"We won!" Ma Xioatao grinned as she and the others returned to their friends. However they quickly noticed the strange tension in the air.
The usual cheers and playful banter from their friends were missing, replaced by a sense of unease.
Ma Xiaotao's grin faded as she looked at Huo Yuhao, who remained sitting with a relaxed but focused posture, his eyes distant as if sensing something far beyond the arena.
Wang Dong'er sat beside him, her face tight with concern. The celebratory atmosphere that should have greeted Ma Xiaotao and the others was conspicuously absent.
"What's going on?" Ma Xiaotao asked, her voice dropping. "We just won, but you all look like someone had died or something."
Wang Yan, who was crossing his arms with a concerned look on his face, turned towards her, his expression serious but controlled. "We have a situation," he said quietly. "There's an Evil Soul Master in the crowd."
The color drained from Ma Xiaotao's face and the rest of the team, their eyes wide and hands clenched.
"W-What? Where are they?! Why the hell is a Evil Soul Master....by Sea God, it's freaking obvious!" Ma Xiaotao gritted her teeth, her eyes blazed with a fiery light. "Shouldn't we go deal with them before they do something? Teacher Wang, did you notify the royal guards?"
Wang Yan nodded his head. "I already did....but I doubt we could do anything."
"Huh?"
Wang Yan glanced at Huo Yuhao and dropped a bomb on them, "Huo Yuhao already killed them."
Ma Xiaotao, Bei Bei, and the rest of the team stared at Wang Yan, their expressions frozen in shock.
"Wait... what?" Ma Xiaotao blinked, struggling to process what she just heard. "Yuhao already killed them?"
Huo Yuhao, still seated with that relaxed but intense focus, finally spoke, his voice eerily calm. "It's true. I sensed the Evil Soul Master plotting something in the crowd—he was planning to use the chaos of the tournament to fuel his breakthrough. Before he could act, I neutralized him using my spiritual power."
Wang Dong'er, who had been quietly observing, nodded. "Yuhao acted quickly. There was no time to involve the royal guards. The situation could have escalated too fast."
The rest of the team still looked stunned, but Xu Sanshi was the first to recover, letting out a low whistle. "Damn, Yuhao. You handled it before any of us even knew there was a problem."
Bei Bei crossed his arms, his serious expression softening slightly. "It's good that you stopped it in time, but are you sure he was alone? One Evil Soul Master working by himself seems unlikely."
Huo Yuhao nodded, his brow furrowing. "I've been monitoring the crowd, but I'm not picking up any more twisted thoughts or dangerous soul power signatures for now. Still, we need to stay alert. There's always the possibility that he wasn't the only one."
Ma Xiaotao, flames flickering in her eyes, let out a slow breath. "I can't believe this happened right under our noses. Yuhao, you saved the day," she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck, planting her face on his head.
"Good job...." Ma Xiaotao added softly, her voice a mixture of relief and gratitude.
Huo Yuhao flustered a bit and chuckled lightly, feeling the comfort of her gesture. "Thanks, Xiaotao. But I had to act quickly. If things had gotten out of control, we could've been dealing with something much worse."
Ma Xiaotao furrowed her brows. "But, how did you kill him without anyone noticing? Even if he was an Evil Soul Master, eliminating someone in the middle of this crowd would've attracted attention and cause panic."
Huo Yuhao's expression grew serious as he explained. "I didn't physically kill him. I used my spiritual power to overwhelm his mind and destroy his consciousness. From the outside, it looked like he just fainted—no one would suspect a thing."
Ma Xiaotao, Wang Dong'er and the others who heard him felt a chill run down their spines. Huo Yuhao's calm demeanor while explaining how he had silently eliminated the Evil Soul Master sent a shiver through his friends.
The sheer power and precision required to destroy someone's consciousness without drawing any attention was both impressive and unsettling—to kill someone without any hesitation in the middle of a crowd.
Wang Yan was especially amazed of Huo Yuhao's ability to use his martial soul to reach someone so precisely in such a chaotic environment.
His eyes, filled with both admiration and caution, regarded Huo Yuhao thoughtfully. 'To focus his spiritual power in a singular point like that, without causing external damage to the target, and neutralize a threat without drawing any attention is remarkable....the perfect assassination technique.'
Ma Xiaotao, still holding him gently, furrowed her brows. "But, would they really believe that the person you killed was an evil soul master?"
"Don't worry. I found some...very dangerous items in his storage soul ring, and the evil soul master was a delirious man to keep a "chronicle" about his plans for this day and the evil deeds he committed in the past."
"Huh. Okay. But are you going to explain to the royal guards how you killed him?" Xiao Xiao asked.
Huo Yuhao hummed thoughtfully and shook his head. "Nah. I don't it's needed when they see evidence of his history as an Evil Soul Master, also, isn't it a unwritten rule that soul masters keep their abilities a secret?"
Wang Yan nodded in agreement, his expression thoughtful. "Yes, it is generally accepted that soul masters keep their techniques and capabilities private outside of close relationships. It's a matter of security and strategy. Revealing too much could put you at risk in future encounters."
He glanced at Huo Yuhao and smiled. "Don't worry. Just in case, I'll stay behind and keep an eye on things with the royal guards. If they have any questions, I'll be there to explain what I can and ensure they don't pry too deeply into the specifics of your abilities."
