Chapter 223.1: Intimacy

Dragons were almost extinct today, and few people alive had actually seen a real dragon on the Douluo Continent. However, the legends and chronicles had always been there.

The dragons who descended directly from the Golden Dragon and the Silver Dragon were the rarest amongst the dragons, but they were touted as the most pure-blooded species, and also known as the strongest of the dragons.

Elder Mu's Radiant Holy Dragon was only a subspecies of the Silver Dragon, a dragon that controlled the power of light.

The Golden Dragon didn't have the all-inclusive elemental prowess that the Silver Dragon did, but the Golden Dragon possessed a strange power that could break through all things, and this was how its t.i.tle, Ancestor of Strength, came about.

w.a.n.g Dong's Radiant b.u.t.terfly G.o.ddess and Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes were already considered exceptionally rare. However, even Huo Yuhao's Ice Jade Empress Scorpion was inferior when compared to the Golden Dragon. This was because the Golden Dragon was also an Ultimate martial soul, and its Ultimate factor was Strength. Ultimate Strength was more powerful than a single Ultimate Element in the end.

Huo Yuhao and w.a.n.g Dong'er could guess that w.a.n.g Qiu'er was probably quite powerful, as she was able to join the inner courtyard as a student from another academy, but they hadn't expected her to be that powerful. Even though she didn't have twin martial souls, her martial soul was the strongest among all the martial souls that both Huo Yuhao and w.a.n.g Dong had ever seen.

Zhou Yi was full of admiration as she said, "So someone on the Continent actually inherited the Golden Dragon martial soul!" She was a teacher from Shrek Academy, so she had the same intense longing for the Golden Dragon. If she hadn't been in front of her two students, she would have probably gone to check it out herself.

Huo Yuhao quickly calmed down and said to w.a.n.g Dong, "In that case, her martial soul has nothing to do with you. We should just treat her like a normal student."

w.a.n.g Dong'er pouted and said, "But…she looks just like me, what if you recognize the wrong person?"

Huo Yuhao smiled and said consolingly, "It will be fine as long as that doesn't happen. We have the Haodong power, and we will feel it the moment we touch each other. No matter how powerful w.a.n.g Qiu'er is, she doesn't share martial soul fusion skills with me, and she doesn't have our Haodong power. Don't think too much. We have to work a little harder now, we're not far from the start of the compet.i.tion."

w.a.n.g Dong'er nodded, she knew that Huo Yuhao was right. w.a.n.g Qiu'er looked exactly like her, but even something was miraculous as this didn't prove anything. However, she still felt as if something was amiss from beginning to end. She could confirm that she wasn't related to w.a.n.g Qiu'er by blood, but ever since she first laid eyes on her, and especially when she saw her eyes, w.a.n.g Dong'er still had that familiar feeling.

They chatted idly with Zhou Yi for a while longer before Huo Yuhao and w.a.n.g Dong'er bid their farewells. They had to pick up the pace when it came to their cultivation, and Huo Yuhao also had to swiftly conclude the situation with the Spirits and hand the entire issue over to the Sea G.o.d's Pavilion.

On their way back to the Sea G.o.d's Island, w.a.n.g Dong'er lowered her voice and said, "Yuhao… what you said yesterday was right. She does look more like the G.o.ddess of Light in the Raiment of Light than I do. Do you think she's been sent by the heavens to steal you from me? Did you not say that the G.o.ddess of Light was the image you fell in love at first sight with?"

Huo Yuhao caressed her flowing hair, and he said in amus.e.m.e.nt, "Stop thinking about it. Have I not said this before? The G.o.ddess is right beside me. She will never be you, no matter how identical the two of you look. There's nothing at all between me and her… but we have been living together ever since we joined the academy. I've hugged you to sleep before, so you can't recant!"

"Ps.h.!.+ Hugged you to sleep, that sounds disgusting! I don't care, you have to stay away from her next time, alright?" w.a.n.g Dong'er spoke with a look of stubbornness and determination.

