Dai Yaoheng

After lunch, Huo Yuhao hurried off to the Soul Tool Department to continue practicing, while Huo Yuxi prepared to meet Ma Xiaotao.

The four of them left the cafeteria together and happened to run into Bei Bei and Tang Ya, who had come to eat. After hastily greeting them, Huo Yuhao ran off.

"What's little Yuhao rushing off to do?" Tang Ya asked in confusion as she watched him disappear into the distance.

Wang Dong told her about Huo Yuhao becoming Fan Yu's personal disciple. Naturally, she left out the part about him becoming a core disciple of the Soul Tool Department. If that got out, the Martial Soul Department would definitely revoke his core disciple benefits.

"Little Yuhao is amazing!" Tang Ya exclaimed, jumping excitedly as she looked at Bei Bei. "The two of us worked hard for so many years, yet we can't compare to his three months. It seems even the heavens don't want the Tang Sect to decline!"

She immediately decided, "Since Yuhao has already gone to the Soul Tool Department, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and Xixi can come learn the Tang Sect's secret arts from me tomorrow!"

"Then I'll give him the general principles and cultivation methods of Tang Sect hidden weapons. With my understanding of Soul Tools, this will surely inspire him greatly in learning how to make them!"

After Huo Yuxi agreed to go with Xiao Xiao tomorrow, she hurriedly bid them farewell and made her way to the edge of Sea God Lake.

A fiery red figure was already waiting there.

"Sister Xiaotao." Huo Yuxi rushed over again and threw herself into the woman's arms.

For some reason, she loved hugging Ma Xiaotao. It was not only because Ma Xiaotao was soft and fragrant, but also because she loved the aura around her.

"I heard you only got third place in the freshman assessment?" Ma Xiaotao caught her and asked in a deliberately cold tone.

"Yeah, I made a mistake at the time." Huo Yuxi buried her face in Ma Xiaotao's chest, her voice muffled.

Ma Xiaotao directly lifted her up, spread her wings, and said, "I'll take you around Sea God Island."

Huo Yuxi obediently nestled in Ma Xiaotao's arms, touring the buildings within alongside the Soul Devouring Spider in her embrace.

Boom!

A thunderous blast caught her attention. Looking down, she saw that people seemed to be fighting below. She called out, "Sister Xiaotao, what are they doing down there?"

Ma Xiaotao glanced over, then directly brought Huo Yuxi down beside them. After setting her down, she explained, "They're the other six members of this generation's Shrek Seven Devils."

The six had just finished when they turned and saw Ma Xiaotao standing there with a child. Gongyang Mo ran over, rubbing his chin as he asked, "Little Xiaotao, who's this kid?"

Huo Yuxi hid behind Ma Xiaotao, staring wide-eyed at the senior brothers and sisters who bore the legendary title of the Shrek Seven Devils.

"A younger sister," Ma Xiaotao answered succinctly.

Pointing at him, she introduced him to Huo Yuxi. "This is Gongyang Mo. The short-haired girl is Xi Xi; her name sounds like yours. The long-haired one is Ling Luochen."

"That's Yao Haoxuan, and the one beside him is Chen Zifeng."

Huo Yuxi memorized people by their distinctive features. As Ma Xiaotao introduced them, she automatically matched each name to those traits.

For instance, Yao Haoxuan looked rougher and more rugged than the others; Chen Zifeng was warm and gentle; Gongyang Mo had a handsome, jade-like face; Xi Xi had short hair; and Ling Luochen carried a cold, aloof air.

Once Ma Xiaotao finished introducing them, a tall, imposing young man with a solemn demeanor walked over from behind. His gaze was as sharp as a blade, so piercing it made people shudder.

He stopped before Ma Xiaotao, narrowed his eyes slightly, and stared directly at Huo Yuxi as he introduced himself coldly. "Dai Yaoheng."

Huo Yuxi silently rolled the name around in her mind, then suddenly remembered that the Duchess of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion had borne two sons. The eldest was the heir to the Duke's Mansion, and his name was Dai Yaoheng.

Dai Huabin had already become a Soul Elder at such a young age, so what about Dai Yaoheng, who was already one of the Shrek Seven Devils? The further Huo Yuxi thought, the tighter her brows knit.

She had never met Dai Yaoheng, so she had no personal grudge against him. But if she and her brother wanted to avenge their mother in the future, their enemy would be the entire Duke's Mansion.

As the heir, Dai Yaoheng certainly could not stand by and do nothing. But Huo Yuxi suddenly realized that whether he could firmly hold onto the position of heir was not certain.

The Duke's Mansion had always allowed the capable to take the position. Dai Yaoheng might be powerful, but he did not possess a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with anyone from the Zhu Family.

His younger brother's talent was not bad either, and he even had a Martial Soul Fusion Skill to support him. What would happen in the future was hard to say...

Ma Xiaotao noticed Huo Yuxi's constantly shifting expression and assumed Dai Yaoheng had frightened her. She pulled her behind herself, narrowing her eyes in warning.

"This is Huo Yuxi, an extraordinarily talented child. I'm bringing her around to familiarize herself with the Inner Sect."

Her words practically spelled out that she was helping Huo Yuxi adapt to her future learning environment.

"Hey, little Xiaotao, while you were gone, we couldn't get into the rhythm while practicing. How about you bring this little one along, and we do it again?"

Before Ma Xiaotao could respond, Huo Yuxi was already scared out of her wits. Ma Xiaotao was a Soul Emperor—how weak could the others possibly be? Why should a tiny Soul Elder like her recklessly join in?

"Yeah, Captain. You praised her talent yourself. Maybe she'll even have a chance to become one of the next generation's Shrek Seven Devils. Consider it an early exchange," Chen Zifeng added.

Something like this naturally depended on the opinion of the person involved, so Ma Xiaotao turned an inquiring gaze toward Huo Yuxi.

Ling Luochen stepped forward as well. "We know our limits. We won't hurt her. One round won't matter."

With things already said to that extent, how could Huo Yuxi refuse? Besides, this was a good opportunity for her. She could get the Shrek Seven Devils as sparring partners for free—others would not get such a chance even if they wanted it.

The Outer Court had a Soul Fighting Arena, and the Inner Sect naturally had one as well. This one was even more spacious and luxurious than the one outside.

Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yaoheng were roughly equal in strength, so the two of them led their respective teams. Naturally, Huo Yuxi stayed close to her Sister Xiaotao.

The remaining five members each chose a side.

Gongyang Mo was very interested in Huo Yuxi, so he chose Ma Xiaotao's side, joined by Ling Luochen. On Dai Yaoheng's side were Chen Zifeng, Yao Haoxuan, and Xi Xi.

Once both sides were ready, they unleashed their Martial Souls.

The six watched as three striking soul rings rose around Huo Yuxi, while the doll in her arms transformed into a tangible soul beast—an exceptionally beautiful one at that.

To become Shrek Seven Devils, they possessed not only talent in Soul Power, but were naturally among the very best in other aspects as well.

In that instant, everyone on Dai Huabin's side tensed to the utmost. Optimal soul ring configurations were not uncommon, but this was the first time they had encountered one so exceptional. And she also had a mysterious tangible beast Martial Soul...

Ma Xiaotao did not care about their reactions. Since they had insisted on competing, she would beat them until they were thoroughly convinced.

Her aura suddenly surged, and scorching color stained her originally dark eyes. She pushed off the ground with the tips of her feet, shooting forward like an arrow. Her fiery red wings spread behind her, and blazing red flames filled every place she passed.