Ma Xiaotao

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Ma Xiaotao (马小桃)
Alias(es)	Flame Fiend Ma Xiaotao
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Shrek Academy Inner Court; Shrek Seven Devils; First-Year Class 1
Occupation/Role	Captain of the Shrek Seven Devils; battle-type Spirit Emperor; assistant instructor for First-Year Class 1 practical combat training
Status	Active 98
First Appearance	Chapter 45

Background

Ma Xiaotao awakened the mutated Evil Phoenix Martial Soul, whose Evil Fire repeatedly damages her meridians, destabilizes her emotions, and can drive her berserk if it is not suppressed or released. Before meeting Lu Chen, she depended on her teacher Yan Shaozhe, Xu Sanshi’s Xuanming Tortoise Martial Soul, or sheer endurance to manage the condition. Her accumulated burns were severe enough that Lu Chen believed they could threaten her life and cultivation foundation before she reached thirty. 50 51

Yan Shaozhe identified Lu Chen’s Ultimate Ice as a potential solution to her condition and urged Ma Xiaotao to pursue him despite his closeness with Qian Renxue. Ma Xiaotao refused, unwilling to exploit Qian Renxue’s absence or interfere in their relationship for her own survival. 45

She arranged to become First-Year Class 1’s practical-combat assistant instructor in order to approach Lu Chen without directly asking for help. Lu Chen immediately deduced her motive, then offered an agreement: she would serve as his sparring partner, and he would suppress her Evil Fire after training. 48 49 50

Lu Chen later determined that Qian Renxue’s Six-Winged Angel could permanently purify the Evil Fire through its holy and sacred-fire attributes. Ma Xiaotao initially refused treatment because she did not want to depend on, or become indebted to, Qian Renxue. 51 52 78

Appearance

Ma Xiaotao is a tall young woman with an intense, flamboyant presence and a faintly scorching aura of Soul Power. 48

• Fiery-red hair, commonly tied into twin buns with loose strands around her face. 48
• Pale pink eyes that appear to carry flames. 48
• Usually wears crimson combat clothing embroidered with dark-gold phoenix patterns. 48
• During Martial Soul possession, her hair takes on a burning appearance, a scarlet-gold flame-feather mark appears on her brow, and flaming wings unfold behind her. 98

Personality

Ma Xiaotao is bold, confident, hot-tempered, and blunt. She approaches combat directly, speaks without much restraint, and has a reputation intimidating enough for classmates to fear being trained by her. 48

Beneath her “Flame Fiend” reputation, she is principled and emotionally vulnerable. She refused Yan Shaozhe’s suggestion to take advantage of Lu Chen’s relationship troubles, even though Ultimate Ice was one of her few reliable means of relief. 45 Her Evil Fire has also isolated her from teammates and contributed to her belief that others were justified in fearing or avoiding her. 50 62

She is protective of those she values. As captain during the gravity-room competition, she trusted Lu Chen’s tactical judgment, supported her teammates, and openly cheered for him against Dai Yueheng. 59 60 61 Her feelings for Lu Chen gradually become difficult for her to conceal, though she struggles with guilt and jealousy because of Qian Renxue. 60 75 78 88

Abilities & Skills

Evil Phoenix Martial Soul

Ma Xiaotao possesses the Evil Phoenix Martial Soul, a powerful mutated fire-type Martial Soul.

• A level 67 battle-type Spirit Emperor with six Soul Rings: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, and black. 48 98
• Can manifest flaming wings for aerial combat and high-speed movement. 49 98
• Her Phoenix fire grants overwhelming offensive pressure against lower-ranked Spirit Masters. 49
• The mutation produces unstable Evil Fire that can harm her body, disrupt her emotions, and potentially cause loss of control. 48 49 51

Evil Fire Suppression

Ultimate Ice from Lu Chen’s Hyorinmaru can calm Ma Xiaotao’s meridians, suppress her Evil Fire, and relieve her pain.

• Lu Chen’s Reign over the Frosted Heavens immediately cools her body and restores her composure. 50
• Direct Soul Power treatment allows Ultimate Ice to travel through her meridians and stabilize the chaotic fire energy. 52 78
• The treatment is temporary; it does not remove the underlying fire poison or existing meridian damage. 51 78
• Qian Renxue’s holy attribute is considered capable of permanently purifying the Evil Fire at its source. 51 54

Phoenix Roaring Heavens Strike

Ma Xiaotao’s third Soul Skill releases a large-scale burst of blazing Phoenix fire.

