If he could receive his guidance and open his Spiritual Sea, Xiao Xiao would be able to convert her own soul power into spiritual power, allowing her to control the The Three Lives Soul Sealing Cauldron—a tool worthy of being called a national treasure—at will.
Furthermore, it would be best for the Three Lives Soul Sealing Cauldron to be augmented with Power-type soul rings to increase both attack and defense. For the Nine-Phoenix Coming Flute, it was best to attach soul rings from soul beasts possessing Phoenix bloodlines, following the path of the Control-type.
In the future, once she condensed her Soul Core and utilized both martial souls simultaneously—one for attack and one for control—she would undoubtedly be an invincible existence among soul masters of the same rank. If he could refine his own self-body martial soul fusion technique in the future and teach it to Xiao Xiao after some improvements, it was not impossible for her to immediately obtain strength rivaling a Limit Douluo upon reaching the rank of Titled Douluo.
In just an instant, Feng Piaoling had already mapped out Xiao Xiao's future cultivation path.
Nanmen Yun'er and Zhu Lu struck simultaneously. Both were standouts among Agility-Attack soul masters; with a mere flicker of their figures, they pulled a series of afterimages behind them. Their speed was so great that it made Wang Lie and Cai Yun'er's scalps tingle with dread. Driven by desperation, the two had no choice but to brace themselves and charge forward.
However, before they could even engage Nanmen Yun'er and Zhu Lu, two fireballs shot out from behind the girls, curved around their flanks, and exploded violently. Since the explosion occurred some distance away, they weren't injured, but the powerful shockwave sent their bodies tumbling uncontrollably to the side.
At the same time, an earthy-yellow talisman wrapped in a halo of light shot toward Xiao Xiao at an inconceivable speed. Xiao Xiao had witnessed the power of Feng Piaoling's talismans before and dared not be careless. Her first soul ring lit up, and the black giant cauldron split into three, rotating around her body and vibrating intensely to protect her completely.
This was her first soul skill, Cauldron's Tremor, which carried a strong stunning effect. Not only could it damage enemies through vibration, but it could also stun any enemy within a one-meter radius of the Three Lives Soul Sealing Cauldron. This was the counter-strategy Xiao Xiao had devised against Feng Piaoling's talisman attacks after seeing Xu Sanshi use his first soul skill, Black Tortoise Tremor.
However, the earthy-yellow talisman did not strike any of the three cauldrons. The moment Xiao Xiao's vision was obscured by the release of the Tremor, it sank into the ground of the soul-dueling stage. When it reappeared, it had drilled up from beneath Xiao Xiao's feet and stuck itself right onto her bottom.
Xiao Xiao let out a startled "Yikes!" and felt her vision go dark as her entire body was pulled underground. When she reappeared, she was already outside the arena.
Looking at Feng Piaoling, who still stood in his original spot on the stage, Xiao Xiao immediately understood what had happened. She sheepishly covered her rear, glared at Feng Piaoling indignantly, and spat out a soft, "You rogue!"
Feng Piaoling raised his hand to recall the Earth-Escape Talisman, offered a look of apology, and smiled without saying a word.
On the other side, Wang Lie and Cai Yun'er, who had been blown away by the Fire-Bullet Talismans, were already no match for Zhu Lu and Nanmen Yun'er. In their weightless state, it was even more impossible. Zhu Lu and Nanmen Yun'er pursued them and sent them off the competition stage with a single kick each. Clearly, for Xiao Xiao's sake, they had refrained from causing injury.
Thus, the trio from Class 1 was completely wiped out.
From start to finish, the match lasted less than half a minute.
Seeing Feng Piaoling end the match so effortlessly, the referee's mouth twitched. He could tell now that this kid's martial soul was not the "trash" Talisman martial soul of common impression. Rather, it was some kind of extremely powerful mutant martial soul that could be controlled freely from a distance. Such a bizarre ability was much stronger than the vast majority of top-tier Tool martial souls. It was no wonder that even the fifth-year Xu Sanshi was no match for him, even after cheating.
"Class 9, Feng Piaoling's team wins."
After announcing the result loudly, the referee took out a portable file to record the match.
Nearby, Xiao Xiao's two teammates had also climbed to their feet. Because Feng Piaoling's trio had shown mercy, they weren't truly hurt. Otherwise, without Zhu Lu and Nanmen Yun'er even stepping in, Feng Piaoling's fireballs alone would have been enough to leave them without a trace of their remains. However, having been defeated without even a chance to strike made them feel utterly humiliated. In their shame and anger, they didn't want to stay a second longer and quickly ran away.
Only Xiao Xiao walked toward them with a pout. "Sect Master, how could you do that?"
"Have you made up your mind for certain?" Feng Piaoling asked with a smile.
"Mhm, mhm!" Xiao Xiao nodded repeatedly. Then, as if remembering something, she asked with an expectant look: "Sect Master, is that way you control talismans to attack the effect of a soul skill? If it isn't, can you teach me? I want to try throwing cauldrons at people. Hehe..."
The thought of being able to control the Three Lives Soul Sealing Cauldron to smash people in the future made Xiao Xiao hold her face in her hands and giggle sillily.
"Very well, I will teach you when the time comes. However, our sect has not been established yet. Until then, don't keep calling me Sect Master. Additionally, take this Mystic Water Pill and this Spirit Ascension Pill. Take the Mystic Water Pill first, then the Spirit Ascension Pill ten days later. That way, you can maximize the medicinal effects of both pills."
Back when Xu Sanshi lost to him, he had surrendered two Mystic Water Pills. One had been given to Jiang Nannan, and one remained. Feng Piaoling took out that remaining pill along with the Spirit Ascension Pill Wang Dong'er had given him as a reward for saving her life. Under the envious gazes of Nanmen Yun'er and Zhu Lu, he casually handed them to Xiao Xiao.
"Thank you, Brother Feng!" Xiao Xiao happily accepted the two pills. For these two pills alone, acknowledging this Sect Master was worth it.
"Go back and refine them in a while," Feng Piaoling said, patting her head. This caused Xiao Xiao's face to instantly redden. It had to be said that this girl was indeed cute; she always reminded him of the little sister next door from his childhood. If she hadn't been killed by evil soul masters, she would be about Xiao Xiao's age now.
After the assessment for the four ended, Feng Piaoling left with Xiao Xiao. Zhu Lu and Nanmen Yun'er knew they had private matters to discuss and did not follow. Instead, they stayed at the edge of the field to watch the other two matches.
Jiang Nannan was already waiting for Feng Piaoling outside the assessment area.
"My benefactor."
Upon seeing Feng Piaoling, Jiang Nannan immediately went to meet him. Feng Piaoling told her that Xiao Xiao had already joined the Soul Hall.
After the two were formally introduced, Feng Piaoling suddenly said, "Once the entrance assessment is over, we may be leaving Shrek Academy."
"I will go wherever my benefactor goes," Jiang Nannan stated without the slightest hesitation.
Xiao Xiao, however, showed a look of hesitation. "Do we really have to leave?"
"Yes. Staying at Shrek Academy won't teach us much of anything. Of course, if you regret joining my sect now, considering we are acquaintances and you haven't learned anything from me yet, I can give you one more chance to choose."
Feng Piaoling spoke to Xiao Xiao with a calm expression.
Thinking of Feng Piaoling's grace in saving her life, the fact that Shrek had produced evil soul masters before, and that she could indeed learn many things by following Feng Piaoling—as well as his undeniable promises—Xiao Xiao weighed the pros and cons.
She nodded and said, "There's no need. I won't back out. I'm willing to leave with you, Brother Feng."