Ma Xiaotao, the Scapegoat

"Damn, don't tell me she's about to go dark!"

"Senior Ma Xiaotao, I'm sorry..."

Chu Feng hadn't expected Ma Xiaotao to react so violently, losing her sanity this quickly.

With his current abilities, he certainly couldn't suppress a darkened Ma Xiaotao.

He had originally intended to exhaust Ma Xiaotao's soul power first, then appeal to her with reason and emotion, and indulge in a thorough thrashing...

It seemed he would have to resort to some harsher methods now.

With that thought, Chu Feng unleashed his first and second soul skills simultaneously.

In an instant, the entire training room was enveloped by a terrifying mental force. Ma Xiaotao's movements froze, and her Phoenix Flame rapidly receded.

Under the augmentation of his first soul skill, Chu Feng's physical body surged in size, his frame growing taller as his already well-defined muscles began to bulge outward.

In just a few seconds, he transformed from a dashing young master into a hulking, muscular powerhouse.

Chu Feng casually slapped his palm against Ma Xiaotao.

With a crisp "crack," his terrifying physical strength shattered her protective soul power instantly.

Yet Ma Xiaotao remained frantic, clearly having lost all sense of reason.

Chu Feng easily gripped Ma Xiaotao by the neck, as if holding a small chick, and shoved her toward the wall...

"BOOM—"

A thunderous sound echoed as Ma Xiaotao was slammed heavily against the wall.

The thick wall shuddered violently, and countless spiderweb-like cracks instantly appeared across its surface.

A wave of dizziness hit her brain, leaving Ma Xiaotao dazed, and the Phoenix Flame on her body flickered out like a lighter running out of fuel.

However, Ma Xiaotao's eyes remained bloodshot, laced with fine black lines; it was clear the Evil Fire within her was still eroding her body.

Chu Feng condensed a powerful, icy soul power in his palm and struck her heavily on the back~

"Duang~"

A dull thud echoed—it was definitely the real deal, sounding like a spoon hitting soft, gelatinous jelly, sending ripples across the surface...

Threads of coldness seeped into Ma Xiaotao's body, rapidly suppressing the Evil Fire within her.

Ma Xiaotao: (▼皿▼#)

"Let go of me! You bastard!!" Ma Xiaotao regained a sliver of clarity, gritting her teeth; her already flushed face turned even more vibrant.

"Senior, I'm afraid that's not possible. The evil energy in you is still too thick; I'm worried you'll kill me." Chu Feng shook his head, condensed another burst of icy soul power, and struck her again.

"duang~"

"duang~"

"duang~"

He struck from both sides to ensure symmetry.

"Ahhhhh!"

"I'll kill you! You bastard, let me go...!!"

Coldness, pain, itching...

A barrage of sensations assaulted Ma Xiaotao's mind, leaving her feeling completely overwhelmed.

But Chu Feng remained relentless. Since he was doing a good deed, he had to see it through. He had to beat—oh, no, he had to cleanse the Evil Fire from Ma Xiaotao's body, otherwise, she would surely turn on him again.

"You just wait, when I... hmph... I'll make you pay!"

Ma Xiaotao continued to spit threats, her expression pained, though a closer look revealed a hint of something else entirely.

A few minutes later, Chu Feng felt the soul power in Ma Xiaotao's body finally deplete and the Evil Fire dissipate, so he slowly loosened his grip.

"Wuwuwu... you bastard... I'm going to tell my teacher..." Ma Xiaotao slid down the wall and slumped onto the floor.

"Ouch..." Perhaps hitting a sore spot, she quickly curled onto her side, tears sliding into her mouth—salty, with the taste of humiliation.

"Senior, I'm helping you here. You were almost an Evil Soul Master just now. You don't thank me, and now you want to tattle? That's going too far~"

Chu Feng squatted down, feeling somewhat speechless.

"Hmph!"

Ma Xiaotao turned her head away, clearly intimidated, not daring to look Chu Feng in the eye.

"Haha, I still prefer you the way you were at the start—that unbridled... er, no, that rebellious look~" Chu Feng chuckled, though he pulled out a tissue to gently wipe away her tears and snot.

