The Rebirth of the Supreme King Dong'er

They naturally recognized her. This woman was the red-clad lunatic from the shores of Sea God Lake.

But hadn't the matter already been settled? Why had she come looking for them again?

Only after seeing Wang Dong'er and the other two emerge did Ma Xiaotao arrogantly say, "I've been waiting for you for a long time. Come with me."

With that, Ma Xiaotao turned and walked away.

Xiao Xiao and Huo Yuhao both instinctively looked at Wang Dong'er, waiting for her decision.

To their surprise, they heard a crude reply that utterly clashed with the image of a beautiful young girl.

"Who the fuck are you? Can't you talk properly? Who do you think you are, ordering people around like that?"

If Huo Yuhao, without Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and Electrolux, had dared speak to Ma Xiaotao that way, the only evaluations he would have received were either foolishly courting death or admirably courageous.

But Wang Dong'er was different. She had both the confidence and the reason to fall out with Ma Xiaotao.

Ma Xiaotao had clearly never expected these three freshmen to dare humiliate her like this. For a moment, even her turning body froze in place.

"Good. Very good. It's been a long time since anyone dared be so disrespectful to me." Ma Xiaotao turned around, clenching her fists as an oppressive force swept over them in an instant.

Then, as though she had thought of something, Ma Xiaotao quickly loosened her fists. Taking a deep breath, she said, "My name is Ma Xiaotao. I'm from the Inner Court."

After saying only that, Ma Xiaotao stood where she was, seemingly waiting to savor Wang Dong'er's group's shock.

Yet after waiting for quite a while, she saw no shock, fear, or respect on any of their faces.

Wang Dong'er even asked her calmly, "And then?"

"You don't know about the Inner Court?" Ma Xiaotao found that somewhat unbelievable.

"Forget it. Whether you know or not, you should have recognized me."

"I'm the student who came out of Sea God Lake and nearly harmed you back then. Can you come with me now? I have something I want to ask you."

"What is it that can't be asked here? Or does your arrogant pride prevent you from apologizing to us here?" Wang Dong'er said lightly.

"And besides, you didn't nearly harm us. You already caused us harm."

"There were unavoidable reasons behind that. I hope you can understand." At the mention of that matter, Ma Xiaotao's attitude finally softened, and she no longer held Wang Dong'er's earlier rudeness against her.

"If I understood you, I would have already been half-dead by then. You'd better not offer an apology without any sincerity." Wang Dong'er said coldly.

If she weren't worried that triggering Ma Xiaotao's evil fire would make things difficult to handle, Wang Dong'er would have liked to give Ma Xiaotao a Luck Suppression right now to teach her a lasting lesson.

"No matter what compensation you want, as long as it's something I can do, I'm willing to do anything," Ma Xiaotao said. "But there is one matter—I must have an answer."

"Heh." Wang Dong'er laughed. "Anything? What kind of resolve do you have to say something like that? Can you even bear the weight of those words?"

"You only ever think about yourself."

"I..." Ma Xiaotao's mind went blank.

She had clearly come in so aggressively. Why did it feel as though Wang Dong'er had turned the tables on her instead?

"I'll be blunt. No matter what you want—whether you want me to help you, cultivation resources, or even the qualifications to enter the Inner Court—I can find a way."

"But I have to know exactly what happened that day. The reason I ultimately didn't cause a catastrophe was because an ice-attribute Soul Master appeared that day. If you know what happened, or if he is the guard of one of you, even the slightest clue will do."

There was a trace of urgency in Ma Xiaotao's tone.

Ever since that day, she had no longer suffered from the assault of her evil fire and had cultivated comfortably for three months.

But after three months, the icy aura in Ma Xiaotao's body had completely vanished, and the effect of Xu Shishi's martial soul, which she had relied on before, was no longer significant.

Unable to suppress her evil fire meant that Ma Xiaotao could no longer continue cultivating. That was something she absolutely could not accept.

Left with no other choice, Ma Xiaotao recalled the freshmen Yan Shaozhe had mentioned who had been accidentally injured. Since the freshmen assessment was currently underway, she came directly here and waited until Wang Dong'er's group emerged.

"That's why I said it. A person like you only ever thinks about yourself. You don't care at all about the mistakes you've made." Wang Dong'er clasped her hands behind her back and quietly made a gesture to Xiao Xiao and Huo Yuhao.

Just as she had said, the true reason Ma Xiaotao had come was that she could no longer cultivate. She had only come to try her luck, hoping to find the ice-attribute Soul Master who had acted that day. She hadn't truly come to apologize to them—or rather, apologizing was merely something convenient to do along the way.

Otherwise, why would Ma Xiaotao have waited until now to say that she wanted to apologize?

In this world, the strong preyed on the weak. It was hardly uncommon for the strong to humiliate the weak.

But if Ma Xiaotao, relying on her strength, could choose not to take such things seriously, why couldn't Wang Dong'er treat Ma Xiaotao as nothing?

A powerful background was power too.

"So, you don't intend to tell me?" Ma Xiaotao's gaze turned dangerous.

"Why should I tell you? Because you think you're such a big deal?"

