Douluo ║ Vermilion Ice Harmony

Xie Siran

Compared to Zhou Yi's class yesterday, today's classes were-at least to the students too relaxed. Both their morning and afternoon classes were on theory. The morning class was about the classification of martial souls, while the afternoon class was about distinguishing a soul beast's age.

Since most of the students were familiar with what was being covered in the two classes already, they didn't pay them much attention. However, Xue Rui and Huo Yuhao were different; they listened to the teacher with rapt attention.

After attending all the classes, it was already afternoon. Xue Rui left the classroom and started to walk towards the dormitories. If it was a normal day, others would only stare at her for a few seconds, but today something felt off. They were clearly giving her the judging looks and whispering among themselves.

Xue Rui frowned. She kept a low profile since the start of admission. There was no reason for others to discuss her.

She tried to hear what they were talking about.

"It's her! She was the one with Senior Xie!"

"She was being held by Senior Xie!"

"I saw it with my own eyes. That new outer courtyard flower Xue Rui was with Brother Xie!"

"Oh, Senior Xie is too talented! Who doesn't have an idea about him?"

"Oh, I can only envy!"

"Did you know? Senior Xie skipped three grades to enter the inner courtyard!"

"That means Brother Xie is only 15? That's too young to apply for inner courtyard assessment!"

"Don't you know? He is already level 48 soul sect! When the Continental Advance Soul Master Competition will be held in two years, he will be a main player if he can get his cultivation at level 55. I got the inner news! It's absolutely true!"

"Hey! Fifteen years old 48 soul sect? What kind of sorcery is that?"

"Why would someone like Brother Xie look at this girl? Isn't she only a pretty face!"

"Oh, you are just jealous!"

Xue Rui's face turned pale. It seemed like the handsome senior was not someone to be messed with. But why was everyone trying to tie her up with that Senior Xie?

Just when she was thinking about going to dormitories and putting away those messy gossip to take the pills she had collected these two days, a little red bird flew over and landed on her head.

"..."

"Chirp!"

"..."

"Why is it you again? I am already in trouble for you!" Xue Rui caught the bird from her head and looked at it face to face.

"Chirp! Chirp-"

"No, I am not going. I was almost suffocated by that senior! By the way, aren't you a martial soul? Why are you so small and why do you have your own will?"

"Chirp!" The little bird got out of her grip and chirped.

Xue Rui tried to ignore it and went towards the dormitories, but the further she went the harder the bird chirped. It sounded pitiful. Feeling helpless, Xue Rui sighed and decided to follow it.

She followed until there were fewer and fewer students. The Shrek Academy was gigantic almost like a large city with its own rules and power. It took about 20 minutes to walk here. This area was also by the side of the outer courtyard and close to Sea God Lake. There was a pavilion built with white marble.

Xue Rui thought she would see that handsome senior again but there was no one here. The little bird landed on the table inside the pavilion. Xue Rui didn't understand its meaning and decided to sit there.

She teased the bird and liked it when it fried its feathers. She wasn't that bored. After sitting for a while, she decided to leave but the little bird protested. It chirped.

"But I have to go and cultivate or I will fall behind."

"Chirp!"

Xue Rui somehow understood this bird's way of expressing its meaning. It meant to let her cultivate here.

Xue Rui looked around and found no one. So she decided to cultivate here. The air and aura here were much richer. She sat down in a lotus position and quickly entered meditation.

Not long after a red figure came out from nowhere. He bent down and looked at her. Specifically her aura and soul power when she was meditating. The blue-white soul aura from her had a cold feeling.

"It's compatible. No wonder." His magnetic voice was heard. Seeing him, the little red bird flew towards him and sat on his shoulder. As if asking for his praise, it even chirped.

"Chirp!"

He looked at the bird but didn't comment. He chose a seat not far from her and sat down. Probably feeling that sitting here was boring, he took out a book from his soul guide and started reading it. The little bird was very honest and didn't dare to chirp anymore.

After an hour and a half, Xue Rui woke up from her meditation feeling all of her exhaustion disappeared. When she looked ahead her eyes collided with another pair of golden pupils. They were cold and void of emotions. She was startled and stood up hastily.

"Sorry. I was just-" Xue Rui thought she occupied his place, that's why he was staring at her.

"Xue Rui, will be 12 years old in a month, twin martial souls, level 31 soul lord, orphaned two months ago because of evil soul masters." The unhurried cold male voice started making Xue Rui's explanation stop midway.

Xue Rui felt a little scared. The first time they met he choked her, the second time he simply exposed her information.

The boy opposite her sighed a little. He closed the book in his hands and put it away. "Do you want to follow me?"

Xue Rui was shocked. "Follow you? W-what do you mean?" a gentle wind blew past making her long bluish silver hair sway. Her eyes widened a little because of being shocked. She looked a little cute.

"Be a subordinate." He replied simply.

"Why?"

This time the boy looked at her face for a few more seconds and replied slowly, "You should have felt it yesterday. We are very compatible, we should have a martial soul fusion skill together."

Xue Rui didn't think about yesterday that much. She only felt closer to him but the soul suppression overcame it all. Now thinking about it. There was a high chance for them to have a fusion soul skill.

So she nodded uneasily. "I think so. But why do you want me to be your subordinate?"

"You are quite talented. If you are trained well, you could easily enter the inner courtyard. But the reason I asked you to be my subordinate-" He stopped speaking.

"Huh?" Xue Rui expressed her confusion.

"I think we can cultivate faster with each other's presence. Just like now. When you were practicing did you feel it?" He asked.

Xue Rui thought it was just the place that was richer in auras. So, he was there all along? Xue Rui hummed.

"If I agree, will I get any benefits?" Xue Rui thought that even if it was only the benefits of cultivation, it was good. But he sounded so insincere.

"Yes. I will train you. Give you resources. More than you will get some any sect. But you have to cultivate with me three hours daily." His voice was firm at the beginning but slowed down a lot when saying the last sentence. "So, do you agree?"

Xue Rui was very shocked. She didn't expect this pie to fall from nowhere. But at this moment she really needed resources and fighting skills. And from his expression, he didn't seem to lie.

But in the book, there was no mention of him. Or maybe he was just a passerby. When Xue Rui was thinking hard, the handsome boy started to speak again.

"What do you think?"

In the end, Xue Rui agreed.

"I am Xie Siran. Remember my name."