Ma Xiaotao was merely arrogant, not an idiot.
She simply had no interest in the people she had burned, but that did not mean she could not take in what her teacher said.
Yan Shaozhe had told her that the person who had stopped and defeated her was a first-year freshman.
At the time, she had thought Yan Shaozhe was joking with her because she was in a bad mood.
After all, she had an accurate understanding of her own strength. Even in the inner court, few students dared claim they could reliably beat her.
The outer court? And a first-year at that?
Hahahaha.
I never noticed Teacher had such a sense of humor.
Yet now, she suddenly understood that everything Yan Shaozhe had said was true.
She really might have been defeated by a junior who had only recently enrolled.
The boy before her had the ability to make that possible.
Lin Xi raised an eyebrow.
"That's right. I thought it would take you a little longer to notice."
"I'm not that slow."
Ma Xiaotao took a deep breath.
Now that things had reached this point, she naturally understood the source of Lin Xi's hostility toward her.
She lowered her head slightly.
"I'm truly sorry about last time."
Beside them, Xu Sanshi stared, dumbfounded.
Lin Xi had first provoked Ma Xiaotao, then casually blocked her attack, and finally forced her to bow her head and apologize. This entire sequence went completely beyond his imagination.
Xu Sanshi had known Ma Xiaotao for a while, yet he had never seen this fiery-tempered senior apologize.
And from the sound of it, the two already knew each other and had some past grievances?
"..."
Lin Xi fell silent for a moment, then shook his head.
"I don't accept your apology."
Ma Xiaotao instantly raised her head in disbelief.
She had thought that, since she had already apologized, he ought to have the sense to give her a way to step down.
Was he planning to tear away all pretense of civility?
Lin Xi propped up his chin and looked at her coldly.
"Don't look at me like that. At the end of the day, you didn't injure me. At most, it was like being barked at a couple of times by a stray dog on the roadside-but what about the two students you injured? Have you apologized to them?"
"I..."
Ma Xiaotao bit her lower lip tightly.
Clearly, she had not.
Lin Xi spread his hands and said mockingly:
"There you have it. You couldn't even get the most basic thing right-who you should apologize to. What else is there to say?"
Ma Xiaotao took a deep breath and gave him a long look.
"It seems you really hate me."
Everyone had always treated her courteously. No one had ever spoken back to her so bluntly before.
So, in her view, Lin Xi must really hate her.
The corner of Lin Xi's mouth twitched.
Damn it, my blood pressure's rising.
He took a deep breath and gave her a kindly smile.
"Senior Ma Xiaotao, have you gotten something wrong? Yes, I hate you, but I'm speaking to you this way because you did something wrong first, not because I hate you."
In his previous life, he had seen plenty of people like this online. He would write a lengthy response laying out facts and reasoning, only for the other person to slap labels on him.
Because once people like that proved Lin Xi's backside was planted on the wrong side, they could use that as an excuse to throw tantrums and roll around as much as they pleased.
Ma Xiaotao snorted indignantly.
"What did I do wrong? I admit it was my fault for accidentally burning those two students, but I wasn't in my right mind at the time. I wasn't responsible."
Lin Xi could not help laughing in anger.
"Not your fault? Let me ask you, do you know about your Martial Soul's flaw?"
"Of course I do."
Ma Xiaotao nodded slightly.
Wasn't he asking a question he already knew the answer to? How many years had that flaw plagued her?
The contempt on Lin Xi's face deepened.
"Since you know, why haven't you resolved it?"
Ma Xiaotao frowned.
What bullshit was this junior spouting?
"If it were that easy to resolve, I'd have done it ages ago. Would I need you to tell me?"
Lin Xi said lightly:
"Then just stop cultivating for now."
"...What did you say?"
Ma Xiaotao looked at Lin Xi in shock.
What had this brat just said with such a casual expression?!
Stop cultivating for now?
Lin Xi chuckled.
"Why are you so shocked? Isn't that the best way to resolve your current problem of going berserk? Or are other people's lives less important to you than your cultivation?"
"Of course not!" Ma Xiaotao flatly denied it and said loudly, "I'm a member of Shrek, one of those who maintain the continent's stability! I've always contributed to protecting peace! How could I not care about lives?"
"Then prove it with your actions!"
Lin Xi said sternly:
"Doing things that could endanger other people's lives to improve your own cultivation and obtain power-Ma Xiaotao, do you know what kind of person behaves that way?"
"Ugh..."
Ma Xiaotao took a step back.
With things spelled out this clearly, of course she knew.
But she did not want to admit it. She absolutely could not admit she was that kind of person.
Once she admitted it, the pride she had always held would crumble to pieces.
But Lin Xi was not so forgiving that he would let her off.
"That's what Evil Soul Masters do!"
"-!"
Ma Xiaotao immediately ran out of the restaurant without looking back.
Devil. That word filled her mind now.
It was her only assessment of Lin Xi at the moment.
This might even have been the first time in her life she had been so humiliated. The truth she had deliberately ignored all along had finally been pointed out.
Lin Xi slowly let out a breath.
Rationally speaking, he should not have let things with Ma Xiaotao deteriorate this far here.
Whatever else she was, Ma Xiaotao was Yan Shaozhe's disciple. Making their relationship too strained could only harm Lin Xi, not benefit him.
But Lin Xi could not lie to his own heart.
He could not discard his principles for the sake of personal gain.
If Ma Xiaotao continued to be indulged like this, sooner or later she would fall and become an Evil Soul Master, just as she had in the original story. Who knew how many people would die because of it?
Lin Xi had never considered himself some great saint, but neither could he do something like helping a tyrant perpetrate evil.
Hopefully, she'll reflect properly and improve a little.
Otherwise, if she became a member of the Holy Spirit Cult as she had in the original story, he would not show mercy every time the way Huo Yuhao had.
After composing himself, he smiled at the dumbstruck Xu Sanshi.
"Sorry, senior. You had to witness that embarrassing scene. Let's continue."
Only then did Xu Sanshi barely recover his senses.
"You scolded Sister Xiaotao-that Ma Xiaotao-until she ran away?"
"That's right."
Watching Lin Xi nod as though it were perfectly natural, Xu Sanshi fell into confusion.
In his eyes, Ma Xiaotao had always been little different from a devil.
Her nickname, Flame Maniac, had not come out of thin air. Ma Xiaotao had always rampaged through the academy with a lawless image. Few dared challenge her, let alone scold her until she ran away like a little girl.
Xu Sanshi blinked, then grabbed Lin Xi's hand.
"Lin Xi! From now on, you're my own big brother! You're a true warrior!"
He had thought there was no escaping a bout of physical torment today, yet he had actually emerged completely unscathed.
At that moment, Lin Xi's image in his heart soared boundlessly, rising to an astonishing height.
Everything this junior had done had simply gone too far beyond his understanding.
Lin Xi smiled and shook his head.
"No need, senior. Let's get back to discussing business."
"Right, right, right. I got ahead of myself."
Xu Sanshi quickly released his hand and called:
"Waiter! Bring the menu!"
Tonight, he would not head home until he and Lin Xi were drunk!
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