Ma Xiaotao, Have You Ever Lost? A Sword Seals Our Love!

Night fell.

The evening breeze brushed against the eaves, leaving the surroundings quiet and serene, with only moonlight blanketing the ground in tranquil silence.

However.

This serenity did not last long before it was shattered by a scream of "Ah—" from inside the small cabin.

That was not all.

Before the first scream had even faded, a second one followed in quick succession.

Although the two sounds were separated by only a brief moment, their meanings were vastly different.

The first sound was filled primarily with shock and suspicion.

In contrast.

The second sound was one of astonishment and pain, mixed with a hint of shyness.

"Bang—"

With this loud crash, Jiang Yang was suddenly forced out of the courtyard by the Evil Fire.

At this moment, a trace of crimson blood still clung to his manhood, and even someone as indifferent as he felt things had become somewhat absurd.

"Who are you?!"

The next moment.

Ma Xiaotao, who had already hurriedly put on a dress with a streak of crimson blood trailing from her hem down to her ankle, stood at the doorway with a face full of fury.

The phantom of the Evil Fire Phoenix behind her and the six great soul rings beneath her feet all served to manifest the rage in her heart.

"My name is Jiang Yang."

"I am a victim in this matter as well; you should go find your teacher."

Having regained his composure, Jiang Yang's mood quickly settled.

He took a set of clothes from his Soul Tool and quickly changed into them.

"You bold scoundrel!"

"Even now, you still dare to slander my teacher!!"

Hearing the youth before her dare to shift the blame onto her teacher, Ma Xiaotao was instantly incensed.

Her second and third soul rings flashed in succession, and she lunged toward Jiang Yang like a fire phoenix.

"First Soul Skill—"

"Ice Emperor Bodyguard!"

Jiang Yang instantly condensed his soul power, freezing the flames surging toward him solid!

Ma Xiaotao, who had never intended to take Jiang Yang's life to begin with, was immediately blocked by the wall of ice that had erupted from the ground.

"Ultimate Ice?"

"One hundred thousand years? A first soul ring!"

Ma Xiaotao was no fool; she was merely impulsive in her actions.

Upon seeing the Ultimate Ice martial soul and the one-hundred-thousand-year first soul ring, she already believed a portion of Jiang Yang's words.

However.

Because Jiang Yang had taken the most important thing from her, even if it was an accident.

Even if this accident had a great deal to do with the first scream she let out after waking up.

She still felt that she should make this man pay a price.

At the very least, she had to test his strength.

She wanted to see if the other party was qualified to be her man.

"Second Soul Skill—"

"Bathing Fire Phoenix!"

"First Soul Skill—"

"Phoenix Fire Line!"

Ma Xiaotao first cast her second soul skill to grant herself a buff, then used her first soul skill to attack.

It was obvious.

She was trying to probe Jiang Yang's true strength.

"I suggest you go have a good talk with your teacher first; as it happens, I also want to ask why I appeared in this place."

Although Ma Xiaotao's two attacks were enough to force back a Soul Ancestor level expert, they were not enough to make Jiang Yang exert himself. He did not even use the Xuanyuan Sword, merely diverting his focus to control the Ultimate Ice, and he froze the line of fire into a block of ice.

"So what you're saying is, you're the one being bullied, is that it?!"

"You brat! Give me your life!!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Xiaotao's face flushed red, and she immediately spat out a fierce threat at Jiang Yang.

Furthermore, from Jiang Yang's recent actions, she had already witnessed that he was no simple opponent.

And so.

She took the opportunity to turn up the heat on him.

"Fourth Soul Skill—"

"Phoenix Roaring Sky Strike!"

The moment he heard the name of that soul skill, Jiang Yang's previously serious expression suddenly broke into amusement.

So it's "Phoenix Laughing Sky Frog" again, is it...

However.

Laughing was one thing.

He still had to get a little serious.

Although they were both Soul Emperors, Ma Xiaotao was no pushover like Zhou Yi.

If Ma Xiaotao truly got serious, taking on a Soul Saint in a one-on-one fight wouldn't be a problem.

That was the domineering nature of an Ultimate Attribute.

"First Soul Skill—"

"Ice Emperor Bodyguard!"

"First Soul Skill—"

"Ice Emperor Pincer!"

"Second Soul Skill—"

"My Heart is Bright!"

Jiang Yang unleashed three soul skills in rapid succession, layering them one after another, yet that terrifying pillar of fire still managed to bore into the core of his ice wall.

"Huh?!"

Suspended in mid-air, Ma Xiaotao saw this scene and immediately began to retract her soul power, worried about actually taking a life.

