Ma Xiaotao

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Ma Xiaotao (马小桃)
Alias(es)	“Red-haired she-devil”; “Flame Maniac” 10 14
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Shrek Academy; Freshman Class One; Yan Shaozhe’s personal disciple 11 15
Occupation/Role	Assault-type battle soul master; member of Yue Ling and Gongyang Mo’s assessment team 15 16
Martial Soul	Evil Fire Phoenix 15
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 10

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
32nd-level Soul Grandmaster	15	Introduced as a twelve-year-old assault-type battle soul grandmaster with the Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul.
Rank unspecified	35	After a period of constant cultivation and temporary suppression of her backlash, her spirit-power progress is described as advancing by leaps and bounds.

Background

Ma Xiaotao’s exceptional cultivation came at the cost of an unstable Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul. The evil fire burns her meridians and soul as her strength rises, aggravates her temper, and can erode her reason in battle. Yan Shaozhe searched for cold medicinal herbs and ice-attribute pills to suppress it, but these only offered temporary relief. 10 16

Before becoming friends with Yue Ling and Gongyang Mo, she was largely solitary and had few peers she trusted. Yan Shaozhe specifically encouraged the two boys to become her friends, believing they might become future teammates. 11

Appearance

Ma Xiaotao is a fair-skinned girl with a slender, upright build and shoulder-length fiery red hair. Her usual hostile, unapproachable gaze reinforces her intimidating reputation. 15

• Her hair and eyes take on a brighter red coloration when she activates the Evil Fire Phoenix. 19
• She wears the plain white Shrek Academy uniform. 15
• Her fiery appearance and aggressive aura led other students to recognize and avoid her as the “Flame Maniac.” 14

Personality

Ma Xiaotao is proud, blunt, competitive, and quick to anger. She prefers practical combat to classroom study, dislikes physical training such as running, and is impatient with the Outer Court’s basic lessons. 14 17

Her aggression is not wholly voluntary: the Evil Fire Phoenix’s backlash intensifies her temper and can overwhelm her judgment. During her first fight with Yue Ling, she continued attacking after being placed at a disadvantage until Yan Shaozhe intervened with a Cold Cooling Pill. 10 11

Despite her abrasive manner, she is soft-hearted beneath the surface. She awkwardly accepts apologies, gradually opens up to Yue Ling and Gongyang Mo, and becomes deeply invested in their team’s success. 11 16 26

Abilities & Skills

Evil Fire Phoenix

Ma Xiaotao possesses the Evil Fire Phoenix, a powerful assault-type martial soul that manifests as intense phoenix flames around her body. 15 19

• Supports both close-quarters fighting and long-range fire attacks. 19 20
• Can generate overwhelming heat and sustained battlefield pressure. 19 27
• Its evil-fire backlash burns her meridians and soul, destabilizes her emotions, and may cause her to lose control. 10 16

Phoenix Fireline

Her first soul skill releases a concentrated stream of phoenix fire. 10

• The flames are unusually adhesive and difficult to resist with conventional defenses. 10
• Can be used for direct ranged attacks, continuous suppression, and intercepting attacks aimed at allies. 19 22 27
• Its power increases significantly when used after Bath of Fire Phoenix or under Gongyang Mo’s amplification. 10 29 32

Bath of Fire Phoenix

Her second soul skill enhances her phoenix flames. 10

• Intensifies the power and persistence of Phoenix Fireline. 10 29
• Forms part of her standard burst combination during team battles. 27 32

Phoenix Wings Soaring to the Heavens

Her third soul skill creates flaming phoenix wings, granting her flight. 10 19

• Allows aerial attacks with Phoenix Fireline. 19
• Lets her evade or reposition above ground-based opponents. 10 32
• During the freshman-assessment final, she was restricted to a maximum altitude of ten meters by the match rules. 32

Combat Role

Ma Xiaotao is primarily her team’s offensive force, using relentless firepower to pressure and eliminate opponents while Yue Ling controls the field and Gongyang Mo provides amplification. 19 27 29

• She can act as a frontline combatant despite her strong long-range skills. 19 20
• She protected Gongyang Mo from a sneak attack during the round-robin assessment. 22
• Her attacks are often deliberately restrained in academy matches to avoid fatal injury. 26

Relationships

• Yan Shaozhe — Her teacher and Shrek Academy’s dean. He protects her from the evil-fire backlash, intervened when her first fight with Yue Ling became dangerous, and takes pride in her growth. 11 26 27
• Yue Ling — Friend, frequent sparring partner, and teammate. Their relationship began with a fight, but Yue Ling’s insistence that he truly considered her a friend helped her overcome her isolation. 10 11 16 17
• Gongyang Mo — Friend and teammate. His auxiliary skills strengthen her firepower; he also helps mediate arguments between her and Yue Ling. 10 16 19
• Dai Yueheng — A fellow freshman whose attempt to recruit Yue Ling and Gongyang Mo indirectly solidified Ma Xiaotao’s team with them. 16

Story Role / Major Arcs

First Conflict and Friendship

Ma Xiaotao first confronts Yue Ling and Gongyang Mo after overhearing Gongyang Mo call her a “red-haired she-devil.” Her Evil Fire Phoenix initially overwhelms Yue Ling’s defenses, but Yue Ling and Gongyang Mo counterattack and nearly defeat her before Yan Shaozhe stops the spar. 10 11

Afterward, she accepts Yue Ling and Gongyang Mo as friends, though she immediately demands a future one-on-one rematch. 11

Freshman Team Formation

She joins Yue Ling and Gongyang Mo for the freshman assessment despite initially pretending she had not agreed to be their teammate. While visiting a dessert shop with them, she reveals the dangerous defect of her Evil Fire Phoenix and chooses to trust Yue Ling’s promise that he may eventually find a cure. 16

Freshman Assessment

Ma Xiaotao serves as the team’s principal attacker throughout the round-robin and knockout stages. Her Phoenix Fireline, aerial mobility, and coordination with Gongyang Mo’s buffs allow the team to overwhelm multiple opponents and advance to the final. 19 22 26 29

During the final, she follows Yue Ling’s order to concede rather than risk mental collapse inside the opposing team’s Nightmare Cage Spirit Fusion Skill. 32

Heartbroken Red Domain Incident

When Yue Ling’s Heartbroken Red Domain expands during his struggle against an Evil Soul Master remnant, Ma Xiaotao is forced to confront her deepest fear: the evil fire once again consuming her from within. 35

Notable Quotes

“We can be friends, but a fight is a fight! Next time, I want to fight you one-on-one to see if you can still beat me without his support!”
— Ma Xiaotao 11

“My martial soul is the Evil Fire Phoenix. It looks powerful, but the cost is immense.”
— Ma Xiaotao 16