A different choice
During her time with the Holy Spirit Cult, Ma Xiaotao became Titled Douluo, possessing two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
Zhongli Wu said that she will become Ultimate Douluo in the future, and she will be among the top Ultimate Douluo.
If this were given to Shrek, no one would dare to give it such a rating.
The elders of Shrek Academy had limited knowledge of the Evil Fire Phoenix, and no one dared to guarantee how far Ma Xiaotao could go.
[But Ma Xiaotao paid a greater price in the Holy Spirit Cult Tang Ya.]
After her Evil Fire was fully unleashed, her mind was corrupted by both the Evil Fire and the Evil Soul Master's techniques.
She herself refused to acknowledge the things she did during her time with the Holy Spirit Cult after she came to her senses.
Ma Xiaotao was later rescued by Huo Yuhao and regained her senses, but the shadow left by that experience could never be shaken off for the rest of her life.
She grew stronger within the Holy Spirit Cult, but she also nearly burned herself to ashes.
Ma Xiaotao nodded. Although she didn't want to admit it, the analysis in her diary linking her Evil Fire with the Holy Spirit Cult's cultivation methods forced her to acknowledge that the analysis was correct.
Her Evil Fire was indeed suited to the Holy Spirit Cult's methods, and Shrek couldn't offer her much help in that regard.
But she also knew that what the Holy Spirit Cult her required her to earn in return.
She can't afford to change it, and she doesn't want to.
So, where is Ma Xiaotao best suited? The answer to this question is more complex than that for Tang Ya.
From the perspective of Martial Soul attributes, Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix is naturally compatible with the cultivation methods of the Holy Spirit Cult Sect.
The Holy Spirit Cult can unleash the full power of her Evil Fire and provide her with the best Soul Ring Configuration. However, from the perspective of a complete person, the Holy Spirit Cult is a path of no return for Ma Xiaotao.
The corrosive influence of the Evil Fire, coupled with the backlash from the Evil Soul Master's techniques, meant that Ma Xiaotao would definitely not be able to withstand staying in the Holy Spirit Cult for long.
She has a fiery temper to begin with, and once her Evil Fire flares up, she can't control herself.
Although Shrek couldn't solve the problem of the Evil Fire, at least Shrek wouldn't push her into the fire pit.
After Ma Xiaotao returned to Shrek, although her problem with the Evil Fire hadn't been completely cured, she was at least able to live a normal life.
Tang Ya and Ma Xiaotao are two different people. One is held back because of insufficient resources, and the other is held back because her Martial Soul is too evil.
Both women encountered a bottleneck at Shrek. The Holy Spirit Cult opened a door for them, but behind that door lay a precipice.
Tang Ya's trip to the Holy Spirit Cult and her eventual return to Shrek demonstrate that she knew in her heart that the Holy Spirit Cult was not the place for her.
Ma Xiaotao went further in the Holy Spirit Cult, but the price she paid was also greater.
It's no coincidence that both of them eventually returned to Shrek.
Shrek can't give them the best, but Shrek can give them a way to survive.
The Holy Spirit Cult Holy Spirit Cult can give them the best, but it won't give them a way to survive.
Ning Tian felt a pang of emotion after reading the contents of the diary.
She didn't know much about Tang Ya and Ma Xiaotao, but the diary meticulously analyzed their situations, making her understand one thing.
The mismatch between talent and resources is common in the Soul Master World.
Some people are highly talented but lack resources, while others have average talent but more resources than they can use.
Tang Ya and Ma Xiaotao both belong to the category of mismatched talent and resources, only the direction of the mismatch is different.
Ning Tian thought that there were similar situations in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, where some people clearly had potential, but resources were not allocated to them.
This problem exists in every faction; it's just that Shrek and the Holy Spirit Cult have different solutions.
The experiences of Tang Ya and Ma Xiaotao illustrate one thing: there is no perfect training system in the Soul Master World.
Shrek has Shrek weaknesses, and the Holy Spirit Cult Holy Spirit Cult has its fatal flaws. Whether a person can go far depends not only on talent and resources, but also on what path suits them best.
Tang Ya is suited to Shrek's stability, Ma Xiaotao is suited to Shrek's liveliness.
The path of the Holy Spirit Cult was too dangerous for them; one wrong step and there would be no turning back.
They all eventually returned to Shrek, which was the best ending for them.
Wang Dong'er's heart stirred slightly after reading the contents of the diary.
She wasn't familiar with Tang Ya or Ma Xiaotao, but the line in her diary, "Whether a person can go far depends not only on talent and resources, but also on what path suits them," made her think for a long time.
The path she's on now is the one Lin Ye pointed out: becoming stronger through her own efforts, not relying on Tang San or Huo Yuhao.
Whether this path is right for her, she herself doesn't know.
But she knew she didn't want to follow the path Tang San had laid out for her, nor did she want to follow Huo Yuhao's path, which was full of pitfalls.
She was determined to forge her own path.
Wang Dong'er put those thoughts aside and continued reading her diary. She had plenty of time to think about these issues; there was no need to rush.
Since we've discussed Tang Ya and Ma Xiaotao, both of whom have had connections with the Holy Spirit Cult.
Following this line of thought, what would happen if Huo Yuhao were placed in the Holy Spirit Cult?
If Huo Yuhao, at the age of eleven, hadn't encountered the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm in the Duke's Mansion Star Dou Forest, nor met Bei Bei and gone to Shrek, but instead was picked up by a spy from the Holy Spirit Cult, what direction would his life have taken?
During his time at the Duke's Mansion, Huo Yuhao harbored more hatred in his heart than anyone else.
His mother died in a secluded courtyard, and he couldn't even get a hot meal.
If someone tells him that if he follows them, he can have enough to eat and learn how to become stronger, he will most likely follow them.
Eleven-year-old Huo Yuhao lacked the ability to distinguish between good and evil; he only knew that he was starving to death, and whoever gave him food was his benefactor.
The Holy Spirit Cult excels at targeting desperate children, bringing them back to the cult, providing them with food and clothing, and then teaching them how to hate.
When Xiao Xiao saw the contents of the diary, her heart clenched.
Eleven-year-old Huo Yuhao was so hungry he could barely walk. She didn't even want to think about the consequences if he were tricked by the Holy Spirit Cult.
She previously thought Huo Yuhao was a cunning and calculating person, but that was something he was forced into by life.
If he had struggled to even survive in the first place, and had been dragged into that hellhole, even with his exceptional talent, he probably wouldn't have turned out the way he is today.
Xiao Xiao was worried for Huo Yuhao, who was only eleven years old.
There's a high chance that the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm will still seek him out.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was after Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes Martial Soul and Spirit Power, regardless of which faction he belonged to.
But the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm merged with Huo Yuhao on the territory of the Holy Spirit Cult, which is troublesome.
Once the Holy Spirit Cult discovers that Huo Yuhao possesses Million-Year Soul Ring, they will not let him go.
Ye Xishui and Zhongli Wu will nurture him as a future star of the Holy Spirit Cult, making it extremely difficult for Sky Dream Ice Silkworm to guide Huo Yuhao onto the right path.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm tried to persuade Huo Yuhao to do good every day in his Sea of Spirit, but every time Huo Yuhao opened his eyes, all he saw were Evil Soul Master killing and devouring people. Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's persuasion was no match for the brainwashing of the Holy Spirit Cult.
Over time, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm either had to compromise or be suppressed by the Holy Spirit Cult's secret techniques to the point of being unable to speak, and could only watch helplessly as Huo Yuhao sank deeper and deeper into trouble.