Evil Fire Phoenix Ma Xiaotao

Upon hearing that, Zhuang Lao hurriedly said, "Nonsense, little girl! When have I ever been spying on you?"

"Then why did you appear here?" Jiang Qingtong retorted.

Zhuang Lao was momentarily speechless. After blinking and thinking for a moment, he explained, "I came out for a stroll. Is that not allowed?"

Jiang Qingtong looked at Zhuang Lao with an expression that clearly said, "Do you think I believe that?" Under her gaze, Zhuang Lao grew somewhat uncomfortable and consoled her, "Little girl, don't be sad! It's just that a few Venerable Elders still have some reservations about you. Once they see your sincere heart, I believe they'll let go of this prejudice."

Jiang Qingtong wrinkled her nose and nodded. "Thank you, Zhuang Lao. I understand."

Zhuang Lao added, "Also, you can't casually give away your Rank Nine Soul Tools again! If your family finds out, they might think Shrek Academy swindled you out of your Rank Nine Soul Tool!"

"Mm." Jiang Qingtong nodded.

Zhuang Lao waved a hand. "Come on, I'll take you somewhere good to eat!"

Inside Sea God Pavilion, having placated Jiang Qingtong, Zhuang Lao was reporting the matter to the other Venerable Elders.

"A Rank Nine Soul Tool, and she just gave it away. She really is generous!" Song Lao frowned slightly, unable to tell whether Jiang Qingtong had been sincere or insincere. No matter what, giving away a Rank Nine Soul Tool so casually had truly exceeded their expectations.

The highest-ranked Soul Tool in all of Shrek Academy was only the Rank Eight Soul Tool developed by Xian Lin'er.

"She gave it to no one else but Tang Ya. Was she really just taking pity on Tang Ya?"

Looking at Song Lao, Zhuang Lao sighed. "The little girl is only twelve. How much scheming could she possibly have? Meier, tell them about Qingtong's conduct these past few days."

"Qingtong attended the foundational martial soul courses with the New Student Class. I asked Zhou Yi, and she said Qingtong's performance was excellent! As for when she cultivated with me, there was nothing to criticize in either her speech or behavior." Cai Meier nodded and took over the conversation.

"Exactly! Mother, that little girl is so kind, so stop being suspicious. Some time ago, she even lent me a Rank Nine Soul Tool for research! If she truly came with some unspeakable purpose, what could we have said even if she refused to give it to us? Why would she needlessly go to such lengths?"

Xian Lin'er also tried to persuade Song Lao from the side, asking her not to be so suspicious.

"Fine! I won't say anything more. We'll see how she behaves in the future. If she truly is pure and flawless, then that will count as the Fortune of Shrek Academy." Song Lao sighed and shook her head.

By Sea God Lake, Jiang Qingtong gazed toward Sea God Island in the center of the lake. If nothing unexpected had happened, Sea God Pavilion was likely discussing her gift of a Rank Nine Soul Tool to Tang Ya right now.

Suddenly, Jiang Qingtong saw a red figure racing across Sea God Lake at an astonishing speed, charging straight toward her.

The red figure was like a blazing crimson cloud. In the blink of an eye, it crossed hundreds of meters and neared the shore.

Once it came closer, Jiang Qingtong saw its appearance clearly. Aside from her clothes, even her hair was fiery red. A terrifying, fierce aura radiated from her body, and a Fire Pattern Mask covered her face.

Jiang Qingtong's pupils contracted as a wave of heat rushed toward her. In an instant, the other party had arrived before her and struck out with her palm.

Flames surged from that palm strike, and Jiang Qingtong could even hear the cry of a phoenix!

Just as the strike was about to hit Jiang Qingtong, a radiant glow swiftly lit up around her. Layer upon layer of intricate patterned formations poured from the necklace on her chest, blocking the entire attack.

This was another Rank Nine Defense Type Soul Tool she possessed, the Seven Leaf Mirror Lotus.

All the layers of shields before Jiang Qingtong, aside from the one that blocked the attack, rapidly withdrew. Immediately afterward, red light flashed, reflecting the entire palm strike back at its attacker!

Struck by the recoil, the red figure let out a muffled grunt. Before she even had time to activate her Soul Rings, she was blasted away and fell onto the shore of Sea God Lake.

Jiang Qingtong walked to the lakeside and looked at the red-haired girl with half her body submerged in the lake. She recognized her identity. "Evil Fire Phoenix Ma Xiaotao!"

Looking at the surrounding ground scorched by blazing flames, Jiang Qingtong gently patted her chest. "Good thing I was better than her. Otherwise, she would've slapped me to death."

Ma Xiaotao's martial soul, the Evil Fire Phoenix, had been passed down from Ma Hongjun, one of the original Shrek Seven Monsters from ten thousand years ago.

There was no doubt that it was a powerful fire-attribute martial soul. However, she had always been troubled by the evil fire impurities within her martial soul and would periodically go berserk.

Faced with a martial soul that could evolve into Ultimate Fire in the future, delivered right to her doorstep, Jiang Qingtong fell into thought. Should she Imprint it, or not?

An Ultimate Fire martial soul meant supremely powerful attack strength. Its quality was excellent, but Jiang Qingtong could not guarantee that she would not also be affected by the evil fire after Imprinting Ma Xiaotao's martial soul.

After pondering for a long time, Jiang Qingtong shook her head and made up her mind. "Forget it! The bold starve while the timid feast! At worst, I'll Imprint Huo Yuhao's Ultimate Ice later and balance it out myself!"

She released her martial soul, Mirror Flower. Her second Soul Ring lit up, and fluorescent light enveloped Ma Xiaotao's body, Imprinting her martial soul. As time passed, a scarlet phoenix pattern gradually appeared upon a Crystal Petal.

Not long after Jiang Qingtong Imprinted Ma Xiaotao's martial soul, more than ten figures flew over from the depths of Sea God Lake. Song Lao, Zhuang Lao, and the other Venerable Elders of Sea God Pavilion were among them.

They had all rushed over from Sea God Pavilion after sensing the disturbance here.

"Xiaotao!" Seeing Ma Xiaotao unconscious by the shore, Cai Meier hurried to her side and gathered her into her arms.

"Girl, what happened?" Zhuang Lao looked at Jiang Qingtong and asked.

Jiang Qingtong pointed at her necklace and explained the situation to everyone. Zhuang Lao quickly stepped forward to examine Ma Xiaotao. Only after confirming that she had merely been knocked unconscious by the rebound and had not suffered any serious injuries did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Song Lao walked up to Jiang Qingtong and said sternly, "I hope you can keep today's matter confidential. You must not mention it to anyone! Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what? Is Your Excellency going to make a move against me?"

Jiang Qingtong countered. Blinking her eyes, she revealed a slightly aggrieved expression and said, "I understand. I'm from the Sun Moon Empire, so naturally none of you hold me in high regard!"

Her words were saccharine and pointed, but they were quite effective against the lofty and righteous people of Sea God Pavilion.

"Don't overthink it, little girl!" Upon hearing Jiang Qingtong's words, Zhuang Lao hurriedly reassured her. "Who said we don't hold you in high regard? If we didn't, why would we let you enroll? Wouldn't that just be asking for trouble?"

Song Lao's expression also became somewhat awkward. She coughed lightly, then looked toward Cai Meier and said, "Meier, take Xiaotao back and let her recover properly!"

"Mm." Cai Meier nodded and carried Ma Xiaotao back toward the Inner Court.