Yuwen Tuo and Ma Xiaotao

Yuwen Tuo entered the dormitory indicated on the sign. Today's Shrek was vastly different from what it had been ten thousand years ago.

Because it admitted noble children, the academy was exceptionally wealthy. The dormitories were luxurious, with two students typically sharing a room. Yet Yuwen Tuo's room was rather unusual—it was a single.

"A single room? Is this another one of the academy's tricks?" Yuwen Tuo muttered to himself.

"This isn't the academy's doing. It's a gift from me. I wanted to give you the best living environment—quiet, undisturbed, so you can cultivate properly."

A familiar female voice sounded from the doorway. He had heard it for six years; even without turning around, Yuwen Tuo knew who had arrived.

"Ma Xiaotao, what are you doing here today? This is the boys' dormitory. Has your evil fire flared up again?"

"So what if it's the boys' dormitory? Is there anywhere in Shrek Academy that I'm not allowed to go?" Ma Xiaotao said.

She was the leader of the current Shrek Seven Devils, the direct disciple of Dean Yan Shaozhe, the granddisciple of Dragon God Douluo Mu En, and a descendant of Ma Hongjun, one of the original Shrek Seven Devils. Her status within the academy was extraordinary. Forget the mere boys' dormitory—even Sea God Pavilion was somewhere she dared to enter at will.

"As for the evil fire, are you worried about me?" Ma Xiaotao looked at Yuwen Tuo expectantly. If he had asked because he was concerned for her, she would have been very happy.

"Worried about you? I don't have that kind of free time. I was just thinking that since your evil fire hasn't flared up, don't come looking for me when there's nothing wrong. Better yet, don't come even when there is something wrong. Never seeing you again for the rest of my life would be my greatest wish," Yuwen Tuo said.

"You..." Ma Xiaotao's expression immediately darkened. Yuwen Tuo was calm and gentle toward everyone else, but when it came to her alone, he always acted as if she were a thousand miles away.

But when she remembered that she truly had wronged him, her anger faded. For a Soul Master, having the golden cultivation years between the ages of six and twelve ruined would have an enormous impact. It could very well damage one's foundation.

Besides, Yuwen Tuo's martial soul was unusual. His Supreme Pure Fire had suffered six consecutive years of evil fire erosion. No one knew what it had become now. She guessed that it was likely even weaker than the most ordinary fire-type martial souls.

Supreme Pure Fire might not have been on par with Ultimate Fire, but it had at least been considered a high-grade martial soul. Now, whether it could even retain the power of a mid-grade martial soul was still uncertain.

With such a deep grudge between them, it would have been stranger if he did not hate her.

"I told you that I would compensate you in the future. I'll take care of you for the rest of your life and never let anyone bully you. Long ago, an ancestor of the Tang Sect made a promise to his wife, Xiao Wu: anyone who wished to hurt her would first have to step over his corpse. Yuwen Tuo, as long as you obediently stay here, I can make you that same promise!" Ma Xiaotao said seriously.

She did not make promises lightly, but once she did, she would keep them to the end.

"I don't need that promise..." Yuwen Tuo turned back and said, "Ma Xiaotao, leave. Like I said, since your evil fire hasn't flared up, don't come looking for me."

"Yuwen Tuo, I've said everything I could, yet you're still this impossible to reason with. You don't know what's good for you!" Ma Xiaotao flew into a rage from embarrassment. What she had just said was practically a confession, yet Yuwen Tuo had still rejected her so mercilessly. How could she bear that?

With a wave of her hand, all the doors and windows in the dormitory immediately shut.

Yuwen Tuo was startled. "Hey, didn't you say your evil fire hadn't flared up? What are you trying to do now?"

"Even though it hasn't flared up, there's still a tiny bit lingering inside me. Over the next few days, try helping me dispel it completely." Ma Xiaotao walked over to Yuwen Tuo and pushed him on the shoulder...

The next day, the morning sun rose high.

