The Phoenix Near Death, Evil Fire Runs Wild

It had to be said: Yan Shaozhe was a blind cat that had stumbled upon a dead rat.

His wild suspicions had exposed part of the truth by sheer accident.

But although his conclusion was right, every step he had taken to reach it was wrong.

Huang Jinxu paid Yan Shaozhe no mind.

He had struck not only because Yan Shaozhe's actions had offended him, but also because he had wanted to beat Yan Shaozhe up for a long time.

Simply because Huang Jinxu was a Titled Douluo but not an elder of the Sea God Pavilion, Yan Shaozhe treated him as an outsider. On ordinary days, he never missed a chance to hop and strut before Huang Jinxu.

Becoming an elder of the Sea God Pavilion meant little to Huang Jinxu. It would be nothing more than another title.

The so-called glory of Shrek Academy and its moral restraints had no hold over him.

He had refused all this time because Huo Yuhao, the Child of Fortune, had not yet arrived. Huang Jinxu's suppressive effect on Shrek Academy's fortune had been constant. Had he gone a step further, become one of its elders, and bound himself to the academy more deeply, Shrek Academy might already have been wiped out.

That was why he had never agreed.

As for attacking Yan Shaozhe, he saw nothing wrong with it.

After all, he was refining a pill to extend Mu En's life. Taking the Head Soul Bone could also be explained as a way to strengthen his spiritual power and improve his chances of successfully refining the pill.

If Yan Shaozhe kept jumping around, he would be interfering with the pill refinement and endangering Mu En.

Huang Jinxu would not even need to act. The others at Shrek Academy would teach Yan Shaozhe a lesson themselves.

Huang Jinxu reactivated the soul-guidance array, sealing off the small space around his residence, and began refining the pill.

Meanwhile, Yan Shaozhe hurried back into the academy.

He coughed up blood as he went. Huang Jinxu's strike had not only gravely wounded him; it had left a powerful force rampaging through his body, churning his organs.

If his Martial Soul had not been the Bright Phoenix, with its formidable ability to heal, he would already have been on the verge of death.

"Elder Zhuang, Xuan Zi, save me..."

Yan Shaozhe rushed into the academy and went straight to Zhuang Yusen, the academy's Life Douluo.

His Martial Soul was the Tree of Life, and he was a rank-96 Titled Douluo.

Yan Shaozhe also sent a voice transmission to Xuan Zi.

"Shaozhe, what happened to you?"

The Life Douluo's expression changed sharply when he saw Yan Shaozhe coughing up blood without pause. He hurriedly activated his Martial Soul to heal him.

Just then, Xuan Zi arrived.

"Such severe injuries? Shaozhe, who did you fight?"

"An Evil Soul Master?"

The sight of Yan Shaozhe on the brink of death filled Xuan Zi with fury.

Someone had dared attack a Titled Douluo of Shrek Academy in Shrek City. It was a challenge to the academy's authority.

That could never be tolerated.

Whoever had done it would pay the price.

"Xuan Zi, it was Huang Jinxu."

"He tried to kill me."

"He's nowhere near as simple as he appears. He infiltrated Shrek Academy with grand schemes in mind."

"He tried to kill me because I discovered his true face."

"If I hadn't been reasonably strong, I might already have died at his hands."

The moment Xuan Zi appeared, Yan Shaozhe began lodging his complaint.

And while he complained, he made sure to cast himself in a better light.

Being defeated by Huang Jinxu in a single move was simply too humiliating.

"That can't be right. Little Xu isn't that kind of person."

Xuan Zi was stunned by Yan Shaozhe's account.

He did not believe it.

Unlike the others, Xuan Zi had spent more time with Huang Jinxu than anyone else at Shrek Academy. Both men bore reputations for bringing misfortune, which had given them a natural sense of kinship.

So Xuan Zi did not believe what Yan Shaozhe said.

"Xuan Zi, even you don't believe me?"

At Xuan Zi's words, Yan Shaozhe realized how deeply Huang Jinxu's disguise had taken root. No one would believe him without solid evidence.

It was not just Xuan Zi. Even Elder Zhuang, who was treating his injuries, clearly did not believe him, though he said nothing.

"Xuan Zi, help me convene a Sea God Pavilion Meeting. I'll prove what I'm saying with facts."

Yan Shaozhe knew convincing the others would be difficult. Huang Jinxu's reputation at the academy was simply too good.

He needed facts to persuade them.

As for what those facts would be, he had already thought of a way.

When the time came, everything would be laid bare.

"Well... all right."

Seeing how serious Yan Shaozhe was, Xuan Zi did not refuse.

Perhaps there really was something none of them knew.

While Yan Shaozhe was receiving treatment and preparing to convene the Sea God Pavilion Meeting, and Huang Jinxu was refining the pill, Huo Yuhao wandered alone near Sea God Lake.

But "wandering" was not quite right.

He was looking for a suitable place to cultivate.

Whether he practiced the Zhou Tian Star Art or the Illusory Moon Star Eyes, night was the best time.

Cultivating in the Dormitory was nowhere near as effective as cultivating beneath the starlight.

So Huo Yuhao wanted to find a place where no one would disturb him. He planned to stay out instead of going back to sleep and cultivate there through the night.

"What's that?"

Huo Yuhao had just found a suitable spot when he felt a wave of scorching energy sweep toward him. He jerked his head up and saw an enormous fireball hurtling at him from afar.

It was so fast that, with his cultivation, he had no hope of dodging it.

This is bad!

Realizing his life might be in danger, Huo Yuhao activated the gift his teacher had given him without hesitation: the Star-Moon Guardian.

The next instant, a shield of Stellar Power appeared around him.

It blocked the scorching force at once.

Huo Yuhao knew the Star-Moon Guardian could last only ten seconds.

He quickly looked around, then leaped straight into Sea God Lake.

Only then did he escape the deadly attack.

That was too close. How could someone like that be in the academy?

The cold lake water jolted Huo Yuhao's senses, and fear washed over him.

He had come within a hair's breadth of death.

Without the protection his teacher had left him, and without reacting quickly enough, he truly would have burned to death in those scorching flames.

Even as the fear lingered, Huo Yuhao wondered whether he should cultivate somewhere else at night. If nothing else worked, he could accept a little less efficiency and cultivate outside the Dormitory entrance.

While Huo Yuhao's thoughts ran wild, the out-of-control mass of flame kept burning and raging.

The fire could not be controlled. It poured out its searing heat, flames flying in every direction, and reduced everything in its path to ash.

Some students passing by were caught in the disaster through no fault of their own.