Chapter 242 - 242: [DD2]: 242

"Because you're quite remarkable." Su Yu smiled slightly as he spoke. Ling Luochan was momentarily stunned, seemingly not expecting Su Yu to say such a thing. Her delicate face flushed slightly as she softly said, "Compared to Xiaotao and the others, I am far inferior." Su Yu shook his head. "You're different from them. They don't even have the qualifications to enter the Ice God Palace." Seeing Ling Luochan's confusion, Su Yu explained, "Under normal circumstances, only ice-attribute soul masters can join the Ice God Palace." Ling Luochan understood, but a trace of concern appeared on her face. Su Yu immediately saw through her thoughts and said calmly, "No matter where you come from, it won't affect your eligibility to join the Ice God Palace." "They have neither the reason nor the power to stop you—not even Shrek Academy." "The Ice God Palace is the sacred ground for all ice-attribute soul masters, their home." "Any ice-attribute soul master has the right to join the Ice God Palace. Any force that dares to interfere or obstruct this will be considered an enemy of the Ice God Palace." "I don't think there's a single force on this continent that would openly go against the Ice God Palace." "Let alone the fact that you're just a student. There's nothing to worry about." "If you're concerned, you can wait until after graduation. Trust me, you won't regret it. No one understands ice better than the Ice God Palace, and there's no place more suitable for you than the Ice God Palace." Su Yu spoke confidently, trying to reassure Ling Luochan. Ling Luochan had good talent and decent willpower, so Su Yu didn't mind saying a few more words. Although he didn't like Shrek Academy, it wasn't to the extent of hating everyone in it. He wasn't that extreme. As for Shrek Academy's influence on Ling Luochan, it was far weaker than the natural influence of her martial soul. Once she bathed in the Light of the Ice God and felt the call of her origin, Ling Luochan would naturally align with the Ice God Palace. This kind of intrinsic connection and recognition was far more reliable than any so-called indoctrination of honor. Of course, this was only because Ling Luochan had an ice attribute. If it were someone else, Su Yu wouldn't have bothered to say a word. "I… I'll think about it, okay?" Ling Luochan looked at Su Yu, testing the waters in a small voice. She didn't refuse outright, because her love for ice made her waver. Su Yu was right—Ice God Palace was the strongest force in the world when it came to ice. She said she would think about it because agreeing immediately didn't seem appropriate. Besides, she still had feelings for Shrek Academy. Su Yu chuckled freely. "Of course, take your time." "Thank you!" Ling Luochan's normally cold voice carried a hint of gratitude. She was genuinely grateful to Su Yu. She knew that this opportunity was not easy to come by. Su Yu just smiled and said nothing. Outside, on the large ship. Mu En slowly opened his drooping eyelids, his old voice breaking the silence. "This little guy is poaching students… not very ethical." "Poaching?" The elders' expressions changed. Yan Shaozhe was startled and quickly asked, "Teacher, are you saying Su Yu is poaching our students?" At this moment, the Sea God Lake was shrouded in icy mist, so they couldn't see what was happening inside. So, was Su Yu taking advantage of the situation to do something shady? Wasn't that a bit too much? They had always been the ones poaching from others—when had they ever been the ones getting poached? Wait, there was one case. Jiang Nannan. Although Jiang Nannan had dropped out, where else could she have gone? Anyone with half a brain could figure out it had something to do with Su Yu. Good heavens, he already took Jiang Nannan, and now he was at it again? Yan Shaozhe couldn't sit still and started grumbling. "Alright, sit down." Mu En said calmly, "Ling Luochan is an ice-attribute soul master. The Ice God Palace is indeed a very suitable place for her. Su Yu wasn't deceiving her." "But she is our student!" Xian Lin'er retorted. "She will graduate eventually. Besides, according to some ancient unwritten rules, all ice-attribute soul masters in the world naturally belong under the Ice God Palace's jurisdiction." "The Ice God Palace isn't as fanatical as the Body Sect, which insists on reclaiming all innate body martial souls." "But if an ice-attribute soul master wants to join the Ice God Palace, no other force can prevent it for any reason." "Otherwise, if they find out, they will retaliate immediately." "This… this is too overbearing." Xian