Yan Shaozhe Comes Looking, Ma Xiaotao's Anomaly!

As Du Weilun's resonant announcement echoed over the assessment area, the Freshman Assessment, which had lasted for several days, finally drew to a close.

Teachers and students on the viewing stands dispersed, still buzzing with the excitement of the event.

Xiao Yan led Xiao Xiao, Ning Tian, and Wu Feng through the crowd toward the main gate of Shrek Academy.

Having easily secured the championship and runner-up titles, the four were in high spirits, discussing which stall at the snack street outside the academy they should book for a celebratory feast.

Just as they stepped out of the assessment area, a figure in luxurious white robes blocked their path on the tree-lined walkway.

The man was none other than the Dean of the Spirit Soul Department, Yan Shaozhe.

At this moment, Yan Shaozhe lacked his usual composed and lofty demeanor.

His meticulously groomed silver-gray hair appeared somewhat disheveled, and tiny beads of sweat clung to his forehead.

He stood in the middle of the path, his gaze cutting through the crowd to lock directly onto Xiao Yan, and he hurried forward with rapid strides.

Seeing the tightness in Yan Shaozhe's jaw and the undisguised anxiety in his eyes, Xiao Yan stopped, immediately grasping the situation.

Nothing else could make this rank-95 Super Douluo and Dean of the Spirit Soul Department this frantic except for the issue of the evil fire within his prized disciple, Ma Xiaotao.

"You three go ahead to the celebration; put the bill on my tab," Xiao Yan said, turning to the three girls.

"I have some matters to attend to with Dean Yan, so I won't be joining you."

As the young mistress of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, Ning Tian recognized the famous Dean of the Shrek Spirit Soul Department immediately.

Though she was incredibly curious about what could drive the Dean to personally come to the outer courtyard to fetch a freshman, she knew well what to ask and what to pretend not to see.

"Alright, we'll go grab a table. Remember to come find us when you're done, Brother Yan." Ning Tian nodded gracefully, pulled a dazed Wu Feng along, and tactfully turned toward a side path.

Although Wu Feng didn't recognize Yan Shaozhe, she saw the seriousness in Ning Tian's eyes and kept her mouth shut, following her away obediently.

Once the two were out of sight, Xiao Xiao showed no intention of leaving.

She stepped forward and gripped Xiao Yan's arm tightly.

"Brother, I want to go too." Xiao Xiao tilted her head, her emerald eyes filled with stubbornness, looking as if she would cling to him if he refused.

Xiao Yan looked at her clingy demeanor and let out a helpless laugh.

He realized that since he would need to use the Fuxi Zither to deal with Ma Xiaotao's problem, having Xiao Xiao observe the high-intensity suppression and harmonization would be a great opportunity for her to familiarize herself with the melody, which would be highly beneficial to her cultivation.

"Fine, you can come along," Xiao Yan agreed.

Yan Shaozhe turned and led the way, heading straight for Sea God Lake.

The three of them hurried along the lakeshore.

They hadn't gone far before Yan Shaozhe felt their pace was too slow.

For him, every second of delay could lead to an irreversible tragedy.

"Xiao Yan, we need to hurry!"

Yan Shaozhe called out urgently, his hands sweeping forward.

A soft, pure white radiance erupted from his palms. This vast spirit power held no aggression; it transformed into a gentle cloud in mid-air, enveloping Xiao Yan and Xiao Xiao.

Immediately after, Yan Shaozhe tapped his toes heavily against the ground, his body soaring upward. Carrying the two of them, he transformed into a streak of white light, skimming over the shimmering surface of Sea God Lake toward Lake Heart Island.

The lake breeze whipped Xiao Yan's moon-white robes, making them snap loudly.

"Dean Yan, why the rush? What trouble has Senior Ma Xiaotao caused this time?" Xiao Yan stood within the cloud of spirit power, his posture upright, his gaze fixed on Yan Shaozhe's back as he asked in a steady tone.

Hearing this, Yan Shaozhe's shoulders trembled violently as he controlled the flight.

He looked back, his lips twisting into a smile filled with bitterness and regret.

"You... you'll know when we get there." Yan Shaozhe sighed, turned his head, and accelerated even further.

