Seeing this, Lin Yuan's gaze sharpened. Nine-Colored Flowing Light flashed across his palm as he struck forward. A deafening dragon roar resounded across Sea God Lake, and a giant dragon condensed from pure fire elements tore through the air, baring its fangs and claws as it met Ma Xiao Tao's terrifying palm strike.
The two terrifying forces collided violently in midair. A searing shockwave swept outward from the pair, instantly boiling great swathes of white mist from the lake while the trees along the shore turned to charred husks. Ma Xiao Tao let out a muffled grunt and was forced back dozens of meters.
Lin Yuan took a deep breath and slowly extended one finger, lightly tapping the air. Azure wind-element energy gathered from nothing, condensing at his fingertip into a Wind Blade as thin as a hair. Fine glimmers flowed along its edge, radiating extreme compression. Even the surrounding air was sliced apart with faint hissing sounds.
At this moment, Ma Xiao Tao's body was trembling violently. A terrifying pressure continued to gather in the air. Perhaps sensing an unprecedented crisis, she suddenly strained free, and a clear phoenix cry rang out. Immediately afterward, a massive Fire Phoenix appeared behind her, while six Soul Rings—two yellow, two purple, and two black—rose in succession.
"A six-ring Soul Emperor! Lin Yuan, be careful!" Wang Dong cried out.
As Wang Dong's words fell, the second, third, and sixth of Ma Xiao Tao's six Soul Rings lit up simultaneously. The flames behind her instantly turned dark red. The next second, a finger-thin line of fire shot from the Fire Phoenix's mouth.
"Extreme Wind, Meteor Kill!" Lin Yuan shouted. The hair-thin Wind Blade at his fingertip shot through the air and collided head-on with Ma Xiao Tao's dark red fireline.
Boom—
The terrifying energy impact exploded over the lake. White mist churned, and heatwaves swept in all directions.
Lin Yuan seized the opportunity to charge forward, instantly closing in on the out-of-control Ma Xiao Tao. He grabbed the side of her slender neck and felt the surging Evil Fire rampaging through her body.
To others, this was a fatal crisis. But to Lin Yuan, it was practically takeout falling from the sky. Without the slightest hesitation, Dragon God's Heart began to operate, like a bottomless black hole crazily devouring that violent flame energy.
"Xiao Yuan, be careful!" Wang Dong warned nervously from nearby.
"Relax. This thing is a supplement to me," Lin Yuan said casually.
As the devouring deepened, a trace of red flashed through Lin Yuan's violet eyes. The Evil Fire that had originally been enough to burn everything to ash was purified layer by layer by his Dragon God Power, transforming into the purest energy that nourished his meridians and Divine Core. Once he was done, he slowly released his hand and let the unconscious Ma Xiao Tao fall into Sea God Lake. Large amounts of white mist immediately rose from the water.
Returning to Wang Dong's side, Lin Yuan said calmly, "Little Dong'er, I'm going to knock you out next. Don't ask why."
Before Wang Dong could react, her vision went black. Lin Yuan knocked her unconscious with a palm strike, and she went limp in his arms. At the same time, Lin Yuan conveniently "fainted" as well.
The shore of Sea God Lake, which had been filled with terrifying Soul Power fluctuations moments earlier, had now completely returned to calm. Only Lin Yuan and Wang Dong lay unconscious on the shore.
In the distance, from the depths of Sea God Lake, dozens of figures rapidly approached at astonishing speed. In just a few blinks, they had arrived at the shore.
"This is bad. Outer Court students were injured." The white-robed elderly man at the lead suddenly stepped through the air and appeared beside Lin Yuan and Wang Dong. With a motion of both hands, their bodies floated up. "Fortunately, they only fainted and weren't harmed. Teacher Li, treat them."
At his words, another white-robed middle-aged man hurried forward and took Lin Yuan and Wang Dong. Rings of green light enveloped their bodies. Nearby grass and trees also took on a faint green glow, their vitality slowly recovering.
"Xiaotao is here." With a splash, a white-robed figure pulled Ma Xiao Tao, whom Lin Yuan had thrown into Sea God Lake earlier, from the water.
The leading white-robed elder came to Ma Xiao Tao's side and pressed his right hand against her shoulder. Dense white Soul Power surged into her body at an astonishing speed. Yet after a moment, his brows furrowed slightly, and he asked in confusion, "How strange! Teacher Li, how are those two Outer Court students?"
"They're fine. They'll wake up soon."
The white-robed elder finally let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness no great mistake was made. It seems Xiaotao retained some of her consciousness. Teacher Li, send these two students back. Tell them to forget this matter, then give them high-level compensation. We're leaving." The last four words were directed at the others. He picked up Ma Xiao Tao, and with a flash of his body, became a streak of white light flying toward the depths of Sea God Lake.
Only after those people left did Lin Yuan open his eyes, calmly watching the middle-aged man. Before he could speak, Wang Dong, whom he had knocked unconscious, slowly opened her eyes with a muffled groan. She looked utterly confused, since she knew nothing.
