Out of Control Again

In Just Sky Academy's waiting area.

A strange ripple of Soul Power suddenly passed through Song Que, drawing startled looks from Ye Wuqing and the others.

"It evolved again?" Bei Bei asked in surprise.

Song Que nodded. "All thanks to Princess Vena's sponsorship."

"Sometimes I think how nice it would be to find a rich woman to support me."

"Brother Song Que, did you unlock another ability?" Huo Yuhao came over curiously.

Song Que smiled. "Yeah. Maybe I'll be able to use it together with you later."

"I tried to copy someone else's ability, but it didn't work."

"I don't know what went wrong."

"It's still good news. We've got another safeguard for the matches ahead," Bei Bei said with a smile.

"Maybe." Song Que glanced at the Shrek team on the arena and smiled faintly. "Though perhaps no one in this tournament will force me to use it."

Back at the arena.

The seven Shrek students stood in formation, with Ma Xiaotao at the front.

Behind her stood He Caitou and Jiang Nannan, followed by the still-injured Ling Luochеn in the middle. Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, and Cao Jinxuan formed the rear rank.

The lineup looked complete, but their strength varied wildly.

No wonder the Changning Academy team looked so certain of victory.

"Begin!"

At the Referee's command.

All seven Changning Academy students activated Martial Soul Possession at once, their Soul Rings lighting up in unison.

As far as they were concerned, Shrek was nothing to fear now. Ma Xiaotao was the only one they needed to watch.

Without a word, all seven charged forward, unleashing a barrage of soul skills at Ma Xiaotao.

Across the arena, Ma Xiaotao's face grew darker by the second.

She had held it in all night.

The humiliation of yesterday's crushing defeat, the crowd's mockery, and Changning Academy's arrogant taunts had finally ignited her long-suppressed fury.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black. Six Soul Rings rose around her.

"Phoenix of Rebirth!"

Ma Xiaotao's martial soul possessed her in an instant. Crimson flames covered her body, wreathed in a layer of dark fire.

Terrifying flames surged skyward, and the temperature across the arena soared.

"Sixth soul skill: Phoenix Meteor Shower!"

Black-and-red fireballs filled the sky above the arena, packed so densely they fell like a torrential downpour.

"No! Get out of the way!"

"That's insane!"

"Defend yourselves!"

The Changning Academy students went pale. Their charge ground to a halt, and they scattered in panic.

Every one of them threw up the strongest defense they could muster. Ice shields, earth shields, and soul-tool barriers sprang into place.

It was no use.

BOOM! BOOM!

A chain of violent explosions shook the arena, and raging flames swallowed more than half of it.

Agonized screams rang out one after another.

The Referee's expression changed. He moved to intervene, but it was already too late.

Three of Changning Academy's weaker team members failed to dodge and were engulfed by the black-and-red flames.

They could not even finish a scream before they burned to ash and vanished.

The Referee managed to save the remaining four, but they were charred, gravely injured, and unable to fight.

Only seconds had passed. Had Changning Academy's entire team really been defeated just like that?

The whole square fell silent.

Everyone was stunned.

No one had imagined that the Changning Academy team, so arrogant moments ago, would be wiped out by a single move from Ma Xiaotao—with three of them burned to death on the spot.

The Referee's face turned grim.

People had died in the arena. That was a failure on his part too.

He looked toward the center of the arena and found Ma Xiaotao still standing there. The flames around her had not subsided. They had grown even more violent.

Her eyes were bloodred, as though she had lost all awareness, and her body trembled faintly.

"Ma Xiaotao! Calm down!" Mu Jin cried in alarm.

But Ma Xiaotao did not seem to hear him. She gave no response.

Just then, several figures streaked through the air and landed at the edge of the arena.

"Oh no. Xiaotao's evil fire is out of control again!"

Yan Shaozhe, who had just arrived, frowned deeply. In a flash, he entered the arena and appeared before Ma Xiaotao.

The phantom of a Light Phoenix appeared behind him. Immense Soul Power poured out and enveloped Ma Xiaotao.

He forcibly suppressed the evil fire on the verge of running wild.

A few seconds later, the raging black flames slowly receded.

All strength left Ma Xiaotao. Her eyes went vacant, and she collapsed, only for Yan Shaozhe to catch her.

"Let's return to the hotel first."

Yan Shaozhe sighed. Without waiting for the Referee to say anything, he carried Ma Xiaotao away.

He left behind a helpless-looking Referee and a crowd whose expressions ranged from shock to unease.

Inside a hotel room.

"Ling Luochеn, come here," Yan Shaozhe said gravely.

Ling Luochеn shuddered. She looked at the unconscious Ma Xiaotao, hesitated, then slowly stepped forward.

Her injuries had not healed, and her Soul Power had not fully recovered.

Yan Shaozhe looked at her, his tone grave. "Ma Xiaotao's evil fire has gone out of control again. She could burst at any moment and become an Evil Soul Master for good."

"You're the only one who can help her now."

Ling Luochеn's expression changed. She looked up at Yan Shaozhe and gritted her teeth. "Dean, I'm still injured! If I push myself like this..."

"Please," Yan Shaozhe interrupted solemnly. "For Shrek's honor, Ma Xiaotao cannot fall now."

"As for your condition... once we return to the academy, we'll find a way to compensate you."

Yan Shaozhe regarded her with a solemn expression. It sounded like a request, but she had no room to refuse.

Ling Luochеn clenched her teeth. In the end, she could only lower her head in silence.

"I'll use my Soul Power to suppress it for her..."

Yan Shaozhe shook his head and sighed. "That won't work. Your Soul Power is weaker than Xiaotao's, and your martial soul is inferior to hers."

"Under normal circumstances, it might be enough."

"But this is an emergency. We can only do what we did last time..."

He sighed softly. "I'm sorry to put you through this. At least you're both women, so it won't be a problem."

Ling Luochеn jolted, humiliation and pain flooding her eyes.

Before she could say another word, Yan Shaozhe touched her with a fingertip charged with Soul Power.

Ling Luochеn went limp and fell onto the bed.

Yan Shaozhe gently laid the restless Ma Xiaotao beside her, released the restraint on Ma Xiaotao's Soul Power, then left the room and closed the door behind him.

Inside the room.

A moment later, Ma Xiaotao slowly opened her eyes, her gaze hazy.

She instinctively pressed herself against Ling Luochеn. Her hands roamed blindly, and their bodies came together, breasts pressed tightly against each other.

Ma Xiaotao parted her lips and greedily drew in the cool aura from Ling Luochеn's body, losing herself completely to the heat...

Meanwhile, outside another room in the hotel.

The brothers Dai Yueheng and Dai Huabin slowly emerged.

Dai Yueheng frowned at his younger brother and said in a low voice, "I never expected..."