Huo Yuhao chuckled and said, "Alright, alright! I can promise you that. You're quite possessive, huh… but that proves you care about me! From today onwards, we should move back in together. Of course, we'll only be cultivating, and only then can we be together at all times. That should work, eh?"

w.a.n.g Dong'er thought about it for a moment before saying, "Alright."

"Eh? You're really agreeing to that?" Huo Yuhao stared at her in surprise. "You're not afraid of the differences between guys and girls anymore?"

A radiant smile flashed across w.a.n.g Dong'er's face. "We'll only be cultivating together. Furthermore, even if you want to do something mean to me, you might not even be able to take me down. Don't forget, you're just a Soul King, while I'm a Soul Emperor."

"This… are you trying to be a bully?"

"Yes! I want to bully you. I can't do that?" w.a.n.g Dong'er spoke with a sweet smile on her face. They were now by the sh.o.r.e, and she grabbed Huo Yuhao's hand. The Haodong power began to circulate, and the two of them soared into the sky as they flew towards the Sea G.o.d's Island at the lake's center.

—

There was a pair of pretty eyes staring slackly at their shadows in midair not far from where they left the ground. There was a clear look of confusion in those eyes. "How can this be? Why is there a girl that looks exactly like me? What's going on?"

The owner of these enchanting eyes was w.a.n.g Qiu'er. She had just completed her registration, and she watched Huo Yuhao and w.a.n.g Dong'er hold hands as they flew away. She frowned faintly and walked towards the sh.o.r.e. It was also time for her to enter the Sea G.o.d's Island.

——

Huo Yuhao returned directly to his room once they reached the Sea G.o.d's Island, and began to write down the steps to create Spirits, along with the Pact Sealing Spell. This was the most important thing at hand to him.

w.a.n.g Dong'er didn't disturb him, and cultivated by herself to one side.

Huo Yuhao took an entire day to pen down the method of creating Spirits, and added "to be verified" at the end. There hadn't been enough experiments or trials on Spirits yet, and it couldn't be pushed out as the norm. There was far too much to do; refining, perfecting, and making the creation process as safe as it could be wasn't something that could be done in a year or two. No matter how wealthy Shrek Academy was and how many resources they possessed, there was still a lot of work to be done. The hardest component to settle was searching for soul beasts in their declining years for negotiation and discussions.

It was already difficult to find old soul beasts, and it was even harder to find intelligent ones. Shrek Academy would have to find old soul beasts with intelligence, and those with a mentality that leaned towards a fear of death, because only then would they choose the path of a Spirit.

The most troublesome part about creating a Spirit pact was that these soul beasts had to volunteer, and they had to be entirely agreeable. The Spirit pact would transcend soul rings, and the soul beast's acceptance was probably the most important part of that process.

Huo Yuhao recorded everything down, then sought out Yan Shaozhe and showed it to him before anything else. He described everything in detail, and went over it several times before he rearranged his draft and handed it over to Elder Xuan.

Elder Xuan immediately sealed the final draft into the Library of the Sea G.o.d's Pavilion. According to Elder Xuan, the Library of the Sea G.o.d's Pavilion was well-fortified, and Shrek Academy would probably have ceased to exist if this place was broken into.

It was late into the night by the time everything was settled. Even with Huo Yuhao's vitality and endurance, he could still feel intense exhaustion and fatigue.

Staying inside the Sea G.o.d's Pavilion was convenient. After he finished the job with Elder Xuan, he returned to his room directly.

—

w.a.n.g Dong'er was not yet asleep, but neither was she cultivating. Instead, she was quietly waiting for him by the table. There were four exquisite dishes laid out there, along with a bowl of porridge.

"You're back! Let me heat it up." w.a.n.g Dong'er immediately stood up and started to pour the food into boxes.

