Chapter 88: The Shrek Seven Devils and the Reserve Team
After an unknown amount of time, the waters on both sides of the Sea God Lake were separated by layers of ice, revealing a passage.
Lin Xuan walked steadily out of the cold lake water, holding the unconscious Ma Xiaotao in his arms, and stepped onto the damp grass by the lakeshore.
Under the moonlight, Lin Xuan had already changed into dry casual clothes. A few strands of hair clung to his forehead, and water droplets slid down his cold, sharp profile.
In his arms, Ma Xiaotao was tightly wrapped in an obviously oversized white shirt. The hem of the shirt was very long, barely covering the middle of her thighs, revealing a pair of long, straight legs that looked like they were carved from white jade, shimmering with a faint luster in the night.
Her delicate ankles were exquisite, and her toes were slightly curled from the previous cold, tinged with a faint, fragile pink as they hung down silently.
Her entire body was enveloped in the shirt that carried Lin Xuan's scent, leaving only a small portion of her peaceful profile visible, which still bore a hint of a blush.
Just as Lin Xuan stood firm and looked up, he saw a figure standing quietly by the lake at some point.
The moonlight spilled over her like water, reflecting a gentle and beautiful face with a temperament as elegant as a secluded orchid.
She had a soft smile and clear eyes; it was the Eldest Senior Sister, Zhang Lexuan.
"Senior Sister," Lin Xuan nodded slightly, his tone calm and devoid of much emotion.
Zhang Lexuan's gaze quickly swept over Lin Xuan and the unconscious, tightly wrapped Ma Xiaotao in his arms, a trace of complexity appearing in her eyes.
She said warmly, "Junior Lin Xuan, I've troubled you. Also—I'm sorry, I arrived late."
Lin Xuan remained noncommittal and simply asked directly, "Where is Dean Yan? Such a major incident happened to his personal disciple, yet he, as her teacher, didn't show up to handle it himself?"
Hearing this, the gentle smile on Zhang Lexuan's face stiffened slightly. She could see that Lin Xuan's current mood was definitely not good, which she understood well.
After all, even she was quite speechless about the almost absurd behavior of Yan Shaozhe and Xuan Zi last night.
But as the Eldest Senior Sister of the Inner Court, it was her responsibility to maintain the dignity of her elders and handle various emergencies. Zhang Lexuan could only sigh softly and find an excuse, "Dean Yan... has important matters to attend to at the moment and cannot get away for now. It was Elder Mu who instructed me to handle the follow-up matters."
She paused, looked at Lin Xuan, and said sincerely, "Regarding last night, thank you for your help in controlling Xiaotao's Evil Fire and avoiding a worse situation. Elder Mu said that if you are willing, you can stay in the Inner Court tonight; a room has been prepared."
Lin Xuan pondered for a moment before nodding.
The next morning, Sea God Island, inside a quiet and elegant room.
"Mmm..."
Ma Xiaotao's long eyelashes fluttered a few times, and then she slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze was somewhat empty and dazed as she stared blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling.
Immediately after, she felt something unusual about her body.
Moving slightly, the sensation from under the blanket... seemed a bit too airy?
She subconsciously lifted a corner of the blanket and looked down.
Whoosh!
Her cheeks instantly turned beet red!
Aside from an obviously oversized white men's shirt that didn't belong to her, there was—nothing else!
The fabric of the shirt rubbed against her skin, bringing an unfamiliar sensation, while a faint, crisp, and clean scent of an unfamiliar male lingered at the tip of her nose.
At the same time, memories flooded into her mind like a torrent breaking through a dam!
A Soul Master's powerful Spiritual Power meant that even when her consciousness was lost, her perception of the outside world was much clearer than that of an ordinary person.
Those fragmented yet vivid images, sensations, and sounds replayed with absolute clarity in her mind. "Aaaah—!"
Ma Xiaotao suddenly covered her burning face with both hands, feeling utterly ashamed and indignant. She curled up under the blanket, leaving only the tips of her ears exposed, which were red and hot.
Under the blanket, she frantically messed up her already disheveled long red hair, screaming inwardly, Ma Xiaotao, oh Ma Xiaotao! What on earth did you do?! Just because the Evil Fire got to your head, you think you can do whatever you want?!