After all, while she had threatened to take Jiang Yang's life, it was merely talk.

But soon.

She caught sight of the Xuanyuan Sword gripped in Jiang Yang's hand and the two purple and one black soul rings beneath his feet.

She couldn't help but let out a cry of shock.

"It seems if I don't beat you into submission today, you won't listen to a word I say!"

As the dust settled.

A chunk of the ice pillar in front of Jiang Yang was clearly missing, and behind that gap, a trace of warm blood stained his face.

The top of that ice pillar was still smoldering with the Ultimate Fire.

"Jiang Yang, as a six-ring Soul Emperor, I have not underestimated you, so please do not look down on me."

"I know you are still holding back; otherwise, the Sea God Pavilion would never have appointed you as the Chief of the Outer Court."

"An eleven-year-old Chief of the Outer Court—that is truly something unseen since the founding of Shrek Academy."

Ma Xiaotao stood in mid-air, arms crossed, as she spoke.

Her scarlet dress paired with her phoenix fire wings, set against the backdrop of the bright moon, gave her a uniquely chilling air.

"Fine, I knew it wouldn't be that easy."

"Ma Xiaotao, have you ever been defeated?"

Jiang Yang smiled faintly, his expression becoming significantly more serious.

"Honestly, if you exclude sparring with my teacher and senior sisters, I have indeed never been defeated."

Ma Xiaotao replied with a smile.

As the possessor of the Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul, bearing the Ultimate Fire attribute and a trace of divine beast bloodline.

As the personal disciple of the Shrek Academy Dean.

She certainly had the pride to make such a statement.

"Then can you accept your own defeat?"

"I'm talking about the kind where you are utterly crushed."

The moment Jiang Yang finished speaking.

Ma Xiaotao's eyes instantly narrowed. She was wondering if this boy, several years her junior, was simply spouting nonsense.

Perhaps he truly had some kind of trump card.

However.

Very quickly, she, who was also a genius, immediately wiped away this trace of concern.

"Student Jiang Yang, this is the first time a freshman has dared to speak to me like this. I don't care what kind of cards you have up your sleeve."

"If you're a man, then let's fight with everything we've got!"

"The rules are simple—"

"Winner takes all, loser kneels and licks!"

"If you win against me, you can hit or scold me as you please, and today's matter will be settled."

"If you lose, then for today's affair, you must give me an explanation!"

Although there was no hint of provocation in Jiang Yang's tone, it was precisely because of this indifference.

It further agitated Ma Xiaotao's nerves.

As the number one among her peers in the Shrek inner courtyard, she had her own pride.

"A very good proposal—"

"I accept."

Jiang Yang nodded.

"Then come, let me see exactly how much weight you carry!"

As soon as the words fell.

Ma Xiaotao immediately entered combat mode.

"First Soul Skill—"

"Insightful Autumn!"

"Martial Soul Domain—"

"Righteous and Bright!"

"Third Soul Skill—"

"Hundred-Step Flying Sword!"

As one soul skill after another was unleashed, Ma Xiaotao, who had been somewhat smug before.

Immediately changed her expression.

Especially when Jiang Yang unleashed his Martial Soul Domain, even she, with her Ultimate Fire, felt her soul power compressed by 200%.

Furthermore, she fell from the air.

A sense of panic washed over her entire being.

On top of that, Jiang Yang's sword, released with a mental shock, caught her completely off guard.

She was instantly dazed for a split second.

By the time she reacted, the flying sword was already right in front of her.

"Fourth Soul Skill—"

"Phoenix Roaring Sky Strike!"

At the brink of life and death.

Ma Xiaotao's years of combat instinct made her subconsciously unleash this strike.

But in the eyes of Jiang Yang, who had activated Insightful Autumn, it still looked as slow as a turtle crawling.

With a loud "Bang—" ringing out.

Jiang Yang was seen with his left hand behind his back, his right hand following the flying sword, his figure flashing forward slightly, dodging the strike with extreme ease, while that flame shockwave blasted the distant courtyard wall into smithereens!

The insects and birds that had been resting in the surrounding trees fled rapidly.

The silent night was once again filled with noise.

"Clang—"

Following the muffled sound of a palm catching a sword hilt, Ma Xiaotao, who had thought she was surely dead tonight, slowly opened her eyes.

A few beads of sweat had already trickled down her forehead.

She looked in disbelief at Jiang Yang, who stood looking down at her with his left hand behind his back and his right hand gripping the Xuanyuan Sword, his eyes seemingly glowing.

"Yo? It's quite lively here, isn't it? It seems I haven't arrived at the best time, have I?"