Huo Yuhao stepped forward hurriedly and said, "There's no need, I like to eat cold food. I'm sorry, Dong'er, it's my fault for being late, you must have been waiting anxiously for a long time. You should go ahead and rest first. If something like this happens again, you don't have to wait for me."

w.a.n.g Dong'er looked up and stared at Huo Yuhao with a slightly dazed look. She could tell that he was a little exhausted, but his eyes were still filled with warmth, and his gaze was just so serene and tender. She told herself in her heart, This man is mine! Why do I love waiting for him, and why do I enjoy the feeling of waiting for him to return so much?

Huo Yuhao stared into w.a.n.g Dong'er's blue eyes, and pulled her back down onto her seat. "What's wrong? What are you thinking about? Are you still thinking about that w.a.n.g Qiu'er?" He filled a bowl of porridge for w.a.n.g Dong'er as he spoke.

w.a.n.g Dong'er hurriedly pushed it back to him. "I've already eaten. You should eat quickly; fortunately, the porridge is still warm. You should teach me how to cook! That way, I don't have to find food for you from the canteen, and I can make a meal for you myself."

Huo Yuhao shook his head without hesitation. "No."

w.a.n.g Dong'er was perplexed as she exclaimed, "Why not? Sentimental attachment?"

Huo Yuhao stared at her white and pale hands and said, "I don't want you to worry about any day-to-day things at all; I want you to live like a queen. I should be the one cooking for you every day! I will take care of you, I will shower you with love, and I will stay by your side for eternity."

He said all this while he was still eating. However, the way he said was so natural, as if everything had long been engraved into his bones, and he was simply expressing everything matter-of-factly.

Faint tears began to well up in w.a.n.g Dong'er's charming eyes. "You're so good to me, Yuhao."

Huo Yuhao laughed and said, "Why are you crying when I'm being nice to you? Stop crying. It's useless to just say these things. I will prove my words with actions." He flexed his lean right arm as he spoke.

w.a.n.g Dong'er giggled and said, "Don't forget, you're still a Soul King."

Huo Yuhao said, "This has nothing to do with strength, mentality is the key!"

w.a.n.g Dong'er laughed and said, "Let's not talk about all that. The Sea G.o.d's Fate concluded soon after we left. He Caitou and Xiao Xiao finally got together! They didn't have it easy, and the truth is that I could tell fifth senior sister was conflicted inside, but she chose him in the end. What's inside is far more important than appearance! Second senior brother may be a little ugly, and he's a little too dark-skinned, but he's truly very good to her."

Chapter 223.2: Intimacy

Huo Yuhao laughed and said, "Yes—what's inside is absolutely more important than your beauty. I'll still love you even if you become ugly in the future."

w.a.n.g Dong'er rebuked him. "You're the one that's going to get ugly." Even though her tone sounded angry, there was only sweetness and warmth in her eyes.

There wasn't much light in the room. She rested her cheeks in her hands and planted her elbows on the table while she watched Huo Yuhao eat.

"I investigated w.a.n.g Qiu'er's situation a little more. Her soul power is around Rank 60, which is quite impressive, considering she isn't even twenty yet. She doesn't have her sixth soul ring yet, and I've heard from vice-Dean Cai that the inner courtyard will organize a soul beast hunt soon, where they'll gather all the inner courtyard students at a bottleneck and venture into the Great Star Dou Forest. I imagine she will be partic.i.p.ating—don't you need your fifth soul ring for your Spirit Eyes? Let's tag along."

Huo Yuhao glanced at her suspiciously and said, "Tag along? What for? Do you still want to spy on her?"

w.a.n.g Dong'er said determinedly, "I still feel like there's something wrong with her, but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's just because we look too alike—we're almost carbon copies! It wouldn't hurt to monitor her for a little bit longer, and I also want to see how she's like as a person."

