What a strange feeling...
That was the first thing Xu Xingyu felt as he slowly regained consciousness.
It was warm—yet cool.Like basking beneath the dappled shadows of a tree on a blazing summer day.A kind of comfort that was both unfamiliar… and oddly familiar.
Yes, that was it.
Familiar… yet foreign.He couldn't quite place it, but it reminded him of something he'd experienced before—only this time, something was distinctly different.
Still caught in the haze of residual drowsiness, Xu Xingyu sluggishly opened his eyes.
The ceiling he saw was completely unfamiliar—definitely not his dorm room.
A cold shiver crept down his spine.
He glanced around warily, taking in his surroundings.
The room was white, soft, and surprisingly homey, with furniture and decorations scattered about—A girl's room.
He was in a girl's room.
The dead giveaway? A cluttered vanity desk, covered in cosmetics... mostly untouched. Whoever used it probably wasn't very skilled with makeup. Or didn't care to be.
Xu Xingyu immediately knew he had to get out—fast.
He had no idea how he got here, but if the room's owner walked in right now, no amount of explanation would save his hide.
If he didn't want to be skinned alive by Dong'er or Gu Yuena… he'd better disappear before someone found him here.
He moved to get up—But the moment he shifted, he realized something was binding him.
He turned his head—and froze.
He was in someone's arms.More precisely, he was being embraced by a girl with crimson-red hair.
A girl with a flawless oval face, toned legs, and an absolutely devilish figure that screamed dangerously beautiful.About eighteen years old, and without question a walking fire hazard—Ma Xiaotao.
Xu Xingyu nearly cried out on the spot.
What the hell was going on!?
He had fought Ma Xiaotao earlier—that much he remembered. She'd gone berserk under the influence of the Evil Phoenix Flame, and he'd subdued her with Extreme Ice.And then…And then she had kissed him!?
Was he hallucinating?
No.It did happen.
"Damn it…! That was our first meeting! How did it turn into this?!"
He groaned internally.If Dong'er found out, she'd definitely interrogate him under soul torture.And if Gu Yuena got wind of this? He could forget about returning home for the holidays—he'd be dead before New Year.
Note to self: Always protect yourself, boys. The outside world is too dangerous.
He tried to wriggle free carefully.
Ma Xiaotao still seemed unconscious, so this might be his only chance to escape.But easier said than done.
Despite her petite appearance, she was a Soul Emperor—and her strength was not to be underestimated.She was holding him tight.Really tight.
If he tried to force her arms open, she'd wake up for sure. And when that happened, he wouldn't be able to explain himself even if he grew a second mouth.
So he opted for the cautious route, inching his way out of her grasp, hoping not to disturb her.
He had managed to get halfway out—
When she suddenly rolled over, flipping her body—and pinned him underneath.
BOOM.
The sensation of her curves pressing into him was...Let's just say, if it weren't for the imminent threat of suffocation, he might have enjoyed it.
But he was being crushed.Smothered by the mountains of destiny.
He had no choice now.
Social death or real death.He had to wake her.
If only he'd unlocked the Space Element, he could've blinked out of there in an instant.But he hadn't.So, plan B.
A sphere of condensed water element formed above her head—then splashed down.
Cold water worked wonders.
Ma Xiaotao's eyes fluttered open.
"WHO DID THIS?!"
She was furious.
Who dared disturb her sleep!?And even ruin the joy of cuddling her newfound, perfectly warm body pillow?
Did they forget who she was?The Twin Volcano of the Inner Court!?
That was it.Time to unleash the wrath of a phoenix scorned.
But then—
A timid voice spoke up from beneath her.
"…Could you let go of me first?"
Her body froze.
She looked down—and instead of a pillow, she saw the disheveled, handsome face of Xu Xingyu, his hair a mess and his expression half-dead from asphyxiation.
His clothes were scorched in places.His breath came in desperate gasps.
It took a second for her brain to register the image.Then she realized—this was no dream.
She'd been cuddling a real person.And not just any person—the one she had just fought and kissed before losing consciousness.
By the time she recovered her senses, Xu Xingyu had already wriggled out and was on the floor, breathing in fresh air like a man saved from drowning.
Ma Xiaotao blinked, stunned.
Bits and pieces of memory returned.She'd been harassed by a few students who saw her as a walking time bomb—her condition had always made her a target.
She lost control. The Evil Fire flared. She'd gone berserk again.
Then… he appeared.
He'd stopped her.
Or tried to.She wasn't sure how far he got. After that, her memory went dark.
She could vaguely recall… doing something… inappropriate?But what exactly—she couldn't remember.
And now—She felt it.Her Evil Fire had been completely suppressed.
For at least the next two to three weeks, she'd be free from the eruptions that had tormented her for years.