• Used when Lu Chen repeatedly evaded her and refused to reveal Hyorinmaru. 49
• Its intensity forced Lu Chen to summon Hyorinmaru and create an ice wall for defense. 49

Combat Ability

Ma Xiaotao is one of Shrek Academy’s elite young fighters and the captain of the Shrek Seven Devils.

• Her cultivation gap over ordinary freshmen is immense; she was already a six-ring Spirit Emperor while First-Year Class 1 mainly consisted of Spirit Masters and Grand Spirit Masters. 48
• She served as Lu Chen’s regular sparring partner, helping him refine his control over Hyorinmaru and develop techniques such as Atomic Thunderbolt Slash. 50 56
• She can deliberately suppress her own power to create a fairer fight, as demonstrated during her Inner Court assessment duel with Qian Renxue. 98

Relationships

• Lu Chen — Her Ultimate Ice suppresses the Evil Fire afflicting her, leading to a sparring-and-treatment agreement. Their growing closeness develops into mutual teasing and clear romantic tension, though Ma Xiaotao is reluctant to interfere with his relationship with Qian Renxue. 50 52 60 78 88
• Qian Renxue — Lu Chen identifies Qian Renxue’s Six-Winged Angel as the best chance to permanently cure Ma Xiaotao’s Evil Fire. Ma Xiaotao resists accepting her help due to pride, jealousy, and reluctance to intrude on Qian Renxue’s relationship with Lu Chen; Qian Renxue later chooses her as an Inner Court assessment opponent. 51 52 78 97 98
• Yan Shaozhe — Her teacher. He has repeatedly helped suppress her Evil Fire and is deeply concerned about her future, though his attempt to persuade her to pursue Lu Chen conflicts with her principles. 45 51
• Ling Luochen — Former rival. Their opposing temperaments and fire-and-ice attributes caused frequent conflict until Lu Chen used his wager reward to persuade them to reconcile. 57 62
• Xu Sanshi — Previously helped neutralize excess Evil Fire with his water-and-earth Xuanming Tortoise Martial Soul. He regarded Lu Chen’s intervention as a relief from Ma Xiaotao’s repeated demands for assistance. 51 57
• Dai Yueheng — Fellow Shrek Seven Devil and vice-captain. They are competitive allies who disagree over combat tactics but cooperate as teammates. 58 59 61
• Gongyang Mo — Fellow Shrek Seven Devil who recognizes Ma Xiaotao’s feelings for Lu Chen and teases her about them. 60

Story Role / Major Arcs

First-Year Class 1 Assistant Instructor

Ma Xiaotao joins First-Year Class 1 as an assistant instructor under Wang Yan, officially to lead practical-combat training. Her actual objective is to draw out Lu Chen’s Ultimate Ice and use it to suppress her Evil Fire. 48 49

Agreement with Lu Chen

After Lu Chen exposes her purpose, Ma Xiaotao agrees to become his sparring partner in exchange for treatment. This arrangement improves Lu Chen’s combat skill while allowing her to live with greater stability outside her reinforced stone chamber. 50 51 56

Gravity Training Room Team Battle

Ma Xiaotao captains one of two seven-person teams in Fan Yu’s gravity-room combat test. She selects Lu Chen first, accepts his strategy to preserve her strength, and helps lead her side to a three-to-two victory over Dai Yueheng’s team. 58 59 61

Reconciliation with Ling Luochen

After Lu Chen wins the team-battle wager, he requests that Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochen reconcile rather than claim resources or punish Dai Huabin. Ma Xiaotao accepts Ling Luochen’s handshake after Lu Chen explains that her Evil Fire contributed to her past volatility. 62

Freshman and Inner Court Assessments

Ma Xiaotao remains conflicted over her feelings for Lu Chen while continuing to struggle with Evil Fire flare-ups. During the Inner Court assessment, Qian Renxue chooses her as a first opponent; Ma Xiaotao accepts the challenge and suppresses her own cultivation to meet Qian Renxue in a fairer contest. 75 78 88 97 98

Trivia

• Ma Xiaotao’s nickname, “Flame Fiend,” reflects both her fiery temperament and the dangerous Evil Fire produced by her Martial Soul. 48 62
• Her residence was originally a reinforced stone chamber built to contain her uncontrolled Evil Fire. 51
• She calls herself Lu Chen’s “big sister,” though this protective familiarity increasingly overlaps with romantic teasing. 50 57
• Her first reaction to Lu Chen’s proposal to suppress her Evil Fire was to suspect he might make an inappropriate request. 50