression creased into a frown as he said, “How could the academy host an activity like that? Furthermore, it’s even hosted in our inner courtyard.”

Bei Bei smiled and said, “This is a traditional event in the academy. There’s only one aim, and that’s to keep the goodies within the family. You should know that the inner courtyard students are the true elites of the academy, and that there are rarely more than one hundred students in the inner courtyard; it’s usually fifty to sixty. The inner courtyard is also responsible as the Guardians, while everyone has to work hard and cultivate as well. This is the reason why everyone is relatively familiar with each other, and why we hardly have the chance to interact with the outside world for a sufficient period of time. The inner courtyard’s students aren’t limited by age, thus the academy has noticed that many students are youths who have come of age yet haven’t found themselves a suitable partner.

“I don’t know when the academy started to host this event, but there will be a Sea God’s Fate every year. Typically, the event will be hosted before the new batch of inner courtyard students take their assessments so that original inner courtyard students can have blind dates on Sea God’s Lake. Everybody is able to put their abilities up on display however they want to at the Sea God’s Fate, and they can go ahead and chase their crush or whoever they like. As long as the other party agrees, these two can then attempt to start interacting and communicating with each other. We are all students from the inner courtyard. As such, everyone has similar experiences and abilities, so it’s natural for many of us to find a match. The

truth is that the Sea God’s Fate has brought many couples in

the academy together.”

Chapter 211: The Blind Date at the Sea God's Fate

Huo Yuhao had never expected the activity that Bei Bei was talking about to be a blind date, thus his heart unwittingly began to beat faster. Will that Wang Qiu’er be attending this blind date too?

He was experienced in terms of battle, but he was like a blank piece of paper when it came to relationships. He actually became exactly what that Xu Sanshi had described earlier, as he descended into silence and began to blush.

Xu Sanshi walked up next to Huo Yuhao and wrapped his arm around Huo Yuhao’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Yuhao, it’s easy to get girls! I’ll teach you three moves: Be courageous, be meticulous,, and be thick-skinned. We’re all adults at this point, and the academy has given us permission. If you see someone that you like, just go ahead and chase her. Remember that we aren’t inferior to anyone, and good luck!”

“Yes,” Huo Yuhao nodded, but the Goddess of Light’s image echoed in his mind. The first person that popped into his mind when he thought about girls was the woman of his dreams, and occasionally the feeling of awe he’d felt when he saw Wang Qiu’er’s elegance and gracefulness.

“When will Wang Dong be back, eldest senior brother?” Huo Yuhao asked Bei Bei. It’d be nice if Wang Dong was around. Wang Qiu’er should be his twin sister, thus he should be able to give me some pointers.

Bei Bei exchanged a look with Xu Sanshi and then said, “He should be back in time to participate in the event, as it’ll be hosted tomorrow night. Eldest senior sister and I will be hosting the hosts of the Sea God’s Fate, thus we’ll explain the rules to you tomorrow during the day. This event belongs to the inner courtyard’s students, and is a good chance for everyone to interact with one another. The teachers will make guest appearances and watch from the side, but they will not interfere. You don’t have to worry, little junior brother, because we have prepared for bashful people like you and Caitou, and I guarantee that you will be eased into the event when the time comes. Furthermore, you have to remember that being together with the person you like isn’t that easy, as there are far fewer girls in the inner courtyard than guys! There will be a contest of abilities when the time comes, so you have to be mentally prepared for that!” We still have to fight during the blind date? Huo Yuhao exchanged a look with He Caitou. There was a tinge of eagerness in all his anxiety, but he also felt a little distressed and awkward.

“Eldest senior brother, can I choose not participate in this event?” Huo Yuhao asked feebly.

Bei Bei replied firmly, “No way! You’re part of the Sea God’s Pavilion, and you’re part of Shrek’s Seven Monsters! You will ruin our reputation if you don’t participate! Furthermore, you won’t have this fantastic opportunity whenever you want it. Even though it’s hosted every year, if you don’t make a move on the girl you like, then perhaps she’ll become someone else’s girl the following year. You can’t let this opportunity go, as it may never come back to you.”

Huo Yuhao watched Bei Bei’s sincere and honest expression, but Huo Yuhao felt as if there were butterflies in his stomach. He started to hope for Wang Dong’s return in his mind again. Wang Dong was much more experienced than he was with things like this.

--- 

They departed Shrek City, and it didn’t take long before they returned to Shrek Academy.

Sea God’s Island hadn’t changed much. Even before he stepped on the island, Huo Yuhao could feel that there were quite a few people in boats hustling about on the lake.

Bei Bei told him that they were making preparations for tomorrow’s Sea God’s Fate.

“Let’s grab a bite to eat. I’m famished.” Xu Sanshi patted his stomach and strode towards the canteen the moment he stepped on the island.

Huo Yuhao was astonished when they arrived at the canteen.

The Sea God’s Pavilion’s canteen was bustling. He could see about thirty students eating when he surveyed the place, and the food seemed a lot more sumptuous than before. What made him even more surprised was that there were two barrels of red wine by the side, which students could drink if they wanted to. 

“What’s  this,  eldest  senior  brother?  The  academy  allows alcohol now?” Huo Yuhao asked in shock.

Bei  Bei  answered,  “The  Sea  God’s  Fate  will  be  hosted tomorrow, and tonight is called Singles Night. Have you realized that the people eating are all guys, and there isn’t a single girl? Everybody has been frustrated and nervous during their day-to-day cultivation, and most of the students in the inner courtyard are already adults. Having a little wine is nothing, and this is expressly permitted by the academy so that everyone can relax a little. It isn’t allowed on typical days. Come, let’s have a drink!”

This was the first time Huo Yuhao had ever tasted wine. He savored the delicious food prepared by the academy’s top-tier chefs and sipped on dark red wine the color of a rose. He gazed into the night above the Sea God’s Lake in the distance, and he suddenly felt a little surreal.

The wine tasted a little sour when it entered his mouth, and it smelled like ripe apricots. He didn’t feel much when he had the first mouthful, but the crisp fragrance of the wooden barrel and the wine’s various aromas came back as an aftertaste, and Huo Yuhao instantly felt his face starting to heat up. He had never been tipsy before in his entire life, and he felt as if his entire body had been submerged in the savory wine.

“Huo Yuhao?” A deep and slightly unfamiliar voice rang out from behind him.

Huo Yuhao turned around and stared at the person who had called out his name. His eyes were relaxed and a little dazed before this, but they instantly became as sharp as could be.

This person was a tall young man, slightly taller than Huo Yuhao, with broad shoulders and a wide back. His short golden hair was especially neat and clean, but his face seemed a little gloomy and overcast, and he was staring at Huo Yuhao with cold eyes. He was also holding a cup of wine in his hand, and his pupils sparkled with a chilly light.

“Dai Huabin,” Huo Yuhao called out the other person’s name calmly.

They hadn’t seen each other for more than two years, but the hatred in Huo Yuhao’s heart had never disappeared, not even for a single moment. He had gotten better at hiding this hatred at the bottom of his heart. At least, now wasn’t the time to take his revenge.

Dai Huabin walked up beside Huo Yuhao and looked towards the vast mist-covered Sea God’s Lake. He sipped his wine and his eyes narrowed as he asked, “When did you return?”

Huo Yuhao drank his wine in similar fashion and replied, “I came back a few days ago.”

Dai Huabin asked, “Are you participating in tomorrow’s Sea God’s Fate?”

Huo Yuhao answered, “Yes.”

Dai Huabin said, “I didn’t want to participate at first, as Zhu Lu hasn’t entered the inner courtyard yet. However, since you’re going to participate, I’ll participate as well. Shall we make a bet?”

“Nope.” Huo Yuhao’s answer was clean and decisive. “You’re afraid?” Dai Huabin raised an eyebrow, and the glow in his eyes became stronger than before.

Huo Yuhao turned towards him, and his eyes were still as limpid as before. “No.”

“Then why don’t you want to bet with me?”  Dai Huabin’s tone was overbearing and menacing.

Huo Yuhao smiled and replied, “Because you’re not worthy.” He was smiling, but the chill in his eyes was filled with provocation.

Dai Huabin was silent, and his cheeks tensed up. The cup of wine in his hands remained unnaturally stable, however.

Huo Yuhao thought he was going to attack, but Dai Huabin regained his composure and muttered coldly, “We’ll see if I’m worthy enough at the Sea God’s Fate tomorrow.” With that, he turned around and strode away. Huo Yuhao was a little surprised as he watched Dai Huabin walk away. His words were meant to infuriate Dai Huabin. The hatred and vengeance between the two of them was irreconcilable, but this was Shrek Academy, after all, and Huo Yuhao couldn’t just murder him here even if he had the ability

to do so. Therefore, he had to trick Dai Huabin into making a

mistake, and when Dai Huabin did something outrageous when he was angry… well, the outcome would be hard to say.

However, Dai Huabin displayed his calm and composed side, and he wasn’t as impulsive as he was back then. He actually restrained himself even when Huo Yuhao tried to provoke him. He turned and left just like that, something that would have been unimaginable for Huo Yuhao if they were in the past.

He’s grown up too!, Huo Yuhao thought to himself. He stared at Dai Huabin, and couldn’t help but think about Dai Yueheng, who he had fought along side by side before. Dai Yueheng had already left the academy, and he was probably fighting on the battlefield with the White Tiger Duke. In terms of blood relations, they were both Huo Yuhao’s older brothers.

Brothers, what a strange thing to call them. Huo Yuhao laughed at himself. Xu Sanshi came beside Huo Yuhao, and he drained the wine in his cup as he asked, “What did that Dai Huabin fellow want with you?”

Huo Yuhao explained, “He says we shall meet at the Sea God’s Fate tomorrow.”

Xu Sanshi said, “Seems like he wants to stir up trouble for you! Huo Yuhao, you can’t be complacent. Dai Huabin has improved rapidly over the past two years.”

“Eh?” Huo Yuhao glanced at Xu Sanshi, surprised. He knew that his third senior brother had always thought highly of himself, so he didn’t expect Xu Sanshi to give such a high evaluation of Dai Huabin.

Xu Sanshi said, “Your batch has many prodigies and talents, indeed. You, Wang Dong, and even Xiao Xiao have entered the inner courtyard, and several students jumped levels to enter the inner courtyard as well.”

“Several? Who else besides Dai Huabin?”  Huo Yuhao asked curiously. 

Xu  Sanshi  replied,  “There  are  three  others.  The  Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda’s auxiliary-type soul master Ning Tian, the Red Dragon assault-type soul master Wu Feng, and the Rubberdon defense-type soul master Xie Huanyue. Yea, isn’t that him over there?”

Huo Yuhao followed Xu Sanshi’s eyes, and saw Xie Huanyue.

Xie Huanyue was much taller compared to a few years ago, but his body seemed to have grown even pudgier, while his looks were quite different as well. After all, everyone had gone through puberty. Dai Huabin walked up next to him and said something to him, and Xie Huanyue’s eyes coincidentally turned towards Huo Yuhao.

Their eyes met, and Huo Yuhao raised the wine glass in his hands as a gesture. He didn’t have any vengeance or hatred with Xie Huanyue, after all.

Xie Huanyue responded with a nod. Xu Sanshi said, “Did you expect the few of them to be able to join the inner courtyard?”

Huo Yuhao asked, “They must have broken through Rank 50?”

Xu Sanshi nodded and replied, “They can be described as extraordinary prodigies even within Shrek Academy, just like you and Wang Dong. Even though they don’t have twin martial souls, their martial souls are exceptionally powerful. This is especially so for Dai Huabin, and his performance in the past few years has been rather dazzling and stunning.” 

“His soul power should’ve exceeded Rank 50 by now. You have to realize that he’s been studying in the outer courtyard this whole time, and that he doesn’t have the advantage of twin martial souls like Wang Dong does. At his current rate of progression, he’ll definitely breach Rank 60 within the next two years. Among Shrek’s Seven Monsters, even Nannan and Xiao Xiao might not be as fast as him.”

Huo Yuhao smiled and said, “I’m slower too.”

Xu Sanshi quickly snapped back, “You’re a freak, how could you be the same as the others? You shouldn’t talk about yourself like that. Even though I don’t think that Dai Huabin is stronger than you, his potential and talent are possibly superior to senior Dai Yueheng’s. You should watch out in case he tries to stir up trouble with you tomorrow, as it’s related to a major turning point in your life.”

Huo Yuhao laughed and said, “Third senior brother, you sound like you’re trying to say that I’ll definitely find the person that I like tomorrow." 

Xu Sanshi laughed along with him and said, “You’ll find her as long as you’re not a stupid fool.”

Even though Huo Yuhao was feeling a little distressed again, he could still clearly feel Xu Sanshi’s concern.

“Come, let’s have a few more drinks. It’s rare for the academy to give us wine, and pretty good wine at that. This brew is probably at least ten years old, and has been oxidized beforehand. These two barrels are quite expensive! Look at Bei Bei, that useless fella.”

Bei Bei was currently chatting with He Caitou on the other side. They were both sitting right next to a barrel of wine as if they were guarding it, and Bei Bei was downing wine very quickly—he’d finish his glass in two or three mouthfuls before refilling it and continuing. He Caitou was quite large, but even he wasn’t drinking as fast as Bei Bei.

Xu Sanshi’s frowned slightly and said, “Bei Bei has been quite depressed these past two years.” Huo Yuhao nodded his head slightly; of course he knew what Xu Sanshi was trying to say.

Xu Sanshi heaved a sigh and said, “It’s so difficult to find a single person in this wide, vast world of ours. Even though we all know that something has probably happened to Xiao Ya, he refuses to believe it. I’ve already seen him drinking by himself late into the night several times. He looks tough on the surface, but his heart is actually extremely fragile; Xiao Ya is just too important to him.”

Huo Yuhao gradually clenched his fists. He lowered his voice and said, “Teacher Xiao Ya will be alright.”

Xu Sanshi nodded and said, “We’ll all pray for her.”

They walked up to Bei Bei and He Caitou after they’d finished speaking. Bei Bei’s eyes were already covered with layer of haziness, and he smiled when he saw Huo Yuhao. He patted Huo Yuhao lightly on the shoulder and then finished the cup of wine he was holding with a single gulp. “Yuhao, you have to remember my words: Treasure the people around you. “You will only truly feel the impact of their loss in your bones when you’ve actually lost them. I won’t drink anymore; I don’t want you to see my fragile side. I’m leaving!” He waved to the three of them once he’d finished and then turned to walk away, staggering from side to side as he did so.

Huo Yuhao wanted to chase after him, but Xu Sanshi held him back and said, “Don’t. Nothing that we say to him will be as good as letting him have some alone time. All that we can say has been said; he doesn’t want to get drunk and collapse before us, which means that he’s trying to protect his last ounce of dignity.”

Xu Sanshi had known Bei Bei longer than everyone else present, thus he was undoubtedly the one that understood him best.

Huo Yuhao turned back around; he truly didn’t wish to see his eldest senior brother like this. As the circles around his eyes began to turn red, he thought, Is this love? If the girl that I like were to suddenly leave my side one day, would I become like him? Bei Bei’s loneliness affected everyone’s mood in the end, and the Singles Night ended like that. Huo Yuhao didn’t stay with his senior brothers, as his dorm on Sea God’s Island had been assigned to someone else. As such, he could only stay in the Sea God’s Pavilion for now.

He sauntered towards the Sea God’s Pavilion. However, when he saw the towering Golden Tree, tears began to involuntarily trickle down his cheeks. He wasn’t just feeling sad for Bei Bei— coming back here made him think about Elder Mu, who’d passed away.

He knelt on the ground in the direction of the Sea God’s Pavilion, and kowtowed towards the tall ancient tree three times in a row.

“I’m home, teacher. I miss you so much.” Huo Yuhao didn’t even manage to finish his sentence before beginning to sob uncontrollably.

This place was his real home; only here could he feel completely relaxed. Two and a half years had gone by, and he’d finally been able to see the Sea God’s Island once more. He was finally able to see the Sea God’s Pavilion and Golden Tree again. 

Huo Yuhao cried for a good fifteen minutes, as if he was releasing all the pent-up emotions that he’d accumulated over the past two and a half years.

Elder Mu was gone, Electrolux’s divine sense had dissipated into nothingness, Teacher Xiao Ya was missing, and Ma Xiaotao had vanished. These were all people he was extremely close to.

He had been extraordinarily tough on himself back in the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. He’d rarely slept properly; most nights had been spent drawing blueprints or cultivating.

More than two years had gone by since he left. Huo Yuhao had grown up, and was now much more mature. But no matter what, he was still only seventeen years old. Most people at his age were still in their adolescence, and their mentalities were still immature such that they still had to rely on their parents. And yet, Huo Yuhao had been carrying so much more on his shoulders all by himself. Elder Xuan quietly stood a ways away from Huo Yuhao, raising the wine bottle in his hands from time to time to take a sip. However, he didn’t step forward to console Huo Yuhao, as an emotional catharsis such as this wasn’t exactly a bad thing for him. Instead, this was a chance for Huo Yuhao to finally release his pent-up emotions.

Elder Mu, Elder Mu… you took in two exceptional disciples during your final years!

Elder Xuan’s eyes were full of gratification.

In the Sea God’s Pavilion not far from him, a pair of clear yet icy-blue eyes were staring at Huo Yuhao, who was still bawling on the ground. This person wanted to dash out and comfort Huo Yuhao, but the two people beside this person held them back.

“Do you want to waste all of your past efforts?”

“Control yourself. Crying isn’t a bad thing for him. Men shed tears too, but they don’t come easily. I think that there’s too much pressure on his shoulders.” 

“But, he’s in so much pain, and his cries are so sorrowful.

I…”

“Stop looking. Your tears are coming out too. Everything will be alright tomorrow. Look, Elder Xuan is here. He’ll be fine. He’s a powerful Soul King after all, will crying really do him any harm?”

Huo Yuhao cried until even he felt a bit dizzy and disoriented. He didn’t know when he returned to the Sea God’s Pavilion, and couldn’t remember how he’d entered his room. He simply collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep the moment that he entered the room.

Pale golden rays cascaded in through the walls of Huo Yuhao’s room. They became specks of golden light that descended onto his body; it was as if they were warmly and gently caressing and comforting him.

Huo Yuhao was still in dreamland, but he began to feel warm. His tightly knit eyebrows gradually relaxed, and he began to sleep even more soundly. When he woke up from his deep sleep, his entire body felt languid and relaxed, and he felt an unspeakable amount of comfort and contentment. His fatigue had completely disappeared, which was in stark contrast to his lethargic sleep back at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.

“I’m home.” He lay back down on the bed and closed his eyes. The corner of his mouth curled into a faint smile—the feeling of being home was just too good.

He hugged his blanket that was filled with the smell of sunlight and turned on his side, seeming to feel even more comfortable. Sunlight was already flooding into the room, but he didn’t want to get up at all.

He continued to doze. By the time he woke up, he felt a wave of freshness and coolness. There was just one thing that didn’t feel comfortable—his stomach.

Why am I so hungry?

He quickly sat up on the bed, and then rubbed his sleepy eyes and dragged himself to the window to check the sky outside. Just this one look gave him a shock. The sun is leaning towards the west! Midday has already passed?! Did I really sleep that long?

The first thought that came to mind was that he hadn’t even cultivated his Purple Demon Eyes. However, it didn’t seem like there was much to do today anyway.

I’ve finally returned home. I should just rest for a day.

He was in exceptional spirits after a good night’s sleep, and left the room after changing his clothes.

The Sea God’s Pavilion never lacked food; Huo Yuhao quickly found some fruit and other light refreshments before he proceeded towards the Sea God’s Island’s dormitory area. He wanted to find his senior brothers and find out what today’s arrangement were.

Right—there’s that Sea God’s Fate thing tonight! Huo Yuhao slapped himself on the forehead. He’d slept so long that his mind had become a little blurry and had nearly forgotten about it. 

I’m sure eldest senior brother will tell me the rules now.

When he arrived at Bei Bei’s dorm room, both Xu Sanshi and He Caitou were already there.

The inner courtyard’s living conditions were a lot better than the students in the outer courtyard; several two-story buildings had been erected unevenly on the Sea God’s Island, each of which could host two students. Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi naturally took one of these buildings, while He Caitou’s situation was similar to Huo Yuhao’s in that he had nowhere to go. However, he couldn’t sleep in the Sea God’s Pavilion, thus he’d decided to sleep at Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi’s place. The place was spacious anyway—housing an extra person wasn’t a problem.

“Eldest senior brother, second senior brother, third senior brother.” Huo Yuhao greeted his senior brothers respectively.

“You didn’t just wake up, did you, little junior brother?” Bei Bei asked with a smile on his face. He seemed to have recovered from last night. The dejection and moodiness from the previous day was completely gone. 

Huo Yuhao was a little embarrassed as he replied, “Yeah, I just woke up. I haven’t had such a comfortable sleep in a long time. Maybe it’s because I’m home, but I felt much more relaxed in my sleep.”

He Caitou nodded his head as if he related deeply to this comment and said, “I had that feeling as well—last night’s sleep was great. Sleeping is so much more comfortable than meditation!”

Xu Sanshi rolled his eyes and said, “You had a great comfortable sleep, but the two of us sure suffered. Your snoring was so loud that we thought the ceiling was going to collapse.”

Bei Bei heaved a faint sigh and said, “I have to thank Caitou after all. At least I temporarily forgot about Xiao Ya amidst his thunderous snoring.”

“I… are you two even human? Was it that bad?” He Caitou angrily exclaimed. “Yes!” Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi nodded in unison. It was clear that the two of them had truly suffered a lot last night…

Huo Yuhao tried to hold back his laughter from the side. The days he spent with his senior brothers were always greatly pleasing and gratifying. 

Xu Sanshi said, “Caitou, considering how loud you snore, should you pay the doctor a visit? Even if Xiao Xiao does walk away with you during the Sea God’s Fate, you’ll both have quite a hard time. Who in their right mind could stand having a sleepless night every day?”

He Caitou lowered his voice and said, “I can meditate; I won’t snore if I don’t sleep. Are you telling me that you actually sleep every single night?”

“Eh, that makes sense.”  They were soul masters, thus they didn’t spend that many days sleeping. Generally, most of their nights were spent meditating.

Huo Yuhao attempted to help his second senior brother and asked, “What are the rules for today’s Sea God’s Fate, eldest senior brother? How many people will be participating?”

Bei Bei answered, “You’ve asked the right person. Nobody but me and eldest senior sister know the exact number of participants tonight—not even the teachers are aware. We benefit from being the insiders. As such, I’ll explain the key events to you guys in order to ensure that none of you run into any problems before the confessions.”

Xu Sanshi, He Caitou, and Huo Yuhao all began to listen intently to Bei Bei’s explanation. In the end, this event would be a major turning point in their lives.

Xu Sanshi and He Caitou both had a target in mind, while Huo Yuhao seemed to desire the girl of his dreams. However, the three of them had something in common: They didn’t have absolute confidence.

There was no need to mention Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan, as they’d always been a resentful couple. Even though Jiang Nannan showed some concern to Xu Sanshi from time to time, she was generally cold towards him, while her speech was typically serious and direct.

He Caitou’s relationship with Xiao Xiao was comparatively better, as they’d been relatively well-acquainted since the beginning. However, Xiao Xiao had still been young back then. He Caitou was exceptionally diffident about these things, thus he’d never proposed any sort of official relationship between them. He Caitou and Huo Yuhao had then left the academy for two years, thus he was afraid that Xiao Xiao had forgotten all about him—how could he have even a thread of confidence?

As for Huo Yuhao, he hadn’t known a thing about romance when he left Shrek Academy on the exchange program. He hadn’t had a chance to think much about it, as he was still mired in grief from his teacher’s passing.

However, the number of girls that he interacted with began to increase proportionately with his age, thus he began to gain an inkling about love and romance, especially during his interaction with Ju Zi. The Goddess of Light that had been conjured by the Raiment of Light had simply been too beautiful, and this feeling of ‘love at first sight’ had taken root deep inside his heart. However, the Goddess of Light herself was virtual—she wasn’t real. If not for that glimpse of beauty and enchantment on the day he’d returned, Huo Yuhao probably wouldn’t have had any fantasies about the Sea God’s Fate at all. However, since he had, things were different now: ‘Wang Qiu’er’—the name of Wang Dong’s twin sister that he’d mentioned—was starting to ferment in his mind. An unknown eagerness had appeared in his heart towards tonight’s Sea God’s Fate. Bei Bei continued, “The Sea God’s Fate is one of the most important internal activities within Shrek Academy. Shrek Academy is known as the number-one academy in the Continent, and we aren’t called that for nothing. As I’m sure you’re all aware, the inner courtyard’s disciples are all extraordinarily elite soul masters; their abilities are formidable, so it’s natural that they have high relationship standards. As such, it isn’t that easy for them to find a suitable partner in the outside world. This is the reason for the Sea God’s Fated Blind Date. We’re trying to give the inner courtyard’s disciples, who typically devote their concentration and focus to cultivation, a chance to mingle with and get to know each other.”

“Get to the point.” Xu Sanshi said a little impatiently.

Bei Bei smiled and said, “Don’t be impatient, you have to let me explain properly. Neither He Caitou nor our little junior brother have participated in this event before. Even though this is a blind date, we are an academy after all, and the number one academy on the Continent at that. This even isn’t as simple as a blind date—the Sea God’s Fated Blind Date is also a platform to test the abilities of the inner courtyard’s disciples. Obtaining approval from the girl of your dreams isn’t that simple; everyone will have to pass through multiple trials before they’ll gain the chance to confess. If they can’t even pass this hurdle, then they won’t even get a chance to confess. Of course, luck is also involved; if you’re lucky enough, you might be able to enter the final part. When both parties are happy with each other, then you might just be able to walk away with said girl of your dreams.”

“Since it’s still considered an assessment, that means that it goes both ways—the men and women will both be assessed. The only difference is that there have always been fewer girls who participate in the Sea God’s Fated Blind Date, thus the assessment will naturally be more difficult for the guys.

“The event is separated into five segments. There are a total of fifty-six single inner courtyard disciples participating in the event including the three of you. That number also includes Dai Huabin, Xie Huanyue, Wu Feng, and Ning Tian, who entered the inner courtyard not too long ago.

“Eldest senior sister and I will be the hosts for this event. The first segment will be the Entry Phase. This event is known as ‘The Sea God’s Fate on the Sea God’s Lake’, which literally means that this event will be hosted atop the Sea God’s Lake. The lake will be decorated with lights, but there won’t be a stage or anything of the like. When the time comes, the only things that you guys will have to stand on will be water lilies.” 

“Water lilies?”  He Caitou’s face instantly darkened. Water lilies were aquatic plants enormous leaves more than one meter in diameter. The leaves edges then curved upwards, thus they could hold some weight on the water’s surface. However, water lilies could only hold the weight of a six or seven year-old kid without capsizing; grown adults were a bit too dense and heavy for water lilies.

He Caitou’s frame was at an extreme disadvantage under these circumstances and rules. He weighed more than a hundred and twenty kilograms, and his muscles were compact and knotted together. As he was a food-type soul master, even though his soul power had reached the level of Soul Emperor, controlling and manipulating his weight wasn’t his forte.

Huo Yuhao asked, “Will people from the Soul Tool Department be allowed to use their soul tools during the Sea God’s Fate?”

Bei Bei nodded and said, “Naturally, so neither you nor He Caitou should worry too much. Even if you have to make one now, I’m sure it won’t be difficult to create something to aid the two of you in floating atop the water.” He Caitou’s expression lightened somewhat as he nodded his head.

Bei Bei then spoke in a serious tone, “There’s one thing that you have be careful about, Caitou. No matter what sort of shape the soul tool you create ends up having, you have to make sure that it’s agile and nimble. This will be vital.”

“All male and female students will be provided with a leaf from a water lily as tools to float on during the Sea God’s Fated Blind Date; everything else will be up to them. Anybody that falls into the water during any segment will be immediately forfeit, and will no longer be allowed to participate in the activity.”

He Caitou asked, “Eldest senior brother, can we attack each other?”

Bei Bei answered, “In some segments. You’ll understand if you just keep listening.

“Of the fifty-six students from the inner courtyard participating in Sea God’s Fate, thirty-nine are male, while seventeen are female. The first segment is called ‘Mutual Feelings’. While the name sounds nice, it’s actually quite difficult. The seventeen female students will be standing in a row one hundred meters away from the guys, and will all be wearing bamboo hats with veils covering their faces so that you’re not able to see their appearances. Simply put, this round requires teamwork from the male students—all thirty-nine of you will be able to attempt to use your own respective powers to launch attacks at the girls. You can attack one, or you can attack multiple. The goal is simply to lift the veils covering their faces. How can you choose a girlfriend if you can’t even see what they look like, eh?

“This round is also meant as a way for everyone to display their skills and abilities. There’s no doubt that the more bamboo hats a guy can remove, the stronger he is. The girls aren’t allowed to help each other during this segment, nor can they retaliate against the guys. They can only passively defend and do their best to stop the bamboo hat from being removed from their heads. If a girl drops into the water during this round, she will also be forfeit. However, the guys generally know what they should and shouldn’t do during the first round

—if all the girls fell into the water, who would there be to

matchmake with?” Xu Sanshi sighed from the side and said, “There’s so many guys yet so few girls! Who could bear to chase even a single girl into the water? Anyone that does that will incur everyone’s wrath.”

Huo Yuhao noticed that Bei Bei’s words seemed to contain another meaning. “Eldest senior brother, that also means the guys will have to cross a hundred meters across the lake’s surface in order to attack, right? We’ll also have to cross the same distance after we attack, right?”

Bei Bei nodded and said, “Yes, you’re right. The difference in martial souls and how advantageous and disadvantageous they are in this segment will be obvious. All thirty-nine of you will draw lots to decide the order in which you’ll attack, and are allowed to give up the first round when your turn has come. In the end, not all martial souls are able to attack through the air, and not all martial souls can launch an attack and manage to return to their original spot safely. However, male students that choose to give up will be pushed to the back in the second round. The more bamboo hats that you can lift in the first round, the earlier that you’ll start in the second round. Following this, the earlier that you start the second round, the more girls that there will be, and the more choices you’ll have. “Let me explain the second round…”

Bei Bei continued to explain the Sea God’s Fated Blind Date’s rules and the various details to the three of them. As he was one of the hosts, he was extremely clear regarding the entire event and its itinerary. This explanation took up their entire afternoon.

The sun dipped over the western horizon when Bei Bei finally  stood  up  and  said,  “The  three  of  you  should  grab something to eat. I’ll go and find eldest senior sister to confirm the itinerary. Remember, don’t be late. Everyone already knows where to go. Good luck, everyone! Especially Caitou and little junior brother.”

Xu Sanshi retorted unhappily, “Why aren’t you wishing me good luck?”

Bei Bei said, “Does it matter if I do? Is this the first time that you’ve participated in Sea God’s Fate? Don’t get your hopes up. It doesn’t matter because you’re shameless anyway; if you can continue with your incessant entangling, maybe one day, Nannan will be so upset with your entanglement that she accepts you.” 

Xu Sanshi jumped up angrily and said, “What? Don’t get my hopes up? I’ll definitely succeed this time!”

Bei Bei didn’t even look at him as he waved towards Caitou and Huo Yuhao. “I’m leaving.”

