A Last Resort

By the time Wang Xiaofeng found Zhao Wuji, more than half an hour had passed.

"Teacher Zhao, why did you come all the way out here to drink?" Wang Xiaofeng pushed open the battered door and found Zhao Wuji in a corner by the bar.

Seeing Wang Xiaofeng, Zhao Wuji raised his jug and asked, "Want a drink? The liquor here is pretty good."

He then explained, "If that miser Flander hadn't kept refusing to pay us, I wouldn't have come here to drink."

"Alright, Teacher Zhao." Wang Xiaofeng said helplessly, "Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire has flared up. The Dean wants you back right away."

Zhao Wuji shot to his feet. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get back to the academy."

As soon as Wang Xiaofeng stepped out of the tavern, he saw Zhao Wuji strike a familiar pose. His face instantly turned pale as he shouted, "Hey, Teacher Zhao, don't use that move for traveling!"

Yet the only answer he received was the shattered ground within a hundred-meter radius and dust filling the sky.

"It's over. This is Suotuo City. No matter how remote this place is, the land must still be worth a fortune, right?" Looking at the mess before him, Wang Xiaofeng immediately fled without another word. Even selling him wouldn't be enough to cover the damages.

By the time Wang Xiaofeng returned to the academy, Ma Hongjun had already returned to normal. He was cultivating in his dorm room, stabilizing his rapidly increased Soul Power.

"Sigh, this can't go on." Flander looked at Ma Hongjun, who was deep in meditation, and shook his head.

Back when he had passed through Ma Hongjun's village, he had happened to encounter Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire Outburst. The unusual Soul Power fluctuations had immediately drawn his attention, and following them, he had discovered this unpolished jade.

However, there was simply no way to solve the Evil Fire problem. Even if it was forcibly suppressed, the next outburst would only be more violent.

Going to the brothel to vent the Evil Fire was only a temporary measure. Using the power of his Soul Rings to purify the flames was indeed effective, but Ma Hongjun's advancement was still far too slow. It was enough to worry anyone to death.

Seeing Flander's troubled expression, Wang Xiaofeng decided it was time to make Ma Hongjun his guinea pig... no, to have him devote himself to the experiment.

"Dean, I think I may be able to alleviate Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire problem." Wang Xiaofeng adjusted the nonexistent glasses on his nose, took out a small booklet from his Soul Tool, and handed it to Flander.

"What's this?" Flander took the booklet Wang Xiaofeng had given him. Written on the cover were the words: "Limit Training Plan."

Wang Xiaofeng explained, "I've been thinking about what exactly Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire is."

"He can vent it at the brothel, which means the Evil Fire itself is human vital essence, or perhaps a special kind of life energy. It's just that the life energy produced by his mutated Phoenix Martial Soul is too violent for Ma Hongjun to endure."

"Since the power of Soul Rings can help Ma Hongjun purify his flames and thus relieve the Evil Fire, that is a solution from the inside out."

"Then why can't we use a solution from the outside in?"

Flander looked thoughtful, though still somewhat puzzled. "So what you mean is..."

"That's right. Use a training method that pushes him beyond his limits, allowing him to digest the Evil Fire himself." Wang Xiaofeng nodded firmly.

"If Ma Hongjun's cultivation each time is like a bucket filled with water, then the Evil Fire is like the water overflowing from it. Our goal is to empty that bucket, and then the water naturally won't overflow."

"So I specially designed a training plan for Ma Hongjun. Teacher Zhao will train him until he reaches the limits of his physical strength. Then, in that state, Ma Hongjun will remain conscious and cultivate, using the Evil Fire as life energy to nourish himself. This will not only improve Ma Hongjun's physical condition, but also solve his cultivation problem at the same time."

"What do you all think of my plan?" Wang Xiaofeng shrugged and asked the stunned people around him.

"Xiaofeng, I think your idea is highly feasible." Zhao Wuji nodded, then nudged Flander. "What else is there to consider? No matter what, Ma Hongjun's situation can't get any worse than it already is."

