Chapter 13: Mu En
The Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul granted Ma Xiaotao Innate full Soul Power, excellent Cultivation Aptitude, and formidable combat strength in the same Realm, but it also brought her immense suffering.
The evil fire constantly corroded her mind, wanting her to become its slave.
Yan Shaozhe had tried many methods, but they only treated the symptoms, not the root cause.
Left with no choice, he could only make Ma Xiaotao stop Cultivating and even withdraw her from the Shrek Academy's main competition team.
But she was the captain!
To resolve the evil fire, among the solutions provided by the Shrek elders, she either had to find an Immortal Herb like the one consumed by the ancestor of the first generation of Seven Monsters, Ma Hongjun, or find a male Soul Master whose Martial Soul quality was close to her Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul to combine with, only then could her Martial Soul problem be solved.
She was still a girl under twenty, tormented by the evil fire for over a decade, yet she never thought of abandoning her dignity to resolve the evil fire like her ancestor Ma Hongjun.
Now, a method with no side effects, requiring no sacrifice, that could free her from the evil fire's influence was right before her eyes!
Opening her eyes, Ma Xiaotao looked at Huo Yuhao with burning intensity.
The fervent light in her pale pink eyes made him feel uneasy.
"S-Sister, what's wrong?"
"Don't call me'Sister' anymore, just call me Sister Xiaotao."
Ma Xiaotao said nonchalantly.
"Okay, Sister Xiaotao."
As he spoke, Huo Yuhao could feel his Soul Power nearing exhaustion and had to retract his Domain.
As soon as the Domain was retracted, Ma Xiaotao felt an emptiness in her heart, as if something was missing, but the evil fire still didn't flare up again.
Ma Xiaotao knew that the evil fire hadn't been resolved; it was just temporarily calm and subdued.
She just didn't know how long this calm would last.
"Come on, Yuhao, Sis will take you around the Inner Court. Sea God Island is the core of our Shrek Academy!"
"Mhm."
..."Yuhao."
"Sister Xiaotao, what is it?"
"I just wanted to ask you, is maintaining your Domain very draining?"
"Hmm... if we stay close, I can maintain it for half an hour at full capacity. Sister Xiaotao, can my Domain help you with anything?"
"Well, my Martial Soul has a flaw, which is why it goes berserk and attacked you..."
"Because of this Martial Soul flaw, Sister Xiaotao must have suffered a lot, right? If Sister Xiaotao needs anything, you can always find me, as long as I have time."
Ma Xiaotao and Huo Yuhao walked along the path by Sea God Lake. Occasionally, passing Inner Court students looked as if they had seen a ghost.
Heavens!
When did the Flame Fiend Ma Xiaotao become so serene and gentle-eyed?
And why was the boy so close to her wearing an Outer Court first-year uniform?
Could it be that Ma Xiaotao liked younger ones?
No one cared about the rule that Outer Court students were not allowed on Sea God Island.
Who didn't know that Ma Xiaotao was the Yan Shaozhe's only Disciple?
Ma Xiaotao naturally saw the strange expressions on the faces of those Inner Court students. Normally, she would have just roared at them, but with Huo Yuhao by her side, for some reason, she was a little conscious of her image in front of him.
Fortunately, Inner Court students mostly focused on secluded Cultivation, so they didn't encounter many students, and Ma Xiaotao breathed a sigh of relief.
As they strolled, Ma Xiaotao also told Huo Yuhao about the various buildings around Sea God Lake, explaining their functions and history.
Most of the afternoon passed this way.
Turning a corner, the two saw Yan Shaozhe dressed in white.
"Huo Yuhao, come with me."
Ma Xiaotao pouted as she watched Yan Shaozhe fly away with Huo Yuhao. Couldn't he have come a little later?
She really liked the feeling of being by Huo Yuhao's side.
Not only was his speech gentle, but he also had a faint fragrance about him. Looking into Huo Yuhao's clear eyes, Ma Xiaotao could feel the evil fire within her calm down a bit.
She didn't know that Yan Shaozhe had already tried his best to stall for time, allowing them to spend time together.
"Oh, right! I still need to find those guys and tell them not to spread rumors!"
Clenching her fists, Ma Xiaotao clearly remembered every Inner Court student she had encountered along the way. She would go find them later and make sure they didn't talk nonsense!
...Huo Yuhao looked at the Sea Gods Pavilion, built within a giant ancient tree, and felt a strange pang of concern.
Such a large building, constructed within the trunk of a golden ancient tree, would it really not affect the golden ancient tree?
But this was not what Huo Yuhao needed to consider now. What he needed to consider was who the person he was about to meet was.
Dealing with the investigation would definitely not be a problem. In the original work, Huo Yuhao was not exposed by Dragon God Douluo Mu En's investigation regarding the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm. Mu En only learned that his second Martial Soul was the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, not the Ice Jade Scorpion, and that his torso bone was unusual.
With the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm and Electrolux concealing him now, there should be no problem.
In a simply furnished room with a woody scent, Yan Shaozhe led Huo Yuhao inside.
"Master."
On the recliner, an old man with skin so wrinkled it could trap flies opened a pair of bright eyes.
Clearly, although Mu En appeared to be at the end of his life, he could still unleash his strongest combat power.
The eyes are the windows to the soul; this statement is very true.
Soul Masters with powerful Spiritual Power can usually be identified by their eyes.
"Huo Yuhao, this is the current Pavilion Master of our Shrek Sea Gods Pavilion, and also my Master."
"Ah, Huo Yuhao greets the Pavilion Master."
A soft force lifted Huo Yuhao, preventing him from bowing.
"Shaozhe, you've scared the child."
"I am Mu En, child. We have met before, and you recognized me, didn't you?"
Mu En revealed a kind smile.
"Yes, I've seen you in front of the dormitory building every morning these past few days."
"Hehehe, child, on your first day at Shrek, this old man noticed your Spiritual Power Cultivation, which far surpasses your peers. You are a very promising child."
"Just now, Shaozhe mentioned your first Soul skills, your self-created Soul skills, and your Innate Domain. I wonder if this old man could also experience it?"
"Of course."
Huo Yuhao quickly activated his Soul skills, appearing a bit flustered.
A moment later, Mu En let out a long breath.
"Truly wondrous, incredible."
"Yuhao, this old man wishes to take you as a Disciple. Are you willing?"
Huo Yuhao looked up, as if he hadn't reacted.
In reality, within his sea of consciousness:
"Master, this..."
"Yuhao, go ahead and acknowledge him as your Master. In the early stages of your growth, getting help from a Master is something I will only encourage you to do more of, even taking on multiple Masters."
"Thank you, Master!"
As if he had finally reacted, Huo Yuhao respectfully performed the Disciple-acknowledgment ceremony to Mu En.
"Master."
"Ah! I never thought that in my old age, I, Mu En, would still be able to take on a young Disciple, hahahaha!"
Mu En extended his withered hand and, from somewhere, produced a ring inlaid with a yellow gem, placing it on Huo Yuhao's hand.
"This Master doesn't have many good things; inside is a small gift. Take it."
"Thank you, Master."
No excessive pretense.
The biggest taboo in acting is exaggeration; acting with genuine emotion is the key to success.