Chapter 212: Mutual Feelings

“What kind of attitude is this?” Xu Sanshi was angry, but he didn’t pursue the matter. It was only when Bei Bei disappeared that he muttered to himself, “On account of Tang Ya, I won’t hold it against you.”

“Hmph, when she returns, I will deal with you. Let’s eat. I’m going turn my anger into appetite.”

He Caitou chortled, “Be careful of gaining weight. You’ll be unable to stand properly on the water lily.”

Xu Sanshi snapped, “Gain weight? Worry about yourself first. Don’t forget that I have experience! In addition, my martial soul is a water-type! Hehe!”

He Caitou stood up and walked beside Xu Sanshi, grabbing hold of his shoulders. He said softly, “Brother, you’re more experienced than me even though you’ve lost every fight that you’ve been in! Teach me a few tricks, please!” Xu Sanshi turned gloomy. “What do you mean, I lose every fight? I, I have reasons for that! If not for what happened, hmph, I would have won Nannan’s heart over...”

Huo Yuhao turned over and chortled, “Third senior, what happened then? We’re very curious as to how you offended fourth senior!”

“I won’t tell you!” Xu Sanshi was very determined not to say. “Nannan told me not to ever see her again if I dare to divulge what happened. Don’t get me in trouble!”

“Let’s go and eat.”

The three of them ate their meal together in the canteen. To He Caitou and Huo Yuhao, this Sea God's Fate was very new and interesting. However, they weren’t really nervous. After all, they were experienced. After their experiences in the Elite Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, their ability to deal with psychological pressure had grown tremendously. In addition, they also had the training from the Ultimate Soldier Plan. Although they weren’t completely immune, they wouldn’t become anxious easily. 

------

The sky slowly turned dark. Perhaps it was because of the Sea God's Fate, but Sea God’s Island revealed an enchanting aura.

On the island, Shrek Academy’s inner courtyard students wore their red uniforms as they started to gather in the place where the Sea God's Fate was going to commence.

As the Soul Tool Department had only developed recently, the inner courtyard students were mainly from the Martial Soul Department. They demonstrated their abilities and quickly gathered by the lakeside.

They were all male students; there weren’t any women there at all. As the pitch-black mist above the lake spread, it was difficult to see anything clearly.

At this point, a huge boat came toward the island from the distance. The boat was all lit up, and the inner courtyard students could see that it was the largest ferry on Sea God’s Lake. Right now, it was filled with people. 

Huo Yuhao had great eyesight, and could clearly see who was on the ferry. He saw several elders from the Sea God’s Pavilion: Yan Shaozhe, Cai Mei’er, Xian Lin’er, Qian Duoduo, and Fan Yu, along with a couple that he wasn’t familiar with.

Those who had previously participated in the Sea God's Fate knew what was going on. Those who were experiencing this for the first time were filled with expectation.

Their daily lives, learning, and cultivation in the academy were very dry and boring. Holding such an activity meant that the young men were being given an opportunity to show off, and potentially earn themselves a date.

The ferry stopped in the middle of the lake. At this point, a ray of light shot out from the lake, which then separated into seventeen individual rays.

“Wow…” The male students were all in awe.

The seventeen rays of light were dim gold, and on top each of them was a young lady in a white dress. All seventeen white dresses were the same. They also wore the same bamboo hats on their heads, and their faces were covered by identical white veils.

They looked like fairies under the illumination of the golden light. Their appearance was dazzling.

They were all quietly lined up in a row, facing the shore. The male students were all very eager by now.

At this point, two stronger rays of light also appeared, and two figures surfaced.

On the left was Bei Bei, who was wearing a long white robe. On the right was the Shrek Academy inner courtyard’s eldest senior sister, Zhang Lexuan, who was decked out in a light yellow dress.

After not seeing her for two years, Huo Yuhao discovered that she hadn’t changed at all. Time hadn’t seemed to leave a mark on her body, she was still as sweet and beautiful as before, with a light smile on her face. Bei Bei’s voice resonated. “Sea God’s Fate above Sea God’s Lake! One day to pick your love! Welcome all to the lakeside of Sea God’s Lake on this beautiful night! The annual Sea God's Fate will be starting soon! As the emcee of today’s prestigious event, I’ll like to wish all inner courtyard students good luck in

finding your partner on behalf of myself and eldest senior sister. At the same time, I’d like to welcome the elders from the Sea God’s Pavilion and the teachers who are observing today’s event! On behalf of the students, I’d like to sincerely thank all of you. Without your patience in nurturing and helping us, we

wouldn’t have achieved what we have today!” After he finished speaking, he placed his right hand on his chest and turned to the ferry before bowing in an expression of gratitude.

Elder Xuan smiled and nodded at Bei Bei, signaling to him that he could continue.

It was a simple opening speech, but it generated rapturous applause. The male students were also cheering loudly. Those who already had a partner in mind were even more eager.

“All you young men, please make your preparations. There will be thirty-nine beams of light appearing from the lake later. Those who are closest to our Sea God’s Fairies will be first to participate in the first segment, while the students at the back might not be able to obtain suitable rankings in the first segment. That’s why it’s important to be alert. No matter what method you use, you must find a spot on the water lilies illuminated by the beams of light. However, you must not land in the water. Those who do will be disqualified.”

His explanation was very clear. Most of the young men were already raring to go.

Huo Yuhao seemed to sense something. As he turned, he saw Dai Huabin throwing a look at him. Dai Huabin’s gaze was cold and fierce. Huo Yuhao smiled; he wasn’t bothered.

“Everyone be prepared. Three, two, one.” On the other side, Bei Bei was already counting down.

“Begin!”

Thirty-nine beams of light shot out from the lake. These thirty-nine beams of light formed three neat rows, each row five meters away from the next. They were spread out proportionately on the lake surface a hundred meters away from the female students, and around two hundred meters away from the shore.

As Bei Bei shouted, everyone on the shore started to act.

Those who had an obvious advantage were the soul masters with flying-type martial souls. Fortunately, only four out of the thirty-nine male students unleashed their martial souls. They flew into the air and rushed swiftly towards the center of the lake.

Their soul rings shone brightly, and were very clear above the lake under the night sky.

Huo Yuhao lifted his head to watch, and was in awe. They were indeed seniors from the inner courtyard. Out of the four, two of them were seven-ringed Soul Sages, and had two yellow, two purple and three black soul rings – the best combination of soul rings that could normally be achieved. The other two had six rings, and their six rings were also the optimal combination of colors. As the four of them charged forward, they turned into four streaks of light. The rest of the students also showed off their moves. The shore started to shine brightly with soul rings. It was like a huge batch of fireworks had been released!

Huo Yuhao, He Caitou, and Xu Sanshi were naturally unwilling to lag behind. Huo Yuhao and He Caitou acted at the same time. The two of them lifted off the ground, and their soul thrusters were activated. The strong thrusting force propelled them forward fast enough to surpass their seniors, even though they had lower cultivations.

The explosive speed of their soul thrusters was great, but they couldn’t last long. Otherwise, their soul power would be greatly depleted, and the soul thrusters wouldn’t be able to take it, either. It was possible to travel two hundred meters in the air, but not on the ground. On the one hand, the depletion was too great. On the other hand, there wasn’t sufficient space, and it was difficult to control their movements at that speed.

So Huo Yuhao and He Caitou used their flying-type soul tools as they activated their soul thrusters, lighting them up. Although their martial souls couldn’t fly, there wasn’t much difference from using their flying-type soul tools instead. They zipped straight towards the center of the lake. However, they were using external forces to help them fly, and needed some time to pour in their soul power and control their soul tools. Although they were very quick, they didn’t end up in advantageous spots compared to the other inner courtyard students, who had unleashed all sorts of moves.

As Huo Yuhao and He Caitou were closing in on the thirty- nine streaks of light, someone had already landed on a water lily in the first row.

The water lilies were very obvious on the lake surface. The lilies looked fresh and invigorating under the illumination of the strong lights below them. They were azure-green, like jade floating on the water’s surface. They appeared very enchanting floating in the background of the surrounding white lights. 

Xu Sanshi used a different method than all of them. He wasn’t anxious at all, and moved leisurely at the back. He unleashed his six soul rings—two yellow, two purple and two black. He glanced in front of him. Seeing that the students in front of him were about to arrive, he suddenly leapt up and unleashed his Shield of the Xuanming Turtle. As the shield struck the water’s surface, it skipped over the water. This repeated three times, and it traveled seventy to eighty meters forward. At this point, he was still at the back, while the four students who could fly had already landed on water lilies. Huo Yuhao and He Caitou also found spots in the first row.

A delighted smile appeared on Xu Sanshi’s face. His fourth soul ring lit up, and the student who had landed in the first spot on the first row turned stiff. In the next instant, their positions were switched. Xu Sanshi lifted his body and landed lightly on the first water lily. The student who was displaced ended up in last place, behind everyone.

Xu Sanshi was generous enough to choose a senior who had a martial soul that allowed him to fly. Although he was unfortunate to have been displaced, he didn’t actually fall into the water. As he burst forward again, he could only tragically find a spot in the third row.

“Xu  Sanshi,  you  idiot!”  This  seven-ringed  Soul  Sage  was around thirty years old. Currently, he looked very dismal. Not only was his position snatched, but he couldn’t even find a spot in the second row. While he was depressed, he couldn’t do anything to Xu Sanshi. According to the rules of the Sea God’s Fate, one’s position couldn’t be changed once they landed on a water lily.

Xu Sanshi turned around and greeted the seven-ringed Soul Sage, “Senior, apologies for the offense. Who asked you to take up such a fantastic spot? Don’t worry, I only have eyes for one person. Everyone knows who she is. No one can snatch her from me! Otherwise, I will really get angry.”

All the inner courtyard students started to burst out in laughter after seeing his clown-like expression.

While Xu Sanshi was considered a junior of the inner courtyard, he had risen extremely fast along with Bei Bei. He was also a very friendly person; almost everyone knew who he was, and how he’d been rejected by Jiang Nannan again and again. The Soul Sage who was feeling down started to laugh. “You wait and see. Even if Nannan chooses you, I’m going to challenge you for her.”

“Surely not?”

“Are you serious? Eldest senior sister, someone’s threatening me. Furthermore, he should be your biggest fan if I don’t remember incorrectly! Are you going to discipline him?” Xu Sanshi wore an exaggerated expression as he exclaimed towards Zhang Lexuan.

Zhang  Lexuan  laughed  and  said,  “Sanshi,  stop  fooling around.”  As she spoke, everyone on the lake could hear her clearly. But her voice wasn’t piercing; she just sounded like she was talking to everyone.

When the male students heard her, they started to stand straight. It was as if they were afraid of leaving a bad impression in her mind.

In the inner courtyard, Zhang Lexuan had absolute authority among the  students. Not only was she strong, but her personality was also very nice. She was never stingy in helping the other students. She was gentle, virtuous and was the goddess in many of the students’ hearts! As she opened her mouth, even Xu Sanshi stopped speaking, and wore an obsequious smile on his face.

Zhang  Lexuan  was  amused  as  she  said,  “Although  Sanshi played tricks, he’s only doing this for his happiness. Furthermore, all of you have the right to do anything you want. It’s just that you’re not as cunning as him. This is only the first segment. We’ll need all of you to cooperate. Don’t end up not even seeing the ladies’ faces. If that happens, you’re going to suffer at the back. Bei Bei, let’s begin.”

“Okay.” Bei Bei acknowledged her words and said, “Sea God’s Fate above Sea God’s Lake. It’s time for the annual Sea God’s Fate. I believe everyone has been waiting for a long time. There are five segments to this blind date. Everyone please be prepared. Let me reiterate again—if you drop into the water, you will be disqualified.”

Zhang Lexuan added, “We’ll judge the prettiest Sea God’s Fairy and the luckiest male student. However, you need to lift the veils of the fairies first.” Huo Yuhao stepped onto the water lily. The load-bearing capacity of the water lily was rather impressive. As long as he gathered his soul power, he should be able to stand steadily on the water lily given his cultivation. However, the prerequisite was that he didn’t move unnecessarily or wildly.

He wasn’t listening to Zhang Lexuan and Bei Bei seriously at this point. He only activated his Spiritual Detection to count the number of people.

“Thirty-seven,  thirty-eight,  thirty-nine.  Thirty-nine!  But where’s Wang Dong? Don’t tell me he’s not included in the thirty-nine of us? Why isn’t he here? This is a great opportunity. With his looks, he could surely find a nice lady if he wanted to. What a pity.”

He had been looking for Wang Dong when he had arrived just now, and Bei Bei told him that Wang Dong would definitely make it. However, apparently things hadn’t gone according to plan. The thirty-nine spots were all occupied. Even if Wang Dong arrived, he no longer had a spot!

“Alright, let’s begin the first segment—Mutual Feelings. From the left side of the first row, every male student is given a chance to demonstrate his full abilities. However, don’t be too showy. Otherwise, I can only close one eye if the female students choose to attack you.”  Zhang Lexuan smiled as she spoke.

Xu Sanshi was already rubbing his palms. He was in the first spot, and thus he would naturally be the first to perform in this segment.

“Sanshi, are you ready?” Bei Bei queried.

Xu Sanshi signaled that he was ready, and Bei Bei said, “Without further ado, let’s begin. Xu Sanshi, all the best. Let’s begin!”

Xu Sanshi didn’t burst across the water using his shield this time. Instead, he leapt up high before he flung his shield out, and it landed on the water’s surface.

Xu Sanshi landed on the shield. Then he clapped his palms, and the shield started to glide over the water like a small boat. It left behind two lines of water, starting to close the distance towards the female students. 

“Nice!”  There were already cheers coming from the male students. There was a reason why Xu Sanshi moved forward with this method. By using the shield to bear his weight, he could conserve his soul power. Furthermore, he could advance forward more steadily. If he used his shield to strike the water’s surface before rebounding just like before, he would only have one chance to show himself when he reached the female students even though he could continue to advance.

Xu Sanshi had put in some effort to get first place! Since he was first in this segment, he wouldn’t give up this opportunity to show off.

“Nannan, I’m coming!”  As he shouted, the shield increased its speed, until he was bursting towards the female students rapidly.

When he was around ten meters away, he used his palms to control the shield and made it stop. He used the Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon immaculately.

He wasn’t anxious at all, and observed each of the ladies seriously from left to right. 

As he looked, he mumbled, “That isn’t her—she’s too fat. That isn’t her either—too thin. Hmm, this one has a good figure! However, she’s slightly larger than Nannan. No, no.”

A sharp voice suddenly resonated from among the female students, “Xu Sanshi, if you wanted to be thrown into the water, just say so.”

“Oops! I was wrong.” Xu Sanshi shut his mouth immediately. In this short period of time, he had already locked onto his target. The shield moved once again, propelling his body towards the female student third from the right.

That female student moved slightly. Xu Sanshi was getting close to her—he was now less than ten meters from her.

He pointed his toes on his shield before he jumped straight towards the water lily that the she was standing on.

She evidently couldn’t take it anymore. She pointed her toes toward the center of the water lily, which could bear the greatest load, and propelled her entire body upwards. She lifted her right leg up high, so high that her toes were above her head. Her legs formed a straight line, and her white dress was lifted up.

“Ooh,  oooh!”  The  other  male  students  started  to  whistle. However, they were disappointed when they realized that she was wearing long pants underneath her dress.

She slammed her leg down towards Xu Sanshi.

While the rules stated that a female student couldn’t directly attack in the first segment, they did allow a female student to counterattack if a male student came too close to their water lily. That was why most male students would choose to attack from a distance in this segment. If the female students were confident in their looks, they wouldn’t resist too much. Who wouldn’t want to reveal their beauty?

It was very rare for someone to be attacked directly like Xu Sanshi was.

Xu Sanshi did something unexpected as the leg came crashing down towards him. He didn’t block or dodge the attack.

He allowed her leg to slash down onto his shoulder.

Xu Sanshi squatted down in mid-air, neutralizing some of the impact of the attack. His toes were already pressing down on her water lily. The water lily was tilted towards one side and the lake water was about to submerge it. However, Xu Sanshi started to surge with a layer of black light, which seemed to support him all on its own. The water lily suddenly stabilized. When he clasped his hands together, he had already grabbed onto the ankle that had struck his shoulder. 

That female student hadn’t expected Xu Sanshi to receive her attack without dodging. While she hadn’t use any soul skills, she had still exhibited her great strength. When she slashed down onto Xu Sanshi’s shoulder, a deep groan was heard. Xu Sanshi tolerated the pain.

Xu Sanshi lifted her leg and said affectionately, “Nannan, I love you. I won’t retaliate even if you scold or hit me.”

“Get lost!” The female student roared furiously and retracted her right leg. Xu Sanshi was originally holding her leg tightly, but he let go at this moment. As she fell backward, her center of gravity changed.

However, she was pretty impressive. Her other leg seemed to be stuck to the water lily. As she stretched backward, her hands pressed against the water lily before she flipped over.

It was water below the lily, and Xu Sanshi was also standing on top of it. This wasn’t considered a tough move on land, but one had to possess immaculate control in order to perform this move on water.

While she managed to flip over, her bamboo hat fell. Xu Sanshi’s figure flashed before he jumped up from the water lily. He avoided the scissor kick that the female student unleashed towards him, and his right hand reached for her veil and pulled at it. In the end, he got both the hat and the veil.

Xu Sanshi was already standing on the shield by this time. He smiled as he looked at the lady. “I only have eyes for you. Nannan, I love you.” As he spoke, his shield had already carved a path and guided him back to his original position.

Yes, it was Jiang Nannan standing on the lily third from the right.

Her purplish hair rested on her shoulder and her face had turned slightly red from anger. After two years, Jiang Nannan had developed much better than ever. Her ravishing looks were accentuated by the dim golden light around her. Her slender figure was almost perfect, and her eyes were filled with fury as she glared at Xu Sanshi. Xu Sanshi was extremely familiar with her. While there was some gap between their cultivations, that gap wasn’t too large.

This was the Sea God’s Fate. After Jiang Nannan sensed Xu Sanshi approaching her, she was anxious and nervous.

After that, Xu Sanshi predicted almost all her moves on the water lily. That was how he’d managed to gain that upper hand over her. Jiang Nannan still didn’t know that Xu Sanshi wasn’t just familiar with her movements. He had even cheated.

After not seeing him for two and a half years, Jiang Nannan had forgotten how she had a sixth junior with very strong Spiritual Detection! With Huo Yuhao’s current spiritual power, a hundred meters was nothing. With his help and judgment, it wasn’t difficult at all for Xu Sanshi to remove Jiang Nannan’s veil and hat.

“Nice one, Sanshi.”

All the male students cheered seeing that Xu Sanshi had managed to take off Jiang Nannan’s veil and hat. Some of the weaker students almost fell off of their water lilies because they were too excited and couldn’t control themselves.

Xu Sanshi turned around and clasped his fist and palm towards everyone. He said delightedly, “I was just lucky. Seniors, juniors, I wish all of you good luck! There are many of us in this segment. We must try to take off the ladies’ hats and veils.”  As he spoke, he placed the hat that he had taken off from Jiang Nannan in front of him and took in a deep breath. He was reveling in joy. Fortunately, it was dark, and Jiang Nannan was some distance away from him, so she couldn’t see his delighted expression. Otherwise, she might really erupt in anger.

The first segment was a demonstration of one’s capabilities. Xu Sanshi hadn’t seemed to use any soul skills just now, but he still managed to succeed. He also put on a steady performance. The elders and teachers on the ferry nodded their heads in approval. Even Elder Xuan was smiling happily.

Xu Sanshi clasped his fist and palm together and looked evidently pleased. He had the right to be pleased too. All the female students were wearing the same dress, hat and veil. They looked practically the same to everyone. But Xu Sanshi was able to identify Jiang Nannan among all the seventeen female students on this pitch-black night. He wasn’t just familiar with her.

After seeing Xu Sanshi’s high-profile performance, Zhang Lexuan revealed a grin on her face. She looked at Bei Bei, who was smiling and looking at Xu Sanshi. It was evident that he was already used to his style.

“Ye Liu, it’s your turn now.” Zhang Lexuan said.

There were many participants in the Sea God’s Fate, and there were even four more segments. Although all of them were talented soul masters, and their cultivations weren’t weak, it wasn’t easy trying to balance themselves on the water lilies. They had to seize their time well.

Ye Liu was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. After hearing Zhang Lexuan calling his name, he immediately nodded to acknowledge her before lifting his body into the air.

A pair of beautiful, white wings were unleashed behind his back. His figure was very proportionate. When his wings flapped, he flew towards the seventeen female students elegantly.

Jiang Nannan had regained her calm by now. She didn’t look at Xu Sanshi, but turned her attention to Huo Yuhao. She shot him an angry look. It was evident that she had now discovered his role in this. How was Xu Sanshi able to take off her hat and veil so easily on his own?

Huo Yuhao only smiled back.

A hundred meters was a very short distance to fly. Ye Liu drifted in the air and was about to reach the ladies. His wings started to flap in the direction of the water’s surface and his seven soul rings shone brightly.

Suddenly, strong winds started to rage above the Sea God’s Lake. As his wings flapped, the winds gave rise to a huge wave that approached the female students.

Ye Liu revealed a delighted smile on his face. If the ladies were hit by his wave, they were all bound to be drenched. Not only would it be easy to identify them then, but it would also be a feast for his eyes!

However, at this point, someone in the center shouted, “Ye Liu, you’re shameless!”  Then she lifted her right hand, she struck outward with her palm. Seven soul rings also rose from her feet, and a surging wave of fire was unleashed. This fire instantly turned into a sea of fire, resisting the water that came their way. The wave was resisted just like that.

Mist started to rise; the surging wave had been vaporized instantly.

Huo  Yuhao  heard  a  senior  muttering  softly,  “Impressive. This is the Golden Crow Primordial Fire. I didn’t expect Wu Ming to be involved in this blind date too!”

Although Huo Yuhao didn’t know what the Golden Crow Primordial Fire was, he could sense the intense heat from the golden-red flames. It was even comparable to Ma Xiaotao’s phoenix flames. Next to the student that had unleashed the Golden Crow Primordial Fire, another female student shouted furiously, “What a pervert. Eldest senior sister, I’m making a move.”

A streak of golden light shot into the sky like a dragon that was lashing forward. Ye Liu was already shocked when he saw the Golden Crow Primordial Fire. His martial soul was a Swan, and he was an auxiliary-type soul master. According to the rules, the ladies couldn’t directly attack him. That was why he had been so daring. However, he was shocked now that he was attacked by two of them.

His wings flapped, and he was about to retreat. However, the golden light started to extend upwards and formed golden rings that tried to pull him down.

“Sister  Ruoruo,  I  was  wrong!  Please  be  merciful!”  Ye  Liu screamed pathetically and gave up resistance. This pair of female students curbed his abilities, and he had no recourse against them.

Huo Yuhao activated his Spirit Eyes, and realized that the golden light that shot into the sky was actually a golden rope. It was his first time seeing such a martial soul. However, he could tell that it was from a control-type soul master.

This female student had eight soul rings—two yellow, two purple and four black. No wonder Ye Liu had begged for mercy. However, she had no intention of showing him any. As the golden rope tightened, he was wrapped up like a dumpling. She pulled with her right hand, and Ye Liu was dragged down from the air, crashing into the water.

The golden light retracted and disappeared with the soul rings. Besides these two female students who had unleashed their powers, another female student pressed her hands down, and the surging lake water calmed. Only a dim blue light subtly flashed past.

Ye Liu was already freed when he dropped into the water. He popped up from the water’s surface and shouted towards Zhang Lexuan with a depressed look on his face, “Eldest senior sister, I thought they couldn’t retaliate in the first segment!”

Zhang Lexuan snorted and replied, “What was your purpose in making that wave? Didn’t Ruoruo mention it just now? Your intention was a perverted one, which means that you’ve flouted the rules. Swim back to shore by yourself. You’re disqualified.”

Ye Liu was indignant, but he couldn’t say anything more in front of Zhang Lexuan. He could only swim back to shore.

Huo Yuhao twisted his head to look at He Caitou, who was also looking back at him. The two of them swallowed their saliva at the same time.

This blind date is a little intense! Are these ladies really here for a blind date?

He Caitou said softly, “Didn’t eldest senior brother mention that the first segment was very safe? Why don’t I feel that way?”

Huo Yuhao laughed bitterly. “I don’t think so either. The senior over there is so fierce, and she even has eight rings. Second senior, I’m a little scared!” He Caitou laughed softly, “Scared my foot! Maybe some ladies are into you.”

Huo Yuhao turned to the senior on the other side who was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old and asked, “Senior, who were those two seniors just now? You seem to know them.”

Chapter 213: Snow Lady's Charm

This senior beside him also seemed very presentable. He was tall and standing straight. But right now, he was also smiling bitterly, just like the rest of them.

“How can I possibly not know them? The one who unleashed the Golden Crow Primordial Fire is called Wu Ming. Her nickname is the Golden Crow Holy Lady. Of course, we think she should be called ‘spinster’ instead of ‘holy lady’. She’s already thirty, but hasn’t gotten a partner yet. It’s not that she’s ugly, but it’s because she’s too hot-tempered. Her temper is just like Ma Xiaotao’s. With her around, tonight’s blind date is bound to be very exciting.

“The one who unleashed the Dazzling Golden Rope is Han Ruoruo. She’s very close to eldest senior sister. Among all the female students in the inner courtyard, she’s only inferior to eldest senior sister in terms of her cultivation. Can’t you tell that she’s already a Soul Douluo? There are no eight-ringed male students today. Although she’s not so hot-tempered, she’s still a very proud person. She’s not weak at all! She’s not one to be offended easily, however, and will sometimes stand in as a teacher. I didn’t expect her to be here today. This is very exciting! Her nickname is Golden Fairy. Perhaps she and Wu Ming are so close because they both have the word ‘golden’ in their nicknames...”

“Dazzling Golden Rope? It sounds like a very powerful tool soul!” Huo Yuhao probed.

“Yes. It’s recognized as the best in the inner courtyard. How could it not be powerful? You’ve seen their positions, right? If you’re capable, go and take their hats later. Everyone will be in awe of you then.”

“Yes, yes!” There were a few men coaxing him already.

“Seniors, it’s better if all of you do so instead.”  Huo Yuhao wasn’t going to fall for their tricks.

After this brief encounter in the first segment, he was starting to think that the inner courtyard seniors were very unpredictable! All those who strutted their stuff would be considered powerful individuals in the outside world. There was hardly anyone of their same age that could compare to them. Perhaps Han Ruoruo and Wu Ming had shocked the male students, but the next few male students started to behave appropriately, and stayed as far away as possible from the both of them. They targeted the ladies around the outside instead.

However, either those ladies were too defensively strong, or the next few male students were too hesitant. No one succeeded for the next five rounds.

There were thirty-nine male students divided into three rows of thirteen. More than half of the first row had already taken their turns.

Zhang  Lexuan  laughed  as  she  said,  “Hey,  are  all  of  you croakers? Why are all of you going to the side? For love, you must be willing to go all-out. Otherwise, how can you win the heart of the lady you love?”

Under her encouragement, the next few men performed much better. Although they were still a little lacking, they performed much better than before. Two hats were taken down, which revealed the faces of two pleasant ladies. Out of the seventeen female students, three of them now had their faces exposed.

When it came to the senior before Huo Yuhao, he gave Huo Yuhao a victory sign before he embarked on his turn. He leapt out from his spot. After their previous interaction, Huo Yuhao had learned that this senior had a very domineering name. He was called Chu Qingtian.

His six soul rings flashed brightly as his toes touched the water’s surface. He moved frighteningly fast. Under the illumination of his soul rings, it was possible to spot brownish- yellow hairs sprouting from his body.

Panther-type martial soul?

Huo Yuhao was slightly impressed.

At this point, Chu Qingtian had already burst out in front of the female students. He went straight towards Han Ruoruo, who had unleashed the Dazzling Golden Rope earlier. As he made this move, he invited the cheers of the other male students. 

Chu Qingtian’s figure flashed, and he reached her side in an instant. As he extended his hand, he grabbed at Han Ruoruo’s veil.

“You’re daring!”  Han Ruoruo snorted and lifted her right hand, trying to block him.

But Chu Qingtian didn’t clash with her directly. Given that their cultivations were very far apart, it wasn’t wise for him to do so. His third soul ring started to shine, and countless bolts of electricity started to surround him. As the bolts of electricity flashed, he suddenly disappeared. It was as if he had fused with the electricity.

“What?” Han Ruoruo exclaimed in confusion. Her Dazzling Golden Rope appeared instantly, and turned into golden rings that surrounded her. The flashing electricity was extinguished by her golden light.

However, she wasn’t the only target of the flashing bolts of electricity, they scattered in all directions. Some of them even flew towards the Golden Crow Holy Lady, Wu Ming. Wu Ming subconsciously lifted her hand, and a layer of golden-red fire spread. It formed a barrier around her.

At this point, a larger bolt of electricity jerked, and seemed to solidify. It managed to penetrate the defensive layer mounted by the Golden Crow Primordial Fire. A hand extended from the bolt of electricity and pulled Wu Ming’s hat down.

Wu Ming was surrounded by her Golden Crow Primordial Fire. As her hat was pulled, it was turned into ashes by the fire, revealing her face.

Although Chu Qingtian did tell Huo Yuhao that this Golden Crow Holy Lady was already more than thirty, she looked like she was only twenty-five or twenty-six years old. Although she wasn’t as beautiful as Jiang Nannan, she was still very pretty, and could be considered a beauty.

Wu Ming hadn’t expected him to make a move on her. When she tried to retaliate, Chu Qingtian roared and turned into electricity once again. He once again changed into a bolt of lightning that flashed as he moved a hundred meters away from her and landed on his water lily. “Senior Wu, thanks for letting me succeed.”

Wu Ming touched her face, but didn’t react. Instead, her face turned red. However, the male students couldn’t see her blushing due to the golden lights around her.

Han Ruoruo laughed softly and said something to Wu Ming. Wu Ming lowered her head, as if she were thinking of something.

“Good one!”  The male students cheered. The Golden Crow Holy Lady’s hat had been taken down. Chu Qingtian instantly became the man of the moment. He only had six rings, but he managed to pull down Wu Ming’s hat after attacking Han Ruoruo. His bravery and speed were indeed deserving of compliments.

Zhang Lexuan also threw him an approving look. She smiled and said, “Wu Ming, don’t forget what you promised everyone.”

Wu Ming blushed and pouted playfully, “I know!” Chu Qingtian retracted his smile and said to Huo Yuhao softly, “Why do I feel like something’s not right?”

Huo Yuhao gasped, “What’s wrong? Senior, you were really fast just now! Did you fuse your soul skill into your lightning?”

Chu Qingtian didn’t hide the truth, and nodded. He said, “My martial soul is a Berserk Lightning Panther. Usually, soul masters with lightning abilities use them to attack. However, I don’t do so. Instead, I use them to increase my speed. I can fuse into lightning and increase my speed significantly. That’s why everyone calls me the Demonic Berserk Lightning Panther. In terms of abilities, I can’t compare to those two. However, no one is faster than me in the inner courtyard.”

There weren’t any weaklings in the inner courtyard! Huo Yuhao deeply understood this sentence once again.

