After saying goodbye to Gu Yuena at the stairway, Huo Yuhao saw a tall figure quietly waiting in front of his dorm room.
Moonlight streamed through the corridor windows, casting light on her figure. Despite the loose black robe she wore, her captivating curves were impossible to hide. A few playful strands of red hair peeked out from her hood.
Because her hood was low, only the lower half of her face was visible. Her alluring, moist red lips occasionally pursed and sometimes bit gently, as if she were holding something back.
It seemed she had noticed Huo Yuhao from the moment he entered the hallway, as her light pink eyes were locked onto him.
"You're Huo Yuhao, right? I'm Ma Xiaotao, an inner court disciple. The senior sister should have told you about me."
While speaking, Ma Xiaotao looked Huo Yuhao up and down, the junior that Zhang Lexuan had personally recommended.
Not bad-looking. Did senior sister become a class advisor in the outer court just because of this junior? If anyone was the most popular in the inner court, it would undoubtedly be Zhang Lexuan.
Not only the male disciples, but also many female disciples held deep respect for this senior sister.
Especially for someone like Ma Xiaotao, who was a reserve team member in the previous Soul Master Tournament. After witnessing Zhang Lexuan's dominance on the field firsthand, she had already considered Zhang Lexuan her idol.
And now, even before meeting this junior recommended by her idol, she had witnessed such an impressive scene.
She remembered that when Zhang Lexuan had told her about this, she had laughed and asked about Huo Yuhao's situation.
"Senior sister, did you go to the outer court just for this junior? Is he special in some way?"
"Well, let's just say, spend some time with him, and you might understand. No exaggeration—he's more special than anyone else."
Those words, a mix of joking and seriousness, echoed in her mind. After seeing Huo Yuhao's confrontation with Elder Xuan, Ma Xiaotao suddenly began to understand what Zhang Lexuan had meant.
It had nothing to do with talent or appearance.
She found herself admiring his somewhat naive ideals, wanting to see how his ideals—so out of place in this world—might bring change to this harsh world.
"I saw what happened just now," Ma Xiaotao said softly, pausing, "You did great."
"Uh?"
Huo Yuhao looked up instinctively, meeting Ma Xiaotao's serious gaze, and shook his head with a chuckle.
"It was just a kid's empty boast."
Ma Xiaotao's lips curved slightly. As she moved closer, she caught a faint fragrance with a hint of coolness from him, which made her feel refreshed, even suppressing the evil fire within her slightly.
But before she could be pleased, the evil fire inside her seemed provoked, surging up even more violently.
The sudden, intense surge caught Ma Xiaotao off guard, leaving her with just enough time to let out a muffled sound before her body went limp and she collapsed.
This startled Huo Yuhao, who quickly reached out and caught her before she could fall.
"Sister Ma, are you okay?"
Hearing his voice fading in and out beside her, Ma Xiaotao felt her body temperature rising sharply. She took deep breaths of the air around Huo Yuhao, forcing out her words, one by one.
"I'm fine… the evil fire flared up suddenly. Let's go inside…"
"Okay."
Although unsure why her evil fire had flared up, Huo Yuhao, having his previous life's experiences, didn't panic. Supporting her, he reached for the key and unlocked the dorm door.
Creak—
The old dorm door creaked loudly in the silent corridor.
Even through their uniforms, Huo Yuhao could feel her extraordinary softness pressing against him, the accompanying heat making him feel like he was holding a furnace.
Remembering past experiences, he stopped himself from immediately releasing his ice attribute martial soul. He took a quick look around the empty corridor before guiding Ma Xiaotao inside the dorm room.
With the door shut, only Ma Xiaotao's heavy breathing filled the dark and quiet room.
Looking at Ma Xiaotao, her face flushed as if she were intoxicated, Huo Yuhao felt his throat tighten. Without hesitation, he released his Ice Emperor martial soul.
The terrifying chill spread from Huo Yuhao, instantly suppressing Ma Xiaotao's heat and wrapping around her body.
As if transported from the summer sun into an icy winter, the temperature in the room dropped sharply. Her sweat-soaked uniform even started freezing as frost crept across it.
Ma Xiaotao shivered, pressing closer to Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao's eyes twitched, an odd familiarity hinting that he had been "run over" by a big truck again.
He had expected this outcome, though.
If he had released his martial soul in the corridor, Ma Xiaotao might have made a sound, and he'd have no reputation left at the academy...
With his previous life's experience, Huo Yuhao knew he couldn't miss this chance to temper his body through the evil fire suppression.
Back then, each time he helped Ma Xiaotao suppress her evil fire, his physical strength improved significantly in the fire-and-ice tempering.
"Xiaotao…?"
After a few attempts to call her name without response, Huo Yuhao prepared to carry her to the bed.
He slowly tightened the chill, trying to prevent it from damaging his bedding. Then he slid his hand under her waist to lift her up.
Feeling the return of heat like a wave, Ma Xiaotao let out a faint moan, clinging tighter around his neck.
In a moment, her pink eyes looked at him, filled with a complicated, hazy emotion.
...
(End of Chapter)