Huo Yuhao smiled and said, "It's me who has to go anyway. You don't even need a soul ring, why do you want to go?"

w.a.n.g Dong'er giggled and said, "I have to protect you! We have martial soul fusion skills, so we'll be a lot safer that way. Furthermore, you're a member of the Sea G.o.d's Pavilion now, and you're the future heir of the academy. Shouldn't we be protecting you with everything we have? I'm going to risk my own safety to protect you."

Huo Yuhao had finished two bowls of porridge by now. "Alright, alright. It's always nice to have a pretty girl to protect me. We can go, but it's not easy to find a soul beast suitable for my Spirit Eyes! You know how difficult it's always been to find spiritual-type soul beasts in the past, and I think we might just waste our time. My Ultimate Ice martial soul has five soul rings now, and if I can't find a suitable spiritual-type soul ring, my Ice Jade Empress Scorpion might just become my main martial soul, so I'll have to try my luck with my Spirit Eyes to find a suitable soul ring."

w.a.n.g Dong'er nodded and said, "That's not a bad idea. However, we still have to try. The compet.i.tion will be upon us in a few months, and another soul ring is another layer of protection."

Huo Yuhao wiped his mouth, and swiftly put the bowls and plates back inside the lunchbox. He made an "after you" gesture to w.a.n.g Dong'er and said, "Wifey, come onto the bed to rest."

"Ps.h.!.+ Go and take a shower." w.a.n.g Dong'er slapped his hand away, and evaded him as quickly as she could. Her pretty face was blus.h.i.+ng.

Huo Yuhao's eyes sparkled and said, "Take a shower? I'll be clean then, and we can…"

w.a.n.g Dong'er snapped, "Then we'll cultivate! I'm warning you, if you dare to mess around, don't blame me for what comes next. Hmph." She waved her little fist in front of Huo Yuhao as she spoke.

Huo Yuhao was full of exasperation. "Why should I bathe if we want to cultivate…? We're not going to hug each other to sleep, anyway. The truth is, we've never slept together ever since that night before I left for the exchange program. Didn't you say that I should learn how to relax? I think there's nothing more relaxing than hugging you to sleep. Do you think we…?"

w.a.n.g Dong'er's face blackened, and she snapped her head around before she strode towards the door and said, "I'm leaving."

"Ugh… Sorry, I messed up." Huo Yuhao hurriedly grabbed her as she was slowly walking away, and gave her a warm smile as he said, "Alright, alright. You should get ready on the bed first, and I'll take a shower now, and then we'll cultivate. Cultivation is too important, and every ounce of soul power that we gather will be imperative for our victory during the compet.i.tion."

He suddenly acted like he had a strong sense of justice, and w.a.n.g Dong'er reached out and pinched him on the waist. Huo Yuhao flinched from the pain and hurriedly went ahead to the bathroom.

Guys bathed a lot faster than girls, and a wet Huo Yuhao was back on the bed after a few minutes.

He was always teasing w.a.n.g Dong'er, but he didn't dare to be a nuisance physically. He sat across from her, obedient and well-behaved, and they placed their palms against each other while the Haodong power began to circulate.

w.a.n.g Dong's soul bones flickered with golden light, catalyzing their soul power recovery.

They were a little unsettled in the beginning. In the end, this was the first time they had cultivated on the same bed after their relations.h.i.+p status had changed.

But the gentle Haodong power gradually became stronger, and they had no choice but to fix their state of mind and focus on cultivation. It didn't take long before they finally entered meditation.

……

Dawn was breaking, and the sun peeked out from the eastern horizon in the distance. Huo Yuhao and w.a.n.g Dong'er opened their eyes at almost the same time.

Soul power surged within their bodies, and they were both pleasantly surprised when they felt the progress in their cultivation. Ever since Huo Yuhao fused with the Snow Empress, the repression he felt from his Ultimate Ice's cultivation speed became less and less obvious. His cultivation speed was also greatly boosted with the help of the Haodong power.