"Courting death!" Ma Xiaotao's expression instantly turned icy.

"Since you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, don't blame me for being impolite! I want to see whether he can still remain calm if you die."

As she spoke, a wave of heat erupted from Ma Xiaotao's body, and flames surged toward them.

But Wang Dong'er had anticipated this. She had already gestured for Xiao Xiao and Huo Yuhao to prepare.

This was not some deserted place like the shore of Sea God Lake. Ma Xiaotao was not currently having an evil fire outbreak, so she still had some reservations. The teachers in charge of the freshmen assessment would arrive soon enough.

Boom—

Xiao Xiao instantly summoned the Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron. The next moment, she unleashed her head soul bone skill, and the Sealing Origin Array immediately spread out.

Xiao Xiao was only a Soul Grandmaster, while Ma Xiaotao was already a Soul Emperor—and her true strength far surpassed that of an ordinary Soul Emperor. The Nine Cauldrons Sealing Origin Array could not restrain Ma Xiaotao.

But Wang Dong'er only needed to delay her for an instant. Even if it could not bind Ma Xiaotao, the Nine Cauldrons Sealing Origin Array could still make her pause for a split second.

Her butterfly wings unfurled. Wang Dong'er grabbed Xiao Xiao and Huo Yuhao, one in each hand, and flew into the air.

Separation of All Beings, Soul Torrent!

The two Spiritual Power skills from the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's head soul bone were used for the first time, and they immediately took effect.

Separation of All Beings directly stripped away Ma Xiaotao's already weak mental defenses, while Soul Torrent, the spiritual attack, left her dizzy.

Having done all that, Wang Dong'er swiftly flew toward the assessment area behind them.

Ma Xiaotao had not taken the three of them seriously to begin with. She had never thought she would stumble at the hands of three freshmen, much less expected Wang Dong'er to possess spiritual attack methods.

With all these factors combined, these skills—which should have been judged by the difference in their strength—somehow chained together in their very first use, successfully catching Ma Xiaotao off guard.

Only after being dazed for several moments did Ma Xiaotao recover. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Wang Dong'er carrying the other two far away. Unable to worry about anything else, she activated her Martial Soul Possession. A pair of enormous flaming wings immediately appeared behind her, and the terrifying heat scorched the air around her until it warped.

In a single flicker, Ma Xiaotao had already caught up.

But at that very moment, a golden phoenix suddenly descended, forcibly cutting off the Flaming Phoenix from the Light Goddess Butterfly.

"Xiaotao, you crossed the line!"

The golden phoenix did not seem to make any movement, yet with one fierce sweep, he swept up everyone—including Ma Xiaotao, Wang Dong'er, and the other two. When they steadied themselves again, their surroundings had already changed to the shore of Sea God Lake.

The golden phoenix transformed into human form. Dressed in white, with white hair and beard, he was none other than Shrek Academy's dean, Yan Shaozhe.

That golden phoenix was his Martial Soul—the Bright Phoenix.

By then, Ma Xiaotao had returned to human form. The veil on her face had fallen away, revealing an alluringly seductive visage.

"Ma Xiaotao, your nerve is growing by the day!" Yan Shaozhe bellowed. Seeing Wang Dong'er's icy expression, his heart sank.

"Haste makes waste. Why can't you understand that?" Yan Shaozhe said in distress. "Apologize to them immediately. The ice-element Soul Master you need—your teacher will naturally help you find one."

Having failed to force that ice-element Soul Master "protecting them in secret" to reveal himself, Ma Xiaotao looked somewhat unwilling.

But under Yan Shaozhe's reprimand, she had no reason to continue. She could only say to Wang Dong'er and the other two, "I'm sorry. I was too impatient. If I frightened you, I'm willing to give anything in compensation."

"Cough." Yan Shaozhe cleared his throat. "With your teacher here, there's no need for you to bear the burden, Xiaotao. Student Wang Dong'er, this time it was my failure to supervise her properly. But she was conscious this time. Even if I hadn't come, she definitely wouldn't have harmed you..."

"So what you're saying is that people from the inner court can casually come to the outer court, pick a few people at random to rough up, then fuck off back to the inner court without anything happening and without receiving any punishment?"

Wang Dong'er's calm tone gave Yan Shaozhe a headache. He could only ask, "What punishment do you want Xiaotao to receive?"

"Doesn't she want to cultivate? If she's in such a rush to cultivate, then simply forbid her from cultivating for the next three years. Any other punishment would be neither painful nor consequential to her."

"Three years? That won't do!" Yan Shaozhe immediately refused. "Wang Dong'er, you don't understand. Xiaotao is our Shrek Academy's ace for the next All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament. Shrek Academy has won the championship in nearly every All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament, and that's precisely because..."

"Because you're a bunch of things that turn into lunatics when you cultivate and act like you're dying if you don't? What does it have to do with me whether Shrek Academy wins the championship? I want an answer now."

"Sigh." Yan Shaozhe let out a sigh, his headache worsening. Although Ma Xiaotao respected him as her teacher, she would not listen to him in everything.

Long ago, he had advised Ma Xiaotao to find a few male companions to suppress her evil fire, but she had refused. And now he was supposed to make her stop cultivating?

