Chapter 268 Will Bai Yuhao and Bai Wang Qiu'er repeat the same mistakes?
In the dark world, in the squares of major cities, Soul Masters looked at the sky, their discussions gradually subsiding, and all eyes were focused on the images that were about to be played.
[In the scene depicting the sky.]
In the days that followed, Wang Qiu'er remained at Shrek Academy.
She stayed in a guest room arranged by Bai Xuanzi, and spent her days wandering around the academy, sometimes reading in the library, sometimes stretching her muscles at the training ground.
Huo Yuhao's life did not change because of her arrival. He cultivated by the Sea God Lake every morning, researched soul tools at the Tang Sect workshop during the day, and meditated in his dormitory at night.
But since they're both in the same college, they're bound to bump into each other.
On this day, Huo Yuhao was practicing his soul skills on the training ground.
He stood in the center of the arena, his hands thrust forward, and the chilling aura of extreme ice condensed into a thick layer of frost on the ground. The phantom of the Ice Crystal Phoenix appeared and disappeared behind him, emitting a faint blue light.
Wang Qiu'er happened to be passing by and saw him training alone, so she stopped.
She leaned against the fence of the training ground, watched for a while, and then said, "Your control of your ice-attribute soul power is quite good, but you hesitated a bit when you attacked. In actual combat, that hesitation would have been enough for your opponent to counterattack."
Huo Yuhao stopped what he was doing, turned around, and saw Wang Qiu'er. He nodded slightly and said, "Thank you for your guidance. I was just adjusting the output ratio of my soul power, so it was a little slow."
"Adjusting the ratio?" Wang Qiu'er raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to integrate your spiritual power into an ice-attribute soul skill?"
Huo Yuhao was somewhat surprised: "You noticed?"
"There's a very obvious fluctuation," Wang Qiu'er said. "Your mental power and ice-attribute soul power are conflicting at their intersection, so you need to slow down to balance them. But if it were me, I would choose to let the mental power lead, with the ice attribute following behind. This way, I don't need to slow down and can also increase penetration."
Huo Yuhao paused for a moment, then thought about it seriously before saying, "What you said makes sense. I'll give it a try."
He straightened up, adjusted his breathing, and attacked again. This time, following Wang Qiu'er's instructions, he first released his mental energy, then followed up with his ice attribute. A streak of icy blue light arced through the air, striking the distant target with significantly greater power than before.
"Not bad." Wang Qiu'er nodded. "Your comprehension is indeed impressive."
Huo Yuhao turned to Wang Qiu'er: "Your understanding of soul power is profound. How about we spar?"
Wang Qiu'er smiled: "Are you sure? I won't hold back."
"I don't need you to go easy on me," Huo Yuhao said.
Wang Qiu'er jumped down from the fence, walked to the center of the training ground, took the long spear from her waist, and held it in her hand.
"Then let's go."
The two stopped and looked at each other.
[Huo Yuhao made the first move. His spiritual eyes lit up, and his mental detection instantly covered the entire area. At the same time, the phantom of the Ice Crystal Phoenix appeared behind him, and the extreme cold of ice swept towards Wang Qiu'er.]
Wang Qiu'er neither dodged nor evaded, sweeping her spear horizontally, the golden dragon flames dispelling the chill. Her figure moved like lightning, instantly appearing before Huo Yuhao, her spear aimed straight for his chest.
Huo Yuhao dodged to the side, conjuring an ice sword in his right hand to block Wang Qiu'er's second attack.
Both players are very fast, and they traded blows on the training field, remaining evenly matched.
The fight lasted for fifteen minutes, ending in a draw. Both fighters stopped, not fighting to the very end.
"Not bad." Wang Qiu'er sheathed her spear, fine beads of sweat on her forehead. "Your combat skills are stronger than I expected."
"You're very strong too," Huo Yuhao said. "Your dragon flames have a suppressive effect on my ice attribute, making it very difficult for me to fight."
"That's because you weren't using your full strength," Wang Qiu'er said. "I can sense that you still have a trump card up your sleeve."
Huo Yuhao smiled and did not deny it.
"We'll play again next time." Wang Qiu'er waved her hand and turned to leave the training ground.
Huo Yuhao watched her retreating figure, then looked down at the frost residue on his hands, lost in thought.
The scene begins to move at a faster speed.
In the days that followed, Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu'er frequently met at the training ground. Sometimes Huo Yuhao arrived first, sometimes Wang Qiu'er. When they met, they would spar a few times.
Neither of them gave it much thought. In Huo Yuhao's eyes, Wang Qiu'er was a good opponent; sparring with her would help him improve his combat skills. In Wang Qiu'er's eyes, Huo Yuhao was an interesting sparring partner; his mental power combined with his ice attribute could indeed put some pressure on her.
But goodwill is something that accumulates gradually through repeated interactions.
[In the scene, Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu'er interact more and more on the training ground. They begin to do more than just spar; they also chat during breaks, discussing techniques for using soul power or sharing cultivation insights.]
Huo Yuhao discovered that although Wang Qiu'er seemed carefree, she had a very profound understanding of soul power. Many questions he couldn't understand before became clear after talking to her.
Wang Qiu'er also noticed that although Huo Yuhao didn't talk much, he always offered unique insights when discussing cultivation, allowing her to see things from different perspectives.
The relationship between the two progressed from strangers to acquaintances, and from acquaintances to close friends.
But no one said it aloud.
In the plaza of the Dark World, the Soul Masters witnessed this scene, and their discussions erupted once again.
"Something's not right," a Soul Master said, frowning. "Look at their relationship now, it's so similar to how it was in the early days of the Underworld. At first, they sparred, then chatted, then got closer and closer, and finally... it was over."
"It does look somewhat similar," someone nearby chimed in. "Wang Qiu'er from the underworld also gradually fell in love with Huo Yuhao in the same way. At first, they were just ordinary friends, but as they spent more time together, feelings developed. Could the 'white world' be going to follow the same path?"
"I have a bad feeling about this." Another Soul Master shook his head. "Look at Huo Yuhao's expression. The way he looks at Wang Qiu'er is no longer just looking at an opponent. Although he didn't say anything, something feels off."
"Won't Huo Yuhao from the 'white world' also be two-timing?" a female Soul Master said worriedly. "He's already with Wang Dong'er. If he gets involved with Wang Qiu'er as well, wouldn't he become the second Huo Yuhao from the 'black world'?"
"Probably not," someone said. "Huo Yuhao from the white world is more composed than Huo Yuhao from the black world. He should know his limits."
"Know your limits?" another person retorted. "When it comes to feelings, there's no such thing as knowing your limits. The more you get to know someone, the more feelings will naturally develop. Who knows if he'll be able to control himself then?"
"And have you noticed?" an older Soul Master said, "Wang Qiu'er from the White World is also changing her attitude towards Huo Yuhao. At first, she just treated him as an ordinary sparring partner, but now the way she looks at him is different."
"Sigh, I'm afraid it will all repeat itself." Someone sighed. "Wang Qiu'er from the underworld has already suffered enough. If Wang Qiu'er from the righteous world suffers again, that would be truly..."
"Don't jump to conclusions yet," another person said. "The show hasn't reached that stage yet. Maybe Huo Yuhao will realize the problem himself and stop in time."
"I hope so," the female Soul Master said, "but I'm feeling increasingly uneasy."
All eyes were once again focused on the sky, awaiting what would happen next.
(End of chapter)