Douluo Continent: Thunder Roar

Ling Yu walked in front, with Wang Dong'er and Jiang Nannan following behind on either side. The three of them walked through the tree-lined path in the outer courtyard and headed towards the inner courtyard.

The inner courtyard is more tranquil than the outer courtyard. The bamboo grove sways gently in the wind, and the bamboo leaves rustle softly, making a sense of peace and quiet compared to the hustle and bustle of the outer courtyard.

Wang Dong'er walked beside Ling Yu with light steps, her fingertips occasionally brushing against the bamboo leaves beside her. After a few steps, she suddenly turned her head, her gaze falling on Jiang Nannan, her tone casual yet tinged with curiosity: "What did Sister Le Xuan want with you?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nannan glanced at Ling Yu first. Seeing that he remained calm and showed no intention of speaking, she smiled and said gently, "It seems that something happened with Senior Sister Ma Xiaotao, but I don't know the specifics."

"Ma Xiaotao?" Wang Dong'er frowned, thought carefully for a moment, and then asked uncertainly, "Is she the senior sister who seemed a little strange last time?"

Jiang Nannan nodded slightly, a faint smile flashing in her eyes, and didn't say anything more about the details.

Wang Dong'er gave a thoughtful "Oh," then temporarily suppressed her curiosity and didn't ask any more questions, continuing to walk forward with light steps.

The three walked in silence for a while, the only sounds in the woods being the rustling of bamboo leaves and their light footsteps. After walking for a while, Wang Dong'er seemed to suddenly remember something, leaned closer, and asked again, "Is she in trouble again and urgently needs Ling Yu to come and help?"

Jiang Nannan couldn't help but smile, gently shook her head, and said in a still gentle tone, "No, it's just some other things, no rush."

She secretly decided not to tell Wang Dong'er about Xiao for the time being.

Wang Dong'er is Ling Yu's roommate. If it were appropriate for her to know about this, Ling Yu, as the leader, would definitely invite her personally. There's no need for me to worry about it; saying more would be inappropriate.

After hearing this, Wang Dong'er didn't ask any more questions. She nodded gently, her gaze returning to Ling Yu in front of her, and quietly followed him forward.

The inner courtyard is more tranquil than the outer courtyard. The bamboo grove sways gently in the wind, and the bamboo leaves rustle softly, making a sense of peace and quiet compared to the hustle and bustle of the outer courtyard.

Inside the Jing Si Xuan, Zhang Lexuan sat at a stone table, holding a cup of warm tea in her hand. Her fingertips gently touched the inside of the cup as she slowly sipped, her expression serene, exuding a gentle and composed aura.

On the stone bench beside her, Ma Xiaotao, dressed in striking red, crossed her legs in a flamboyant and casual manner, her fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the stone tabletop with a slightly hurried rhythm.

Clearly, she had been waiting here for quite some time.

In fact, even before Ling Yu arrived, Ma Xiaotao had already approached Zhang Lexuan, expressing her desire to join Xiao.

Zhang Lexuan knew that Xiao's leader was Ling Yu, and whether or not she could join ultimately depended on Ling Yu's approval, so she sent someone to call Ling Yu over.

The courtyard gate was gently pushed open, and Ling Yu walked in first, followed closely by Jiang Nannan. But before the two of them could reach the stone table, Wang Dong'er also poked her head in and quickly caught up with Ling Yu, clearly determined to follow him all the way.

Upon seeing Ling Yu, Ma Xiaotao's eyes lit up instantly. She immediately stood up from the stone bench, her tone filled with urgency. However, when she caught sight of Wang Dong'er beside Ling Yu, she paused and her expression changed slightly.

She originally wanted to talk about joining Xiao in front of Zhang Lexuan and Ling Yu, but it was inconvenient to say some things in front of outsiders.

"You're here?" Ma Xiaotao suppressed her eagerness and softened her tone, but her gaze subtly swept over Wang Dong'er, a hint of doubt in her eyes.

Ling Yu nodded lightly, walked straight to the stone table and sat down, and Jiang Nannan took the empty seat next to him.

Wang Dong'er didn't stand on ceremony. She pulled over a stone bench on the other side of Ling Yu and sat down, casually picking up a teacup from the table, completely unaware of the subtle atmosphere.

Seeing this, Ma Xiaotao leaned close to Zhang Lexuan's ear and whispered, "Why is she here too? Is she one of Xiao's people?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lexuan couldn't help but shake her head with a smile, and replied in a similarly low voice, "No, it's just Ling Yu's roommate who came along."

