Ma Xiaotao

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Ma Xiaotao (马小桃)
Alias(es)	Flame Maniac; Little Peach
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Shrek Academy; Inner Court; Shrek Inspectorate; Shrek Seven Devils
Occupation/Role	Inner Court elite; Inspectorate combatant; captain of Shrek Academy's tournament team
Martial Soul	Evil Fire Phoenix
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 15

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Six-ring Soul Emperor	32	Identified as a Soul Emperor at age twenty and Shrek Inner Court's most outstanding younger-generation disciple; her Evil Fire Phoenix remained dangerously unstable. 32
Seven-ring Soul Sage	143	Reached Soul Sage level after the tournament and subsequent cultivation; despite this advancement, she was defeated within three exchanges by Huo Yuhao while not using her Martial Soul Avatar. 143

Background / History

Ma Xiaotao was raised by Yan Shaozhe, who regarded his direct disciple like a daughter. Her exceptional talent made her one of Shrek Academy's foremost Inner Court prodigies, but the Evil Fire inherent to her Phoenix martial soul required long-term external suppression and could violently backfire. 32

She first approached Huo Yuhao at the Sea God Statue, where his sincere incense offering left a favorable impression on her. She soon accompanied him to the market, grew interested in his precision while grilling fish, and accepted his guidance on controlling fire. 16 18

Taking Huo Yuhao's advice too aggressively, Ma Xiaotao entered seclusion to conquer the accumulated Evil Fire through willpower alone. After three days, her fire ran rampant, devastated her stone chamber, and nearly drove her to collapse. She rejected Yan Shaozhe's proposal to seek Xu Sanshi's water-attribute aid and specifically demanded Huo Yuhao instead. 32

Huo Yuhao used the Ghost Killing Art's emotional-control principles to help her draw out, suppress, and gradually assimilate the overflowing Evil Fire. Ma Xiaotao's talent allowed her to quickly grasp the method, granting her preliminary control by the following morning. 34 35 36

Her improved control immediately strengthened her combat performance during an Inner Court mission against Evil Soul Masters. She credited Huo Yuhao openly, and the Holy Spirit Cult's Zhang Peng subsequently took notice of her as a potential recruit because of her distinctive martial soul. 38 39

Ma Xiaotao later intervened when Dai Yueheng pressured Huo Yuhao, challenged him in the Soul Fighting Zone, and defeated him after fully unleashing her Evil Fire Phoenix without suffering backlash. 41 43

A second Evil Fire episode after Zhang Peng's defeat led to Huo Yuhao completing her guidance. From that point onward, she could prevent the Evil Fire from spiraling out of control even during heavy Soul Power expenditure. 91 93

Appearance

Ma Xiaotao is a tall, striking Inner Court student with an athletic, curvaceous build shaped by frequent training. She is associated with dark-red flames and later wears Shrek's red Inner Court uniform. 16 36

• Straight legs and a slender waist; her physique is described as lean rather than carrying excess weight. 16
• Her beauty remains conspicuous even when her face is concealed by a veil. 16
• Her Evil Fire manifests as dark-red flames that can sharply raise the surrounding temperature. 43
• During combat, she can manifest Fire Phoenix Wings for aerial movement. 73

Personality

Ma Xiaotao is direct, proud, fiery, and intensely competitive. Her pride initially made her unwilling to rely on others to control the Evil Fire; she chose a dangerous solitary seclusion rather than accepting conventional suppression. 32

She is also decisive in battle and protective of people she considers her own. She readily confronted Dai Yueheng for threatening Huo Yuhao, personally fought him to defend the junior, and later annihilated the assassins sent after Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong. 41 43 76

Although she presents herself as carefree and bold, her feelings for Huo Yuhao leave her embarrassed and jealous around perceived rivals. Her attachment develops from gratitude after he saves her to an overt romantic relationship. 37 93 94 125

Abilities & Skills

Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul

Ma Xiaotao possesses a top-tier Phoenix martial soul whose destructive power is described as Ultimate Fire. Its defining drawback is an emotional, desire-driven Evil Fire that can destabilize her body and mind. 18 35 43

• Produces dark-red flames capable of melting manifested Soul Power weapons. 76
• Has a strong restraining effect against Evil Soul Masters. 38
• Enables flight through Fire Phoenix Wings. 73
• Its unchecked backlash can cause delirium, pain, damage to her meridians, and life-threatening overheating. 32
• After Huo Yuhao's guidance, she can control it without the prior risk of backlash during ordinary heavy combat. 93

