As Du Weilun's ringing verdict echoed across the Assessment Area, the Freshman Assessment, which had lasted for days, finally came to an end.
The teachers and students in the stands dispersed one after another, still wanting more.
Leading Xiao Xiao, Ning Tian, and Wu Feng, Xiao Yan followed the crowd toward the gates of Shrek Academy.
After easily taking first and second place, all four were in high spirits. They were discussing renting out a whole stall at the snack street outside the academy and celebrating with a proper feast.
They had just left the Assessment Area when a figure in an extravagant white robe blocked their way on the tree-lined path ahead.
It was none other than the dean of the Spirit Soul Department, Yan Shaozhe.
At that moment, Yan Shaozhe had none of his usual composure or lofty bearing as a man in power.
His neatly groomed silver-gray hair was somewhat disheveled, and beads of sweat even dotted his forehead.
Standing in the middle of the path, he looked past the crowd and fixed his gaze directly on Xiao Yan before hurrying over.
Seeing Yan Shaozhe's clenched jaw and the anxiety he couldn't hide in his eyes, Xiao Yan stopped. He immediately understood what was going on.
There was only one thing that could make this Level 95 Super Douluo and dean of the Spirit Soul Department so frantic: the Evil Fire problem inside his precious disciple, Ma Xiaotao.
"You three go ahead and enjoy the celebration feast. Put it on my tab." Xiao Yan turned to the three girls beside him.
"I have something to take care of with Dean Yan, so I won't be joining you."
As the young mistress of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, Ning Tian recognized at once the well-known dean of Shrek Academy's Spirit Soul Department.
Though she was curious about what could make Dean Yan come all the way to the Outer Court to fetch a freshman himself, she knew exactly when to ask questions—and when to pretend she hadn't seen a thing.
"Okay, we'll go save a spot, then. Brother Yan, come find us when you're done." Ning Tian nodded gracefully and tugged at Wu Feng, who was still staring in a daze. Then, with admirable tact, she turned and headed down another path.
Wu Feng didn't know who Yan Shaozhe was, but one look at Ning Tian's serious expression was enough to make her keep quiet and follow obediently.
After the two had gone some distance, Xiao Xiao showed no sign of leaving.
She stepped forward and wrapped both arms tightly around Xiao Yan's.
"Brother, I want to go too." Xiao Xiao lifted her head, a stubborn gleam in her emerald eyes. She looked ready to cling to him if he refused to take her along.
Looking at her clingy display, Xiao Yan couldn't help laughing helplessly.
Then he reconsidered. He was going to deal with Ma Xiaotao's problem, and that would inevitably require the Fuxi Zither.
The intense suppression and realignment would be a perfect chance for Xiao Xiao to observe closely and become more familiar with the piece of music. It would greatly benefit her cultivation.
"Fine. You can come along." Xiao Yan nodded.
Yan Shaozhe immediately turned and led the way, heading straight for Sea God Lake.
The three hurried along the lakeside.
They hadn't gone far before Yan Shaozhe decided they were moving too slowly.
At that moment, every second of delay could bring about an irreversible tragedy.
"Xiao Yan, we need to hurry!"
Yan Shaozhe called out urgently and thrust both hands forward.
A gentle, pure-white glow burst from his palms. His vast Soul Power carried no hint of aggression; instead, it turned into a soft cloud in midair and enveloped Xiao Yan and Xiao Xiao.
Then Yan Shaozhe pressed his toes hard against the ground and soared into the air, carrying the two of them as he transformed into a streak of white light and sped over the glittering surface of Sea God Lake toward Lake Heart Island.
The wind blowing over the lake whipped Xiao Yan's moon-white robe into a flurry.
"Dean Yan, what's the rush? What has Senior Sister Ma Xiaotao gotten herself into this time?" Standing within the cloud of Soul Power, Xiao Yan kept his posture straight and his gaze on Yan Shaozhe's back as he led the way. He asked calmly.
At the question, Yan Shaozhe's shoulders jerked as he controlled their flight.
He turned around, the corners of his mouth pulling into a bitter, rueful smile.
"You... you'll see when we get there." Yan Shaozhe sighed, turned back, and sped up again.
