Ma Xiaotao

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Ma Xiaotao (马小桃)
Alias(es)	Sister Xiaotao; Flame Maniac
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Shrek Academy Inner Court; Shrek Academy Main Team
Occupation/Role	Assault System Battle Soul Master; Main Team captain
First Appearance	Chapter 7

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Over level 20	7	At about ten years old, her Evil Fire Phoenix flames were already close to Ultimate Fire, though unstable.
Rank 35	9	Reached level 35 at age twelve.
Soul Ancestor	21	Her increasingly violent Evil Fire made extended cultivation dangerous, leading Yan Shaozhe to supervise her in the Inner Court.
Soul King	29	Reached Soul King strength at age fifteen after becoming an Inner Court student.
Five-ring Soul King	35	Her Evil Fire was fully purified; her martial soul evolved into a Pure-Blood Phoenix with Ultimate Fire.
Soul Emperor	55	Broke through and displayed six ten-thousand-year soul rings in her spar against Bei Bei.
Level 69 Soul Emperor	86	Introduced herself as an Inner Court Level 69 Assault System Battle Soul Emperor before the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.
Soul Saint / Level 70	111 112	Was identified as a level 70 Soul Saint; her lack of a seventh soul ring limited her ability to escape the Absolute Defense Soul Tool.
Eight-ring Soul Master	129	After absorbing the Fire Dragon King's Soul Spirit, she possessed six black and two crimson-gold soul rings; her martial soul transformed into a Dragon Phoenix Martial Soul.

Background

Ma Xiaotao was accepted as Yan Shaozhe's disciple because of her exceptional but defective Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul. Its dark-red flames could erupt beyond her control, cloud her reason, and leave her with destructive impulses. Fearing that she would hurt others, she grew up without friends. 7

Her Phoenix lineage descended from Ma Hongjun ten thousand years earlier. Although its fire quality neared Ultimate Fire, the inherited evil energy contaminated the martial soul's origin and prevented it from reaching its full potential. 7 28

As her cultivation rose to the Soul Ancestor realm, the Evil Fire became increasingly volatile. Yan Shaozhe moved her from the Outer Court to the Inner Court so that he could personally supervise her cultivation and prevent her from harming other students during an outbreak. 21

Appearance

Ma Xiaotao is first depicted as a spirited young girl in a long red skirt. As she matures and her martial soul evolves, she develops a noble, imposing presence associated with her Phoenix bloodline. 7 35

• Long crimson-red hair resembling burning flames. 7 35
• Pale pink or peach-pink eyes, which can turn crimson when her Evil Fire destabilizes. 7 28
• Fair, snow-white skin. 7 35
• Often wears fiery red clothing; on one Inner Court visit, she wears black over-the-knee stockings and a veil covering half her face. 35
• Following her evolution, her Phoenix Fire changes from dark red to golden-red. 29 35

Personality

Ma Xiaotao is naturally lively, enthusiastic, and quick to grow familiar with people who treat her kindly. She was initially innocent and naive, but the isolation caused by her unstable martial soul left her sensitive to rejection. Bei Bei and Zhang Lexuan's acceptance of her as a friend was therefore deeply meaningful to her. 7

She is intensely stubborn in her pursuit of power. Even when warned not to cultivate because of the danger of an Evil Fire outbreak, she refuses to let her martial soul become a limitation on her path to strength. 21 28

In battle, Ma Xiaotao is confident, aggressive, and fearless—traits that earn her the name “Flame Maniac.” She values strength, enjoys challenging powerful opponents, and repeatedly seeks spars with Bei Bei. 10 55 92 Her impulsiveness can also undermine her leadership: during the tournament, she is reprimanded for recklessly pursuing an attack rather than overseeing the whole team situation. 111

Abilities & Skills

Evil Fire Phoenix / Pure-Blood Phoenix

Ma Xiaotao originally possesses the Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul, a powerful but corrupted Phoenix lineage. Bei Bei's Ultimate Light eventually removes the evil energy from its origin, evolving it into a True Pure-Blood Phoenix martial soul with Ultimate Fire. 7 28 35

• Her original Evil Fire could lose control during emotional instability and threaten her sanity. 7
• The purified Phoenix Fire is golden-red, pure, and possesses the Ultimate Fire attribute. 35
• Her evolved Phoenix martial soul carries the oppressive aura of the “King of Birds.” 35 55
• Ultimate Fire slows her cultivation progress before level 70, despite greatly increasing her combat power. 35 86

Dragon Phoenix Martial Soul

After absorbing the Fire Dragon King's Soul Spirit, her Fire Phoenix martial soul gains dragon bloodline characteristics and evolves into a Dragon Phoenix Martial Soul. 129

• Develops dragon-like features, including a draconic head, scales beneath her feathers, and dragon claws. 129
• Retains traits and abilities of both the dragon and phoenix bloodlines. 129

Phoenix Wings Soaring

Her third soul skill manifests flaming wings and a phoenix tail, allowing aerial movement. 10

• Grants flight. 10
• Increases Phoenix Fire power by 100%. 10
• Expands attack range by 50%. 10

Phoenix Fire Line

A ranged attack that fires a concentrated pillar of golden-red Phoenix Fire. 55

• Scorches and distorts the surrounding space through its heat. 55
• Used as a direct ranged attack and sweeping firebeam. 55 88

Bathing Fire Phoenix

Her second soul skill intensifies her flames and boosts her overall Phoenix Fire attributes. 55

