Do you like me

Jiang Xinyao's beautiful eyes stared intently at Qin Hao, her pupils reflecting his still-calm figure.

Her full-power strike had actually been caught by Qin Hao. And not just caught—it was done with such effortless ease!

It was like brushing away a drifting feather, or casually snuffing out a faint candle flame. Relaxed and effortless.

She was the Imperial Daughter of the Jiang family, possessing the Heavenly Phoenix Divine Physique. She was universally recognized as an unparalleled genius among her peers. Even with her cultivation suppressed to the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, the enhancement of her divine physique gave her enough combat power to sweep through the vast majority of Soul Formation stage cultivators.

Yet today, this conviction was shattered by the masked, unidentified man standing before her in such an understated manner.

Jiang Xinyao found it hard to accept. If it had been a bitter, evenly matched battle and she lost in the end, she wouldn't have minded much. But Qin Hao had blocked her attack so effortlessly, and even threw out such a mocking remark.

"Too weak~"

These three light words felt like a red-hot branding iron pressed against Jiang Xinyao's face.

Qin Hao looked at the dazed Jiang Xinyao, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. "Miss Jiang, how about it? Do I now qualify to be number one in your heart?"

Hearing Qin Hao's words, Jiang Xinyao finally snapped back to reality. She gripped the sword in her hand tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

Gritting her teeth, she refused to concede. "Are you kidding me? The battle has just begun."

Qin Hao shook his head in slight helplessness. Still not convinced? It made sense. Jiang Xinyao was the highly arrogant Imperial Daughter of the Jiang family. How could she calmly accept such a massive disparity?

Thinking of this, Qin Hao opened his arms:

"Alright, bring out whatever other tricks you have up your sleeve. I'll take them all!"

"Don't blame me! You brought this upon yourself!" Jiang Xinyao's gaze turned sharp. She took a deep breath, preparing to use her ultimate killing move.

She sheathed her immortal sword, then formed a hand seal in front of her chest.

Qin Hao recognized the seal at a glance, and his lips curled into a smirk:

"Oh, preparing to use the Nirvana Divine Fire? If it were anyone else, they would definitely have a massive headache facing such a divine flame. But unfortunately, it's useless against me, because I am also an owner of the Heavenly Phoenix Divine Physique."

"With my divine blood, ignite my true soul!" Jiang Xinyao shouted loudly. Her face instantly turned pale; clearly, channeling the Nirvana Divine Fire placed an immense burden on her.

A supremely pure cluster of powerful flames, intertwining the intent of life and death, appeared in Jiang Xinyao's hands.

This was the Nirvana Divine Fire.

For the possessors of the Heavenly Phoenix Divine Physique, the Nirvana Divine Fire was a supreme flame capable of tempering their divine physique, purifying their bloodline, and even allowing them to be reborn from the ashes. Yet for anyone else, it was an apocalyptic blaze that would ignite upon contact, incinerating the body and destroying the soul!

"I have no intention of taking your life. It's not too late to admit defeat now. Although I will retract the divine fire if you can't withstand it, the physical agony will be unavoidable."

Qin Hao chuckled softly. This Imperial Daughter of the Jiang family was actually quite kind-hearted. It seemed she hadn't experienced much of the cruel world yet, otherwise she wouldn't feel the need to explain herself before every move.

Qin Hao crooked his finger at Jiang Xinyao. "It's merely the Nirvana Divine Fire. I don't even put it in my eyes."

Qin Hao's utterly dismissive attitude deeply stung Jiang Xinyao's pride. Gritting her teeth, her eyes filled with cold intent as she glared at him. "You chose this yourself!"

"I refuse to believe you can block this move too! Nirvana Divine Fire, go!"

This origin fire, containing the dual laws of nirvana and destruction, hurtled toward Qin Hao at breakneck speed. Watching the rapidly approaching Nirvana Divine Fire, Qin Hao stood quietly in place.

If one observed closely, they would see that not only was there no fear on Qin Hao's face, but there was even a hint of anticipation.

