"Xiaotao, I've got good news!"
Lin Feng pushed open the door, practically bursting with excitement, and was about to speak.
Before he could get the words out, he collided headfirst with a soft, fragrant embrace.
Ma Xiaotao seemed to be heading out. The two of them crashed into each other.
Lin Feng felt his cheek brush against silky hair. A familiar, faint warmth lingered beneath his nose, and he felt as if he'd fallen into a fluffy cloud. Warmth seeped through their clothes.
He froze, his ears burning, and instinctively tried to pull away.
"Xiao Feng? What's got you in such a hurry?"
Ma Xiaotao's amused voice came from above him. Instead of letting go, she tightened her arms around him, holding him firmly in place, and deliberately ruffled his hair.
Muffled against her shoulder, Lin Feng breathed in her scent. His face grew even hotter, and he hurriedly stammered, "X-Xiaotao... let go first... I'm having a little trouble breathing."
"Hm? Didn't you have good news to tell your big sister?"
Ma Xiaotao pretended not to hear him. She tightened her arms again, her voice brimming with amusement.
She was squeezing the breath out of him, but he was too embarrassed to struggle free. All he could do was plead in a muffled voice, "I-I can't breathe... I really do have something to tell you..."
Only then did Ma Xiaotao release him with a grin. She still stood close, however, and looked down at his reddened ears, her eyes sparkling. "Can you tell me now?"
Lin Feng quickly stepped back, cleared his throat, and tried to hide the telltale heat in his face.
"Yeah. I successfully devoured Teacher's Bright Phoenix Fire!"
"What? You did it, you little rascal!" Ma Xiaotao beamed and took Lin Feng's hand. "Come on, let's go to Sea God Lake. I'll bring that hundred-thousand-year-old Whale Glue, too. It'll be perfect for strengthening your foundation and nourishing your essence."
"Actually..." Lin Feng's voice turned more serious. "Lately, I've felt that the Evil Fire Origin in my Body Martial Soul hasn't been stable. It's been stirring restlessly. I might need you to help me cultivate, Xiaotao."
"Is that so~" Ma Xiaotao arched an eyebrow, the familiar, mischievous smile tugging at her lips. "Then we definitely have to go. Come with me."
Before she'd finished speaking, she reached out and made a casual grabbing motion. A gentle yet irresistible wave of Soul Power enveloped Lin Feng.
A pair of crimson wings unfurled behind her, carrying him as she swept toward Sea God Lake.
A short while later, the two were hovering above the lake.
Lin Feng slipped beneath the water. Mystic Ice Spirit Flame surged from his palm, and its frigid power rapidly froze the surrounding water.
Before long, a sealed ice chamber made of crystal-clear ice had quietly taken shape in the depths, glowing a deep blue as it kept the lake water at bay.
Ever since reaching Soul Ancestor, he'd gained much better control over the power of mystic ice.
"That'll do." Lin Feng waved up at her from inside the ice chamber.
"It's great being able to control ice. We've even saved the money for a hotel—or, no, a cultivation room." Ma Xiaotao said, gliding gracefully into the chamber.
"Then let's begin."
They were old partners by now, so neither wasted words. Each swallowed some Whale Glue and summoned their Phoenix Flames. Their clothes couldn't withstand the heat and crumbled into ash.
The Nirvana Evil Fire and Bright Phoenix Fire within Lin Feng, together with the Whale Glue's immense power, collided and merged with a roar, becoming an out-of-control torrent that rampaged through his meridians.
He felt scorching heat consume his body, his blood boiling as his consciousness began to blur.
"Xiao Feng..." Seeing him like that, Ma Xiaotao's heart ached. Without the slightest hesitation, she opened her arms and pulled him tightly against her.
Though she'd already shed her Evil Fire and regained a pure body, she deliberately lowered every defense, allowing the violent, scorching aura of Lin Feng's Nirvana Evil Fire to flow into her, thread by thread.
She didn't resist in the slightest. If anything, she held him even tighter.
She knew better than anyone that Lin Feng had become like this for her sake.
"Xiao Feng, leave the rest to your senior sister."
Ma Xiaotao's beautiful phoenix eyes grew hazier, more captivating. Her hot breath brushed Lin Feng's ear.
The sensation stirred him. He instinctively wrapped his arms around Ma Xiaotao's slender waist, then turned his face toward her warm, red lips. And then he couldn't stop.
As their Soul Power circulated, their auras intertwined and melded, becoming one...
A strange yet familiar flutter quietly stirred in Ma Xiaotao's heart.
Warmth, resonance—as if some part of her soul had been gently awakened.
It was just like the subtle echo deep within their Martial Souls when they'd first met in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Could it be... Martial Soul Fusion?
The thought had barely crossed her mind when—
BOOM—
A terrifying aura, far surpassing the combined Soul Power of the two of them, erupted from the point where their energies converged.
The sturdy ice chamber instantly filled with countless cracks under the force.
Fortunately, this was only the aftershock of their Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Otherwise, the ice chamber would have been shattered already.
Time flashed by, and the next morning arrived.
This kid's Fire Lotus is way too compatible with me...
Remembering their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Ma Xiaotao thought with a sigh, a mischievous smile curling her lips.
Lin Feng had also fully recovered from the haze of Evil Fire. In truth, he'd come to his senses halfway through.
But with things already in motion, he'd had no choice but to continue testing their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
After a night of dual cultivation, Lin Feng's Phoenix Evil Fire had temporarily subsided, and his overall strength had improved remarkably.
"What are you thinking about? The Martial Soul Fusion Skill, right? Come on, let's test it a few more times."
Ma Xiaotao wrapped herself around him again like an octopus.
A blazing red lotus phantom and the radiant image of a majestic Fire Phoenix shone together, their Soul Power fusing.
They didn't simply stack together. Instead, they formed a strange symbiosis, with the Fire Lotus as the foundation and the Phoenix as the soul.
Another morning passed as they practiced their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
Silence returned to the ice chamber, leaving only lingering warmth and the sound of melting ice dripping.
Lin Feng lay on his back atop the remaining ice, his chest rising and falling faintly.
Just then, a rumbling sound came from his stomach.
"Xiao Feng, you were amazing. I mean, our Martial Soul Fusion Skill... Let's call it Fire Phoenix Lotus."
Ma Xiaotao lay on her side beside him, one arm still around his waist. Hearing the rumble, she chuckled softly, tracing circles over his chest with her fingertip. Her voice was lazy and sweet in the aftermath.
"Yeah, you were amazing too, Xiaotao. I mean, your Fire Phoenix really lives up to its name as an Ultimate Fire." Lin Feng turned to look at her, his voice hoarse with deep exhaustion.
Ma Xiaotao, who had only recently become a woman, heard his weak praise and felt two clouds of red bloom across her cheeks.
She rested her burning cheek against his shoulder. Her muffled voice carried a note of tentative hope, carefully held back: "Then... do you like your senior sister?"
"Of course I do," Lin Feng replied without hesitation. Though exhausted, he sounded earnest.
He gazed up at the blurry light above the ice chamber and spoke slowly. "You were the first person after I came to Shrek who treated me like family."
"Mm." Ma Xiaotao murmured softly. The answer seemed to satisfy her, and the shy flutter in her heart was overtaken by a rush of warmth.
She propped herself up and gazed at him with bright, phoenix-red eyes in the gloom. Unfaded passion and a new tenderness swirled within them.
Then, like a cat that had found a source of warmth, she gently lowered herself again. With warm breath and undisguised affection, she quietly closed the last little distance between them.
Before you continue