Ma Xiaotao

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Concealed Origins

Ma Xiaotao’s evil fire tormented her from the time she awakened her martial soul. Suppressing it hindered her cultivation and could threaten her life; she nevertheless repeatedly refused an alternative method suggested by Yan Shaozhe 24.

Mu En later reveals that her condition is not the same kind of martial-soul mutation suffered by Ma Hongjun, the Phoenix Douluo. Yan Shaozhe had concealed her true identity and invoked Ma Hongjun’s legacy to justify bringing her into Shrek Academy 25.

Under questioning, Yan Shaozhe admits that Xiaotao is his great-granddaughter through an unnamed woman whose evil phoenix martial soul Mu En describes as an exceptional Evil Soul Master talent. Xiaotao remains outside the pavilion, unaware of this conversation. Mu En temporarily removes Yan Shaozhe as dean of the Martial Soul Department and orders him into secluded cultivation until he achieves a breakthrough 25.

Appearance

Ma Xiaotao is tall and well-proportioned, with a voluptuous figure, a narrow waist, and long, straight legs. Her face is described as strikingly beautiful, with a cool, alluring expression 23 25.

• Hair: Long, fiery red; tied into a ponytail when departing for the bandit-clearing mission 38.
• Eyes: Naturally pale pink, turning frenzied blood-red during an evil-fire outbreak 23 24.
• Clothing: Frequently wears red 23 38.
• Martial-soul manifestation: Dazzling flaming phoenix wings 41.
• Mind Demon Mark: Ye Xixuan places an intricate black mark on her lower abdomen to draw out evil energy 23 42.

Personality

Ma Xiaotao is fierce, outspoken, and direct. She openly challenges Dai Yueheng to contest her captaincy rather than leaving their rivalry unspoken. Her intimidating temperament makes her the person Xu Sanshi fears most 36 45.

She also has considerable willpower: despite years of dangerous evil-fire backlash and moments when she considered abandoning cultivation, she continued resisting it. Once relief becomes possible, she eagerly pursues the opportunity to cultivate without that burden 24 25.

Her manner toward Ye Xixuan combines teasing with protectiveness. She apologizes after injuring him during her loss of control, watches over him until he wakes, and later scolds him for exceeding his assigned support role in battle. The narration notes that her attitude toward others depends heavily on their importance to Shrek Academy 25 45.

She deliberately uses suggestive, easily misunderstood phrasing when teasing Ye Xixuan. Ling Luochen’s attention toward him provokes pointed remarks, and learning that the two are engaged leaves Xiaotao confused and irritated 40 42 46 49.

Abilities & Skills

Evil Fire Phoenix

• Produces scorching Phoenix Flame capable of instantly burning through Ye Xixuan’s spider silk and heating the surface of Sea God Lake 23.
• Serves as her principal offensive power as a frontline Power Attack System fighter 43 44.
• Incinerates the Death Messenger’s corpse to prevent further surprises, then burns the bandits’ cavern to lay its murdered victims to rest 45.
• Carries evil energy and impure darkness within its origin. Their backlash can disrupt her mind, cause loss of control, and obstruct cultivation 24 27.

Third Soul Skill: Phoenix Wings Soaring

• Manifests a pair of flaming wings that enable flight 41.
• Allows her to carry Xixi while traveling across the mountains 41.
• Releases enough heat to make the surrounding space appear distorted 41.

Cultivation Talent

• Her natural talent is described as exceeding Zhang Lexuan’s and matching Mu En’s in his youth 24.
• Once freed from constant evil-fire interference, she advances rapidly and reaches Soul Emperor at sixteen 31.
• A breakthrough past the level-seventy bottleneck within three years is presented as a possibility, not a completed advancement 31.

Team Leadership

• Controls the mission’s travel pace to preserve secrecy near Shrek City and give the disciples time to become acquainted with Ye Xixuan 39.
• Uses Ye Xixuan’s sensitivity to evil energy to locate the bandits and identify them as Evil Soul Masters 43.
• Orders the team to recover and prepare before entering the cave, then leads the assault personally 43.
• Warns her companions when the Death Messenger begins manipulating the fallen bandits’ corpses 44.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Sea God Lake Incident

Drawn by a sensation affecting her bloodline and martial-soul origin, Ma Xiaotao approaches Ye Xixuan while her evil fire is out of control. She burns through his restraints and drives him into Sea God Lake. Before losing consciousness, he touches her waist, allowing his Mind Demon Mark to spread onto her abdomen and absorb the evil energy in her soul power 23 24.