Huo Yuhao got off the bed first with a faint smile on his face, and he gestured politely to w.a.n.g Dong'er to follow suit.

w.a.n.g Dong'er was smiling too and leapt off the bed before they walked towards the window together.

They stared towards the east as they waited patiently for the dash of purple to arrive. They listened to the symphony of bird calls and the other peaceful sounds of nature that pulsed with life and vitality, and they felt the tranquility of this moment.

The crisp fragrance of plants and vegetation wafted in, and the clean and fresh feelings seemed to lift their spirits.

How comfortable!

When the sun rose in the east, the pinch of purple came as it always did. Their eyes sparkled as they absorbed the purple energy, and purple hues glimmered in their eyes.

One could tell the clear difference in the level of their Purple Demon Eyes. Huo Yuhao's eyes became like purple crystals, while w.a.n.g Dong's light-blue eyes were only masked with a faint purple layer. The difference in their martial souls meant there would be quite a gap in their mastery of the Tang Sect Secret Techniques.

They took a deep breath at the same time and gradually exhaled. Their routine Purple Demon Eyes cultivation came to an end.

They were both revitalized and in high spirits after a night of cultivation. This wasn't just because of the increase in soul power—they had rediscovered their mutual feelings of familiarity. The unfamiliarity and that invisible barrier brought about by w.a.n.g Dong's change in gender gradually disappeared, and their friends.h.i.+p was slowly and imperceptibly converting to a romantic relations.h.i.+p.

"Do you have anything to do today?" w.a.n.g Dong'er asked Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao shook his head and replied, "No, I don't. I've settled the materials regarding Spirits yesterday, and Elder Xuan has stored it away in the Library. I think I'm going to focus on cultivating over the next few days to prepare for the big compet.i.tion."

They didn't really feel any pressure at all when they talked about the compet.i.tion. They were so much stronger compared to five years ago, and others of the same age group would have a very tough time challenging them and Shrek's Seven Monsters. Huo Yuhao and w.a.n.g Dong had claimed the champions.h.i.+p five years ago, so it was natural that they didn't think anybody could threaten their dominance today.

w.a.n.g Dong'er thought for a moment, then said, "We should register for the hunting expedition. If not, they may leave us behind, still in the dark."

Huo Yuhao said amusingly, "You're still thinking about that? Alright, I'll listen to you. Let's look for eldest senior brother and the others afterwards—I met him yesterday, and he said that everyone is here now, and we should temporarily lay our responsibilities in the Tang Sect aside. Everyone should come together to train and practice our coordination, as we have a lot more soul skills now than before."

"Okay."

They washed up and got some breakfast before they arrived in the outer courtyard once more. They would have to look for the Martial Soul Department's vice-Dean Cai Mei'er for registration, as she was in charge of the expedition, and her office was in the outer courtyard's Martial Soul Department.

"What? You guys want to partic.i.p.ate in this hunting expedition?" Cai Mei'er looked astonished as she stared at Huo Yuhao and w.a.n.g Dong'er.

Huo Yuhao nodded and said, "Dean Cai, I have serendipitously obtained a fifth soul ring for my secondary martial soul, but my main martial soul still only has four soul rings. I am mainly a spiritual-type soul master, so I want to take this chance to add a fifth soul ring. This will be extremely beneficial for us during the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament."

Cai Mei'er's eyebrows were tightly knitted together, and she began to contemplate the matter.

Huo Yuhao couldn't help but feel a little surprised. He didn't think his request was outrageous at all—it was just him and w.a.n.g Dong'er, and he was confident that they wouldn't become a burden to the group.

w.a.n.g Dong'er asked, "Dean Cai, does this expedition have a restriction on the number of people who are allowed to partic.i.p.ate?"

Cai Mei'er shook her head and said, "There's no limit. However, it's a bit troublesome if you two want to go, I can't make this decision. Don't forget, Yuhao, Elder Xuan has officially announced that you're the heir to the position of Master of the Sea G.o.d's Pavilion, your status is now drastically different from before. No matter what activity you wish to partic.i.p.ate in, we have to ensure your safety before anything else."

