...
Stepping out of the presidential suite, the corridor was quiet.
Xuan Hao looked up and saw Huo Wu leaning awkwardly against the wall next to the door.
She had changed out of her eye-catching team uniform and was wearing a simple dark red fitted short dress.
A pair of long, straight legs were dazzlingly white under the light of the corridor wall lamps.
Upon seeing Xuan Hao come out, Huo Wu subconsciously straightened up.
His once flamboyant dark red short hair now looked somewhat tame, and his large eyes revealed a hint of bewilderment, completely devoid of the arrogance he displayed on the ring during the day.
"What do you want to say?"
Xuan Hao put one hand in his pocket and said in a calm tone, "If you feel it's inconvenient to talk in the hallway, we can find another place."
Huo Wu bit her red lips and nodded slightly.
Without saying a word, Xuan Hao stepped forward and put his hand directly on Huo Wu's shoulder.
"Hey, you—" Huo Wu was about to speak.
Swish.
There were no flashing soul rings, nor any fluctuations in soul power.
Huo Wu felt the space in front of her distort, and the feeling of weightlessness was fleeting.
When she finally saw the scene before her, she was completely stunned.
This is not a corridor, nor is it a rooftop.
This is a suite with luxurious decor and ridiculously large space.
Judging from the layout, it seems to be directly below the presidential suite of the Royal Fighters' Second Team.
"Where is this?" Huo Wu took a half step back warily, looking at Xuan Hao who was taking off his coat.
"The other room I booked was right downstairs from theirs."
Xuan Hao casually tossed his coat onto the sofa.
"Those old ladies upstairs can be quite unruly when they get going, and sometimes they make some rather indecent noises.
Although the hotel is well soundproofed, just in case, I booked this room as well, for peace and quiet and to be on the safe side."
At this point, he poured two glasses of water, turned around, and casually asked, "By the way, which floor do you live on at Blazing Fire Academy?"
Huo Wu was still immersed in Xuan Hao's words, "a voice that is not easily seen in the light," and some random images involuntarily flashed through her mind.
When Xuan Hao asked her a question, she quickly composed herself.
"We live down below."
Huo Wu steadied her breathing and replied, "The five elemental academies of the Tian Dou region are all officially arranged to be located in this hotel.
Blazing Fire is on the sixth floor, Heavenly Water is on the seventh floor, Divine Wind is on the fourth floor, and Thunder is on the second floor."
"Oh?" Xuan Hao raised an eyebrow. "The Five Elements Academy, isn't that one short? What about the Elephant Armor Academy?"
"The elephant armor isn't here."
Huo Wu shook her head: "The Five Elemental Academies have always been the trump card of the Heaven Dou Empire.
In the annual preliminary rounds, it's basically just a few teams like ours that make it out of the competition.
Although we haven't won the championship in recent decades, we're still guaranteed to make it into the top eight, which is a way of preserving some dignity for the royal family."
"However, Elephant Armor Academy is an exception. They are backed by the Elephant Armor Sect, one of the four lower sects."
Huo Wu took a few steps closer and continued, "The Elephant Armor Sect has always clung tightly to the Spirit Hall.
In the past, things were alright; the Spirit Hall and the seven major sects checked and balanced each other, and everyone jointly managed the Soul Master world.
But ever since the Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky Sect went to war, and the Clear Sky Sect went into seclusion, the Spirit Hall began to expand wildly."
"The current situation is that the relationship between the Spirit Hall and the two great empires is very tense.
A conflict could break out at any time."
"The Heaven Dou Royal Family naturally didn't have a good attitude towards the Elephant Armor Sect, which openly supported the Spirit Hall.
I heard that for this competition, the Royal Family didn't even send them an invitation to the officially designated hotel, leaving them hanging outside."
"As for the remaining four of us, the royal family's attitude is quite good now.
After all, the Heavenly Dou Empire is counting on us to achieve some results."
At this point, Huo Wu gave Xuan Hao, who was drinking water, a deep look.
Of course, this year's will definitely be different.
With this monster in front of them, not to mention them, even the geniuses of the Spirit Hall, who are high and mighty, have no chance of winning.
If he wanted to, the championship of this year's All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Competition would already be his.
"Come and sit down."
Xuan Hao carried two glasses of warm water to the sofa and placed one of them on the coffee table opposite.
Huo Wu hesitated for a moment, but still went over and sat down.
The room was quiet. Huo Wu held a water glass in both hands, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the inside of the glass.
I had a whole speech ready on the way, but when I got to the point of saying it, it got stuck in my throat.
Xuanhao didn't urge her, but leaned back on the sofa and watched leisurely.
A full half minute passed before Huo Wu took a deep breath, raised her head, and looked intently at Xuan Hao:
"Thank you for what happened in the ring during the day."
"Thank me?"
Upon hearing this, Xuan Hao not only didn't accept the thanks, but instead shook his head indifferently.
"There's really no need for that."
Xuan Hao took a sip of water, his tone completely calm. "When I caught that fireball, it was just something that happened on the side. For me, it wasn't even a small favor."
"You don't need to have any unnecessary emotions about this."
Xuan Hao put down his water glass. "Besides. I've seen plenty of idiots in this world who talk about being reckless and not caring about their lives. But..."
"Someone like you, who knows it's a dead end but still stubbornly uses the Fusion Ring skill... I've really only seen a few crazy people like you who don't care about their lives."
Listening to Xuan Hao's sarcastic and pointed evaluation.
Huo Wu didn't get angry like she did during the day; instead, she deflated like a punctured balloon and lowered her eyelids.
"Don't you think I look like an arrogant clown on stage during the day?"
Huo Wu laughed self-deprecatingly, her voice hoarse.
Xuan Hao didn't say anything, just quietly looked at her.
Huo Wu raised her head again, her eyes no longer showing the arrogance of the day, but only pure honesty.
"Actually, after seeing the fate of Tianshui Academy, before I came to challenge you, my teammates and Feng Xiaotian were all trying their best to stop me and persuade me to give up."
"I know they are right, and I also know it's a one-sided masochistic game with no chance of winning."
"I also know that if I go on stage, I will not only be crushed by you, but I may even be beaten to a pulp like Tianshui, losing face for the Blazing Fire Academy in front of the whole mainland."
"but..."
Huo Wu gripped the water glass tightly, her knuckles turning white.
"I can't control myself."
"From childhood to adulthood, I have always been the most dazzling genius of Blazing Fire Academy.
My mutated fire-attribute martial soul is a talent that amazes all the elders. I am used to being high above and in control of everything."
Huo Wu looked at Xuan Hao, her voice trembling slightly: "But your appearance has trampled my pride underfoot!"
"You are more talented than me, stronger than me, and even your aura completely overwhelms me!"
"If I don't even have the courage to face you today, if I lose the guts to make a move, and just slink away and give up..."
Huo Wu closed her eyes, a clear tear sliding down her cheek.
"Then I'm truly useless. I don't even have the courage to face my inner demons, so how can I talk about reaching a higher realm?"
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