The room that had glowed with fire all night finally went dark. This fire was not candlelight, but the intertwining of evil fire and Supreme Pure Fire.

Ma Xiaotao's evil fire had indeed been mostly dispelled. That tiny remaining trace did not actually affect her much.

Not only would it not flare up in ordinary circumstances, it would not even flare up if she fought with all her strength. The incident in which her evil fire had been triggered by the Sword of Judgment would presumably never happen again.

But as long as the evil fire remained, her Fire Phoenix would still be imperfect. Thus, she still needed Yuwen Tuo to purify her flames completely so that they could become true Ultimate Fire.

By then, once she reached the Soul Saint realm, she would be capable of fighting ordinary Titled Douluo. She would also gain the accelerated cultivation speed that an ultimate martial soul granted after level seventy. Becoming a Titled Douluo, or even achieving the rank of Limit Douluo in the future, would become far easier.

In the morning, two naked bodies rose from the floor. Their clothes had once again been burned away by the blazing flames the night before. Ma Xiaotao had long grown used to standing naked before Yuwen Tuo. After all, it had been like this for six years, so there was no need for embarrassment.

She skillfully took out two sets of clothing from her Storage Soul Tool—one for herself, while tossing the other to Yuwen Tuo. Her Soul Tool now always carried a set of Yuwen Tuo's clothes.

"Judging by how you were yesterday, your Soul Power must be close to level seventy, right? Once you become a Soul Saint, I think all of your evil fire can be completely purged," Yuwen Tuo said. This Ma Xiaotao was definitely much stronger than in the original story. Not only did she have perfect control over her martial soul, but her Soul Power was also formidable. After absorbing so much of Yuwen Tuo's Soul Power, how could she possibly have made no progress at all?

"More or less. So if anyone in the academy bullies you, just tell them my name." After getting dressed, Ma Xiaotao turned around. Seeing Yuwen Tuo's body, her pretty face flushed slightly.

This woman was strange. She was not embarrassed when she exposed herself, but her cheeks always turned red at times like this.

Could this be the legendary... female hooligan?

"So, once you reach level seventy and complete your Ultimate Fire, can you let me go? By then, I won't have any use to you anymore, right?" Yuwen Tuo asked tentatively.

Although he already had a way to leave, his method would take too long. He still had to infiltrate the First Soul Master Competition. It would be best if he could leave even one day sooner.

At his words, the shyness on Ma Xiaotao's face vanished completely. Her pretty face drew close to Yuwen Tuo's, and even the scorching breath from her mouth felt hot against his skin. It was clear that she was furious. "Yuwen Tuo, I told you, you can't leave. You will never leave for the rest of your life. I advise you to give up on that idea."

After saying that, Ma Xiaotao stood up, angrily kicked open the door, and stormed out.

"That bastard, he's still thinking about leaving even now. What does he take me for?"

Ma Xiaotao muttered nonstop as she walked.

Unlike Huo Yuhao in the original story, Huo Yuhao had been young and physically frail due to malnutrition, so Ma Xiaotao had always regarded such a small child as a little brother.

But Yuwen Tuo did not feel like a twelve-year-old to her. Whether in height or appearance, he was already much like a sixteen-year-old youth. His mature personality made it impossible for her to treat him as a child. She saw him as a real man.

And there was his resolve. No matter how many setbacks he suffered or how many times she had crippled him, he could always quickly pull himself back together. Six years in a row—anyone else would likely have lost heart long ago, but he remained confident in himself and had never given up even once.

She had seen him smile—the smile of someone who faced a hopeless environment with calm acceptance while still being full of hope for the future.

Coupled with their six years of intimate contact, he was already hers. How could she let him go?

Ma Xiaotao believed that because she had absorbed Yuwen Tuo's cultivation, she had to take responsibility for his future. But Yuwen Tuo had also taken advantage of her for six years, so he had to take responsibility for her as well.

So she would not let Yuwen Tuo leave. Never!