As Mu Jin said this, his gaze rested on Lin Yao, making the reason almost painfully obvious.
The three of them, Lin Yao included, were taken aback. Xu Ye's face lit up with delight, while Lin Yao and Ye Guyi simply nodded, neither agreeing nor objecting.
After leaving the small storage room, Mu Jin still allowed Huo Yuhao, Ye Guyi, and the others to go off and train on their own. At the same time, he finalized the remaining students' groups, making whatever changes were needed and setting strategic goals where necessary.
Once she was done, she sent back the students who hadn't been assigned to groups on the first day.
Now that they only had to compete from the top sixty-four onward, Lin Yao and Ye Guyi both felt much more relaxed. The two arranged to take a stroll by Sea God Lake, with Lin Yao accompanying Ye Guyi.
A cool breeze swept along the lakeside. Ye Guyi couldn't help taking a deep breath. "The air here really is wonderful—when there aren't any training assignments, that is."
Lin Yao smiled. "It really is. This time, the academy has exempted us from all the matches before the top sixty-four. It's practically given us a pretty long vacation."
After taking another deep breath, Ye Guyi said to Lin Yao, "Exactly. With all this extra time, I really don't know what to do. Training by itself is so boring. If only we had a few opponents to spar with."
Lin Yao shrugged, then said to Ye Guyi, "This is Shrek Academy, after all. Evil Soul Masters aren't going to just come out into the open that easily. But there should still be a few idiots who've been muddled by their own power and think they're the greatest under heaven."
Ye Guyi nodded, then leaned against the railing by Sea God Lake and gazed into the distance. "Across the lake is the inner academy that rude kid was so eager to get into, isn't it?"
Lin Yao nodded, then narrowed his eyes and pointed ahead. "Look over there!"
On the opposite side of Sea God Lake, a tiny crimson speck was speeding toward Lin Yao and Ye Guyi. Beneath it, the lake water splashed up in wave after wave.
Ye Guyi sensed something and said to Lin Yao, "Why do I feel like there's something evil about them?"
Lin Yao had already guessed who it was. He took up a fighting stance and said to Ye Guyi, "Don't just stand there. The fight you were hoping for is here. Hurry and release your Martial Soul!"
Ye Guyi froze at his words, but quickly understood what he meant. She released her Holy Angel Martial Soul, golden wings beating behind her as a slender Angel Holy Sword appeared in her grasp.
Black dragon wings belonging to the Ender Dragon unfurled behind Lin Yao, while black dragon scales covered both his arms and the front of his torso.
Four Soul Rings circled and pulsed around his arms.
Lin Yao lunged forward in an instant. On the side of Sea God Lake nearest the outer academy, his figure collided with the red speck.
Blazing flames scorched his black dragon scales, but didn't seriously injure him. They only left him with a burning sensation, as if he'd touched hot coals.
But Ma Xiaotao, gone mad, was astonishingly strong. After colliding with Lin Yao, she drove him backward toward the outer academy by sheer force.
Lin Yao retreated to the railing by Sea God Lake and planted his feet against it for leverage. Only then did he steady himself and face off against Ma Xiaotao.
Ye Guyi released the radiance of her Holy Angel Martial Soul. Golden light fell upon Ma Xiaotao, and black smoke immediately began billowing from her in waves.
In her deranged state, Ma Xiaotao was struck by the Holy Angel's light. The golden radiance tore away a chunk of the Evil Fire on her body and dissolved it. The process was no different from having a piece of flesh ripped right off her, and Ma Xiaotao cried out in agony.
Strangely, by all rights, tearing away some of the Evil Fire should have weakened it inside Ma Xiaotao and restored her senses.
But Ma Xiaotao showed no sign of regaining her sanity. Instead, she charged toward Ye Guyi even more frantically.
Lin Yao grabbed Ma Xiaotao by the calf and hurled her into Sea God Lake. As he seized her leg and flung her toward the water, he released his first Soul Skill, greatly boosting his strength.
A layer of dark energy then formed around him, naturally the protective barrier effect of his third Soul Skill.
Ye Guyi stared at the frenzied Ma Xiaotao, frowning as she said to Lin Yao, "Her condition is very unusual. The evil force driving her mad has invaded her mind.
"What I just tore away was the evil force on the surface of her body. It could only hurt her; it couldn't suppress her Evil Fire."
Lin Yao asked Ye Guyi, "Then what do we do now? What do you need me to do?"
Ye Guyi looked at Ma Xiaotao, then said to Lin Yao, "Find a way to restrain her and limit her movements. Then leave her to me."
Lin Yao nodded, then pressed Ma Xiaotao down by the shore again as she burst out of the water.
Waves of scorching heat poured off Ma Xiaotao, warping the air around her. In this state, the water of Sea God Lake couldn't soak her clothes. The moment it touched them, it turned to vapor and rose into the air.
Between the vapor and the warped air, Lin Yao could barely make out Ma Xiaotao's movements. Fortunately, after his Martial Soul possessed him more fully, the Ender Dragon's eyes let him see every shift clearly.
Ye Guyi pressed close as well, ignoring the heat that curled the ends of her hair. She drove a golden, cone-shaped mass of Soul Power into the space between Ma Xiaotao's eyebrows.
Brilliant golden holy light suddenly blazed from Ma Xiaotao. Ye Guyi grabbed Lin Yao by the arm and said, "Let's go. Her condition is about to fluctuate. There's no point standing here as a target."
Lin Yao nodded, then pulled Ye Guyi into his arms and spread the Ender Dragon's wings. They shot away at high speed.
With the flying ability granted by the Ender Dragon, Lin Yao moved at an astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, they had flown from Sea God Lake to the area near the dormitory buildings.
After landing near the dormitories, Lin Yao put away his Martial Soul and said to Ye Guyi, "That was exciting enough, right? Did it satisfy your wish to find a strong opponent to spar with?"
Ye Guyi laughed and punched him lightly in the chest, then said to Lin Yao...
Before you continue