It was unprecedented.
Up until now, the only way to restrain her flames was through external force—or ancient meditative methods passed down from her clan.
But this...This was different.
She looked at the boy before her, still catching his breath.His robe was nearly singed to threads.Her own dress was rumpled and disheveled.
A horrifying realization dawned on her.
Could it be… that in her unconscious state, she had done something irreversible to him!?
Her eyes widened.
"Wait… don't tell me I actually… with him…"
***
Chapter Fragment: Aftermath of the Flame
Desolation. Anguish. Despair.
These three emotions swirled violently within Ma Xiaotao's heart like a raging tempest. No woman could remain composed after losing something so precious—especially while unconscious!
The evidence was undeniable:
Their tattered clothing
Her utterly exhausted body
Yet the cruelest irony? She couldn't even rightfully blame the boy before her.
It was all my doing...
The crimson-haired beauty bit her lip until it bled. Though the Evil Fire had driven her actions, she'd been the aggressor. This silver-haired junior had merely endured... things no boy his age should experience.
Now, not only had she lost her purity to a complete stranger—she owed him an apology!
"Uuu... sniff..."
Tears—unthinkable for the normally fierce Ma Xiaotao—began streaming down her face. Known throughout Shrek Academy's inner court for her indomitable will and fiery temper, this vulnerable display would've shocked everyone who knew her.
Xu Xingyu watched bewildered as the older girl suddenly broke down. In his mind, they'd merely shared an... enthusiastic kiss during her Evil Fire episode. Their torn clothes resulted from their earlier battle, while her weakness stemmed from injuries sustained fighting teachers before their encounter.
She's crying over a kiss?
With a sigh, he draped a quilt over her trembling shoulders. "Senior sister, calm yourself. I'll take my leave—you can find me at Dorm 108 in the outer court if..."
SNAP!
A jade-like hand gripped his wrist with surprising strength. Ma Xiaotao's tear-streaked face glared up, each word dripping with barely restrained fury:
"You. Will. Take. Responsibility."
"Eh?! For what?!"
"Don't play dumb!" Her voice cracked. "I know it was my fault, so I won't kill you! But you must answer for what you stole from me!"
Realization dawned—she thought they'd... consummated their encounter!
Xu Xingyu nearly facepalmed. Is this woman brain-dead? A simple spirit power scan would confirm nothing happened!
After patiently explaining the truth, Ma Xiaotao finally checked herself—then turned scarlet.
"I... apologize for the misunderstanding," she muttered, pride warring with gratitude. "As compensation, I'll grant you one favor—within reason."
Xu Xingyu waved dismissively. "No need. Let's just forget this..."
"No!" The Phoenix Spirit master's eyes blazed. "My teacher is the Martial Soul Department's dean. When Ma Xiaotao gives her word, none dare refuse!"
Defeated, Xu Xingyu sighed. "Fine. I'm Xu Xingyu, first-year."
Ma Xiaotao's grip slackened in shock. "You're the Xu Xingyu Nan's always daydreams about?!"
As she recounted meeting Jiang Nannan—and inadvertently revealed how the Yin Fire in her system originated—Xu Xingyu internally groaned.
So I got screwed over by my own fiancée's kindness...
Before he could ponder why Ma Xiaotao's instincts drove her to kiss rather than attack him during the Yin Fire outbreak—
"Impressive."
A middle-aged man materialized from thin air, chuckling. "To detect me through spirit power concealment... You may indeed become Shrek's finest student in decades."
Ma Xiaotao gasped. "T-Teacher?!"
Martial Soul Department Dean—Yan Shaozhe—smiled benignly at the scandalous scene before him.
***
Xu Xingyu narrowed his eyes as he looked at the middle-aged man who stood before him, wearing a calm and kind smile.
He didn't let his guard down.
This man—Yan Shaozhe—was far from simple.
Having read the original story in his past life, Xu Xingyu knew exactly what kind of person Yan Shaozhe was.
On the surface:Dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department. Respected, knowledgeable, traditional.
But underneath?
A man terrible at handling his emotions—especially romantic ones.(Ahem... that whole mess with Xian Lin'er still made his head hurt just thinking about it.)
More than that, Yan Shaozhe was known for being stubbornly old-fashioned.In the original story, if it hadn't been for Fan Yu pushing him forward, he might never have accepted soul tools as a valid cultivation path.
And in this timeline, as one of the vocal opponents of spirit souls, his dogged conservatism had only become more obvious.
Still, Xu Xingyu didn't sense any hostile intent from the man.
So while he kept his caution buried deep inside, he allowed his outward demeanor to soften slightly.
Yan Shaozhe seemed satisfied with that, offering a polite nod before speaking in a formal tone.
"Xu Xingyu, even though my disciple already introduced me, allow me to do so once again."