“My friend, you’ve got to try your best too!”  Chu Qingtian said to Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao was stunned and asked, “Me? Try my best for what?” 

Chu Qingtian was speechless. “You’ve just entered the inner courtyard, right?”

Huo Yuhao nodded and answered, “I was granted special permission to enter the inner courtyard.”

Chu Qingtian said, “I can tell just by looking at your age.

Don’t be worried, it’s your turn!”

“Uh…” Huo Yuhao just now realized that it was his turn. As he turned around to look at Bei Bei, Bei Bei gestured encouragingly towards him.

“Huo Yuhao, don’t be nervous. Just do your best!”  Zhang Lexuan smiled as she encouraged him. At the same time, she turned to the female students and said, “This is the youngest out of all the male students today. Don’t be merciful on him though!”

Feminine laughter resonated, and Wu Ming started to laugh. “Little fellow, why are you here when you are so young? Come on, try taking down Sister Ruoruo’s hat. She likes younger boys.”

“Ming’er, do you want to die?” Han Ruoruo said coquettishly.

She also drew laughter from the rest of the young women.

Huo Yuhao was a little awkward now. He was at a loss, as he didn’t know whether to go or not. After all, this was his first experience.

Bei Bei said, “Yuhao, do your best.”

“Alright.” Huo Yuhao acknowledged his words and stepped out from his water lily.

He was different from the rest of the male students. The rest of them burst forward immediately, but he didn’t. He even looked a little slow. He took a step forward and stepped onto the water. He floated above the surface and started to walk towards the female students. The students on both sides that were laughing cheekily and ready to watch a good show started to quiet down. They were stunned as they watched this junior of theirs.

Huo Yuhao’s movements weren’t quick, but they were steady. He maintained a stable rhythm as he advanced over the water, not even causing a ripple. It was like he was part of the water.

Huo Yuhao couldn’t directly stand on the water, of course. That was only achievable by a flying-type soul master with at least a seven-ringed cultivation, and naturally he didn’t have seven rings yet.

As he walked on the water, he left a trail of ice behind him. With his control over his soul power, he was able to walk freely on top of the ice. At the same time, this didn’t deplete his soul power too much. This was the Ultimate Ice!

Although Huo Yuhao wasn’t fast, a hundred meters wasn’t a long distance either. He only stopped when he was around fifteen meters from the young women. 

The female students were able to clearly make out his appearance once he got closer.

They could tell that while Huo Yuhao wasn’t old, he seemed very mature—even more so than most of the male students earlier. His eyes were also exceedingly clear. Although he wasn’t particularly handsome, there was a certain aura surrounding him.

“Snow Lady, come on out,” Huo Yuhao suddenly called out.

Suddenly, a streak of orangish-gold light emerged from his body.

Amidst the pitch-black darkness of night, the lights from soul rings were already very dazzling. However, this orangish- gold light was even more dazzling.

When this orangish-gold light appeared, the beams of light beneath the female students seemed to dim in comparison. 

After a moment, the Snow Lady drifted in front of Huo Yuhao. Still engulfed in the orangish-gold light, she turned to look at Huo Yuhao and rubbed her eyes sleepily with her small, white hands. She was evidently not fully awake yet.

“Wow,  even  a  kid’s  here  for  a  blind  date?”  An  unknown female student exclaimed.

Han Ruoruo said, “Don’t spout nonsense, that’s no ordinary kid.”

Huo Yuhao was telepathically connected to the Snow Lady and caressed her head. When the Snow Lady saw the surrounding lights, she blinked and was instantly jolted awake. A look of excitement had appeared in her deep blue eyes.

“Yi yi ya ya!” The Snow Lady shouted.

Huo Yuhao didn’t open his mouth to speak. Rather, he directly communicated with her through his mind. “Zha zha ya ya!”  The Snow Lady shouted again, then flew towards the ladies. Her first target was Han Ruoruo, who stood in the center.

She had snow-white skin, a feeling of delicateness, and was adorably chubby. Her big, beautiful eyes even seemed capable of reflecting the stars in the sky.

Back when she’d been in the Clear Sky Sect, even the two sect masters hadn’t been able to resist her charms. These young ladies were no exception.

“Wow, so cute! Come on over, come on over!” Wu Ming was the first to gesture towards the Snow Lady.

“Hehe~”    The   Snow   Lady   laughed   mischievously,   but continued towards Han Ruoruo.

“Yi yi ya ya?” She said to Han Ruoruo before extending her arms, as if she was asking for a hug. Women all had maternal instincts—especially Wu Ming and Han Ruoruo, who were over thirty years old. Their maternal instincts had kicked in the moment they saw the cute Snow Lady!

Han Ruoruo didn’t even hesitate before opening her arms wide and hugging the Snow Lady.

The Snow Lady’s body was fresh and cool, and her skin was soft and elastic. Han Ruoruo couldn’t help but let out a comfortable sigh. Hugging the Snow Lady felt so great.

Even though Han Ruoruo knew that she wasn’t an ordinary kid, she couldn’t help but comment, “Why didn’t you dress her in warmer clothes? Her body feels so cold.”

Huo Yuhao laughed bitterly. “I can’t decide what she wears.” The Snow Lady created her own clothes; it wasn’t something that Huo Yuhao could decide. Furthermore, the Snow Lady was a Spirit converted from the Icesky Snow Lady. Of course her body was cold… The Snow Lady gave Han Ruoruo a hug and then crawled out from her arms. She turned to look at Huo Yuhao before turning to look at Han Ruoruo with a pitiful expression on her face and lifted her pinkie to point at the hat above Han Ruoruo’s head and exclaimed once again.

After that, she lowered her head and wore an indignant look on her face. She pointed her two index fingers in front of her; she was the picture of cuteness.

No matter how tough Han Ruoruo was, she instantly became gentle in front of the Snow Lady. Although she couldn’t understand what the Snow Lady was saying, she understood what she was trying to convey through her actions.

“Alright, alright, don’t be sad. I’ll take it off.” Once she’d finished speaking, she lifted her hand and took off her hat. Her appearance was exposed immediately.

Han Ruoruo appeared much younger than her age and was a beauty. Her eyes were pitch-black and her face was thin, but at this moment, her eyes were full of gentleness as she reached out in front of the Snow Lady. After Han Ruoruo removed her hat, the Snow Lady laughed and pecked her cheek. She then flipped around and made her way towards a female student off to Han Ruoruo’s side.

She proceeded to do the same as before: She pointed at the female student’s hat and exclaimed pitifully. Afterwards, she lowered her head and pointed her index fingers in front of her.

At this point, it wasn’t just the female students who were stunned. The elders, teachers, and male students were all stunned as they watched this strange scene.

Bei Bei’s eyes widened, while Zhang Lexuan was moved—her eyes were filled with a sense of gentleness. Without a doubt, she would’ve made the same choice as Han Ruoruo if she’d been in her place.

The second hat was removed just like that as another female student revealed their appearance. Huo Yuhao was surprised to find out that he knew this female student; she was the ice-type soul master that had fought alongside him in the Elite Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, Ling Luochen. The Snow Lady laughed cheekily and gave her a peck too. Ling Luochen seemed to be in a daze as she looked at the Snow Lady. She then looked at Huo Yuhao again, her gaze filled with doubt, as if she was asking Huo Yuhao, What’s going on!

The Snow Lady’s charm was invincible. She used the same method on three more female students, succeeding every time. Three more female students had their appearances exposed, just like that.

Huo Yuhao was surprised to find out that he knew two of them.

Xiao Xiao was beside Ling Luochen. After two and a half years, Xiao Xiao’s appearance had changed drastically; she was much better-looking than before. As she was only a little older than Huo Yuhao, she’d still seemed very undeveloped two years ago. However, she was a head taller now, although her figure was relatively still the same. This was the classic post-puberty look. Her ravishing looks had also became even prettier as she developed.

She’d succumbed under the Snow Lady’s charm and had even stretched out her arms to hug her a second time, but the Snow Lady had avoided her. When she had, she’d almost fallen into the water because of her carelessness. She was only saved by the Snow Lady, who gave her a helping hand.

The other female student Huo Yuhao recognized wasn’t a close friend. She had long, scarlet hair and a cool expression. She was Wu Feng, who possessed the Red Dragon.

Wu Feng had naturally possessed a slender figure, but it was devilish now. Her curves were definitely the most exaggerated amongst the seventeen female students. Her figure was similar to Ma Xiaotao’s figure from before.

She appeared a little stunned as she looked at the Snow Lady. When she turned to look at Huo Yuhao, she appeared as unfriendly as ever. Even though she was quite hot-tempered, even she’d evidently become gentler when her gaze met the Snow Lady’s deep blue eyes.

Five female students had already fallen for the Snow Lady’s charm; the first eleven male students couldn’t even compare to Huo Yuhao when it came to the number of hats he’d removed! “Snow Lady, come back.” Huo Yuhao hadn’t wanted to take down this many hats. It was embarrassing! So many people were currently looking at the pair of them. He had to at least give the other male students a chance. If he took down all of the hats, he’d certainly steal the limelight. However, he was still bound to become everyone’s target.

The Snow Lady laughed and flipped through the air as she returned to Huo Yuhao’s side. She then sat on his shoulder and started to play with his hair.

Huo Yuhao smiled and bowed towards the female students, “Seniors, apologies for the offense.”

“Hey, you’re Huo Yuhao, right? What’s with this little lady? You owe us an explanation!”  Wu Ming couldn’t help but ask. Everyone looked at him eagerly, regardless of whether their hats had been taken off or not.

Huo Yuhao smiled mysteriously and said, “Today is the Sea God’s Fate; I can’t possibly delay everyone now. I’ll explain everything once the event ends. I can only say that all of you can possibly own someone like the Snow Lady in the future, if you’re willing.” 

Once he’d finished speaking, he slowly retreated across the water. He only turned around after retreating a few steps. He lightly crossed the water’s surface as he quickly returned to the water lily that he was on previously.

All the male students’ gazes followed him back. They could also see the Snow Lady clearly as he got closer.

Chu Qingtian gave Huo Yuhao a thumbs-up as she said, “My friend, you’re quite impressive! You took off five hats easily. In my opinion, you would have been able to take off all their hats if you wanted to! You’re too strong. Furthermore, you didn’t just take off their hats, you also left a good impression on all of them. No wonder you were able to enter the inner courtyard at such a young age. Impressive!”

Huo Yuhao smiled and didn’t send the Snow Lady back inside of him. He said to Chu Qingtian, “I was just playing tricks brother Chu.”

Chu Qingtian also laughed. “Playing tricks? I want to play tricks just like you, but I’d need that cute little girl that you have! What is she exactly?” 

Huo Yuhao didn’t beat around the bush this time. He could clearly tell that the male students were all eager to hear his explanation. He replied, “She’s a Spirit. How do I put this… she’s a special life that I created because of a twist of fate. She’s like a body of energy that combined with my spiritual mind, and who’s slightly connected to me by blood. Simply put, she’s another form of soul ring that possesses life. She’s my partner.”

After he said this, everyone became shocked. They were all talented students from Shrek Academy, and most of them were from the Martial Soul Department; their understanding of a soul master’s capabilities were all very deep. However, none of them knew that soul masters could possess such a life existence. The Snow Lady was an existence that soul rings couldn’t compare to! 

Chu Qingtian couldn’t help but ask, “We can have a Spirit like her?”

Huo  Yuhao  chortled  and  replied,  “Theoretically  speaking, yes. Brother Chu, let’s focus on the event first. Afterward, I’ll explain the details regarding the Snow Lady properly. Seniors, you can join in if you’re interested in knowing more.”

He had sent the Snow Lady out on purpose. With his capabilities, there were many other ways for him to take their hats off. Why did he specifically choose the Snow Lady? He wanted to display this Spirit to all the inner courtyard students, as well as the elders.

The Snow Lady’s formation was a complete accident. However, only Huo Yuhao knew the process of her formation, and only he could complete the sealed incantation Electrolux had left behind. The existence of a Spirit was undoubtedly more useful than soul rings for a soul master. However, it wasn’t easy to create a Spirit. Firstly, it was too difficult to find a soul beast that was willing to be sealed and fused. Huo Yuhao didn’t think that he was capable of doing this, and thus he’d need external help. Shrek Academy was undoubtedly the best choice for him.

Through repeated experiments, Huo Yuhao discovered that the Snow Lady was thirty percent more useful to him when she was outside of his body. That was because the Snow Lady was an intelligent life form, and her fighting intelligence was inherited from the Snow Empress. On the outside, she could aid Huo Yuhao in battle, and enhance his soul power. If she wasn’t unleashed, Huo Yuhao could only use a few of the soul skills she had bestowed him.

Against Long Xiaoyao, he naturally couldn’t unleash the Snow Lady. What if the Darkness Holy Dragon tried to abduct her? However, Huo Yuhao was ready to start his research on Spirits when he returned to Shrek Academy. It was going to be an important for the development of Shrek Academy’s Martial Soul Department. Personally, he also hoped to help Shrek’s Seven Monsters obtain their own Spirits! With the help of Spirits, their abilities would rise a whole level.

Indeed, the Snow Lady’s appearance shocked everyone, just like Huo Yuhao expected. She immediately became everyone’s focal point. Bei Bei gazed deeply at Huo Yuhao and gave a thumbs-up to him in his heart. Although he didn’t know what kind of existence the Snow Empress’ Spirit was, he subtly sensed that Huo Yuhao had done something impressive again!

“Caitou, you’re up next. We have to expedite the first segment!” Bei Bei said to He Caitou.

“Alright.” He Caitou acknowledged his words. He had already thought of his strategy. Everyone’s gaze shifted from the Snow Lady to He Caitou at this point.

He Caitou then did something that no one expected. He kneeled down on one knee, facing the seventeen female students.

His eyes were also shining brightly at this point. He was one of the few present whose attention wasn’t fully captured by the Snow Lady.

He was truly thankful towards Huo Yuhao! The reason for his gratitude was very simple—Huo Yuhao had taken off Xiao Xiao’s hat. After two and a half years, he finally saw Xiao Xiao again.

The saying goes, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”  He Caitou was even more mesmerized by her looks after more than two years apart. Right now, his heart was beating twice as fast. His face had also turned red, as he was nervous. However, he was too tan, and thus it couldn’t be seen. Otherwise, he could even incur the wrath of a bull.

“Caitou, what are you doing? You shouldn’t confess in this segment.” Bei Bei reminded him as he saw him on one knee.

“I’m not confessing! Aren’t we supposed to take their hats off first?” As He Caitou spoke, he lifted his right hand. Everyone saw a streak of black light flashing past, and a huge soul cannon appeared on his shoulder.

This soul cannon was entirely black. A slight silvery, metallic powder flashed on its surface. It unleashed a terrifying aura when it appeared. Even though they weren’t facing it directly, the surrounding male students could clearly feel a chill down their spines. For a soul tool to possess such a pressing aura and bring about such a sense of danger, it must be at a certain level. Soul engineers believed that these soul tools were bestowed with life. For such soul tools, they were at least Class 7. This meant that the soul tool on He Caitou’s shoulder right now was also at

least Class 7, possibly higher.

This huge soul cannon was more than two meters in length and a foot wide. It complemented He Caitou’s burly figure well as he placed it on his shoulder.

When it appeared, the huge soul cannon catalyzed something weird above the Sea God’s Lake. In response, the female students’ soul rings started to shine brightly.

In an instant, yellow, purple and black soul rings shone brightly across the lake.

When they were faced with a dominant Class 7 soul cannon, the female students unleashed their martial souls as they sensed the dangers coming from it. Huo Yuhao was observing carefully from the other side of the lake. As these female students unleashed their martial souls, he made a shocking discovery. The soul ring combination of the female student second from the left was very special and familiar.

One yellow, two purple and three black soul rings. This meant that her fourth soul ring was already at the ten thousand year level. Wasn’t this similar to Wang Dong’s soul ring combination?

Suddenly, Huo Yuhao’s heart started to race. In his mind, the beautiful face from that day surfaced in his mind. He immediately wondered whether Wang Qiu’er had managed to enter the inner courtyard and join the Sea God’s Fate. If that was the case, it was possible that her soul ring combination was similar to Wang Dong’s!

As he thought that, his gaze focused on that female student. But just when he was about to observe her more closely, He Caitou’s voice rang out.

“Don’t move and raise your hands. This is a Class 7 stationary soul cannon, filled with a Class 7 explosive incendiary device. It’s strong enough to cover a region up to a thousand meters in diameter. Once I fire it, I can guarantee that at least a third of the Sea God’s Lake water will be vaporized. Your water lilies won’t be spared. Everyone take your hats off.”

He Caitou sounded very dominant when he shouted this. Afterward, the onlookers were frozen in place, including the teachers.

Elder Xuan twisted his lips, and Fan Yu had already stood up. He cursed at He Caitou, “Idiot, this is a blind date! Do you think this is the battlefield? Put your stationary soul cannon away.”

Chu Qingtian looked past Huo Yuhao at He Caitou. He opened his mouth wide and said, “My friend, are you here for a blind date, or are you here to crash the party?”

He Caitou was stunned, “Is this not allowed?”

Huo Yuhao said softly, “I don’t think so. Second senior, this is a blind date. Why did you take out such a strong soul tool?” 

Bei Bei’s facial muscles were also cramping. He hadn’t expected He Caitou to pull such a stunt.

He wasn’t just going on a blind date; he was forcing the ladies…

Huo Yuhao couldn’t help but laugh. He quickly asked He Caitou to put his soul cannon away. He Caitou was still confused, and muttered, “Can’t I use any attack in the first segment? Take off the hats with my attacks! I haven’t even attacked yet. I only threatened them.”

“He Caitou, you can’t go overboard. Even though you’re a soul engineer and you’re allowed to exhibit your abilities, aren’t you afraid of hurting these ladies?” Zhang Lexuan was also speechless, but she was also amused. As she looked at He Caitou, she could tell that he wasn’t looking for trouble on purpose.

“Oh, I see! I won’t use my stationary soul cannon. However, what should I use now?” Zhang Lexuan managed to control her laughter. “How would I know what a soul engineer is supposed to use? Go closer and try not to drop into the water. Attack the ladies without hurting them, and try to snatch their hats. Do you understand?”

He Caitou nodded and mumbled, “Right, you’re the only one who’s clear with their words.”

“Eldest senior brother wasn’t even clear. He told me we could use any attack.”

Bei Bei turned black, and turned his head away. His expression also seemed to be telling everyone that he didn’t know He Caitou.

On the other side, Xu Sanshi was already laughing profusely. He  thought  to  himself,  “Bei  Bei,  you  brought  this  upon yourself…”

“He Caitou, please begin. Take advantage of the time you have left.” Zhang Lexuan reminded him once again. More than fifteen minutes had passed since the first segment had started, but they weren’t even one-third finished. If it continued like this, the blind date would carry on into the night.

“Alright.” He Caitou stopped being sarcastic. As he pointed his toes on the water lily, the center of the lily submerged into the water, and he almost tore it apart. However, He Caitou only managed to lift himself two meters into the air. He seemed a little clumsy.

However, Huo Yuhao could clearly sense a change in his aura.

Only he knew that this second senior of his wasn’t clumsy. He only appeared to be so. He must have done that just now on purpose. However, no one knew what his intention was.

What was He Caitou’s intention? It was a simple one. He was too nervous, and needed to calm down. Of course he knew that he couldn’t use a Class 7 soul tool. But that was also a way of demonstrating his abilities! He didn’t care about the opinions of others, except he cared greatly about Xiao Xiao’s view of him!

Chapter 214: Love at First Sight, Love at Second Sight

What could he do by leaping two meters into the air? He Caitou immediately gave them an answer!

The soul thruster behind his back erupted with strong light, propelling him forward with bedazzling speed. He wasn’t surging forward with this rapid motion, but diagonally upwards instead.

He was already in midair when two enormous wings from a flying-type soul tool extended behind his back. The radiance of soul power burst forth, and he appeared in the sky above the female students in no time.

The wings began to change shape at this moment. They shifted forward speedily, and became like the surface of an umbrella as they circled around He Caitou’s chest. Light was released downwards, a little weaker than before. He Caitou used this propulsive force to hover in the sky, and his nimble manipulations were extremely impressive. “Watch out, everyone.” He Caitou’s hands began to move as he spoke.

He was tall and robust, so he was dense and clumsy to a certain extent. However, his hands displayed unnatural agility as black metal lumps flew out from his hands and dropped directly into the water. There were several hundred of them.

What are those? Every single young woman thought at the same time.

With He Caitou’s previous performance, the girls saw him as someone who was both straightforward and extremely reckless. They subconsciously assumed those things to be some powerful explosives, and even if they weren’t familiar with soul engineers, they knew that they shouldn’t come into contact with the things soul engineers tossed out.

Almost all the young women reacted the same way – everyone leapt up.

Seventeen figures soared into the sky, while the black metal lumps dropped into the water one after another. But… nothing happened.

He Caitou chuckled, and he pointed downwards with his finger. A single beam of light tunneled into the water, and a magical scene appeared immediately afterwards.

The water’s surface suddenly lit up, and several hundred pillars of light burst out from underneath the water piercing through the lake’s surface, instantly covering all seventeen girls.

What attack is this? The girls weren’t sure. However, they didn’t feel threatened at all.

The speed of light was indescribably fast. Some girls who reacted fast enough unleashed their defensive soul skills, while other girls who didn’t feel threatened at all were struck by the beam of light while they were still shocked and surprised.

The pillars of light didn’t represent any threat at all, and didn’t do anything to their bodies. However, there was a gentle repulsion force. Three hats! Of the seventeen girls, besides those whose hats had already been lifted, three more bamboo hats were blown away!

“He’s  such  a  liar!  He  was  pretending  before  this!..”  Han Ruoruo was the sharpest, and she reacted at the first possible moment. He Caitou had been setting this up ever since he had pretended to want to use a Class 7 soul tool against them from the beginning. This was the reason why he made the girls leap into the air at the same time as he threw out those metal balls, instead of defending themselves against the soul tools he had tossed out.

He had managed to achieve his goal! Even though nobody knew how he did it, the pillars of light carrying an air flow were shot out from beneath the water.

He Caitou chortled in midair, and another soul cannon appeared on his shoulder. Before the girls could react, he fired his cannon. This cannon didn’t have a specific target. Instead, he relied on the powerful recoil to fly backwards rapidly. This soul cannon was used as a soul thruster, and not only was it extremely quick, but it could be used to fly backwards, so there was no need for a soul thruster to be strapped around his chest like Huo Yuhao had. 

Huo Yuhao wasn’t the only one who had improved in the two and a half years at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. He Caitou didn’t reveal much from day to day, but his skill with soul tools was one of the highest among all the students.

“He Caitou!”  Fan Yu shouted angrily. The cannon shell He Caitou fired was coincidentally launched in their direction, and even though it landed in the water several meters away from the boat, it still caused an eruption of water and mist.

Qian  Duoduo  laughed  heartily  and  said,  “This  fella  is becoming more and more mischievous. He must have been influenced by Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi.”

Bei Bei’s face was already starting to turn black from anger at what He Caitou was doing. Then he heard Qian Duoduo’s loud and bright voice, and his face turned even blacker. He glared at He Caitou with even more vengeful eyes.

Xu Sanshi felt even more lost and wronged. This, this isn’t my fault at all, but I’m still blamed anyway! Caitou has been with Yuhao over the past two years – what’s that got to do with me?

He Caitou returned steadily to his leaf, the recklessness and clumsiness from before having disappeared entirely. He chuckled as he dropped down and waved at the girls before him, but his eyes were fixed on Xiao Xiao from beginning to end.

Xiao Xiao was initially a little astonished when He Caitou made his move. She met his passionate gaze, and her face began to heat up, so she lowered her head. However, a bald black head began to sway in her mind, and she felt as if she could see the same person from four years ago on the stage during the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, the same person who gave everything he had. Two years have gone by – how has he become even darker than before?

If He Caitou knew what Xiao Xiao was thinking, he would definitely reply with tears trickling down his face, Dear, it’s nighttime! Won’t we all become a little darker than usual…? No matter how Huo Yuhao and He Caitou had accomplished this feat, the two of them managed to remove eight bamboo hats in total. Of the seventeen girls, less than a third still had their hats on, but this included the second girl from the left that Huo Yuhao had been watching from the beginning. The bamboo hat on her head still seemed as stable as ever.

The rest of the first segment was much faster than before. The male students came out one by one, and everyone displayed their skills and abilities. Some people tried to play cheap tricks, but perhaps He Caitou had given the girls too strong an impression, and it didn’t end well for them. It didn’t take long before two more dropped into the water, and after the first segment, only thirty-six male students were left from the original thirty-nine.

There were three more girls who still had their bamboo hats on. One of them was the girl that had caught Huo Yuhao’s attention, the one who had a hundred year soul ring, and a thousand year soul ring right afterwards. This was greatly disappointing, as he would be able to judge better if he could see her appearance.

After the first segment, the inner courtyard’s students were roused, and their emotions completely worked up. Huo Yuhao was in the first row, and he could acutely feel the eyes all around him; everyone had passionate and fiery gazes.

Most of the guys were watching the girls of their dreams. Of the girls that had already revealed themselves, Jiang Nannan was still the prettiest, and her enchanting looks almost made everyone else look bad. However, everyone knew the perennial entanglement between Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan, so most of the guys didn’t think about her at all. In the end, Jiang Nannan had never showed feeling to any other guy, including Xu Sanshi.

They were going to switch positions next. They would be rearranged according to the number of bamboo hats they had removed in the previous round. Huo Yuhao was mercilessly placed first with his tally of five bamboo hats.

Bei Bei raised his voice and said, “We are moving into the second segment. After the first round of getting to know each other, the next round is for the girls to express who they like. Therefore, the second segment is called Love at First Sight. The rules are simple – every girl will receive a switch, which is used to control the soul lamp beneath them. They will turn on their lamps for the guys, and the guys will continue into the subsequent segment as long as they have at least one lamp lit. If a guy doesn’t have a single lamp at all, then he will have to regrettably remove himself for the evening.”

Huo Yuhao vividly remembered that Bei Bei had told them that the second segment was the shortest. However, it was an important test for the guys – no matter how powerful you were, or how outstanding you thought you were, you would immediately forfeit if not a single girl kept her lamp on for you. There were many more guys than girls after all, so this segment was meant to simplify the situation.

Huo Yuhao was at the front, and he was the first person to face this important assessment.

“Please give it some serious thought, Sea God’s Fairies. You will have one minute – you have to be sure! Let me emphasize once more, if you don’t leave your lamp on for any of the thirty-six guys, then that also means that you are giving up this Blind Date, and you will have to leave this area of the Sea God’s Lake.”

The girls naturally had their own plans. They seemed exceptionally calm as they stood out there above the lake, and nobody knew if they already had someone they liked. 

One minute quickly passed, and Bei Bei continued the event at Zhang Lexuan’s signal.

“Alright, the second segment, Love at First Sight, shall begin. First, the Sea God’s Fairies will leave their lamps on for Huo Yuhao. During this second segment, leaving your lamps on for him doesn’t mean you will have to choose him in the end. You can give him a chance as long as you have a good impression of him, and you can also give yourself this chance. I trust that he will pay attention to the girls who leave their lamps on for him. Begin.”

Huo Yuhao would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous. He stared at the seventeen girls in the distance, and could clearly feel his heartbeat speeding up. His mind was a complete blank at this moment, and no matter how good his judgment normally was, he had no idea how many girls would leave their lamps on for him.

“Three,  two,  one.”   Bei  Bei  began  his  countdown,  and suddenly a single golden lamp was extinguished. Huo Yuhao focused his eyes on the one who extinguished the lamp. Wasn’t that Wu Feng?

There was an indifferent look on Wu Feng’s face as she raised her chin haughtily in Huo Yuhao’s direction. 

Bei Bei smiled as he said, “Alright, it’s over. Sixteen lights remain. Good start, Yuhao!”

Huo Yuhao only noticed the lamp that had been extinguished. He suddenly realized that the other sixteen girls, including Han Ruoruo and Wu Ming, had actually kept their lamps on for him, which was something he had never expected would happen.

It was clear that during the Love at First Sight segment, both the Snow Lady and his own exemplary performance had given the girls a good impression, and only Wu Feng had extinguished her lamp vengefully.

“Next, we have He Caitou. Get ready, Sea God’s Fairies.” Bei Bei continued with the segment, seeing that Huo Yuhao had passed.

Huo Yuhao could feel his second senior brother immediately getting nervous not far from him. He Caitou’s eyes were wide open, he glanced towards Xiao Xiao from time to time, and his large fists were clenched tight. Beads of sweat even trickled down from his temples.

This was only the second segment, but this segment was enough to prove whether Xiao Xiao had a good feeling about him.

“Begin.”

Along with Bei Bei’s exclamation, Huo Yuhao felt as if his eyes had gone dark as many lamps were immediately extinguished.

He Caitou’s situation was completely the opposite from Huo Yuhao. The aiming he did with the Class 7 stationary soul cannon took many points from him, while his tall and robust frame along with his dark skin didn’t really fit the girls’ idea of beauty.

“Don’t  extinguish  everything,  please!”   He  Caitou  howled softly under his breath. Fortunately, two lamps remained after most of the lamps were extinguished.

One lamp belonged to the enchanting Jiang Nannan, who flashed a faint smile in He Caitou’s direction with a tinge of encouragement in her eyes. However, whether He Caitou could see it from so far away was another story altogether.

He Caitou felt his entire body turn soft and weak, and his shirt was completely drenched with sweat. This moment was like a desperate life or death fight to him.

The other lamp that remained besides Jiang Nannan’s lamp belonged to Xiao Xiao. Xiao Xiao’s head was lowered at this moment, and she didn’t look up at He Caitou, but even at this distance, Huo Yuhao could see that there were two dashes of red across her pretty face.

“Nannan  has  such  a  strong  sense  of  loyalty!”  He  Caitou couldn’t but exclaim in admiration.

Huo Yuhao chortled and said, “Why didn’t you praise Xiao Xiao, second senior brother?” 

He Caitou wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, “I’m nervous, Yuhao. What should I do?”

Huo Yuhao forced a laugh and said, “I’m nervous too… I would rather fight an epic battle instead. Truth be told, this event is really making our hearts beat faster. I’m a little better, as I don’t really have a target, and you’re feeling more anxious and nervous because you do. Relax, second senior brother, I can tell that Xiao Xiao’s face is blushing, and that means she’s probably embarrassed. That’s still a good thing in the end, and at least she has kept her lamp on for you. That means you still stand a chance.”

“Yes.” He Caitou nodded his head vigorously. It was clear that Xiao Xiao keeping her lamp on for him had greatly boosted his self-confidence.

The event continued, and the girls were exceptionally cruel and savage. Huo Yuhao and the Snow Lady managed to obtain sixteen lamps, but the people who came after him didn’t even get a third of the lamps, even though their situations weren’t as bad as He Caitou’s. Very quickly, it was Xu Sanshi’s turn. Xu Sanshi was the last in the first row, and the two rows behind him were almost entirely comprised of guys that hadn’t achieved anything at all in the first round.

He Caitou was nervous on his first appearance at the Sea God’s Fate, but Xu Sanshi was equally as nervous. He stared passionately in Jiang Nannan’s direction, and it didn’t matter to him if all other sixteen lamps were extinguished as long as Jiang Nannan kept her lamp on for him.

