Hear the Sun's Roar! (Bonus Chapter for 300 Update Requests)

At that thought, Ma Xiaotao forcibly endured the pain wracking her body, her fighting spirit surging to its peak.

Just as she prepared to launch another attack, however, Xu Tianming raised the greatsword in his hand and pointed its tip at her.

Is he... planning to cut me down with that greatsword?

The moment that thought surfaced, Ma Xiaotao nearly burst out laughing.

So what if that sword had immense attack power?

She could fly!

As long as she guarded against that elusive flame attack, she would be invincible in this battle!

Though she had suffered a minor loss due to carelessness just now, she would soon repay every bit of humiliation she had endured!

Of course... that was assuming the experts within the prince's residence did not interfere.

To prevent that from happening, Ma Xiaotao knew she had to end this quickly. She once again expended soul power to activate her second and third soul skills, then leaped into the air.

But just as she was about to unleash her strongest offensive soul skill, Phoenix Piercing Strike, she was stunned to discover that Xu Tianming below had leaped into the air with his greatsword in hand, without any wings to aid him, instantly rising to the same height as her.

Then, she felt the soul power within Xu Tianming's body suddenly surge severalfold. As he raised the greatsword high overhead, a scorching energy that filled her with extreme danger rapidly gathered within the blade.

Though Ma Xiaotao had no idea what kind of move this was, her instincts told her she absolutely could not allow her enemy to continue charging up so brazenly. Otherwise, she would definitely suffer again!

Therefore, she did not waste another word. She decisively mobilized the soul power within her body and unleashed her fifth soul skill, immediately condensing a small flaming phoenix.

Using this soul skill directly drained half the soul power in Ma Xiaotao's body, but she did not regret it.

This soul skill not only possessed tremendous single-target damage, but could also pierce an enemy's defenses. Even a Soul Emperor stronger than her would not come away unscathed if they faced this move head-on. Against opponents of the same level, this strike was practically enough to determine victory or defeat.

Watching from below, Meng Hongchen sensed the terrifying power contained within that tiny phoenix. Although she believed her Brother Tianming would not lose, she could not help but worry.

Even if Brother Tianming suffered the slightest injury, it would break her heart.

For a moment, Meng Hongchen's eyes were filled with hatred as she looked at Ma Xiaotao.

It was all because of this damned bitch!

Brother Tianming had kindly taken her into the prince's residence, yet this bitch had gone mad for no reason and attacked with all her strength. If Brother Tianming had not been strong enough himself...

Sensing Meng Hongchen's concern, Steward Zhao spoke up at the right moment to reassure her.

"Don't worry, Miss Meng. An attack of this level cannot hurt His Highness."

And just as Steward Zhao had said, that was indeed the case.

After rapidly finishing her charge, Ma Xiaotao hurled the small phoenix she had condensed at Xu Tianming with all her might.

Yet facing Ma Xiaotao's full-powered strike, Xu Tianming neither dodged nor evaded. With a casual swing of his sword, he split the tiny phoenix rushing toward him into fragments of soul power, not allowing it to unleash even a fraction of its intended might.

At this sight, Ma Xiaotao's eyes widened in disbelief.

"H-How is that possible?!"

The impact of this utterly explosive scene on Ma Xiaotao's worldview was simply too great.

What did it mean for her full-powered strike, unleashed with the strength of five soul rings, to be so easily broken by a single swing from a four-ring Soul Master?

"If this is all your full-powered strike amounts to, then pay the price for your insolence!"

Xu Tianming's face was utterly indifferent, and that uncaring gaze happened to pierce Ma Xiaotao's heart.

"Impossible! How could I possibly lose to you?! I'm a genius of Shrek Academy! How could I be defeated by someone whose soul power rank is lower than mine? I refuse to accept this! I will never lose!"

The instant she finished speaking, a flash of madness passed through her eyes.

All this time, she had done her utmost to suppress the evil fire within her martial soul, preventing herself from unleashing her full strength.

Her teacher, Yan Shaozhe, had once told her that if her martial soul could unleash all of its power, its might would not be inferior to ultimate fire. However, the price would be that she herself would be completely consumed by the evil fire, lose her reason, and become a slave to her desires, no longer able to control herself.

Under normal circumstances, Ma Xiaotao would never have considered giving up her suppression of the evil fire.

But now, she could no longer care about that.

She could not lose!

No matter the price, as long as she could win this battle, she would have no regrets!

Even if doing so might ruin the rest of her life, so what?

She was fighting to protect her honor! Fighting to uphold justice! Even if she died, she would be sacrificing herself for justice!

The only pity was that "pure young girl" targeted by the tyrannical noble.

If she completely lost control later, that girl would probably lose any chance of escaping, wouldn't she?

But there seemed to be another solution...

If she simply killed the culprit behind it all, wouldn't every problem be solved?

I'm sorry, Teacher. I am going to betray your trust and expectations...

With that thought, Ma Xiaotao completely abandoned her suppression of the evil fire. In an instant, it filled every corner of her body.

The process was agonizing, making her howl repeatedly, but it also caused her soul power to soar at an astonishing rate. Soon, her soul power rank broke through the limit of five rings and reached level sixty. If she had a soul ring available to absorb at this moment, she would already be a genuine Soul Emperor.

Having witnessed Ma Xiaotao's entire descent, Xu Tianming was speechless.

The trope of web novels where going dark made someone ten times stronger, while redemption weakened them by thirty percent—he had truly seen it for himself today.

But so what if Ma Xiaotao's soul power had reached the Soul Emperor level?

Before his Sinking Sun Slash, everything was meaningless!

"Die! Die! Die! Go die!"

Empowered by the evil fire, Ma Xiaotao had already lost most of her reason. Yet the obsession in her mind still drove her body to pounce on Xu Tianming without regard for anything else.

Seeing this, several experts hidden within the prince's residence could no longer hold back and were about to intervene.

But at that very moment, Xu Tianming finished his final charge. Facing the frenzied Ma Xiaotao, he remained as calm as ever, like a man holding a stick and watching a rabid dog go mad.

"The power gained by sacrificing your reason is still so feeble. In that case, I shall be merciful and let you properly witness what true power is!"

The instant he finished speaking, Xu Tianming raised his greatsword once more and swung it with all his strength at the charging Ma Xiaotao. In an instant, a terrifying heat wave containing immense soul power erupted, carrying a momentum that seemed capable of cutting down everything.

"Hear the Sun's Roar!"