Lin'er said indignantly. "At least they are better than the Body Sect. They still respect the individual's choice." Mu En chuckled. Xian Lin'er pouted. "Then why don't they respect our wishes?" Mu En smiled and said nothing. Yan Shaozhe, however, took over the conversation. He sighed helplessly, "Because they only care about ice-attribute soul masters. Lin'er, you've never been to the Ice God Palace. Their discrimination against non-ice-attribute soul masters is extreme." "The first time I visited with Xiaotao, since neither of us were ice-attribute soul masters, we couldn't even step past their gate." "What?" "You couldn't even get past the gate on your first visit?" Xian Lin'er was stunned, and the other elders' expressions also changed. Xian Lin'er couldn't believe it. "You're a Titled Douluo! They turned you away?" The mighty Martial Soul Department Dean of Shrek Academy, a Super Douluo, was shut out. The Ice God Palace did such a thing? Yan Shaozhe smiled bitterly. "A Super Douluo means nothing. Any random expert from the Ice God Palace is stronger than me." "I wanted to be angry, but I didn't have the power to be." Xian Lin'er was speechless for a moment, then changed the topic. "Then how did you manage to take Xiaotao in later?" Yan Shaozhe spread his hands. "We waited for two days and only got in after their Grand Guardian approved it." Xian Lin'er: "…" The other elders: "…" So they just waited outside for two whole days? Xian Lin'er looked at Yan Shaozhe with a strange expression. "Didn't expect you to have such patience." Yan Shaozhe sighed. "What else could I do? Force my way in?" "That place… even if Teacher went in, he might not make it out alive. It is a sanctuary that worships a deity." At these words, everyone fell silent. Yes, if they couldn't win, what else could they do but wait? Still, the whole situation felt a little humiliating. Xian Lin'er felt particularly uneasy. When had Shrek Academy ever been forced into such an awkward position? Sigh, if Elder Xuan were still around, at least they would have had more leverage. Xian Lin'er thought to herself. "Alright, it's all in the past. No need to dwell on it. The Ice God Palace has its own rules; they weren't deliberately making things difficult for us. Other factions would face the same treatment." "The Body Sect has been kicked out before too. They focus on principles, not individuals." "Let's drop it and watch the match." With Mu En's words, the others fell silent. Thinking about it wouldn't change anything. The Ice God Palace would do as it pleased, and they had no way to stop it. Dwelling on it would only be self-inflicted frustration. At that moment, on the Sea God Lake, the icy mist had already dispersed. Su Yu and Ling Luochan's figures gradually emerged from the mist. Ling Luochan gracefully bowed to Su Yu before retreating along the path she had come from. Her movements remained as elegant and light as ever. With just a few agile leaps, she returned to the small boat. Ma Xiaotao crossed her arms and scrutinized Ling Luochan with narrowed eyes. "You lost?" "Mm." Ling Luochan nodded. Ma Xiaotao raised an eyebrow. "You lost, yet you look so happy? What were you two doing in there?" She sounded like a detective trying to uncover some scandal. It wasn't that she was overly suspicious, but rather, Ling Luochan's reaction was too unusual. That icy, expressionless face that hadn't changed for a thousand years was smiling. If there wasn't something going on, Ma Xiaotao simply wouldn't believe it. Ling Luochan's slightly raised lips slowly flattened as she gave Ma Xiaotao a blank glance. "None of your business." "What did you just say?" "Say that again?" Ma Xiaotao immediately exploded, pointing at Ling Luochan and shouting, "Ling Luochan, I'm warning you—stay away from him! He's mine!" Whether it was because of Yan Shaozhe and the others trying to set them up or because of her own personal feelings, Ma Xiaotao had already started considering Su Yu as someone to observe closely. She couldn't control Su Yu's relationships with other people, but within the inner court, she would never allow anyone else to interfere. Especially not Ling Luochan. They had never gotten along. Ling Luochan scoffed coldly. "He's yours?" "You have the nerve to say that?" "The real question is whether he even likes you." "Whether he likes me or not is his business, but you're not allowed to have any ideas about him!" Ma Xiaotao snapped. "And why is that? Since when did you have the authority to control me?" Ling Luochan cast Ma Xiaotao a sidelong glance before turning to leave, leaving Ma Xiaotao fuming. "Ling Luochan, stop