Xi Xi nodded. Her whole body streaked forward like a bolt of purple lightning, launching an attack at Ma Xiaotao from behind.
Though Gongyang Mo was panicking, he didn't forget to support the others. The two Soul Rings at his feet flashed, and a series of rings shot out from his body, landing above Bei Bei and Xi Xi's heads and boosting their strength and Soul Power.
Bei Bei used his first Soul Skill. Golden lightning coiled around both hands, transforming them into a pair of dragon claws as he closed in to fight Ma Xiaotao.
Dark-red flames erupted around Ma Xiaotao, forming a fireball that forced the two of them back.
Bei Bei's Bright Thunder Power was exceptionally effective against Ma Xiaotao's Phoenix Evil Fire. Every time he struck, he tore through her Phoenix Flames.
Ma Xiaotao felt the flames inside her starting to slip out of control. Seeing this, she prepared to end the fight quickly. The three Soul Rings at her feet flashed one after another.
An unusually thick pillar of dark-red fire shot toward Bei Bei and the others.
The second Soul Ring at Bei Bei's feet flashed, and his whole body was suddenly enveloped in dazzling golden lightning.
"Second Soul Skill, Bright Dragon Breath!"
The golden lightning converged, forming a scorching, brilliant beam. With a roar of thunder and dragons, it burst from his mouth.
The dark-red pillar of fire and the golden lightning beam collided with a deafening boom, sending a powerful wave of air rapidly surging in every direction.
Bei Bei involuntarily staggered back several steps, feeling that most of his Soul Power had been drained.
The fiery wings on Ma Xiaotao's back beat sharply, barely stabilizing her.
Gongyang Mo and Xi Xi nearly got swept away by the blast.
At that moment, Ma Xiaotao felt the Evil Fire inside her beginning to slip out of control. As her cultivation improved, the drawbacks of her Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul had become increasingly apparent.
During intense combat, the Evil Fire inside her was liable to run wild.
And as time went on, she would lose control of it more and more often. Even her daily cultivation would be affected.
Ma Xiaotao took a deep breath and slowly descended from the air, using what little Soul Power she had left to suppress the rampaging Evil Fire.
Bei Bei noticed something was wrong and immediately hurried over. He placed a hand on her shoulder and continuously channeled Bright Power into her.
"From now on, try not to use up more than half your Soul Power during a fight. Otherwise, your Evil Fire will run wild," Bei Bei reminded her.
Gongyang Mo and Xi Xi came over too, though they were completely baffled and had no idea what was going on.
"I'll be careful." Ma Xiaotao felt somewhat frustrated, but she had no better solution.
Even Mu En and her teacher couldn't remove the Evil Fire inside her. They could only use Bright Power to suppress and ease it.
Her teacher had said that only Ultimate Light could completely purify the Evil Fire, while Ultimate Ice could suppress it perfectly.
Fortunately, the Evil Fire's loss of control wasn't too severe. After regulating her breathing for a while, Ma Xiaotao returned to normal.
After that, the group had several more bouts. Ma Xiaotao accurately figured out how much Soul Power she could use before the Evil Fire ran wild.
As evening fell, they finally went their separate ways.
A few days later, the First-Year Freshman Tournament began.
Bei Bei went to watch as promised. Ma Xiaotao's team swept through the competition, unstoppable in their path.
They encountered a little trouble only when they faced Dai Yueheng's team. Ma Xiaotao swiftly and decisively defeated every other freshman team.
Ma Xiaotao's team took first place in the Freshman Tournament. Their prize was a Soul Bone.
Dai Yueheng's team came in second.
Bei Bei, Ma Xiaotao, Gongyang Mo, and Xi Xi gathered for a meal by Sea God Lake, celebrating their first-place finish in the Freshman Tournament.
They returned to Sea God Island in Shrek Inner Court..
Teacher Fan Yu had joined several Soul Tool Department teachers in building a metal chamber, more than five meters tall, in the courtyard outside his room.
"Bei Bei, you're back." When Fan Yu saw him, he quickly called out, "The Gravity Chamber is finished. Come see if it meets your requirements."
As he spoke, he led Bei Bei straight into the Gravity Chamber.
The walls and floor were made of exceptionally sturdy metal, all a silvery gray.
The door closed automatically. Fan Yu held a metal controller with two buttons: one to increase the gravity and one to reduce it.
"This Gravity Chamber can reach up to ten times normal gravity. You can try it out." Fan Yu pressed one of the buttons on the controller. "This is one times gravity."
Bei Bei felt as though his body had sunk into a swamp. Every movement came with immense pressure.
Fan Yu seemed not to notice the gravity at all. It had no effect on him as he continued explaining, "I installed a Life Detection Device inside. As soon as it detects someone getting injured, it automatically reduces the gravity."
Fan Yu pressed the controller again, and the pressure inside the Gravity Chamber immediately returned to normal.
Fan Yu led Bei Bei out of the Gravity Chamber and continued, "You can operate it from outside too, but you can only reduce the gravity, not increase it."
Bei Bei nodded in satisfaction. If someone were training inside while a malicious person outside secretly increased the gravity, it would be extremely dangerous.
Fan Yu went on, "The Gravity Chamber runs on a fifth-grade Milk Bottle—in other words, a charging Soul Tool. It needs to be replenished with Soul Power every time it's used. Once fully charged, it can run for five hours."
Bei Bei noticed a clear palm print on the wall of the Gravity Chamber. That was the designated spot for channeling in Soul Power.
"When training in the Gravity Chamber, you must take it gradually. Don't recklessly push yourself. High gravity can damage your internal organs and might leave you with hidden injuries that are difficult to heal."
Fan Yu explained all the precautions to Bei Bei, then handed him the controller.
Fan Yu didn't stay long. He still had to deliver a report on the Gravity Chamber to Xian Lin'er, the dean of the Soul Tool Department. Its creation was of great significance to Shrek Academy.
After taking the controller, Bei Bei eagerly entered the Gravity Chamber to train.
He pressed the controller, wanting to find out how many times normal gravity he could withstand, so he didn't summon his Martial Soul.
At twice normal gravity, Bei Bei felt he could barely move, but he could still walk around freely.
At three times normal gravity, Bei Bei still felt no great pressure.
At four times normal gravity, Bei Bei felt invisible forces squeezing him from every direction. Even walking was difficult.
At five times normal gravity, Bei Bei felt he had to exert great effort just to breathe.
At six times normal gravity, Bei Bei felt his entire body trembling, with tearing pain coming from his internal organs.
At seven times normal gravity, the lights throughout the Gravity Chamber turned red and began flashing wildly as an audio warning sounded. Then the gravity inside gradually decreased. The lights didn't return to normal until the gravity had dropped back to normal.