After making some money from grilled fish yesterday, before he went to watch Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi's match with Tang Ya, Huo Yuhao didn't forget to pick out that golden soul coin from the oven. When he and Wang Dong arrived at the cafeteria, they indeed felt a bit like big spenders.
The breakfast they had was particularly sumptuous, greatly replenishing the body's needs. They were among the earliest to arrive at the cafeteria and by the time they finished eating, not many students had arrived.
"We still have a bit of time before class starts; let's head back to the dorm," Huo Yuhao patted his satisfied belly, stretched his body, and had a look of sheer comfort on his face.
Ever since he arrived at Shrek Academy, his mood had gradually brightened. Here, he finally had friends and caring figures like Teacher Xiao Ya and Elder Brother Bei Bei, a vast improvement compared to the cold atmosphere at the Duke's Mansion.
Wang Dong said, "Save it, you're going back to cultivate anyway. Strings that are stretched too tight will snap. You have to relax when you need to. Let's go, we'll take a walk by Sea God's Lake to relax. You've just been boosted quite a bit by the Profound Water Pill, so a little while longer won't make a difference."
"Alright," Huo Yuhao readily agreed. He hadn't visited Sea God's Lake since enrolling, and since it was indeed not far from where their class would be, it seemed like a good idea to take a walk.
The two of them left the cafeteria, circled around the freshman teaching building, and headed east along the south side of Shrek square, soon reaching the lakeside path.
Passing through the woods next to the path, the sparkling Sea God's Lake came into their view.
A gentle mist mixed with the fresh air hit their faces. Although Sea God's Lake was just a man-made lake, its water was extremely clear. Its blue waters were so pure, deep, and quietly elegant that they looked like blue satin. Soft ripples undulated on the lake's surface, like the enchanting eyes of a young girl, reflecting the inverted image of blue sky, white clouds, and the greenery along the lake.
"It's so beautiful!" Wang Dong couldn't help but take a deep breath and stretched vigorously.
As he stretched his body, his shirt inevitably got pulled up, exposing his round and perky buttocks. Huo Yuhao certainly didn't mean to glance there deliberately, but the accidental glimpse once again reminded him of the white flash he had seen the day before...
Feeling a bit awkward, he turned his head away and looked towards the far end of Sea God's Lake. The lake occupied a vast area, probably even larger than the main campus of Shrek Academy to the west of Shrek square. In the distance, there was a layer of light fog over the water.
After the evolution of Huo Yuhao's Purple Demon Eyes, his spirit eyes' vision had improved significantly again. Even without infusing soul power into his spirit eyes, he could still see far. He vaguely saw what seemed to be houses among the mist on the lake's surface. Remembering what Xiao Ya and Bei Bei had described, he couldn't help but think to himself that must be the Inner Court.
If such an outstanding Soul Master as Elder Brother Bei Bei was still only able to study in the Outer Court, how powerful must the seniors in the Inner Court be?
"Huh?" Just as thoughts filled Huo Yuhao's mind, he suddenly seemed to spot a red dot in the middle of the mist over the lake.
"What is it?" Wang Dong asked, puzzled.
Huo Yuhao pointed in the direction he was looking at, "Look, there seems to be a red dot over there."
Wang Dong looked in the direction of Huo Yuhao's finger but only saw a mist over the water, "Where is it?" He had just questioned Huo Yuhao's claim when, in the next moment, his eyes widened in shock. He saw it too, not some red dot, but clearly a red figure rushing across the lake's surface at an astonishing speed, and from the looks of it, heading straight towards them.
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong exchanged a glance and exclaimed simultaneously, "A senior from the Inner Court?"
The speed of the red figure was truly astounding. In just that brief moment, he had already charged to the middle of the lake, with each light step on the water's surface causing ripples to spread. He was accelerating by leveraging that slight buoyancy, moving forward as swiftly as a red cloud.
As the figure drew closer, Huo Yuhao could see more clearly. Not only were the figure's clothes red, even the hair was blood-red. The figure had a tall stature but emitted a bone-chilling ferocity, like a terrifying soul beast. A red mask covered the face, and even the eyes were blood-red.
The air around his body twisted slightly, and each step he took caused mist to ripple across the surface of the water.
"This senior looks very powerful! Look, he can run across the lake without even releasing his Martial Soul," Wang Dong said to Huo Yuhao, his face alight with excitement.