“Xu Sanshi, Love at First Sight. Begin.”

“Ding, ding, ding…” Perhaps the girls knew that this guy’s only target was Jiang Nannan, or perhaps it was because he had played dirty in the first segment, but the speed at which the lamps were extinguished was even faster than He Caitou.

The lamps quickly disappeared until two remained – one was Xiao Xiao, and the other was Jiang Nannan.

Just when Xu Sanshi heaved a sigh of relief and a smile appeared on his face, Jiang Nannan decisively pressed the button in her hands with a swoosh, and the pale golden lamp underneath her was immediately extinguished. The only lamp that remained belonged to Xiao Xiao.

The smile on Xu Sanshi’s face froze, and his face turned ghastly pale. He even shuddered a little.

“You’re so cruel, Nannan!”  Xu Sanshi shouted agonizingly, but he stabilized himself in the end.

On the other side, He Caitou asked Huo Yuhao nervously, “Yuhao, Yuhao! Why did Xiao Xiao leave her lamp on for third senior brother? What’s this about?”

Huo Yuhao was rendered speechless momentarily, then said, “Second  senior  brother,  you’re  confused  because  you’re  too concerned and you think too much. Why do you think fourth senior sister left her lamp on for you before this? Naturally, it’s because we are one family, and we should support each other. It’s the same for Xiao Xiao. Do you think she can bear to watch everyone extinguish their lamps for second senior brother?”

He Caitou was relieved, but he still muttered under his breath, “Sanshi is a little more handsome than I am, this…” 

Huo Yuhao turned back around and decided not to bother with this guy who spouted nonsense anymore.

Xu Sanshi barely passed this round, but the guys at the back weren’t nearly as lucky. There were too many guys and too few girls, after all – there were more than twice as many guys, and this situation meant that there were bound to be many guys who would be made to forfeit at this stage.

The lamps continued to be extinguished, and when Love at First Sight finally came to an end, there were only twenty-four male students who remained. The second round alone wiped out a third of the male students.

What made Huo Yuhao a little surprised was that many lamps were extinguished for Dai Huabin, but Wu Feng ultimately kept her lamp on for him so that he could remain for the next round. When he saw this, Huo Yuhao couldn’t help but wonder if they were in cahoots from the beginning.

Xie Huanyue’s situation was a lot worse. When he left the scene, he was still shouting, “Fatties have no rights! Fatties have no rights after all!”  Not a single lamp was kept on for him.

The second round had come to an end. The twenty-four male students were rearranged once more, this time into a single row, as there were not that many left, and they faced the seventeen girls in the distance directly.

Zhang Lexuan was the one who spoke this time.

“I’m sure everyone has obtained a little understanding of each other after the past two rounds. We shall now proceed into the third segment – Love at Second Sight. This time, the girls have to pay attention – you won’t be able to choose as casually as you did in the second round. Once you make your choice, you will have to be responsible for it. Every guy will have one minute to introduce themselves, and you guys will come to me once you’ve finished your introduction to tell me the number of the Sea God’s Fairy that you like. Once all the introductions are complete, the girls will go through another selection round, but this selection will represent your final choice. Every girl can only choose once, and you can’t regret your choice. Once this selection is over, we will begin the fourth segment.” “All guys, pay attention. You’re allowed to display the ability that you think is the most powerful while you’re introducing yourself, and you can also introduce your own cultivation levels and whatnot, as long as you feel that your introduction will be enough to attract the girl you like. I will switch up the order this time, and it will be decided by drawing lots so that we can be fair.”

Bei Bei stepped onto a water lily leaf and gradually floated towards the male students. He was holding some numbered sticks in his hands, and he carried out the lot drawing from left to right.

The girls on the other side weren’t idling around either. Each of them now had a number on their chest, while they also switched positions.

The girl that Huo Yuhao was watching who still had the bamboo hat on her head had the number “two”.

The lot drawing of quickly ended. Huo Yuhao’s luck was average; he was number eleven, and his position was towards the middle. The first few and the last few in the third segment were at a disadvantage. The first few to go out wouldn’t have experience, while it was easy for the girls to become fatigued and tired towards the end.

Chu Qingtian, the six-ringed agility-type Soul Emperor that had been standing beside Huo Yuhao during the first round, was the first to go.

Zhang Lexuan announced, “Alright, the third segment, Love at Second Sight, shall begin. Do put on a good show, boys. This is your best chance to attract the Sea God’s Fairies’ attention – don’t let this opportunity slip from your grasp.”

“The  student  with  the  first  numbered  stick,  step  out. Remember, your performance will take place along the lake’s surface between the guys and the girls. The rules are the same, and you will be considered forfeit if you drop into the water.”

“Thank    you,    eldest    senior    sister.”     Chu    Qingtian acknowledged, and he wasted no time at all as he soared into the sky. Lightning circled around his body, and he arrived on the water’s surface in a flash. “Greetings, Sea God’s Fairies. My name is Chu Qingtian.” He announced his name when he was still in the air. Two yellow, two purple, and two black soul rings sparkled at the same time.

He rotated once in the sky, and his third soul ring lit up. Countless streaks of lightning flickered, and his body immediately disappeared while only sounds remained in midair.

“I’m twenty-seven years old, and my martial soul is the Berserk Lightning Panther. I’m an agility-type Soul Emperor, and my soul power stands at Rank 67. I am confident to say that I’m one of the fastest amongst the inner courtyard’s students. Even though I’m not exceptionally outstanding, I have a sincere heart. I have already made my decision before my participation in the Sea God’s Fate today, and if any Sea God’s Fairy is willing to take me in, I will lay down my heart and follow you for eternity.”

The lightning bolts crackling through the sky suddenly congregated as he spoke, and came together to form an enormous heart-shaped lightning bolt. His body flickered, and he leapt out from the heart-shaped lightning bolt. He blew softly, and the heart-shaped lightning bolt flew towards the girls in the distance before it eventually dissipated in the air. He twisted in the sky and came before Zhang Lexuan with another flash of lightning, swiftly writing down the number of the girl that he liked on a piece of paper in her hands. Afterwards, he jumped back into the air and returned to his water lily leaf.

Chu Qingtian had displayed his speed and control throughout the entire process. His movements were like the rolling clouds and flowing water, and there weren’t any kinks, drags or drops at all. Exactly one minute had passed when he returned to his water lily leaf. 

His face wasn’t red when he reached his leaf, nor was he out of breath. He turned around and then bowed slightly towards the girls with his right hand across his chest.

Of course, not all the girls approved of his performance, but despite this, Han Ruouruo whispered to Wu Ming, “This fella is so generous with his love, he’ll definitely lay down his heart forever if you’re willing to take him in. Ming’er, you have to be sure!”

Wu Ming blushed faintly and said, “It’s all your fault. You just had to bet with me! Hmph.”

Chu Qingtian had no idea what was happening on the girl’s side, thus he just stood there proudly and figured that his performance had been pretty good.

The second student came forward: Dai Huabin had been the one to draw the second stick. Dai Huabin wasn’t as fast as Chu Qingtian, so he decided to rely on his ability to maneuver his body to ultimately reach the girl’s side.

He released a deafening roar and a powerful layer of white light erupted from his body as he used the White Tiger’s Shield. White fur appeared all over his body while his frame simultaneously became quite robust. His body then soared forwards with a flash of white light.

The White Tiger’s Shield transformed into a layer of white light that covered his body and allowed him to barely drift across the water’s surface. He was nowhere near as elegant as Chu Qingtian had been, but everyone present was intelligent; they could tell that attacking on water wasn’t his forte. He was a battle soul master—his strengths lay in head-to-head battle.

“Hello everyone, my name is Dai Huabin. I’m seventeen years old and am a Rank 57 assault-type Soul King. My martial soul is the White Tiger. That’s it, thank you.” Once he finished his sentence, he simply spun back around and leapt back onto his water lily leaf. He didn’t even report a number to Zhang Lexuan; this meant that there wasn’t a girl that he liked in particular. His performance couldn’t even be compared on the level as Chu Qingtian’s—it was too outrageously simple. 

Huo Yuhao shot a glance towards Dai Huabin, only to realize that Dai Huabin was also looking at him. There was vigorous belligerence in his ice-cold eyes.

Huo Yuhao knew that Dai Huabin did have someone in his heart, and that that person was Zhu Lu, who he could unleash the martial soul fusion skill, Netherworld White Tiger, with. He’s probably only participating in the Sea God’s Fate today because he wants to stir up trouble with me.

However, even though Dai Huabin’s introduction was simple, the girls’ reactions weren’t.

Dai Huabin, Xie Huanyue, Ning Tian and Wu Feng had entered the academy quite recently, so the inner courtyard’s older students weren’t that familiar with them.

The few seemingly simple numbers that he’d said had made him the center of attraction. He was seventeen years old, Rank 57, and his martial soul was the White Tiger. Everyone present was a talented soul master, so they naturally understood what these numbers meant. With his current cultivation, he was very likely to reach Rank 60 before he turned twenty, and prodigious soul masters who could reach Rank 60 before the age of twenty were ultimately bound to formidable Titled Douluo, as well as probably eventually become Transcendent Douluo.

One’s ability was one of the most important considerations for the inner courtyard’s girls in their search for a partner. It wouldn’t be very good if their future husbands’ cultivations ended up inferior to their own.

After Dai Huabin, several other people displayed their abilities. Some showed their dazzling soul skills, while others simply walked across the water, but everyone’s performances were spectacular. They were all roughly between twenty-five and thirty-five in age, and most of them were Soul Emperors and Soul Sages.

He Caitou was number nine, while Huo Yuhao was number eleven. Xu Sanshi wasn’t as fortunate; he was number twenty- four, which meant that he’d be the last to introduce himself.

Soon, He Caitou’s turn arrived. “Next.”  Zhang  Lexuan’s  tender  and  alluring  voice  echoed across the lake’s surface.

He Caitou cleared his throat and took a deep breath. He then forcefully suppressed his excited emotions, but didn’t make another astonishing or bewildering performance like before. He tapped lightly on his leaf with the tip of his foot, and a layer of light immediately appeared around his body. He looked a little like the Dai Huabin had, and he used this protective barrier to drift across the water’s surface. However, this wasn’t a soul skill, it was a protective soul barrier.

As he floated within the protective soul barrier, the soul thruster behind him released a faint glow as it propelled his tall, muscular body towards the girls’ side. Once he reached them, he spoke in a loud voice,

“My name is He Caitou. It’s a very silly name.

“I might look a little old, but I’m actually only nineteen.

“Teacher  saved  my  life  and  brought  me  here  to  Shrek Academy. It’s thanks to him that I have a chance to stand here today.

“I’m a soul engineer, and am a Rank 62 auxiliary-type Soul Emperor.

“I’m only here for one person. I’m extremely nervous, but I know that if I don’t confess now, I won’t ever be able to forgive myself. I’m here, Xiao Xiao. I like you. I’ve never liked a person the way that I like you in my entire life. I lost my family a long time ago, and I’ve even lost most of my memories of them. However, it’s clear to me that someone will always be the most important person in my heart… and that person is you. I truly like you.”

Simple, direct, and straightforward. This was the solution that He Caitou had come up with.

His head remained lowered from the beginning to the end of his speech. He didn’t dare to look at Xiao Xiao, but his voice was determined and his fists were clenched tight. However, his dark face was a little red and swollen, and there were enormous beads of sweat dripping from his forehead. The entire lake became quiet once he finished speaking. Of the nine students that had gone up, only He Caitou had confessed his feelings for a girl in his introduction. He’d insisted on this choice, and had no regrets.

“Hey,  you’re  going  to  hit  us.”  A  sudden  voice  jolted  He Caitou, who’d been moving forwards due to his soul thruster and his head lowered this entire time. He looked up and immediately realized that he was about to run into Han Ruoruo.

“Ah! Sorry, sorry.” He hurriedly shut off his soul thruster, his body swaying a little when he did so. Fortunately, he’d released a protective soul barrier so that he wouldn’t fall into the water with it active. Otherwise, it would’ve been quite hard to say the results.

Han Ruoruo stared at his daft and clumsy action, and for some reason, she felt a wave of envy and admiration surge from her heart. She smiled towards him and said, “Keep it up, big boy.”

“Okay.” He Caitou subconsciously acknowledged, before quickly recovering and staring deeply into Han Ruoruo’s eyes as he said, “Thank you.”

Han Ruoruo didn’t know it, but this simple sentence would end up saving her life in the future.

He Caitou glanced carefully towards Xiao Xiao. However, Xiao Xiao didn’t dare to look at him; her head was lowered and her tiny hands were tied into a knot before her. If she were to stick out her two index fingers right now, her actions would probably appear identical to the little Snow Lady.

What should I do? What should I do? This is so embarrassing! Xiao Xiao’s mind was a complete mess right now.

“Ahem, one minute is up.” Bei Bei reminded He Caitou from a distance.

“Alright, alright.” He Caitou cut a sorry figure as he activated his soul thruster once more and retreated back the way he’d come. Zhang Lexuan smiled and said, “So that means you’ve chosen Xiao Xiao, right?”

“Yes, yes.”  He Caitou nodded repeatedly before frantically turning around and returning to his leaf.

“Xiao Xiao,” Han Ruoruo called out softly.

“Ah?” Xiao Xiao looked up. Her pretty white face had as red as a tomato. If He Caitou was here to see it up close, he would’ve definitely said, “I love to eat tomatoes.”

Han Ruoruo giggled and said, “Don’t be shy, little sister. Girls have to be more courageous, especially when faced with good fortune like this! We have to be brave and grasp it firmly in our hands. The truth is that that tall, dark guy… his looks are definitely not worthy of you.”

“Ah?” The redness on Xiao Xiao’s face receded, and a little displeasure had appeared in her eyes. She wanted to dispute Han Ruoruo, but Han Ruoruo continued before she could. “Even though his looks aren’t worthy of you, I can feel that his feelings are true. He’s persistent, and if a person like him has recognized the girl of his dreams, then his heart will never change. You’ll definitely be happy if you follow him.”

“Ah!” Certain words were at the edge of Xiao Xiao’s mouth, but she swallowed them down in the end and lowered her head embarrassingly. However this time, there was a tinge of sweetness in her eyes.

The tenth student introduced himself, while Huo Yuhao looked at the sweaty He Caitou and gave him a thumbs-up. Huo Yuhao exclaimed in admiration, “That couldn’t have been better, second senior brother!”

“Eh? Was my performance really alright?” He Caitou stared at Huo Yuhao anxiously.

Huo Yuhao nodded heavily and said, “At least you’ve spoken your mind, and let Xiao Xiao know about the feelings you have for her. No matter what the outcome is, the fact that you were able to say all these things in front of so many people means that you’ve already succeeded.” As He Caitou gasped for breath and wiped the sweat from his face he said, “That’s good, that’s good. It’s almost your turn, little junior brother. Good luck! Which girl have you set your sights on?”

“Me?” Huo Yuhao’s eyes shifted subconsciously to the second veiled girl, but he shook his head and said, “I don’t know.”

Huo Yuhao’s mind was a lot calmer and more composed than before after the previous few segments. Controlling one’s emotions was a lesson that the Ultimate Soldier Plan had taught him, and his self-control had continuously improved as he grew older.

He Caitou had taken the same lessons, but he was too close to the issue, thus he couldn’t control his emotions well, as this was simply too important to him.

Huo Yuhao actually envied his second senior brother. He thought to himself, If that’s Wang Dong’s sister… and she looks just like the Goddess of Light… will I have an epic romance where I give her everything I have? Just as he began to speculate about this in his mind, He Caitou suddenly said, “It’s your turn, Yuhao.” Huo Yuhao was jolted back to reality. One minute had already passed. The student before him had completed his self-introduction in the Love at Second Sight, and was currently returning to his own

water lily leaf.

“It’s your turn, Yuhao.”  Indeed, Bei Bei’s call could also be heard.

Chapter 215: There's a Scoundrel, How Great!

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath. His mind was calm, so his performance would be smooth, composed, and natural. He tapped lightly on his leaf with the tips of his toes, and his entire body soared into the sky. He was light as a feather, as if there were no gravity or resistance to his movements at all, and the little Snow Lady on his shoulders didn’t even quiver a bit.

He drifted five to six meters forward before he tapped on the water’s surface with the tip of his foot. Chilly air condensed into a patch of ice and supported his body as he glided forward.

“My name is Huo Yuhao, and I’ll be seventeen this year. I am both a control-type and assault-type Soul King, and I’m also a Class 6 soul engineer.”

Once he stopped here, the girls before him all showed expressions of surprise. The Golden Crow Holy Lady was the most short-tempered, and she couldn’t control herself as she raised  her  hand  and  said,  “Wait,  wait.  Eldest  senior  sister, there’s something I don’t understand—can I ask him a question?”

Zhang Lexuan replied, “Just one. There won’t be a next one.”

“Alright.”   Wu  Ming  answered  happily,  then  asked  Huo Yuhao, “Are you deliberately giving yourself so many titles to attract the girls? Both control-type and assault-type? How is that separated? Are you telling me you have two martial souls? And you’re a Class 6 soul engineer on top of that? You’re only seventeen this year—are you a fighter that can do everything?”

Huo Yuhao smiled and said, “Greetings, senor sister. I do have two martial souls. My main martial soul is control-type, while my secondary martial soul is assault-type. I’m part of the Soul Tool Department at the same time, so I’m also a soul engineer. I’ve just returned a few days ago from my exchange program at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.”

Wu Ming was stunned momentarily, and asked in astonishment, “Twin martial souls?” Huo Yuhao had quite a reputation in the outer courtyard, but he didn’t have much in the inner courtyard. Furthermore, he had been away from the academy for more than two years, and those people who had initially had an impression of him would have forgotten. The words “twin martial souls”  were uttered once more, and several girls’ eyes sparkled, especially the younger ones.

The inner courtyard’s students were very clear on what having twin martial souls implied. If a soul master with twin martial souls could become a Titled Douluo, and obtain enough soul rings for his or her second martial soul, then this person would be able to challenge a formidable Transcendent Douluo at Rank 91. Furthermore, Huo Yuhao’s twin martial souls were control-type and assault-type respectively, so one was complementary to the other.

Zhang Lexuan smiled and said, “Continue, Yuhao. You have thirty seconds left.”

Huo Yuhao nodded in her direction and said, “All of you must be a little tired after standing for so long. Everyone should know what the Snow Lady can do—so let me help everyone relax a little.” As his voice dropped, the Snow Lady was telepathically connected to him, and she flew out at once. Orange-gold light flickered as she came before the girls. “Yi yi ya ya!’” She called as the orange-gold light became even denser than before.

Huo Yuhao flashed his own soul rings as well.

One red and four orange soul rings rose up from beneath his feet. The blood-red soul ring that had four golden lines and the four orange-gold soul rings that followed closely behind it immediately became the focus of everyone’s attention. Huo Yuhao’s entire aura skyrocketed, and he truly became like a sovereign ruler descending upon the world amidst the sparkling and dazzling soul rings.

Everybody began to scream and exclaim in awe and bewilderment. Both the guys and the girls, both Zhang Lexuan and Bei Bei, and even the elders of the Sea God’s Pavilion and the various teachers all had their eyes fixed on Huo Yuhao.

Orange soul rings? What is happening? Shrek Academy was most meticulous with martial soul research, but in all their history of soul masters, which included evil soul masters, the Body Sect and all the other powerful soul masters, nobody had ever seen an orange soul ring before. Furthermore, there was a blood-red hundred thousand year soul ring before the four orange soul rings.

The various opponents Huo Yuhao had faced in the outer courtyard were less surprised. They knew that Huo Yuhao possessed Imitation, and these five soul rings were probably conjured via said Imitation to please the crowd.

However, just when Huo Yuhao released his fifth soul ring, he chanted under his breath, “The fist and palm will freeze the heavens.”

The tiny Snow Lady pointed into the sky, and her fat little cheeks became as solemn as could be.

Snowflakes drifted from the sky. They weren’t so obvious in the beginning, but it didn’t take long before voluminous snowflakes descended from the heavens. These snowflakes separated into seventeen batches and circled around the girls, eventually congregating beneath their feet. The girls could immediately feel as if they were standing on solid ground, and a layer of thick solid ice with a diameter of over a meter instantly appeared beneath them. They no longer needed to use soul power to make themselves lighter, and they felt a lot more relaxed than before.

The Snow Lady giggled and flipped back onto Huo Yuhao’s shoulder.

Such formidable powers of control! The admiration and awe in the girls’ eyes grew stronger, except for Wu Feng, whose expression turned even darker than before.

This control of snow didn’t belong to Huo Yuhao, and Huo Yuhao didn’t manipulate anything at all—the Snow Lady was the one who had done everything. She was the Icesky Snow Lady, and also the Snow Empress, who was ranked number three amongst the Ten Great Savage Beasts. Who else in the world could compare to her ability to control snow?

Huo Yuhao bowed slightly in an extremely elegant gesture before he slid back and returned to his original position, where he descended back onto his water lily leaf.

He had further displayed the power of his Spirit. He believed that after the Blind Date, the academy would probably seek him out very quickly. If he could obtain the support of both the academy and his inner courtyard’s seniors, then the research and experimentation with Spirits could begin.

Back in the Clear Sky Sect, the sect leader, Niu Tian, had said something that greatly moved Huo Yuhao. The growth of soul beasts would never catch up to human soul masters. No matter how few soul masters there were, they would still accumulate power continuously. Even if every soul master had four rings on average, that meant every soul master had to hunt and kill four soul beasts, while these soul beasts ranged from ten years to more than a hundred thousand years old. If this was allowed to continue indefinitely, perhaps the world wouldn’t have soul beasts with high cultivations anymore, and it was even possible that soul beasts could become extinct. The existence of Spirits still couldn’t resolve this problem, but it could alleviate it to some extent, and it could reduce the intensity of the conflict. Huo Yuhao didn’t know how far he could reach, but he was still willing to put in effort to try, so that he could make his own contribution in the conflict between soul masters and soul beasts. There was no doubt that he didn’t really see the Sea God’s Fate as a Blind Date event anymore; his cultivation was more important. The only thing he was looking forward to was the girl who had displayed her second soul ring as a thousand year soul ring. However, Huo Yuhao knew that his hopes only stood at thirty percent. Furthermore, even if that girl was indeed Wang Dong’s sister, and she had the Goddess of Light’s appearance, would she actually like him? How was he going to interact with her? He was truly a little lost.

Huo Yuhao’s display didn’t have that astounding emotion that He Caitou possessed. However, he did show impressive abilities, and even though five rings was the lowest existence amongst the inner courtyard’s students, he had twin martial souls. Furthermore, he had a Spirit, which was a very peculiar thing to have. Almost all the girls had developed an interest in him for one reason or another, and Huo Yuhao left a strong impression on each and every one of them.

Love at Second Sight continued, and every male student treasured this self-introduction phase to the best of their ability. After this round, they would only have to go through the fourth round before they could advance into the last round. Whether the girls chose them in the fourth round would determine everything, and everybody had to try their best to display and introduce themselves. 

Everybody here was a soul master after all, and the most commonplace method of performance was their strength.

Finally, it was Xu Sanshi’s turn.

Xu Sanshi didn’t look so well, and it was clear that he had been greatly affected when Jiang Nannan didn’t leave her lamp on for him.

Jiang Nannan frowned faintly and turned around. She didn’t look at Xu Sanshi, who was gliding in her direction.

Xu Sanshi gradually came to a spot ten meters away from her and stopped.

“I’m back, Nannan. I don’t know how many times I’ve confessed to you. My brothers are always asking me, ‘how do I chase a girl?’ I tell them that you have to be courageous, meticulous, and your skin must be thick—this is especially true for the part about being thick-skinned, you really need to have that. If you can put your ego down and fight for her, there will always be a chance of success.” 

The male students began to laugh softly when they heard his words. However, Xu Sanshi didn’t laugh, and his face was exceptionally serious.

“Nannan, I’ve liked you ever since I first met you. I know that I gave you a bad impression all those years ago, but we’ve known each other for so long—from kids to teenagers, and all the way till now. I trust that you can see how I treat you. I can tell you that I will give everything I have for you—even my life, if I have to. I know that perhaps your answer today will be the same as always, but I still have to try as I always have, and I will never let the opportunity go even if I only have a single thread of a chance. Nannan, can you open up your heart and give me a little gap, so that I can give you love and passionate warmth?”

Xu Sanshi’s confession wasn’t that passionate, and it felt a little plain. However, one could tell that he was repressing something in that plain attitude. His eyes were determined and persistent, and there were deep-seated sentiments and emotions hidden deep within his eyes.

Jiang Nannan finally turned around. When their gazes met, Jiang Nannan realized to her surprise that two rows of tears were sliding down the corners of Xu Sanshi’s calm face, and his eyes were starting to turn red. 

In this moment, Jiang Nannan quivered, and anything that was said couldn’t compare to the shock she felt when Xu Sanshi shed those tears in front of everyone.

She definitely knew how Xu Sanshi had been to her over these years. She also knew that what Xu Sanshi said to her wasn’t just for fun, and that he would actually give his life for her—but why did she care so much about what had happened in the past? Was what happened back then worth the fuss and dispute? However, that time left an impression in her that was far too deep.

It had been more than a minute since Xu Sanshi had left his original spot, but nobody hurried him.

No matter how this segment of the Sea God’s Fate was supposed to be arranged, everyone was willing to wait for this scene of true emotion and feeling. Everybody’s eyes were fixed on Jiang Nannan, who was ten meters in front of Xu Sanshi. Jiang Nannan bit down on her lower lip, and stared at Xu Sanshi’s tear-filled face. She stared at his face that was as calm as ever, and there were several times when she wanted to speak, but nothing came out in the end.

“I understand now.” Xu Sanshi didn’t wait for too long. A sad smile broke out on his face, and he extended his arms to either side while his entire body fell backwards, as if he had lost all strength and balance.

Even as he was falling backwards, his gaze was fixed upon Jiang Nannan from beginning to end. Tears flowed from his face, and there was too much love, unwillingness, and grief in his eyes.

Kerplunk!

Xu Sanshi dropped into the water and water splashed everywhere. Xu Sanshi and his Shield of the Xuanwu Turtle disappeared in a streak of lightning. His fall into the water meant he was out of this event, and his tears never stopped flowing even as he collapsed into the water. Men had tears, but they didn’t come easy; they came from the deepest of heartaches.

Xu Sanshi had known Jiang Nannan for six years, all the way till today. Xu Sanshi had been chasing her for six years without giving up, and he had been confessing to her continuously. However, all he got was rejection, as he had made a mistake six years ago that left a dark shadow in Jiang Nannan’s heart that just wouldn’t go away.

He had put in too much effort over the past six years, but he had been rejected from beginning to end.

Xu Sanshi had always been waiting. He had always been waiting for the clouds to part and for the sun to shine through the heavens, but the answer was always “no”. He was still rejected.

Jiang Nannan stared with slack eyes as Xu Sanshi plummeted into the water, and her soul seemed to have departed her body. She felt her legs go weak, and she crumpled back onto the water lily. If not for the fact that Huo Yuhao had frozen her leaf into ice, she would have probably fallen into the water as well. “Bastard, bastard, bastard!”  Jiang Nannan suddenly started to bawl, and she seemed to have lost herself as tears cascaded like a waterfall down her face.

“Why? Why are you always teasing me? Why? I’ve rejected you so many times, but why don’t you give up? You’re a big man now, why are you crying? Why do you have to cry?”

Everyone fell silent as they watched Jiang Nannan’s cries and her tears. The girls around her wanted to console her, but they didn’t even know where to start. In the end, nobody knew what exactly had happened between her and Xu Sanshi.

Jiang Nannan lay down on the water lily, and her voice became a little hoarse—her heart was also filled with countless stifled passions and emotions.

She stared at the gleaming reflection on the lake’s surface. She suddenly muttered with a trembling voice, “Don’t you go, you little shit…”

Xu Sanshi had shown her meticulous care and concern over the past six years. He had placed himself in peril and risked his life for her countless times—he had defended her against formidable enemies, and protected her against the dangers of the world. She was also a human made from flesh and bone, and how could she not be aware of all this? However, there was no way she could accept him, and that was because the dark shadow in her heart ever since that moment was engraved too deeply within her.

However, today, just now, when she saw the typically jocular and whimsical fella calmly shed tears for her, she could no longer control the repressed feelings and emotions in her heart.

Her emotions crumbled, and she finally lost control over herself. In that moment when she watched Xu Sanshi fall into the water, she felt as if she were about to lose him forever. She felt overwhelming helplessness and panic in that moment, and she almost feel hopelessness rising in her heart.

“Don’t you go, you little shit…”

Jiang Nannan sobbed weakly, but the hopelessness in her heart only became stronger. She finally understood—she understood that she could never lose that scoundrel that hounded and annoyed her every day.

“Whoosh!” The sound of water moving suddenly appeared in the cold ice beneath Jiang Nannan, and a head emerged from the surface.

Jiang Nannan immediately stopped mumbling and glanced over with a pair of dazed and blurry eyes.

He wiped the water from his face with his hands. His eyes were red and swollen, but there was a deep and warm smile on his face. “The little shit is here.”

Jiang Nannan was momentarily stunned as she stared at the impish smile on that pesky fella’s face—but she didn’t find it annoying and contemptuous anymore.

She went from helplessness to getting everything back, and the emotions in her heart erupted like a volcano. She suddenly leapt forward and plunged into the water as she forced that bastard back into the water. “Damn you, damn you!”

Xu Sanshi said nothing at all, as he was pressed underwater and just blowing bubbles.

But those were bubbles of happiness.

The girls gawked with astonished eyes and slack jaws. The girl closest to Jiang Nannan felt tears well up in her eyes as she said, “Too passionate and touching! It’s so nice to have your own little shit.”

Xu Sanshi hugged Jiang Nannan tightly in his arms, and it took some effort for him to resurface from beneath the water. Both of them were already drenched at this point.

They gazed into each other’s eyes in the water. Xu Sanshi gently pushed away the purple hair on Jiang Nannan’s forehead that was covering her eyes.

“You were the one who called me back! You have to be responsible.” 

Jiang Nannan’s face instantly blushed, and she lowered her head and whispered, “I’ll think about it.”

“I’ll wait for you even if you need a lifetime to think about it.” Xu Sanshi hugged her tightly in his arms once more as he spoke. Jiang Nannan feebly tried to resist, but then buried her head in his shoulder and didn’t want to lift her head anymore.

“Clap, clap, clap…” Everyone began to clap. Both the guys and the girls used thunderous applause to bless and celebrate the lovebirds before them.

Xu Sanshi raised his left hand and waved his fist in the air. He turned around and looked towards Huo Yuhao, and gave him a thumbs-up.

Xu Sanshi wasn’t a god, and everything he had done couldn’t have been a pretense. How could he return at the crucial moment? There was only one reason—he had the aid of Spiritual Detection Sharing. Huo Yuhao had communicated Jiang Nannan’s reaction, and even her voice, to him through Spiritual Detection. Xu Sanshi’s hopelessness was converted into bewildering exhilaration, and he returned to Jiang Nannan’s side in the nick of time and finally took her hand and won her over. If he had missed this

opportunity, or if Jiang Nannan eventually recovered her rationality, he would probably have to put in effort to try again yet another time. Furthermore, he wasn’t sure if he could have the same passion as before after today’s deep hopelessness.

