บท 86: [DD2]: 85

Shrek Academy's Inner Court.

Dean's Office.

A fiery red figure suddenly stormed in, full of energy and movement.

She had long, fiery red hair and an oval-shaped face, quite beautiful. Her figure was curvaceous, with a clearly defined silhouette that outlined exaggerated curves. Her long legs were straight and slender, full and rounded, with fair skin as white as snow, without a single flaw. The same fiery red clothing she wore suited her perfectly. The overall impression she gave was one of explosive, fiery energy. If Su Yu were here, he would have noticed that this woman's figure was strikingly exaggerated. Even compared to the seductive Ziji, she was not much inferior. Her chest was particularly large and eye-catching.

Noticing the commotion, Yan Shaozhe turned his head and, upon seeing the fiery red figure, showed a look of helplessness.

"Xiao Tao, how many times have I told you not to always rush in like a whirlwind? Can't you slow down a bit?"

Yan Shaozhe said with some exasperation.

His disciple had remarkable talent, not much worse than Zhang Lexuan. But her personality was truly a headache! Too violent, too reckless, and no matter how many times it was pointed out, she never changed. He was very fond of this disciple, so he couldn't bring himself to scold her too harshly. Over time, this girl's temper had only gotten worse.

"Teacher, why won't you let me participate in this tournament? Dai Yueheng can't lead the entire team. Can he win as the team leader?"

Ma Xiaotao directly stated the reason for her visit. The moment she learned that Dai Yueheng would be leading the team, she exploded in anger. In what way was she inferior to Dai Yueheng? She could easily beat him senseless! In terms of strength, who was more qualified than her to lead Shrek's representative team into the competition? Earlier, seeing Dai Yueheng's smug face had made her livid, and she had been itching to beat him up on the spot.

Seeing Ma Xiaotao's indignant expression, Yan Shaozhe paused his work and looked at her.

"Not letting you participate in the tournament is my decision."

"Xiao Tao, you can't control your Evil Fire anymore, and if it erupts during a battle, do you know how dangerous that would be? It could cause innocent casualties and endanger your own life as well. I'm thinking about your safety, do you understand?"

"But…"

"No buts!"

Yan Shaozhe interrupted Ma Xiaotao, looking at her slightly reddened eyes, and sighed. The Evil Fire had become so severe—how could he possibly let her participate in the competition? If she injured other contestants, it wouldn't matter, but if the Evil Fire consumed her, causing her to fall into darkness or harm herself, that would be the most unacceptable outcome. After all, Ma Xiaotao was his only disciple.

"This tournament will be led by Dai Yueheng. As for the missing team member, the academy will arrange for a soul engineer to fill the gap. With such a lineup, winning the championship should be more than enough," Yan Shaozhe said confidently.

Dai Yueheng, with his White Tiger Martial Soul and a rank of 64 as an assault-type Battle Soul Emperor, combined with an entire team of Soul Kings—how could they lose? Shrek's Soul Kings and Soul Emperors were all elites, with combat prowess that stood out from the crowd! He couldn't imagine how they could lose. Shrek Academy had won countless championships in a row, and this time would be no different.

But Ma Xiaotao wasn't so easily convinced.

"Teacher, what use is a soul engineer? Our team can't afford to lose any member—except for the soul engineer! Having a soul engineer fill the spot, isn't that a joke? Teacher, just let me go. I promise I'll control the Evil Fire."

Ma Xiaotao took two steps forward, grabbed Yan Shaozhe's arm, and pleaded playfully.

Yan Shaozhe glared at her.

"Don't try to sweet-talk me—it won't work. Do you promise? What can you guarantee? When the Evil Fire flares up, your whole body ignites. Do you understand the damage that could cause? Stay at the academy and don't go anywhere, or don't blame me for not recognizing you as my disciple."

These words shocked Ma Xiaotao, and she didn't dare bring up competing anymore. She just stared at Yan Shaozhe with a hint of grievance.

Yan Shaozhe looked at Ma Xiaotao for a long moment before sighing helplessly.

"Xiao Tao, I have no choice. Your Evil Fire is too dangerous. Unless there's a powerful ice-type expert to suppress it, there's always a risk of it erupting."

