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 Inner Court; formerly Freshman Class One; Yan Shaozhe’s personal disciple 15 46 72
Occupation/Role	Assault-type battle soul master; former member of Yue Ling and Gongyang Mo’s freshman-assessment team; Shrek Academy core disciple 15 45 119
Martial Soul	Evil Fire Phoenix 15
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 10

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
32nd-level Soul Elder	15	Introduced as a twelve-year-old assault-type battle Soul Elder with the Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul.
33rd-level Soul Elder	17	Reached level 33 before the freshman assessment and formed a three-Soul-Elder team with Yue Ling and Gongyang Mo.
Rank unspecified	35	After a period of constant cultivation, her evil-fire backlash appeared to subside and her spirit-power progress advanced by leaps and bounds, faintly surpassing Yue Ling’s at the time. The Heartbroken Red Domain revealed that the evil fire remained latent within her.
Explosive Burning Flame Right Arm Bone	46	Allocated the crimson right-arm spirit bone as part of the freshman-assessment champions’ rewards and prepared to enter secluded cultivation.
Soul Ancestor	116	Had advanced to the Soul Ancestor realm while cultivating in the Shrek Inner Court.
44th-level Soul Ancestor	135	Revealed four spirit rings—two yellow and two purple—and identified herself as a level-44 assault-type battle Soul Ancestor.

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

Her intensive cultivation temporarily lessened the apparent effects of the evil fire, allowing her spirit power to improve rapidly. However, Yue Ling’s Heartbroken Red Domain forced her to experience an illusion of the flames consuming her meridians and soul again, confirming that the underlying danger had not been eliminated. 35

After the freshman assessment, Ma Xiaotao left the Outer Court curriculum to remain near Yan Shaozhe and cultivate in seclusion, both to strengthen herself and to continue suppressing the evil fire. She subsequently advanced to the Shrek Inner Court ahead of schedule. 46 49 72

Inner Court resources, Yan Shaozhe’s support, and her own tireless training helped her reach level 44. Despite that progress, evil fire continued to accumulate within her body. Yue Ling later sought information on the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, an immortal herb he believed she needed, but had not yet obtained it. 100 131 135

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
• Two years after her earlier visit with Yue Ling, she had grown taller, with long fiery-red hair draped over her shoulders. She retained a youthful fullness in her fair face and often had lightly flushed cheeks from the accumulated evil fire. 131

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

Following Yue Ling’s injury during the Evil Soul Master remnant incident, she was left listless and deeply concerned for him. Her later decision to personally deliver his spirit bone and her gratitude toward her friends demonstrate a growing sense of responsibility, sincerity, and loyalty. 43 46 50

She remains easily flustered by Yue Ling’s teasing and reluctant to admit that she misses him. Although usually fearless toward her peers, she becomes markedly cautious around Xuan Zi and Zhang Lexuan, whose strength she respects. Seeing Yue Ling reach Soul King ahead of her renews her determination to cultivate. 131 135

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
• The martial soul’s unstable evil fire remains a latent danger even during periods when its backlash seems suppressed. 35

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

Explosive Burning Flame Right Arm Bone

Ma Xiaotao was awarded the Explosive Burning Flame Right Arm Bone, a crimson spirit bone presented to her alongside the prizes earned by her freshman-assessment team. 46

• She was drawn to the spirit bone’s power and was instructed to absorb and refine it promptly. 46
• Receiving the bone reinforced her decision to cultivate in seclusion and become strong enough to fight beside Yue Ling and Gongyang Mo again. 46

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
• When empowered by Gongyang Mo, she can continuously layer Phoenix Fireline attacks to deny opponents room to evade. 27 29

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. After the freshman assessment, she remained by his side to cultivate in seclusion. 11 26 27 46
• 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. She later personally brought him his allotted spirit bone while he recovered and credited him and their friends with teaching her sincerity. She visited him again after a long separation; although she teased him for not visiting, she willingly helped prepare a meal with him. Yue Ling continues to seek a way to address her evil fire. 10 11 16 17 47 50 100 131
• Gongyang Mo — Friend and teammate. His auxiliary skills strengthen her firepower; he also helps mediate arguments between her and Yue Ling. Though they later trained separately, both remained determined to reunite as Inner Court teammates. 10 16 19 46
• Dai Yueheng — A fellow freshman whose attempt to recruit Yue Ling and Gongyang Mo indirectly solidified Ma Xiaotao’s team with them. 16
• Xuan Zi — Yue Ling’s teacher and one of Shrek’s strongest figures. Ma Xiaotao respects his power and becomes unusually careful upon learning that he is nearby. 131
• Zhang Lexuan — Shrek’s Eldest Senior Sister. Shortly after Ma Xiaotao entered the Inner Court, she rashly challenged Zhang Lexuan and was badly defeated. Ma Xiaotao has since behaved cautiously and respectfully around her. 131

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

The team’s performance earned Ma Xiaotao recognition as a Shrek Academy core disciple and the Explosive Burning Flame Right Arm Bone as part of its championship rewards. 45 46

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

The incident leaves her worried for Yue Ling after his collapse and reinforces her determination to become stronger rather than remain powerless while her friends face danger. 43 46

Inner Court Transition

After receiving her spirit bone, Ma Xiaotao chooses to cease attending Outer Court classes and cultivate under Yan Shaozhe’s supervision. She later enters the Shrek Inner Court early, while encouraging Gongyang Mo to cultivate diligently and join her there. 46 72

She also declares her ambition to become captain of the Shrek Seven Monsters’ main team in the next Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, setting up a friendly rivalry with Yue Ling. 50

By the time of Shrek’s subsequent core-disciple selection trials, she has reached the Soul Ancestor realm and is counted among the core disciples of Yue Ling’s year. She is not among the seven students selected for the Reserve Team. 116 119 126

After two years apart, Ma Xiaotao visits Yue Ling at Xuan Zi’s courtyard and helps prepare a meal with him. Zhang Lexuan’s arrival reveals that Ma Xiaotao once challenged her soon after entering the Inner Court and was badly beaten. Later, Ma Xiaotao proposes a friendly spar with Yue Ling, but abandons it upon discovering that he has reached Soul King while she is level 44; the disparity instead spurs her to train harder. 131 135

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

“Actually, being friends with all of you has been the happiest thing for me during this time.”
— Ma Xiaotao 50