Within a few dozen breaths, the silhouette of Sea God Island, shrouded in dense water vapor and the essence of heaven and earth, appeared clearly before them.

Yan Shaozhe landed with the two of them in front of a magnificent, ancient wooden structure.

This was the true core of Shrek Academy: the Sea God Pavilion.

The entire pavilion was built against the towering Golden Tree, radiating a sacred and inviolable majesty.

The moment they landed, a suffocating wave of scorching heat rushed toward them, so intense that even the soft golden light emitted by the Golden Tree seemed distorted by the dark red heat.

Xiao Yan stepped through the open doors and immediately took in the scene inside the main hall of the Sea God Pavilion.

In the center of the hall, an old man stood with a hunched back.

The old man's face was covered in wrinkles, making him look like a man in his twilight years, but his gaunt hands were erupting with the radiant, sun-like spirit power of a Radiant Sacred Dragon.

This was none other than the Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion, Mu En.

Less than two meters in front of Mu En, Ma Xiaotao sat cross-legged on a specialized Cold Jade Meditation Cushion.

Ma Xiaotao's condition was dire.

Her red school uniform had long since been incinerated by the terrifying heat, and her entire body was encased in a layer of black-red evil fire so thick it could not be dispelled.

This flame was no longer merely high temperature; it carried an evil aura that devoured reason and corroded all things.

Through the roiling flames, one could clearly see that Ma Xiaotao's skin had begun to crack, with streaks of dark red fire coursing wildly along her meridians—a sign that the evil fire was gradually invading her internal organs.

Her eyes were tightly shut, her features twisted in extreme agony, and from her throat came the occasional suppressed, beast-like roar.

Most lethal of all, the dark red evil fire had even coalesced into a bizarre totem at the center of her brow, signifying that this power had already tainted her Sea of Consciousness.

If not for Mu En exhausting his strength to form a golden barrier with his profound Radiant Sacred Dragon spirit power, pinning the evil fire within a three-inch radius of Ma Xiaotao's body, this Sea God Pavilion hall would have long since been reduced to ashes.

Seeing this scene, Xiao Yan's expression darkened instantly, his previous composure vanishing without a trace.

His deep, black eyes bore directly into Yan Shaozhe, who stood to the side, his voice cold and rigid.

"In these past three months, has she absorbed a large amount of rare treasures beneficial to the cultivation of fire-attribute Spirit Masters?"

Xiao Yan spoke rapidly, each word striking Yan Shaozhe's heart like a heavy hammer.

"Did you all think that just because the evil fire was frozen by my zither music, you could recklessly boost her cultivation? She's gone mad, and you elders have followed suit?!"

Faced with the stern rebuke of an eleven-year-old boy, the dignified Dean of the Spirit Soul Department, Yan Shaozhe, could not utter a single word of rebuttal.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh, his face full of remorse.

"It... it was Xiaotao who was too anxious." Yan Shaozhe's voice was dry as he hurriedly explained, "Her cultivation is currently stuck at level sixty-six. She wanted to take advantage of the time while the evil fire was suppressed to break through to a level seventy Spirit Saint as quickly as possible, and then ask you to help evolve her Spirit into Ultimate Fire."

Yan Shaozhe swallowed hard, his eyes filled with pain.

"To accelerate her cultivation speed, she proposed absorbing fire-attribute spirit herbs. At first, I was very cautious and only let her absorb a Blazing Sun Flower of low age to test the effects."

"After absorbing that spirit herb, her spirit power did indeed improve significantly, and the seal you left behind remained as steady as Mount Tai, showing no signs of triggering a backlash from the evil fire. Seeing this, I felt relieved and agreed to open the treasury to let her absorb a large quantity of fire-attribute treasures."

At this point, Yan Shaozhe closed his eyes in agony.

"I just didn't expect... that the evil fire wasn't suppressed to the point of having no power to resist at all. It was merely lying dormant under your zither seal, feigning stillness while secretly and frantically accumulating power! It wasn't until this afternoon that it suddenly erupted in full force, and only then did we discover that most of the energy from the spirit herbs Xiaotao absorbed over these three months had been devoured and absorbed by that dormant evil fire!!!"