As her awareness returns, Xiaotao checks his condition and carries him to the surface. Mu En confirms that Ye Xixuan has absorbed her evil energy without serious injury. After waking, Ye Xixuan reports reaching rank twenty-three and gaining roughly two hundred years of age on each of his two soul rings; Xiaotao immediately asks to repeat the process 24 25.

Cultivation Partnership

Repeated absorption gradually separates both the sinister energy in Xiaotao’s soul power and the impure darkness deep within her martial-soul origin. With her cultivation no longer obstructed, she reaches Soul Emperor. Her evil energy also nourishes Ye Xixuan’s cultivation and increases his soul-ring ages 27 31.

The treatment remains ongoing rather than a demonstrated permanent cure: she still asks Ye Xixuan to suppress newly accumulated evil fire during their later journey. Traces of that energy remain in his martial-soul origin and contribute to the fallen aura of his third soul skill 32 42 47.

During this period, Xiaotao referees Ye Xixuan’s spar with Bei Bei. After seeing his practical combat ability, she acknowledges that even she may eventually find herself chasing his progress 26 27 29.

Death Hand Bandit Group Mission

Xiaotao leads six fellow Inner Court disciples and Ye Xixuan to the Ming Dou Mountains. Elder Song secretly accompanies the mission because Mu En considers Xiaotao and Ye Xixuan too important to leave unprotected 35 38.

Following Ye Xixuan’s detection of evil energy, she directs the team into the bandits’ hidden cave. She overwhelms the Death Messenger with an attack, but Ye Xixuan ultimately neutralizes his corpse manipulation and kills him 43 44.

Afterward, Xiaotao burns the Death Messenger’s body and reprimands Ye Xixuan for fighting despite his support-only assignment. She completes the destruction of the cavern and leads the remaining group north after Dai Yueheng departs 45.

Maple Leaf City

Xiaotao stays in Maple Leaf City with Ye Xixuan and Ling Luochen before their planned return to the academy. Her teasing stops abruptly when Ling Luochen identifies herself as Ye Xixuan’s fiancée and explains their family-arranged engagement. Left behind as the pair go for a walk, Xiaotao struggles to make sense of the revelation 46.

Relationships

• Ye Xixuan — Junior and cultivation partner. His Mind Demon Mark suppresses her evil fire, while the absorbed energy strengthens him. Their bond includes frequent teasing and her concern for his safety; no formal romantic relationship is established in the supplied chapters 25 31 42 45.
• Yan Shaozhe — Teacher and great-grandfather. He conceals her origins and seeks a way to remove her evil fire 24 25.
• Mu En — Grandteacher. He uncovers Yan Shaozhe’s concealment and views Xiaotao and Ye Xixuan as central to Shrek Academy’s future 24 25.
• Zhang Lexuan — Senior sister. Xiaotao recognizes her close bond with Ye Xixuan and invokes responsibility to her when reprimanding him 38 45.
• Dai Yueheng — Teammate and rival for leadership. He doubts her suitability as captain; she openly invites him to challenge her 43 45.
• Ling Luochen — Teammate with whom she is on bad terms. Their friction intensifies around Ye Xixuan, particularly when Xiaotao learns of their engagement 41 42 46.
• Gongyang Mo — Teammate who is closest to her among the team’s three women. Their exchanges often involve his gossip and her sharp rebukes 40 46.
• Xu Sanshi — Younger student deeply intimidated by her temperament 26 27 36.
• Xixi — Teammate whom she carries using Phoenix Wings Soaring during the mission journey 40 41.

Notable Quotes

“Even I might find myself doing that someday.” — On potentially falling behind Ye Xixuan’s cultivation 29

“I’m the captain. Just follow my orders.” — Asserting her authority during the bandit-clearing mission 43

“If anything happened to you, how would I explain it to Eldest Senior Sister and the academy?” — Reprimanding Ye Xixuan after the battle 45

Trivia

• The author explicitly identifies Xiaotao’s family-origin revelation as an original fan-fiction interpretation, stating that the original work did not provide a definite answer 25.