"How embarrassing!"
After a long while, she finally managed to struggle out of that immense sense of shame, looking like she had lost all hope in life.
However, the images in her mind uncontrollably surfaced again.
She unconsciously pursed her lips, as if reminiscing about that slightly cool, unique sensation carrying the scent of the lake—her heart raced uncontrollably again.
"Do you like... the dominant type?" she murmured softly. Her eyes shifted from shame and confusion to a slight glimmer, as if she were contemplating something.
A moment later, Ma Xiaotao, now properly dressed, took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
Coincidentally, the door to the room opposite opened at the same time.
The person who walked out had black hair and black eyes, with a tall and straight stature. Who else could it be but Lin Xuan?
Their eyes met.
Ma Xiaotao froze, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Her cheeks, which had just calmed down, turned red again at a visible speed.
She was at a loss, her eyes darting around, and her voice stammered, "Y-you... why are you here?"
Lin Xuan looked at her state and raised an eyebrow slightly. "What? I can't be here?"
"No, no, no! That's not what I meant!" Ma Xiaotao waved her hands hurriedly, her head shaking like a rattle, her expression panicked. "I mean... um... that..."
She "that"-ed for a long time without saying anything coherent, so embarrassed she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Seeing her like this, Lin Xuan suddenly found it a bit amusing.
He shook his head, his tone returning to its usual indifference. "Alright, stop dazing around. Senior Sister just sent word that this morning, the official members and reserve members of this generation's Shrek Seven Devils are to gather at the Inner Court Soul Dueling Arena to get to know each other."
After saying that, he turned and took the lead toward the Soul Dueling Arena.
Ma Xiaotao stood dazed on the spot, watching his departing back. She opened her mouth and whispered, "I haven't even returned the shirt to you yet..."
"What?" Lin Xuan seemed to have heard her and suddenly turned his head.
Ma Xiaotao's whole body stiffened. "N-nothing!"
Lin Xuan shook his head speechlessly and left directly.
On the other side, inside the Inner Court Soul Dueling Arena.
Xu Sanshi, Bei Bei, He Caitou, Jiang Nannan, Ning Tian, Wang Dong, and the other reserve members had almost all arrived.
Of the official Shrek Seven Devils of this generation, besides Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, Ling Luochen, and others were also present.
"Strange, Junior Lin Xuan has always been quite punctual. Why hasn't he arrived yet today?" Bei Bei checked the time with some confusion.
Ning Tian also frowned slightly, her gaze shifting toward the entrance from time to time.
Just then, Xu Sanshi suddenly let out a low "hehe" laugh. With a mysterious look, he leaned in close to Bei Bei, nudged him with his elbow, and lowered his voice. "Bei Bei, I know why that kid Lin Xuan is late! And not just him—I also know why Sister Xiaotao hasn't shown up yet!"
Although his voice was low, everyone present was a Soul Master with keen ears and sharp eyes. Immediately, several gazes "shinged" over.
Seeing Xu Sanshi's winking and lewd expression, Bei Bei knew this guy definitely had nothing good to say. He glared at him irritably, "Is your skin itching again? You dare to gossip about Sister Xiaotao and Junior Lin Xuan behind their backs? Be careful, if Sister Xiaotao finds out, she'll beat you so hard you won't be able to get out of bed for half a month!"
"Who's talking nonsense!" Xu Sanshi got anxious, craning his neck. "I saw it with my own eyes last night—"
He deliberately dragged out his tone, keeping everyone in suspense. Just as he was about to spill the shocking gossip about the Sea God Lake from last night, a long, powerful hand suddenly rested on his shoulder without warning.
At the same time, a calm, emotionless voice echoed eerily behind him, "Saw... what exactly, Senior Xu Sanshi?"
Xu Sanshi's body stiffened abruptly. His neck turned like a rusty machine, bit by bit.
He saw that Lin Xuan had stood behind him at some point, looking at him with a half-smile.
What made Xu Sanshi's heart stop even more was that not far behind Lin Xuan, Ma Xiaotao, who looked no different from usual, was also stepping into the Soul Dueling Arena.
