"All of this is thanks to Sister Lexuan's help."
Caelus turned his gaze toward Zhang Lexuan beside him, a sincere smile on his face, his tone natural and close.
"If it weren't for Sister Lexuan, I wouldn't have been able to go to the Extreme North Land to hunt for spirit rings alone, let alone hunt a Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast."
This sentence was nothing more than a common expression of gratitude, but that natural way he addressed her as 'Sister Lexuan' caused the eyes of several sensitive girls in the courtyard to instantly change in a subtle way.
Ling Luochen's ice-blue eyes flickered slightly, her gaze scanning back and forth between Caelus's face and Zhang Lexuan's slightly unnatural expression, lost in thought.
A ripple of emotion also appeared on Jiang Nannan's face; her gaze fell upon Zhang Lexuan, the corners of her mouth curling into a barely perceptible arc.
Xi Xi, who had been maintaining a low profile, also looked up at the two of them, and Gu Yuena's brow furrowed as well.
One must know that for the Outer Court Disciples, the way they addressed Zhang Lexuan had always been 'Eldest Senior Sister'.
Even Ling Luochen and Xi Xi respectfully called her Eldest Senior Sister; only Ma Xiaotao, because she was closer to Zhang Lexuan, called her Sister Lexuan.
And now, Caelus had also changed his form of address, making it impossible for them not to take notice.
This was definitely not just a matter of a change in address; something must have happened during their trip to the Extreme North Land that caused their relationship to change.
Being watched by several gazes, even though Zhang Lexuan was the Inner Court Chief with a resilient Mind and nature, she felt a trace of unease at this moment.
She could sense the meaning behind those looks, and her cheeks grew slightly hot in a way that was hard to notice, especially when she thought of that tender yet awkward healing process.
She subconsciously avoided the girls' gazes, gave a light cough, and said to everyone:
"Alright, this mission is finally completed successfully. We still need to return to the academy to report. Get ready; we'll rest for a day and set off tomorrow."
After speaking, Zhang Lexuan turned and left the room, her back giving off a sense of fleeing in panic.
Bei Bei looked at Zhang Lexuan's departing back and frowned slightly. He always felt that Sister Lexuan's gaze toward him was somewhat evasive, as if carrying guilt, which made him feel rather bewildered.
Meanwhile, Ma Xiaotao, who had the highest cultivation among those present besides Zhang Lexuan, was also staring at Zhang Lexuan's back with a frown. Although Zhang Lexuan hid it well, she still discovered that Zhang Lexuan was weaker than usual.
That feeling was as if she were carrying an injury.
If there was a problem, ask directly—that was Ma Xiaotao's style. She gave a quick greeting and also left the room to find Zhang Lexuan and confirm her suspicion.
Seeing this, the others also prepared to return to their respective rooms to rest. Before leaving, Gu Yuena took a deep look at Caelus.
She didn't care what happened between Caelus and Zhang Lexuan in the Extreme North Land; what she cared about was something else.
Ever since Caelus returned, she sensed the aura of a Vicious Beast on him.
As the Lord of the Soul Beasts and the master of the Vicious Beasts, she was extremely sensitive to their aura.
That cold, overbearing, and fierce aura—if she remembered correctly, it was the Ice Empress, right?
Moreover, it wasn't an aura tainted by accident, but one that had already completely and perfectly fused with Caelus's Soul, Bloodline, and life Origin.
This discovery made Gu Yuena's brow furrow tightly.
Caelus also noticed that Gu Yuena's gaze toward him was off; he guessed that she must have seen through the fact that he carried the Ice Empress's aura.
This was also why he didn't intend to completely hide the Ice Empress's existence. Just a change in aura could make Gu Yuena suspicious, and although the Dragon God Douluo Mu En was not as powerful as Gu Yuena, as long as he used the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion Martial Soul, it would be impossible to avoid discovery.
In the original work, Huo Yuhao had already used a Spirit Ability for mental simulation to hide the Ice Empress's existence, yet he was still seen through by the Dragon God Douluo.
He didn't have any stealth-type abilities, much less the possibility of hiding it, so it was better to display it openly.
Ma Xiaotao followed Zhang Lexuan back to their room and casually closed the door.
"Sister Lexuan."
Zhang Lexuan's hand, which was pouring water, paused slightly. She didn't turn around, only responding in a steady voice: "Yes, what is it, Xiaotao?"
Ma Xiaotao walked a few steps to stand before Zhang Lexuan, her gaze looking directly into her eyes.
"Sister Lexuan, are you injured?"
Her tone was exceptionally certain.
Zhang Lexuan's body stiffened for an instant.
Although this reaction lasted only a split second, it was keenly captured by Ma Xiaotao.
Zhang Lexuan felt somewhat helpless.
She knew that while she could hide it from others, she couldn't hide it from Ma Xiaotao.
Ma Xiaotao's cultivation was close to the Spirit Saint level, and her perception was not weak.
The sense of weakness that had not yet fully dissipated from her body, as well as her mental fatigue, might seem like a normal reaction to a long journey to others, but in the perception of a top-tier attack system Battle Soul Master like Ma Xiaotao, it was an unmaskable flaw.
She turned around, holding her water cup, a somewhat forced smile squeezed onto her face.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Am I not perfectly fine?"
"No."
Ma Xiaotao interrupted her.
"Your aura is very unstable, and your Soul Power circulation isn't as smooth and harmonious as usual. Although you've hidden it well, you can't fool me. You are definitely heavily injured, and it's the serious kind."
She stared at Zhang Lexuan, her tone carrying a hint of urgency and concern:
"What exactly happened? What did you two encounter in the Extreme North Land?"
Ma Xiaotao's mind raced.
She thought, if even an eight-ring Spirit Douluo like Zhang Lexuan could be so heavily injured, could they have encountered a One Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beast?
At the thought of this possibility, a look of lingering fear appeared on her face.
Seeing the undisguised worry in Ma Xiaotao's eyes, the defensive line in Zhang Lexuan's heart wavered slightly.
She really wanted to tell this Junior Sister everything—to tell her about that thrilling encounter, about the Ice Empress, and about Caelus's inconceivable stroke of luck.
But she couldn't.
In her mind emerged Caelus's gold and green eyes, calm and wise, and the trust he had placed in her.
Ultimate Ice.
Zhang Lexuan knew all too well what those two words meant to Ma Xiaotao.
Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul had always suffered from the backlash of evil fire; the higher her cultivation, the greater the risk.
And Dean Yan Shaozhe had exhausted all methods, yet could only temporarily suppress it.
Ultimate Ice was theoretically the only hope to completely root out the evil fire within her body.
If she told her now that Caelus had obtained Ultimate Ice, with Ma Xiaotao's impulsive personality, what would she do?
She would certainly rush to find Caelus immediately, even if only to confirm it.
Once this matter broke out, before returning to Shrek Academy and before the Sea Gods Pavilion made a formal decision, how much risk would it bring to Caelus?
No, absolutely not.
This was to protect Caelus's safety.
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