Sister

Early the next morning, Hun Yue took a carriage back to Spirit City. Accompanying her was a group of Spirit Masters led by Bofeng, acting as her guards to ensure her safety along the way.

Heaven's Cut City, Spirit Hall Main Hall.

"How is she?"

Liu Xinghan asked the middle-aged woman before him.

She was a five-ring Soul King named Lu He, the chief healing-type Spirit Master of this Spirit Hall Main Hall.

At that moment, she was treating the little girl.

A whole day had passed since they returned, yet she still had not awakened.

Lu He frowned and said, "Young Master, this child's condition is very strange. She clearly has no injuries, yet she simply cannot wake up. There may be something wrong with her mind."

"You can't do anything?" Liu Xinghan asked with a frown.

Lu He shook her head and gave a bitter smile. "This subordinate is only a Soul King. I am skilled at treating physical injuries, but this child's problem does not lie with her body."

Hearing this, Liu Xinghan could only sigh helplessly. "Forget it. You may leave."

After Lu He departed, Liu Xinghan summoned Ma Xiaotao and asked, "Sister Xiaotao, do you have a way to wake this child?"

One reason he insisted on saving the child was because he pitied her.

There was another reason as well. The Evil Spirit Masters' true purpose might indeed have been to turn this child into an Evil Spirit Master. If that was the case, then her talent was likely quite good, making her worth nurturing.

It would naturally be best if such a talented person could be saved.

Ma Xiaotao stepped forward and observed the little girl for a while before saying, "Evil energy has entered her brain. This is a method Evil Spirit Masters use to control people. Fortunately, you rescued her in time. She has not yet been completely controlled by the evil energy, so she can still be saved. If you had been even a step later, then even if she woke up, she would have become an Evil Spirit Master who brought disaster upon the world."

As someone who had once been controlled by Evil Spirit Masters, Ma Xiaotao naturally understood their methods very well.

Liu Xinghan's eyes lit up. "Sister Xiaotao, do you have a way to save her?"

Ma Xiaotao nodded. "I do, but there are risks. Evil energy has entered her brain. To save her, we must expel that evil energy from her mind."

"However, the head is the most fragile part of the human body. One mistake could mean instant death; even in the best case, she could become an idiot. The chance of success is no more than thirty percent!"

Thirty percent!

It could be said to be very low.

Liu Xinghan fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Will she wake up on her own?"

"She will!"

Ma Xiaotao nodded. "She has not awakened because the evil energy is still eroding her consciousness and has not yet succeeded. Once it succeeds, she will wake up."

"In other words, if she wakes up by herself, she'll already be an Evil Spirit Master!"

Liu Xinghan sighed. "Then let's try it!"

"Alright!"

Ma Xiaotao nodded. "Help me prop her up into a sitting position and lift the clothes on her back."

Liu Xinghan did as instructed.

Ma Xiaotao sat cross-legged behind the little girl and gently pressed a palm radiating scorching Soul Power against the girl's fair back.

The little girl's body suddenly trembled.

Liu Xinghan watched nervously.

Before long, wisps of black gas began seeping from the pores on the little girl's skin. The black gas was sinister and violent, causing even Liu Xinghan to frown.

Gradually, the black gas became less and less.

Ma Xiaotao said, "The evil energy in her body has been dealt with. Only the evil energy in her mind remains."

She had Liu Xinghan gently lay the little girl down flat.

Ma Xiaotao rose to her feet and pressed a finger against the little girl's brow.

Boom!

Following a deafening explosion, the cry of a phoenix unexpectedly rang out from thin air.

At first, Liu Xinghan thought it was Ma Xiaotao's Martial Soul, but he quickly noticed something was wrong.

Ma Xiaotao's expression also turned strange.

The next moment, black light erupted. A phantom phoenix wreathed in profound black radiance enveloped the little girl's body, while two yellow spirit rings rose into view.

This was clearly Martial Soul Possession.

Those two yellow Hundred-Year Spirit Rings clearly did not belong to Ma Xiaotao. The answer was obvious—they belonged to the little girl, as did the black phoenix Martial Soul.

"She actually has a phoenix Martial Soul. No wonder those Evil Spirit Masters targeted her and wanted to turn her into an Evil Spirit Master."

Liu Xinghan frowned. "But the Dark Phoenix Martial Soul is already an Evil Martial Soul!"

As soon as he spoke, Ma Xiaotao immediately added, "This little girl's Dark Phoenix Martial Soul is not an Evil Martial Soul."

"Really?"

Liu Xinghan looked at Ma Xiaotao in surprise. Wasn't darkness synonymous with evil?

Ma Xiaotao explained, "True darkness is not evil. People simply tend to confuse darkness with evil. The Dark Phoenix possesses pure dark power and has nothing to do with evil!"

Hearing this, Liu Xinghan was rather pleased.

That meant if he cured this little girl, wouldn't he gain a young genius with a Dark Phoenix Martial Soul?

Ma Xiaotao said, "This child actually has a Dark Phoenix Martial Soul. Though its attribute differs from mine, it shares the same origin as my Martial Soul. My chances of curing her have increased by at least twenty percent!"

Liu Xinghan waited patiently.

A moment later, the little girl let out a soft groan and slowly opened her eyes.

Ma Xiaotao withdrew her hand as well, exhaled, and stood to one side.

Liu Xinghan hurried over. Looking into the little girl's opened eyes, he could not help praising her inwardly.

The little girl was indeed exceptionally pretty, but her eyes were even more indescribable.

Black as ink and gleaming faintly, they resembled the most beautiful black pearls in the world.

Liu Xinghan smiled and asked, "Little sister, are you all right now?"

The little girl shook her head blankly and replied in a crisp voice, "I'm fine!"

Liu Xinghan asked again, "What's your name? Do you remember where your home is, or what happened?"

At his words, the little girl revealed a thoughtful expression. Suddenly, she cried out, clutching her head. "My head hurts so much! I can't remember!"

Startled, Liu Xinghan asked, "You can't even remember your own name?"

The little girl shook her head.

Liu Xinghan looked toward Ma Xiaotao.

Ma Xiaotao pondered for a moment before saying, "It's possible that her brain nerves were damaged while the evil aura was being removed, resulting in temporary amnesia!"

Liu Xinghan asked, "Will she recover her memories in the future?"

Ma Xiaotao shook her head. "I don't know. The brain is the most complicated part of the human body. Maybe she'll remember; maybe she won't."

"Actually, losing her memories may be a good thing for her. After being treated like that by an Evil Spirit Master, remembering it would only leave her with psychological trauma. It would be better to forget."

Hearing this, Liu Xinghan nodded. That was true.

Ma Xiaotao said, "I examined her just now. She should be between eight and nine years old, with twenty-first-level spirit power and a Dark Phoenix Martial Soul. She's a rare talent. If properly nurtured, becoming a Titled Douluo in the future won't be difficult."

Liu Xinghan nodded at that. With a top-tier Martial Soul and twenty-first-level spirit power at her age, her talent was not lacking. She was no worse than the Shrek Seven Devils from the original work, and she was indeed worth nurturing.

With that in mind, he looked at the little girl, reached out to rub her head, and smiled. "Little sister, from now on, you'll follow me!"

"Since you can't remember your name, I'll give you one. My surname is Liu, so you'll take Liu as your surname too. From now on, you'll be my little sister. Your Martial Soul is the Dark Phoenix, so you'll be called Liu Xiaofeng!"