Word Count: 2,728 Words
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The next day, at the Star Emperor Hotel.
A graceful body lay on the spacious bed. The woman clutched the quilt haphazardly in her arms, her ample bosom and plump, fair thighs completely exposed.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, causing dust-like particles to sparkle in the beam of light as they fell upon the red marks scattered across the woman's neck and collarbones, diffusing a pristine glow.
Ma Xiaotao sat up drowsily. The quilt bundled in her arms unconsciously slipped downward. Her pretty pink face was as red as rain-soaked peach blossoms. Her long eyelashes fluttered from the side, exuding feminine charm and post-coital satisfaction. Her mind still seemed somewhat sluggish, drawing circles for quite a while before finally booting up.
Memories came flooding back like a tide as she felt the unusual sensations in her body. Yesterday, stimulated by the evil fire, she seemed to have blurted out all her innermost thoughts. Then the other party hadn't refused like a eunuch would, and they spent a happy and indulgent night together.
"He's quite capable."
Ma Xiaotao stretched lazily after fully understanding exactly what had happened. People on the Douluo Continent matured early, and she had long been an adult woman with a high acceptance of intimate matters.
She had chosen the man she felt most attracted to, so she felt no shyness or anger. Instead, she found Ling Bai exceptionally capable in matters of passion, having brought her overflowing happiness last night.
Creak—
The door was suddenly pushed open. Ling Bai walked in carrying breakfast provided by the hotel. Seeing that she was already awake, he smiled and said:
"Get up and eat first. Teacher Wang and Xiao Tian went to the Star Luo Treasury to select the three spirit bones as champion rewards. Once they return to the hotel, we'll depart for Shrek Academy."
"Oh my, so you're not a scumbag after all. At least you know to bring me breakfast after having your fun."
Ma Xiaotao lightly swept aside the messy strands of hair on her forehead and looked at Ling Bai leisurely. As an Inner Courtyard student and participant in the Continental Elite Spirit Master Academy Tournament, she had seen him accompany different young ladies like Ning Tian and Han Ruoruo on outings before.
She actually felt a bit of disappointment in her heart when she woke up and saw that he had left the room. She thought he was the type to not acknowledge people after pulling his pants up. But his return showed that, at the very least, he was a man willing to shoulder responsibility.
Ling Bai said helplessly, "Let's not waste time. Have something to eat while I tell you about your current physical condition."
"Okay."
Ma Xiaotao felt perfectly comfortable, as they had bared themselves to each other all through last night. She jumped out of bed openly, retrieved a fresh set of clothes from her storage Spirit Guidance Device, took a shower to wash away the ambiguous marks, then sat fragrant and clean on the sofa. She leaned against Ling Bai while picking up the energy-rich breakfast specially provided by the Star Emperor Hotel for Spirit Masters to replenish her strength.
A rich aroma filled the air. Ling Bai's fingers threaded through her fiery red long hair, the silky strands flowing through his fingertips. After careful consideration, he slowly said: "Your spirit power soared to Rank 70 after the full outbreak of the evil fire, and your Phoenix Fire advanced to Ultimate Fire.
There are two things you need to keep in mind from now on. First, your Phoenix Fire isn't pure. If there were a ranking among Ultimate Attributes, your Phoenix Fire would undoubtedly rank at the bottom. Other than possessing extremely high temperatures, you won't awaken any Ultimate talents."
Ma Xiaotao paused mid-bite and shot Ling Bai a 'fierce' expression that said 'could you not state the harsh truth so bluntly?'
"Second, I tried to eliminate the evil fire without consuming your Phoenix flame origin, so your body should be much more stable than before. However, I'm not a spiritual-type Spirit Master after all. The residual evil fire lurking in your Spiritual Sea can't be eradicated for now.
You'll need to rely on cultivating your spiritual power and willpower to suppress it yourself. If the evil fire flares up and you can't keep it down, it'll probably ignite like last night."
Ma Xiaotao glanced at him sideways, clearly understanding the underlying meaning in his words, and said, "Which means you'll benefit again."
"Didn't you enjoy yourself last night? You nearly screamed your throat raw."
"Bah!"
Ma Xiaotao spat lightly, two patches of red instantly rising on her cheeks. Her pink, beautiful eyes shifted slightly, seeming absent-minded yet hinting at something as she said: "Your spirit power is at Rank 56, almost at the Inner Courtyard graduation threshold. What's your plan going forward? Returning to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan?"
"I want to graduate from Shrek Academy by the latest before the next tournament."
Ling Bai gave a clear timeframe, then teased: "Can't bear to part?"
"Don't flatter yourself."
A flash of resignation passed through Ma Xiaotao's eyes. She flipped her palm and casually tossed a pouch of spirit gold coins into Ling Bai's arms.
"What's this?"
Ling Bai weighed it. About five hundred spirit gold coins.
"A tip."
