Ma Xiaotao? The plan seems to have hit a small snag...

Because Jiang Nannan was too close to Jiang Yang, she didn't even manage to release a soul skill after that shout before she was eroded by the evil fire and fainted.

When the second sound rang out, a pair of azure wings carried Wang Dong from who knows where, flying toward the hundred-meter stretch of evil fire.

It was like a moth flying into a flame.

"Hm?"

Noticing that Wang Dong had actually flown over, Jiang Yang, who was still distracted by protecting Jiang Nannan's heart meridian, was stunned.

In the moment he was distracted, the red figure wrapped in evil fire became even more violently abnormal.

The flames, which had previously only covered a hundred meters, suddenly doubled in size.

"Ugh--"

Caught off guard, Wang Dong collided head-on with this wall of evil fire.

Her entire body was like a moth hitting a flame, and she fell straight down.

"Causing trouble..."

Jiang Yang's eyes narrowed. The hundred-thousand-year soul ring beneath his feet emerged, and a biting chill surged around him as his Ultimate Ice soul power swept outward.

With him at the center, a radius of several dozen meters was instantly shrouded in an extreme cold field. The rampaging evil fire encountered its nemesis; it hissed and retreated layer by layer.

The biting ice mist locked down the area, firmly suppressing the restless evil fire so it could not spread even an inch further.

At the same time, Wang Dong's body lost its balance and plummeted. Jiang Yang tapped his toes against the void and darted out, his posture as steady as drifting clouds. He stretched out his long arm to gently wrap around her waist, catching the falling Wang Dong steadily into his embrace.

The cold air retracted gently, simultaneously suppressing the evil fire and protecting the person in his arms from harm.

[Ice Emperor: Jiang Yang, this woman has gone mad. She is a Soul Emperor possessing evil fire. Do you need me to step in and take over your body?]

[Jiang Yang: No need.]

[Ice Emperor: I think you've gone mad too. Or are you planning to use the power of that armor?]

[Emperor Armor Will: Hehe, Ice Emperor, there is no need to be so worried. Let Little Yang handle it himself. Trust him; he will be the most special human you have ever encountered.]

[Ice Emperor (crossing her arms): Hmph! I'm just worried that if he dies, he'll drag me down with him.]

"First Soul Skill--"

"Ice Emperor Bodyguard!"

"First Soul Skill--"

"Ice Emperor Pincer!"

Jiang Yang ignored the Ice Emperor; he couldn't be bothered to explain so much to her.

He immediately unleashed two soul skills in succession.

As the two ice-type soul skills unfolded one after another, the chilling intent of the Ultimate Ice condensed into a thick, frozen barrier that stood firmly in mid-air, forcibly holding back the monstrous evil fire crushing down upon them.

Jiang Yang stood tall and upright, showing not a hint of panic. He allowed the two tyrannical forces of ice and fire to violently clash and tremble through his meridians, his expression remaining cold and composed, his aura as steady as a rock.

Deep within the flames, the red figure's killing intent surged, driving the evil fire to erupt with full force. The scorching heat scorched the surrounding void, charring the earth inch by inch. The baleful energy crashed against the ice wall with fierce, sharp momentum, yet it could not break through the icy defense in the slightest.

The Ultimate Ice locked the area down layer by layer, locked in a desperate stalemate with the crimson evil fire. At the boundary, white mist roared and exploded, with heat waves and extreme cold tearing at the space between them.

Jiang Yang's gaze was calm and resolute. Though he appeared unmoved, he had already precisely controlled the rhythm of his soul power circulation, steadily channeling his origin soul power to reinforce the ice wall. The soft light of his hundred-thousand-year soul ring swirled steadily around him, showing no signs of wavering or fatigue.

He swept a glance at Wang Dong, who was sleeping quite comfortably and unharmed, and then glanced at Jiang Nannan, who was unconscious behind him, fully aware of the situation.

Regardless of how the evil fire repeatedly assaulted them.

Jiang Yang's stance remained motionless, firmly guarding every retreat and defensive line.

"Hah--!"

The red figure grew increasingly anxious and violent, continuously stacking the power of the evil fire to assault the ice surface.

Fine cracks immediately appeared on the edge of the ice wall.

"Truly interesting."

"Second Soul Skill--"

"My Heart is Bright!"

Jiang Yang calmly unleashed the second soul skill of his first martial soul, the Xuanyuan Sword.

Although Ultimate Ice did not belong to the light attribute, it could still amplify the power of soul skills by 50%.

With this boost, the cracked ice wall was quickly repaired and became even harder than before.

As for why he wasn't going all out.

That was naturally Jiang Yang's deliberate choice.

No matter how many trump cards one has, they must be revealed slowly to maximize the benefits.

Jiang Yang believed that through his planning, he would soon obtain the highest level of authority for a student at Shrek Academy.

He might even be able to reach the treatment level of an inner court teacher.

In this way, his future actions at Shrek would be much more comfortable.

After a long moment.

Sure enough, a fierce wind whistled through the clouds in the distant sky, and a figure in white came rushing through the air in a great hurry.

Finally, he's here.

Jiang Yang thought to himself.

The next moment.

He immediately channeled almost all of his soul power, once again unleashing the Ice Emperor's Pincer to meet that red figure.

The balance between ice and fire was shattered in an instant.

And that red figure was knocked into Sea God Lake by the sudden, overwhelming impact of the Ultimate Ice.

"Oh no!"

"Little... Jiang? Jiang Yang?!"

"Xiaotao is actually fighting Jiang Yang, and Jiang Yang actually won?"

The old man in white was none other than Yan Shaozhe, the Dean of Shrek Academy, whom Jiang Yang had met once before.

And the Xiaotao he spoke of was naturally his prized student, the Flame Maniac, Ma Xiaotao.

"Jiang Yang, are you alright?"

Yan Shaozhe arrived behind Jiang Yang as if teleporting, supporting him with a palm.

Jiang Yang, who had been acting all along, saw Yan Shaozhe arrive and took the opportunity to faint.

Having rapidly overdrawn his soul power, he was already at the end of his rope, and with the deliberate strike he had dealt to his own heart meridian, it was only natural that he truly passed out.

"Teacher Li, heal those two."

After checking Jiang Yang's body, Yan Shaozhe felt his heart racing uncontrollably.

However.

He forcibly suppressed his restless heart, specifically instructing the teacher behind him to heal only Jiang Nannan and Wang Dong.

As for Jiang Yang, he intended to bring him back to the Inner Court to slowly lay his plans.

He would strive to bind Ma Xiaotao and Jiang Yang together permanently.

It would be even better if he could turn the raw rice into cooked porridge.

Because Jiang Yang was not only the greatest genius in the history of the Douluo Continent in ten thousand years, but he also possessed two Ultimate Attributes.

Most importantly, one of those Ultimate Attributes was the Ultimate Ice.

This was exactly the attribute Ma Xiaotao needed most.

As Ma Xiaotao's teacher and the Dean of Shrek Academy, both for the sake of the academy and for personal reasons, Yan Shaozhe hoped that Jiang Yang and Ma Xiaotao would end up together.

As for Jiang Nannan, who had been involved in an ambiguous relationship with Jiang Yang since the start of the new student term, he would simply have to compensate her in other ways.

Yan Shaozhe believed that his student, Ma Xiaotao, was far superior to Jiang Nannan in both figure and talent.

He also believed that Jiang Yang would naturally be able to discern the difference between the two women and make his choice.

"Hiss—"

"Brother Jiang Yang!"