Ma Xiaotao

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Ma Xiaotao (马小桃)
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Shrek Academy Inner Court; Shrek Seven Monsters
Occupation/Role	Inner Court senior; former and returning captain of the Shrek Seven Monsters; designated successor to the Martial Soul Department
Martial Soul	Evil Fire Phoenix
Cultivation	Rank 68 Soul Emperor
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 49

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Near Soul Sage	49	Her power is described as close to the Soul Sage rank while the Evil Fire Phoenix is out of control.
Rank 68 Soul Emperor	66	Breaks through after Li Changqing completely suppresses and harmonizes her evil fire with the Taiji Diagram. Her fire becomes calmer and more controllable.

Background / History

Ma Xiaotao is Yan Shaozhe's personal disciple and an Inner Court student of Shrek Academy. Her Evil Fire Phoenix grants immense destructive power, but its violent “evil” nature repeatedly causes backlash and risks driving her berserk. She had previously been removed from the Shrek Seven Monsters because of this condition, despite having served as their captain. 51 52 64 75

When her evil fire erupts near Huo Yuhao and Li Changqing, Li suppresses her with the Heavenly Profound and Earthly Yellow Exquisite Pagoda's sacred power of merit. Once conscious, she regrets nearly harming others and asks him for help. 49 50 52

Yan Shaozhe explains that simply removing the evil fire would severely diminish the quality and combat power of her martial soul. The possible long-term solutions are evolving the Evil Fire Phoenix into a true Fire Phoenix or relying on a lasting yin-yang balance; neither is immediately available to her. 52 53

Driven by her wish to reclaim her place among the Shrek Seven Monsters, Ma Xiaotao overcultivates and suffers another severe backlash. Li Changqing enters her Inner Court secret chamber and uses the Taiji Diagram to harmonize her evil fire rather than merely suppressing it. The treatment completely settles the rampaging fire and allows her to advance to rank 68. 64 65 66

Appearance

Ma Xiaotao is a tall, striking woman with long crimson hair, crimson eyes, and a powerful fiery presence. Her appearance is often paired with an aura of heat or visible flame from her martial soul. 51 55 73

• Usually wears fiery red clothing, including a fitted crimson gown and matching red high heels. 73
• Has fair skin, a slender figure, and long, well-proportioned legs. 51 73
• Appears in a long white dress and white heels when visiting Li Changqing at night. 55
• Her crimson eyes can show traces of unstable evil fire during an impending backlash. 55

Personality

Ma Xiaotao is fiery, proud, competitive, and direct. She is accustomed to admiration and initially approaches Li Changqing with the confidence of an accomplished Inner Court senior. 50 70

Beneath that confidence, she is deeply troubled by the danger her martial soul poses to others. She accepts responsibility after losing control, fears harming people, and is willing to seek help when she can no longer endure the evil fire alone. 50 52 65

Her competitiveness drives her to reckless overcultivation in order to return to the Shrek Seven Monsters' main roster. After Li Changqing gives her relief from years of pain and sleeplessness, she develops strong affection and dependence toward him, though she becomes conspicuously shy when her feelings are exposed. 64 71 72 81

Abilities & Skills

Evil Fire Phoenix

Ma Xiaotao's martial soul is an inherited Phoenix-type martial soul containing powerful evil fire. Its destructive output exceeds that of comparable soul masters, but the same evil nature makes it unstable and dangerous to its wielder. 51 52

• Generates extreme, scorching phoenix fire capable of overwhelming high-rank Soul Ancestor-level defenses. 75 76
• Her flames can form fiery serpents, seas of fire, blazing cages, and a gigantic fire phoenix. 78
• Before her treatment, large-scale flames were difficult for her to withdraw and prone to backlash. 75 76
• The evil fire cannot simply be removed without degrading her martial soul's quality and combat power. 50 52

Purified Ultimate Evil Fire

Following Li Changqing's yin-yang harmonization, Ma Xiaotao's flames become golden-red at their core rather than chaotic blackish-red. Her improved fire is steadier, denser, and far easier to control. 65 66 75 76

• Withstands a combined barrage of high-rank Soul Tool attacks without moving. 75
• Melts layered alloy shields and forces a Soul Tool Department opponent to concede. 76
• Can be recalled immediately before striking a defeated opponent. 76
• Remains ineffective against Li Changqing's golden barrier and Heavenly Profound and Earthly Yellow Exquisite Pagoda. 77 78

Soul Skills

Ma Xiaotao can activate her third, fourth, and fifth soul skills together to create a layered all-direction fire assault. 78

• Uses multiple high-level fire techniques simultaneously to deny an opponent blind spots. 78
• Her strongest recorded attack condenses her flames into a massive fire phoenix. 78
• Her fire attribute is innately restrained by Li Changqing's Taiji Diagram, which dissolves and suppresses her evil fire. 80

Relationships

• Li Changqing — Her benefactor and the only person shown to completely harmonize her evil fire. She develops romantic feelings and asks him to remain by her side more often; he maintains boundaries despite acknowledging her outstanding qualities. 65 71 72 80 81
• Yan Shaozhe — Her teacher and the Shrek Academy headmaster. He treats her like a daughter, worries intensely about her condition, and repeatedly attempts to arrange a relationship between her and Li Changqing. 51 52 66 74
• Mu En — Her grandmaster, who witnesses Li Changqing's treatment and intervenes when Yan Shaozhe scolds her after her relapse. 52 66
• Bei Bei — Brings Li Changqing to her when her overcultivation triggers another evil-fire backlash. 64 65
• Ling Luochen — An Inner Court peer whose ultimate ice previously helped temporarily suppress Ma Xiaotao's berserk evil fire. 75 76
• Shrek Seven Monsters — Her team and former command. She returns through an assessment battle after her fire is stabilized. 75 76

Story Role / Major Arcs

Evil Fire Outbreak

Ma Xiaotao loses control of the Evil Fire Phoenix and attacks near Li Changqing. He subdues her with sacred merit power, after which she asks for continued help and begins searching for a permanent solution. 49 50 52

Secret Chamber Recovery

After pushing herself too hard to regain her captaincy, Ma Xiaotao suffers a far worse backlash in an extreme-cold chamber. Li Changqing uses the Taiji Diagram to bring her evil fire into balance, allowing her to recover and break through to rank 68. 64 65 66

Return to the Shrek Seven Monsters

With her fire purified and her control transformed, Ma Xiaotao defeats a Soul Tool Department challenger to reclaim her position on the Shrek Seven Monsters. Her return demonstrates that the instability which once forced her from the team has greatly diminished. 75 76

Sparring Match Against Li Changqing

Ma Xiaotao tests Li Changqing with her full power, including her strongest fire-phoenix attack, but cannot breach his defenses. She later joins the other Shrek Seven Monsters against him and is immobilized beneath his Taiji Diagram. 77 78 79 80

Feelings for Li Changqing

After experiencing a peaceful night free from evil-fire torment while Li Changqing meditates nearby, Ma Xiaotao becomes increasingly attached to his presence. She openly acknowledges her feelings when Xuan Zi proposes that they become Dao companions, though Li Changqing refuses the arrangement under the condition that he abandon Ye Guyi and Jiang Nannan. 71 72 81

Ming Dou Mountains Mission

Ma Xiaotao joins the Shrek Academy group investigating the Death Messenger's evil soul master hideout. She displays resolve and killing intent, but the group is caught in a cave collapse after the Death Messenger detonates hidden explosives. 94

Notable Quotes

“Then... can you help me?” 50

“Chang... Changqing... Help me...” 65

“Fine. I’m not in a hurry... I’ll find a way to make you get used to having me by your side.” 72