• Enhances her flight speed. 55
• Raises the power of her Phoenix Fire for close-range and aerial engagements. 55 88

Phoenix Sky-Howling Strike

Her fourth soul skill creates erupting pillars of fire around her. 56

• Used to attack or pressure opponents within Bei Bei's Sacred Light Domain. 56
• Countered Dai Yueheng's White Tiger Destruction Kill during the team melee. 89

Phoenix Meteor Shower

Her sixth soul skill launches a large-scale barrage of condensed fireballs. 88

• Produces hundreds of explosive golden-red fireballs. 88 111
• Can blanket a wide area and force opposing teams into evasive maneuvers. 88
• At the Scorching Yang Spring, can be formed from fire-attributed spring droplets with minimal soul-power expenditure. 125

Phoenix Cloud-Piercing Strike

A powerful Phoenix Fire attack used to clash against Bei Bei's Sigh of the Radiant Dragon and Tyrant Sovereign Thunder Halberd. 56 88

Phoenix Burst Strike

An attached skill of her right-arm spirit bone. 56

• Gives her released flames an explosive attribute. 56
• Improves her close-combat threat despite the Phoenix martial soul's comparatively weaker physical enhancement. 56

Equipment / Items

• Three spirit bones — Enhanced her speed, firepower, and physical combat ability by the time of her second major spar with Bei Bei. 56
• Right-arm spirit bone — Contains Phoenix Burst Strike, adding explosive force to her flames. 56

Relationships

• Bei Bei — Friend, sparring rival, purifier of her Evil Fire, and romantic partner. His Ultimate Light purifies her martial soul over repeated sessions and enables its evolution into a Pure-Blood Phoenix. 7 28 29 35 36 92 112
• Zhang Lexuan — Early friend and training companion. Zhang Lexuan helped contain Ma Xiaotao's first witnessed flame outburst; the two later became close friends through Inner Court missions. 7 55
• Yan Shaozhe — Teacher and protective mentor. He took her in as a disciple, supervised her dangerous cultivation, and sought a cure to prevent her from following the same path as his former lover Feng Ling. 7 21 28
• Gongyang Mo — Teammate and support-type Soul Master; he is wary of her flames and supports her team in group battles. 10 87 88
• Xu Sanshi — Academy acquaintance and teammate. He attempted to approach her when they first met, but retreated after she threatened to burn him. 35
• Wang Yan — Tournament teacher who reprimanded her for acting recklessly as captain and failing to consider the wider battle. 111

Story Role / Major Arcs

First Meeting and Evil Fire Struggles

Ma Xiaotao meets Bei Bei and Zhang Lexuan at their picnic. After accidentally unleashing her flames and nearly going berserk, she expects them to fear or reject her. Instead, Bei Bei suppresses her Evil Fire and promises that they will remain her friends. 7

She later trains and spars alongside Bei Bei, Gongyang Mo, and Xi Xi. During this period, she learns the importance of controlling her power and not draining more than half her soul power in battle. 10 11

Purification and Martial Soul Evolution

When Ma Xiaotao's condition worsens, she cultivates beside an underground lava lake despite Yan Shaozhe's warnings. Bei Bei uses Ultimate Light and his Sacred Light Domain to purge the evil energy in her soul power and martial soul origin. 27 28

Bei Bei continues the purification monthly. Freed from the immediate threat of losing control, Ma Xiaotao can cultivate and fight at full strength. 29 The final purification transforms her Evil Fire Phoenix into a True Pure-Blood Phoenix martial soul possessing Ultimate Fire. 35 36

Sparring Rivalry

After becoming a Soul Emperor, Ma Xiaotao challenges Bei Bei to another fight. Her Ultimate Phoenix Fire, six ten-thousand-year soul rings, three spirit bones, and powerful Phoenix skills push him to use his Sacred Light Domain and Tyrant Sovereign Thunder Halberd. 55 56

She later participates in team matches led by Bei Bei, repeatedly fighting him directly while their teammates contest the wider battlefield. Though she loses their matches, she acknowledges his tactical ability and uses the defeats as motivation for further growth. 87 88 89 91

Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament

As captain of Shrek Academy's Main Team, Ma Xiaotao leads missions and competes in the tournament. Her reckless response after being trapped by an Absolute Defense Soul Tool draws criticism from Wang Yan, who reminds her that a captain must be accountable for the entire team. 92 111

She subsequently defeats three Soul Kings in the individual elimination round and fights alongside Bei Bei against the Sun Moon Royal Team, where Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection assists her Phoenix Meteor Shower. 112 114

Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well

Ma Xiaotao joins Bei Bei and Zhang Lexuan in Sunset Forest to locate the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. She clears poisonous miasma with her Ultimate Phoenix Fire and later uses the Scorching Yang Spring's fire aura to amplify her large-scale attacks. 124 125

After refining the Fire Dragon King's Soul Spirit, she gains two crimson-gold soul rings and evolves into a Dragon Phoenix Martial Soul wielder. 129

Trivia

• Ma Xiaotao's first kiss is given to Bei Bei as thanks after an early purification session. 29
• Her childhood attempts to grill food ended in either undercooked food or charcoal, culminating in her flames reducing skewers to ash. 7
• She is capable of consuming substantial amounts of food and was drawn to Bei Bei and Zhang Lexuan's picnic by its aroma. 7
• She was twice forced to shout “I am a pig” after losing team battles to Bei Bei. 89 91