The Rose Hotel That Always Has Only One Room

"So you're headed to Shrek Academy, huh? I know that place," Su Xing said. "They claim they only accept 'monsters'—ordinary genius students aren't admitted. But with your talent, it shouldn't be difficult for you to get in!"

"I thought about attending Shrek Academy too a while back, but then I gave up," he added.

Walking ahead, Zhu Zhuqing listened to his voice with a sense of helplessness. In the end, she hadn't been able to get rid of Su Xing! Now that things had been cleared up, she didn't have the heart to continue ignoring him. She figured it was like having an extra companion.

"Why did you give up?" Zhu Zhuqing asked, still curious despite her irritation.

"Because no one there can teach me!" Su Xing said proudly. "If anything, I'd be the one teaching them!"

Zhu Zhuqing was speechless. She didn't believe a word and thought Su Xing was just being arrogant.

"Really? Then how do you think my martial soul should be cultivated?" she asked, wanting to see what the boastful Su Xing would say.

"Your Hell Civet is a top-tier agility-type martial soul, so just continue focusing on speed," Su Xing said confidently. "Among all soul techniques, speed is unbeatable!"

Zhu Zhuqing's eyes brightened at his words. She found the phrase impressive and fitting for an agility-type martial soul, but she didn't think much of the rest. It was just another way to describe the extreme-speed theory in the world of soul masters. Su Xing had simply mentioned speed.

"My family has always trained our martial souls that way," Zhu Zhuqing huffed, dismissing his advice even more.

Su Xing kept his deeper thoughts to himself. He wasn't about to reveal everything just to impress her. His theories didn't fully apply to the current soul master system, which had its own advantages. After all, it allowed for faster power growth and came with pre-existing soul techniques that were hard to create on one's own.

Su Xing had low innate soul power, so the conventional system wasn't suitable for him—unless he wanted to remain mediocre.

...

In the Barak Kingdom, Suotuo City was the second-largest city after the capital, and its most famous landmark was the Rose Hotel, known for bringing couples together.

Su Xing knew exactly why this hotel was so successful: whenever a man and a woman arrived together, the hotel would mysteriously "only have one room left."

"I'm sorry, but we only have one room available," the receptionist said when Su Xing and Zhu Zhuqing arrived.

"Really? No extra rooms at all?" Su Xing asked, pretending to be clueless.

"That's correct, sir. Would you like to share the room?" the receptionist replied with a smile.

"Zhu Zhuqing, what do you think?" Su Xing asked, though he clearly wanted to agree.

"We'll find another hotel. Or, you stay here, and I'll look for a different place," Zhu Zhuqing said coldly, rejecting the idea outright. She had strong principles and self-respect. Su Xing wasn't her boyfriend, and she would never share a room with him.

"Wait!" Su Xing quickly called out to her before she left.

Turning back to the receptionist, he sighed and said, "Book us two rooms. I know you have them. I like the girl, but I don't need your hotel to make that happen."

He handed over two gold soul coins, making the receptionist quickly comply. "Certainly, sir, please wait while I process the rooms," she said with a respectful smile, although who knows what she really thought of him.

"Shameless!" Zhu Zhuqing muttered. She wasn't fooled—if she hadn't refused, Su Xing would definitely have tried to share a room with her. But she wasn't mad. She already knew Su Xing's shamelessness and thick skin. It would have been strange if he hadn't tried something like that.

"Here's your money back!" she said, handing a gold coin to Su Xing as they walked down the hallway to their rooms.

"Got it," Su Xing replied with a helpless sigh as he accepted the coin. He knew that if he didn't take it, Zhu Zhuqing would just walk off.

"One more thing!" Su Xing said, stopping her before she went into her room. "We're not far from Shrek Academy now. To truly see Dai Mubai's character, don't let him know you're here yet."

"We need to observe him secretly—that way you'll get a real look at what he's been doing while hiding out here," he said.

"No need to remind me!" Zhu Zhuqing huffed again. That was her plan from the start. As long as she concealed her soul power, Dai Mubai wouldn't sense her. In contrast, Dai Mubai, not knowing she was nearby, wouldn't bother hiding his own energy. Their martial souls had some connection, so Zhu Zhuqing would be able to detect him as soon as he got close. Then she could observe him without being seen.

"Hmm?" Zhu Zhuqing's expression suddenly changed. "He's here…"

"Dai Mubai?" Su Xing immediately realized who she meant. He thought for a moment—could this be the same scene from the original story where Dai Mubai makes his appearance? It seemed possible.

"Yes, it's him," Zhu Zhuqing said, her expression complex. She was about to see that person again—what kind of state was Dai Mubai in now?

"Perfect! Let's go see what he's up to. This is a couples' hotel, after all. Who could Dai Mubai be with?" Su Xing smiled and led the way downstairs.

Zhu Zhuqing's face darkened slightly but she followed him quietly.