Seeing the two awaken, the white-robed middle-aged man said flatly, "You're fine now. As for what you saw earlier, please forget it. These two items are compensation. I believe you're both smart people." With that, he tossed each of them a green item, then rose into the air and flew toward Sea God Lake. "Go to class. Remember to forget everything you saw before."
By Sea God Lake, after the white-robed middle-aged man left, Lin Yuan and Wang Dong exchanged speechless looks.
Lin Yuan put away the green Soul Ascension Pill, glanced at the sky, and said lightly, "Let's go. Class is about to start."
"You're still laughing!" Wang Dong finally came to her senses, her pink-blue eyes wide. "What was wrong with that senior sister just now? And you—if you were so strong, why did you pretend to faint?"
Lin Yuan stretched lazily and explained at an unhurried pace, "She's a lunatic. The farther away we stay from her, the better. As for pretending to faint... knowing less is better for both of us."
Hearing that, Wang Dong lowered her head and looked at the green pill in her hand. She froze. "It's actually a Soul Ascension Pill! We've struck it rich!"
Not long after the two hurried back to the classroom, Huo Yu Hao arrived as well. Judging by his condition, he had likely gained enormous benefits. Just like yesterday, the three of them still sat together.
Compared to Zhou Yi's class yesterday, today's lessons were far too easy for the students. Both morning and afternoon were theory classes. The morning covered Martial Soul classifications, while the afternoon covered identifying soul beast ages.
As soon as school ended in the afternoon, Wang Dong quietly slipped away. She went to the Academic Affairs Office to apply to move into the same dormitory as Lin Yuan. Lin Yuan knew nothing of Wang Dong's plans and did not pay much attention to it, instead heading directly out of the academy.
At this moment, at least thirty people were waiting outside the academy gates for Huo Yu Hao's grilled fish. But Lin Yuan's arrival immediately stirred up the previously orderly line.
The moment Huo Yu Hao's two freshly grilled fish came out, they were snatched away by two quick-eyed girls, who shouted, "The male god is here! I'm taking all the fish today!"
Lin Yuan smiled helplessly. Just as he was about to explain, a crisp voice called out to him, "Lin Yuan!"
Turning around, he saw Wang Dong standing nearby with an angry expression, holding an approved dormitory transfer form from the Academic Affairs Office.
"Why did you come here?" Lin Yuan walked over.
Wang Dong stuffed the form into Lin Yuan's hand and said, "Starting today, I'm moving into your dormitory."
"You really came up with this kind of method. Here's the dormitory key." Lin Yuan smiled helplessly, took the second key to Dormitory 107 from his Soul Tool storage ring, and tossed it to Wang Dong.
While Lin Yuan and Wang Dong were talking, Ma Xiao Tao gradually woke from her unconsciousness in a secret chamber on the island at the center of Sea God Lake.
"Mmm..." Ma Xiao Tao shifted her body, instinctively covering her chest with her right hand as she murmured, "So hot... so uncomfortable... I feel awful... Hm?" Gradually, she opened her eyes. Her eyes were pale pink, and the blood-red color had completely faded. Confusion still lingered in her gaze. "Strange, why am I not hot anymore?" With that, she suddenly sat up and instinctively looked down at herself. Her originally soaked clothes had already dried.
Removing the mask from her face, she jumped off the bed, revealing a pale, pretty face. She looked no more than twenty. Her facial lines were somewhat cold, but they could not conceal her breathtaking beauty. Simply standing there, she displayed a full, captivating figure.
"You're awake." Yan Shao Zhe let out a long sigh. "Xiaotao, you nearly made a terrible mistake this time! I don't know whether it was mere coincidence, but the Evil Fire in your body has been completely depleted. Do you remember encountering anything after you rushed out of Sea God Lake?"
Ma Xiao Tao shook her head blankly. "I don't remember. I only remember seeing a damp, scorching red color before my eyes. Then some fatal threat appeared, and I fought back with all my strength. After that, I returned here."
Yan Shao Zhe stepped before Ma Xiao Tao and said gravely, "Why didn't you tell me that the Evil Fire in your body could no longer be suppressed? Do you know that two Outer Court students nearly died to your Evil Fire?
The longer it is suppressed, the more violent its outbreak will be. Xiaotao, from now on, suspend your cultivation for the time being. Although you are Shrek Academy's greatest genius in centuries, we cannot destroy you for the sake of the academy. If the Evil Fire destroys your sanity next time, your teacher will regret it for the rest of his life."
Ma Xiao Tao said stubbornly, "No! Teacher, I want to cultivate. I guarantee it won't happen again. I can feel that all the Evil Fire that had accumulated before is gone. There definitely won't be another problem anytime soon. But what kind of power could have completely consumed my Phoenix Evil Fire?"
Yan Shao Zhe looked at Ma Xiao Tao and sighed with a complicated expression. "The fact that you are safe and sound is already a blessing amid misfortune. As for what power it was, I cannot be certain. But one thing is certain: his Martial Soul is of a very high rank. Otherwise, he could not have completely consumed the Phoenix Evil Fire you had accumulated."
Before you continue