Huo Yuhao's cultivation was not as advanced as Wang Dong's, but his perception was much keener, "Wang Dong, something doesn't feel right!"
The red figure approached too quickly; while they were talking, he was already within a hundred meters of the shore. A terrifying wave of high temperature swept over in an instant, and shock appeared in the eyes of both Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong. They both felt an indescribable sense of madness emanating from the senior, something a normal person should not possess.
With a whoosh, azure wings unfurled behind Wang Dong as he grabbed Huo Yuhao, intending to fly into the sky. But with just that one motion, the red figure had already drawn close.
The intense heat burst forth, and both Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao felt as if they were engulfed by a sea of fire. Wang Dong's wings that had opened behind him curled up in an instant and lost their ability to fly. They both plummeted to the ground, and all vegetation within dozens of meters turned to a scorching yellow in the blink of an eye.
The gap in cultivation was simply too great. Wang Dong wanted to try to release his soul skill, but as soon as he stirred his Soul Power, he was hit by the terrifying heat. He groaned, falling directly into unconsciousness.
Huo Yuhao's cultivation was even less than Wang Dong's, but, let's not forget, he possessed an undeveloped Ice Attribute Martial Spirit.
Provoked by the searing external temperatures, his Ice Attribute Martial Spirit was immediately stimulated, yet Huo Yuhao's Level Twelve peak Soul Power was drained clean in just a second by the scorching heat. Moreover, a large red hand was already brutally slapping towards him.
With the temperature around his body being so fearsome, wouldn't he suffer a miserable death if hit head-on?
The last thing Huo Yuhao could do was launch a Soul Shock. However, the disparity between them was too significant, and his Soul Shock didn't even penetrate the thick atmosphere of fire attribute energy before dissipating in the heat. It seemed he was about to be reduced to ashes under that scorching palm.
Just then, everything turned white before Huo Yuhao's eyes, and his surroundings became a blur.
Am I dead? Is this the end for me? At the moment death seemed imminent, his heart was not filled with unwillingness, as everything had happened so abruptly that all he felt was bewilderment.
Suddenly, the scene before him cleared, and Huo Yuhao witnessed an odd sight—he saw himself...
If Wang Dong were awake now, he would certainly witness a scene of utter astonishment.
The moment before Huo Yuhao was about to be devoured by the flaming giant palm, the color of his spirit eyes suddenly changed. His deep blue eyes that flickered with a faint golden light turned white in an instant, white like ten thousand years of profound ice.
An extreme chill burst forth from Huo Yuhao's body, forcefully dispelling all the scorching heat in front of him, causing the fiery figure to groan and tumble backward.
When Huo Yuhao used his spirit eyes, the soul ring that rose from his feet was white, but at this moment, the white soul ring turned into a dazzling gold. The piercing golden light shone as if a rising sun was ascending from beneath his feet.
Within a hundred-meter radius with Huo Yuhao's body at the center, the area instantly turned into a world of ice and snow. Even the Sea God's Lake in front of him froze over.
The red figure seemed to be trembling violently, and in the air, a terrifying pressure kept condensing. Huo Yuhao's right arm slowly lifted, and his right index finger, unbeknownst to when, had turned ice blue. His eyes shone with white light, and a somber voice sounded directly in the air.
"Dare to touch the one Brother has chosen, dare to disturb Brother's sleep. Go to hell."
He pointed his finger forward, and immediately, an ice-blue beam of light flashed in the air and shot straight towards the red figure.
The temperature around the red figure's body plummeted rapidly under the influence of Huo Yuhao's extreme chills. Perhaps sensing the impending crisis, its body violently struggled, followed by a loud and clear phoenix cry that suddenly sounded.
From behind it, a huge Fire Phoenix rose into the air, and six soul rings—two yellow, two purple, two black—also climbed up. A Soul Emperor level expert!
Among the six soul rings, the second, third, and sixth shone simultaneously. The flames behind it turned into a dark red. A fire line as thin as a finger shot out from the Fire Phoenix's mouth, colliding with the ice-blue light emitted from Huo Yuhao's right index finger.
"Sss sss— " A series of strange noises sounded, as the fire line instantly collapsed, and the giant Fire Phoenix surged forward, shielding its massive body in front of the red figure.
