Su Ming Brings Ma Xiaotao to See Yan Shaozhe

Su Ming carried Ma Xiaotao, who had fallen into a coma and lay limp in his arms, and strode steadily toward the office of Yan Shaozhe, Dean of the Spirit Department at Shrek Academy.

Although his aura was slightly chaotic from the recent fierce battle, his gaze remained resolute and confident, showing not a hint of panic.

Along the way, many Shrek students and faculty cast sidelong glances, watching as he carried the Inner Court genius Ma Xiaotao.

They were all filled with shock and suspicion, but Su Ming ignored their stares entirely. He walked straight to the office door and, without a thought of knocking, raised his foot and kicked the heavy solid wood door with a violent force.

"BANG!"

A deafening roar exploded through the air. The tightly shut door was kicked wide open, slamming against the wall with a dull thud that made the furnishings inside the office tremble.

Inside the office, Yan Shaozhe, Dean of the Spirit Department, was leaning comfortably in a grand chair upholstered with soft animal hide.

With one leg crossed leisurely over the other, he held a warm celadon teacup between his fingertips, slowly savoring the premium spirit-leaf tea.

The sudden, thunderous noise startled him so badly that his hand jerked, splashing hot tea everywhere. Scalding liquid soaked his lapels, but he didn't even notice; he was frozen in place, stunned by such an impudent act.

Yan Shaozhe's face turned iron-blue in an instant, intense fury roiling in his eyes as he slammed the teacup onto the desk.

The pressure of a Titled Douluo leaked out, and he cast a sharp, enraged glare toward the doorway, determined to see which ignorant fool dared to act so recklessly.

How dare someone barge into his office so rudely, showing no shred of etiquette? It was as if they didn't hold him, the Dean of the Spirit Department of Shrek Academy, in any regard at all!

But when he saw the scene at the door, all his rage froze on his face, replaced instantly by shock and panic.

Su Ming was holding the unconscious Ma Xiaotao in a bridal carry. Her cheeks were flushed with an unnatural crimson.

Her brows were tightly furrowed as she leaned against him, completely unaware. Her clothes were slightly disheveled, and faint bruises were visible on her skin.

Yan Shaozhe's pupils constricted. The tea he had just sipped and hadn't yet swallowed sprayed out in a most unrefined manner, splattering all over the desk in front of him.

No longer caring about maintaining the dignity of a Dean, he sprang from his chair. His spirit rings flashed, and he appeared before Su Ming in an instant, his hands reaching out with cautious urgency.

He took his precious disciple, Ma Xiaotao, from Su Ming's arms and hurried to a nearby leather sofa, laying her down gently as if afraid to disturb her.

Once she was settled, Yan Shaozhe immediately leaned over, placed a hand on her wrist, and channeled his own pure Light Spirit power to carefully examine her condition.

After the examination, he let out a sigh of relief. Ma Xiaotao only had minor flesh wounds and a few faint bruises; they were all superficial, and her foundation remained unharmed. Her life was not in danger.

But then, Yan Shaozhe's expression shifted abruptly, his eyes erupting with incredulous joy. He had clearly sensed something.

The Evil Fire that had ravaged Ma Xiaotao's body for years, which had been considered nearly incurable, had been completely suppressed by a strange and formidable power! That power carried a biting aura of metal.

It was steady and domineering, locking the restless Evil Fire in place and rendering the flames—which could have spiraled out of control at any moment—incredibly docile and calm.

Although this seal was not absolutely unbreakable—if she encountered an extremely powerful force or if her own spirit power circulated too violently, there was still a risk of it breaking—it was enough to make Yan Shaozhe ecstatic!

One had to know, Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire had always been his greatest worry. This girl was a top-tier talent, one of the best in the Shrek Inner Court.

Yet, she was held back by the Evil Fire. Whenever her cultivation speed increased, the fire would erupt uncontrollably, causing her immense pain at best, and at worst, a loss of sanity or a cultivation deviation.

Even when he used his own light-attribute spirit power to help suppress it, it only provided temporary relief and could never curb the root cause, effectively stalling Ma Xiaotao's progress and preventing this genius from unleashing her full potential.

But now, the Evil Fire in her body was completely stabilized and would no longer be an obstacle to her cultivation.

As long as she had sufficient cultivation resources and proper care, given her talent, she was highly likely to become the youngest Spirit Saint in the history of the Douluo Continent!

If Ma Xiaotao could participate in the next Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament at her peak, she would surely shine, sweep aside all opponents, and allow the glory of Shrek Academy to continue and reach new heights!

At this thought, Yan Shaozhe snapped back to reality and turned his head, his gaze locking onto Su Ming.

As a rank-95 Titled Douluo, his perception was incredibly sharp; he instantly sensed the lingering aura of Su Ming's metal-attribute spirit power within Ma Xiaotao.

Looking at Su Ming, whose aura was slightly chaotic and whose clothes were wrinkled, it was clear that the two had engaged in a fierce battle.

Combining the injuries on Ma Xiaotao with the suppressed Evil Fire, Yan Shaozhe understood immediately that this matter was inextricably linked to Su Ming.

Yan Shaozhe was very familiar with Su Ming. He was a renowned genius in the fourth year of the Outer Court with top-tier talent and infinite potential. He was even acquainted with the two pillars of the academy—Mu En and Xuan Zi—which was no small feat.

However, this Su Ming did not focus on cultivating his spirit, but instead obsessed over blacksmithing and the creation of Soul Tools, often asking for leave to go out and purchase various forging materials.

In Yan Shaozhe's view, this was putting the cart before the horse, a waste of his heaven-sent talent.

Yet, what frustrated him was that even with Su Ming's distraction with Soul Tools, his cultivation progress had not lagged behind at all.

He kept pace with geniuses like Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, and since Mu En had already tacitly approved of his choices, Yan Shaozhe had no way to interfere.

Furthermore, there was one other thing that left a deep impression on Yan Shaozhe regarding Su Ming. Everyone on the continent detested the Evil Spirit Masters who wreaked havoc, but most chose to stay away.

Only Su Ming was ruthless toward them, never showing mercy. Before striking, his words were always sharp, hitting the nail on the head, and he would even openly express his disgust while fighting and berating them for their evil deeds.

The number of Evil Spirit Masters who had died by his hand far exceeded that of his peers. Yan Shaozhe had always tacitly allowed this and never intervened.

Moreover, Su Ming had long since become roommates with Mu En's great-grandson, Bei Bei, and Xu Sanshi of the Xuanming Sect. Originally, the three had no connection.

It was only because they shared similar temperaments, possessed equal strength and talent, and were subtly arranged by Mu En that they were assigned to the same dormitory.