Therefore, there was only heartfelt gratitude for Huo Yuhao at this moment. What did brotherhood mean? This was what it meant to be brothers, to aid each other in times of need.

Huo Yuhao flashed a faint smile. His blood was riled up too as he watched Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan’s embrace in the water. He could feel that his emotions were also rippling vigorously, and desire began to rise from his heart.

Bei Bei was the host, but he turned around and away from everyone. Tears could be seen in his eyes as well, and there was a deep longing for the person he loved at this moment. Where are you, Xiao Ya? “Hey, you two are spoiling the rules. This is just the third segment, but the two of you can go directly into the last segment.” Zhang Lexuan smiled as she spoke.

Xu Sanshi laughed and said, “It’s all my fault, eldest senior sister. I will apologize to you later, but we’ll make a move first.” He didn’t intend to let everyone see what Jiang Nannan was like drenched, so the Shield of the Xuanwu Turtle transformed into a dense black streak that enveloped the two of them and glided toward the shore on the other side.

Zhang Lexuan waved as she smiled. “Bless the two of you— do remember your confession to Jiang Nannan before this.”

“Definitely.” Xu Sanshi’s voice echoed in the distance.

Zhang Lexuan glanced at Bei Bei, who still had his back turned, and she whispered, “Are you alright?”

Bei Bei nodded and tilted his head upwards slightly. When he turned back around, a faint smile had returned to his face, but Zhang Lexuan could vividly see the dash of despondence in the deepest recesses of his eyes. 

Zhang Lexuan’s body froze momentarily, but she quickly returned to normal. She smiled and said, “We shall begin the fourth segment soon. We have been through Mutual Feelings, Love at First Sight, and Love at Second Sight. It’s time to keep your love for three lifetimes, so the fourth segment is called Three Lifetimes of Fate.”

“The girls will take turns to introduce themselves in this segment, and they will choose the man that they like, and proceed to his side. The guys will be separated after this, so this allows for the charming guys to attract more than one girl. After this round, if one or several guys aren’t selected, then I’m sorry, but you’ll have to leave the event. Those that remain will proceed to the final segment.”

There was no question that more guys would be forfeited in the fourth segment. Jiang Nannan had left the seventeen- strong lineup, and sixteen girls remained. Even if every girl chose a different guy, there could only be sixteen people who could remain out of the twenty-three male students. The girls had the initiative during the fourth segment of the Sea God’s Fate, and this was in line with the common saying, “ladies first”. “You may begin. A point to note for the three girls who still have your conical bamboo hats—when you introduce yourselves later on, you may choose to take down your hats to reveal your appearance. If you still don’t reveal yourselves or if you only give clues, then in the final segment, and unless the

guys choose one of you, then you can’t remove your bamboo hats till the end of the event. Now, can the girl with the first number tag introduce herself and make her choice?” 

The girl with the first number tag tapped lightly on the water lily. There was firm ice beneath her feet, so there was a lot of strength in this push, and she drifted into the sky as if gravity wasn’t acting on her. She spun around in place after she landed back on the water’s surface, and a layer of white soul power rippled forward, prssing down on the surface of the water and stably lifting her into the air.

Two yellow, two purple, and three black soul rings hummed in rhythm.

This young woman looked to be only twenty-seven or twenty-eight. She wasn’t that pretty, but she had an extremely gentle face, and seemed as amiable as could be. She didn’t use any soul skills at all, relying purely upon control of her soul power to hover above the water’s surface. It seemed easy and simple, but it was exceptionally difficult to control, and all the guys gave her a round of applause and calls of awe and admiration. Huo Yuhao also exclaimed his admiration. At least with his current cultivation, there was no way he could achieve that no matter how good he was at controlling his soul power.

“My name is Hua Yao, and my martial soul is the Lotus. I’m a control-type Soul Sage, and I am thirty-one years old. I wish to find a gentle and mild-natured man as my partner, while being plain and simple is the life I wish for.”

It was a simple introduction, but it gave people a fantastic impression. She was already thirty-one years old, but such an age gap wasn’t really a problem in higher-level soul masters.

Zhang Lexuan smiled and asked, “So, who do you choose?”

Hua Yao blushed faintly, and her figure started to drift forward.

The fourth segment, the Three Lifetimes of Fate, wasn’t as simple as Zhang Lexuan had just described. The girls faced a tough choice in this segment. Since they were going before the guys, they had to make sure they didn’t fall into the water. The water couldn’t take any weight at all, so it was hard to say whether they could last until the end of this segment and into the last one. Whether the guys that the girls chose would be courteous and chivalrous enough to give them their water lilies also represented their choices in the final segment.

Hua Yao quickly came before the male students, and surveyed the people before her. Her eyes finally landed on a male student that looked around thirty years of age.

This man was tall and slender, his appearance quite typical, but he looked steady and composed. His performance in every round had been normal and orderly, and he hadn’t displayed anything too special. Huo Yuhao could only remember that he had seven soul rings.

Hua Yao came before this man in a flash, and she greeted him subtly. The other men suddenly exclaimed and erupted in applause. Somebody was getting lucky today!

The guy seemed a little surprised, but a delighted smile quickly appeared on his face. He said nothing at all, but he tapped lightly on the water lily, and he drifted three meters backwards as he made a courteous gesture to invite her onto his water lily.

Hua Yao didn’t dally around, and quickly landed on the water lily. She blushed a little as she nodded. The interaction between the two of them was done in complete silence, and the man was hovering in midair similar to the way Hua Yao had a while ago. However, right at this moment, a lotus flower suddenly appeared beneath his feet. The petals bloomed and took the weight of his body.

Hua Yao had mentioned before this that her martial soul was the Lotus.

They exchanged a smile, and there was a feeling as if nothing needed to be said, and everything was embodied in the silence.

The inner courtyard’s students didn’t interact much from day to day ,but becoming acquainted was natural. Everyone was too embarrassed to express their feelings on normal days, so the Sea God’s Fate was the best platform to do so.

Zhang Lexuan smiled and said, “Gu Fan, your little dinghy is about to become a ship!” Gu Fan didn’t talk much, and he bowed slightly in Zhang Lexuan’s direction, but there was no masking the excitement in his eyes.

Zhang Lexuan said, “Alright, will the next girl please step up?”

The girl with the second number tag was the one Huo Yuhao had been watching this whole time. Huo Yuhao immediately tensed up at Zhang Lexuan’s announcement. This girl was still wearing her bamboo hat! What choice would she make?

The young woman soared into the sky, a layer of golden light enveloping her. Something that stunned everyone happened: she didn’t say a word, nor did she take off her bamboo hat. She just flew directly towards the male students.

Zhang Lexuan couldn’t help but say, “This girl seems a little unfamiliar. Are you not going to remove the bamboo hat and introduce yourself? Don’t forget what I told you earlier.”

The young woman shook her head faintly in midair. She still said nothing as she drifted towards the men. She seemed as light as a feather, and flew ten meters before she tapped lightly on the water’s surface and began to fly forward once more. She covered a hundred meters in similar fashion.

One yellow, two purple, and three black soul rings appeared. This was a combination that was better than the typical optimal combination of soul rings, and was enough to attract the men. This was especially true since this young lady hadn’t revealed her appearance from the beginning of the event until now, nor had she spoken a single word, making her seem even more mysterious.

Huo Yuhao’s fists were clenched tightly. His eyes were unmoving as he stared at the second girl, and he constantly asked himself, Will she choose me? Will she choose me?

She was coming nearer and nearer. Everyone looked on as she came up before the men, and didn’t pause for a moment as she actually descended towards Huo Yuhao. The golden light suddenly disappeared around her, and she withdrew her soul rings as it seemed she was about to jump into the water.

Huo Yuhao couldn’t even react in time. The tiny Snow Lady on his shoulders pointed a finger, and fired a dark-blue ray of light onto the water lily. A piece of hardened ice that was a meter in diameter appeared beneath the girl’s feet and took her weight. There was no doubt that Huo Yuhao had the greatest advantage in this segment.

“You…” There was a tinge of pleasant surprise in Huo Yuhao’s eyes, but he seemed more hesitant and uncertain.

The girl turned around slightly, and her flowing powdery- blue hair fell in front of her. Her hair flowed down from her shoulders like tidal waves as she let it out from the veil.

She still refused to speak, and she didn’t even open her mouth. However, this simple hint made Huo Yuhao shudder violently. His speculation had finally been affirmed. The girl didn’t speak, but perhaps that was because she was embarrassed. She didn’t reveal her appearance, perhaps because she didn’t want to attract the other men. In the end, if she was truly as beautiful as the Goddess of Light, then she would have been the most enchanting and alluring girl in this entire event.

She must be Wang Dong’s sister, Wang Qiu’er! Huo Yuhao didn’t hesitate any longer after this. He was no longer the blurred and confused teenager from before, and the warm passion merged with the figure that was imprinted in the deepest parts of his soul. Everyone took the initiative to express their feelings, so how could he have no reaction at all?

Huo Yuhao floated up from the water lily and shifted backwards, landing on the water’s surface behind him as he gestured at the girl to say, “Please.” In this moment, his heart’s decision had been made, and whether he would end up with Wang Qiu’er in the end, she had given him a chance, and he would have to try to grasp the opportunity. She was his best buddy’s twin sister, and she had the same appearance as the girl of his dreams! Was there anything more perfect than this? Even if his heart couldn’t completely accept this, out of all the women here today, only this “Wang Qiu’er”, who had yet to reveal her appearance, attracted him.

The young woman jumped forward gently and landed on the water lily before Huo Yuhao. She nodded in his direction, but still said nothing.

The water beneath Huo Yuhao’s feet was frozen into ice. He stared at the young girl several meters in front of him, wrapped in a long dress and still wearing her conical bamboo hat. He didn’t know why, but a strong sense of familiarity rose from his heart and made him even more emotional. Why, why does she give me such a strong sense of familiarity? However, this sense of familiarity didn’t feel the same as when he had first met Wang Qiu’er.

Huo Yuhao was a spiritual-type soul master, so his perception was extremely sharp, and he was one to trust his feelings and instincts. This was especially so after he had obtained the Eye of Destiny, and his senses became even keener.

Zhang Lexuan smiled and said, “Looks like Huo Yuhao has a lot of chemistry with this mysterious girl! Did you guys arrange this beforehand? We will find out in the final segment! Let’s carry on.”

Several other girls came out after this, and everyone chose the guy that they liked. Nobody decided to give up their rights.

It was finally Xiao Xiao’s turn.

Xiao Xiao looked up and stared ahead. The blush on her cheeks was still there, and her eyes even had a tinge of hesitation.

Not far from her, Wu Ming laughed and said, “Listen to me, Xiao Xiao. Never miss the best opportunity because you feel embarrassed. If you accept a man at the moment he loves you the most, then you will completely capture his heart. He will love you for a lifetime, and he will take even better care of you because he is grateful."

Han Ruoruo laughed as well, and said, “Ming’er, seems like you know this quite well. Why haven’t you captured one yet?”

Wu Ming seemed rather vexed as she said, “There aren’t any suitable ones.”

Xiao Xiao nodded in their direction, and her embarrassed eyes finally flowed with toughness and determination. “Thank you, senior sisters.”

She zoomed forward as she spoke. Her movements were nothing like the women that had gone before her. She flew out, and five soul rings immediately appeared on her body: two yellow, two purple, and one black. There was no question that she was relatively weaker than the other ladies. She was a five-ringed Soul King, and she was undoubtedly unable to levitate and hover in the air without external forces.

However, Xiao Xiao had her own abilities. Just when she was coming to the end of her trajectory, an enormous cauldron appeared beneath her, she landed lightly on it, and paused on top of it. A strange scene occurred immediately afterwards, as she actually vanished along with the huge cauldron, and reappeared thirty meters further along.

Chapter 216: The Fate of Three Lifetimes

This flashing repeated three times, and she arrived in front of the male students.

“Plop!” At this point, the sound of water splashing rang out. He Caitou was too nervous, and tore his water lily. Fortunately, his reflexes were quick. He gathered his soul power instantly and pressed down with both his hands. With the powers of the Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, he exerted a force and managed to propel himself into the air just before he fell into the water.

Huo Yuhao didn’t make a move. A huge cauldron suddenly appeared beside He Caitou.

Xiao Xiao was a little anxious as she said, “Come up.” Once someone dropped into the water, he or she would be eliminated! At this point, she didn’t bother with being embarrassed anymore. As lights flashed again, she had brought her cauldron in front of He Caitou. He Caitou pressed his hands lightly against the Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron. He lifted himself up and landed on the cauldron. As he was too agitated, his lips were actually trembling slightly.

“Xiao Xiao…” He Caitou blurted out softly.

“Yes?” Xiao Xiao lowered her head.

“I’ll treat you well.”

“Okay.”

“I really like you.”

“Okay.”

No matter what He Caitou said, Xiao Xiao replied with only one word. She lowered her head and did not dare to look at him. After two and a half years of separation, they were finally standing together. Their passionate hearts were getting closer and closer to each other.

Zhang Lexuan touched Bei Bei, “You can do it.”

“Alright.” Bei Bei had fully regained control of his emotions. As he looked at Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan, as well as He Caitou and Xiao Xiao, he was delighted that they had all found their true loves.

“The Fate of Three Lifetimes on the Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron! Caitou, you must grab your opportunity well!”  Bei Bei’s called out.

He  Caitou  shouted,  “Eldest  senior,  I’ll  grab  hold  of  this opportunity! No one else will choose me! Seniors and juniors, don’t choose me anymore! I already have a date!”

“Hahaha…” He Caitou’s confession attracted a lot of laughter, and the atmosphere became much more relaxed. Xiao Xiao was still shy. As she reached her hand out, she slapped He Caitou’s neck and said softly, “You’re like black charcoal. Who else is as stupid as me to choose you? You’re too full of yourself.”

He  Caitou  chortled,  “It’s  not  painful.  Slap  me  again,  I’m scared that I’m dreaming!”

Xiao Xiao didn’t slap him, but instead lightly caressed the spot she had just slapped. She said softly, “Aren’t you willing to see me in your dream?”

He Caitou touched his bald head, “I’m willing, of course I’m willing! However, what do I do when I wake up if this is a dream?”

Xiao Xiao finally smiled. “If this is a dream, you can sit down then.”

The fourth segment was still ongoing. Another lady appeared. This lady wore a hat and veil just like the number two student in front of Huo Yuhao.

As she appeared, she waved her right hand, and a streak of light appeared above the water’s surface. Huo Yuhao’s eyes were very sharp, and he was stunned to realize that it was a shuttle-type soul tool.

That female student drifted onto the soul tool and stood on it steadily. Her figure glided slowly towards the male students.

As she glided, she also removed her hat and revealed her charming looks.

This lady looked like she was seventeen or eighteen years old. Not only was she very pretty, but her figure was also very proportionate. She revealed an apologetic look on her face and said, “My name is Ning Tian. As I’m an auxiliary-type soul master, I can only use the strength of my soul tool to keep my balance on the water. I am Rank 54, an auxiliary-type Soul King. My martial soul is the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda.” Although she was hinting that she had no strength to float above the water’s surface, no one thought that her abilities were weak. There weren’t any weaklings in the inner courtyard. Furthermore, she also looked very young. When she mentioned her martial soul, the men were enlightened.

The number one auxiliary-type martial soul on the continent, the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda! Of course she was qualified to enter the inner courtyard. Even though she had no fighting abilities, she was definitely one of the strongest auxiliary-type soul masters around.

Huo Yuhao was also enlightened. No wonder she had looked so familiar at first sight. She was actually Ning Tian. After so many years, Ning Tian’s figure and looks had developed so drastically that he hadn’t recognized her. Compared to before, she felt much simpler now. There was also a refined aura about her within the simplicity, which made others feel good about her.

“As an auxiliary-type soul master, I need someone strong to protect me. That’s why I’m choosing someone who can protect me. I believe I can help him reach the peak of the continent.” She wore a smile on her face as she spoke, and glided up before the male students. 

No one doubted her words. There were many willing participants in the inner courtyard who wanted to protect her! With the aid of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, their abilities were bound to rise at least by forty percent. Once her Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda rose to become a Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda, she would have the power to change the outcome of a battle single-handedly.

The eyes of the young men started to heat up. Even Dai Huabin’s gaze flashed a little as he heard her words.

Among the female students of the same grade, Ning Tian was the only one who could attract him. She was even more attractive than Zhu Lu. However, he possessed a martial soul fusion skill with Zhu Lu, and they were very close. He couldn’t choose his wife, and he hadn’t come here today to find a girlfriend. However, he was tempted as he looked at Ning Tian gliding over.

Ning Tian went straight for her target.

Huo Yuhao was still thinking about his impression of Ning Tian from before. However, his eyes very quickly widened. That was because he discovered that she was approaching him. Surely not? Surely…

Before he even finished thinking those words, she was already close in front of him. She nodded towards him slightly, as if she didn’t see the number two female student that was already in front of him.

“In my eyes, you’re the person who can protect me. I’m willing to follow you with the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda. Can you give me a piece of ice?”

Huo Yuhao was in shock as their eyes met. Ning Tian was a little shy, but the look in her eyes was very resolute. Yes, Huo Yuhao was her choice, not because she liked him, but because he was strong enough.

As she possessed the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, Ning Tian was nurtured as the heir to the sect master since childhood. She was outstanding in all aspects. However, she knew that she needed a strong protector before she could reach the peak of this world, even though she had the strongest auxiliary-type martial soul. Choosing her partner was also the best chance for her to pick this protector. She only had one shot at this, and thus she needed to choose the best person that she could recognize.

After two and a half years, Huo Yuhao had shocked everyone with his skills. He was already a Soul King. Although his rank wasn’t very high, he had twin martial souls! Furthermore, Ning Tian also knew that he didn’t just possess twin martial souls, he even possessed the Ultimate Ice. He also had the Snow Lady, and was even a Class 6 soul engineer. Most inner courtyard students weren’t too interested in soul tools. However, Ning Tian had a different perspective. Since she had no fighting abilities, she could use soul tools to attack. Due to her understanding of soul tools, she understood that a Class 6 soul engineer was very strong.

She was interested in Huo Yuhao’s abilities. As for feelings, she believed that they could be nurtured. She was also confident of attracting Huo Yuhao with her talents. Being very self-confident, she still chose Huo Yuhao even though the number two female student had already approached him earlier.

Before Huo Yuhao could even react, the Snow Lady pointed with her finger and created a patch of ice in front of Ning Tian. After doing this, she even clapped her hands. She started to giggle. She gave off the feeling that everything was fine.

“Thank you.” Ning Tian smiled elegantly and lifted the sides of her dress with both hands. She descended onto the patch of ice.

Two yellow, two purple and one black soul ring started to rise from her feet. As she lifted her right hand, a streak of bright light appeared in her palm. A seven-story pagoda flashing with dazzling lights appeared on her palm. As her soul rings drifted up, they eventually surrounded the pagoda. Under the illumination of her soul rings, the pagoda became brighter and brighter.

Ning Tian said softly, “This Glazed Pagoda has seven stories.

Strength, speed, soul, defense, attack.”

Suddenly, a weird scene appeared. The pagoda flew up and expanded, as her five soul rings shone in succession. Five streaks of rainbow light were also released, and landed on Huo Yuhao’s body, engulfing him. In the dark night, he was covered by a rich array of colors. Instantly, he felt his cultivation soaring. It wasn’t just his cultivation; his strength, speed, soul power, and other aspects were enhanced as well! 

Huo Yuhao seemed to hear someone saying to him, “Five auxiliary skills unleashed at the same time. This is the Scattered Heart of Five Apertures. Not only has her cultivation increased to that of a Soul King, but her control of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda has also reached that level.”

“This?”  The lights around Huo Yuhao’s body retracted, but the enhancements remained. He even felt like he had become a Soul Emperor.

Ning Tian smiled and replied, “You used your soul skills just now. Perhaps you became a little tired. I helped you recover. When I reach Rank 60, I can even perform elemental enhancements. Which means I can enhance your ice element to become even more ultimate.”

Huo Yuhao complimented, “Your Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda is indeed very strong.”

Ning Tian smiled without saying anything. From the start, she didn’t even look at the number two female student beside her. When she unleashed her five soul skills, she only had one intention—to attract Huo Yuhao with her abilities. Without a doubt, his fighting abilities and survivability would increase greatly if he had support from a Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda to help him on the battlefield.

The five soul skills she had just unleashed were strength enhancement, agility enhancement, soul power enhancement, defensive enhancement and offensive enhancement.

The simplest way to appraise her enhancements on Huo Yuhao was that she raised him from a Soul King into a Soul Emperor.

This was too exaggerated of an increase! It clearly showed how strong she was. Her Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda wasn’t called the number one auxiliary-type martial soul on the continent for nothing.

Although Ning Tian didn’t look at the number two female student, she was secretly monitoring her all this while. It would be normal if she became sarcastic or antagonistic, but this female student had no reaction. She was so peaceful that Ning Tian found it weird. She only stood there from the start till the end, watching coldly.

The fourth segment continued. After two more female students, it was finally the Golden Crow Holy Lady’s turn.

As she drifted out, her pair of golden wings flapped open behind her. The Golden Crow was a bird, a type of firebird rumored to be a close relative of phoenixes. Wu Ming’s Golden Crow Primordial Fire wasn’t at the level of the Ultimate Fire, but it was close.

As her wings flapped, she had already flown into the air.

“My name is Wu Ming, and I’ll be thirty-two this year. Everyone calls me the Golden Crow Holy Lady. I know that some people claim that I’m what is leftover of the leftovers. I’ve no choice since I’m old. I’m just going to choose someone. Whoever rejects me is going to die!”

As she spoke, she dived down from the air. The bright-golden flames behind her formed a dazzling trail. In the blink of an eye, she had already arrived in front of the male students.

Please don’t let it be me! This was the common thought in everyone’s mind.

Wu Ming wasn’t ugly, and her cultivation was very high. Her age wasn’t too big of a problem either. They were afraid of her temper! With her fiery temper, she was even more notorious than Ma Xiaotao. After all, she had entered the inner courtyard earlier. In addition, she was very competitive, so no one would have it good if they were together with her. Generally speaking, ordinary guys were more interested in gentle ladies.

Wu Ming stopped in the air, and everyone started to become fearful. Then she moved suddenly. Her figure drifted down, and she landed in front of someone. As her wings flapped open, they pointed towards the water lily that one guy was standing on.

Chu Qingtian was shocked when he saw Wu Ming. Honestly speaking, Wu Ming did appear slightly ravishing, illuminated by the golden flames in this dark night as she was. However, Chu Qingtian was perplexed as to why she appeared before him.

“What are you looking at? Give space on the water lily to me.

Are you not a man?” Wu Ming shouted.

“Oh, oh.” Chu Qingtian retreated in shock and gave her the water lily.

Wu Ming was pleased with this reaction. At least he’s willing to give it up! However, Chu Qingtian dropped straight into the lake water when she landed on the water lily.

“Splash!”    Ripples   were   formed,   and   water   scattered everywhere.

The male students were also shocked, and someone muttered, “Decisive! Strong.”

“Chu!  Qing!  Tian!”  Wu  Ming  raged,  and  her  palm  struck toward the lake water in front of her. A palm formed by golden flames struck the water, vaporizing a large volume of it.

“I…” Chu Qingtian had only just resurfaced from the water at this point, but he was slapped back into the water by this palm. Fortunately, he was an agility-type soul master. When he was struck back into the lake water, he was jolted awake. As lightning flashed, he flew out of the water and several tens of meters into the air. He managed to avoid the palm.

“Don’t  attack  me!  It  was  unintentional!”   Chu  Qingtian shouted. He didn’t flee. Although he was confident in his speed, he didn’t run. He didn’t want to be chased by the Golden Crow Holy Lady for the rest of his life! He had witnessed how strong Wu Ming was before. Once, she had chased a soul beast into the core region of the Great Star Dou Forest after it ambushed her. If a human blocked her, she would kill him. If a soul beast blocked her, she would kill it.

“Am I that scary? Why did you have to jump into the water?” Wu Ming placed her hands on her hips and straightened her body. As she thought of the indignation she suffered, her eyes started to tear up. She had liked guys before; she was also a normal lady! However, every guy that she had ever confessed to ran away from her in fear. As Chu Qingtian jumped into the water, she felt extremely slighted, and tears started to stream down her face. He was more willing to give up his opportunity in this blind date rather than be with her.

“No, no, don’t misunderstand me. I was just too surprised, and  didn’t  realize  that  it  was  water  underneath  me!”  Chu Qingtian tried to explain.

“Surprised?”  Wu Ming was stunned, and her tears stopped flowing.

Although Chu Qingtian was drenched, he still looked at her with a deep gaze, “I didn’t expect you to choose me! You also saw how He Caitou reacted. Didn’t he say that one of his legs fell into the water because he was scared of Xiao Xiao? It was because he was too excited, that’s why he couldn’t control himself! I’m in a similar situation, but my surprise was more intense. That’s why I fell into the water. This shows how much more I like you!” “What? Is that really so?” Wu Ming was in a daze from his flowery words.

Chu Qingtian nodded his head resolutely. “Of course. Think about what I said when I exhibited myself. In fact, I’m a person with no self-confidence. That’s why I said I’d be willing as long as someone was willing to accept me. However, everyone has someone he or she likes no matter how inferior he or she feels! Maybe you don’t remember, but there was once a batch of inner courtyard students went into the Great Star Dou Forest to hunt soul beasts. That time, your courage and strength deeply attracted me. Although you’re a lady, you’re a true hero in my eyes. I can still clearly remember how you stood in front of me when I was attacked by soul beasts. From that moment on, your figure has been deeply carved into my mind.”

As he spoke till here, he lowered his head slightly and sighed. He said, “However, I know that an outstanding lady like you will only choose the best. Why would you choose someone as ordinary as me? Besides speed, I’ve nothing outstanding. I’m not handsome either. That’s why I could only watch you from one side. I didn’t even have the courage to confess to you.”

“It was only today that I acted impulsively in the first segment when I confirmed your position. That was why I didn’t hesitate to take your hat.”

“In fact, I didn’t expect to have any fate with you today. I never hoped that you’d choose me. I only took your hat to take one more look at you on this blind date. Think about it, how can I not be agitated after my dreams have turned into reality? Eldest senior sister, please give me a chance to stand on the water lily again. If the rules don’t allow it, then heaven must be playing a trick on me!” After he finished speaking, he revealed a sad look on his face.

Wu Ming looked at him in a daze. “Are you for real? You’ve always liked me?”

“Yes.” Chu Qingtian nodded vigorously.

At this point, most of the male students had a discriminatory look in their eyes. Is this guy pulling out a surprise? Surely not. This is more like a shock. However, his acting is impeccable and he’s smooth. Wu Ming’s been tricked by him.

There weren’t many male students who believed Chu Qingtian’s words. Even Huo Yuhao was in doubt. His Spiritual Detection was activated most of the time. That was how he could sense that Chu Qingtian’s spiritual undulations were very intense when he spoke just now. However, it wasn’t intense because his feelings were passionate. Rather, it was because he was very uncomfortable. His hands were also moving continuously behind his back, revealing the turmoil in his spiritual state. That was why his words weren’t so credible.

Wu Ming turned around suddenly and looked in the direction of Zhang Lexuan and Bei Bei. Her eyes were tearing up as she said, “Eldest senior sister, there’s finally someone who likes me. Please, I beg of you.”

Chu Qingtian’s words weren’t completely from the bottom of his heart. He had been observing her for some time, but not in a romantic way. However, he couldn’t reject her in such a situation as he saw her tearing up. In addition, he didn’t really dare to reject her. That was why he said what he did. He was even tricked by himself. 

Wu Ming turned around and begged Zhang Lexuan with a hopeful yet sorrowful expression on her face. As Chu Qingtian saw the tears flowing down her cheeks, he felt greatly moved. He suddenly saw that she wasn’t as scary as he had thought. The slight resistance he had had in his heart disappeared quickly.

Zhang Lexuan sighed. In fact, everyone could tell that Chu Qingtian’s words lacked sincerity even though they sounded flawless. But how could she reject Wu Ming, especially with those tears streaming down her face?

“Ming’er, you should know that the rules can’t be broken. If I make this an exception for you, it won’t be fair for everyone else. However, we know that there’s always a single exception made in the Sea God’s Fate. If everyone is willing to let you use this exception, then I think we can do it if everyone is moved by your feelings. However, I can let you make a new choice if someone proposes otherwise.”

“Thank you, eldest senior sister.” Wu Ming’s voice suddenly turned excited, and she thanked Zhang Lexuan. After that, she turned her attention to all the female students and said, “Today, I hope to leave with Chu Qingtian. I’m a direct person, so I won’t say anything else. I hope that all of you will give me this chance. I’ll remember this favor. If there’s anything you need, just tell me.”

As Bei Bei looked at Wu Ming, he muttered, “Sister Wu Ming is so steady! If she were a guy, she’d be really impressive.”

Zhang Lexuan glanced at him and said, “Stop with the sarcasm. Do you really think Wu Ming can’t hear the insincerity in Chu Qingtian’s words? Don’t judge her by her fierce appearance. In fact, very few know about her equally fierce intelligence. She doesn’t want to be hurt again, and wants to fight for another chance for herself. That’s why she didn’t expose him. Let’s see what Chu Qingtian’s going to do. If he brings Ming’er back today and hurts her in the future, I won’t let him go.”

Bei Bei turned fearful. In that instant, he clearly felt the seriousness in her words, and didn’t even dare to look at her.

“Eldest senior sister, you should also find a guy.” Zhang Lexuan shot him a cold look. “Shut up.”

Bei Bei shut his mouth immediately and lowered his head. He even looked quite guilty. “Sister, I’m sorry…”

Zhang Lexuan said, “It was my choice. What has it got to do with you? Since I made that choice years ago, I won’t change it. Alright, let’s get back to official business.”

No one doubted Wu Ming’s words. Whether it was because the male students were scared of her, or the female students shared a good relationship with her or wanted her to owe them a favor, they granted her the perfect ending she always wanted.

“Alright. Since there are no objections, we shall grant this exception to Chu Qingtian.”

“Thank   you,   eldest   senior   sister.”    Chu   Qingtian   was drenched as he leapt up from the water.

Wu Ming gestured towards him, and he landed on the water lily. The water lily had a diameter of one meter, and thus it was fine for two people to stand on it together. It was just that they would have to stand rather close to each other.

Chu Qingtian smelled a refreshing scent as he stood beside Wu Ming. It was the smell of a quilt laying in the sun. It was comfortable, clean and refreshing.

Wu Ming took a look at him and said softly, “If you’re lying to me, I’m going to castrate you.”

Chu Qingtian’s butt clenched, and he shook his head vigorously. “Of course not!”

Wu Ming lifted his hand and softly placed it on his back. Suddenly, a warm flow started to engulf his body. His drenched clothing quickly dried up, but he wasn’t burned by the heat. Wu Ming’s control of the Golden Crow Primordial Fire had reached a high level.

Wu Ming said softly, “I’ll try to be with gentler with you.

Okay?” Chu Qingtian nodded his head. “Of course.”

“Do you think I’m not gentle enough now?”

“Uh… this…”

“I’ll really be gentler with you.” Wu Ming spoke with certainty.

From Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan to Hua Yao and Gu Fan to He Caitou and Xiao Xiao to Chu Qingtian and Wu Ming now, there were already a few couples who had established their mutual feelings for each other.

The fourth segment, Destined In Three Lives, continued.

After Wu Ming, it was Han Ruoruo’s turn.

After Han Ruoruo appeared, she pointed with her toes and glided out in front of the male students. There was a look of hesitation in her eyes. 

“My name is Han Ruoruo. I’m sure all of you know about me. I’m older than Wu Ming. I’m probably the oldest student in the inner courtyard. Due to my cultivation, I delayed finding a partner. In fact, I don’t know how to choose one today. To me, fighting has always been easier than finding a guy. That’s why I don’t know how to choose. Eldest senior sister, can I change my form in this segment? If someone likes me, I hope you can

stand up and tell me. Otherwise, I’ll leave today’s blind date.”

Although Han Ruoruo called Zhang Lexuan her eldest senior sister, she was older than her. Even Zhang Lexuan didn’t know how to reject her at this moment.

Thus, she nodded and said, “Are there any male students who like Ruoruo? If there are, please stand up and fight for your own happiness. No one will laugh at you. They’ll only wish you the best.”

Indeed, Han Ruoruo wasn’t young. There weren’t many male students who were close to her in terms of age. Moreover, everyone knew that Han Ruoruo was an eight-ringed Soul Douluo. In the inner courtyard, there wasn’t anyone whose cultivation was higher than her apart from Zhang Lexuan. Everyone felt proud of themselves for becoming a member of the inner courtyard. But it wasn’t a pleasant thing for a guy’s cultivation to be lower than his partner’s. This was also the same problem that Wu Ming faced. That was why it wasn’t easy for them to find a suitable partner. At times, being too

outstanding wasn’t exactly a good thing for a woman.

No male students stepped up. Currently, they had all chosen to remain silent for various reasons. In the end, no one chose Han Ruoruo.

She revealed a self-mocking and helpless smile on her face and sighed in her heart. Just as she was about to leave, a voice came from afar.

“I wonder if I make the cut?”

This voice didn’t come from any of the male students. Instead, it came from the ferry. Following this, a figure leapt out from the ferry. He wasn’t too quick. He had two yellow, two purple and two black soul rings, which rose from his feet. Streaks of flowing light flashed and turned into dim patterns which supported him in the air. He appeared at the crowd of male students as his figure flashed a few times. 

He was a middle-aged man who looked like he was forty years old. He had six soul rings, which revealed his cultivation as a Soul Emperor. He was charming, and had a refined demeanor. His deep eyes revealed a wise look. His martial soul was very special. Upon closer examination, people could tell

that it was a long stick that emanated the light patterns. There were dragon patterns on it. The Coiled Dragon Stick.

Huo Yuhao, He Caitou and Bei Bei were the first to be shocked when they saw this man. They recognized him, especially Huo Yuhao. That was because this middle-aged man was once their class teacher, and he was the teacher that had led them to victory in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, Wang Yan!

When they returned from the tournament, he was given the opportunity to carry out martial soul research in the Library of the Sea God’s Pavilion. Huo Yuhao had only seen him very infrequently since then, and hadn’t expected him to show up today.

“Teacher Wang Yan.”  Han Ruoruo was also stunned when she saw him. She hadn’t expected that no student would confess to her, but a teacher would. 

In terms of age, Wang Yan was indeed very suitable for her. However, he was a teacher! Furthermore, Wang Yan’s cultivation was only at six rings.

Today’s blind date was destined to be extraordinary!

Wang Yan looked at Han Ruoruo calmly. “How are you, Ruoruo? I know that I’m being a little out of the blue. However, I also know that this is my only chance. I’m not young either—I’m already forty.”

“I dedicated my life to researching martial souls. I know that my cultivation isn’t high, and I’m not fit to be with you. However, just like Lexuan said, one shouldn’t be embarrassed about fighting for their own happiness. That’s why I’m willing to walk out and confess my admiration for you.”

Han Ruoruo was in a daze as she looked at him and said, “You, you’re into me?”

Although Wang Yan’s gaze was very calm, he possessed a form of sincerity that Chu Qingtian hadn’t had before. He nodded slightly. “It started about three years ago. I had just brought the team back from the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament. When I encountered problems in my martial soul research, I asked Dean Yan to find a few inner courtyard students to help me with my research. You were one of them. Those two months that we researched soul tools and martial souls together, was probably the time that I was least focused on research in my whole life.”

“I was captured by your sweet temper. However, I didn’t know if that feeling was love, even though I’m so old.”

“You left after two months. When you left, I felt that you had taken something from me along with you. It was only later that I realized—it was my heart.”

Chapter 217: There's a Nice Show to Watch

“I know that we’re not suitable for each other. In the inner courtyard, you’re considered a blessing. You were close to your eighth ring then. At that point in time, I only had five rings. Regardless of whether it was our cultivation or our future, they were too far apart. Moreover, we’re teacher and student. To conceal my feelings, I invested all my time and effort into martial soul research and tried to forget about you.”

“However, I couldn’t just forget you when love truly came. There was a point in time when I was especially despondent, and even looked down on myself. I was already trying my best to carry out my research, but I found myself thinking of you whenever there was a quiet moment. Your look and your smile when you were researching martial souls with me tugged at my heartstrings all the time. I had the temptation to look for you more than once. Nevertheless, my own feelings of inferiority stopped me.”

“It was only a year ago that I started to become more introspective with my feelings, but I knew that my opportunities were slowly slipping away. To keep pace with you, I tried my best to strengthen my cultivation as I continued my martial soul research. I hoped to catch up to you. It was only this way that I could complement you. Not long afterward, I reached Rank 60, and I’m now at Rank 64. Although I’m still very far away from you, I really don’t want to give up on today’s opportunity. At the very least, I want to confess to you. Even if I fail in my pursuit, I won’t regret that I

tried.”

“I had actually hoped you find a partner in this blind date, and secretly wished you all the best in your endeavor. However, they can’t appreciate you. That’s why I’m being impulsive now. Maybe I’ll be expelled from the academy tomorrow, but I won’t regret my decision.”

As he spoke till here, he stopped. After that, he watched Han Ruoruo’s lost look, and seemed to muster his courage, and he said, “Ruoruo, can you give me a chance?”

Han Ruoruo looked at Wang Yan, who stared back at her. It seemed as if she could see into the depths of his eyes.

They weren’t young anymore. Han Ruoruo didn’t hesitate too much. She smiled and seemed as luxuriant as a fresh flower. Her beaming smile was extremely moving in this beautiful night. 

She drifted down towards Wang Yan and extended her right hand. She said softly, “I think my happiness is here.”

The normally gentle Wang Yan couldn’t remain calm anymore. He was agitated as he grabbed her hands and said in the most determined way possible, “I’ll be faithful to you.”

Han Ruoruo looked at his agitated look and said, “You should’ve told me earlier. I might have agreed.”

Wang Yan was still agitated, “It’s not too late. It’s still not too late. Even though I can’t become a Titled Douluo, I’ll still have sixty years. Sixty years is equivalent to over twenty thousand days. I’ll treasure every moment with you. Ruoruo, thank you.”

Han Ruoruo didn’t say anything more. As she grabbed hold of Wang Yan’s hand, she turned to everyone. “I’m sorry, I won’t participate in this Sea God’s Fate any further. Lexuan, take it that I’ve been eliminated. We’ll make a move first.”

At this point, an elderly voice sounded. “Wang Yan, the elders and I have the same thoughts. We’ll take it that we didn’t see what just happened. However, we’ll expel you if you don’t invite us to your wedding dinner.”

Wang Yan was delighted. “Thank you Elder Xuan and elders of the pavilion. I’ll be with Shrek forever. Even if you expel me, I still won’t leave.”

Han Ruoruo and Wang Yan smiled as they looked at each other. Their bodies lifted into the air at the same time. The teacher-student love that blossomed between the both of them seemed very agreeable.

“I wish the both of you all the best.”  Zhang Lexuan felt a little disappointed, but her voice was still as sweet as ever.

After entering the fourth segment, things seemed to have become more intense! Wu Ming and Han Ruoruo both found partners. This was far beyond everyone’s expectations.

After Han Ruoruo, Wu Feng actually chose Dai Huabin. She didn’t even say anything. But, as she was proceeding towards Dai Huabin, she glared at Huo Yuhao. Another female student who still had her hat also revealed her looks.

When it came to Ling Luochen’s turn, another shocking scene appeared.

Ling Luochen’s actions were very gentle as she left the water lily. However, she moved very similarly to Huo Yuhao when he walked towards the female students earlier. As she walked step by step on the water’s surface, she formed patches of ice beneath her feet. She slowly came in front of the male students. However, she didn’t introduce herself.

After scanning the male students around her, her gaze finally landed on Huo Yuhao. She lifted her legs again and walked towards Huo Yuhao before stopping.

Huo Yuhao seemed to be in a daze.

Ling Luochen was even cooler than Wu Ming. She said coldly, “I’m sure you know about me. I took a look and realized you’re compatible. If you don’t mind the gap between us, we can get together.” 

Huo Yuhao almost frothed at the mouth. He didn’t expect her to choose him.

In terms of age, Ling Luochen was indeed not much older than him. During the previous tournament, Ling Luochen was part of the main team, and she was almost twenty years old then. She was now around twenty-four, while Huo Yuhao was only seventeen. Their age gap was approximately seven years.

Was Ling Luochen really as cold as her voice? Her eyes were flashing, and she even seemed lost in her own world. There was a dim layer of pink on her face.

Three female students had already chosen Huo Yuhao.

The students in the inner courtyard were on average between twenty and thirty years old. Only slightly more than ten percent of them were above thirty years old. The rest, such as Huo Yuhao, were less than thirty.

Guys and girls at this age were already pretty rational. That was why it was rare for many female students to choose one male student. Comparatively, the inner courtyard seemed to have more girls than guys now. The overall abilities of the female students were greater than the male students. Besides some of the graduates, there weren’t any eight-ringed male students in the academy right now. However, there was more

than one female student with eight soul rings. Furthermore, there were even more male students than female students in today’s competition. In the last segment, it was very unlikely for many female students to choose the same male student. Besides Huo Yuhao, there was only one other handsome-

looking, seven-ringed male student was chosen by two female students.

Huo Yuhao didn’t expect himself to be so popular as he looked at the three ladies in front of him. Perhaps he’d spent too much time with Wang Dong, and thus he didn’t have confidence in his own appearance. However, who would have expected three ladies to choose him today? He was most captivated by the young lady with the pinkish-blue hair, but Ning Tian and Ling Luochen were undoubtedly very outstanding students too!

The fourth segment ended. Following this, was the fifth segment, which was the last segment. At this point, there were much fewer people left on this blind date. Jiang Nannan and Han Ruoruo had left, so there were only fifteen female students left. Three of them had chosen Huo Yuhao, and two of them had chosen another male student. As a result, there were three less male students as compared to

the female students. Including Huo Yuhao, He Caitou and Dai Huabin, there were only twelve of them.

……

On the shore, Jiang Nannan and Xu Sanshi were hiding behind a huge rock as they watched the rest of the students on the lake.

The two of them had just dried their clothing using a completely different method from Wu Ming. They wrung the water from their clothes directly. Naturally, Xu Sanshi was the one who did this, as he possessed the Xuanwu Shield. Of course, he also exploited this opportunity to meticulously and seriously admire Jiang Nannan’s body. Xu Sanshi was still thinking that her figure was perfect! It was practically flawless.

“Nannan, why are we still looking at them? We should find a place to get intimate. After chasing you for so many years, I finally won your heart. It wasn’t easy.”

Jiang Nannan rolled her eyes at him and said softly “Shut up. Don’t talk to me about winning my heart or getting intimate. Get further away from me. I’m warning you—don’t touch me.”

Xu Sanshi opened his eyes wide. “Nannan, didn’t you promise me?”

“What did I promise you?” Jiang Nannan was amused as she looked at him.

“To be my girlfriend!”

“Did I promise you that?” Jiang Nannan replied almost naturally.

“Didn’t you jump into my arms just now? Wasn’t that your stamp of approval?” Xu Sanshi continued to argue. Jiang Nannan snorted and said, “I didn’t promise you anything.”

“You… you’re refusing to acknowledge it?” Xu Sanshi was shocked as he looked at her.

Jiang Nannan laughed. “Isn’t that an innate characteristic of a lady? Moreover, I truly didn’t say anything!”

Xu Sanshi lowered his head and revealed an indignant look on his face. He was mimicking the Snow Lady, “What do I have to do before you’ll become my girlfriend?”

“Let me test you again.” Jiang Nannan said naturally.

“How long will the test take?” Xu Sanshi looked even more indignant now.

“Perhaps another three to five years.”  Jiang Nannan didn’t even think it through. Xu Sanshi was about to stand up as he said, “What? Three to five years? I should just jump back into the water.”

Jiang Nannan didn’t stop him either. “Go on. You won’t drown with your martial soul. If you jump back in, you won’t even have a chance to take the test.”

“Then I won’t do it anymore. Test me then.” Xu Sanshi said with a brazen face and got closer to Jiang Nannan. He whispered, “Shouldn’t you give me some reward, even during the test? For example, we can hold hands, hug, and kiss occasionally. How will I have the strength to undergo the test if I don’t have any motivation?”

Jiang Nannan said seriously, “You can try if you dare.”

“I-!” Xu Sanshi was both sad and angry! He felt that he had returned to the start. She was only treating him slightly better now.

“I’ll let you hold my hand.” Jiang Nannan used the carrot and stick approach. “Really?”   Xu  Sanshi  was  delighted.  It  was  better  than nothing! At least others could tell their relationship! Furthermore, his heartbeat raced when he thought of Jiang Nannan’s white and delicate hands.

“Three  times  a  month.  Ten  minutes  each  time.”   Jiang Nannan immediately added.

Xu Sanshi was shocked as he looked at her. He asked, “Have you been influenced by Bei Bei?”

“Eldest senior brother? Of course not! The seniors in the inner courtyard told me not to treat guys too well. They won’t know how to treasure you if you treat them too well.”

“Heaven! Earth! I…”

Jiang Nannan gestured for him to keep silent. “Lower your volume. The last segment is about to start. We’re about to witness a nice show.” Xu Sanshi grabbed her hand and looked at her passionately, “Let’s start with the ten minutes.”

Jiang Nannan struggled for a while, but she didn’t use too much force. She struggled, but didn’t let go. Xu Sanshi’s palm was wide and strong, and it was also very warm.

“Did you just say that there was a nice show to watch? What show?”

Jiang Nannan lowered her voice “Haven’t you realized that one person is missing from Shrek’s Seven Monsters today?”

“Are you talking about Wang Dong?” Xu Sanshi asked.

Jiang Nannan smiled and replied, “Take a look. In fact, no one’s missing.”

…… Bei  Bei  recited,  “After  the  Destined  in  Three  Lives,  we’re about to start the fifth segment. This segment is called Eternal Love.”

“In this segment, the choice lies in the male students’ hands after the female students made their choices in the previous event. They can choose the female student they want. If you choose a female student that chose you and no one competes with you, congratulations. However, we’ll enter a Bride Kidnapping segment if you have a competitor. Among all the segments, this last segment is where a lot of things change. It’s also the most important and critical moment to demonstrate your abilities and charm. That’s why you should make your preparations now.”

Zhang Lexuan followed with, “The rules for this last segment are as such: If a male student chooses a female student that didn’t choose him, the female student has a chance to issue a challenge to him. If he loses the challenge, he has to leave. He can only choose again if he wins the challenge. Of course, he can make a new choice if the female student that he chooses takes pity on him and lets him off. If the female student that he re-chooses has already chosen another male student, he has to request the opinion of that male student. If the other male student also chooses this female student, the two male students will compete with each other. The loser will be knocked out of the competition, and the winner will have a chance to confess to the female student again.”

Chapter 218: You Are My Fool

Zhang Lexuan continued saying, “If multiple female students chose the same male student, the male student will choose one of them. In that case, the other female students can also issue challenges. Right here, I have to emphasize that I’ll try to make the challenges equal on all levels.”

“It sounds a little complex, but you’ll understand after this segment begins. Bei Bei and I will control the proceedings of the Bride Kidnapping segment. We’ll begin according to the female students’ numbers. Gu Fan, you’ll be the first to choose. Please hold the hand of the lady you’re choosing.”

Gu Fan was still standing on the Lotus that Hua Yao had unleashed.  He  smiled  and  said,  “When  the  Lotus  Fairy appeared in front of me, I had already made my choice. I’ve found my fate in this Sea God’s Fate. Hua Yao is my only choice. I also want to thank her for giving me this opportunity to meet and know her. I’ll treasure it.”

After hearing Gu Fan’s words, Hua Yao revealed a smile on her face. She extended her right hand, and the Lotus brought him forward in front of Hua Yao. He held her hand. 

Bei Bei laughed, “Let us congratulate this couple. Our first hand-holding in our Eternal Love segment is successful. If any guy wishes to ‘kidnap the bride’, you can express your wish to do so now.”  Since there were no female students fighting for Gu Fan, only the male students were given a chance to ‘kidnap the bride’.

Although Xu Sanshi and Nannan were the first pair and Wang Yan and Han Ruoruo were the second pair, Gu Fan and Hua Yao were technically the true first pair of the event.

The success rate of the Sea God’s Fate wasn’t considered very high. However, this year’s edition of the blind date was turning out to be abnormally successful. Including He Caitou and Xiao Xiao, as well as Wu Ming and Chu Qingtian, there were at least five couples that had gotten together. Moreover, the rest of the female students roughly knew their choices. As the emcees, Zhang Lexuan and Bei Bei felt very emotional, with a great sense of accomplishment.

The Sea God’s Lake was silent. After around ten seconds, Bei Bei and Zhang Lexuan shouted in unison, “Congratulations, Gu Fan and Hua Yao, on completing the Eternal Love. May the affinity that you’ve found in this Sea God’s Fate follow the two of you forever.”

Claps and cheers sounded at the same time. Hua Yao also ascended on her own lotus flower as everyone watched. As the lotus flower drifted outwards, they glided away on the lake. Petals started to fall and dance in the air amidst pinkish-red lights.

As both of them turned towards them, they waved to everyone as they slowly disappeared. Their affinity started at this moment.

“Yuhao, it’s your turn.” Bei Bei turned to look at Huo Yuhao.

After hearing his words, Huo Yuhao was a little caught by surprise. He had just recalled that there was a young lady with pinkish-blue hair that was only behind Hua Yao. It was his turn.

Zhang  Lexuan  said,  “As  Huo  Yuhao  was  chosen  by  three female students, these three female students will be given an opportunity to express their will to him now. Let’s start from the left.”

The order was: Ling Luochen, Ning Tian, and the number two lady.

Ling Luochen said, “If you like me, choose me. Don’t choose me if you don’t like me.”

“However, I’ll issue a challenge if you don’t choose me. I at least want to know how much you’ve improved over these few years.”

Everyone was stunned by her words—was this really a confession? Why does she sound fiercer than Wu Ming? Don’t choose me if you don’t like me? She still wants to challenge him even though she doesn’t want to force him?

It was Ning Tian’s turn. Ning Tian smiled and said, “My Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda and I are willing to stay by your side. I’m willing to be your woman.” Finally, it was the number two lady’s turn to speak. She was the only mysterious lady who hadn’t revealed her looks yet, and so, no one had been able to form any impression of her. She had been wearing her hat ever since all the female students had gathered. However, no one suspected anything, since Zhang Lexuan and Bei Bei were her guarantors.

She hesitated for a moment before doing something unexpected.

One yellow, two purple and three black soul rings rose from her feet. As her soul rings rose, a pair of huge butterfly wings flapped open behind her back amidst astonished exclamations.

Dazzling bluish-gold light illuminated the water’s surface.

It was a pair of blue wings divided into front and back. As they flapped, they engulfed her entire body. Above her wings, golden spots formed a huge, dazzling bluish-gold halo that spread outwards.

Xu Sanshi’s mouth was already wide open on the shore. On the lake surface, He Caitou almost fell into the water even though he was on the Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron.

What about Huo Yuhao? He was extremely focused on her actions.

Even Ning Tian was stunned.

It wasn’t just Huo Yuhao, Xu Sanshi and He Caitou who recognized this pair of wings. Ning Tian, Wu Feng and Dai Huabin also recognized this pair of wings.

Radiant Butterfly Goddess! The Radiant Butterfly Goddess who had snatched all the glory with Huo Yuhao in the first grade! However, didn’t the Radiant Butterfly Goddess belong to Wang Dong?

Huo Yuhao was overwhelmed. Even though the number two lady didn’t say anything, her pinkish-blue hair and the Radiant Butterfly Goddess’ wings told Huo Yuhao everything he needed to know. It was the same martial soul as Wang Dong! Who else could it be? He knew how rare the Radiant Butterfly Goddess was. Without a doubt, this lady was Wang Dong’s twin sister, Wang Qiu’er.

She was using such a method to emphasize her identity. She was afraid that Huo Yuhao would make the wrong choice. However, why hadn’t she spoken from the start till now?

“Huo Yuhao, you can make your choice now.” Zhang Lexuan said.

Huo Yuhao said without any hesitation, “I choose the number two lady.”

After he finished, he turned to Ling Luochen and Ning Tian and said apologetically, “It’s my honor to be chosen by the two of you. However, I already have someone that I can’t forget in my heart. I’m sorry.”

Ling Luochen’s expression turned pale. However, she didn’t show too many emotions. She only said, “I told you that I’ll issue a challenge.” 

What else could Huo Yuhao do apart from smiling bitterly?

Ning Tian’s expression was a little dismal. She hadn’t expected to lose to someone who had never even revealed herself from the start till now. With her observation skills, she could tell that Huo Yuhao wasn’t originally certain who this lady was, and he had certainly never seen what she looked like before. However, he only made his choice after she unleashed the same Radiant Butterfly Goddess as Wang Dong.

Since her youth, she had been a genius who possessed the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda and was the future of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect. She chose Huo Yuhao because she could see his potential and coveted his twin martial souls and Ultimate martial soul, as well as his identity as a member of the Shrek’s Seven Monsters. To her, it was impossible for Huo Yuhao to reject her after she showed that she was willing to help him and lower her status just to follow by his side. Moreover, she had already demonstrated how strong her Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda was. With his talent, it was impossible for him not to sense how strong she was.

However, he didn’t hesitate to choose someone else when it came time to do so. Such a blow was unprecedented for Ning Tian. She started to turn gloomy.

“You didn’t choose me?”  Ning Tian gnashed her teeth in anger.

Huo Yuhao said apologetically, “I’m sorry.”

A layer of mist formed around Ning Tian’s eyes, and her voice was trembling. “I want to issue a challenge too.”

Only those who were familiar with her knew that she was really furious at this point.

Who would have thought that such a scene would occur after the blissful union that had just happened a moment earlier? However, this was also why the Sea God’s Fate’s last segment was so unpredictable. To complete this segment, one must be strong enough, apart from having enough luck.

What else could Huo Yuhao do apart from smiling bitterly once more? At this point, another voice sounded. “I want to ‘kidnap the bride’. I want to choose the number two lady too.”

Who was this? Everyone turned around and saw a sly and evil-looking youth.

It was Dai Huabin. It was his time for some action.

In the history of the Sea God’s Fate, it was common for Bride Kidnapping to happen. However, it was very rare to see a situation like this—three people issuing a challenge at the same time. Many who were unfamiliar with Huo Yuhao were wondering exactly how charming he was to cause this.

Bei Bei and Zhang Lexuan stared at each other and found it very strange. However, Zhang Lexuan demonstrated her leadership at this moment.

“According  to  the  rules,  all  of  you  can  issue  challenges. However, they have to be conducted under fair circumstances. Firstly, I want to know who you want to challenge.” Ling Luochen said, “I want to challenge Huo Yuhao. I believe he won’t mind my higher cultivation. His martial soul can suppress mine. This mitigates the differences in our cultivation.”

Zhang Lexuan turned to Huo Yuhao and asked, “Do you concur?”

Huo Yuhao nodded and answered honestly, “Yes.”  He was eager to take Wang Qiu’er’s hat. Although he had seen her face before this, he was shocked when it had happened back then too. Today, she wasn’t going to run away. He still remembered the rapid rise of his heartbeat when he first saw her. He never had such a feeling in his entire life. 

After all, the Goddess of Light was ethereal, but Wang Qiu’er was a real person. He was really shocked. When he had seen the Goddess of Light for the first time, he had felt that it was love at first sight. However, a change had occurred at this moment.

He didn’t want to hurt Ling Luochen and Ning Tian, but Elder Mu had told him before that a man must be decisive in terms of his relationships. Otherwise, he would only cause more pain. Rejection was a better choice for the other party.

That was why Huo Yuhao had rejected both Ling Luochen and Ning Tian after confirming the identity of the number two lady, so as to make them give up completely. It wasn’t just a form of respect to them; it also helped to prevent further misunderstandings.

If people weren’t steadier in terms of relationships, they might be stuck in them forever. After Huo Yuhao heard the story of the Twin Holy Dragons of Black and White and Ye Xishui from Elder Xuan on the way back, he understood this point even more. That was why he didn’t hesitate to make his choice.

However, trouble still arrived.

He knew that he had hurt Ling Luochen, even though she looked very calm. What else could he say? Since she wanted to challenge him, his only choice was to accept her challenge. If he lost, he might as well be a bachelor.

Zhang Lexuan turned to Ning Tian and said, “Ning Tian, you’re an auxiliary-type soul master, even though you’re on a different level. You’re challenging him with?”

Ning Tian took in a deep breath and looked into the sky. She suppressed her tears. When she looked at Huo Yuhao again, there was only a sharp, intense light coming from her eyes.

“I want to challenge the both of them. I’m an auxiliary-type soul master, thus I hope to find a partner to carry out a two- versus-two fight. My partner has to be of a five-ringed cultivation, too. That’s why I hope to find two five-ringed soul masters to make it three of us. Since one of them has five rings and the other has six rings, I guess it’s fair.”

Zhang Lexuan nodded and asked, “Who are your partners then?”

Ning Tian said without any hesitation, “Wu Feng, Xie Huanyue.”

Huo Yuhao’s gaze shifted slightly. Wu Feng was waiting for him here, meaning that she wouldn’t choose Dai Huabin easily!

Wu Ming said loudly, “I’ll find Xie Huanyue. He should be by the shore.”  As she spoke, her figure flashed, and she stepped onto the water’s surface before proceeding to the shore.

A man beside Huo Yuhao couldn’t help but comment, “My friend, is that a self-ridiculing soul skill you have?”

Zhang Lexuan also looked at Huo Yuhao. “Yuhao, are you fine with this?” 

Huo Yuhao nodded again, “I am.” He could tell that Ning Tian was being sincere when she chose him, whereas Dai Huabin and Wu Feng were probably just finding trouble with him. He was also secretly enraged. If they wanted to come for him, then so be it!

As the challenge involved the number two female student, Zhang Lexuan turned to ask her, “Number two female student, do you accept this challenge?”

She finally opened her mouth and replied, “I don’t agree.” When her voice sounded for the first time, it was very captivating and pleasant. She was like an oriole that cleared everyone’s mind.

After hearing her voice, Huo Yuhao felt a strong sense of familiarity. He was certain that he had heard this voice before.

That day, he had unintentionally taken Wang Qiu’er’s veil. She had spoken to him then, saying “Give it back.” Her voice had been captivating, like singing birds, leaving a deep impression in his mind. Huo Yuhao remembered it clearly, because he had watched her closely. Wang Qiu’er’s voice sounded a little lower than this young lady’s voice, which was smoother. Had he recognized the wrong person? However, he clearly remembered the Radiant Butterfly Goddess’ wings and the pinkish-blue hair! I must have recalled wrongly!, Huo Yuhao told himself.

“What  is  your  reason  for  not  accepting?”  Zhang  Lexuan continued asking.

At this point, this mysterious female student was under everyone’s scrutiny. Rejecting the challenge? That could disqualify her, unless she could give a logical reason. Was she going to give up? After all, she hadn’t spoken since the start, and no one knew her character.

Her voice was as pleasant as ever. “I don’t think we have to go through all that trouble. I can team up with Huo Yuhao, and we can fight the five of them.”

As she said this, the entire place went silent. She was being too impulsive. Furthermore, she was too arrogant and self-confident!

Even though four of them had five rings and only Ling Luochen had six rings, all five of them were from the inner courtyard! They hadn’t made their way to this point by relying on medicine, either!

Among the five of them, Ning Tian’s Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda was undoubtedly the strongest. However, the rest of their martial souls were definitely not weak. Dai Huabin’s White Tiger, Wu Feng’s Red Dragon, Xie Huanyue’s Rubberdon, and Ling Luochen’s ice element, all of them were considered top-ranked martial souls in the outside world. Although they were some way off from the best, they certainly possessed the foundations to become Titled Douluos!

Two against five – this Wang Qiu’er was too arrogant! Zhang Lexuan also thought that she was being too proud. Furthermore, her words weren’t very good for uniting the students. Seeing that Wu Feng and Xie Huanyue weren’t here at the moment, Ning Tian and Dai Huabin’s expressions changed. Ning Tian turned pale, while Dai Huabin was angry. There was a fierce look in his eyes.

“Number   two   female   student,   this   doesn’t   seem   too appropriate. You must bear in mind that we have to unite the students,” Zhang Lexuan advised.

The number two female student was silent for awhile before she said slowly, “Eldest senior sister, today’s my important day. I’ve been waiting for this day for too long. There are many seniors around. I’d like to ask them how they feel when there are stumbling blocks in their way just as they are about to get together with their loved one.

“Does  this  unite  them?  Furthermore,  I’m  confident  of winning.”

She started to talk more and more. Huo Yuhao felt a greater sense of familiarity as he listened to her, especially when she talked about her loved one. Huo Yuhao was flabbergasted. She likes me? However, when did we interact if she’s Wang Dong’s sister? We’ve never interacted before! Huo Yuhao didn’t believe that a ravishing beauty had fallen in love with him at first sight. 

Her words resonated with many of the people present. Indeed, her words were very strong. However, there were five of them trying to “kidnap the bride”, and they had formed a team!

“Sister,  I  support  you.  All  the  best!”   Wu  Ming  shouted suddenly, almost scaring Chu Qingtian into the water.

“Thank you, senior!”

Zhang Lexuan didn’t know how to respond to her words. Yes! They had made a mutual choice, but they had encountered so many people trying to kidnap the bride. It was possible to understand Ling Luochen and Ning Tian. After all, they had chosen Huo Yuhao, too! However, Dai Huabin was obviously causing trouble. He hadn’t even seen the number two female student before. Why was he trying to kidnap the bride? Nobody present was familiar with the number two female student.

Zhang Lexuan could clearly remember that Bei Bei was this number two female student’s guarantor when she had joined the Sea God’s Fate. When Bei Bei told her that she was a new student, Zhang Lexuan trusted him and didn’t probe further.

“What do we do?” Zhang Lexuan asked Bei Bei in a low voice.

Bei Bei smiled. “Let them fight.”

“Two versus five?” Zhang Lexuan was a little hesitant.

