After receiving a ring storage soul guide inlaid with blue crystal from her senior sister, the two left the attic and walked along the stone path. Ma Xiaotao led Huo Yuhao to the front of his new house.
It was a simple, small bungalow located near the Sea God Lake, surrounded by lush vegetation and brimming with the breath of life.
Huo Yuhao was quite satisfied with the arrangement. It had to be said that there were some advantages to having fewer people in the inner courtyard. Each person was assigned a house with top-tier treatment.
However, for some reason, the place felt oddly familiar. Wasn't this near Ma Xiaotao's house? In fact, the distance between their two houses was no more than 20 meters.
Noticing Huo Yuhao's slightly puzzled expression, Ma Xiaotao smiled and explained, "It's all arranged by the academy. It just so happens that the house near me was uninhabited, so the teachers assigned you here. That way, you'll have my personal protection."
As she spoke the latter part, Ma Xiaotao's confidence seemed to waver slightly.
Huo Yuhao thought to himself, 'I hope this "personal protection" is normal.'
Then, it was time for the two to part ways. Ma Xiaotao gave him a thumbs-up and said, "Yuhao, even though you've entered the inner courtyard early, don't slack off on your training!"
"I know, Sister Xiaotao. I'll work hard," Huo Yuhao replied. 'I need to reach level 30 as soon as possible and head to the Star Dou Great Forest.'
"Then I'll leave my evil fire to you in the future," Ma Xiaotao added.
"No problem. I guarantee it. Just come to me whenever you need help," Huo Yuhao assured her.
Seeing Ma Xiaotao hesitate, Huo Yuhao took the initiative to ask, "Is there anything else?"
Ma Xiaotao glanced at the handsome boy beside her and said shyly, "Um, Yuhao, I feel like my evil fire is showing signs of flaring up. Could you take a look at it for me?"
For the sake of the academy's mission, she had risked her life.
Huo Yuhao was taken aback. 'This isn't right.' He still had to sell grilled fish in the evening. This was not the time for distractions.
"Okay," he agreed. After all, this was just a system task.
If nothing unexpected happened, the completion of the [Academy Mission] should be within reach. He was curious to see what reward Ma Xiaotao would give him.
After closing the door and turning on the soul guide light, Huo Yuhao surveyed the layout of the room. It was a single dormitory with a living room, a bedroom, a kitchen, and a bathroom—not much different from the single apartments he had known in his previous life.
According to Ma Xiaotao, the inner courtyard of Shrek Academy had houses designed for two people to live together, whether they were of the same or opposite genders.
Humans have seven emotions and six desires, and soul masters were no exception. It was normal for love to blossom, and Shrek Academy was very supportive of such relationships.
Moreover, as the inner courtyard often hosted the Sea God Fate Blind Date Conference, internal pairings were quite common.
Huo Yuhao checked Ma Xiaotao's body (seriously). She had a mature and proud figure, a slender waist that seemed impossible to grasp, and long, shapely legs that were both enchanting and charming.
As a Soul Emperor, Ma Xiaotao had believed she could easily handle Huo Yuhao, a mere Soul Grandmaster. However, she found herself easily controlled—or rather, it was difficult for her to hold back.
Although Huo Yuhao had the advantage of his domain and the suppression of his martial soul's quality, it still took him some effort to manage the situation.
After finishing, Huo Yuhao began to see her off. "I'll be selling grilled fish at the gate of Shrek in the evening. If you're interested, Sister Xiaotao, you can come and try some. The grilled fish I make is quite fragrant."
"I'll be there," Ma Xiaotao replied, her little thoughts completely exposed, before leaving shyly.
---
Huo Yuhao took out the Yuanshi and immediately entered a state of focused cultivation. 'Things have come to this point. Let's practice first.'
Just kidding. Huo Yuhao wasn't practicing any special techniques. He could easily grow stronger through dual cultivation. A mere woman would only slow down his progress. It definitely wasn't that he would act indifferent after the fact.
[Achievement Triggered!]
[Achieved Ma Xiaotao's "Academy Mission" achievement. Reward: Ghost Fire Gu.]
[Ghost Fire Gu: A third-level Gu worm that can transform into a flame ball capable of burning mental power upon activation.]
[Evaluation: Old Deng, is it safe to stop my ghost fire downstairs in your house?]
Ma Xiaotao, who appeared to be a confident and mature senior sister, was actually quite vulnerable. She had been easily flustered during the inspection, unable to withstand even a little teasing. Without the influence of her evil fire, she was unexpectedly innocent.
[Ma Xiaotao]
[Relationship: Close Friends]
[Locked]
However, even though it seemed like some progress had happened, the relationship between the two still hadn't progressed to the final stage of "confidant."
Like Wang Dong, it was stuck at the "close friend" stage. To go further, aside from spiritual resonance, perhaps the only remaining option was to deepen their bond through shared experiences.
Huo Yuhao had come to realize that the Great Love Immortal Venerable achievement system encouraged him to build bonds, especially with members of the opposite sex.
Given Huo Yuhao's superior qualities, it was much easier for him to develop relationships with women than with men. There was no need to worry about difficult outcomes.
As for older figures like Mu En and Yan Shaozhe, Huo Yuhao didn't expect to achieve much with them. If he could manage to become friend with even two of them, it would be considered a success.
Under the system's rules, favorability gained through the use of Gu insects or special means didn't count. Only genuine affection from the other party would be recognized by the system. The rules were complicated, and the final say always lay with the system.
Therefore, even if Huo Yuhao didn't use any Gu worms now, he had no intention of exploiting the system.
This was a serious matter. It showed that Tang Ya and Wang Dong had genuinely recognized him at the time, without any interference from the God King Tang San.
'Tang San: You overestimate my abilities.'
Could it be because of Huo Yuhao's handsome appearance and gentle temperament? Let's rule out that possibility first.
In the end, it was likely due to Huo Yuhao's image as a kind and honest young man. Building favorability had to be done slowly. There was no need to rush.
On the other side, after Huo Yuhao and Ma Xiaotao left, Zhang Lexuan couldn't help but comment, "It seems Xiaotao has someone she likes."
Even Zhang Lexuan had never seen Ma Xiaotao act so shy and timid before. She stopped herself from overthinking.
Long before Huo Yuhao arrived, Mu En had spoken to her about him. He told Zhang Lexuan that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the academy planned to train Huo Yuhao as the next generation's Sea God Pavilion Master and hoped she wouldn't mind.
As the original successor to the Sea God Pavilion Master, Zhang Lexuan wasn't dissatisfied with this arrangement. In fact, she felt happy about it.
However, Mu En's final words left her feeling a little disappointed. "Lexuan, for the future of Shrek, Huo Yuhao will be entrusted to your protection. As long as he grows up smoothly, Shrek will have no worries for a hundreds of years."
"I understand," Zhang Lexuan replied, though she felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. With Ma Xiaotao personally protecting him, what else did she need to do? Even if she tried to get involved, she would only be an outsider.
But she was used to it. The future of Shrek? It was indeed a heavy burden.
…
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