right there!" Just as she was about to chase after her, Wu Ming and Han Ruoruo quickly held her back. "Xiaotao, calm down! You need to calm down!" Wu Ming urged. "Calm down? How can I calm down? That Ling Luochan dared to steal from me! Unforgivable!" Ma Xiaotao was trembling with anger. Given her personality, how could she tolerate such a thing? Han Ruoruo pressed down on Ma Xiaotao's shoulder and said, "Xiaotao, you should know what kind of person Luochan is. She's not like that." "She's just deliberately trying to provoke you." "I don't believe it! Sister Ruoruo, when have you ever seen her smile like that? Something happened between her and Su Yu!" "Everyone knows that the teachers want to match me with Su Yu, yet she still makes a move on him. If that's not provocation, what is?" "Sister Ruoruo, she's gone too far!" Ma Xiaotao said furiously. It wasn't that she was deeply in love with Su Yu—she did have some feelings for him, but it wasn't to that extent. She just couldn't swallow this humiliation. Her personality was domineering; she absolutely wouldn't tolerate someone else reaching into her plate. To her, this was a blatant challenge. Hearing Ma Xiaotao's words, Han Ruoruo didn't know what to say. Indeed, it was strange for an ice-cold girl like Ling Luochan to smile. "Sister Ruoruo, even you have nothing to say now, right?" Ma Xiaotao pressed. Han Ruoruo sighed helplessly. "Xiaotao, are you planning to fight Luochan in front of all these people?" Ma Xiaotao was stunned. There were so many people around—not just outer court students, but also the elders. If she started a fight with Ling Luochan here, it would become a huge joke. Barely suppressing her anger, Ma Xiaotao took a deep breath and said, "Since they all lost, I'll just ask Su Yu myself." With that, she transformed into a flash of flame and shot into the sky. "Xiaotao!" Han Ruoruo reached out to stop her, but her hand only grasped empty air. She sighed helplessly. "This impulsive temper of hers… How does she even think she has the right to question Su Yu?" Ma Xiaotao was incredibly fast, like a blazing red flame streaking straight toward Su Yu. Su Yu stood with one hand behind his back, watching the fiery figure rapidly approach. "Whoosh!" When she was about two meters away, the flames abruptly halted, revealing Ma Xiaotao's figure. She wore the inner court's signature red uniform, her curves strikingly pronounced. Looking at the fiery beauty in front of him, Su Yu smiled faintly. "You came up so quickly?" "I thought you would wait a little longer." Ma Xiaotao waved her hand dismissively. "I couldn't wait. Su Yu, what were you and Ling Luochan talking about in the ice mist?" Su Yu raised an eyebrow. "Nothing much. Just chatting and giving her a few pointers." S~eaʀᴄh the nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You were giving her pointers?" Ma Xiaotao was skeptical. "Do I not have the qualifications to?" Su Yu countered. "You do, but I don't believe that's all. She was smiling so happily—there must be something more!" "Believe whatever you want. If you don't believe me, that's your problem." Su Yu shrugged. "You—!" Ma Xiaotao clenched her fists in frustration. "Su Yu, can't you at least give me some face?" Su Yu said calmly, "I'm already being polite to you." "Then tell me, what exactly did you say to her?" "And why does that concern you?" "You're overstepping your boundaries." Su Yu's tone was indifferent. "You…! You bastard! You're making me so mad! Are you going to tell me or not?" Ma Xiaotao's voice rose with irritation. "If I don't, what will you do?" Su Yu remained expressionless. "If you don't tell me, I'll beat it out of you!" A surge of intense heat radiated from Ma Xiaotao's body, her voice low and dangerous. Hearing this, Su Yu smirked in disdain. "Then let's see if you have the ability to." "Fine, fine, fine! I'll make sure you see my strength!" As soon as she finished speaking, a loud phoenix cry echoed through the air. Golden-red flames erupted from Ma Xiaotao's body, instantly evaporating the moisture in the air. Behind her, the phantom of a phoenix appeared, blazing flames swirling around her. Beneath her feet, seven soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black—glowed brightly. At that moment, Ma Xiaotao's aura surged wildly. "Wow!" The outer court students gasped in shock. Seven rings—Soul Sage! For most outer court students, this was an overwhelming level of power. An inner court senior was a Soul Sage-level expert? As expected of Shrek Academy's inner court! The outer court students were beyond excited, eagerly anticipating the battle to come.