To think such a cold, aloof beauty could look so aggrieved, like a bullied young wife.

Chu Feng felt his strikes had been well-measured; they shouldn't have been painful, and they certainly wouldn't leave any lasting damage.

But the moment Chu Feng reached out, Ma Xiaotao struck with lightning speed, biting down hard on his finger.

"Damn it, let go!"

Chu Feng did not expect Ma Xiaotao to pull such a move, and he was momentarily dumbfounded.

Although it didn't hurt much, he had still been ambushed!

Damn it! I was careless, I didn't dodge!

"I'll bite you to death..."

Ma Xiaotao mumbled incoherently, biting down even harder.

However, she soon discovered that Chu Feng's skin was terrifyingly tough. No matter how hard she tried, even when she utilized her two ancestral fangs, she couldn't even break his skin!

"Are you a dog? You almost broke my skin..." Half an hour later, Chu Feng crouched against the wall, wiping the saliva off his hand with a look of utter disgust.

Ma Xiaotao crouched beside Chu Feng, clutching her already numb cheeks, the resentment in her eyes nearly drowning him.

Could this kid named Chu Feng be a transformed soul beast? His skin was just too thick! Her fangs were loosened from the biting, yet the other party hadn't even broken skin.

Ma Xiaotao recalled the terrifying physical strength Chu Feng had erupted with earlier. Thinking back, it felt as if she had been facing a mountain, completely powerless to resist!

Shrek recruited monsters, but not literal beasts. This guy's strength could be considered top-tier even in the Inner Court; how on earth did he end up in the freshman class? Playing the pig to eat the tiger wasn't supposed to be played like this, right?

"Time's up, I should go back to cultivate." Chu Feng felt enough time had passed and prepared to leave. He had gotten his fill today, so he wasn't losing out at all.

"Wait!" Seeing Chu Feng about to leave, Ma Xiaotao hurriedly called out to him.

"What is it? Do you still need my help?" Chu Feng turned his head, looking at Ma Xiaotao with a half-smile.

"Who needs your help! You bastard..." Ma Xiaotao gritted her teeth in anger, forcing a fierce expression as she shouted, "You are absolutely forbidden from speaking of today's events, otherwise I will... I will..."

Ma Xiaotao thought for a long time but couldn't come up with any threatening words.

As for using Yan Shaozhe to threaten Chu Feng, she decided against it. If Yan Shaozhe found out about this, she would definitely be the first one to get beaten up.

"Rest assured, I'm not the type to blabber. By the way, I still don't know your name, Senior?" Chu Feng waved his hand lightly, then asked, feigning ignorance.

"My name is Ma Xiaotao."

Ma Xiaotao pursed her cherry lips slightly, looking like a disgruntled child, having lost all of her initial arrogance.

"Alright, Senior Ma Xiaotao, if you need anything next time, you can still come find me."

Chu Feng waved his hand lightly with a bright, enthusiastic smile, then turned and left.

"In your dreams! Even if I, Ma Xiaotao, am consumed by Evil Fire or wiped out as an Evil Soul Master, I will never look for you again!!" Watching Chu Feng's departing figure, Ma Xiaotao clenched her small pink fists tightly and swore a venomous oath.

Immediately after, she couldn't help but think back to the scenes that had just unfolded, and the blush on her face grew even more vivid.

She genuinely didn't want to see Chu Feng again, but as her cultivation improved, the Evil Fire within her would inevitably grow stronger.

She had already stopped cultivating for half a year, and when she tried to cultivate slightly a few days ago, she suffered a backlash from the Evil Fire, nearly causing a catastrophe.

After waking up that time, she discovered that not only had the Evil Fire in her body been completely cleared, but her cultivation had also made significant progress.

But after cultivating for a few days, the Evil Fire in her body began to stir again, which was why she had secretly sought out Chu Feng. Who could have imagined...

"This guy, he must have done it on purpose..."

Ma Xiaotao touched her bottom and winced in pain, especially at the spot where Chu Feng had torn it open with his whip earlier; it was burning with a stinging sensation.

After resting for a good while, she took out a black robe to cover herself and limped out of the training room.