In the midst of a violent roar, the fiery figure tumbled back, its entire body enveloped in an ice-blue layer, plunging into the distant Sea God's Lake. A great amount of white mist rose from the water.
Just as Huo Yuhao was about to pursue, he paused for a moment. The voice that had been heard previously resounded again, "Annoying, someone else is coming. Hey, this little fellow's physical condition is improving quite rapidly! Looks like I can give him a bit more power now. I'm out."
The golden light around him quickly faded, turning white before disappearing, and all the chill in the vicinity vanished in an instant, with the lake water returning to normal. Huo Yuhao's white eyes, which had been emitting intense chill, returned to normal, and his body went limp, collapsing to the ground.
One moment, the Sea God's Lake was still oscillating with terrifying soul power fluctuations, but now it had returned to complete calmness. On the shore, only Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong lay unconscious.
In the distance, at the depths of Sea God's Lake, more than a dozen figures arrived with astonishing speed, reaching the shore in just a blink of an eye.
"This is bad, students from the outer courtyard have been injured." At the forefront was an elder dressed in white robes. With a sudden step in mid-air, he crossed the space as if by teleportation, arriving beside Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong. With a wave of his hands, the bodies of the two boys floated up into the air.
"Thankfully, he's just unconscious. He hasn't suffered any harm. Teacher Li, please treat them,"
"Yes." Another middle-aged man in white hurried over, taking Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong into his care. If Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were still awake, they would undoubtedly recognize that this Teacher Li was the Soul Sage level expert who had displayed the Life Tree Martial Soul yesterday to heal their entire class.
Soul Rings blossomed, and rings of green light quietly suffused around the bodies of Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong. A miraculous scene unfolded as the withered plants nearby astonishingly began to recover at an incredible pace. Vaguely, one could see that the vegetation around a large area of Sea God's Lake was emitting a faint green glow, converging towards Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's bodies and slowly seeping into them.
"Xiao Tao is here."
With a splash, a person in white fished out the one in red who had fallen into Sea God's Lake earlier.
The person in red was completely drenched, revealing a graceful figure. Surprisingly, it was a woman.
The elder in white came to her side, placed his right hand on her shoulder, and it could be seen that concentrated white soul power was flowing into the body of the woman in red at an astonishing rate.
"How strange!" furrowed his brow, as if puzzled by something.
Teacher Li, how are those two students from the Outer Court?" he turned to ask the teacher treating Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong.
Teacher Li responded, "There's no problem, they'll wake up soon."
The elder in white breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Fortunately, no serious error was made. It seems that Xiao Tao still retained some consciousness. Teacher Li, please take these two students back. Remind them to forget everything they saw earlier, or they'll be expelled if they divulge it. Give them high-level compensation. Let's go back."
The last four words were directed at the others. He picked up the woman in red, his figure flickered, and turned into a streak of white light heading deeper into Sea God's Lake.
When Huo Yuhao collapsed to the ground, his consciousness could no longer see what was happening outside, and naturally, he had no idea what occurred afterward.
"You woke Brother up so quickly. How annoying!" The Skydream Ice Silkworm's voice echoed in the Sea of Spirit.
Huo Yuhao blankly said, "Brother Heavenly Dream, was it you who took action just now?"
Skydream Ice Silkworm replied, "Of course, it was Brother. Otherwise, you would've already turned into a barbecued human jerky. That guy's fire attribute is really strong; he even has a certain Divine Beast Phoenix bloodline in him. Otherwise, with Brother's one finger, I could have killed her. But never mind, she must have been out of her senses. Her flame was a bit wicked, but Brother has eaten so many years of Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice for nothing. She still falls short. Little Yuhao, your cultivation is going well, with a significant improvement in your physical condition. Within the ten seals I left in your body, the first has already been partially opened."
"Really?" Huo Yuhao was overjoyed. Since arriving at Shrek Academy, he was increasingly aware of his own insignificance. After witnessing so many powerhouses, his craving for strength only grew. Yet, his talent was limited, and he could only work hard in secret. Now that even Skydream Ice Silkworm was praising him, how could he not be happy?