That would make her suffer even more than killing her. She would never agree.

"What, you're not convinced?" Ma Xiaotao suddenly spoke.

"I know you're the little princess of the Clear Sky Sect, but right now, you're merely a low-level Soul Master. In the world of Soul Masters, only those with power have the right to speak."

"I wonder which Soul Emperor with the right to speak was just ambushed by us low-level Soul Masters? It couldn't have been you, Senior Sister, could it?"

"You little brat!" Ma Xiaotao's fists clenched.

"Hmph! If you're not convinced, then cultivate properly. If one day you can enter the inner court, I'll give you a chance to challenge me. If you defeat me then, you may kill or torture me as you please. I, Ma Xiaotao, keep my word. I will never go back on it!"

"Xiaotao!" Yan Shaozhe grew anxious. He had never intended for two geniuses to become enemies.

Besides, Ma Xiaotao's offense was nowhere near deserving death. Why did things have to escalate this far?

"How about this, Xiaotao. Given your current condition, it truly isn't suitable for you to continue cultivating. Let's make it one year. During that year, your teacher will do his best to find you an ice-element Soul Master. You, meanwhile, will serve as Wang Dong'er's maid and bodyguard for one year. It will also help temper your character."

"Huh? The greatest danger in Shrek Academy right now is her, and you want her to be my maid and bodyguard? Is this some new kind of joke you came up with?" Wang Dong'er looked utterly incredulous.

"Don't worry, the compensation for you won't be lacking either. It will definitely satisfy you," Yan Shaozhe said. "Besides, forbidding Xiaotao from cultivating for three years is simply too long. Even I cannot accept that. One year is appropriate."

"Oh, right. Although you won't be expelled from Shrek Academy now, you still need to take the freshman assessments and advancement assessments seriously..."

Martial Soul Fusion Skill

Yan Shaozhe had been out in the world searching for ice-element Soul Masters these past few days. He had not paid attention to the freshman assessments, nor did he know what results Wang Dong'er and the other two had achieved so far.

"Me, become her maid?" Ma Xiaotao pointed at herself.

Stopping her cultivation was not enough—they wanted her to become someone else's maid too?

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" Ma Xiaotao shook her head fiercely.

Yan Shaozhe's face hardened. "Xiaotao, if you still want your teacher to help you find that ice-element Soul Master, then obediently listen to your teacher!"

Only by keeping Ma Xiaotao under Wang Dong'er's watch could he dispel Wang Dong'er's doubts.

And this time, Yan Shaozhe genuinely wanted Ma Xiaotao to stop cultivating.

Not to mention that he had to give Wang Dong'er an explanation—even if Wang Dong'er did not demand one, he still had to consider the hidden danger Ma Xiaotao posed.

Given the current situation, tossing a few male concubines into the secret chamber was ultimately the most inferior solution.

Although Yan Shaozhe believed his intentions were good, and judging by Mu En's romantic exploits in his youth, it was no big deal for a powerful woman to have several men at once, this sort of acting first and reporting afterward would inevitably leave Ma Xiaotao dissatisfied.

Therefore, the highest priority was still to find that soul master suspected of possessing Extreme Ice, or another powerful ice-attribute soul master, and have him unite with Ma Xiaotao.

Or... imprison him!

"Enough. My decision is made. Xiaotao, stop cultivating for one year. Calm your mind and properly temper your character." Yan Shaozhe's resolute tone made Ma Xiaotao realize that there was no room left for negotiation.

"Wang Dong'er, I have ordered Ma Xiaotao to stop cultivating for a year. You also know that for a soul master, going without cultivation for a year is already quite a serious waste."

"Additionally, regarding compensation, I will have Mu Jin deliver it to you. It will certainly satisfy you."

"Then, during this year, can I order her around as I please?" Wang Dong'er asked.

Yan Shaozhe had no idea that for a genius like Ma Xiaotao, becoming someone else's maid—even if that person was also a woman—was an immense humiliation.

In that regard, Ma Xiaotao and Yan Shaozhe truly came from the same mold. Both of them were full of nothing but thoughts for themselves.

After a year, there would only be two possible outcomes for Ma Xiaotao. Either she would truly endure hardship and turn her grief and indignation into motivation, or... she would fall even deeper into darkness.

"Of course... you can. As long as it does not seriously violate Xiaotao's bottom line." After hesitating for a moment, Yan Shaozhe still agreed to Wang Dong'er's request.

"Oh, is that so? It seems Dean Yan truly dotes on his disciple. Then I'll wait for Dean Yan's apology gift."

For a moment, Yan Shaozhe could not tell whether Wang Dong'er was mocking him, but when Ma Xiaotao heard those words, they stirred something in her heart.

Long ago, her teacher Yan Shaozhe had urged her to find a few male concubines. Even after she refused, he would bring it up again after some time.

Was her teacher... truly thinking wholeheartedly for her sake?

With a long sigh, Yan Shaozhe looked at Ma Xiaotao. "Xiaotao, come back with me first. This time, you attacked new students at the entrance to the assessment area. The impact was extremely bad!"