Ma Xiaotao's Provocation

The next day!

When Feng Tianyu got up in the morning and took Grey Wolf to wash up, there was no commotion this time.

After yesterday morning's episode, the students on the same floor already knew that the academy had specially admitted a genius with a mutated, externalized martial soul.

Now, when those students saw Grey Wolf, aside from clicking their tongues in wonder, no one treated it as a soul beast anymore.

After washing up, Feng Tianyu took Grey Wolf and headed downstairs with Beibei.

As they exited the dormitory, they saw a beautiful, fiery red figure not far away. She had long, wavy crimson hair and wore a bright red short dress. Her face was exquisite and her figure was slender, but there was an air of evil between her brows that made people afraid to look directly at her.

The students coming out of the dorms, whether male or female, junior or senior, all took a detour when they saw that beautiful figure.

It was evident that this woman likely had a fearsome reputation within Shrek Academy.

After Feng Tianyu and Grey Wolf emerged, the beautiful figure's crimson eyes locked onto them. Grey Wolf was simply too recognizable, especially when mixed in with a crowd of students.

The woman clicked her heels as she strode over, blocking Feng Tianyu and Grey Wolf's path. She leaned forward, hands on her hips, and a wave of heat mixed with murderous intent washed over them, causing both Feng Tianyu and Grey Wolf's expressions to darken.

She meant trouble!

The woman spoke in a cold voice:

"You must be Feng Tianyu!"

It sounded like a question, but her tone was absolute, as if she had already confirmed his identity.

Feng Tianyu frowned. Looking at her appearance and her arrogant demeanor, he had already roughly guessed who she was.

However, they were right at the dormitory entrance, and Mu En was lying on a rocking chair not far away, so he had nothing to worry about:

"That's me!"

Beside Feng Tianyu, Beibei's expression had changed drastically the moment he saw the woman. He whispered an introduction:

"Tianyu, her name is Ma Xiaotao. She's a third-year senior at our academy, nicknamed... the Flame Maniac..."

He said the last few words as softly as a mosquito's hum, as if terrified that Ma Xiaotao might hear him.

Ma Xiaotao glanced at Beibei without denying it; she was indeed the Flame Maniac.

She was a descendant of Ma Hongjun and had inherited his mutated martial soul, the Evil Fire Phoenix. Although her flames were incredibly fierce and tyrannical, the evil energy was difficult to control, making her temper volatile and combative.

She was fourteen now, with 38th-rank soul power. While she hadn't reached the point of losing control, she would occasionally have outbursts of evil fire, and few people in the entire academy dared to get too close to her.

Ma Xiaotao withdrew her gaze and looked back at Feng Tianyu, her tone filled with unquestionable dominance:

"I'm looking for you, Feng Tianyu. You were specially admitted into the Martial Soul Department by my teacher, yet not only do you show no gratitude, you shamelessly ran off to the Soul Guidance Department. Such behavior is simply disgusting!"

"I'll give you one choice: get your ass back to the Martial Soul Department, or don't blame me for being impolite!"

Feng Tianyu exhaled, his eyes as cold as blades. Damn it, Shrek Academy was a mental asylum; once you entered, you were bound to run into all sorts of lunatics.

Before he had even awakened his martial soul, he had actually wanted to study at Shrek Academy and stay on as a teacher. He must have been out of his mind back then.

If he ever gained power, he would have to thoroughly purge Shrek Academy. Damn it, a bunch of lunatics and madmen—they were nothing but a cancer on the Douluo Continent.

His decision to go to the Soul Guidance Department was his own business. Who did Ma Xiaotao think she was, demanding he crawl back to the Martial Soul Department?

Feng Tianyu withstood the heat and the murderous aura, staring straight into Ma Xiaotao's eyes:

"Is this your idea, or your teacher's?"

Ma Xiaotao crossed her arms over her chest, chin tilted up, her tone extremely arrogant:

"I came on my own. As a disciple, I naturally have to share my teacher's burdens and correct the crooked trends within the academy. It is my duty."

"Are you going to agree or not? Give me an answer."

Feng Tianyu's voice was firm and resonant:

"Even Dean Yan couldn't stop me, so you'd better stay out of my business!"

Ma Xiaotao's face turned icy, murderous intent rising in her eyes. A powerful aura erupted from her, and it sounded as if a phoenix cry echoed from within her body. Her long, wavy hair danced without wind. She clenched her right hand into a fist and struck out with lightning speed, aiming directly at Feng Tianyu.

Beibei's eyes widened. Seeing that he couldn't stop her, he couldn't help but look toward Mu En on the rocking chair, but Mu En seemed to be asleep and did not intervene as Beibei had hoped.

Many of the students watching from the sidelines turned their heads away, unable to bear watching; they could already imagine Feng Tianyu's face bruised and swollen.

Only Feng Tianyu, the person involved, didn't even blink, standing as straight as a pine tree.

The next instant, a wave of heat hit his face, but Ma Xiaotao's fist stopped exactly one inch from the tip of his nose.

Ma Xiaotao snorted with some surprise:

"You've got guts, at least!"

"Private fights are forbidden within the academy. I won't openly defy the school rules for your sake, but the academy encourages actual combat, and you will eventually have to step onto the academy's Soul Fighting Arena."

"I'll be waiting for you there. You're a first-year, so you have less than a year left. I hope you still have the same courage then to accept my challenge."

"Don't make me look down on you!"

With those words, Ma Xiaotao tossed her long, wavy hair and turned to leave the dormitory entrance, departing just as inexplicably as she had arrived.

Seeing that the situation hadn't spiraled out of control, Beibei let out a sigh of relief. He reached out to grab Feng Tianyu's sleeve and said quickly:

"Tianyu, Ma Xiaotao is no ordinary student. She possesses the top-tier beast martial soul, the Evil Fire Phoenix. She's only fourteen, yet she already has level 38 soul power!"

"You must not accept her challenge. While the academy encourages practical combat, it doesn't allow upperclassmen to challenge lowerclassmen at will. As long as you don't accept, there's nothing she can do to you!"

"In a year's time, I fear Ma Xiaotao will break through to level 40. Once she absorbs her soul ring, she will become a Soul Ancestor."

"There is no way you can beat her..."

Feng Tianyu turned his head to glance at Grey Wolf. It was impossible for him to reach level 40 soul power within a year, but he had Grey Wolf!

Grey Wolf noticed Feng Tianyu's gaze and grinned wide, revealing a mouthful of fangs:

"If I don't show my might, they really think I'm a pushover! I don't need a year; I'll build you a few good gadgets. Combining them with soul guidance technology, my inspiration is endless!"

Feng Tianyu believed Grey Wolf could bring him surprises. He looked in the direction where Ma Xiaotao had departed:

"If the opponent has already come to provoke me, wouldn't shrinking away mean losing my heart for courageous advancement?"

"If I avoid the fight today and avoid it again tomorrow, how could I ever hope to reach the peak of a soul master in the future!"

"Not only will I accept the challenge, but I will also win!"

These words caused Mu En, who had been feigning sleep, to open his cloudy old eyes, a flash of brilliance erupting within them.

He was the Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion and the guardian deity of Shrek Academy, not Feng Tianyu's nanny; he wouldn't pay much mind to the petty squabbles between students.

That was why he had remained feigning sleep, but hearing Feng Tianyu's words made him turn his head in surprise.

Just for this courage alone, Mu En was becoming increasingly satisfied with Feng Tianyu.