After a few dozen breaths, the outline of Sea God Island, shrouded in dense moisture and the energy of heaven and earth, came clearly into view.
Yan Shaozhe brought them down in front of a grand, ancient wooden building.
This was the true heart of Shrek Academy: Sea God Pavilion.
The pavilion had been built around the towering Golden Tree, exuding an inviolable, sacred majesty.
The moment they landed, a suffocating wave of heat rushed toward them. Even the Golden Tree's gentle light was distorted by the dark-red heat.
Xiao Yan strode through the open doorway and saw the scene inside the first-floor hall of Sea God Pavilion at a glance.
An old man stood hunched over in the center of the hall.
His face was lined with wrinkles, and he looked to be at death's door, yet his bony hands unleashed Radiant Sacred Dragon Soul Power as brilliant as the blazing sun.
This was Mu En, the Sea God Pavilion Master.
Less than two meters in front of Mu En, Ma Xiaotao sat cross-legged on a specially made Cold Jade Meditation Cushion.
Ma Xiaotao was in a terrible state.
Her red school uniform had long since been burned away by the dreadful heat, and she was entirely enveloped in an intense, black-red Evil Fire that seemed to have grown too thick to disperse.
The flames were no longer just scorching hot. They carried an evil aura that devoured reason and corroded all things.
Through the rolling blaze, Xiao Yan could clearly see that Ma Xiaotao's skin had split open. Dark-red lines of fire raced wildly along her meridians—the sign that the Evil Fire was gradually invading her internal organs.
Her eyes were tightly shut, her features twisted together in unbearable pain. Every so often, a muffled, beastlike growl escaped her throat.
Most lethal of all, the dark-red Evil Fire had even congealed into a strange totem between her brows. That meant the power had already tainted her Sea of Consciousness.
If Mu En hadn't been pouring all his strength into it, turning his formidable Radiant Sacred Dragon Soul Power into a golden barrier to pin the Evil Fire within three inches of Ma Xiaotao's body, the hall of Sea God Pavilion would already have been reduced to ashes.
At the sight, Xiao Yan's expression darkened at once. His composure vanished without a trace.
His deep black eyes fixed on Yan Shaozhe, who stood off to the side, and his voice turned icy.
"Over these past three months, has she absorbed a large amount of heavenly treasures that help fire-attribute Soul Masters cultivate?"
Xiao Yan spoke rapidly, each word hammering at Yan Shaozhe's heart.
"Did you all think that just because my zither music froze the Evil Fire, you could raise her cultivation as recklessly as you pleased? She went mad, and you elders went mad right along with her?!"
Facing the harsh rebuke of an eleven-year-old boy, Yan Shaozhe, the dignified dean of the Spirit Soul Department, couldn't manage a single word in his defense.
His hands clenched into fists, his nails nearly digging into his flesh. His face was full of regret.
"It was... Xiaotao was too eager." Yan Shaozhe's voice was hoarse as he hurried to explain.
"Her cultivation is stuck at Level 66. She wanted to take advantage of the Evil Fire being suppressed to break through to Level 70, become a Soul Sage, and then ask you to help her evolve her Martial Soul into Ultimate Fire."
Yan Shaozhe swallowed, his eyes filled with pain.
"To speed up her cultivation, she asked to absorb fire-attribute spirit herbs. At first, I was very cautious. I only let her try a single Blazing Sun Flower that wasn't very old."
"After absorbing that herb, the Soul Power in her body really did improve considerably. And the seal you left behind was as steady as a mountain; there was no sign of the Evil Fire rebounding. Seeing that, I finally relaxed and agreed to open the treasury and let her absorb a large quantity of fire-attribute heavenly treasures."
At this point, Yan Shaozhe closed his eyes in anguish.
"I just never expected... the Evil Fire hadn't been suppressed to the point of being powerless to resist. It had only gone dormant beneath the seal of your zither music, pretending nothing was wrong while secretly building up strength like mad! It suddenly erupted in full force at noon today, and only then did we discover that most of the energy from all the spirit herbs Xiaotao had absorbed over these past three months had been devoured by that dormant mass of Evil Fire!!!"