Douluo: Ruo Tuo Save Me

Zhong Li: Can I tell them that I've read Douluo Continent?

After hearing Dai Mubai's words, everyone looked at Zhong Li in confusion.

"At first glance, this little fatty seems fine, but look closer and you'll notice it. His complexion is sallow, the area between his brows is dark, and every breath carries traces of impure fire-element energy. I imagine his Martial Soul is a mutated one as well..."

Big brother, you could even tell that a Martial Soul had mutated?

The fatty was genuinely convinced this time...

"Zhong Li, is there any solution? Ma Hongjun is my direct disciple. He absolutely cannot become an Evil Soul Master!"

Flender suddenly appeared. He had been here from the start.

He had always believed that as long as Ma Hongjun vented properly, nothing would happen.

But who was Zhong Li? He was from that great power! How could Flender not trust his words?

"Release your Martial Soul. Let me take a closer look."

The solution to Ma Hongjun's Martial Soul was actually very simple.

One word: wait! Wait until Tang San obtained the Immortal Herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, then give one to Ma Hongjun...

But now that Zhong Li had come to Shrek Academy, the Immortal Herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well would probably have nothing to do with Tang San.

"Big Brother Zhong Li! You have to save me! I don't want to become an Evil Soul Master!"

To save his life, Ma Hongjun threw himself around Zhong Li's leg...

Beauty Is Like Wolves and Tigers, Destroying One's Will—Just Cut It Off

Zhong Li's face darkened as he discreetly pulled his leg free from Ma Hongjun's grasp.

"Release your Martial Soul first. Let me have a look."

Zhong Li spoke helplessly.

He actually did have a way to solve Ma Hongjun's Martial Soul problem, and it did not require removing the Evil Fire.

"O-Okay, Big Brother Zhong Li!"

The little fatty was truly terrified. If he became an Evil Soul Master and Spirit Hall found out, he would face endless pursuit! How was that any different from being dead?

"Phoenix Possession!"

The corners of Zhong Li's mouth rose slightly. His professional standards kept him from laughing.

"Pfft, hahahaha..." Xiao Wu could not hold herself back. She laughed first out of courtesy!

She had yet to settle the score with Ma Hongjun!

Even Zhu Zhuqing's cold image crumbled. Fortunately, she covered her mouth and made no sound.

"Pfft, hahaha... What the hell is that, a damn chicken? And you call that a phoenix? Hahaha..."

With Zhao Yun's hotheaded temperament, he laughed even harder than Xiao Wu.

Even Tang San could not hold it in, let alone him...

"I'm a phoenix! An Evil Fire Phoenix! Not some grass chicken!"

After Ma Hongjun used Martial Soul Possession, his bloated body changed. His hands resembled chicken claws, and a few short, sparse feathers grew along his arms...

"Alright, stop laughing at Hongjun. Let Zhong Li take a look first and see whether there is a solution."

Flender's mouth twitched as he spoke.

Ma Hongjun glanced at Flender and said gloomily, "Teacher, you laughed just now too, didn't you?"

"I didn't! I wasn't! Don't talk nonsense!"

The old fox Flender instantly denied it three times in a row.

"At first glance, it seems beyond saving."

Ma Hongjun: ...Big brother, don't scare me!

Flender: Young friend! Don't just take one glance—look carefully...

"As for your Martial Soul, I have four solutions: the best, the middle, the lower, and the lowest. Which one do you want to hear?"

Zhong Li held up four fingers as he spoke.

"The best! Of course I want the best one!"

Just like when Bodhi Patriarch asked Sun Wukong whether he wanted to learn the Thirty-Six Heavenly Transformations or the Seventy-Two Earthly Transformations.

Without even thinking, he wanted to learn the one with more transformations.

But he did not know that the Thirty-Six Heavenly Transformations were great divine abilities!

"Oh? This method is very difficult."

"How difficult can it be? I, Flender, am still a Soul Saint..."

"This depends on fate. Life and death are destined, success and failure lie with the heavens. Human effort may not be enough."

Zhong Li shook his head at Flender and continued.

"Find the place where the Fire God's inheritance lies and obtain His inheritance."

Zhong Li stated the best solution.

The moment those words came out, everyone was shocked!

The Zhong Family trio hiding in the shadows nearly failed to restrain themselves from rushing out.

But after thinking about it, they decided that it was not impossible for a Chosen One to know about deities.

"Th-There really are gods?"

Not just Ma Hongjun—everyone else was equally stunned.

"Of course there are. I once read a description of the Fire God deity in an ancient book, though that book did not record the location of the Fire God Inheritance. Still, with your current aptitude, even if you found the Fire God Inheritance, They might not necessarily choose you."

Zhong Li did not make it sound too absolute. What if the Fire God happened to be blind?

In the original story, Ma Hongjun had once obtained the inheritance of the Rank 1 Deity Fire God. But he had not worked hard enough and failed. That was why he later became the Rank 2 Deity, the God of Phoenix.