Evil Fire Control

Huo Yuhao taught Ma Xiaotao to address Evil Fire at its emotional root rather than merely suppressing it with external ice or water attributes. She learned to identify, extract, suppress, and assimilate excess fire herself. 35 36

• Initially gained preliminary control after their first night of guidance. 36
• Her enhanced control let her use ten-thousand-year soul skills freely during the anti–Evil Soul Master operation. 39
• Completed the process after a later session, eliminating the danger of uncontrolled Evil Fire eruptions unless her martial soul changes further. 93

Soul Skills

• Phoenix Fire Line — Her first soul skill; a concentrated fire attack that canceled Dai Yueheng's second soul skill, White Tiger Intense Light Wave. 43
• Phoenix Cloud-Piercing Strike — Her fifth soul skill; used to force through Dai Yueheng's White Tiger Meteor Shower and break into close range. 43
• Phoenix Meteor Shower — Her sixth soul skill; rains fire across a wide area and serves as one of her primary large-scale offensive techniques. 43 140
• Martial Soul Avatar — Available through her seventh soul ring; she prepared to use it against Huo Yuhao after losing their spar. 144

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Shrek Inner Court red uniform — Worn after her recovery from the first Evil Fire crisis. 36
• Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber — Consumed during her final recorded Evil Fire-guidance session. 93

Relationships

• Huo Yuhao — Junior she initially befriended at the Sea God Statue; he guided her to master the Evil Fire, and their bond became romantic. She repeatedly protects him in combat and sees him off when he leaves on exchange. 16 35 41 93 146
• Yan Shaozhe — Direct teacher and guardian figure. He raised Ma Xiaotao from childhood and was frantic when her Evil Fire crisis threatened her life. 32
• Dai Yueheng — Inner Court rival. Ma Xiaotao fought and defeated him after he confronted Huo Yuhao, later warning him to stay away from Yuhao. 41 43
• Ling Luochen — Fellow Inner Court elite and teammate. Ling Luochen supported Ma Xiaotao with ice during missions, while Ma Xiaotao became wary of Ling Luochen's growing interest in Huo Yuhao. 38 128
• Zhang Lexuan — Senior Inner Court disciple who assigned Ma Xiaotao as the main assault force during the operation against Evil Soul Masters. 38
• Zhang Peng — Holy Spirit Cult adversary who targeted Ma Xiaotao for the potential of her Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul. 89 92

Story Role / Major Arcs

Evil Fire Guidance

Ma Xiaotao's failed attempt to control the Evil Fire alone brings Huo Yuhao to Lake Heart Island. Their joint effort establishes the method that changes her combat limitations and begins their deeper bond. 32 35 36

Inner Court Missions and Dai Yueheng Duel

As a Shrek Inspectorate combatant, Ma Xiaotao leads the main assault against Evil Soul Masters and demonstrates the benefits of her new control. She subsequently defeats Dai Yueheng in a public duel fought over his treatment of Huo Yuhao. 38 39 41 43

Assassination Ambush

Ma Xiaotao cooperates with Huo Yuhao to lure out six assassins hired by Dai Huabin. Enraged by the attempt on Huo Yuhao's life, she overwhelms a Soul Emperor and five Soul Kings, leaving only the crippled leader for Huo Yuhao to execute. 73 76

Zhang Peng Incident

While accompanying Huo Yuhao on an Inspectorate mission, Ma Xiaotao detects danger and signals an immediate retreat. Zhang Peng's appearance confirms that the Holy Spirit Cult is interested in her martial soul, and a later Evil Fire flare prompts the final stage of her control training. 89 91 93

Shrek Seven Devils and Tournament

Ma Xiaotao remains among Shrek's principal combatants after Huo Yuhao replaces Dai Yueheng in the Shrek Seven Devils. She serves as captain of Shrek's tournament lineup, opens the finals against the Sun Moon team with Phoenix Meteor Shower, and helps secure the championship. 124 139 140 141

Post-Tournament Cultivation

After returning to Shrek, Ma Xiaotao enters seclusion to further refine the Evil Fire. She later reaches seven-ring Soul Sage level and remains close to Huo Yuhao before his departure for the student exchange program. 142 143 146

Notable Quotes

“Find... Huo Yuhao.” 32

“Don't you dare target Huo Yuhao again!” 43