Huo Yuhao finally realized what was going on—so, Dean Cai was actually feeling conflicted about that.

"Dean Cai, there will be so many people moving together, and everyone is a member of the inner courtyard. There shouldn't much risk or danger."

Cai Mei'er answered, "You're wrong—it's dangerous because of the fact that you guys are all students from the inner courtyard. If everyone were from the outer courtyard, we would only be hunting soul beasts in the Great Star Dou Forest's Peripheral Regions. There would be a low chance for things to go awry as long there were teachers who were powerful enough leading the group. However, it's different for you guys. All of you are five-ringed and six-ringed, and all of you have high standards for soul rings. We'll have to venture deeper into the Great Star Dou Forest to find suitable soul rings for you guys, and under such circ.u.mstances, even the teachers-in-charge cannot guarantee absolute safety for everyone. The further we go into the Great Star Dou Forest, the more perilous it gets—I'm sure you're both aware of that."

Chapter 223.3: Intimacy

Huo Yuhao didn't know what to say anymore. The academy was concerned for his safety, so it was hard for him to object to that. However, he actually needed a soul ring, and w.a.n.g Dong'er still wanted to monitor and investigate w.a.n.g Qiu'er.

Cai Mei'er pondered momentarily before saying, "Alright, let's do it this way. I will report this to Elder Xuan after I return to the Sea G.o.d's Island, and it should be fine as long as Elder Xuan agrees. Lexuan is leading this group, but if the two of you do partic.i.p.ate in the end, we might have to add one or two more teachers to tag along."

They left Cai Mei'er's office, and w.a.n.g Dong'er couldn't help but laugh and comment, "See, you're now a VIP. The academy is making a big fuss about this, but it's not about me! It's clear that this is all about you."

Huo Yuhao laughed along and said, "Don't undervalue yourself. Don't forget that you're also the heir to the Clear Sky Sect, and the academy must ensure your safety as well. Dean Cai is trying to guard against surprises. We have been to the Great Star Dou Forest many times, and if we don't meet hundred-thousand year soul beasts, we will definitely be able to escape with our lives with our current cultivation."

They returned to the Sea G.o.d's Island, where they went straight to Bei Bei and Xu Sans.h.i.+'s dorm.

They could hear the cacophony of laughter and banter as soon as they walked through the door.

"You have to treat everyone, Caitou. I wonder how a pretty flower like Xiao Xiao could have chosen you." Xu Sans.h.i.+'s hearty laughter could be heard.

He Caitou didn't back down at all. "That's right, a pretty flower like Nannan has chosen to plant herself on a pile of s.h.i.+t like you. You shouldn't have walked away with him that day, Nannan! Look at him - he's so proud and happy that his eyes have almost grown to the top of his head."

Xu Sans.h.i.+ was sprawled out inside the living room, while He Caitou was sitting on a chair not far from him, bickering with him. Jiang Nannan and Xiao Xiao were cleaning up the room on the other side, and they casually ignored the banter as they whispered into each other's ears.

"Second senior brother, third senior brother. Fourth senior sister, fifth senior sister!" Huo Yuhao called out the moment he walked in.

All four of them looked over, but the first person they looked at was w.a.n.g Dong'er.

w.a.n.g Dong'er evaded everyone's gazes and hid behind Huo Yuhao. "What are you looking at? Have you never seen me before?"

Xu Sans.h.i.+ laughed out loud and said, "We've seen you before, but we only recognize w.a.n.g Dong, and not w.a.n.g Dong'er. Where's this pretty lady from? Come on out, let me tease you a little… Aiyo!"

"Your skin must be itchy," Jiang Nannan said as she withdrew the duster she had just whipped across Xu Sans.h.i.+'s back.

