Lan and the Ice Empress! Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire Erupts, Shrek Makes a Spectacle of Itself!

Whoosh—

Lan's body shot uncontrollably into the air, tracing a graceful arc as a long trail of sparkling droplets followed him toward the depths of the lake.

Splash—

With a tremendous crash, Lan's figure was flung high into the air, then slammed back into the lake, sending up a thousand ripples.

On the shore, the Ice Empress stood with her hands on her hips, watching Lan surface looking rather disheveled. A triumphant, childish smile spread across her face.

This summer seemed even more interesting than she'd imagined.

"Lan, you flew!" The Ice Empress stood with her hands on her hips, smiling with her exquisite features.

Lan surfaced, his face full of helplessness.

Time passed.

Heaven Dou City.

The Shrek Academy group walked down the street. None of them looked pleased; in fact, their faces were downright gloomy.

Their mood clashed sharply with the bustling, prosperous scene of the capital around them.

They had come to compete in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament.

But now, they hadn't even managed to secure a single spot in the competition.

They had hoped to take a shortcut by joining Heaven Dou Royal Academy and competing under its name.

Instead, at the academy, the prince Xue Beng had humiliated them and rejected them without hesitation.

"Outrageous!!!"

Dai Mubai, at the front of the group, wore a furious expression on his handsome face. He punched the wall beside him.

"How dare a mere prince talk to us like that!"

"What right does he have to say we lack integrity?"

Evil fire flickered in Dai Mubai's eyes. He was clearly at the end of his tether.

"Exactly!"

Xiao Wu, following behind, pouted, her face full of indignation.

"What's wrong with us beating people up? They were the ones who picked a fight when they couldn't even handle themselves."

"We didn't kill him. How can they blame us for that?"

"If you don't dare cause trouble, you're a good-for-nothing!"

Dai Mubai snorted, delivering a line he held as an article of faith.

"Right!"

The group's fatty, Ma Hongjun, was also indignant. He curled his lip and said:

"And that Xue Beng even called me a lecher!"

"So what if I like women? What's wrong with that?"

He puffed out his chest, an inexplicable pride on his face.

"I'm the owner of the noble, top-tier Beast Martial Soul, the Evil Fire Phoenix!"

"It's their good fortune that I've taken a liking to them!"

At this, quite a few people in the group nodded without thinking.

That was right.

In this world, a Soul Master's strength was what mattered.

The strong deserved every privilege.

The weak should know their place.

Just as they stood united in indignation, feeling that they'd been treated unfairly,

Ma Hongjun's expression suddenly changed.

He felt a surge of Evil Fire in his body, rising out of control.

A wave of heat instantly spread through him, leaving him parched and making his gaze grow strange.

Damn it.

Not again.

Ma Hongjun's breathing grew heavier. He glanced at the others ahead, still discussing how to get even.

He quietly slowed his pace, falling to the back of the group.

Then, when they reached a corner, he darted into an empty alley.

It was unbearable.

It felt like ten thousand ants were crawling inside his body.

He needed to let it out.

The shadows of the alley did nothing to ease the heat in Ma Hongjun's body.

He took several deep breaths to suppress the surging Evil Fire, then staggered out of the alley and merged back into the flow of pedestrians.

His eyes roamed aimlessly, searching for someone who could help him vent his urges.

Soon, his attention was caught by a little stall on the street corner.

"Buy a sachet! Handmade sachets!"

Behind the stall sat two girls with identical faces, heads bowed as they sewed.

Their voices, clear as orioles, rang out from beneath their lowered heads.

What a beautiful pair of twins.

Ma Hongjun's eyes went wide.

The two girls looked about fifteen or sixteen. They wore plain cloth skirts, their long hair tied back with simple ribbons. Their delicate features had the gentle grace of a Jiangnan water town.

Their gentle, graceful appearance was like a bundle of kindling, instantly setting alight the Evil Fire Ma Hongjun had just suppressed.

A wave of heat, far more intense than before, rushed straight to his head.

He gave a leering grin, his slightly plump belly sticking out as he headed straight for the stall.

"Little ladies, how much for a sachet?"

Ma Hongjun's voice wasn't loud, but the undisguised lust in it made the two girls stiffen.

They slowly raised their heads. Their clear eyes met Ma Hongjun's face—not handsome, even somewhat fat, and now twisted into a lecherous grin.

One of the girls, a little braver than the other, answered timidly:

"Five Copper Soul Coins each."

"Only five Copper Soul Coins?"

Ma Hongjun grinned, his gaze roaming shamelessly over the sisters' shapely figures.

"That's too cheap."

His smile suddenly disappeared. He lifted his chin slightly, and a wave of Soul Power belonging to a Soul Master burst forth.

"I'm a Soul Master from the academy."

"I've taken a liking to you two. Come with me."

His tone was mild, but it carried the weight of a command, as if he were doing them an enormous favor.

The girls' faces turned deathly pale.

A Soul Master?

They were just two ordinary girls who had come from the countryside to make a living in Heaven Dou City. How could they dare offend a lofty Soul Master?

But looking at Ma Hongjun's hideous, lust-crazed face, they felt nothing but disgust and fear.

"N-no..."

The more timid girl had already hidden behind her sister, clutching her sleeve and trembling all over.

"We... we don't sell ourselves..."

The older sister gathered her courage and refused, her voice shaking.

"Hmph."

Ma Hongjun's expression darkened.

If they hadn't been on a busy street, he would have acted long ago.

If he could take these two beauties somewhere deserted, wouldn't he be free to do as he pleased?

Growing impatient, he pulled a glittering coin from his pocket and tossed it onto the stall.

With a clink, the Gold Soul Coin bounced on the wooden board.

"One Gold Soul Coin. That's plenty, isn't it?"

"It's not like I'm refusing to pay. What's taking you so long?"

As he spoke, he reached out with his thick hand and grabbed for the older sister's sleeve.

"Ah!"

The girl cried out and scrambled backward. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Let go of my sister!" her younger sister cried, but she didn't dare step forward.

Passersby turned to look, but when they sensed the aura of a Soul Master from Ma Hongjun, they dared not speak up. They hurriedly looked away.

"You want to make a scene after I've been nice to you?"

Seeing them weep, Ma Hongjun grew more irritated, and his Evil Fire burned even hotter.

His face twisted with annoyance. He pulled two more Gold Soul Coins from his pocket and slapped them hard onto the table.

"Three Gold Soul Coins!"

"You just thought the price was too low, right? That enough?"

"Don't act like you're made of gold. These three Gold Soul Coins would keep country girls like you fed and watered for months!"

Looking at the three glaring coins on the table, the older sister showed not the slightest greed—only endless humiliation and fear.

She wrenched her hand free of Ma Hongjun's grip, shielded her sister behind her, and shouted with all her strength.

"We're respectable girls!"

"Help! Someone's abducting us in broad daylight!"

Her anguished cry finally emboldened some of the onlookers.

Nearby, several city guards in uniformed armor had also heard the commotion. They immediately hurried over.