"Ah?" Feng Xiaotian's eyes widened. Although he had always harbored such thoughts, to be called out so bluntly by Huo Wu in front of his teammates left him utterly embarrassed.
"Well? Is it true or not?" Huo Wu seemed oblivious to the fact that so many eyes were now fixed on her.
Feng Xiaotian froze for a moment and glanced at Huo Wushuang. But even Huo Wushuang was stunned, unable to understand why his sister would bring this up now. As her older brother, he had always doted on her beyond measure.
"Are you a man or not? Yes is yes, no is no. Or have you lost the ability to speak?" Huo Wu's voice was cold, in stark contrast to the fiery nature of her martial soul.
"Yes. I've always liked you." Feng Xiaotian, unwilling to be made into a laughingstock, seized the moment. If he failed to speak now, he feared he would never again have the chance to pursue Huo Wu.
Huo Wu gave him a brief nod. "Good. If your team can defeat the Crimson Rose Team—if you can defeat Li Changsheng—then I'll agree to be with you. Brother, let's go."
With that, she turned and left first, leaving behind a dumbfounded Godwind Academy.
From childhood, Huo Wu had lived in the spotlight. Though a girl, she had always been protected at home and at the academy. With her innate talent, she had long stood at the very peak among her peers.
At only nineteen, she had already surpassed the fortieth rank—a feat unprecedented at Blazing Academy. Her pride was not without foundation: beauty, strength, and family background—she had every reason to hold her head high.
And yet now, she could not forget Li Chang'an's eyes, nor his calm indifference toward her.
For Huo Wu, she had lost more than a match—she had lost her pride and dignity. The blow was devastating, made worse by the fact that Li Chang'an's mastery of fire left her with no chance of turning the tide.
Even Huo Wushuang could not fully grasp his sister's thoughts. For now, all he could do was follow quickly after her.
Feng Xiaotian stood there in a daze, staring at the direction Huo Wu had gone. Only when her figure completely disappeared did he finally come back to his senses.
'What did she just say? That she would give me a chance? That if I could defeat Li Changsheng from Crimson Rose Team, she would become my girlfriend? Heavens! This was like a pie falling from the sky.'
As his mind cleared, uncontrollable excitement surged through him. He had admired Huo Wu not just for a day or two. Godwind Academy and Blazing Academy were close in distance and often exchanged matches. From the first time he saw Huo Wu six years ago, this dazzling genius girl had captured his heart.
In pursuit of her, he had even set aside his pride to befriend Huo Wushuang. And in all his sparring with the siblings, he had never once won. Yet even then, Huo Wu had always treated him with a cool indifference.
Now, finally, the opportunity had come.
At that moment, Feng Xiaotian's heart burned with passion. He suddenly found himself grateful to Crimson Rose Team. Their victory today was perfectly timed—because of it, his chance had arrived.
'Huo Wu, just wait. I'll prove with my strength that I am the man most suited for you.'
Unfortunately for Feng Xiaotian, what he did not know was that Li Chang'an had already set his sights on Huo Wu as well, and with ideas far bolder than his own. Otherwise, Feng Xiaotian might not have felt so grateful toward him.
---
Back at the academy, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, Meng Yiran, Ning Rongrong, Mu Xi, and Hu Liena all went to bathe and rest. Even though they hadn't exerted much strength in this match, the earlier skirmishes had still worn them out.
Hu Liena in particular had borne the most pressure at the start. Though she hadn't needed to release her martial soul, she had focused intently on protecting Mu Xi and Ning Rongrong. That in itself was exhausting.
Liu Erlong, meanwhile, had taken her loyal cat to gather intelligence on future opponents. Thus, only Li Chang'an and Ye Lingling—who had not participated in the battle—remained in the lounge, staring at each other across the room.
"Ahem… Lingling, why don't we go grab a bite to eat?" Li Chang'an coughed lightly. He had no ulterior motives—he simply wanted to try some street food.
Though the Li family's hotel had been sending gourmet meals daily, he had grown tired of the luxury.
People are like that. Once they've had their fill of fine dining, they often long for the simplicity of street stalls and casual snacks. In his previous life, Li Chang'an had seen this often; and though such stalls were rarer on the Douluo Continent, they certainly existed. Today, he wanted to play the role of a "hidden expert" and savor the feeling.
"You go ahead. I'm not hungry," Ye Lingling replied, her crisp voice matching her usual indifferent manner. Li Chang'an was not surprised—after all, while they were partners, they were not lovers. And her personality was naturally reserved.
But he pressed further: "This is an order. Accompany me for a meal. Is that alright?"
"…Fine, let's go." Ye Lingling's gaze beneath her black veil carried a trace of helplessness, but she still nodded.
"Heh, that's more like it. Let's go." Li Chang'an downed the last of his tea and strode toward the door. Ye Lingling followed half a step behind.
As they walked, Li Chang'an turned his head slightly, admiring her lonely elegance. "By the way, has your teacher written to you recently? How is she doing?"
Ye Lingling's coolness was different from Zhu Zhuqing's. Zhu Zhuqing's stemmed from her own nature, while Ye Lingling's was shaped by her environment and life experiences.
But undeniably, she was breathtaking. The black veil could not hide her beauty: cascading blue hair, expressive sapphire eyes, and a flawless figure hidden beneath her robe. She was perfection personified.
"My teacher is doing very well in the Spirit Hall. She wrote to say that with the help of several elders, she has already broken through the Spirit King realm and found a suitable soul ring. She is now at level fifty-eight."
At the mention of her teacher, Ye Lingling's tone softened, and her eyes revealed gratitude when she looked at Li Chang'an.
There was no need to ask; she knew all of this was because of him.
Li Chang'an tilted his chin slightly, satisfied. No doubt Chrysanthemum Douluo had provided her teacher with a suitable immortal herb, and with the Spirit Hall's resources, finding the right spirit beast was hardly difficult.
Her teacher had long been the type to store up potential, and now that she had leapt to level fifty-eight so quickly, a breakthrough to Spirit Emperor was only a matter of time. That would be a tremendous asset to Spirit Hall.
The conversation opened naturally from there.
"And you? How has your soul power progressed lately? Any doubts about your training?"
"I've reached level forty-four. No particular confusion, just a little anxious about the bottleneck at level fifty." Her tone dimmed slightly at this. After all, her teacher had been stuck at that threshold for years.
Flick!
Li Chang'an gently flicked her forehead. Before she could react, he put on a stern face. "What are you thinking? Don't forget—if I could help you break through before, I can do it again when the time comes."
"Oh… I know." Ye Lingling rubbed her forehead with a small pout, her expression shifting into a silently aggrieved look.