Ma Xiaotao put on a serious face: "This phoenix has the pride of a phoenix. I'm not going to cling desperately. Your performance last night wasn't bad; I'm very satisfied. Take this money to nourish yourself."
Ling Bai almost laughed out of anger. Five hundred for one night—treating me like a gigolo, huh? Of course, he understood Ma Xiaotao's deeper meaning. They lacked a deep emotional foundation. It was just a girl having feelings for a boy, then they hit it off and took a shortcut.
She had just been probing whether he planned to stay at Shrek Academy. Getting a negative answer, she immediately made her stance clear. She was different from her teacher Yan Shaozhe. She refused to use her body and feelings to tie him down. That way, neither of them would be happy.
"Go go go, take the money and stop bothering me. Go back to your own room."
Ma Xiaotao started shooing him out. Only after Ling Bai's footsteps faded did she lean her delicate body against the hotel door, her expression quite complex.
Both had their respective factions behind them. Shrek and the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had invested massive resources in them. Breaking away was absolutely impossible.
There was a slight difference between the academy and the clan. Ma Xiaotao could remain single like Elder Xuan and Elder Lin, but Ling Bai's future wife would definitely be Ning Tian, the young mistress of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Even if reluctant to give up her life's first man, she had to step back halfway and provide some buffer space.
Ling Bai returned to his own room, sat on the sofa, and fell into deep thought. Whether it was out of a stirring of the heart or out of desire, since it happened, it happened. It was no big deal.
Ma Xiaotao ≠ Shrek Academy. Having a formula made solving problems faster.
Ling Bai looked down on some of Shrek Academy's actions, such as replacing the reserve team, insisting on pure Spirit Masters, the absurd Elder Xuan, and so on.
However, the past could not be undone, but the future could be changed. By weeding out the failings of an outdated era and letting the talents of the new era rise, perhaps once Ma Xiaotao, Zhang Lexuan, Bei Bei, and the others took the stage and enacted bold reforms, Shrek might be able to renew itself and live up to its name as the continent's number one academy.
"You. Come in."
A cold, bone-chilling female voice suddenly sounded in his heart, making Ling Bai involuntarily shiver. His consciousness sank into his Spiritual Sea, and what appeared before his eyes was the pretty face of the Snow Empress with frost hanging on it.
"Is something the matter?"
Ling Bai was completely baffled, not knowing at all why this big shot was so furious.
"You didn't block your Spiritual Sea last night."
The Snow Empress spoke through gritted teeth and enunciated each word. She had listened to the two's intense collision for an entire night!
"...Uh, sorry, I'll be careful next time."
Ling Bai felt a bit embarrassed, and his sharp eyes noticed a hint of blush on the Snow Empress's ears. The Snow Empress had been single for seven hundred thousand years. Suddenly being an audience member all night greatly overturned her worldview.
"Where did Elder Yi go?"
Ling Bai began to change the topic. His clumsy and overt acting made the Snow Empress point with ill temper at the unmoving gray figure beside the Lake of Life.
"Elder Yi?"
Getting no response to his soft call, Ling Bai approached and carefully poked Electrolux's shoulder.
"Oh, it's you, lad."
Electrolux turned his head and smiled upon seeing Ling Bai, "When you two started yesterday, this old man sealed his hearing and vision and forgot to unseal them. Young people's passionate intensity isn't something an old man like me should watch randomly."
The difference!
The difference in being a person was evident!
Ling Bai was just about to tell the Snow Empress to learn from Elder Yi when a frightening chill suddenly surged beside him. Snow Empress preemptively predicted and subtly threatened, her pair of sky-blue eyes staring at Ling Bai's mouth with embarrassment and anger, as if saying, 'If you dare to make a joke, I'll use a sealing technique to stuff snowballs into your mouth.'
Electrolux looked at the two, especially at Ling Bai, and said seriously: "That woman who appeared after your Rings Fusion in yesterday's finals, do you know who she is?"
"She was once a God, the last Angel God."
The Snow Empress also became serious when discussing proper matters: "She seems to retain partial consciousness and regards you with the affection of a senior toward a junior. Can you ask her where the shattered Angel God Position has gone?"
"I'll try next Rings Fusion."
Ling Bai nodded, then he asked, "Elder Yi, can you sense what state the Angel God is in?"
"I'm a divine consciousness fragment. Let's just say her situation is far worse than mine."
Electrolux explained, "At most, she's a lingering obsession residing in your first Martial Spirit, the Seraphim, and was coincidentally triggered by the Rings Fusion power.
Whether you can awaken her next Rings Fusion is unknown.
As she said, someone awaits you at that place called Jialing Pass. Is it another obsession?"
Ling Bai narrowed his eyes and speculated: "It's indeed possibly an obsession. Perhaps not the Angel God, but that one with a complete God Position who fell at Jialing Pass, the Rakshasa God..."