The Skydream Ice Silkworm said moodily, "However, Brother just used the power of origin. This is my Original Spirit, which, in a sense, is wisdom attached to your Soul Ring. It was only this way that I could protect your body first before using my power. And, since your body has been through the shock just now, you must be extremely careful. For at least the next year, my power cannot possess your body again. If we meet an opponent you absolutely cannot withstand, then both of us are done for. Alright, I won't talk to you anymore. I'm going back to sleep. Hurry up and make an effort. Wait until you advance to two rings, and you won't have to always bother Brother."
Every time the Skydream Ice Silkworm appeared, it was in such a hurry. Huo Yuhao still wanted to ask it some questions about controlling soul skills, but it had already fallen into a deep sleep, and everything around them dimmed.
...
Wang Dong woke up first, and as soon as he opened his eyes, he saw the middle-aged man in white standing before him. Before he could speak, Huo Yuhao, next to him, also groaned and slowly opened his eyes.
Unlike Huo Yuhao, who knew roughly what was happening, Wang Dong had no idea and angrily said, "What on earth is going on? And what was that monster just now?"
The middle-aged man in white said indifferently, "You're both fine now. As for what you saw just now, please forget it. Otherwise, you will be expelled from the academy. These two things are for you, as compensation. I believe you are both smart." As he spoke, he tossed a green object to each Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong.
The two caught them reflexively. The middle-aged man in white had already leapt up and headed towards Sea God's Lake, "Go to class. Remember, forget everything you saw before."
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong looked at each other in dismay and stood in a daze for a long while.
"Huo Yuhao, what do you think this is all about?" Wang Dong asked in a low voice.
Huo Yuhao shook his head, "I don't know either. It seems we've encountered a madman."
Wang Dong looked down at the green object in his hand and was initially stunned, then his face filled with joy, "Wow, we've struck it rich. A Soul Ascending Pill, it's actually a Soul Ascending Pill."
Huo Yuhao looked at the green thing in his hand with confusion. It was a walnut-sized green pill that emitted a faint fragrance. Its surface was emerald green, and it seemed to have halos flowing inside it, translucent and filled with the breath of life.
"What is a Soul Ascending Pill? Is it an elixir like the Profound Water Pill?" Huo Yuhao asked.
Wang Dong replied, "Yes! And it's an elixir of the same grade. Relatively speaking, the Profound Water Pill is more precious because it can cleanse and refashion one's marrow. But for a Soul Master above level 30, with a fixed cultivation, the Soul Ascending Pill is better. Therefore, the value of a Soul Ascending Pill is roughly the same as that of a Profound Water Pill. Keep it safe. It's said that making this kind of elixir is extremely difficult, and I didn't expect the teacher from before to give us such a generous hush payment. I've decided to act as if I saw nothing."
Huo Yuhao said, "Could you be clear? What exactly does the Soul Ascending Pill do?"
Wang Dong chuckled, "I won't tell you, beg me!" Having said that, he turned and ran towards the direction of the new student teaching building.
Huo Yuhao was speechless and carefully stored the Soul Ascending Pill into his Twenty-four Bridge Moonlit Night, then chased after Wang Dong. As he ran, he shouted, "If you don't tell me, I'll ask Elder Brother Bei Bei. He must know. Tell me now, and I'll treat you to lunch."
Wang Dong slowed his pace, waiting for him to catch up, "Then I want to eat something good."
Huo Yuhao took out all his money and said, "I'm a homeless orphan anyway, this is all I have, you figure it out."
Wang Dong was stunned for a moment, "You, you're an orphan?"
Huo Yuhao nodded.
Wang Dong then said, "You don't even have a blanket on your dorm bed, not because you want to study hard with suspended books and leg-puncturing awls, but because you don't want to spend money on bedding?"
Huo Yuhao said, "I think it's more important to keep money for food. The food in the cafeteria is quite expensive."
Wang Dong unconsciously stopped in his tracks, and naturally, Huo Yuhao stopped with him, "What are you doing? Class is about to start, we have to hurry over."
Wang Dong pursed his lips tightly and looked at Huo Yuhao. The gaze made Huo Yuhao feel uncomfortable, "What's wrong with you? Did that guy earlier fry your brain?"
Wang Dong took a deep breath through his nose and then slowly exhaled, "Huo Yuhao, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were an orphan, I shouldn't have bullied you."
Huo Yuhao chuckled, "You didn't manage to bully me, did you?"
Wang Dong irritatingly slapped him on the shoulder, "Can't you not interrupt when I'm feeling touched? Let's go, it's time for class. From now on, I'll cover your food expenses."