Bei Bei said, “Have you forgotten? Huo Yuhao is just like you. As a member of the Sea God’s Pavilion, do you think he was only capable of winning over the elders just because he was Elder Mu’s disciple? Among the Shrek’s Seven Monsters, his cultivation is the lowest. However, he has the strongest abilities.”

As Zhang Lexuan and Bei Bei discussed the situation, Wu Feng brought Xie Huanyue back with her. They immediately gathered beside Ning Tian, along with Dai Huabin.

Zhang Lexuan lowered her voice. “Huo Yuhao, are you willing to fight two versus five?” 

Huo Yuhao furrowed his brow.

At this point, the number two female student suddenly moved. As she took a step outward, drifted forward, and landed on Huo Yuhao’s water lily. She reached out to grab Huo Yuhao’s hand.

This lady is so daring! The blind date isn’t even over, but she’s holding his hand?, was what most were thinking.

However, Huo Yuhao felt like he was struck by lightning, and his body shook violently. There was a shocked look in his eyes.

“You, you, you…!” His voice changed as he repeated it three times. As the main force in the Ultimate Soldier Plan and one of Shrek’s Seven Monsters, he had been through a lot. Naturally, he wouldn’t lose his cool easily. It showed how intensely shocked he was right now.

Yes, his mind was a blank right now. Everything around him seemed to disappear. Only the number two female student remained. 

Her smooth, white hand had felt so familiar when she had grabbed ahold of his. Even though his eyes were shut, Huo Yuhao could clearly feel the familiarity.

Her touch brought a gentle and warm soul power. Huo Yuhao’s soul power was like a bee seeing a fresh flower. It instantly combined with her soul power and turned into an enormous river surging through his body. It quickly completed a circulation before flowing into the number two female student’s body. At this moment, a layer of dim golden light appeared on each of them.

The number two female student lowered her voice and said, “What do you mean by ‘you’? Fourth senior said that third senior was her rascal, so you’re my fool! You’re too foolish! You’re such a fool!” 

Huo Yuhao was stunned. Yes! The surging soul power that was flowing through his body was the Haodong Power! It was the foundation of their compatible martial soul fusion skills. Furthermore, martial soul fusion required a process! In this world, there was only one person who could produce the Haodong Power with him. In this world, there was only one person whose hands felt so familiar to him.

Instantly, countless memories resurfaced in Huo Yuhao’s mind.

……

“You are?”

“Get lost!”

“Okay...” “You’re from this dormitory, too. On account that you tidied up this dorm room, I’ll let you stay with me temporarily. However, I have a few rules that you need to remember. First, you can’t bring anyone home. Secondly, you’re not allowed to annoy me with your naked self. Thirdly, you’re not allowed to

snore when you sleep at night. Fourthly, you must not disturb me. Last but not least, you’ll be in charge of hygiene in the dormitory, but you can’t touch my mattress. Do you understand?”

“Why do I have to listen to you?”

“If you don’t listen to me, I’ll chase you out! If you don’t believe me, try me!”

“I’ll do exactly that! Let’s go out.”

“I don’t know your name yet.”

“Before you ask for someone else’s name, shouldn’t you give your own name first?” “I’m Wang Dong.”

“I’m Huo Yuhao.”

“Very nice, I think your name is going to disappear from Shrek Academy. Let’s go, fool.”

……

Wang Dong replied, “Although you can’t sense my aura, I could sense the closeness of your aura when you shared your Spiritual Detection with me for the first time. My aura doesn’t spread because there’s a force in my body restricting it. You can only sense my aura if you get close to me. Do you want to try?”

“Get close to you? How do I do that?” Huo Yuhao asked in a silly manner.

Wang Dong snapped, “Fool! You can just hug me!” Huo Yuhao chortled and said, “I see! You can just tell me directly. Do we remove our clothing?”

“No!” Wang Dong was frightened.

Huo Yuhao laughed, “Come on, then.”

“How does it feel?”

“Not bad. It’s rather comfortable.”

“Fool. Am I doing this to make you comfortable? I’m asking you to sense the aura of my martial soul.”

“Uh… I forgot. Let’s hug for a while more. I’ll try to sense your aura.”

……

“Huo Yuhao, wake up.” 

“What?”

“Why’re you standing so close to me?”

“You…”

……

“Aiyo. Wang Dong, what are you doing?”

“Why’re you asking me? Why were you sleeping in my bed yesterday?”

“Uh…”

“You can’t blame me. See, didn’t you sleep too?”

…… “What do you want?”

“To hug!”

“You… Huo Yuhao, I didn’t think that you were such a person. Do you believe that I’ll whack you?”

“What are you thinking of? Fool, did you forget how we managed to fuse our martial souls? Now that our soul power can fuse, the simplest way of initiating our martial soul fusion is by repeating what happened yesterday!”

“You didn’t explain clearly before you hugged me. Are you embarrassing me on purpose?”

“Who knew that you had such a dirty mindset? What can two men do? Come on, let’s continue cultivating after we finish.”

“This is the wild. Surely we won’t just sleep like yesterday?” “No, we’re in a different situation. Why are you so pushy like a woman? Let me do it.”

……

“Huo Yuhao, get up.”

“Didn’t you say last night that we’d stop hugging each other to sleep?”

“Did I say that?”

“You… I’m going all-out against you.”

“You, you take a look…”

“What do I look at…”

“Is this caused by your Radiant Butterfly Goddess?” “No, definitely not. Although my martial soul is golden, it’s either bright-gold or bluish-gold. It’s never this kind of dim gold. This color seems to resemble your Spirit Eyes!”

“Let’s go down and take a look.”

……

These scenes from the past flashed across Huo Yuhao’s mind. He had never forgotten the first time he met this proud youth who had short pinkish-blue hair.

He couldn’t forget the first time they had tried activating the Haodong Power.

He couldn’t forget the martial fusion soul skill, The Golden Road Amidst Withering Resplendence.

He couldn’t forget how they had fought shoulder to shoulder in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament. He also couldn’t forget the Raiment of Light that had appeared on the competition stage during the final round.

‘He’ was actually a ‘she’. I’m such a fool! I’m really too stupid. I’m the biggest fool ever!

He recalled how Wang Dong had never bathed in their dorm room, and was never seen washing his face or changing his clothes.

He recalled how that handsome face didn’t seem to fit the looks of a guy.

He recalled how they had shared the same bed on the night before he left.

He recalled the softness and gentleness when they hugged.

He recalled every scene and every second they had spent together. Now that he thought of it, there seemed to be so many loopholes. Too many of them…

However, I’m such a fool. I only realized the truth after he held my hand on this blind date.

There was no Wang Qiu’er in this world. There was only Wang Dong, or rather, Wang Dong’er. The Raiment of Light was actually her grown-up appearance. The ravishing beauty that was imprinted in Huo Yuhao’s mind was her all along!

I’m such a fool, a fool that can’t be saved. However, she still gave me a chance.

Brotherly love? Screw that brotherly love. I seemed to have found the romance that I’m willing to sacrifice everything for!

No one would have expected him to be thinking of so many things as they saw his dazed look. He understood so many things because their hands met. Wang Dong’er’s hands started to sweat. She also didn’t know what he was thinking. She was actually more worried that he wouldn’t accept the truth. If that was the case, everything would have gone down the drain. Even she didn’t know whether he could accept this truth.

“Huo Yuhao, what’s wrong with you? Let’s fight.” Dai Huabin shouted, jolting Huo Yuhao back to his senses.

His eyes filled with color again, an unprecedented color.

He looked much more determined as he held the smooth, small hand of the girl beside him. He didn’t bother with Dai Huabin. Instead, he turned around and said to Wang Dong seriously, “I was really such a fool, a fool that can’t be saved. However, I’m also a stubborn and serious fool. If you don’t want this fool, this fool will be very sad and be tormented for life. If you keep this fool, he’ll protect you for life!”

Tears flowed down her face. She had expended a lot of effort, and finally used the Sea God’s Fate to reveal her greatest secret. She had been very anxious, shy, fearful, and worried. But at this moment, all these emotions disappeared as Huo Yuhao confessed to her. What was left was only the sweetness in the shyness that she felt.

He’s accepted my identity as a lady.

In fact, Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao both knew that there were differences in the behavior of men and women, even though Huo Yuhao hadn’t discovered her identity. Furthermore, Wang Dong had started to become more feminine as she grew up. Although Huo Yuhao couldn’t tell, he had still had his doubts.

Especially after they showed the Raiment of Light, Huo Yuhao’s doubts grew stronger and stronger. However, his focus was diverted by other serious matters, and he didn’t uncover this secret.

When Huo Yuhao grabbed hold of Wang Dong’s hand and felt the surge of Haodong Power between them, the secret was revealed. The epiphany that followed made everything seemed so logical. It wasn’t difficult for him to accept the truth; he was only coming to terms with his own feelings. The conflict and doubts he’d had about Wang Dong were converted into romance. 

“Huo Yuhao, you haven’t taken my challenge yet!” Wu Feng was angry after realizing that Huo Yuhao hadn’t bothered with the rest of them, and continued to confess to Wang Dong.

It wasn’t Wu Feng’s first time being shocked today. She only had one reason for coming to the Sea God’s Fate today – she wanted to compete against Huo Yuhao!

When Wu Feng saw Ning Tian walking towards Huo Yuhao and saying what she said, she was astonished. She hadn’t expected Ning Tian to choose Huo Yuhao. She was dealt a huge blow at that point in time, and was even more emotionally struck than when she lost to him. No one noticed how pale she was at that point, and her eyes had even carried a look of desolation.

It was only when Huo Yuhao tactfully rejected Ning Tian that Wu Feng felt the strength that she had lost come back. In that instant, she blamed him less. He didn’t choose Ning Tian! It was a good thing for her.

However, this relief didn’t last very long. When Wu Feng found Xie Huanyue, she had already awoken. She suddenly wondered why Ning Tian had chosen him. Was he that outstanding?

Chapter 219: Complete Suppression

Wu Feng asked herself hysterically, Is it simply because Huo Yuhao is stronger than me? No! He might not be stronger than I am. Intense envy and the abnormal feelings she harbored towards Ning Tian erupted once more, and the hatred she felt towards Huo Yuhao was elevated to an unprecedented level.

Dai Huabin’s emotions were a lot steadier than hers. From beginning to end, his hatred for Huo Yuhao had never declined. He had been losing to someone ever since he had entered the academy, someone whose cultivation was clearly far inferior to his, and that someone was Huo Yuhao!

From his perspective, Huo Yuhao had taken the glory that should have belonged to him. The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament’s championship should have been his. He deeply believed that if he worked hard enough, he would definitely do better than Huo Yuhao, and he should have been the one to join the Shrek’s Seven Monsters.

Dai Yueheng had reminded him more than once that Huo Yuhao was outstanding in many different aspects. However, it was because of this that his stubbornness and dissatisfaction grew even stronger.

He had been cultivating as hard as he could over the past few years. All he wanted to do was have another battle with Huo Yuhao, and use the outcome to prove that he was stronger than Huo Yuhao was. However, Huo Yuhao had been gone from the academy for over two years, and only just returned several days ago. He had waited for this day for too long!

When Huo Yuhao confessed to Wang Dong, Dai Huabin was unnaturally calm. Why? He was laughing coldly inside! A confession was good, because that meant Huo Yuhao cared for this unbridled and arrogant girl with the number two tag. That meant defeating Huo Yuhao during the Sea God’s Fate was the best choice, as this would greatly humiliate him even if it wouldn’t break his spirit. It was equivalent to him stealing Huo Yuhao’s girlfriend!

A peculiar excitement appeared in Dai Huabin when these thoughts surfaced in his head. He really wanted Huo Yuhao’s feelings for the girl with the number two tag to become even deeper. That way, Huo Yuhao would definitely feel a lot more pain and agony when his girl was stolen. Huo Yuhao finally reoriented himself, and he grasped Wang Dong’s  hands  tightly.  He  lowered  his  voice  and  said,  “Let’s begin. On the lake?”

Zhang Lexuan’s voice echoed from a distance. “The Bride Kidnapping doesn’t have to happen on the lake’s surface. There are fewer people on your team, Yuhao, so you guys can choose the location for your battle.”

Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, “There’s no need, let’s just do it on the Sea God’s Lake. The Sea God’s Fate has fulfilled the two of us, and I hope this romantic and fateful meeting to be as perfect as it can be.”  His answer was calm, but the five people standing before him suddenly felt very different at this moment.

Huo Yuhao’s aura seemed to transform, and rise rapidly. This wasn’t because of his soul power. It was an imposing demeanor that was hard to describe. It was vast and broad, and even though it wasn’t that sharp, it brought immensely powerful pressure.

Ning Tian’s face changed. She knew that she had underestimated Huo Yuhao in the end. However, they were two against five. Did the two of them really have the confidence to defeat five people who were similar in cultivation? She was sure now that Huo Yuhao definitely knew the girl with the number two tag.

Huo Yuhao held Wang Dong’er’s hand with his right hand, and a faint smile appeared on his face. He tapped softly on the water lily with the tip of his foot, and propelled both Wang Dong’er and himself into the air. His movements weren’t fast, but there was an unnatural harmony within his movements, even as a layer of light gradually shimmered into view about him.

The little Snow Lady on his shoulder flew out with a whoosh, hovering above his head.

“Dong’er... should I call you that?” Huo Yuhao whispered.

“Yes,”   Wang  Dong’er  answered  softly.  She  was  full  of sweetness and warmth in her heart, but she was still as shy and bashful as ever. In the end, the two of them had been calling each other “brothers”  for so many years, and she wasn’t very used to the sudden change in how they addressed each other. This still required a process no matter how willing she was in her heart.

“We will definitely win. Help me fly.”  Huo Yuhao moved in front of her as he spoke.

Wang Dong’er hugged him across the waist, and the Radiant Butterfly Goddess’ wings extended out to either side of them. They dipped slightly before flying forwards in the air.

Dai Huabin and his impromptu began to move at the same time.

Ning  Tian  asked  Ling  Luochen,  “Senior  sister,  can  you control how high they can fly?”

Ling Luochen shot a cold look at her and said, “Do you really think Huo Yuhao is going to use his advantage in flight to fight us? He won’t. What you guys should watch out for are his powerful offensive and control abilities. Let’s go.”  She took point as she spoke and stepped lightly on the water’s surface. Every step became a patch of thin ice as she pursued Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong. Intense cold began to spread from her body.

Ning Tian frowned. During her time in the outer courtyard, she had always been the absolute leader of her class, and she had always been the brains. Ling Luochen refused to listen to her, and this made her a little uncomfortable. However, she had to win today’s battle. From her perspective, she had to cleanse the humiliation that Huo Yuhao had given her. No matter how displeased she was with Ling Luochen, she still released her martial soul, the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, as soon as possible. The soul tool shaped like a shuttle beneath her feet rotated, and she received a rapid speed boost as she followed behind Ling Luochen.

Wu Feng was very tight with Ning Tian, and she was also in the same class as Xie Huanyue and Dai Huabin. They had cooperated together many times, and the four of them naturally had a lot more chemistry when they moved together.

“Senior sister, give us a place to stand,”  Ning Tian growled softly. Fighting on the lake’s surface wasn’t their forte. In the end, not a single one of them had seven rings, and none of them had martial souls that could fly. They could float on the water’s surface for a short period of time, but they would never have the same convenience as Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’s butterfly wings if they had to spend a prolonged time above the water’s surface.

Ling Luochen grunted coldly and replied, “Do I need you to teach me?”

The six soul rings on her body rose as she spoke, and a dense chill immediately caused the air temperature to plummet.

A long and slender Ice Staff took form in her hands. Her forward momentum paused in the very center between the camps of the men and women.

Intense chill permeated out from beneath Ling Luochen’s feet in all directions. Large patches of tough ice could be seen condensing below her, spreading far into the distance. She didn’t use any other soul skills besides her Icy Staff, and she relied on her control of her own ice element to accomplish all this.

Ning Tian was still astonished, even though Ling Luochen had just rebuffed her. She knew that Ling Luochen was part of the team that had brought home the championship in the last Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament. However, she only understood that everyone with a reputation in Shrek actually had substance when she saw this display of power with her own eyes. Ling Luochen had deep and dense soul power, and along with her manipulation of her element, these were traits that the other four of them just couldn’t match up to.

However, the four of them also showed the qualities that had allowed them to enter the inner courtyard.

Ning Tian landed her shuttle-type soul tool behind Ling Luochen. Dai Huabin, Xie Huanyue, and Wu Feng all went forward and formed a row in front of Ling Luochen. Dai Huabin was in the center, while Wu Feng and Xie Huanyue stood at his sides. Everyone released their martial souls. The five of them formed a mini battle team that consisted of two assault-type, one defense-type, one control-type, and one auxiliary-type soul master.

Except for the fact that they didn’t have an agility-type soul master that was adept in speed, this impromptu soul master combination could be considered as perfect as it could be. This was especially true since their main control-type soul master was extremely formidable, while their auxiliary-type soul master possessed the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda.

Ning Tian’s Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda began to take effect at the first possible moment. A single streak of soul power was attached to Ling Luochen’s body, which greatly sped up the freezing process. Four different amplifications – speed, power, strength, and defense – were unleashed, and were added to the other three people. Colorful hues waltzed through the sky as an aura where five seemed to integrate as one began to permeate their surroundings.

Just as Ling Luochen had said, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong didn’t fly high into the sky. They stopped at a distance of about one hundred meters away. They didn’t launch an attack, and were just waiting in silence. Huo Yuhao watched as Ling Luochen’s frozen area of effect reached a diameter of one hundred meters. Huo Yuhao’s voice could be heard from a distance away as he said, “Are you guys ready?”

It was a simple question, but it was filled with immense self- confidence, and it was clear that his tone implied. We won’t attack because we’re waiting for you to get ready. I’ll come when you are.

Dai Huabin roared angrily, “Huo Yuhao! You will have a showdown with me, face-to-face, if you’re a man!”

Huo  Yuhao  laughed  coldly  and  retorted,  “Have  you  ever won?”

Dai Huabin couldn’t take it anymore, and he released a deafening tiger roar into the sky as he unleashed his soul skills.

His frame began to swell, and radiant white light emerged from within his body. His body enlarged to more than two meters tall in a flash, his tightly bulging muscles were covered with a layer of white fur. The black patterns along his body were charged with a fearsome aura as

his first, second, and third soul skills — White Tiger’s Shield, White Tiger’s Vajra Transformation, and White Tiger’s Devilgod Transformation — were used at the same time. With Ning Tian’s Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda amplifying him at the same time, he gave off a ferocious, formidable, and intimidating aura that flowed outwards.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er made their move. The wings behind Wang Dong’er’s back fluttered, and she carried Huo Yuhao through the air as they descended and drifted to the other end of the icy surface. They held hands as they stepped forward side by side. They didn’t accelerate, and they didn’t charge forward, they were just sauntering along the surface of the ice.

The tiny Snow Lady hovered beside Huo Yuhao, and her orange-golden luster became increasingly obvious. Right at that moment, a strange thing occurred on Huo Yuhao’s body. 

One white and three black soul rings gradually rose from beneath his feet and circled around his body rhythmically. This was a combination that shouldn’t happen on soul masters, but it existed now, and was just so miraculous.

However, the soul rings immediately changed the second they appeared, becoming one red and four orange soul rings that sparkled and glowed.

These two combinations alternated while the colors intertwined, which gave everyone a strange and peculiar feeling.

“He has twin martial souls – he’s switching his martial souls around.” Ling Luochen’s icy-cold voice carried a tinge of surprise, but there was more caution.

She had fought beside Huo Yuhao before, so she understood how powerful Huo Yuhao was. Back then, this youth hadn’t even had his third soul ring, yet he had displayed exceptional ability during a top-tier competition, the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, and his contribution had been imperative to the team’s claim on the championship, while today he was a Soul King after five years. She had chosen Huo Yuhao today, which had seemed a little impulsive, but it was a cathartic release of all the feelings that had been accumulating at the bottom of her heart.

When the big competition ended back in the day, Ling Luochen had actually felt a little despondent because she had found someone who was also ice-type, but was far more talented than she was – and that was Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao’s Ultimate Ice gave her an overly strong impression. She knew that in the near future, there would be nobody in the academy, and perhaps the entire Continent, that could challenge him in terms of ice-type abilities.

There was a yearning in her heart, and she desired to be on the same competition stage or battlefield as him once more. Her own powers would be greatly boosted with his presence – the sensation of controlling Ultimate Ice was just too magical. Ling Luochen deeply believed that if she could cultivate together with Huo Yuhao, her cultivation speed would be much faster than it was now. There was an obvious distinction between a soul master and a normal person’s reasoning, and that was in romantic relationships. Why did Shrek Academy want to host the Sea God’s Fate? The reason was because the academy’s students were too arrogant, and if others wanted to win them over, these people had to be on the same level of cultivation at the very least. The students’ targets were people who would eventually become Titled Douluo, with both parties complementing each other to reach this goal was what they desired most. Furthermore, only soul masters who had abilities that could impress them had a chance of winning their heart.

Ling Luochen was no different, and her starting point was similar to Ning Tian in this regard. However, Ning Tian’s mind for utility was purer, while Ling Luochen’s heart had contained complex feelings towards Huo Yuhao for five years.

Today, her heart was finally moved when she saw the seventeen-year-old Huo Yuhao. She could feel as if there were an aura inside his body that was calling out to her, and subconsciously attracting her soul power. That attraction was just too alluring to her, and even though Huo Yuhao was seven years younger than she was, Ling Luochen still walked out. It was a pity that all she got was a tactful rejection. Ling Luochen didn’t have revenge or vengeance in mind when she proposed this challenge. She wanted to see the level of ice abilities that this youth, the one who was just so alluring to her, had reached five years after they first met.

Dai Huabin hammered his chest heavily. His extremely muscular body grew explosively in size again, and he charged towards Huo Yuhao as he roared furiously. His feet made deep grooves in the tough ice beneath his feet in that explosive moment, and his body carried intense whitish-golden light as he surged towards Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao’s eyes sparkled, and there was no anxiety at all before Dai Huabin. Dai Huabin was seventeen years old, and he had broken through Rank 50, and was even nearing Rank 60. But so what? Even without that hatred in his heart, Dai Huabin was second to Dai Yueheng in Huo Yuhao’s heart.

Dai Huabin was perhaps more talented, but his obstinate and egotistical personality would eventually become the greatest hurdle in his future path.

Huo Yuhao acted like he didn’t even see Dai Huabin’s lunge, and his soul rings switched back to one white and three black soul rings. The black soul ring in the third position suddenly erupted with light, and Huo Yuhao’s eyes turned white. Two pale-white beams of light burst from his eyes, but their target wasn’t Dai Huabin – they went for the people behind him.

The white light didn’t hit anyone, instead halting in midair. Its position was in the middle of Dai Huabin, Wu Feng, Xie Huanyue and Ling Luochen and Ning Tian behind them.

The white radiance instantly transformed into a glowing white sphere, and a circle of white light expanded outwards from that position, accurately and steadily enveloping all five of them inside.

Mass Enfeeblement!

An elder on the ferry couldn’t help but comment in admiration. “Such formidable control of his spirit.”

“If I remember correctly, Elder Xuan, spiritual control soul skills should be released from the user. How is he able to use his soul skill from a fixed location so far away?” Elder Xuan chuckled and said, “Didn’t you just say it? Spiritual control. This is perhaps because his spiritual power has reached an impressive level, and he has an incredible ability to control it, so he’s able to use the soul skill like that. This fellow has improved once more, his spiritual power…”

Elder Xuan’s eyes sparkled continuously. Everything that Huo Yuhao had done for the Soul Tool Department over the past two years had fallen into his eyes, and while he was pleased, he was also a little worried. He was worried that Huo Yuhao had placed too much focus on soul tools that he ended up delaying or overlooking his cultivation. However, it seemed like he didn’t need to worry at all…

Dai Huabin and the others immediately felt an intense weakness spreading over their bodies as Mass Enfeeblement worked its magic. Ling Luochen and Ning Tian were slightly better, as they were engaged in battle solely through releasing their soul power to use soul skills. However, Xie Huanyue, Dai Huabin, and Wu Feng were close-combat soul masters, and thus the weakness felt a lot more acute to them.

The sudden weakness that Ning Tian felt greatly reduced the amplification provided by the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, and it even swayed their will to fight to a certain extent. Dai Huabin was pouncing forward, but his movement speed was reduced by at least thirty percent.

Huo Yuhao made his move at this moment. He grabbed Wang Dong, and the two of them shone brilliantly as they flashed out. They gained a lot of speed, and an intense golden light fell on Wang Dong’s body at the same time. Faced with their converging attack, Huo Yuhao made an extremely calm judgment.

His eyes were suddenly tainted with a strange golden color, and one could see upon closer inspection that there was a golden whirlpool deep within each of his Spirit Eyes.

Two golden beams of light shot out, targeting Dai Huabin.

The speed of light was unimaginably quick, and it was impossible for Dai Huabin to evade this attack even if he wanted to, unless he had a skill like Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Detection to predict the attack.

Did he? Of course not. Therefore, he could only face it head- on. 

Dai Huabin roared into the sky as his second soul ring lit up. At this moment, a surprising four of his five soul rings were operating at the same time.

A dense white beam exploded from his mouth straight towards the two golden beams.

He wanted to intercept them in midair – this was his second soul skill, White Tiger’s Fierce Light Wave.

When the white and golden lights clashed in the sky, Dai Huabin was momentarily stunned, as he couldn’t feel any force or impact at all. His White Tiger’s Fierce Light Wave blasted far into the distance, while the two golden beams from Huo Yuhao’s eyes struck his body.

Spiritual power was different from soul power. He had made an erroneous judgment, and so he took a direct hit from Huo Yuhao’s fourth soul skill, Spiritual Confusion.

A golden whirlpool that was half a foot high suddenly appeared above Dai Huabin’s head. Dai Huabin immediately felt an acute dizziness fill up his entire head, as if it were about to wreak havoc in his mind. Everything before him became blurry, and he felt as if he were starting to lose control of his own body.

Huo Yuhao didn’t typically use Spiritual Confusion. This wasn’t because this soul skill wasn’t very good – that was because this soul skill’s single-target controlling effects were too powerful, and it was too easy for others to remember. At least, he never used this soul skill whenever he had his practice battles with Ji Juechen. But he was outnumbered in this battle, and so Dai Huabin finally became his “lab rat”.

From everyone else’s perspective, Dai Huabin seemed to stop involuntarily in his tracks, as if he couldn’t control himself anymore after he was struck by the golden light from Huo Yuhao’s eyes, and he appeared to be spinning in circles on the spot.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er’s were still flying forward, and they seemed to brush past his shoulders as they went straight for Wu Feng. Xie Huanyue’s reactions were quick. He had rushed in horizontally from the side when Dai Huabin first displayed a loss of control. When he saw that Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were going for Wu Feng, the soul rings on his body lit up. His pudgy body suddenly plopped onto the ground, and a tremendous bouncing force propelled his body in Wu Feng’s direction immediately afterwards.

It was five versus two, and Ling Luochen’s soul skill had also found its target at this moment. She had discerned Huo Yuhao’s location, and she launched multiple soul skills at the same time.

A layer of icy armor descended on Dai Huabin’s body and boosted his defensive abilities. An Ice Prison was activated with accurate prejudgment, but it didn’t go for Huo Yuhao or Wang Dong’er – instead, it went for Wu Feng.

This Ice Prison was more than ten meters in diameter, and it was formed from twenty-four thick ice pillars. The ice pillars tunneled from the surface and immediately provided powerful protection and control. Ling Luochen was exceptionally level-headed. She knew that Huo Yuhao’s control-type soul skill against Dai Huabin couldn’t be maintained for a prolonged period of time. She was a control-type soul master, and she had to first ensure that they weren’t a man down under such situations. Furthermore, she had a deep-seated fear of Huo Yuhao’s Ultimate Ice, and she knew that she couldn’t possibly restrain Huo Yuhao. 

Wu Feng didn’t like the Ice Prison that was covering her. Her Red Dragon was a fire-type martial soul, and thus she had a natural-born rejection towards the ice element. However, she was still in awe and admiration of Ling Luochen’s accurate control. No matter how disdainful she felt towards Huo Yuhao, she knew that facing the two of them alone would heap immense pressure on her. Xie Huanyue was about to arrive, and Dai Huabin wouldn’t be halted for too long. At this moment, she chose to store power and prepare.

Dark-red flames engulfed her entire body. Her second and third soul rings flickered at the same time—Dragonfury and Dragonarmor were unleashed. Wu Feng displayed her strength as an inner courtyard disciple with her control over her soul skills, and she handled both skills at the same time without even touching the Ice Prison.

However, the mighty attack that everyone had expected Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er to launch against the Ice Prison didn’t appear at all. Right when the Ice Prison shimmered into view, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er abruptly stopped in their tracks.

Regardless of whether Wang Dong’er was a guy or girl, how could the people before them rival the chemistry and tacit understanding she shared with Huo Yuhao?

She returned behind Huo Yuhao’s back once more when he turned around, pressed her hands on his back, and immediately began to infuse Haodong power into his body.

Huo Yuhao was facing Xie Huanyue, who sprang towards them at this moment.

Xie Huanyue was a defense-type soul master, and his original aim was to prevent Huo Yuhao’s assault against Wu Feng. However, he suddenly had a feeling that Huo Yuhao’s target from beginning to end wasn’t Wu Feng—it was him! It felt like Ling Luochen’s Ice Prison had also been considered in Huo Yuhao’s calculations and predictions…!

Dai Huabin finally recovered from the powerful controlling effects of Spiritual Confusion. He still felt a little dizzy, and there seemed to be many elements of various types undulating around his body.

At this moment, a blinding ray of light and terrifying pressure restored his senses. What he saw was a golden fist.

Xie Huanyue had already launched himself through the air, but he couldn’t change directions anymore, even though he had realized that something was amiss.

In this crucial moment, his fourth and fifth soul rings sparkled at the same time. A blurry light covered his body, and his skin became as dark as coal, while his entire frame became like an enormous ball of flesh as he barreled forward.

The light projection of a giant elephant appeared behind him.

His fourth soul skill, Elephant Fog, and his fifth soul skill, Elephant Hide. Elephant Fog ensnared the enemy after clashing against any of their attacks. It would sweep towards the opponent and make them feel like they were mired in a swamp. It was hard to break out of it, and the fog would greatly reduce the force of an attack.

Elephant Hide caused the surface of his skin to become gelatinous and rubbery, and increased his defensive capabilities a hundred percent. Colliding with his opponent would produce a powerful elastic force that would bounce them away.

Xie Huanyue’s martial soul was the Rubberdon, and one could say that these two soul skills were Xie Huanyue’s strongest defensive abilities. He used both of them at the same time, representing how fearful he was towards Huo Yuhao.

Xie Huanyue could see that Huo Yuhao had turned completely golden. Right now, Huo Yuhao looked like a golden statue, and he emanated a fearsome aura that burst forward, making Xie Huanyue tremble with terror.

What, what is this soul skill? A golden fist punched straight towards Xie Huanyue exactly when Dai Huabin recovered from Spiritual Confusion.

Even time seemed to stop when the golden fist slammed against Xie Huanyue’s body. In the next moment, the Elephant Fog around Xie Huanyue’s body whisked outwards and attempted to ensnare the golden fist.

