First Meeting with Ma Xiaotao

Under the influence of the alcohol, her body and spirit relaxed completely.

Her aura rose slightly, and the soul power within her body naturally advanced by one level.

Feeling the changes within herself, Zhang Lexuan realized that her mind had been wound a bit too tight lately.

It was precisely this picnic with Bei Bei that had allowed her tense spirit to finally ease.

She couldn't help but cast her gaze toward the small figure busy in front of her, the corners of her mouth lifting inadvertently as she understood Bei Bei's thoughtful intentions.

Thinking of this, Zhang Lexuan felt a twinge of annoyance; it should have been her taking care of Bei Bei, yet the roles had been reversed.

Watching Bei Bei's sunny, happy smile, a warmth spread through the depths of Zhang Lexuan's heart.

Just then, a cheerful voice interrupted this tender moment.

"Wow! Someone really is having a barbecue here. I knew I smelled something delicious!"

A flash of fiery red darted over, rushing up with great energy to greet Bei Bei and Zhang Lexuan. "Are you two senior students from the Inner Court? My name is Ma Xiaotao!"

Upon hearing the name, Bei Bei couldn't help but turn his head to look at her.

She was a little girl of about ten, dressed in a long red skirt, looking spirited and fiery. Her red hair was like burning flames, her face was exquisite, and her pair of pale pink eyes were full of mischief.

"I am Zhang Lexuan. You must be the new disciple Dean Yan has taken in, though I don't believe I've ever seen you outside," Zhang Lexuan said softly.

"My martial soul has some defects, so my teacher keeps a close watch on me. It's been much more stable lately, which is why he finally let me out," Ma Xiaotao said with a sweet smile.

Although she looked quite young, it was clear that she would grow up to be a great beauty.

Bei Bei walked over and introduced himself: "My name is Bei Bei."

"You're so small, are you an Inner Court student too?" Ma Xiaotao asked, looking puzzled as she eyed Bei Bei, who was even shorter than she was.

"No, I just live here, same as you," Bei Bei laughed. At this moment, Ma Xiaotao was still innocent and naive, completely different from the Flame Maniac she would become in the future.

Ma Xiaotao nodded slightly, her red hair swaying. She assumed Bei Bei was like her—a disciple of one of the Sea God Pavilion elders or the Dean.

She wanted to say something more, but her stomach suddenly let out a growl, and she blushed, feeling quite embarrassed.

"We're having a picnic, come join us!" Bei Bei turned slightly to invite her.

"Okay! It looks like I'm a few years older than you, so just call me Sister Xiaotao." Ma Xiaotao had been drawn here by the aroma, and her eyes were full of anticipation, the previous shyness long forgotten.

"Try this grilled meat, it's one of a kind!" Bei Bei handed over a skewer of meat, grilled to be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

Ma Xiaotao didn't stand on ceremony. She took it, bit into it, and her pale pink eyes lit up instantly. She mumbled, "So delicious! This is the best grilled meat I've ever had."

The three of them sat together, grilling various foods as the mouth-watering scent filled the air.

Ma Xiaotao's personality was naturally lively and enthusiastic, and she quickly became familiar with Bei Bei and Zhang Lexuan.

Seeing how skilled Bei Bei was at grilling, she couldn't help but want to try it herself, but she ended up either undercooking the food or turning it into charcoal.

"How is this possible? It looked so simple," Ma Xiaotao said, feeling unconvinced.

"You can use your soul power to control the heat..." Bei Bei had barely finished speaking before he regretted it.

Ma Xiaotao held a few skewers and channeled her soul power into them. Instantly, dark red flames erupted from her like a geyser, turning the skewers in her hand to ash in a heartbeat.

Zhang Lexuan acted quickly, extinguishing the flames Ma Xiaotao had released before the area could turn into a sea of fire.

"The power of these flames is immense, nearing the level of Ultimate Fire. With such talent, it's no wonder Dean Yan took you as a disciple," Zhang Lexuan said, surprised. The girl was only ten, yet her soul power was already over level twenty, not far from becoming a level thirty Soul Elder.

"Ugh, sorry, I couldn't control it just now." Ma Xiaotao's fair face was smeared with soot, making her look like a little kitten.

Realizing she had caused trouble, she gripped the hem of her skirt, worried that they would dislike her.

Ever since she awakened her martial soul, her flames would occasionally spiral out of control, sometimes clouding her reason and leaving her with nothing but a desire for destruction.

Because of this, she had never had any friends, fearing that she would hurt them if she lost control.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." Ma Xiaotao muttered, her emotions becoming unstable. Her pale pink eyes gradually turned crimson, showing faint signs of going berserk.

Just as Zhang Lexuan prepared to intervene again, Bei Bei stepped forward first, placing a hand on Ma Xiaotao's shoulder. His body radiated a pure aura of light, constantly purifying the berserk evil fire within her.

Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul was inherited from Ma Hongjun from ten thousand years ago. The quality of her phoenix flames reached the level of Ultimate Fire, but because of the innate evil fire, the flames were impure and could not unleash their full, ultimate potential.

It was a stretch for Bei Bei to purify her evil fire, and after a short while, most of his soul power was exhausted.

Fortunately, Ma Xiaotao's outburst was merely caused by emotional fluctuation. Under the influence of the light energy, her emotions quickly stabilized, and the evil fire was suppressed.

Bei Bei panted slightly; the light attribute of his Radiant Sacred Dragon martial soul was only close to the level of Ultimate Light.

To completely purify the source of the evil fire within Ma Xiaotao, he would need to reach the level of Ultimate Light. Only if his Radiant Sacred Dragon martial soul evolved further into a Radiant Dragon King would he be able to do so.

Ma Xiaotao felt even more dejected, already anticipating that they would look at her like a monster and stay away.

A bitter smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, though a trace of imperceptible sadness flickered in her eyes, making her expression look incredibly complex.

"Your flames are very strong, but they need to be controlled well. In the future, I can teach you some methods to control your soul power and flames. If you can integrate them with your own mental power, you will be able to use them much better," Bei Bei said earnestly.

"It would be best to do so under my supervision, to avoid any loss of control," Zhang Lexuan added.

Ma Xiaotao was stunned; they weren't afraid of her, nor were they disgusted!

Ma Xiaotao's eyes brightened, her pale pink irises shimmering with light as she asked hesitantly, "You are willing to be my friends? You aren't afraid of me? You don't hate me?"

"Of course! You're so pretty, how could we hate you?" Bei Bei lifted the corners of his mouth into a warm smile. "If it's a problem with your martial soul, we just need to find a way to improve and control it. We will always be by your side; we will always be your friends."