The difference between a Rank 1 Deity and a Rank 2 Deity was enormous.

No, Zhong Li! Have some tact! What did he mean, They might look down on me?

"Then, Big Brother Zhong Li, what is the middle solution?"

Ma Hongjun asked tremblingly. The Fire God was not something a Soul Grandmaster like him could even think about. He should look for another way out.

"Before I answer that, let me ask you a question."

"What question?"

Ma Hongjun answered without thinking, but a bad feeling suddenly rose in his heart!

"Which is more important: gender, or strength and your life?"

"???"

Everyone looked at Zhong Li strangely, but no one spoke.

"My life! Of course my life!"

"And after that?"

Ma Hongjun: You're making things difficult for Fat Tiger!

After hearing Zhong Li's words, Flender roughly understood what he meant.

If there truly was no better method in the end, if Ma Hongjun could not control the Evil Fire and Flender could not bring himself to act, then the dagger inside his Soul Tool...

"Strength!"

After pondering for a while, Ma Hongjun answered. On this continent, without strength, you were nothing. Strength was still very important.

"Then I understand."

Zhong Li nodded and continued.

"The middle solution: remove the Root of Troubles. That way, you will not only avoid being controlled by the Evil Fire, but your cultivation may also rise dramatically in a short time."

"Furthermore, the Evil Fire of your Evil Fire Phoenix may reach a level capable of rivaling Extreme Fire!"

If this Evil Fire was allowed to develop, it would not be useless at all. On the contrary, it would become incomparably powerful!

The Evil Fire itself possessed extremely strong adhesion. When fighting others, opponents would have to constantly make sure that they did not get touched by it.

Once they were touched, if they had no effective means of restraining it, it would continue burning...

And this Evil Fire also carried the attribute of "desire"!

Were emotions and original sins weak? If they truly were, they would not have become Rank 1 Deities.

As for whether Ma Hongjun could cultivate the Evil Fire to that level, Zhong Li did not know.

Yet such a powerful attribute had been completely ruined by a single Immortal Herb in the original story.

What Zhong Li found most incomprehensible about Douluo Continent was that a Sun Martial Soul was not Extreme Fire!

Yet a Phoenix Martial Soul had reached that level! Was it because it belonged to one of their own?

Before Ma Hongjun could ask about the lower solution, Zhong Li directly explained both the lower and lowest solutions.

"The lower solution is to find a Heavenly Treasure that can remove or purify your Evil Fire. That way, your Martial Soul will return to normal."

"If the Heavenly Treasure is powerful enough, it may even evolve your flames into Extreme Fire. But your Evil Fire will be ruined as well."

This was precisely the method used in the original story. Zhong Li knew where there were Immortal Herbs, but the current Ma Hongjun was not worth it.

The Geo Archon loved all, but he was not the Geo Archon.

"The lowest solution, and also the most direct one, is to cripple your Martial Soul and cultivation. If you can't solve the problem, solve the source of the problem!"

"..."

Brother, only the lower solution sounds remotely normal! Your middle and lowest solutions are going to kill me!

Only then did everyone understand why Zhong Li had asked that question earlier.

Removing the Root of Troubles...

Dai Mubai stepped forward and twisted the knife even deeper.

"Fatty, I only understood it last night! Beauty is like wolves and tigers, destroying one's will! Don't even think about touching it—you can't even think about it! Look at me. I've stayed indoors these past few days, and last night I broke through to level 38! It hasn't even been a month since I reached level 37!"

The moment Dai Mubai said this, even Zhong Li stared at him in shock! Damn!

Not only Ma Hongjun, even Flender was speechless. Was this really the kind of realization Dai Mubai could have? What kind of blow had he suffered to develop such enlightenment?

Flender said, "Hongjun, why don't we just cut it off? If you can't bring yourself to do it, your teacher can reluctantly handle it for you..."

Ma Hongjun: ...(Don't come any closer!)

Zhong Li, Are You Here to Run Too?

In the end, Ma Hongjun did not become Eunuch Ma, which left Zhong Li a little disappointed.

The matter was dropped. Perhaps one day, when Ma Hongjun could no longer control the Evil Fire, he would swing the blade himself before Flender had the chance...

It was only one or two inches, after all.

Dai Mubai's performance, however, greatly changed everyone's opinion of him.

Anyone capable of saying something like that was no simple character.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Flender, the Dean of Shrek Academy. My Martial Soul is the Cat Eagle, and I am a level 78 Agility Attack Type Battle Soul Sage."

This surprised Zhu Zhuqing and Tang San's group. Did Shrek Academy have this many Soul Saints?

Xiao Wu was not afraid at all. With that Soul Tool, as long as she did not provoke the very strongest experts, it would be fine.

"Today is your first day of enrollment. Go pay Teacher Li Yusong one hundred Gold Soul Coins as tuition later. Make sure you get plenty of rest when you return. Your first class begins tonight. Dismissed!"