"You brat, what are you saying?"
Hearing Luo Feng's unruly words,
the smile on Ma Xiaotao's face immediately stiffened.
There was no denying it.
The old saying that good looks were justice suited Ma Xiaotao quite well.
Even when this young woman was angry, her pretty face had a charm of its own.
Even Luo Feng took a few extra looks.
But he did not want to get entangled any further.
"I already told you, I'm just passing through to go mountain climbing. I'm heading to the Heavenly Spirit Mountain Range behind here!"
As he spoke, Luo Feng showed them the equipment he had bought.
That included the receipt from the little shop up ahead.
But for some reason, Ma Xiaotao could not resist wanting a proper fight with this man.
Perhaps her Evil Fire Phoenix had sensed the Dragon King's presence on him.
Dragon and phoenix heralding good fortune, a roaming dragon teasing a phoenix.
Perhaps that was how those idioms had come about!
"I don't care where you're from! Since you bullied my juniors from Shrek, you'll have to get past me before you can leave!"
This young woman.
Why was she so unreasonable?
"Miss Ma Xiaotao, I don't want to hurt you!"
"It would be a shame if that pretty face of yours got scratched in a fight!"
Luo Feng meant it as a kindly reminder.
But the little phoenix opposite him mistook it for provocation!
"You'd better worry about yourself first!"
Seeing that Ma Xiaotao would not let the matter rest,
Luo Feng could only sigh helplessly.
"Then I'll just have to play with you!"
"I really don't want to bully girls!"
Luo Feng did not know.
Although everything he said was the honest truth,
saying it under these circumstances would only make things worse and worse.
Sure enough, feeling that he was repeatedly "provoking" her,
Ma Xiaotao also began speaking without restraint.
"Fine!"
"I'd like to see how you're going to hurt me!"
"Why don't we make a bet on who wins today? How about it?"
"If you lose to me, you'll obediently come back to Shrek with me for an investigation!"
"You'll have to do whatever I say. Do you dare take the bet?"
Ma Xiaotao was also an exceptional genius.
Coupled with that legendary Evil Fire Phoenix,
she had already reached level 60 and become a Battle Soul Emperor at such a young age, with no equal among her peers.
"Heh, since it's a bet, what happens if you lose?"
Faced with this overbearing Ma Xiaotao,
the pride in Luo Feng's heart was stirred as well!
"If this big sister loses, I'll be your guide and go mountain climbing with you! The close-at-your-side kind!"
Ma Xiaotao was certainly bold.
She had actually proposed stakes like that.
Had an ordinary girl said such words, she would probably have been blushing scarlet by now.
And upon hearing these bizarre stakes,
Luo Feng's interest was piqued as well.
Back when he was still on Blue Star, he had seen things online about beautiful women serving as travel companions.
He had not expected the Douluo Continent to have them too.
"All right! Ma Xiaotao, you've successfully caught my interest!"
"Roar!"
Almost at the same moment he spoke,
a dragon's roar suddenly rang out behind Luo Feng.
Then the enormous Mountain Dragon King Martial Soul sprang forth.
Compared with the version Wang Dong had seen back then, the upgraded Mountain Dragon King was even larger.
The sheer might emanating from this Martial Soul made everyone present with a beast Martial Soul tremble.
"You actually have a dragon Martial Soul?"
"No wonder you're so arrogant, brat!"
"But so what?"
"Try this first! Third Soul Skill: Phoenix Wings Soaring!"
Perhaps she had felt the pressure.
Ma Xiaotao opened with her third Soul Skill!
She suddenly soared into the air.
Her wings whipped up billowing waves of flame that became a fire phoenix and swooped down for the kill!
With a whoosh, it even set the signs of several shops along the street alight!
"Well met!"
"What an overbearing Soul Skill!"
There was no denying it.
Ma Xiaotao really did have a few tricks up her sleeve.
Her Evil Fire Phoenix carried an immense sense of pressure.
Unfortunately, today she had run into the Mountain Dragon King.
"It's not good for a girl to have so much fire in her!"
"Let me cool you down!"
"Behold my Mountain Dragon King's second Soul Skill: River!"
The next moment, a cool presence swiftly spread across the entire area.
Since he had used this Soul Skill once before,
Luo Feng had even greater control over it when he unleashed it again.
As the great river surged, its waters actually gathered in midair into a water dragon.
It lunged straight at the fire phoenix.
"What?"
"What kind of dragon is that? Why can it even change elements?"
In fact, the Mountain Dragon King was a very special existence even among dragons.
Its body could transform into mountains and rivers, providing a habitat for the dragon race.
Thus, the Mountain Dragon King could manifest any substance found upon the earth, and could reverse them all as well.
Coupled with its tremendous strength and defense,
it was simply flawless!
"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!"
Unlike the Fire Phoenix Douluo he had encountered before,
Ma Xiaotao was young, after all, and whether it was her control over the phoenix or her own Soul Power,
she fell far short of a Titled Douluo.
Soon, Ma Xiaotao's fire phoenix could be seen falling into the water.
After struggling a few times and giving off a cloud of white steam, it actually began sinking slowly!
"You... looks like I can't hold back anymore!"
Despite her failed strike, Ma Xiaotao was not discouraged.
Instead, she swiftly adjusted her stance.
She directly unleashed the strongest single-target attack she currently possessed.
"Behold my fifth Soul Skill: Phoenix Cloud-Piercing Strike!"
This move still took the form of a phoenix.
But unlike the previous flame attack,
this move concentrated all its power in the phoenix's head, giving it immense penetrating force.
Its effect was equivalent to an armor-piercing shot from a seventh-tier Soul Cannon!
And as she unleashed this Soul Skill,
Ma Xiaotao's body also merged with the Soul Skill!
She charged toward Luo Feng at top speed.
If this struck, even the walls of Shrek Academy would probably have a huge hole punched through them in an instant.
But Luo Feng thought nothing of it, and even wore a mischievous grin!
"Oh my!"
"We've only just met! Do you have to be so enthusiastic?"
"A fight is a fight. Why are you throwing yourself into my arms?"
"Behold my third Soul Skill: Swamp!"
"Bubble, bubble, bubble!"
This move had given even the Titan Giant Ape a headache back then.
Although it would not inflict fatal damage within a short time,
it could stop any rapidly moving object, restricting all movement.
There was another thing that set it apart from quicksand.
The smell of this swamp, along with all that filthy mud, dealt a devastating blow to any girl!
"Splash!"
"Ah!"
There were no surprises at all.
Every attack from Ma Xiaotao, who had been so imposing just moments ago, came to an abrupt halt upon encountering the swamp.
Soon, it was not just the phoenix behind her that was held back.
Even Ma Xiaotao's body was firmly trapped in the swamp.
That sensation of being surrounded by mud and the stench of decay
instantly turned the previously sweet-smelling phoenix girl into a filthy mess!
"You... just what kind of Soul Master are you?"
"Power Attack System, Control System, or...?"
"Let me go! I never imagined you'd have such a disgusting Soul Skill!"
"You bastard!"
And upon seeing Ma Xiaotao's predicament,
Tang Ya and Wang Dong, who were watching from the sidelines, were also utterly shocked.
Especially Wang Dong.
Back then, her second father, the Titan Giant Ape, had gone after Luo Feng.
He apparently had not caught him, and had instead come rolling back looking like a mud man.
Now, Wang Dong finally understood what the scene back then must have looked like...