"I'm Phoenix Douluo now!"
"Even the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall has to step aside when they see me!"
"And you, some little girl hiding in this backwater, think you can challenge me?"
"Today, I'll show you what it means to be a real man!"
Ma Hongjun let out a roar. The Soul Rings beneath his feet flashed, and he transformed into a blazing meteor, hurtling straight at Shui Bing'er.
He was brimming with confidence.
They were both Titled Douluo. He had a top-tier Phoenix Martial Soul and a God-Given Soul Ring. He could crush anyone at the same rank!
Yu Xiaogang, watching from the side, didn't try to stop him. Instead, he snorted inwardly.
The people from Skywater Academy had no sense of proper conduct.
It might do them good to let the fatty teach them a lesson.
Once they were beaten into submission, negotiating a partnership would be easy.
However.
Faced with the blazing meteor's tremendous momentum, Shui Bing'er didn't even release her Martial Soul.
She simply stood there, watching Ma Hongjun charge toward her as if he were a moth flying into a flame.
"Phoenix?"
"Under that lord's radiance, do you even deserve to call yourself emperor?"
Shui Bing'er parted her red lips and uttered a few icy words.
The next instant.
She slowly raised her right hand and lightly pointed with her index finger.
There was no flashy movement.
No dazzling Soul Skill effects.
Just that single point of her finger.
The surrounding space seemed to freeze in an instant.
The Phoenix Flame, raging fiercely enough to melt steel, stopped in midair just three feet from Shui Bing'er.
Then—
Crack—crack—
The grating sound of freezing rang out.
The crimson flames turned into deep-blue ice sculptures at a speed visible to the naked eye!
Even Ma Hongjun, at the heart of the flames, was frozen in midair, locked in the pose he'd struck while charging forward.
"What?!"
Yu Xiaogang's pupils contracted sharply, his face filled with horror.
She could even freeze flames?
What level of ice power was this?
Before he could react, Shui Bing'er gently pressed her finger downward.
Boom!!
The enormous ice sculpture of the phoenix exploded, scattering into a storm of ice fragments.
Ma Hongjun let out a scream and crashed to the ground like a kite with its string cut.
Frost covered his body. His lips had turned purple with cold as he stared in terror at the figure towering above him.
"You... How could you..."
He was a Level 93 Titled Douluo!
How could he fail to withstand even a single move from her?
Shui Bing'er walked over to him, her high heels clicking crisply against the ice.
She looked down at Ma Hongjun, her eyes devoid of the slightest pity.
"Your eyes disgust me."
Ma Hongjun's lecherous gaze just now had reminded her of some nauseating vermin.
After spending so much time by Neuvillette's side, she'd grown accustomed to a gaze as clear and deep as water. Her tolerance for filth like this was practically nonexistent.
Shui Bing'er slowly raised her right hand.
The extreme cold gathered, forming a razor-sharp icicle.
"If you can't control your eyes and what's between your legs..."
"Then you don't need them."
Before the words had even faded, the icicle appeared.
Its target was the space between Ma Hongjun's legs!
Squelch!
The sound of the icicle piercing flesh rang out, freezing and shattering the surrounding tissue in an instant.
"Ahhhhhhh—!!!"
A scream of utter agony rang across the skies above all of Skywater City.
Ma Hongjun clutched his crotch with both hands, his body curled up like a shrimp as he rolled wildly on the ground.
Before any blood could flow, the cold had already frozen it into red shards of ice.
The agony, piercing to the bone and leaving him unable to father children, made his eyes roll back. He nearly passed out on the spot.
"Fatty!"
Xiao Wu, who'd been standing behind them, cried out in alarm.
Though she'd always thought Ma Hongjun a little lecherous, he was still a companion she'd known for years, one of the Shrek Seven Devils.
Seeing her companion crippled, Xiao Wu's eyes instantly reddened.
"You've gone too far!"
Xiao Wu shouted. Her figure shot forward like lightning.
Instant Teleportation!
Waist Bow!
Her Soul Power wasn't as deep as Ma Hongjun's, but her physical techniques were formidable, and she combined the Power Attack System with the Agility Attack System.
Her very first move was a killing blow.
However.
Faced with Xiao Wu's fierce attack, Shui Bing'er merely leaned to the side and dodged it with ease.
Then she swung out with her other hand.
Smack!
The crisp sound of a slap rang out.
Xiao Wu was struck as if by lightning, sent flying by the blow. She spun several times in the air before managing to land.
Clutching her swollen cheek, a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth, she stared at Shui Bing'er in shock.
The gap... was too great!
They weren't even in the same league!
Shui Bing'er's Soul Power was at least Level 97, perhaps even Level 98!
Yu Xiaogang was completely dumbfounded.
He looked at Ma Hongjun rolling on the ground, then at Xiao Wu, who'd been injured. His legs began trembling uncontrollably.
How could this be?
According to his theories, the Shrek Seven Devils should have been the greatest geniuses of their generation.
Why were they so helpless before Skywater Academy?
Run!
He had to run!
As long as the green hills remained, he wouldn't need to worry about firewood!
The thought flashed through Yu Xiaogang's mind. He turned and made for the carriage.
At this critical moment—
Rumble—!
The enormous Golden Ranking List in the heavens shook once more.
The previously motionless image began to move. Golden light blazed, drawing everyone's attention.
Even Shui Bing'er, who'd been about to continue teaching them a lesson, instinctively paused and looked up at the sky.
Lines of dazzling golden characters slowly appeared beneath the gaze of countless living beings.
[Continent Rare Treasure Ranking · Tenth Place] [Treasure: Lovesick Heartbreak Red] [Holder: Xiao Wu]
The image shifted.
A flower, its entire form crimson and its petals carved as if from blood-red jade, appeared on the Sky Screen.
The blossom looked so vivid it seemed ready to drip, as if it contained endless sorrowful beauty and devotion.
A detailed description appeared below:
[The king of flowers. Only a true lover can pluck it.] [When consumed, it can seize the wonders of Heaven and Earth: bringing the dead back to life, restoring flesh to bones, and protecting its master from death.]
Then came the reward that would drive everyone mad.
[Reward for making the list: The holder's Soul Power Level increases by one.] [Special blessing: Lovesick Heartbreak Red evolves into—Soul Dream Eternal Flower!]
In the image, the already precious Lovesick Heartbreak Red began to transform beneath the golden light.
Its petals grew even more crystalline, and a pink-gold glow swirled around it. A jade rabbit could just be glimpsed leaping among its stamens.
[Effects of Soul Dream Eternal Flower:] [1. Its healing ability increases tenfold. As long as its holder still draws breath, they can recover instantly.] [2. Grants its holder three absolute resurrections, rendering any attempt to erase them powerless, regardless of the rules.] [3. Its petals can turn into a shower of blossoms to attack. Each petal contains a mental storm capable of severely damaging an enemy's soul.]
At that moment, the entire continent erupted.
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