Shrek Academy and Canghui Academy stood on the brink of a fight, ready to throw down at any moment.
The other diners and the tavern keeper were so frightened that they scrambled to their feet and fled, stumbling over one another.
"Come on, hurry!
The Lord Soul Masters are about to fight. We'd better get out of here before we get caught in the crossfire!"
In the blink of an eye, the once-boisterous hall was completely deserted.
Only at a window-side table in the corner, Huang Yan and Shui Bing'er remained seated, utterly still. They even continued to sip their tea at their leisure.
That calm and unruffled manner infuriated Ma Hongjun the moment he saw it.
He thought the pair were looking down on Shrek.
"Hey!
You two over there!"
Ma Hongjun pointed at Huang Yan's back and shouted arrogantly:
"Are you blind or deaf?
Can't you see we've got business to take care of?
Hurry up and get lost. What are you sitting there acting all high and mighty for?"
With his back to him, Huang Yan didn't even turn his head. He simply kept putting food on Shui Bing'er's plate.
Ma Hongjun grew even angrier. Cursing under his breath, he strode forward:
"Damn it, you won't know a good thing when it's offered, huh? Today, I'm going to—"
But when he drew closer and saw Shui Bing'er sitting across from Huang Yan, he froze.
His beady, leering eyes flew wide open as he stared straight at Shui Bing'er's breathtaking face.
After Azure Luan Douluo had frightened him off last time, Flender had gone back and specifically looked into Shui Bing'er's background.
When he learned she came from Skywater Academy and possessed a top-grade Ice Phoenix Martial Soul, Flender had taken Ma Hongjun aside and given him a word of advice.
"Hongjun, that girl has a rare Ice Phoenix Martial Soul!
You have an Evil Fire Phoenix. One is ice, the other fire. If you can win her over, there's a very good chance you'll unlock a Martial Soul Fusion Skill!
And then, your problem with Evil Fire backlash might be solved once and for all!"
Remembering Flender's words, Ma Hongjun felt a rush of excitement.
Even without that so-called Martial Soul Fusion Skill, just getting his hands on a woman this breathtaking would be a fantastic deal!
Ma Hongjun immediately put on what he imagined was a suave, flirtatious smile. In reality, it was lecherous.
Ignoring Huang Yan, whose back was still turned to him, he sidled up to the table and rubbed his hands together.
"Hehe, beautiful, what a coincidence! We've run into each other again!"
"I heard you have an Ice Phoenix Martial Soul?
Well, what do you know? Your big brother here has a Fire Phoenix!
Ice and fire, the two of us—it's practically a match made in heaven, arranged by the gods themselves!"
Shui Bing'er's face turned cold, her eyes full of disgust.
"Get lost."
Ma Hongjun didn't back off. Instead, his grin grew even more vulgar.
"Ooh, feisty!
Your big brother here likes a woman with a bit of bite!"
Ma Hongjun glanced at Huang Yan across from her, still facing away, and curled his lip in disdain.
"Beautiful, what future could you possibly have with a coward who won't even show his face or say a damn thing?"
"Why not come with me instead?
Tonight, we'll find a room and have a nice, 'deep discussion' about our Martial Soul Fusion Skill. I guarantee you'll be satisfied..."
"You're asking for death."
The temperature around Shui Bing'er plummeted as icy blue Soul Power gathered in her palm.
Just then, Huang Yan slowly turned his head and stared at Ma Hongjun as if he were already a corpse.
"Fatso, it's only been a few days, and you've gotten even better at spewing shit.
Who did you just say you wanted to have a deep discussion with?"
The lecherous grin froze on Ma Hongjun's face when he saw Huang Yan's faintly amused expression. He instinctively stumbled back two steps.
The terrifying pressure of Azure Luan Douluo still haunted him from last time.
"It... it's you?!"
Ma Hongjun swallowed, his courage crumbling.
But then the corner of his eye caught sight of Dai Mubai, Tang San, and the others nearby.
The Shrek students and the people from Canghui Academy had also stopped arguing. They were all staring in their direction.
Ma Hongjun gritted his teeth. If he backed down and apologized in front of everyone, how would he ever show his face at the academy again?
Boss Dai and the others were watching!
"You... don't get cocky!"
Ma Hongjun forced the words out, his voice fierce even as he quailed inside.
"Last time, your teacher was the strong one, not you!
My Shrek brothers are all here today. You think I'm afraid of you?"
Huang Yan looked at Ma Hongjun, who was putting on a brave face, and his gaze turned utterly cold.
"I spared your life last time because you were nothing but an ant I could crush with one hand. You weren't worth dirtying my hands over.
But since you're so determined to get yourself killed today, I'll grant your wish."
Huang Yan had no desire to waste time going back and forth with trash like him.
He slowly rose to his feet. A sacred, blazing aura suddenly erupted from within him.
"Shriek—!"
A clear Phoenix Cry rang out as a dazzling Radiant Phoenix phantom appeared behind Huang Yan, illuminating the entire hall as brightly as the midday sun.
Then, under the horrified gazes of everyone present, five Soul Rings rose slowly from beneath Huang Yan's feet.
Yellow, yellow, purple, black, black!
The two Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, as deep as ink, radiated a suffocating pressure.
Under the overwhelming suppression of that pure Radiant Phoenix bloodline, the Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul inside Ma Hongjun seemed to have come face-to-face with its natural enemy.
It began to tremble violently, beyond his control.
"Thud!"
Ma Hongjun's legs gave way, and the bloodline pressure forced him to his knees.
Cold sweat poured down his body. He couldn't summon even the slightest bit of Soul Power.
"H-how is this possible?!"
Ma Hongjun shrieked in terror, his voice thick with despair.
Across the hall, the Shrek students who had been confronting Canghui Academy were all thunderstruck.
They stared at the Soul Rings beneath Huang Yan's feet.
"F-five Soul Rings?
A Soul King?!"
Dai Mubai sucked in a sharp breath, disbelief filling his proud, evil eyes.
"He looks only a year or two older than me. How could he possibly be a Soul King?!"
Tang San's pupils constricted. He stared at the two black Soul Rings, his voice trembling slightly.
"His fourth Soul Ring is already at the Ten Thousand Year level... How is that possible?
That completely shatters the theory my teacher proposed about the limits of Soul Ring absorption!"
Huang Yan looked down at Ma Hongjun kneeling on the floor, a cold glint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes.
He couldn't be bothered to waste any more words on trash like him.
Since this fat bastard had nothing on his mind but women to vent his Evil Fire on, Huang Yan would put an end to that today. For the rest of his life, he'd be a eunuch!
And he would cripple the Martial Soul he was so proud of as well, so he'd never be able to become a Soul Master again!
Feeling the undisguised killing intent radiating from Huang Yan, Ma Hongjun's desperate will to survive overcame his fear.
He bit down hard on his tongue and roared:
"Evil Fire Phoenix, possess me!"
A flash of purple-red light swept over Ma Hongjun's body, and sparse purple-red feathers sprouted across his skin.
His already round body swelled in an instant, growing even fatter and more ridiculous.
At the same time, two yellow Hundred-Year Soul Rings rose—barely—from beneath Ma Hongjun's feet.
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