Huo Yuhao shook his head, "That's not necessary. Teacher Xiao Ya has found a solution for me. After school each day, I'll sell grilled fish for a while, and that will be enough for living expenses. Let me treat you to grilled fish tonight."
As they spoke, they started walking again towards the teaching building. Along the way, Wang Dong told him about the use of the Soul Ascending Pill.
The main function of the Soul Ascending Pill is to enhance soul power. It is refined from several kinds of precious materials. Each Soul Master can only take one in his or her lifetime, and the increase in soul power is approximately equivalent to that needed for a Soul Master to advance from level 30 to level 31. To boost one's soul power by a whole level all at once is an incredible boon! But eating more would affect one's future cultivation potential.
The Soul Ascending Pill also has a similarity with the Profound Water Pill in that its primary function is to stimulate potential and provide more nutrients, so its medicinal properties are relatively mild. Any Soul Master above level 10 can take it.
"So how much soul power would I gain if I took it?" Huo Yuhao tentatively asked.
Wang Dong shook his head, "I don't know. I've never heard of anyone who was willing to consume a Soul Ascending Pill at just the teen levels. This thing is valuable at any auction event, and besides, it's rare for anyone to sell it. It's said that only a very few plant-class Soul Masters can make it, and the yearly output doesn't exceed twenty. We've really hit a stroke of luck this time. It seems the academy is fair after all; that guy threatened our lives but gave us such a good thing."
Unlike Wang Dong's admiration, Huo Yuhao didn't feel as much joy, because he knew that if it weren't for the Skydream Ice Silkworm, he and Wang Dong would probably have turned into ash a long time ago. The Elixir would have been useless.
"Then when do you think is the best time to take it?" Huo Yuhao asked again.
Wang Dong said, "Of course, I'm going to consume it tonight once I get back. Such a good thing shouldn't be kept for later. Moreover, improving my cultivation as soon as possible would allow me to reach level thirty earlier. If I had the third soul ring today, I at least wouldn't be so passive and could easily take you flying with me."
Huo Yuhao thought for a moment and decided to consume the Soul Ascending Pill tonight upon his return as well. The stronger the soul power of the Mysterious Heaven Method, the better the nourishing effect on his body's meridians, so naturally, the more he could increase his soul power, the better. He wondered how much this Soul Ascending Pill could improve his soul power. The soul power from level thirty to thirty-one should at least be able to increase his own soul power by two or three levels. If that was the case, his cultivation would be almost level fifteen. That would meet the requirements for admission into Shrek Academy.
At this thought, Huo Yuhao felt a surge of fervor. He was not one to feel inferior, but he was full of a sense of urgency. With his original talent, passing the first assessment after three months of being a freshman might be difficult. But the rapid improvement over the past two days had given him hope. No matter what, he had to stay at the academy.
Compared to Zhou Yi's lessons yesterday, today's courses were much more relaxed for the students. Both the morning and afternoon were filled with theoretical classes. The morning was dedicated to Martial Soul classification, while the afternoon was about identifying the age limits of soul beasts.
Many students, because of their families' educational background, did not pay much attention to these two subjects, but Huo Yuhao was different; he listened very attentively. What he lacked was not only talent and cultivation, but also knowledge.
As expected, Wang Dong treated him to a good meal at noon, and right after school in the afternoon, Tang Ya arrived.
"Let's go, Little Yuhao, I've prepared another round for you. Don't worry, with Teacher Xiao Ya by your side to protect you today, let's see who dares to bully you. Oh, and Elder Brother Bei Bei asked me to give this to you. Consume it tonight when you get back."
As she spoke, Tang Ya handed Huo Yuhao another porcelain bottle.
Wang Dong's eyes widened as he watched from the side; he had just seen this kind of porcelain bottle yesterday! It was exactly the same as the one Bei Bei took out containing the Profound Water Pill for Huo Yuhao to consume.
This, this is the second Profound Water Pill? Unlike the Soul Ascending Pill, there are no restrictions on consuming Profound Water Pills, but the effect is best with the first one and decreases thereafter. After all, the impurities in one's body are finite. The increase in soul power isn't as much as the Soul Ascending Pill offers.
"Teacher Xiao Ya, what about my matter?" Wang Dong eagerly asked Tang Ya.