Huo Yuhao smiled gratefully at Wang Yan. "Thank you, Teacher Wang. That'll make things easier."
Wang Yan nodded again. "It's the least I can do. You've already handled the hard part." He then turned to the rest of the group. "For now, you all should focus on the tournament and return to the hotel."
"Ma Xiaotao," Wang Yan turned towards Ma Xiaotao. "I have a lot of things to say to you...but that could wait later on when I return to the hotel."
Ma Xiaotao frowned, letting go of Huo Yuhao, and crossed her arms, her fiery eyes narrowing slightly. "What's that supposed to mean, Teacher Wang?" she asked, her voice tinged with curiosity and a hint of irritation.
Wang Yan gave her a calm but stern look. "Don't worry, Ma Xiaotao. It's nothing serious, but I do need to discuss your performance and a few things about leadership with you. We'll talk when I get back to the hotel."
Ma Xiaotao huffed, still slightly annoyed but respecting her teacher's judgment.
Although he was weaker than her and some of the others, he still proved himself to be a wise teacher.
"Fine. But make it quick when you return—I don't like waiting for lectures."
Wang Yan smiled slightly and adjusted his glasses. "It won't take too long."
Ma Xiaotao snorted and grabbed Huo Yuhao's arm as she turned to lead the group back to the hotel. "Let's go, Yuhao," she said, her tone a mix of irritation and amusement. "You can tell me more about how you dealt with that Evil Soul Master on the way."
"Ah! Ma Xiaotao, you can't just manhandle my lord like that!"
"Hold on a second there, senior sister Xiaotao!"
"Yeah! You can't just grab him like that! I haven't grab his other arm yet!"
Ling Luochen, Wang Dong'er, Xiao Xiao, and the other girls reacted immediately, their voices overlapping in playful protest as Ma Xiaotao held onto Huo Yuhao's arm as she dragged him out towards the exit.
"Lucky bastard," Xu Sanshi muttered.
"Dude." Bei Bei elbowed his side and gestured with his eyes towards Jiang Nannan, who grabbed Tang Ya's arm as they walked towards the exit.
"Nannan, should we check out that milktea shop we passed yesterday?" Tang Ya giggled and asked.
"Hm."
"Ah! Nannan! Wait! It isn't like that!!"
"....."
Bei Bei shook his head amusedly and followed after them.
"Sooo...." Xi Xi glanced at He Caitou. "Are you free today?"
"Huh? Um, well, I-I was planning on making and studying more soul tools, train the shinobi arts and..."
"Hmm. Too bad. I was planning on going to a well-known restaurant, but they only allow couples." She sighed and crossed her hands behind her back. "Oh well. Looks like I can only stay in my room, meditating..."
"I'll come with you!" He Caitou blurted out, his face turning red as soon as the words left his mouth. He scratched the back of his bald head awkwardly, realizing he had fallen right into Xi Xi's playful trap.
"I mean… I could use a break from training. And... uh, we can eat first, then I can get back to soul tools later."
Xi Xi grinned, clearly pleased with herself. "Great! Then it's a date." She winked before turning around, leading the way toward the exit, leaving He Caitou flustered but following along, trying to play it cool.
Wang Yan, watching the students leave, wiped a non-existent tear off his eye. "Ah, youth~"
Though, thinking about for a little bit, actually felt like crying out for real.
Even a workaholic like himself wanted some love, dammit! Where's the God of Love when you need them?!
Unbeknownst to him, it was better that the Goddess of Love didn't bother with him, or else he would get himself killed by her whims...
That night, Star Luo Grand Hotel.
"Huuu...alright." Huo Yuhao let out a deep breath, feeling deeply calm and centered. He sat cross-legged on the floor, his muscular upper body bare as he focused on getting to his peak state.
He place his left hand on the emerald left arm soul bone on his lap, gently running his fingers over its smooth surface. The emerald green glow of the soul bone shimmered faintly in the dim room, radiating cold yet powerful energy.
Huo Yuhao focused his mind, preparing himself for the absorption process that lay ahead. This was a critical moment—soul bone absorption was always a delicate and dangerous endeavor.
He could still clearly remember his first soul bone absorption.... Huo Yuhao shivered. That was a pain that only the most heinous criminal deserves.
"Xiaotao, Dong'er. Guard me please." Huo Yuhao said, talking to the only other occupants in the room.
"Hm." Both Wang Dong'er and Ma Xiaotao nodded.
Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and began to channel his soul power, carefully guiding the energy into the soul bone. His body hummed with energy as he felt the familiar cold power within the bone start to merge with his own.
'No turning back now,' he thought. 'Either way, this will only make me stronger.'
As the cold energy surged through him, his left arm began to shine a darkish-blue color—revealing that the Ice God Legacy seal had been activated.
Huo Yuhao however, maintained a steady control, knowing that any imbalance could cause serious damage. He was fully focused, calm, and ready for whatever challenges the soul bone might present during the absorption process.
....
AN: I freaking hate FGO...290 saint quartz that I've been saving up for a few months...gone! Without getting the servant that I wanted(Morgan)! The whole system is rigged!
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