Wang Xiaofeng did not urge him. After all, this was merely an idea born from his wild imagination. The training plan itself was real, but it had been made using his own body as a template. He did not know Ma Hongjun's physical data, so how could he have specifically designed it for him?

"Alright, Xiaofeng. We'll do as you say. We'll treat a dead bird as if it were alive." Flander finally made up his mind. If Ma Hongjun's Martial Soul problem was not resolved, the Evil Fire issue would only become more severe the further he cultivated.

"However, I have to be present every time Hongjun cultivates. That way, if anything goes wrong, I can respond immediately." Ma Hongjun was his disciple, after all, and Flander would only feel at ease keeping him under his watch.

"Of course. Even if you hadn't said so, I would have made that request." Wang Xiaofeng nodded in agreement. He was only using his wild idea to help Ma Hongjun. If it worked, everyone would be happy; at worst, things would remain as they were.

All in all, it was worth trying.

"Alright, once that boy Hongjun wakes up, I'll tell him." Flander waved his hand, dismissing everyone. There was a bit too much information, and he needed time to process it.

"Then we'll be going." Wang Xiaofeng eagerly left with the others.

It was rest time now. If they did not hurry up and take a nap, the moon would be out soon. And that would mean rest time was over and cultivation time had begun.

By the time Ma Hongjun had stabilized his turbulent Soul Power, it was already the latter half of the night.

When Ma Hongjun opened his eyes, he saw a dark figure standing beside his bed and jumped in fright. Looking closer, he realized it was Flander. "Teacher, why are you here? You scared me."

Ma Hongjun patted his chest irritably. What was Flander doing standing by his bed in the middle of the night instead of sleeping? Was it just to scare him?

"Hongjun, Xiaofeng seems to have a way to solve your Evil Fire problem." Flander conveyed Wang Xiaofeng's idea to Ma Hongjun. "If you aren't willing, I'll go tell Wang Xiaofeng right now."

Ma Hongjun looked at Flander with contempt. He knew his teacher very well. With a way to solve his Evil Fire that did not cost money, Flander was probably dying for him to agree.

"Enough pretending. Who knows the other better than us?" Ma Hongjun said helplessly. "Isn't it just risking my life? I, Ma Hongjun, have nothing else, but I do have one worthless life."

"As expected of my disciple." Flander smiled in satisfaction.

Early the next morning, Wang Xiaofeng brought a group of people to the Training Field.

"Mubai, this is for you." Wang Xiaofeng handed the note in his hand to Dai Mubai.

Dai Mubai looked at the long list of medicinal herbs written on it and asked curiously, "Xiaofeng, what's this for?"

"Go into Suotuo City and buy these herbs later. If my guess is wrong and the Evil Fire can't replenish Ma Hongjun's body after he pushes himself to his physical limit, then we'll have to rely on these herbs to make up for it."

Watching Dai Mubai leave, Wang Xiaofeng called out, "Oh, and have Dean Flander reimburse you when you get back."

Flander's eyelid twitched, but he said nothing.

"Alright, let's begin."

Zhao Wuji's Third Soul Ring glowed faintly, and a heavy force of gravity immediately descended upon Ma Hongjun.

Caught off guard, Ma Hongjun was pressed flat onto the ground.

"Come on, Fatty!" Oscar kept cheering Ma Hongjun on from the side.

Easy for you to say. Ma Hongjun cursed inwardly. He circulated his Soul Power to resist Zhao Wuji's gravity and gradually managed to maintain a standing posture, though he could not move at all.

Wang Xiaofeng had considered using this method to train his body before, but unfortunately, it would cause hidden injuries. Even Oscar's Sausage could not heal them, and they could only be treated with a Medicinal Bath. But Medicinal Baths were expensive, so he had never tried it.

This time, he could use Ma Hongjun to see just how effective this training method was.