"You not only can't participate in the competition, but you also need to stop training. To prevent the Evil Fire from erupting, you must maintain a calm mind and avoid getting too emotional."

Yan Shaozhe gave his advice kindly, but Ma Xiaotao felt as though she might cry. Not being able to participate in the tournament was bad enough, but now she couldn't even get angry, and she couldn't train either. This Evil Fire was truly a headache!

"Teacher, is there no solution at all?"

Ma Xiaotao asked, unwilling to accept it.

"There is a way," Yan Shaozhe explained.

"You could purify your Phoenix Evil Fire, transforming it into the purest Phoenix Flame. This would not only solve the problem of the Evil Fire but could even allow your martial soul to evolve into a true Fire Phoenix, becoming an Ultimate Fire. However, this would require extremely rare heavenly treasures or miraculous items of great power. This method is too difficult and not feasible."

"Alternatively, you could bond with a soul master who possesses Ultimate Ice. Over time, their energy could suppress your Evil Fire, dissipating the evil energy and allowing you to transform, making rapid progress."

"Other than that, there's no real solution. Even if someone helps you suppress it temporarily, it's just a short-term fix, not a cure."

Yan Shaozhe shook his head. The Evil Fire was inherently difficult to resolve, and the solutions weren't easy to come by.

"I'm not going to just randomly bond with someone to deal with the Evil Fire," Ma Xiaotao muttered, her face flushing at Yan Shaozhe's suggestion.

"The problem is that you can't suppress it," Yan Shaozhe sighed.

"I can suppress it," Ma Xiaotao insisted.

"You can't!"

"I can!"

"You can't!!"

"I can!!!"

...

Yan Shaozhe stopped talking and just stared at Ma Xiaotao until she lowered her head in silence.

Finally, Yan Shaozhe spoke softly, "You really can't suppress it."

"Sigh, what a headache!"

Yan Shaozhe rubbed his temples before saying, "Once this tournament is over, I'll take you to the Ice God's Palace for help. Even if I have to put my reputation on the line, I'll do it."

"If there's any place that might be able to help you, it's the Ice God's Palace. But the people of the Ice God's Palace are notoriously aloof and eccentric. They're not easy to approach."

Even Jing Hongchen knew about the Ice God's Palace, and naturally, Yan Shaozhe did too. The reason he hadn't sought their help before was obvious: the people of the Ice God's Palace generally ignored outsiders.

"Even Shrek Academy? Does the Ice God's Palace not respect our academy?"

Ma Xiaotao asked curiously.

Shrek Academy had a renowned reputation across the continent—how could the Ice God's Palace possibly ignore it?

Yan Shaozhe chuckled bitterly.

"You've heard of the Body Sect, right?"

Ma Xiaotao nodded.

"Yes, I've heard they're a powerful force, not much weaker than the academy."

"As my disciple, you should know about the past conflict between the Body Sect and Shrek Academy. The Body Sect is notoriously difficult, rude, and arrogant, but let me tell you, the Ice God's Palace is even harder to deal with."

"The Body Sect is reckless and unafraid to cause trouble, but the Ice God's Palace is different—they're purely arrogant and indifferent to anyone who isn't an ice-type soul master."

"The Ice God's Palace has a long history, allegedly spanning tens of thousands of years, even older than our Shrek Academy."

"There's a story from a thousand years ago—once, the Body Sect's leader visited the Ice God's Palace. No one knows what exactly happened, but in the end, the Body Sect leader was thrown out, causing a huge stir in the soul master world."

"And it's worth noting that the Body Sect leader at the time was a rank 98 Super Douluo."

"Even after that, the Body Sect didn't dare retaliate, and the matter was left unresolved. Now, do you understand the Ice God's Palace's strength?"

"If it weren't necessary, I wouldn't even consider this option," Yan Shaozhe said with a bitter smile.

Of course, he knew that the Ice God's Palace might have a way to cure Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire. No one on the continent understood ice better than they did. But with the Body Sect's experience as a warning, who would dare approach them? He was afraid of being thrown out just like the Body Sect leader. Don't think the Ice God's Palace wouldn't dare—they'd thrown out a Super Douluo, so what was he, a mere rank 96?