"I am Yan Shaozhe, current Dean of the Martial Soul Department at Shrek Academy. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Xu Xingyu returned the gesture with a respectful cupped-fist salute."Student Xu Xingyu greets Dean Yan."
Yan Shaozhe waved off the formalities."No need for that."
"First, I would like to extend my sincerest apologies on behalf of my disciple. The incident earlier was due to our negligence. As such, I offer this as a token of our regret."
He took out a pouch—crafted from soft, silvery beast hide—and handed it to Xu Xingyu."Please, take a look. I hope it meets your expectations."
Xu Xingyu accepted the pouch, noting immediately that the hide wasn't ordinary.It had soul power isolation properties—a sure sign that whatever was inside was anything but mundane.
Opening the pouch revealed—
Three beams of light erupted within the room, illuminating everything in hues of gold, blue, and silver.
They were—
Three soul bones.
A left arm bone.A skull bone.And an external wing-type soul bone.
The left arm bone glowed with radiant golden-red light.Each of its five fingers extended gracefully, glowing faintly with an inner flame.
Xu Xingyu's heart skipped a beat.
"Golden Radiant Left Arm Bone..."
This was the exact soul bone Wang Dong absorbed in the original timeline—a remnant of a 10,000-year-old Golden Earth Dragon King, a rare soul beast with traces of true dragon bloodline.
Although technically only a ten-thousand-year bone, it could rival a hundred-thousand-year bone in value thanks to the strength of its lineage.
The second soul bone—the skull—was even more exotic.
A faint icy-blue mist curled around it, interlaced with ripple-like spatial waves.
This came from a near-extinct soul beast: the Snow Wraith.
A rare spirit beast born in the Extreme North, the Snow Wraith was one of the few that naturally possessed both Ice and Space elements.
While it hadn't reached the "Ultimate" level of either element, it had still danced on the edge of that threshold.
Unfortunately, the species had been wiped out.
Why?
Because one of them once swapped out Titan Snow Demon King's token of love to Snow Empress with something else as a prank...
The beating it received was so brutal, it dragged the entire race down with it.Only a few scattered survivors remained in remote parts of the world.
The final soul bone—An elegant pair of translucent wings with glistening feathers of silver and green—Was unmistakably an External Soul Bone.
Unlike the traditional six body soul bones, external bones weren't fixed to one part of the body and could evolve alongside the soul master.
They were rare.More than rare—coveted.
Even a weak soul beast could leave behind an external bone that would outshine ten-thousand-year treasures over time.
The best example?
Tang San's Eight Spider Lances.Originally gained from a measly 2,000-year-old Man-Faced Demon Spider, yet eventually refined into his core divine artifact.
That's how terrifying external bones were.
This particular wing bone had originated from a Silver-Feathered Skyhawk—a soul beast that wielded both Wind and Space elements.
This one?At least 50,000 years of cultivation.
Ma Xiaotao, standing off to the side, looked like she'd been hit by lightning.
"Teacher… are you serious?! Three soul bones!? Just because I lost control!?"
Even for someone as hot-tempered as her, this was... excessive.
Especially considering she had been the one almost killing Xu Xingyu (well… getting beaten into the floor counts too, but still).
Soul bones like this weren't something you could just buy—even if you were filthy rich.
But while Ma Xiaotao was stunned, Xu Xingyu's face darkened in thought.
He agreed with her.
There was no way this was just "compensation."
Even though soul bones weren't rare in his Ke Ling Tower—a spirit beast-led organization—this was overkill.
Then he noticed something else.
These three soul bones…None of them really matched him.
But they fit three girls he was currently raising within the Academy perfectly.
"…So that's what this is," Xu Xingyu thought grimly. "A bribe and a request, wrapped in one."
Yan Shaozhe wasn't just paying off a debt—he was making an investment.
He knew who Xu Xingyu really was.Knew his background.Knew his value.
And this "compensation" wasn't generous for no reason.
He was trying to buy something.
Xu Xingyu had half a mind to refuse.
But then a thought struck him.
A new idea.
A possible experiment involving external soul bones and synchronized evolution...
"…Interesting."
With a faint smirk, he put away the pouch and turned to face Yan Shaozhe properly.
"Thank you for your generosity, Dean Yan. Now then, let's not waste time—what is it you'd like from me?"
Yan Shaozhe didn't seem surprised.
He smiled, folding his hands behind his back."Very well."
"You see, I had the pleasure of watching how you subdued my disciple's Evil Phoenix Flame."
"I'd like to formally request that, from time to time, you assist her in suppressing it."
***
T/N: Alright, I'm heading to bed now. If you're enjoying the story and want to see more, don't forget to drop some Power Stones!
Every 10 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter