Ma Xiaotao

The tremendous crash set the windows humming. A wave of heat, fierce enough to nearly burn the air itself, swept through the meeting room. Papers flew from the table, and a faint smell of sulfur mingled with the barely contained, violent aura of Evil Fire.

A red-haired girl dressed in red stood in the doorway.

She had a striking figure, her fitted red outfit tracing every curve. Waist-length red hair streamed wildly around her, and beneath the loose strands across her forehead, her phoenix eyes held a fierce glint.

She was breathtakingly beautiful, yet the violence poised to erupt from her made her seem like a phoenix wreathed in flames: dangerous and dazzling.

Her phoenix eyes swept the room. "Which one of you is Huo Yuhao?" she asked, impatience sharpening her voice.

Everyone in the meeting room sprang to their feet and stared at her, Soul Power drawing taut throughout their bodies.

She had kicked open the reinforced door of the Lionheart Club's meeting room with one blow and released such powerful Soul Power pressure. She had to be at least a Soul King!

Yet every gaze eventually settled on Huo Yuhao in the main seat.

Huo Yuhao: "..."

His mouth twitched. Inside, he was already grumbling furiously.

Of course he recognized that face.

Ma Xiaotao!

Yan Shaozhe's personal disciple, a genius of Shrek Academy's Inner Court, and the bearer of the Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul.

She was also the madwoman who had lost control beside Sea God Lake and nearly roasted him.

"You're Huo Yuhao?" Ma Xiaotao's gaze locked onto him. A flicker of understanding crossed her phoenix eyes, along with something more complicated and harder to catch.

Ignoring the people glaring warily at her, she tipped her chin at Huo Yuhao. "I'm Ma Xiaotao. Come with me. I need to talk to you." Her brisk tone left no room for refusal.

Then she turned and walked away without giving him a chance to object, as though she were certain he would follow.

The people in the meeting room exchanged looks, then turned to Huo Yuhao as one, their eyes full of worry and confusion.

Anyone could see that this girl was trouble, and she was clearly no ordinary person.

Huo Yuhao felt utterly helpless.

He had to hand it to her. Ma Xiaotao had certainly inherited her confidence from her teacher, Yan Shaozhe.

Wait. Ma Xiaotao was Yan Shaozhe's disciple... Then that old fox had probably sent her to find me!

I knew something was off when Yan Shaozhe gave me the Void Soul Bone in the dean's office. So this was what he had waiting for me!

His thoughts ran wild, but his face remained calm.

He waved for Wu Feng and the others to put away their Martial Souls. "All right, relax. As for the business, think over the approach I just outlined. We'll work out a concrete plan at the next meeting. That's all for today. Meeting adjourned."

"Yuhao!"

Ning Tian and Gu Yue spoke at once and hurried to his side. Worry filled one's eyes; a chill had already risen in the other's violet gaze.

Of course they recognized Ma Xiaotao. They could still vividly remember the day she had lost control beside Sea God Lake.

They knew better than anyone how terrifying that woman's Evil Fire was.

"Easy. Don't worry." Huo Yuhao smiled at them and patted their arms reassuringly. "I know what I'm doing. I'll be fine. She's only looking for me because of her Evil Fire. She can't hurt me. Head back first. I'll be right back."

He straightened the collar of his school uniform, left the meeting room, and followed in the direction Ma Xiaotao had gone.

Ning Tian and Gu Yue exchanged a worried glance. They trusted Huo Yuhao's judgment, but not Ma Xiaotao's unstable Evil Fire.

As Huo Yuhao walked down the corridor, watching the red-clad, red-haired figure ahead of him, he cursed Yan Shaozhe eight hundred times in his mind.

Old fox, you think you can tie me down with a beauty trap?

Let's see what you're really hiding up your sleeve.

Three weeks earlier, in a private meditation chamber within Sea God Pavilion, at the heart of Shrek Academy.

Layers of soundproofing arrays sealed the chamber off from the outside. A faint medicinal fragrance lingered in the air, along with heat that had yet to dissipate.

On the ice bed at the center of the chamber, Ma Xiaotao's eyes flew open. She saw the familiar gilded dome above her and felt the warm jade beneath her soothing her Soul Power. After a moment's confusion, realization dawned. "This is... Sea God Pavilion?"

She moved her fingers. Her meridians ached and felt swollen, while the Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul in her dantian stirred restlessly. Even with medicine forcibly suppressing it, little traces of scorching heat still flowed through her blood.

"You're awake?"

A tired voice, edged with frustration, came from beside her.

Yan Shaozhe sat in a chair beside the jade bed, his refined face grave. Worry and anger filled his eyes as he looked at her, but most of all, helplessness. "Didn't I tell you not to cultivate recklessly until we solved the Evil Fire problem? And what did you do? You secretly went into seclusion to break through to Soul Emperor!"

"Teacher..." Guilt flashed across Ma Xiaotao's face. She scratched her head, though her voice retained a stubborn edge. "I thought if I took another step forward, I might be able to suppress the Evil Fire myself. Who knew... something would still go wrong?"

She spoke lightly, but only she knew how agonizing an Evil Fire outbreak was.

The violent flames burned from deep within her bones. They gnawed at her meridians and slowly devoured her reason. One slip, and she would become a Ferocious Beast that knew only slaughter.

Yan Shaozhe saw through her show of ease and let out a long sigh. The anger faded from his eyes, leaving only worry that would not lift.

He reached out to check her pulse. Only after confirming that the Evil Fire had fully stabilized did he breathe easier. "Enough. Stop pretending you're fine. Until we find a cure for the Evil Fire, you're not allowed to cultivate. Do you hear me? I have little else to hold dear in this life. You're my only personal disciple. I don't want to live to see you die before me."

"I know, Teacher." Ma Xiaotao grinned, revealing two little canine teeth. The violent aura around her seemed to fade at once. "See? I'm all right."

"All right?" Yan Shaozhe shot her a look, then changed the subject. A note of gravity entered his voice. "Xiaotao, I recently found a way to cure your Evil Fire."

Ma Xiaotao's eyes lit up. "Really? What is it?"

"I found a soul master who possesses the Ultimate Light attribute." Yan Shaozhe looked at her seriously. "The Evil Fire in your Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul comes from the hostility in your phoenix essence. Only the power of Ultimate Light can cleanse that hostility completely and suppress the Evil Fire. If the two of you can mingle your Soul Power and bring it into harmony, your Evil Fire can be cured. His light attribute can also be tempered by your phoenix essence and rise to a new level. It would benefit you both."

"T-Teacher..." Ma Xiaotao instantly understood what he meant. Her cheeks flushed bright red, pink spreading all the way to her ears. She clutched the blanket, at a loss. "What are you saying? How... how could I do that?"

She was only a girl in her teens. However rebellious she might be, she could hardly hear something like that without feeling embarrassed.

Besides, she did not even know who the other person was. How could she agree to such a thing?

"I can indulge you in anything else and let you have your way." Yan Shaozhe's voice turned stern, without a trace of humor. "But on this, you must listen to me. This is no game. Your life is at stake! Do you want to spend the rest of your life trapped by the Evil Fire, always at risk of losing control and dying when your body bursts apart?"

Ma Xiaotao saw the worry in her teacher's eyes. Her lips moved, but in the end she did not argue. She merely lowered her flushed face and quietly took his words to heart.