You're giving me your Xuanqing Pills as a reward?

Ma Xiaotao walked to Yang Jian's side quickly. Although she had long known what he looked like from his portrait, she still couldn't help but feel surprised by his handsome, refined features when she saw him in person.

But the shock was only temporary; Ma Xiaotao hadn't forgotten her purpose. She didn't even look at who else was at the dining table, her entire focus fixed on Yang Jian:

"You are Yang Jian, right?"

Seeing Ma Xiaotao's flushed, peach-blossom complexion, Yang Jian could naturally guess why she was looking for him—it was nothing more than the Evil Fire Phoenix acting up, and she was in urgent need of relief.

When he fought Zhou Yi, he had used the power of Ultimate Water to suppress her Red Dragon Martial Soul. As long as any Titled Douluo-level expert had been watching that battle, it wouldn't be hard to see that he possessed Ultimate Water.

As a disciple of Yan Shaozhe, the Dean of the Martial Soul Department, Ma Xiaotao would naturally have received this information.

"It is me."

Seeing Yang Jian's overly calm demeanor, Ma Xiaotao, who was still able to maintain her reason, was slightly taken aback. When the words she had prepared reached her lips, she subconsciously changed her approach:

"There are some things I need your help with. Could you... come with me for a moment?"

If he were an ordinary water or ice-attribute Soul Master, Ma Xiaotao wouldn't have been so polite. But Yang Jian had the reputation of having defeated an outer court teacher, and combined with his calm, confident performance, Ma Xiaotao's tone softened involuntarily.

Hearing this, Ye Qingyuan beside him couldn't help but widen her eyes.

In the past few days, many girls had tried to approach Yang Jian, but this was the first time she had seen someone like Ma Xiaotao open with a request for help.

However, that didn't stop her from being filled with hostility toward Ma Xiaotao.

Yang Jian stood up; at only twelve years old, he was already taller than Ma Xiaotao. Following his movement, Little White, who had been gnawing on a bone, dropped it and leaped directly into Yang Jian's arms.

"Why should I help you?"

Ma Xiaotao, who had assumed Yang Jian was getting up to follow her, stiffened at these words, and an inexplicable fire instantly rose in her heart.

Realizing that the evil fire was acting up again, Ma Xiaotao's expression shifted slightly. She forcibly suppressed the rising anger and immediately took two jade bottles out of her Soul Tool.

"These two bottles of Xuanqing Pill will serve as payment. How about it?"

Hearing this, Yang Jian's expression turned strange, and Ye Qingyuan beside him almost laughed out loud:

"Senior sister, this payment isn't very impressive."

Ye Qingyuan took five jade bottles directly from her Soul Tool and placed them on the table; they were almost identical to the two in Ma Xiaotao's hand.

Seeing this, Ma Xiaotao was dumbfounded.

Even at Shrek Academy, the top institution on the continent, the Xuanqing Pill was definitely considered a top-tier cultivation resource. Otherwise, Yan Shaozhe wouldn't have spent a fortune ordering them from the Star Luo Empire Offering Hall, and generally, only inner court students were qualified to enjoy them.

Yet, the girl in front of her was clearly an outer court student who had just enrolled. How could she casually produce five bottles of Xuanqing Pill?

Could it be that this girl was from the Star Luo Empire Offering Hall?

Only then would it be possible for her to produce five bottles of Xuanqing Pill so easily. After all, the Xuanqing Pill wasn't something you could just buy with money.

In that case, hadn't she just tried to use someone else's own pills as payment for them?

Ma Xiaotao silently put the jade bottles away, feeling somewhat annoyed that she hadn't done her homework before coming.

Struggling against the evil fire in the inner court, Ma Xiaotao had heard that an outer court Soul Master with the Ultimate Water attribute had appeared. She had only glanced at the portrait before rushing over.

If only she had asked her teacher and understood the situation clearly before coming.

Ma Xiaotao took a deep breath, looked up, and stared straight into Yang Jian's face: "What payment do you want? Just name it. As long as I can do it, I will satisfy you."

Hearing this, Yang Jian looked at Ma Xiaotao with some curiosity.

What happened to the "two living volcanoes of the inner court" and the "flame maniac" he had heard about?

Ma Xiaotao was actually speaking to him so calmly?

Judging by her current state, although her face was flushed and a faint red light was rising from her body, her aura was relatively stable. She must have just survived an outbreak of the evil fire and was currently in a relatively calm period.

During this period, Ma Xiaotao could theoretically still be considered a normal person.

Being able to communicate normally was better than facing a rampaging lunatic.

"Let's talk about what you need help with first. Only by knowing the task can I better determine the payment you need to give me, don't you think?"

Hearing this, Ma Xiaotao did not hesitate and said directly: "I heard you possess Ultimate Water, so I need your Ultimate Water to help me suppress the evil fire."

"My martial soul is the Evil Fire Phoenix, and I suffer from the torture of the evil fire at every moment. Only water and ice-attribute Soul Masters can help me alleviate this pain, but as my cultivation increases, ordinary water-attribute Soul Masters no longer have any effect. However, your Ultimate Water can."

"As long as you can help me suppress the evil fire, you can name any condition."

Evil Fire Phoenix Ma Xiaotao!?

Bei Bei finally remembered Ma Xiaotao's reputation, and his expression couldn't help but change slightly.

Within the inner court, Ma Xiaotao could be called the most outstanding student besides Zhang Lexuan. Although she hadn't been in the inner court for long, her cultivation had already broken through to the Soul King level.

Bei Bei had heard Zhang Lexuan mention this name more than once.

Of course, he had heard even more about her reputation as one of the two "living volcanoes" of the inner court.

Suppressing the evil fire?

A brand-new, never-before-heard excuse.

Tang Ya glanced at Ma Xiaotao, then at Ye Qingyuan, but didn't speak. The reason she remained silent, besides wanting to see how Yang Jian would resolve the matter, was that the scorching aura on Ma Xiaotao made her feel quite uncomfortable.

The Evil Fire Phoenix, huh...

A flicker of surprise crossed Ye Qingyuan's eyes—she had indeed heard her great-great-grandfather speak of the avian martial souls in the spirit master world, and naturally, she knew a thing or two about the Evil Fire Phoenix.

The descendants of Ma Hongjun, one of the Shrek Seven Devils from ten thousand years ago, had inherited the Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul through the generations. As a top-tier beast martial soul, the Evil Fire Phoenix was powerful, yet it was constantly plagued by the torment of evil fire; one slight misstep would lead to the evil fire invading the body, resulting in a fatal explosion.

The only solution was to vent this evil fire.

Male spirit masters had it somewhat easier, as they could at least expel the evil fire through that particular method. But for female spirit masters, unless they were willing to debase themselves, they had to endure the agony of the evil fire at all times, suffering a pain worse than death.

And Ma Xiaotao was clearly not the type to debase herself.

This realization immediately stirred a sense of sympathy for Ma Xiaotao within Ye Qingyuan's heart.

Looking at it this way, it seemed that this senior sister seeking out her second brother was... understandable?

"I don't need you to help me eradicate the influence of the evil fire; just suppressing it will suffice."

Seeing that Yang Jian did not respond, Ma Xiaotao assumed he was still hesitating and hurriedly added, "As long as you can do it, whether it be spirit rings, spirit bones, or any other conditions, I can accept them."

With Yan Shaozhe as her teacher, Ma Xiaotao spoke these words with absolute confidence.