Forest White Cold Qi spread across the lake as a massive iceberg drifted over Sea God Lake. Even at the height of summer, the bone-chilling cold remained undiminished.
At the center of the ice was an opening large enough for two people. Two figures inside clung tightly to each other.
Compared to using Xu Sanshi, whose Mystic Turtle Martial Soul had both water and earth attributes, to resolve the Evil Fire problem, Mo Yuan's Yanling: Ice Emperor, with its frigid cold approaching Extreme Ice, was like a gentle yet effective remedy for heat and toxins.
With the Evil Fire suppressed, Ma Xiaotao felt a weight lift from her. Gazing at the handsome youth held tightly in her arms, at those shimmering Golden Eyes, the flush on her face didn't fade. If anything, it grew more pronounced.
Since her Martial Soul Awakening, the Evil Fire Phoenix had given her a talent that ranked among the best in the Inner Court. But it had also tormented her with Evil Fire for twelve years, bringing her to the brink of collapse from the pain more times than she could count.
Ma Xiaotao's teacher, Yan Shaozhe, had once offered a solution, but she'd rejected it without a second thought.
The best way to deal with the Evil Fire produced by the Evil Fire Phoenix was to vent it through the path of Yin and Yang.
Her ancestor, Ma Hongjun, had been a man, so he'd naturally had no qualms about this method. If anything, he'd wanted more.
But for a proud female genius like her, casually "discussing the Great Dao" with just anyone would be worse than death. The only exception would be someone she loved.
Yet as she looked at Mo Yuan, a genius junior who'd crossed a twenty-level gap with the strength of a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor and overpowered her, a thought suddenly surfaced in Ma Xiaotao's mind.
If it were him, it didn't seem so unacceptable...
At the thought, the extreme cold suppressed the Evil Fire and left Ma Xiaotao feeling light all over. The exhaustion that had built up inside her burst forth at once, and her eyelids sank as if weighted with lead.
Her alluring eyes took one last look at Mo Yuan, who was still channeling cold qi into her body. Her moist, red lips parted slightly.
"Th... thank you..."
Then she closed her eyes, let her head droop, and slumped into Mo Yuan's arms, falling fast asleep.
"Damn, you make this huge mess, then just go to sleep and leave me to deal with it alone?"
He said that, but when Ma Xiaotao's sleeping body began to slump, Mo Yuan reached out to catch her anyway. He scooped her up, one arm around her waist and the other beneath her legs. Ma Xiaotao's arms instinctively looped around his neck.
Looking down at the sleeping Ma Xiaotao in his arms, Mo Yuan had to admit that, judging by the silky feel beneath his hands, her long, fair legs, her ample assets, and her peerlessly beautiful face, she was a perfect woman.
Of course, that didn't include her personality.
A tigress might be tamed, but with an active volcano, there was nothing to do but let it erupt...
A summer breeze brushed over Sea God Lake, sending wisps of Forest White Cold Qi curling upward. At the center of the iceberg, where merely drawing near was enough to make someone shiver all over,
the solid ice suddenly melted away like butter beneath a hot knife, revealing a pitch-black opening in the blink of an eye. The crisp sound of footsteps emerged from within.
Then Mo Yuan walked out into the open, carrying Ma Xiaotao, still asleep.
Since Ma Xiaotao had torn her own clothes to shreds, Mo Yuan had taken off his uniform and put it on her.
Anyone who didn't know what had happened might see the scene and let their imagination run wild.
The rain of fire that had fallen from the sky had stopped, and the raging hurricane had vanished. If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, no one would believe there'd just been a towering Fire Dragon Roll here.
In that battle, Mo Yuan had used nearly everything at his disposal except alchemy and his Blood Rage technique. His strength was nearly spent, and his Soul Power was almost gone.
And even then, he'd only just managed to subdue Ma Xiaotao after she'd lost her reason and her Evil Fire had erupted, without her using her sixth Soul Skill. If he had to fight her again after she'd recovered to full strength, Mo Yuan wasn't sure he could beat her.
And this was just the trouble he'd run into on his first day at the academy. If things like this happened every few days, he'd never have a moment's peace.
"Still no one coming out? Could something have happened to Shrek Academy?" Mo Yuan looked around, but didn't see a single person. A troubling suspicion came to mind.
Just then, a cough sounded behind him.
"Ahem."
Mo Yuan's eyes narrowed at the sound. The wariness he'd developed from years of living alone kicked in, and he sprang backward with Ma Xiaotao in his arms, turning to look behind him at the same time.
The moment he steadied himself, a figure came into view: a handsome, scholarly-looking middle-aged man dressed in white, his hair neatly combed. An aura of light radiated from him, and Mo Yuan found it unpleasant.
Once he'd gotten a good look at the man, Mo Yuan relaxed, but said nothing.
He could guess that this show-off held a high position in the academy, but he had his pride too. It didn't take a genius to figure out that this guy had been watching the fight the whole time.
Only after Mo Yuan had exhausted himself and dealt with everything did the man finally show up. There was no way Mo Yuan would greet him with a smile.
"Hello, student."
Yan Shaozhe wasn't offended by Mo Yuan's cold attitude. Young people were bound to be angry after something like this. A refined smile appeared on his face, and his gaze was sincere.
"I'm Yan Shaozhe, the head of the academy's Spirit System. Ma Xiaotao, whom you're carrying, is my direct disciple. Her Martial Soul has always caused her trouble with Evil Fire, which is what led to this incident."
"I've been swamped with affairs these past few days and couldn't deal with it, so Xiaotao lost control. But thanks to a genius like you, she was stopped before she could make a terrible mistake. How are you feeling? Were you hurt?"
Looking at Yan Shaozhe, whose face seemed to spell out the word "sincere," Mo Yuan raised an eyebrow. You're going to play it like this, old man? Fine. You pretend, and I'll pretend too...
The cold expression on Mo Yuan's face changed abruptly. He coughed twice, sounding just as sincere.
"Ahem... I'm hurt. Badly hurt..."
"You weren't hurt, so..." Yan Shaozhe paused, startled. The words he'd prepared suddenly had nowhere to go.
But just as he was grumbling inwardly that Mo Yuan was trying to scam him and put on an act, Mo Yuan spoke again.
"But I don't care. As a student of Shrek Academy, when an Inner Court senior is in trouble and no one from the Inner Court steps in, it's our duty to do everything we can to help her—even if it leaves us gravely injured!"
Mo Yuan spoke with utter sincerity in both tone and manner, righteous and noble, the very picture of a model student who cared about the academy.
Yan Shaozhe's cheek twitched. He was a fox who'd lived for over a hundred years. How could he fail to hear the sarcasm in Mo Yuan's words, mocking him for not stepping in sooner?
"Student, actually..."
"Teacher, there's no need to say more. I don't need compensation. Even though I fought with all my might to stop Ma Xiaotao and keep her from destroying the Outer Court, saving the academy from enormous losses, it was only what I should have done!"
"Don't worry, teacher. I absolutely won't go around telling people how I served the academy with distinction and bled for it! It was only what I should have done. I would never need compensation!"
Mo Yuan put heavy emphasis on that last sentence, practically grinding out each word, making sure Yan Shaozhe couldn't miss the sarcasm.
Yan Shaozhe's face grew darker with every word. You little brat. I saw your honest-looking face and thought you were a model student. And now you're pulling this on me?
You really think I didn't see you bouncing around like nothing was wrong after suppressing my disciple's Evil Fire?
Before you continue