Chapter 80 A Date with Ma Xiaotao
After escorting Ning Tian and Wu Feng back to their dormitory, Ye Chen returned to the Inner Court.
Tonight, he planned to visit Ma Xiaotao again.
He still needed to balance his time among the Inner Court, Outer Court, and the Soul Tool Department.
After their last mission, both Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochen had received some rest time, exempted from daily mandatory courses. They now had a completely free schedule for a while.
Naturally, Ye Chen would use this opportunity to deepen his bond with both Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochen.
Hmm, the weather tomorrow would probably be nice. He should arrange a photo-shoot—a "date shoot."
Ye Chen thought that inventing the Image Mirror Box had been a truly brilliant decision.
The "Image Mirror Box" was a revolutionary creation. In this world still lacking entertainment, a casual photography session could be considered a rare form of relaxation.
In his previous life, there had been things like social apps, posts, and short videos where a single beautiful photo could earn countless likes and comments—offering satisfaction and even monetary reward.
Although this world lacked that kind of social media, no girl could possibly resist having a beautiful picture of herself taken.
…
Ye Chen returned to the Inner Court, walking familiarly through the quiet paths until he reached Ma Xiaotao's small courtyard.
He pushed open the door. The living room was brightly lit—the soul lamps here stayed on constantly, only needing to be recharged once a day.
The energy storage was powered by special soul devices known as "bottles."
However, the ones here were the lowest grade—too weak to recharge weapons or restore a Soul Master's energy, and their stored power leaked quickly.
It was much like batteries in his previous life—fine for powering flashlights, but incapable of driving something like a laser cannon.
At this point in time, Huo Yuhao and Xuan Ziwen had yet to invent an energy container capable of powering large-scale warfare-grade soul tools without soul power decay.
Of course, Ye Chen already had far more advanced versions recorded in his "Universal Codex."
He planned to strengthen his relationship with Xian Lin'er soon, then use the opportunity to create and sell blueprints for an improved "Soul Power Bottle" to Shrek Academy.
…
Ye Chen shook off his distracted thoughts, headed to his room, took a quick shower, changed into pajamas, and walked to Ma Xiaotao's door. He knocked softly.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Sister Xiaotao, are you asleep?" he asked quietly.
Click.
The door opened, and Ma Xiaotao poked her head out, giving Ye Chen a sideways glance. "What are you doing here so late instead of sleeping?" she asked in her usual cool tone.
Ye Chen didn't answer. He just stared straight at her—eyes bright and intent.
He could smell the faint aroma of her shampoo and see the damp traces in her fiery red hair—she had clearly just finished bathing.
This was when Ma Xiaotao smelled her absolute best, and Ye Chen, of course, wanted to spend the night with her.
Ma Xiaotao: …
"Fine, fine… come in then," she finally sighed, unable to resist his gaze. Her heart softened as she stepped aside to let him in.
"Sister Xiaotao is the best~"
Ye Chen grinned and threw himself into her arms, taking in a deep breath.
Ma Xiaotao had indeed just bathed; she wore only a thin nightgown. Through the soft fabric, Ye Chen could clearly see…
"Just sleeping, alright? No funny business," Ma Xiaotao said nervously.
Every time Ye Chen came over, she ended up terrified he might push too far.
"Mm-hmm, I'll be good~"
Ye Chen said obediently—but gently pushed her onto the bed anyway, leaning in immediately.
Ma Xiaotao: …
…
A short while later.
Ye Chen lay contentedly in Ma Xiaotao's arms, surrounded by her fragrance.
Now this, he thought, was true happiness.
"This time… fine, but don't do that again," Ma Xiaotao whispered, cheeks flushed as she gently caressed Ye Chen's face.
Despite her words, her eyes held no trace of anger—only warmth and tenderness.
She liked Ye Chen too much. No matter what he did, she couldn't bring herself to get mad at him.
"Then… what about next time?" Ye Chen teased with a smile.
"Next time… fine, next time too," Ma Xiaotao murmured softly, averting her gaze shyly.
"Haha~"
Ye Chen laughed happily and kissed her cheek.
She was just too adorable—no one could resist her like this.
"Alright, enough. Sleep now, you're acting like a child," Ma Xiaotao said, pushing his head down with a helpless sigh.
"By the way, Sister Xiaotao, are you free tomorrow? Let's go hang out for the day," Ye Chen asked suddenly, now turning to the real reason for his visit.
"Aren't you training in both the Soul Tool and Martial Soul departments? Since when do you have spare time?" Ma Xiaotao raised a brow suspiciously.
Most Soul Masters barely had time to handle one major discipline. There was never enough time for rest.
And yet Ye Chen, practicing both fields, still wanted to "hang out"?
Did the Soul Tool Department even give him any lessons?
"I've already become a Level 1 Soul Engineer. Taking a break sounds reasonable to me," Ye Chen replied casually with a shrug.
Xian Lin'er had already told him he could set his own schedule for Soul Tool studies and come to her anytime.
With Ma Xiaotao free now, he had to take the chance.
Once she recovered fully, she'd be busy with training and missions again, and this chance would vanish.
"What?! A Level 1 Soul Engineer?!" Ma Xiaotao exclaimed, fully shocked.
Though not from the Soul Tool Department herself, she knew very well how difficult Soul Tool crafting was.
If she remembered correctly, Ye Chen had only joined that department recently.
A normal student needed at least a year, maybe even more, to earn the first rank.
And Ye Chen had done it in just a few days?!
That level of talent was insane.
No wonder her teacher had agreed to let him study both disciplines. With ability like that, it made perfect sense.
"Mm-hmm, I recently developed an invention called the Image Mirror Box—it can capture an image and imprint it onto paper."
Ye Chen briefly explained how the device worked.
"That's amazing! Then take a few pictures of me tomorrow—I want to see how it turns out~" Ma Xiaotao's eyes lit up with excitement.
She had heard rumors about such devices before, but no one had ever successfully made one.
A prototype had been theorized long ago, but the materials and precision required were too demanding, making the cost far too high to be practical.
Yet somehow, Ye Chen had built it himself.
"Alright~"
Ye Chen grinned mischievously. "Just the two of us then—or should we invite Senior Sister Ling?"
"No way! You belong—ugh, forget it, just no!"
Ma Xiaotao refused instantly.
Although she and Ling Luochen were close friends and often joked with each other, she absolutely did not intend to share Ye Chen with her.
Ye Chen was hers alone.
"Uh, fine~"
Ye Chen scratched his head but didn't mind.
He merely thought spending time with Ling Luochen would also be beneficial for building rapport.
Still, if Ma Xiaotao didn't want to, that was perfectly fine.
After all, spending time alone with her made certain things… much easier.
(END CHAPTER)
Get 30% off on my Patreon and enjoy early access to new chapters.
You can also purchase the next 100 chapters of the novel directly from my Patreon page.
Hurry up! The promotion ends on March 2, 2026.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/LightKira10