Xu Sans.h.i.+ hurriedly smiled at her and said, "w.a.n.g Dong has lied to us for so long, don't you think she deserves to be teased? I don't mean anything else, you're the only one I love in this entire world."

"Get lost." Jiang Nannan kicked him angrily, and then circled behind Huo Yuhao and dragged w.a.n.g Dong'er out.

"You're so beautiful, Dong'er. Everyone will fall in love with you when they see you! Why are you hiding?" Jiang Nannan laughed as she spoke softly.

w.a.n.g Dong'er lowered her head and said, "You're mocking me too, fourth senior sister."

Jiang Nannan said, "The truth has been revealed, and the two of you are truly fated. Love will be victorious in the end. What a fantastic outcome! You have to be nice to our Dong'er, Yuhao. She's so pretty… if you are not nice to her, she might just run away, and you're going to regret that."

Huo Yuhao could only laugh along foolishly, and say nothing. No answer was better than him just keeping quiet and giving his silent consent.

Bei Bei's voice could be heard from upstairs at this moment. "That must be Yuhao and w.a.n.g Dong'er! Alright, everyone's here."

Bei Bei came down from upstairs. He was still dressed like he had always been, and one couldn't tell anything was different from his expression. However, everybody else's expressions changed a little, and the three couples toned down their intimacy and affection.

There was still no news about Xiao Ya, even today. Everyone knew how painful Bei Bei's heartache was, so n.o.body wanted to provoke him or upset him in that way.

Bei Bei walked down the stairs and came before everyone. "It's been more than two years, and we're all finally back together again. It hasn't been easy! We have a few more months before the next season's compet.i.tion will begin. I know we are all very confident, but we cannot be too complacent and careless. We have to look down on our opponents as part of our strategy, but we have to be careful with our battle tactics. Come, let's find a place to exercise a little. Everyone will take this chance to show each other how we have improved over the years."

Xu Sans.h.i.+ jumped to his feet and said, "I'm with Huo Yuhao and Nannan! You can pick the rest however you like."

These two equally reputable prodigies would lead one team respectively during every one of their sparring sessions. Xu Sans.h.i.+ didn't forget to make the first move to gain the upper hand. Eeveryone had seen Huo Yuhao's display of prowess during Sea G.o.d's Fate, and his Spirit Eyes naturally provided extremely formidable support. The presence or absence of Huo Yuhao's support would determine which side would win the fight.

Bei Bei snapped, "You think you're clever? Let's go, we'll talk about it later."

The inner courtyard students had a place set aside specifically for sparring; they didn't have to go to the outer courtyard. They couldn't be vying with the outer courtyard students for a sparring venue.

The inner courtyard's venue for practice battles was located on a hill that was roughly a hundred meters high, near the eastern side of the Sea G.o.d's Island.

The top of this hill seemed like it had been shaved and flattened. Besides the Sea G.o.d's Pavilion itself, this was the highest location in the entire Sea G.o.d's Island. There was a patch of flat irregular land on the hilltop that was about a hundred meters in diameter. Tough but uneven granite of stunning durability was laid out over the ground. It was connected to the hill itself, and thus the flooring was exceptionally tough.

The inner courtyard had its own rules. If the inner courtyard's Sparring Arena was damaged or destroyed, whoever did it would be responsible for getting more granite and repairing it. For this reason, the inner courtyard students were quite careful when they sparred in this area, and they typically only came to this place to test out or demonstrate new soul skills. Everyone would rather leave the city if they wanted to spar properly.

When the seven of them climbed up to the inner courtyard's Sparring Arena, they realized to their surprise that were already people there, even though people rarely came here.

There were four of them, and everyone knew one another.

Two people were having a practice battle. More accurately, one was chasing the other, while the other was trying to escape.