"Heavenly Phoenix Divine Physique, open!"

The scene that unfolded next caused Jiang Xinyao's entire worldview to collapse.

After Qin Hao activated his Heavenly Phoenix Divine Physique, the terrifying Nirvana Divine Fire actually let out a joyous hum. It then voluntarily dispersed all of its destructive aura, floating gently into Qin Hao's palm before silently merging into his body.

Seeing this, the confidence on Jiang Xinyao's face instantly froze.

Her eyes widened into perfect circles and her red lips parted slightly. She stood rooted to the spot, stiff as if struck by lightning.

"No, no, this... this is impossible!!!" Jiang Xinyao muttered in a daze.

"How could this be? He... how did he absorb the Nirvana Divine Fire? How is this possible?"

"Who is he? Who on earth is he? That is the Nirvana Divine Fire! How could a mere peak Nascent Soul stage cultivator absorb my Nirvana Divine Fire?"

After absorbing the divine fire, Qin Hao exhaled a breath of stale air:

"Miss Jiang, is this your final trump card? It's nothing special."

Adding insult to injury, Jiang Xinyao's delicate body trembled violently, her face instantly turning as pale as paper.

She stared at Qin Hao's masked face for a long while before finally speaking in a faint voice:

"You win. You were right. Your combat power is indeed the greatest among everyone I've ever met. You are well deserving of the title!"

"Rest assured, since I have given my word, I will keep it. I will agree to one condition of yours. As long as it is within my power, any condition will do. What do you want?"

Qin Hao looked at Jiang Xinyao with a smile. "I haven't thought of anything yet. I'll tell you once I figure it out."

Jiang Xinyao looked at Qin Hao absentmindedly. At this moment, she had far too many questions in her heart.

Who exactly was this man? Where did he come from? Why did he possess such formidable strength? This kind of power was truly worthy of being called invincible among peers of the same realm!

He was so strong and had such incredible talent, so why was he doing something as unpresentable as acting as a rented Dao Companion? Furthermore, what kind of face was hidden beneath that mask?

"Who exactly are you?" The barrage of questions in her heart scratched at her like a swarm of ants. Jiang Xinyao couldn't wait to know everything.

Qin Hao gave a gentle smile, then walked up to Jiang Xinyao. Under her astonished gaze, he took her smooth, tender little hand:

"Is Miss Jiang really so forgetful? I am the temporary Dao Companion you summoned."

Qin Hao's words instantly turned Jiang Xinyao's cheeks bright red. Feeling the warmth transmitting from his palm, she snatched her hand back as if she had been electrocuted.

"D-don't speak nonsense. D-Dao Companion? I-I haven't agreed to that yet. A-and besides, I-I still have a marriage contract that h-hasn't been canceled yet."

With just a light tease from Qin Hao, Jiang Xinyao, who had never interacted intimately with the opposite sex, was instantly thrown into a panic, her speech immediately becoming a stuttering mess.

She liked strong individuals. Although her loss was primarily due to suppressing her cultivation base, the immense same-realm combat power Qin Hao displayed made Jiang Xinyao yearn for it.

Seeing Jiang Xinyao in this state, Qin Hao couldn't resist continuing to tease her:

"Miss Jiang, why don't you even dare to look at me? What's wrong? Were you won over by the overwhelming strength I displayed, and fell in love with me?"

Hearing this, Jiang Xinyao's face instantly flushed crimson, and she continuously waved her hands in denial:

"N-nonsense... I... I don't... like you. I am just curious... as to why your combat strength... is so incredibly high."

"I don't even know... what you... look like. How could I possibly... l-like... you?"

Watching Jiang Xinyao stammer so much she could barely form a coherent sentence, Qin Hao let out a soft chuckle. "Do you want to take a look, then? As your temporary Dao companion, showing you my face is a minor request I can certainly fulfill."

At this very moment, deep within the Qin family's forbidden grounds, a certain Immortal Emperor quietly broke down in exasperation. I gave you that mask, and this is how you use it?!