Bullshitting is a Necessary Skill for Card Players

"Xiaotao! Are you alright?"

On the lake surface not far from the Inner Court, Yan Shaozhe, having realized the situation a beat too late, scrambled to catch Ma Xiaotao as she flew back like a cannonball. He then disregarded his image, pulling her tightly into his arms to inspect her current state.

Soon, after tearing open Ma Xiaotao's clothes, he saw the gruesome wounds on her fair skin, accompanied by clear signs of burns.

"How is this possible? Xiaotao's Martial Soul is the Evil Fire Phoenix. Although her flames haven't reached the level of Ultimate Fire, their quality is still exceptionally high. How could she be burned by fire?"

"Moreover, judging by the shape of these wounds, they appear to be claw marks left by a dragon."

"A Fire Dragon Martial Soul... Could it be a descendant of that senior who, four thousand years ago, led our Shrek Academy and the three nations of the Douluo Continent to defeat the evil Sun Moon Empire?"

"But when did they emerge from seclusion? Why haven't I received even a shred of information about this?"

After confirming the nature of Ma Xiaotao's wounds, Yan Shaozhe had Elder Zhuang begin treatment while he fell into deep contemplation.

Although the Sea God Pavilion no longer held a place for them, the family of that Shrek Academy principal from four thousand years ago, who possessed an Ultimate Fire attribute Martial Soul, still maintained a certain level of contact with Shrek Academy.

If it were a powerhouse among them who had swatted Ma Xiaotao into this state with a single claw, it would be considered normal.

However, as the Dean of the Martial Soul Department, he could accurately track intelligence on everything from the Clear Sky Sect's little princess—who was disguised as a boy—to the next successor of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect arriving at Shrek Academy. How could he have failed to control intelligence on that Fire Dragon family?

Investigate!

He must investigate!

That detestable Fire Dragon family, daring to lay such a heavy hand on Xiaotao!

She is still just a child!

"Dean Yan, Xiaotao's condition is somewhat abnormal."

Elder Zhuang's voice pulled Yan Shaozhe out of his phantom-chasing rage, and his expression turned even uglier.

"What happened?"

"Her Martial Soul seems to have suffered trauma; her own abilities are currently suppressed by a strange energy, and the circulation of her soul power has become significantly sluggish."

"Perhaps, for at least the next half year, she will need extra time just to manifest her Martial Soul."

"However, a blessing in disguise is that the evil fire within Xiaotao has also been suppressed by that strange energy. If she doesn't engage in frequent combat, her evil fire will not relapse for at least a year."

Elder Zhuang reported his findings to Yan Shaozhe with great seriousness, and Yan Shaozhe's expression shifted between light and shadow.

In the end, Yan Shaozhe sighed, reluctantly accepting the result.

Although Ma Xiaotao would be unable to fight for the next half year, she had gained a year of life without worrying about the evil fire. Perhaps this really was, as Elder Zhuang said, a blessing in disguise.

Yet, even in her unconscious state, Ma Xiaotao's expression remained unsightly, as if she were trapped in a nightmare.

But it didn't matter; in Yan Shaozhe's eyes, nightmares were merely minor issues.

As long as they returned to the invincible Sea God Pavilion, everything would be fine!

"She certainly won't be fine. Does he really think the power of a King is so easily resisted?"

When You Jie was having dinner with Zhang Lexuan and heard her discussing the situation regarding Yan Shaozhe and Ma Xiaotao, he couldn't help but marvel at Yan Shaozhe's rich imagination, while also being surprised by his blind confidence.

The power of Tamashii was not that simple. Although the original card lacked a detailed description, its attacks actually possessed both anti-evil effects and mental assault capabilities.

However, if one were to explain its method of dispelling evil in terms a Douluo bumpkin could understand, it was fighting poison with poison.

For a Soul Master like Ma Xiaotao, whose purity was insufficient, when the evil fire within her body endured an attack from Tamashii, her spirit would also be tortured by the Dark Red Demon Dragon, suffering through torment akin to a nightmare.

In short, within this torment, she was the one being burned to death by the evil fire, rather than the one who couldn't suppress the fire and burned others to death.

Perhaps she could numb herself with the thought, "Because others are weaker than me, it serves them right to be burned to death," but when the positions were reversed, she would not be able to accept it with peace of mind.

This "nightmare" would not be dispelled by the calming effects of the Golden Ancient Tree; if anything, the Golden Ancient Tree's calming effect would only make the trauma of this "nightmare" more severe for Ma Xiaotao.

And this was the power belonging to a King!

As for Yan Shaozhe pinning the blame on the Fire Dragon family—who knows if they even still existed—You Jie could only shrug like a teddy bear, expressing his helplessness.

Based on You Jie's knowledge of Douluo II, the only named Fire Dragon Soul Masters were Wu Feng, who was considered a member of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, and Xing Yan, who was defeated by Wu Yifan as a stepping stone during the tournament held in the Sun Moon Empire.

If Yan Shaozhe were to suspect Wu Feng because of this and start a conflict with the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, it would be too hilarious.

Wu Feng: "Huh? I swatted Ma Xiaotao away with a slap? Is that for real?"

"You Jie, you should be careful too. If the Dark Red Demon Dragon summoned by your second Martial Soul is discovered by Dean Yan, there's no guarantee he won't overthink things."

"Although I know your Martial Soul is not an evil one, and Elder Mu would certainly trust you, there's no guarantee that others won't view the Dark Red Demon Dragon as an evil Martial Soul when they see it."

Thinking of Yan Shaozhe's excessive imagination, a hint of worry appeared in Zhang Lexuan's eyes as she spoke to warn him.

Whether it was the name or the image of You Jie's Dark Red Demon Dragon, it could potentially trigger misunderstandings. Especially with Yan Shaozhe, who might even lose all sense of reason to favor Ma Xiaotao, potentially even swatting his teacher's great-grandson to death.

"Don't worry, Sister Lexuan. I already have a solution for that."

"Besides, if we put it that way, shouldn't all darkness-attribute Soul Masters in the world commit suicide or huddle together with Evil Soul Masters for warmth?"

Regarding Zhang Lexuan's concern, You Jie just smiled and didn't say much more.

Perhaps the Dark Red Demon Dragon sounded a bit ominous, but after a few more synchronizations, there wouldn't be any problems.

To give a simple example, who would mistake a Savior Demon Dragon for an evil Martial Soul?

Moreover, there was still a resident in You Jie's mental sea.

Once Electrolux awakened, the necromancy and Ultimate Light he had once mastered would surely resonate interestingly with the Dark Red Demon Dragon series of card monsters, and might even allow for the printing of a few more "costumes" for the Dark Red Demon Dragon series.

That would be truly interesting when the time came...