Getting the cold shoulder would be the best-case scenario; if he got beaten up, that would be truly embarrassing. But Ma Xiaotao's situation couldn't be delayed any longer. For the sake of his beloved disciple, Yan Shaozhe was prepared to risk it all. At worst, he'd just take a beating and lose some face. After all, he wouldn't be the first to be humiliated—at least the Body Sect had already paved the way.

Hearing Yan Shaozhe's explanation, Ma Xiaotao was shocked. She finally understood just how deep the Ice God's Palace's roots went. If they could throw out a rank 98 Super Douluo with no retaliation afterward, the hidden strength behind this was terrifying! Such a force would need to be treated with utmost caution, even by Shrek Academy.

She now understood why her teacher hadn't mentioned the Ice God's Palace before. At the same time, she felt deeply touched, realizing just how much her teacher was willing to sacrifice for her. After all, the Ice God's Palace had a history of humiliating outsiders, and her teacher might face the same.

"Teacher, maybe we shouldn't go. The Ice God's Palace doesn't sound like a good place," Ma Xiaotao said, not wanting her teacher to suffer humiliation.

Yan Shaozhe chuckled.

"It's just a loss of face—it's not like my life is at risk. It's no big deal."

"The Ice God's Palace may be hard to approach, but they're not an evil sect. They won't kill people for no reason, unlike the Body Sect."

"And who knows—maybe that Body Sect leader offended them, which is why he got thrown out."

"I'm always polite and reasonable, so the Ice God's Palace shouldn't have any reason to go too far," Yan Shaozhe said with a smile.

Ma Xiaotao just looked at him, feeling more and more moved. Having such a teacher was truly her good fortune. But she didn't want her teacher's reputation to suffer because of her. She was about to speak again, but Yan Shaozhe raised a hand to stop her.

"All right, that's settled. Xiao Tao, go back for now. I have other matters to attend to."

Ma Xiaotao still wanted to say something, but seeing the seriousness in Yan Shaozhe's eyes, she swallowed her words. She bowed deeply and left.

Yan Shaozhe took a deep breath. He seemed calm, but in truth, he was feeling a bit anxious. Who would want to lose face for no reason? But there was no other choice. Yan Shaozhe sighed again, and his figure vanished.

When he reappeared, he was already in the Sea God Pavilion. He reported his decision to Mu En, seeking his approval.

Mu En's hunched figure seemed even more frail, but his clouded eyes became a bit clearer.

"Since you've decided, go ahead. There's still some time before the tournament, so don't wait—go early."

"The people of the Ice God's Palace are indeed difficult to approach, but they're not completely heartless."

"I have a dragon pill. Take it with you and see if it can be exchanged for their help in treating Xiao Tao," Mu En said after coughing twice.

"Teacher, that's too precious!"

Yan Shaozhe was shocked. A dragon pill? And he was just giving it away? The cost was too great.

"Xiao Tao is more important than a dragon pill. She is a genius no less talented than Lexuan. Now that Xuan Zi is injured, Shrek Academy urgently needs new pillars of support."

"Lexuan and Xiao Tao both have the potential to reach the rank of Ultimate Douluo."

"They are not just geniuses—they are the future of Shrek Academy."

"The Ice God's Palace is a mysterious place. They worship a deity."

"Just like how we once worshiped the Sea God, they worship the Ice God. They might be able to not only solve Xiao Tao's Evil Fire problem but also help her transform."

"A dragon pill is a small price to pay compared to the future of Shrek Academy."

"Which is more important: a dragon pill or the future of the academy?"

Mu En looked at Yan Shaozhe and explained.

Yan Shaozhe had many good qualities, but he was too cautious. This was also why he had stalled at rank 96 and likely wouldn't reach rank 98 in his lifetime. In contrast, Ma Xiaotao had the potential to reach such heights. If not for the Evil Fire, she might already be a Soul Sage. And she was only 19 years old. Her talent was no less than Mu En's own in his youth.

After hearing Mu En's explanation, Yan Shaozhe understood his teacher's reasoning.

Indeed, what Shrek Academy needed right now was a successor to Xuan Zi's position. The academy's future was the priority. Compared to that, a dragon pill was a trivial matter.

"Teacher, I understand. I'll take Xiao Tao to the Ice God's Palace tomorrow to seek treatment," Yan Shaozhe nodded as he spoke.