Her gaze swept over, lingering on Xu Sanshi for a moment. Although she didn't speak, Xu Sanshi felt as if a red "DANGER" sign was flashing above his head.
Xu Sanshi swallowed hard, forced a smile that looked worse than crying, and raised his hands, his voice trembling, "I—I didn't see anything last night! Really! I swear! I went back to sleep very early last night, slept like a dead pig!"
Lin Xuan looked at him without speaking, only the hand on his shoulder applied a bit of pressure, patting him heavily.
With every pat, Xu Sanshi's body sank a bit lower, and the smile on his face became even more bitter.
"You'd better have."
Lin Xuan ignored him further, and Ma Xiaotao, as if she hadn't seen Xu Sanshi at all, walked over to the Official Team and took her place.
Only her slightly flushed cheeks and the occasional glance toward Lin Xuan's direction revealed the fact that her heart was far from as calm as her surface.
Inside the Soul Dueling Arena, the atmosphere became strangely quiet for a moment.
Bei Bei suppressed a laugh and looked sympathetically at Xu Sanshi, who was about to shrink into a corner.
Ning Tian looked thoughtfully at the calm Lin Xuan, then at the slightly blushing Ma Xiaotao, her brow furrowed as if she were pondering something.
While the few of them were conversing, a series of light and steady footsteps sounded from the high platform on one side of the Soul Dueling Arena.
Everyone looked over in unison, but when they saw the person arriving, both the official and Reserve Teams were stunned.
Appearing on the high platform was not the slovenly Elder Xuan they had expected, who always carried a chicken leg and a wine gourd, but Zhang Lexuan, dressed in an elegant long dress with a temperament as gentle as deep, still water.
"Eldest Senior Sister?" Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and the other Inner Court disciples were all taken aback.
Zhang Lexuan nodded slightly to the crowd below with a peaceful smile. "Good morning, everyone. Elder Xuan has some urgent matters to attend to temporarily, so I will be presiding over today's exchange between the Official Team and the Reserve Team."
Hearing this, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, and the others' eyes lit up. Compared to the unreliable-looking Xuan Zi, the gentle Zhang Lexuan clearly made them feel more at ease.
"Urgent matters? He was probably scolded by Elder Mu and went to reflect on himself..." Lin Xuan thought to himself.
"Please be quiet."
After the faint murmurs in the arena subsided, Zhang Lexuan first looked at Lin Xuan and the other six reserve members, smiling as she said, "I think you all should have more or less guessed the purpose of the academy summoning you to the Inner Court to meet the Official Team members, right?"
"Is it for... the upcoming Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Competition?" Xu Sanshi asked tentatively.
"Exactly." Zhang Lexuan nodded in affirmation. "The seven of you are the reserve members who stood out through the selection matches. You will travel with the Official Team as substitutes."
She paused and explained in a gentle tone, "However, your main task is not to go on stage to fight, but to accumulate tournament experience by watching the matches on-site and feeling the atmosphere of top-tier Soul Master confrontations."
Her tone shifted as she encouraged them, "Of course, if the team encounters opponents who are not top-tier during the competition, the academy will also consider giving you some opportunities to fight on stage and hone yourselves."
"Phew—scared me. I thought they really wanted us Outer Academy kids to fight the matches."
Xu Sanshi patted his chest exaggeratedly, looking like he had lingering fears. "If that were the case, Shrek's undefeated myth would probably end in our hands."
His words elicited knowing smiles from everyone, and the atmosphere relaxed considerably.
Afterward, while Lin Xuan remained indifferent, the other reserve members like Xu Sanshi and Bei Bei couldn't help but have a glimmer of anticipation in their eyes.
It was impossible not to be excited. After all, that was the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Competition. The geniuses they thought they were might just be another face in the crowd there.
"Eldest Senior Sister," Ma Xiaotao spoke up at this point, "how are we going to exchange next? We can't just stand here and chat, can we?"
"That is exactly what I am about to announce."
Zhang Lexuan's gaze swept across the field. "According to Elder Xuan's original arrangement, a seven-on-seven team battle will now take place between the Official Team and the Reserve Team."
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