Xiao Wu: Brother, Do Soul Beasts Deserve to Die?

Inside the dean's office, Yu Xiaogang stood by the window with his hands behind his back, gazing outside as he maintained the bearing expected of a Master.

"Xiaogang, how exactly do you plan to solve Hongjun's Evil Fire problem?"

Flender pushed up the Crystal Glasses on his nose and asked as he looked at Yu Xiaogang's back.

It wasn't as though he had never considered solving Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire problem, but he had always been helpless to do anything about it. If anyone in this world could solve it, it could only be Yu Xiaogang, this theoretical Master.

At least, that was what Flender believed.

Yu Xiaogang did not turn around. He cleared his throat and spoke in his characteristically steady tone:

"Boss Flender, after my in-depth research and observation over these past few days, I've concluded that the root cause of Hongjun's Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul lies in its incomplete mutation. Or rather, the mutation gave it immense power, but also brought difficult-to-control side effects."

"If this intensely scorching Evil Fire cannot be guided, it will not only affect his temperament and hinder his cultivation, but over time, it may even backlash against his body."

At that, Flender's mouth twitched imperceptibly as he thought, What nonsense! He was my disciple once. Do you think I wouldn't know that?

Though he grumbled inwardly, Flender plastered a smile on his face and flattered him. "Xiaogang, you truly are a theoretical Master. You saw through the essence at a glance. So, what do you think the solution is?"

Flender's praise pleased Yu Xiaogang greatly. He nodded slightly and continued, "As the saying goes, extremes reverse, and yin and yang complement one another. Hongjun's Evil Fire is far too fierce, so a force that counters it must be introduced to balance it out."

At this point, Yu Xiaogang paused and turned to look at Flender. Seeing the surprise on his face, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

"So, I plan to have him seek out not a Fire Attribute soul beast, but a powerful Ice Attribute soul beast when his Soul Power reaches Rank 30 and he obtains his third Soul Ring!"

"An Ice Attribute soul beast?"

Flender nearly thought he had misheard. His eyes widened instantly. "Xiaogang, th-this... Once Soul Power attributes conflict, at best, his third Soul Ring will be ruined. At worst, it will destroy the very foundation of his cultivation!"

"Boss Flender, you don't understand this."

Yu Xiaogang seemed to have anticipated Flender's response. Instead, a confident, smug smile appeared on his face as he explained:

"It naturally wouldn't work for an ordinary Fire Attribute Soul Master, but Hongjun's Martial Soul is the Fire Phoenix, a top-tier beast Martial Soul with exceptional compatibility and adaptability."

"This Evil Fire is itself a product of mutation, not a pure fire element. The extreme cold of an Ice Attribute Soul Ring would not be used to extinguish his Phoenix flames, but to purge the uncontrollable Evil Fire and leave behind only the purest Phoenix Fire."

"This may seem risky, but it is actually a desperate gamble for rebirth. Once it succeeds, the Fire Phoenix will rise anew from nirvana!"

Flender was left completely bewildered, thinking to himself, Can this really work? A Fire Attribute Soul Master absorbing an Ice Attribute Soul Ring—isn't that complete nonsense?

Yet when he saw Yu Xiaogang's confident expression as a theoretical Master, Flender could only forcibly suppress his doubts and hypnotize himself inwardly. Xiaogang is a Master. Since he says so, there must be a reason. Besides, Hongjun is his disciple now. He probably wouldn't act recklessly.

If Lin Mu had heard Yu Xiaogang's theory, he would definitely have exclaimed that he truly was worthy of being called a Master.

First, he gave a poison-attribute Soul Ring to Blue Silver Grass. Now, he wanted to give an Ice Attribute Soul Ring to the Evil Fire Phoenix. Anyone with a functioning brain wouldn't do such things.

Seeing that Flender no longer argued, Yu Xiaogang assumed that his theory had convinced him. A sharp glint flashed through his eyes as he made the decision.

"Don't worry, Boss Flender. Once Hongjun absorbs the third Soul Ring I select for him, you will see a true Fire Phoenix Soul Master! A true Fire Phoenix Martial Soul should not be trapped by mere Evil Fire!"

Flender opened his mouth, but swallowed back the words that had reached his lips. Somewhat helplessly, he said, "All right, Xiaogang. Then... I'll leave it to you."

He rubbed his brow. Though it felt somewhat risky, at this point, he could only trust Xiaogang.

Xiaogang was, after all, a renowned theoretical Master. There shouldn't be any problem, right?

Elsewhere, Lin Mu and the other two entered the Star Dou Great Forest. They spent an entire morning searching, yet failed to find a suitable soul beast.

"Roar!"

A deep roar rang out, accompanied by trembling ground. A soul beast over five meters long, covered in dark-red scales and resembling a giant lizard, charged out of the dense forest.

Without exchanging a single word, it opened its mouth and unleashed a scorching breath attack. Fortunately, Lin Mu and the others reacted quickly and swiftly dodged the attack.

"An Earth Flame Lizard around thirty thousand years old. Dual fire-and-earth attributes, with both offensive and defensive abilities, but somewhat lacking in speed."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Mu vanished from before Tang San and Xiao Wu.

When he reappeared, he was already above the Earth Flame Lizard's head. He had completed Armor Integration, and his ten-thousand-year Fourth Soul Ring lit up.

A Molten Great Axe appeared in his right hand as blazing Soul Power surged forth. He raised the Molten Great Axe high, and countless flames gathered around the Kirin Lava Axe, forming a colossal flaming blade over ten meters long in the blink of an eye.

"Boom!"

With an explosive crack through the air, the strike slammed down upon the Earth Flame Lizard's back. It easily sliced through its scales, and once its defenses were gone, the scorching flames began to burn its flesh.

Under the searing flames, the Earth Flame Lizard convulsed violently a few times before crashing to the ground, devoid of life.

Immediately afterward, a profound black Soul Ring slowly condensed into existence.

"Master's strength is becoming more and more unfathomable."

Tang San exclaimed in amazement, his eyes filled with reverence.

Xiao Wu, standing beside him, wore a complicated expression. The joy and excitement she had felt upon returning to the Star Dou Great Forest had completely vanished, perhaps because she had remembered her identity as a soul beast.

"Brother, do soul beasts deserve to die?"

Tang San was taken aback by her question. He touched Xiao Wu's forehead to make sure she did not have a fever, then said seriously, "Xiao Wu, if soul beasts don't deserve to die, then do we deserve to die?"

Upon hearing that, Xiao Wu immediately fell silent.

While the two were talking, Lin Mu had already returned to the ground. He looked at the charred Earth Flame Lizard corpse on the ground without the slightest ripple in his eyes.

Ever since the age of his Fourth Soul Ring had been raised to ten thousand years, its power had increased dramatically. It was even stronger than the sixth Soul Rings of other Soul Sages.

It wasn't as though Lin Mu had not considered adding it to his fifth or sixth Soul Ring, but doing so would not have produced such a noticeable improvement.

Therefore, even though a ten-thousand-year Fourth Soul Ring was overly conspicuous, Lin Mu still chose the most rational option. Improving his strength was what mattered most; everything else was insignificant.

"The Earth Flame Lizard's attributes are compatible enough, but its age is a little too low, and its quality is nowhere near that of a Hellfire Dragon Soul Ring."

Lin Mu sighed. A Soul Ring of this level definitely would not be among his choices.