Tang Ya giggled and said, "I've discussed it with Bei Bei. Bei Bei says that if you can secure the first place in the freshmen's first assessment, we will accept you into the Tang Sect."
"Done, it's a deal," Wang Dong immediately agreed, ecstatic. The benefits of the Tang Sect were simply too good! Huo Yuhao had already received two Profound Water Pills! Although he considered himself to have an excellent talent, and Profound Water Pills weren't much use to him, who knows if the Tang Sect had other good things? Besides, joining the Tang Sect wasn't primarily for the benefits.
Huo Yuhao accepted the porcelain bottle and stored it inside 'Twenty-four Bridge Moonlit Night', without asking further questions. He followed Tang Ya and made his way out of the academy.
Wang Dong quickly followed and said, "I'll come too. Huo Yuhao, we're roommates after all, so let me take care of you by buying two grilled fish first."
Huo Yuhao chuckled and said, "Let me treat you."
Wang Dong shook his head and said, "No way, friends are friends, and business is business. There's no need for you to treat me. I'll buy my own." As he spoke, he took out a silver soul coin and insisted on placing it in Huo Yuhao's hand.
He thought he was helping Huo Yuhao out, but it wasn't until the three of them left the academy gates that Wang Dong realized it was actually he who had taken advantage of the situation.
Outside the academy, at least thirty people were waiting for Huo Yuhao to come out and barbecue fish, and the most eye-catching among them was Xu Sanshi, who had lost to Bei Bei in the Soul Fighting competition yesterday.
Upon seeing Xu Sanshi, Huo Yuhao was startled, but Tang Ya immediately stood up, "What, not convinced, huh? How about I take you on in the Soul Fighting Area today?"
Xu Sanshi said in annoyance, "You? Save it, I don't fight women. Stop causing trouble; I'm here to buy barbecued fish, not to make a scene. Didn't you see I'm first in line?"
With that, Tang Ya's expression eased, and she said grudgingly, "Buying it for Jiang Nannan?"
"Hmm," Xu Sanshi nodded.
Tang Ya teased, "I didn't expect you to be so infatuated. Too bad, she doesn't fancy you."
Xu Sanshi said angrily, "Tang Ya, don't provoke me! I haven't settled the score with you guys for Bei Bei duping me so badly yesterday."
Tang Ya stuck out her tongue and turned to Huo Yuhao, "Let's start, Little Yuhao. In light of some nice things someone provided yesterday, sell him two today."
The grill was set up, and Huo Yuhao began to sell his barbecued fish outside Shrek Academy for the second time. However, the first two weren't given to Xu Sanshi. He had no fondness for this guy who had been aggressive towards him yesterday. Besides, Wang Dong had paid first. Therefore, the first two barbecued fishes were given to Wang Dong.
The third and fourth went to Tang Ya.
Only when Xu Sanshi's face grew increasingly dark did he receive the fifth and sixth barbecued fish. He then threw down the money and turned to leave.
"Delicious, so delicious! I never knew fish could taste this good." Wang Dong ate with eyes shining, his enjoyment matching Tang Ya's. By the time he finished two fish, his face and hands were greasy.
While Huo Yuhao was busy selling barbecued fish, in a secret room on Sea God's Lake Island of Shrek Academy, a person was gradually waking from unconsciousness.
"Mmmm..." The woman in red moved slightly, instinctively covering her chest with her right hand, murmuring, "So hot, so uncomfortable. I feel so distressed. Hmm?"
Gradually, she opened her eyes, revealing pale pink eyes that had lost their previously bloody color, tinged with a hint of confusion, "Strange, why isn't it hot anymore?"
Suddenly sitting up, she instinctively looked down at herself; her once drenched clothing was now dry. She jumped off the bed, took off the mask on her face, and revealed a slightly pale, oval-shaped face. She seemed to be in her twenties. Her facial features were somewhat cold, yet her stunning beauty was unmistakable. Standing up straight, she also displayed a figure ripe and enticing, akin to a well matured peach.
"You're awake," an elderly voice said with a long sigh, "Xiao Tao, you almost made a big mistake this time! However, it seems to be a fortunate coincidence that a surge of external ice attribute energy has entered your body, quelling the evil fire within you. Do you remember anything after you dashed out of Sea God's Lake?"