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.”

Wang 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 Wang 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 participating—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?”

Wang 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?”

Wang 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 God’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.”

Wang Dong’er nodded and said, “That’s not a bad idea. However, we still have to try. The competition 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 Wang Dong’er and said, “Wifey, come onto the bed to rest.”

“Psh! Go and take a shower.” Wang Dong’er slapped his hand away, and evaded him as quickly as she could. Her pretty face was blushing.

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

Wang 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…?”

Wang 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 competition.”

He suddenly acted like he had a strong sense of justice, and Wang 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 Wang 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.

Wang 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 relationship 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 Wang 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 Wang Dong’er to follow suit.

Wang 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 Wang 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 Wang Dong’s change in gender gradually disappeared, and their friendship was slowly and imperceptibly converting to a romantic relationship.

“Do you have anything to do today?” Wang 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 competition.”

They didn’t really feel any pressure at all when they talked about the competition. 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 Wang Dong had claimed the championship five years ago, so it was natural that they didn’t think anybody could threaten their dominance today.

Wang 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 participate in this hunting expedition?” Cai Mei’er looked astonished as she stared at Huo Yuhao and Wang 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 Wang Dong’er, and he was confident that they wouldn’t become a burden to the group.

Wang Dong’er asked, “Dean Cai, does this expedition have a restriction on the number of people who are allowed to participate?”

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 God’s Pavilion, your status is now drastically different from before. No matter what activity you wish to participate 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 circumstances, 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.”

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