Upon learning that Wang Dong'er was not one of Xiao's people, Ma Xiaotao raised an eyebrow, glanced at Wang Dong'er again, and a knowing look flashed in her eyes—since she wasn't one of them, she naturally couldn't talk about joining Xiao in front of her, lest the news leak out.

She withdrew her gaze, picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, suppressed the urgency in her heart, and secretly pondered how to avoid Wang Dong'er and talk business with Ling Yu.

Wang Dong'er noticed her gaze and looked up at her.

Ma Xiaotao immediately gave her a polite smile, said nothing more, and simply nodded.

Wang Dong'er didn't pay any attention. She lowered her head and took a sip of tea, still looking nonchalant. However, her gaze kept drifting towards Ling Yu from time to time, stealing a glance at him before quickly looking away, like a curious little animal.

Ma Xiaotao put down her teacup, her fingertips gently stroking the rim. She turned her gaze to Ling Yu, her tone seemingly casual, but actually containing a hint of probing: "I called you here today because there's something I want to tell you."

Ling Yu looked up at her, his expression calm and indifferent. He didn't say anything, just waited quietly for her to continue.

He vaguely guessed that Ma Xiaotao's search for him was mostly related to Zhang Lexuan, or more likely, to Xiao.

Ma Xiaotao opened her mouth, wanting to talk about joining Xiao, but when she caught a glimpse of Wang Dong'er secretly observing Ling Yu, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

She paused, then her eyes lit up. Leaning forward, her tone instantly became lighter, masking her earlier probing: "I've been wanting to test your skills for a while, but haven't had the chance. Since we're free today, how about we have a spar?"

Ling Yu looked at her, his expression unchanged, and remained silent, only nodding slightly, which was taken as tacit acceptance of the suggestion to spar.

Seeing this, Ma Xiaotao peeked around again and casually asked, "Right here?"

The courtyard of Jing Si Xuan is not small, but it is not spacious enough for Soul Masters to spar.

Several emerald bamboos stood tall and graceful, and a few stone tables and benches were scattered around. If a fight were to break out, with the surge of soul power, they would be completely destroyed in no time, leaving no place to even step.

Ling Yu followed her gaze and looked around, then slowly shook his head, uttering only two words: "Not enough."

Ma Xiaotao clicked her tongue, frowned, and said with a hint of agreement, "That's true, it's really not fun to be restricted here, it's no fun."

She lowered her head and pondered for a moment, then suddenly her eyes lit up, as if she had thought of a perfect place, and her tone became excited again: "Then let's go to Poseidon Lake!"

Ling Yu looked up at her, his expression remaining calm, neither objecting nor agreeing.

Jiang Nannan, standing to the side, paused for a moment, then blurted out instinctively, "Sea God Lake? How can we fight on the lake? The lake is open, and there's no foothold. What if we slip and fall..."

Wang Dong'er immediately raised her head, her nonchalant expression fading and replaced by deep confusion. Her gaze darted back and forth between Ma Xiaotao and Ling Yu, clearly unable to understand how they could spar on the lake.

Ma Xiaotao raised an eyebrow, a smug smile playing on her lips, her tone laced with a self-assured pride: "My martial soul is a fire phoenix, which can fly, so it's naturally not limited by the lake. Besides, most inner court disciples can use their soul power to stabilize themselves and walk on the lake—as long as they control it properly, it's no different from walking on flat ground."

As she spoke, her gaze deliberately fell on Ling Yu, a hint of amusement and scrutiny in her eyes, and a subtle provocation in her tone: "What, you're not impotent, are you?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nannan and Wang Dong'er's gazes immediately focused on Ling Yu, their eyes filled with worry and curiosity.

Ma Xiaotao can fly, and inner court disciples can walk on water, but Ling Yu is just a freshman in the outer court, only a three-ring Soul Master. Can he really stand firmly on the lake?

Wang Dong'er stared intently at Ling Yu, her pink-blue eyes filled with curiosity and a hint of anticipation, hoping he would give a different answer and bring a surprise.

Ling Yu didn't speak, but slowly stood up, straightened his clothes, and uttered two words: "Let's go."

How can a man say he can't do it?

Besides, it's just wading in water.

Ma Xiaotao's eyes lit up instantly, and she jumped up from the stone bench with nimble and light movements. Her red dress fluttered slightly in the wind, making her stand out dazzlingly: "That's right! I knew you wouldn't back down!"