"A God Position, finally there's hope..."
A brilliant light flashed in the Snow Empress's eyes. If Ling Bai inherited the Rakshasa God Position, the Extreme North would have a God to protect it. Setting up a divine domain to block outsiders or relocating the entire population to an uninhabited realm were both good methods to preserve the Extreme North's spirit beasts.
Electrolux added, "From the Divine Power I observed of the Rakshasa God, that aura of evil is definitely not someone to be trifled with. My suggestion is to thoroughly solve the trouble of the Death Abyss Spider Emperor before going to Jialing Pass. That's also in line with the Angel God's last words.
Ling Bai, the Death Abyss Spider Emperor is not something that little girl's Evil Fire Phoenix can compare to. The plan to advance the Seraphim needs to be moved up. It's best to complete the Martial Spirit evolution by the time you obtain your sixth spirit ring.
You must gather 100,000-year Ultimate Fire and Ultimate Light materials as soon as possible."
"Ultimate Fire can be obtained at any time. As for Ultimate Light, the Ancient Golden Tree definitely can't be touched..."
Time was pressing. Ling Bai immediately made his decision. He clasped his hands together in an Amitabha gesture and murmured:
"Then I'll have to trouble the Emperor Destiny Beast..."
…
Once the Continental Elite Spirit Master Academy Tournament ended, Star Luo City gradually returned to its usual peace. The runner-up team from the Sun Moon Imperial Academy departed for the Sun Moon Empire on the second day after the competition.
A spacious hall filled with metallic décor spread out, predominantly in shades of pale gold. Above the entrance hung a plaque inscribed with three large, dark-gold words in sturdy strokes.
Illustrious Virtue Hall.
Seated in the central chair of the main hall was a man whose height barely reached one and a half meters, yet whose waistline certainly exceeded it. A black robe stitched with gold thread covered his round belly, and his face held a stern expression that brooked no disobedience.
No one but one individual could occupy the Illustrious Virtue Hall foremost seat: Hall Master Jing Hongchen.
Elder Ma was bent in a deep bow, his head nearly touching the floor, as he reported the tournament's details and final outcome.
"Hall Master, I failed in leading the team this time. We lost six students without defeating Shrek Academy, and we failed to bring back the champion's title. Please punish me."
"Neither the Death Lance nor the Judgment Sword performed as expected. That isn't your fault. You lost—then you lost. But you did manage to obtain some key information."
Even Elder Ma, a Class 8 Spirit Guidance Master, was sweating on his forehead in front of Jing Hongchen. He stammered, "Hall Master means details regarding those students of Shrek Academy?"
Jing Hongchen nodded. "That's part of it. A God-level Martial Spirit, the Seraphim. Twin Martial Spirits, the Body-type Spirit Eyes and the Ultimate Ice Jade Scorpion. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon awakened into the Light Holy Dragon. The Mystic Deep Turtle wielding the bloodline of the divine beast Xuanwu. And the number one support in the world, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Five years down the line, Shrek Academy's roster might be the strongest in ten thousand years.
It has to be said, in terms of seeking Spirit Master talents, no one on the Douluo Continent can surpass Shrek. Still, that's not the biggest gain you gleaned from this trip."
Elder Ma became somewhat confused and looked at Jing Hongchen uncomprehendingly.
Jing Hongchen rose, patted Elder Ma's shoulder, and illuminated the situation with a hint of satisfaction. "This tournament made Xiao and Meng feel a sense of crisis. The arrogance in them was completely swept away. After returning, they immediately went into seclusion to reflect and proactively requested to participate in an exchange program with Shrek Academy.
Since it involves these two youngsters, I'll personally make a trip to Shrek in a few days to discuss the specific details of the exchange students. Shrek must send students of equal status to match Xiao and Meng; otherwise, I can't be at ease.
Your grandson Ma Rulong lost an arm and a leg. Fortunately, his cultivation path doesn't rely on his physical body. We'll install metal limbs for him. The material costs will be covered by the Illustrious Virtue Hall. You may go back now."
"Thank you, Hall Master!"
Elder Ma left the Illustrious Virtue Hall, moved to tears. Jing Hongchen turned and walked to the back hall. After passing through the main hall, he stopped in front of a wall. A golden rune flashed on his chest and imprinted itself onto the wall.
The wall split open into a door, revealing a quiet chamber behind. Metal carvings covered the ceiling and floor.
Jing Hongchen entered and gazed upon a pulsating, blood-red heart on a metal table at the center of the room. He watched it with something nearing obsession:
"The Seraphim and Angel God are already past tense. A new God will be born on this Douluo Continent. I'm old and have no potential left, but Xiao is the most outstanding genius in the history of the Hongchen family. When Xiao breaks through to Titled Douluo, you will become the foundation for his ascension!
If there were Gods...
May they bless the Sun Moon Empire!"