Phoenix Holy Light Strike!

Flender stood to the side, his fists clenched in tension.

Zhao Wuji also furrowed his brows.

"Old Zhao, do you think he can do it?"

Flender asked in a low voice.

"He can."

Zhao Wuji's reply was crisp: "This Xiao Pang has a streak of ruthlessness in his bones."

"Last time the Evil Fire backlashed, he endured it."

"This time, he will certainly succeed as well."

Time ticked away, second by second.

Ma Hongjun's complexion flickered between red and white, his clothes soaked through with sweat, clinging tightly to his body.

Yet, he never let out a sound.

He simply gritted his teeth and bore it.

Fu Wen stood not far away, watching Ma Hongjun, nodding inwardly.

This Xiao Pang truly possessed a streak of ruthlessness.

In the original work, Ma Hongjun was always laughing and carefree, seemingly heartless.

But that did not mean he wasn't strong.

To be able to become one of the Shrek Seven Devils, to cultivate to the level of a Title Douluo, and to inherit the second-tier godhood of the Phoenix God...

Ma Hongjun's perseverance and talent were absolutely top-tier.

Right now, this was only his first soul ring, merely the beginning.

Who knows how much time had passed.

Hum!

A burst of intense light suddenly erupted from Ma Hongjun's body.

It was not the red glow of flames, but a faint, golden radiance.

That was the light power of the Dawn Light Spirit Crane.

The golden light and the red flames of the Evil Fire intertwined, creating a strange spectacle upon Ma Hongjun's body.

Then, the light slowly receded.

Ma Hongjun opened his eyes.

A trace of golden light flashed across his pupils.

"Master... I succeeded."

Ma Hongjun's voice was somewhat weak, but his tone was filled with excitement.

Flender crouched down, looked Ma Hongjun up and down, and then burst into laughter.

"Good! Very good!"

"A first soul ring, a four-hundred-year Dawn Light Spirit Crane!"

"Xiao Pang, you are a true Spirit Master now!"

Ma Hongjun grinned, his eyes squinting into slits.

Zhao Wuji walked over and patted him on the head.

"Not bad, Xiao Pang, you didn't embarrass us Shrek."

"Teacher Zhao, I... I feel like my spirit power has increased!"

Ma Hongjun suddenly said.

"Increased by how much?"

Zhao Wuji asked.

Ma Hongjun closed his eyes to sense it, then opened them and held up two fingers.

"Two levels!"

"From level ten... to level twelve!"

Flender's eyes lit up: "Good! An increase of two levels at once shows that this soul ring has a very high compatibility with your martial soul!"

"Quick, release your soul skill and let us see what it is!"

Ma Hongjun nodded vigorously, stood up, and took a deep breath.

"Martial Soul Possession!"

The phantom of the Evil Fire Phoenix emerged behind him, flames rising from his body.

A yellow spirit ring rose from beneath his feet.

"First Spirit Skill: Phoenix Holy Light Strike!"

Ma Hongjun let out a loud shout, his arms suddenly spreading wide.

The phantom of the Evil Fire Phoenix behind him tilted its head and let out a long cry, the sound clear and impassioned, piercing the clouds.

Immediately after, the wings of the phoenix phantom condensed into countless golden light feathers, each one dazzling and radiant, exuding a sacred and sharp aura.

Ma Hongjun swung his arms forward.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The golden light feathers poured out like a rainstorm, tearing through the air and emitting sharp whistling sounds.

The patch of bushes in front was covered by the light feathers.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of explosions rang out, golden light scattering everywhere as dust flew into the air.

Dozens of bowl-sized craters were blasted into the ground, their edges still bearing the scorched marks of flames.

But miraculously, after the explosions, the swamp's characteristic stench had vanished from the air.

In its place was a fresh, pure aura.

It was as if the very air had been purified.

"Good!"

Zhao Wuji's eyes lit up. "Not bad power! And..."

He sniffed the air. "Even the air has become clean?"

Flender stepped forward, carefully observing the craters on the ground and sensing the changes in the air, his face revealing a look of wild joy.

"Xiao Pang, this spirit skill of yours is not simple!"

"Phoenix Holy Light Strike, that's a well-chosen name!"

"The light feathers' attack possesses both piercing and explosive damage; its power is top-tier among first-ring spirit skills."

"What's even better is that this golden light comes with a purification effect!"

"Look, after firing this, the surrounding air has become clean."

"Do you know what this means? It means the Dawn Light Spirit Crane's light purification attribute has already been integrated into your spirit skill!"

"Attack is purification! Killing two birds with one stone!"

The more Flender spoke, the more excited he became, gesturing wildly.

Ma Hongjun scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Master, actually, I don't know how this happened..."

"I just released the spirit skill according to the method you taught me, and then..."

"And then it produced this effect!"

Flender laughed heartily. "Good! Excellent!"

"This shows that your compatibility with this spirit ring is extremely high, so high that the spirit skill has automatically optimized itself!"

"Xiao Pang, this first spirit skill of yours is even stronger than I imagined!"

Zhao Wuji walked over and looked Ma Hongjun up and down.

"Little fatty, how are you feeling now? The evil fire in your body..."

"It seems... much more stable."

Ma Hongjun looked down at his hands. "Just now, when I released the spirit skill, I didn't feel that intense heat."

"Instead, I felt refreshed all over, like I had just taken a bath."

"It's effective!"

Flender clapped his hands. "The purification power of the Dawn Light Spirit Crane can indeed suppress your evil fire!"

"Although it cannot cure it completely, as long as you have spirit power, you can use this move to balance the flames within you."

"From now on, you don't have to worry about the evil fire suddenly backfiring!"

Hearing this, Ma Hongjun's eyes turned red instantly.

Ever since the incident where he burned the academy, he had been holding back a lot of pressure.

He was afraid he wouldn't be able to control himself, afraid of hurting others, and even more afraid that his master and Brother Wen would despise him.

Now, it was fine.

There was a way.

"Master, thank you."

Ma Hongjun lowered his head, his voice choked with emotion.

Flender was stunned for a moment, then crouched down and patted his head.

"Silly boy, what are you thanking me for?"

"You are my disciple; if I don't help you, who will?"

"Alright, alright, enough with the sentimentality."

Zhao Wuji waved his hand impatiently from the side. "We still have important business to attend to."

"Xiao Ao is still waiting to hunt for his second spirit ring."

Flender stood up and wiped the corners of his eyes.

For a brief moment just now, his eyes had also turned a bit red.

"Right, right, right. Xiao Ao, it's your turn."

Oscar stood to the side, having long since grown impatient.

"Dad, I've already set my sights on a target!"

"Oh? What target?"

Flender asked curiously.

Oscar pointed toward a tree deep in the swamp. "When Xiao Pang fired that shot just now, I saw a spirit beast over there."

"It was entirely silver-white and looked like a fox, but its tail was forked."

"I heard about it in Teacher Li's class; it's called a Moon Shadow Spirit Fox, and it's an auxiliary-type spirit beast!"

"Its spirit ring can grant a spirit master the ability to increase a teammate's speed!"