However, the Elephant Fog dissipated, crushed in the eruption of golden light. The Elephant Hide’s tremendous elastic force from the collision also seemed to disappear completely.

Xie Huanyue’s body was hurled backwards at a speed faster than he’d charged out, and he slammed right into Dai Huabin in the distance.

The surface of Xie Huanyue’s body appeared to be covered by a layer of golden foil, and golden light glowed continuously.

Dai Huabin didn’t just sit back. He extended his tiger paws in front of him and attempted to catch Xie Huanyue. However, he felt a frightening pressure pass into his body the moment he caught Xie Huanyue. It was so stifling that it was nigh suffocating, like a supreme ruler had descended upon the world. His mind and spirit were shaken as Xie Huanyue crashed into his chest, and the two of them were thrown back several meters from the force before they stabilized

themselves.

Fresh blood was pouring out from Xie Huanyue’s mouth and nose. The fatso’s face was ghastly pale, and his body was shaking badly. He stared at Dai Huabin and said, “So… so powerful! My defenses have been broken!”

This was the Sovereign’s Descent, charged with Haodong power, so how could it be as simple as just breaking through his defenses? The Sovereign’s Descent had left a deep and lasting mark in Xie Huanyue’s spiritual sea—so the next time he faced Huo Yuhao, this spiritual imprint would greatly disrupt his nerves and his mind.

Dai Huabin was also overcome with a haze of terror, but he still pounced towards Huo Yuhao like there was no turning back. He was as familiar as could be with how powerful Xie Huanyue’s guard was. Not even he had the confidence to break through Xie Huanyue’s defenses. Even though Xie Huanyue was slightly weaker in terms of fighting power, his defensive capabilities were publicly recognized as the strongest amongst the others of his age group, and yet, he couldn’t even take a single punch from Huo Yuhao.

Furthermore, this was also under the amplifying effects of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda!

Xie Huanyue was shoved off, and Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong took two steps back before they regained their balance. The powerful impact still took effect on them in the end, the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda’s amplification effects were indeed formidable. If Huo Yuhao had launched that attack by himself, he wouldn’t have been able to make Xie Huanyue lose all ability to fight. However, he wasn’t alone in this battle today; he had the support of the Haodong power!

No matter how strong the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda’s supportive power was, it couldn’t compare to a martial soul fusion ability with one hundred-percent compatibility… and there was also Mass Enfeeblement at work! Butterfly wings extended to the side, and large patches of golden light burst from behind them; the Light of the Butterfly Goddess. The Ice Prison from before was gone; it had vanished under the touch of a tender, tiny hand.

Huo Yuhao made his move on one side, while the little Snow Lady had flown in the opposite direction and touched the Ice Prison lightly.

The Ice Prison melted almost instantaneously. Ling Luochen realized, to her intense fear and surprise, that the connection with her soul skill was immediately severed when the little Snow Lady touched the Ice Prison.

The Light of the Butterfly Goddess wrapped around the little Snow Lady and swept towards the defenseless Wu Feng.

Only several breaths had passed since the beginning of the battle till now. Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er first weakened their opponents, before they separated, controlled, and divided the three close-combat opponents and eventually took one of them down. Their momentum continued, and their coordination could be said to be miraculous and seamless — nothing was wasted at all, and their judgments were incredibly precise.

After he punched Xie Huanyue away, Huo Yuhao didn’t look at Dai Huabin, who was charging towards him. His eyes were staring straight at Ning Tian behind Ling Luochen.

Two purplish-golden rays of light flickered in his eyes. Ning Tian grunted coldly, the connection between the Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda and her companions had immediately been severed.

Spiritual Shock!

Every student from the inner courtyard had impressive fighting prowess. However, they were far more inferior than Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao had been through so many life and death situations, and he’d paid with blood and sweat to gather fighting experience from the battles Juechen and Jing Ziyan had forced him to participate in. From his perspective, raw numbers would never be an advantage. Being able to maximize one’s potential, and being able to unleash one’s abilities to the highest possible level were advantages!

The tiny Snow Lady began to fly backwards. She was just so petite, and the way she raised her right arm was truly a little comical. This was especially so when she extended a tiny finger that was no longer than a caterpillar as she pointed up at the sky. Her dark blue eyes flowed with seriousness, but no matter what state she was in, her appearance could only be described with one word: cute.

“Yi yi ya ya!” the tiny Snow Lady called out, and a mystical scene occurred.

Azure green light immediately shone from Huo Yuhao’s body

—the Domain of Perpetual Ice. At the same time, the little Snow Lady’s body erupted with an orange-gold luster, and the second orange-gold soul ring on Huo Yuhao’s body sparkled vigorously.

The ice and snow were released from beneath Huo Yuhao’s feet. A blizzard began to spread instantly, a temperature that was more than twenty degrees below zero swept forward along with the blizzard. 

The Ice Jade Empress Scorpion’s Domain of Perpetual Ice, and the Snow Empress’ Snowy Dance of the Brilliant Sun were combined: the Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice!

The next soul skill that Ling Luochen released was immediately consumed by the snow and ice that loomed over the sky. The intense chill that appeared within a split-second completely suppressed the Red Dragon’s heated flames that had burst out from Wu Feng’s body. The scene in front of Dai Huabin’s eyes immediately became nothing but white snow and ice, and the extreme cold caused his speed to plummet.

The group of elders on the ferry were already standing up.

“Is this a domain ability?”

The other students from the inner courtyard in the distance who were participating in the Blind Date looked on as their faces became a little slack. That terrifying world of snow and ice had a diameter of more than a hundred meters, and everyone could vividly feel its chill in their heart and soul. Is this really something that a five-ringed Soul King can accomplish? Everyone had the same thought in mind.

The Sea God’s Lake began to transform. It had only been affected by Ling Luochen’s ice element at first, which formed a layer of ice more than one hundred meters in diameter on the lake’s surface. However, more than half of the entire Sea God’s Lake was now starting to freeze over, and an eerie chill permeated the skies.

There was only astonishment in Zhang Lexuan’s eyes. When she turned towards Bei Bei, she could see the same bewilderment and astonishment in his eyes. It was clear that not even Bei Bei knew that his little junior brother was this powerful.

A golden hammer flew out under the cover of snow and ice. All five of their opponents were trying to resist the intense coldness coating the area, but everyone froze at the same time.

Mantra Amidst the Void, Spiritual Tempest. This martial soul fusion skill became even more terrifying under the cover of the Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice. Nobody could see what was happening inside the domain; not even Elder Xuan could see through it. Unless he forcefully broke through it, everything within its area of effect was part of Huo Yuhao’s world.

Chapter 220: Goddess By My Side

Fortunately, the Snowy Dance of Ice and Snow didn’t last for a long time, so it didn’t freeze the entirety of Sea God’s Lake. The violent wind and snowstorm slowly stopped.

The original battlefield had turned a dazzling white. A foot of ice had already accumulated in that short period of time, and the chill caused the internal temperature of the entire academy to drop!

Huo Yuhao stood where he was as he held Wang Dong’er’s hand. Not far from them stood five ice sculptures of different forms.

As he turned around, Huo Yuhao faced Wang Dong’er and said softly, “I’d like to see you. Can I?”

“Yes,” Wang Dong agreed.

After the fight, their tense feelings had disappeared, and the Haodong Power that circulated in their bodies had guided them.

Even though he was facing a strong opponent, Huo Yuhao was still very resolute. His hands trembled slightly as he touched the hat and veil.

He felt his heart beating faster and faster. His intense yearning was mixed with anxiety.

Wang Dong’er’s reaction was greater than his. She lowered her head slightly and twiddled her fingers in front of her. She wasn’t anywhere near as full of energy as she was when she had called for a two-versus-five fight.

Huo Yuhao eventually stopped. He didn’t pull down the hat. He whispered something before Wang Dong’er nodded her head.

In the next moment, Huo Yuhao held her hand as they glided backward. Countless streaks of lights exploded like fireworks, shooting out from Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er’s bodies as their center, blinding everyone. Amidst the lights, Wang Dong’er was pulled into Huo Yuhao’s arms, and their bodies combined into one entity.

The golden-bluish wings started to expand at a frightening speed, their size doubling instantly.

The Radiant Butterfly Goddess’ wings were normally separated into top and bottom, but there was another jade- colored middle wing right now. It was smooth, transparent, and brightly-colored, releasing a thick aura of life. The true meaning of life was light and water, and this life aura complemented the aura of light.

The dazzling butterfly wings opened wide. Blue, gold, and green lights colored the world around them. Above the wings, there seemed to be countless beads of water refracting what light was present. As the lights shone, layers and layers of frost were released from the Radiant Butterfly Goddess’ feet, making her slender figure look extremely elegant. As the frost spread, the snowflakes on the ground were guided into the air, where they started to dance. As the freezing chill spread, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er’s fused bodies started to transform in a shocking manner. A slender figure started to surface from the tri-colored glow.

The hat and veil melted away within the golden lights, leaving only a young lady behind. She was more than one hundred eighty centimeters tall, and her slender figure extremely captivating!

Her long hair was pinkish-blue, and flowed all the way down to her feet. Her eyes were bright-gold, and her slender figure was flawless – no words could describe how proportionate her enchanting figure was. Her ravishing looks were superior to all of the ladies present. Every streak of light and curve of her body were perfectly complementary. No one could describe how they felt when they first saw her. However, she definitely had everyone’s full attention!

She moved in the next moment. She stepped forward with her left leg and rose into the air. The orange-gold Snow Lady landed on her shoulder as she gestured, and the tri-colored wings behind her back propelled her body into the air as she started to dance.

Thick mist started to spread from her legs upward, changing into streaks that surrounded her body as they spun around her.

The dark sky suddenly cracked open, and a streak of golden sunlight descended, landing on her body. Suddenly, the surrounding ice and snow were illuminated by a golden glow. A golden halo engulfed her, like a goddess that undergoing a rebirth within the light.

She started dancing in the air. Every step she took was gentle and perfect. Her enchanting looks were filled with the light of life and hope, her wings greatly accentuating her body and movements. The Raiment of Light surfaced as she was surrounded by the warmth of the light.

Her wings extended and retracted continuously, adding to her otherworldly elegance.

A subtle golden rune appeared on her forehead, clearer than the last time. It seemed to be the image of a golden trident. Her golden eyes were gentle, her smooth white face slightly rosy. Her figure flashed, and was somehow in front of an ice sculpture. As she touched the sculpture, it started to melt.

The ice covering the Sea God’s Lake had turned into her stage. As everyone watched in a daze, her dazzling wings beat as she danced in the air. Five ice sculptures melted one by one.

Ling Luochen, Ning Tian, Wu Feng, Xie Huanyue and Dai Huabin had not lost consciousness. They had been lost in the Snowy Dance of Ice and Snow, and the Spiritual Tempest. However, they didn’t completely lose consciousness.

As the ice melted, a warm feeling engulfed their bodies and quickened their blood. They also saw the ravishing figure and the long, pinkish-blue hair.

Solitary Dance Amidst the Frost, Raiment of Light.

They were also dazed. No matter how negative they felt, their emotions slowly calmed down within this aura that was a combination of cold, life, and light. As the tri-colored wings retracted, the Raiment of Light finally returned to its original spot.

It separated and became two different people again.

Huo Yuhao was still Huo Yuhao, but the lady beside him no longer had her hat on.

She was evidently a smaller version of the Goddess of Light.

As her long, pinkish-blue hair flowed behind her, her eyes started to roll. She was embarrassed, and didn’t dare to look at Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao was also in a daze. Although he knew that it was Wang Dong’er in front of him, he still didn’t believe it.

Wang Dong and Wang Dong’er looked so similar, but he felt as if he couldn’t find Wang Dong. Wang Dong’er was an immature version of the Goddess of Light. So, my goddess has always been by my side from the start to now... “There’s a disguise technique in my family that enabled me to change my voice and alter my facial lines. I could even develop an Adam’s apple. Although the changes aren’t too drastic,  they  make  it  difficult  for  others  to  recognize  me.” Wang Dong’er’s voice was very soft, but Huo Yuhao could still

hear her clearly.

No wonder she was so different!

“You... you concealed the truth from me for so long!”  Huo Yuhao grinned.

“Sorry, I…”

“Don’t say sorry. I was a fool,” Huo Yuhao said gently as he held her hands, “Didn’t you say that I’m your fool? Don’t regret your choice!”

“Let me think about it again. You already have Ju Zi!” Wang Dong’er shot back. “Nonsense!  We’re  only  good  friends!”  Huo  Yuhao  replied resolutely.

Wang Dong’er lifted her head. Her gaze was slightly stiff as she stared at Huo Yuhao. “Really?”

“Of course! When we first exhibited the Raiment of Light, I was already captivated by the Goddess of Light’s figure. No one else could enter my heart after that.” After pausing for a moment, Huo Yuhao looked at her seriously, “Right now, my goddess is by my side.”

Wang Dong’er finally smiled. Her smile seemed as gorgeous as blooming flowers.

She had expended a lot of effort just for today.

After more than two years apart, she had recognized her feelings for him. She had even tried to forget him. However, she realized that she couldn’t do so. That was why she went to find him and brought him back to the Clear Sky Sect, hoping that her relatives would approve of him. When she met Ju Zi along the way, she felt threatened.

After returning to the academy, she began her set-up. She revealed her identity to Bei Bei, Jiang Nannan, and Xiao Xiao, hoping to receive their help. She had wanted to wait until the next Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament before she revealed everything to Huo Yuhao. However, she realized after their separation that she couldn’t wait any longer. She was most troubled by the fact that Huo Yuhao might not develop feelings for her if he didn’t know that she was actually a lady, no matter how close they were.

Now that everything had settled, he turned out to not be a complete fool, and her hard work had finally paid off.

Huo Yuhao suddenly seemed to think of something. As he turned and looked into the distance, the entire Sea God’s Lake was completely silent. However, everyone’s attention was focused on him. He was slightly embarrassed.

“Eldest senior sister, eldest senior, can we go now? The Bride Kidnapping should have ended, right?” Huo Yuhao shouted towards Bei Bei and Zhang Lexuan. He normally called Bei Bei eldest senior, while Zhang Lexuan was often referred to as eldest senior sister by everyone else. When he called out to both of them together, it sounded weird.

Everyone only recovered from their shock after hearing his voice. 

The truth was that no one knew how Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had won. They hadn’t been able to sense anything, as everything within the domain was under Huo Yuhao’s control. The original two-versus-five fight ended in an overwhelming victory, but everyone wasn’t focused on the victory. They were more captivated by Wang Dong’er, as she was too beautiful. Not only were the male students wide-eyed in shock, but the female students were also intoxicated by her beauty.

“Can we still ‘kidnap the bride’ now?” some male student said weakly, his words reflecting what most of the male students were thinking. If they had known that she was so pretty, Huo Yuhao would have had many more competitors today!

Zhang Lexuan glared at the male student who spoke. “Cut your crap. Moreover, you’ll need to challenge both of them to ‘kidnap the bride’. Do you have any confidence of beating them? The Bride Kidnapping segment is over! I hereby announce that Huo Yuhao and…” she abruptly stopped at this point. Bei Bei hurriedly reminded her of Wang Dong’er’s name. “Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er have gotten together successfully in the Eternal Love segment. I wish them a blissful future!”

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er clasped palms and fists towards everyone. They looked at each other and smiled before gliding back to the shore.

Huo Yuhao had been astonishing in today’s blind date. It was also his first time demonstrating his abilities and the strength of the Ultimate Ice in front of the inner courtyard students. But he was personally even more shocked to discover Wang Dong’er’s true identity.

The biggest commotion was happening on the ferry right now. The elders and teachers on the ferry had already disembarked. They had no choice – the ferry couldn’t move since the lake water had been frozen.

Yan Shaozhe’s eyes were shining as he asked, “Elder Xuan, should we ask Huo Yuhao about his Spirit now?” They were all top-ranked soul masters, and could tell the benefits that a Spirit could bring. Moreover, Huo Yuhao’s four orange-gold soul rings were too shocking. Whether it was a Spirit or the orange-gold soul rings, they had never appeared before. They would feel very uncomfortable if they didn’t ask Huo Yuhao clearly about these new existences.

Elder Xuan snapped, “Alright, don’t be annoying! They’ve just become a couple, let them be intimate for a while. Tomorrow morning, you can come to the Sea God’s Pavilion and we’ll ask him together. Wang Dong’er is really secretive! However, Huo Yuhao is really just a blockhead. They stayed in the same room for so long, but he never discovered her identity. Hahaha!”

Elder Lin smiled and said, “Those two children are really interesting. Huo Yuhao’s domain was very strong. I seemed to see orange-gold rings lighting up when he unleashed the domain just now. Was that a domain-type soul skill?”

Elder Xuan waved his hand and said, “It’s not that simple. He already has a domain-type soul skill, but it’s not so strong, and can’t cover such a huge region. It seems like this fellow has encountered something miraculous again. I believe this domain is related to his Spirit. Since everyone’s so interested in his Spirit, I shall specifically call for a conference in the Sea God’s Pavilion tomorrow and allow him to participate. Since he’s also a special member of the Sea God’s Pavilion, it’s time for everyone to meet him.” 

All the elders nodded their heads. While they were old, they were still very curious. Moreover, this concerned the future development of Shrek Academy.

……

They returned to shore, Huo Yuhao still holding Wang Dong’er’s hand tightly. He had too many things to say to her.

Huo Yuhao grinned as he asked, “Dong’er, is that what I should call you from now on?”

Wang Dong’er lowered her head and said softly, “Yes. Should we leave after the entire event is over?”

Huo Yuhao shook his head and replied, “No, it’s enough just looking at you.”

“Have you seen enough of me?” Wang Dong’er was amused. Huo Yuhao changed his words. “Never in this lifetime.”

Wang Dong’er smiled. There weren’t any outsiders now, and she became less shy. She dared to look into Huo Yuhao’s eyes now.

“Yuhao, I’m sorry. I hid my identity intentionally from you previously because…”

Huo Yuhao interrupted her, “I understand. I’m actually very glad!”

“Glad?” Wang Dong’er was perplexed as she looked at him.

Huo Yuhao chuckled and said, “Of course I’m glad. If you came in as a female student, I wouldn’t have been able to enter your life! You’re too pretty, so you’d have captured the attention of others easily. You wouldn’t have stayed in the same dorm room as me, and we’d have had no chance of building up our feelings. We wouldn’t even have our martial fusion soul skills. Naturally, what happened today wouldn’t have happened either!” “Shall we return to the Sea God’s Pavilion?” Wang Dong asked.

“Alright.” Huo Yuhao was bubbling with joy now. His eyes didn’t deviate from Wang Dong’er at all, as if he couldn’t get enough of looking at her.

As they walked towards the Sea God’s Pavilion, Huo Yuhao said, “Wang Dong’er, I now understand why you did all those weird things you did when you first entered the academy. For example, you mysteriously went to bathe on your own and you’d get angry with me after I slept with you.”

“You’re so bad. Why do you have to mention all of this…?” Wang Dong’er blushed and smacked him.

Huo Yuhao chortled, “I’m telling the truth! Do you still remember? When we first managed to create the Golden Road, we fainted because we expended too much energy and were late for class on the second day. We were punished by Teacher Zhou, and she even shouted at us through the window asking whether we were dating. She probably won’t expect the both of us to be dating now.” As she recalled what had happened that day, Wang Dong’er revealed a slight smile on her face. “Of course I remember. You were such a fool then. You fought so hard every day and made the class fight with you. Thinking about it, I believe many students from our class will be able to enter the inner courtyard when they reach the sixth grade apart from us and fifth senior.”

Huo Yuhao laughed. “It must be the good fortune rubbing on us from being class monitors!”

Wang Dong’er laughed too. “Stop bragging!”

Huo Yuhao said, “Oh yes, you don’t have a twin sister, am I right?”

Wang Dong’er rolled her eyes at him. “Why are you asking such a stupid question at this point? Of course not. Why would I have a twin sister?”

Huo Yuhao mocked, “So you were matchmaking yourself then.” Wang Dong’er blushed. “Who asked you to be such a wooden block?”

Huo Yuhao sighed, “Yes! I should have thought of it earlier, especially since I saw you that day. Did you remove your veil intentionally for me to see, or did you intentionally leave your name Wang Qiu’er behind to draw me to the Sea God’s Fate?”

Wang Dong’er was stunned. “What veil? What Wang Qiu’er?”

Huo Yuhao laughed. “What? Why are you trying to conceal things from me at this point? I met you that day when I returned to the academy. You were already dressed like a girl then. You also wore a veil, which you dropped when you walked past me. I caught hold of it. When I took a look at it, it was embroidered with the words ‘Wang Qiu’er’ on it. You snatched it back before running away. I failed to chase you. When I reached Shrek City, I lost track of you.”

Wang Dong’er was confused. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Since you returned, I never met you before today! I only peeked at you when you were crying outside the Sea God’s Pavilion. What Wang Qiu’er? I don’t know!” “What? That wasn’t you?” Huo Yuhao was stunned. He was sure that Wang Dong’er had no need to lie to him anymore at this point. However, the incident that day was definitely real. What was going on?

Wang Dong’er felt that something was amiss. “Yuhao, think about it carefully again. Are you sure you saw someone that looked like me? There was no difference at all?”

Huo Yuhao furrowed his brows and tried his best to recall what had happened that day. His Spirit Eyes were very sharp, his spiritual power was immense and his memory was impeccable.

As he tried to recall more detail, he said, “She did seem a little different, now that you mention it. She looked a bit older than you, and she was slightly taller than you. Her voice also sounded a little different. However, I only had a short glance at her then, and didn’t interact much with her. The feeling she gave me was also very familiar though, but it was slightly different from the familiar feeling that you give me.”

Wang Dong’er was shocked as she watched Huo Yuhao, and asked, “There’s actually someone who looks just like me? How is that possible?”

Huo Yuhao laughed bitterly. “I don’t know either! However, she should be from the academy, since she walked out from the academy that day. Perhaps she’s from another academy and trying to get into the inner courtyard just like you mentioned? Dong’er, are you sure that you don’t have a twin sister?”

Wang Dong’er replied without any hesitation, “Of course I’m sure. I never ever had a sister! I’ll go and ask tomorrow. If she tried to enter the inner courtyard, there must be a record.”

“Right.” Huo Yuhao was also very doubtful now. In his memory, Wang Qiu’er was too similar to Wang Dong’er. The differences between them were almost negligible. Even after acute observation, it was still very difficult for him to differentiate them.

“I understand now!” Huo Yuhao exclaimed suddenly.

“What do you understand?” Wang Dong asked hurriedly. 

Huo Yuhao said, “I understand why I feel so familiar to her. Compared to her, you’re evidently two or three years younger. She’s more like the Goddess of Light that we exhibited! This also means that you’ll look exactly like her in another two years. She’s practically your sister—the two of you look too alike.”

Wang Dong’er and the Wang Qiu’er he saw were actually two different people. This was too weird, especially since Huo Yuhao realized this after Wang Dong just became Wang Dong’er.

Huo  Yuhao  laughed  bitterly.  “Fortunately,  we  have  the Haodong Power. Otherwise, it’ll be difficult to tell you apart from Wang Qiu’er if you stood next to each other.”

Wang Dong’er caressed his forehead and said, “You seem like you’re speaking the truth. Are you sure you weren’t running a fever that day and hallucinating?” Huo Yuhao scratched his head and laughed. “That might be possible. Perhaps I just missed my goddess too much. Furthermore, you kept saying that you had a twin sister. That’s why I might have imagined it. Well, it doesn’t matter anymore. Whether or not she exists, I only need my Wang Dong’er.”

They had returned to the Sea God’s Pavilion as they spoke. After entering, Huo Yuhao laughed softly. “Are we staying over in your room or my room tonight?”

Wang Dong’er blushed. “You, what are you talking about? We can’t live together. We can only do it after we marry…”

Her face was as red as an apple. Huo Yuhao lowered his head and was about to kiss her, but she dodged him. “Keep your distance.”

Huo Yuhao chuckled. “You’re overthinking it. I’m saying that we should cultivate together! Did you see how much faster our cultivation speed was with Haodong Power? Since you saw that, am I supposed to still cultivate on my own?” Wang Dong was filled with caution, but she was evidently delighted.  “We  can’t  do  that  either.  Who  knows  if  you’re getting up to something? Go back to your room and sleep.”

Huo Yuhao looked very pitiful. “But I still have a lot left to say to you!”

Wang Dong’er laughed and said, “Let’s talk tomorrow. Aren’t you tired from this whole event? I felt your rapid heartbeat just now. To ensure my safety, I’ll return to my room first.” As she spoke, she quickly fled.

Huo Yuhao laughed as he pursued her. Because he used his soul thrusters, he managed to block off Wang Dong’er’s path.

“Let’s see where you can run to!”  Huo Yuhao widened his arms and looked at her delightedly.

Wang Dong’er stopped in her tracks, and the smile on her face faded. She walked slowly towards Huo Yuhao and grabbed his waist lightly before leaning on his chest. Her body was very soft, seemingly even softer than before. Huo Yuhao hugged her subconsciously, and his heartbeat started to increase rapidly.

It wasn’t his first time hugging Wang Dong’er. When the two of them unleashed their martial fusion soul skills, he would often hug her. However, he was never as agitated as how he was now. It wasn’t his good brother in his arms now, but…

“Yuhao, I’m really happy right now. Did you know that? I was really uncomfortable then. I was scared that you wouldn’t choose me. What would I have done if you didn’t choose me? I don’t know. Before you made your choice, my mind was completely empty. After all, Ning Tian and Senior Ling are both very outstanding. They’d have helped you a lot too if they were together with you. At that point in time, you didn’t know it was me either.”

“I wanted to remove my hat on several occasions, but I didn’t want to garner your recognition with just my looks. I also didn’t want my appearance to bring you trouble in the blind date. Everything’s been settled now. However, I know that we’ll need some time to accept our new identities. I don’t know if my feelings for you are more brotherly or romantic. I’m sure it’s even more uncertain for you. Can we start over again? Give us some time.”

After hearing Wang Dong’s murmuring voice, Huo Yuhao grabbed onto her arms and pulled her closer. It was as if he wanted to fuse her into his body.

“Are you angry?” Wang Dong asked.

Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, “No! You’re right. In this world, you understand me the best. It’s true that we need some time for our feelings to change.”

“I really don’t know if my feelings for you are brotherly or more romantic. However…”

“However what?”  Wang Dong was a little nervous as she struggled out of Huo Yuhao’s arms. She was staring at him.

A smile surfaced across Huo Yuhao’s face. “However, don’t you think that I’m a lecher by reminding me of this in this position?” 

Wang Dong’er laughed. “That’s right. You’re a lecher. A big lecher.”

After she finished speaking, she turned around and ran away. However, Huo Yuhao was prepared. He pulled her back and hugged her again.

As he hugged her tiny waist, Huo Yuhao said softly, “You dared to call me a fool. You’re also very foolish! Don’t you understand me? Without your consent, I won’t violate you! I can wait.”

Wang Dong’er was a little domineering. “Of course you can wait. Even if you have to wait for your entire life, you must still wait! Take this.” As she spoke, she suddenly turned around and gave Huo Yuhao something.

“What’s this?” Huo Yuhao was a little perplexed as he looked at the pouch in his hand.

Wang Dong’er shook her head and said, “I don’t know what it is either. My eldest uncle gave it to me. He said…” She blushed and lowered her head, “He said that I should give to this pouch to you if I think you’re the right guy… I haven’t seen what’s inside it yet.”

Huo Yuhao didn’t understand. Why did the Clear Sky Sect’s sect master give him a pouch? He subconsciously wanted to open it.

However, he was stopped by Wang Dong’er.

“You can’t open it directly. My eldest uncle sealed it with his spiritual power. If you force it open, it’ll destroy everything in it. Otherwise, I would have taken a peek at it. You need your spiritual power to reach a certain standard first before you can open it and see the contents.”

Huo Yuhao tried to pour his spiritual power in, and felt a great obstruction force. Huo Yuhao was awed by Niu Tian’s cultivation once again after realizing that he was able to use his spiritual power on such a small pouch. He wouldn’t be able to overcome this spiritual seal with his current standard, and thus he couldn’t take a look at its contents. He would only have a chance to open the pouch when he became a Soul Emperor, if his spiritual power continued to grow at its current speed. 

“Alright, Dong’er. I have a question for you.” Huo Yuhao said.

“What?” Wang Dong’er was confused as she looked at him.

Huo Yuhao asked, “Why is your hair so messy?”

Wang Dong’er laughed, “Fool. I braided my hair in the morning, but it was blown into a mess by the wind. That’s why it’s like this.”

“Uh…”

“I’m going.” Wang Dong’er waved goodbye to him.

Huo  Yuhao  became  depressed.  “We  really  can’t  cultivate together?”

“No. Let’s wait to calm down first.” Wang Dong’er smiled. As they looked at each other, their gazes met. On this miraculous night, they couldn’t control their feelings. However, the change in their relationship seemed to have added a layer between them. Whether it was Huo Yuhao or Wang Dong’er, they could clearly sense it. They knew that they were deeply imprinted in each other’s hearts, but they needed time to accept the change in their relationship.

As he watched Wang Dong’er leave, Huo Yuhao looked a little lost. He returned to his room with his pouch. He felt his heart beating faster and faster. Just like what had happened on the Sea God’s Lake, he recalled everything that he had experienced with Wang Dong.

Things had changed tonight. Huo Yuhao didn’t cultivate, and his mind was filled with Wang Dong’er’s figure. For some reason, her ravishing figure kept on pacing up and down as he entered his dreams.

In the morning, the warm sunlight penetrated his room and shone on his body. Perhaps he had been thinking too much last night, but he was feeling very lazy right now.

“Dong’er, Dong’er.” He muttered and turned over in his bed. Bang, bang, bang. The sound of knocking on the door rang out, jolting the half-asleep Huo Yuhao awake.

As he flipped his body around, he sat up. He subconsciously shouted, “Dong’er!”

He took a few steps forward to open the door. However, it wasn’t Wang Dong’er standing outside. It was someone with an elderly-looking face.

Yan Shaozhe was amused as he looked at Huo Yuhao and said, “Young man, you’re really a young man. You must have been through a lot last night.”

Huo Yuhao’s face turned red. “Dean Yan.”

Yan Shaozhe laughed slightly. “Congratulations! Surely you didn’t expect Wang Dong to be a girl, right?”

Huo Yuhao was stunned and replied, “From your tone, it seems like you knew about it?” Yan Shaozhe laughed, “Of course I knew. Elder Mu also knew about it. That’s why I mentioned that soul masters have a lot to learn. There’s a book in the library that specifically introduces rare martial souls. If you have time, you can borrow it to read. It records the Radiant Butterfly Goddess in detail. The Radiant

Butterfly Goddess is extremely ravishing, and it only appears on a female soul master. That’s why we knew she was a girl from the moment she entered the academy.”

Huo  Yuhao  was  stunned.  “Then  why  didn’t  you  tell  me? That, and why did you still let me stay in the same room as her?”

Yan Shaozhe said, “I’m sure you know that Wang Dong’er is from the Clear Sky Sect, and is the most probable successor to the sect. Our academy has a close relationship with the Clear Sky Sect. Why would we expose her? Let’s go, many people are waiting for you.”

“Waiting for me?” Huo Yuhao still felt slightly in a daze. He hadn’t had a good rest last night.