"Xiao Ya?"
"Huh? Wh-what is it, Nannan?"
Jiang Nannan's voice pulled Tang Ya back to reality from her wild wandering thoughts. Looking at Jiang Nannan and recalling the things she had just unconsciously imagined, Tang Ya felt inexplicably guilty.
"I saw you spacing out suddenly; I thought something had happened."
"No... I just remembered some things..."
"I see." Jiang Nannan nodded and didn't pry further. Everyone has their secrets, and there was no need to investigate too much.
The two continued to wait, but after a good while, instead of Huo Yuhao, they were met by several people dressed in blue-black uniforms.
Jiang Nannan noticed them immediately because the clothes they wore were the uniforms of the Spirit Transmission Pagoda staff.
A youth who appeared to be in his early twenties, wearing a black glove on one hand and clearly the leader of the group, stepped forward and spoke:
"Hello. I am Lin Le, leader of the second team of the Spirit Transmission Pagoda Security Department. Are you Miss Jiang Nannan and Miss Tang Ya?"
Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya exchanged a glance before Tang Ya stepped forward.
"Yes, that's us. Is something the matter?"
"It's like this: the Pagoda Master has asked us to invite you both to the headquarters. Your luggage and other belongings should also be brought there," Lin Le said calmly.
"Did that guy change the plan?" Tang Ya asked suspiciously.
"Mister must have a profound reason for doing this," Jiang Nannan said earnestly. She then looked at Lin Le and the other staff members and added, "Sorry for the trouble."
...
the Spirit Transmission Pagoda headquarters was not far from the Shrek Outer Court. Benefiting from the staggering profits brought by selling soul rings, Huo Yuhao had made a grand gesture and purchased all the dozens of shops surrounding the one Ma Xiaotao had previously sold to him.
Afterward, Huo Yuhao built a tower here.
After all, it wouldn't be the Spirit Transmission Pagoda if it didn't actually have a tower; it would lack soul.
Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya were quite familiar with the place, as a certain someone frequently brought them to the laboratories inside. If they weren't still students making the daily commute inconvenient, they might have moved in long ago.
Taking the soul power elevator to the 18th floor—this was the Pagoda Master's exclusive laboratory and living area. Not many people had the authorization to visit this floor freely, but Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan happened to be among them.
Stepping out of the elevator, the two first checked the lab. Finding no one there, they walked straight toward the living quarters.
Following habit, they knocked. Upon hearing a familiar "Come in" from inside, they entered.
However, as soon as they stepped through the door, they sensed the atmosphere was a bit off.
Huo Yuhao was sitting on the sofa with a green-haired girl leaning in his arms. Beside them, a blonde girl was staring at the scene with gritted teeth, her face filled with envy.
Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan froze, instantly feeling like they had arrived at an awkward time.
"Um... Mi-Mister?"
Jiang Nannan spoke hesitantly, but her gaze involuntarily drifted to the sleeping Ice Emperor in Huo Yuhao's arms. A flash of envy, similar to Skydream's, appeared in her eyes.
"Oh, you're here."
Huo Yuhao nodded, showing no signs of fluster.
He hadn't slept at all last night, focusing entirely on helping Ice Emperor nourish her body. This morning, when he saw the time was right, he had planned to wake her up and pick up the other two to head to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
However, he found that no matter how he tried, he couldn't wake Ice Emperor.
Upon inspection, he realized she had fallen into a deep slumber.
The specific reason was that the nourishing session had lasted too long and their proximity was too close, resulting in such high efficiency that Ice Emperor's body had absorbed a massive amount of Ultimate Ice power from Huo Yuhao all at once. To rapidly digest this energy, her body naturally entered a deep sleep state.
Most importantly, Huo Yuhao discovered that to maximize the results of this digestion, he had to continuously channel Ultimate Ice energy into her. If he stopped abruptly, her body might enter a state of depletion, potentially injuring her.
Thus, he had no choice but to let Ice Emperor stay glued to him. He had to delegate the task of picking up Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya to his subordinates.
"Since you're here, let's go."
Huo Yuhao gently picked up Ice Emperor. Perhaps due to the attraction of the Ultimate Ice, sensing the movement, Ice Emperor snuggled closer into Huo Yuhao's chest and continued her slumber, showing no intention of waking up.
With a thought, a spatial portal manifested before him.
"Let's go," Huo Yuhao said softly, without explaining Ice Emperor's identity to the two girls.
Tang Ya was slightly shocked; this was the first time she had seen Huo Yuhao use such a method. Jiang Nannan, on the other hand, was used to it, as she sometimes traveled between the academy and the lab with him via spatial portals.
Without much hesitation, Jiang Nannan took her luggage and stepped through the portal. Seeing her best friend's lack of hesitation, Tang Ya thought for a moment and followed suit.
As Huo Yuhao was about to enter, Skydream spoke up pitifully:
"Yuhao... take me with you..."
Huo Yuhao sighed. "Sister Skydream, someone has to watch the Spirit Transmission Pagoda. With Ice Emperor asleep, you're the only one I can trust by my side. I have no choice..."
"This..."
Skydream was at a loss for words. Looking at Ice Emperor cradled in Yuhao's arms, she was incredibly envious.
Jealousy? No, that didn't exist. Skydream still remembered her ultimate goal of a monogamous relationship and had been working hard toward it.
However, she realized that while she had been working hard while that "bad woman" (Gu Yuena) was away, Bingbing had pulled an overtake on the inside lane, and her "affection progress" was skyrocketing!
The beautiful triangle she had envisioned... seemed to be kicking her out!
"Alright, Sister Skydream. I'll bring Ice Emperor back tonight; we won't stay there forever," Huo Yuhao comforted her.
The Spirit Transmission Pagoda was now on the right track and didn't need constant supervision like before. However, the reason he wanted Skydream to stay was that he was afraid those "experimental subjects" who had delivered themselves to his door might take their things and run.
Since Huo Yuhao announced he was "only" a Soul Saint, various nations had developed some inappropriate ideas. In just the past month, he had gained three more experimental subjects at the Titled Douluo level!
He couldn't help but admire their generosity.
With Skydream there, if she could delay them for even a minute, he would have enough time to return and ensure those resources weren't wasted.
"Is that so... fine. You have to come back early!"
Skydream was reluctant. She looked at Huo Yuhao, then at the sleeping Ice Emperor, and finally stopped trying to persuade him.