"Hey, are you even a man? All you know how to do is run! Can you fight me head-on?" Wu Ming exclaimed as she raised her hand and fired off a stream of Golden Crow Primordial Fire. A pillar of fire swept across the entire arena, and lightning sparkled as it nimbly evaded this attack…

Chu Qingtian's voice could be heard in response. "You want to talk about reason, eh? You're an a.s.sault-type soul master, and your Golden Crow Primordial Fire is not far from Ultimate Fire. I'm an agility-type soul master, so how can I face you head-on? If I make a go for it, then it won't be a practice battle anymore, but suicide. You can't murder your own husband, can you?"

"What husband? Are we married?"

The sparring pair were Chu Qingtian and Wu Ming. After Huo Yuhao and w.a.n.g Dong'er left the other day, the two of them also successfully completed the last segment, Eternal Love. With Wu Ming around, who would want to fight her for her man? That person would have been asking for trouble.

w.a.n.g Yan and Han Ruoruo were spectating on the other side. They watched Wu Ming and Chu Qingtian, and they smiled faintly from time to time while they occasionally glanced at each other, at which point their smiles would become a little warmer. It was apparent that they were having a good time together.

"Teacher w.a.n.g, senior sister Han!" Bei Bei took the lead as he greeted them both.

w.a.n.g Yan and Han Ruoruo naturally saw them as well, and they both stood up to greet everyone.

Han Ruoruo didn't have an obvious reaction, but w.a.n.g Yan began to feel a bit surreal. He knew the Shrek's Seven Monsters too well, after all, and the entire process of him courting and wooing Han Ruoruo had fallen into these little fellas' eyes.

But w.a.n.g Yan quickly returned to normal, however, and he asked with a subtle smile on his face, "Why are you guys here?"

Bei Bei said, "The compet.i.tion is going to start, and everyone is here. We should take this chance to spar and practice, so we can all see how we have improved over the years. We can also take this chance to train our coordination and teamwork."

w.a.n.g Yan had a look of revelation on his face as he said, "Yes! Time really flies. It's been five years in the blink of an eye, and everyone has grown up. I still remember Huo Yuhao and w.a.n.g Dong were only this tall during the last compet.i.tion." He gestured with his hand to show height as he spoke, and he turned towards w.a.n.g Dong'er. "I have only just found out that you are a girl, and you're so pretty. Did you know about this before, Yuhao, and you've been hiding it from us? Puppy love is not right."

Huo Yuhao blushed and forced a laugh as he said, "I'm also a victim!"

w.a.n.g Dong'er shot a glare in his direction and whispered, "How are you the victim?"

"Alright, you're the victim!" Huo Yuhao changed tack as quickly as he could.

Beside w.a.n.g Yan, Han Ruoruo was amused by their bickering as she laughed and said, "Don't forget about the Spirit that you're supposed to explain to everyone, Huo Yuhao."

Huo Yuhao replied, "Don't worry, senior sister. I've already reported the business with Spirits in detail to the Sea G.o.d's Pavilion, and I believe it won't take long before the inner courtyard disciples will be setting up for trials and experimentation. However, how it's going to be carried out exactly is still up to the academy. Dean Yan is directly responsible for this."

w.a.n.g Yan's eyes sparkled. "That's going to be a new topic for our curriculum. Dean Yan has told me to look for him tonight about this matter. That was an impressive innovation, Yuhao!"

Huo Yuhao chortled and said, "That has nothing to do with me, it's the academy's research. I'm just the first guinea pig." He had already thought this through. Since he had announced that he would give everything to do with Spirits to the academy, then the way he discussed it would also have to change. He would rather accord all research credit to the academy as a way of him giving back to the academy.

w.a.n.g Yan stared deeply into his eyes. He was the vice-head of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Research Inst.i.tute, and was extremely clear about what direction the academy's research had taken in recent years. However, he didn't question how Huo Yuhao had explained things.

On the other side, Wu Ming and Chu Qingtian stopped when they saw everyone. Chu Qingtian seemed like he was drenched with sweat, and he wore an expression as if he had been liberated while he walked over with Wu Ming.