Chapter 17: Evil Fire Phoenix — Ma Xiaotao
Elder Zhuang quickly replied, "You little rascal, don't spout nonsense! When did this old man ever monitor you?"
"Then why are you here?" Jiang Qingtong shot back.
Zhuang was briefly speechless. After blinking a few times, he said, "Can't I go shopping in peace?"
Jiang Qingtong gave him a look that clearly said, "Do you think I'd believe that?" Her expression made Zhuang a little uncomfortable, and he tried to reassure her.
"Child, don't be upset! Some of the other elders are still a bit wary of you, but once they see your sincerity, they'll let go of their prejudice."
Jiang Qingtong sniffed lightly and nodded. "Thank you, Elder Zhuang. I understand."
Zhuang continued, "Also, don't go giving away your ninth-level soul tools so casually anymore! If your family finds out, they might think Shrek Academy robbed you!"
"Got it," Jiang Qingtong nodded seriously.
Zhuang waved his hand. "Come on, let's go eat something nice!"
---
Meanwhile, back in the Sea God Pavilion, Elder Zhuang was reporting the matter to the other elders.
"A ninth-level soul tool—just given away like that. She's generous, I'll give her that," Elder Song frowned. She couldn't decide whether Jiang Qingtong was being genuine or had ulterior motives. Regardless, it was shocking to see such a precious item handed over so casually.
After all, even the most advanced soul tool in all of Shrek Academy was only an eighth-level one created by Xian Lin'er.
"And she didn't just give it to anyone—she gave it to Tang Ya. Was it really out of pity?"
Zhuang sighed. "She's only twelve years old. How scheming could she be? Meier, why don't you share how Qingtong's been doing lately?"
Cai Meier nodded and picked up the conversation. "Qingtong has been attending basic martial soul classes with the first-years. I asked Zhou Yi, and she said Qingtong's performance has been excellent. Even when training with me privately, her conduct has been flawless."
"That's right, Mom!" added Xian Lin'er. "That girl is lovely. Don't be so suspicious of her. Just the other day, she even lent me one of her ninth-level soul tools to study! If she really came with a hidden agenda, she could've just kept it. Why go out of her way?"
Elder Song sighed and said no more. "Very well. Let's watch how she behaves in the future. If she truly is pure-hearted, then maybe it's Shrek Academy's good fortune."
---
By the Sea God Lake, Jiang Qingtong gazed out at the Sea God Island in the distance.
As expected, the elders in the Sea God Pavilion were probably in the middle of discussing her gift to Tang Ya. She wasn't worried.
Suddenly, she spotted a crimson figure speeding toward her across the lake with incredible velocity.
The red silhouette looked like a blazing fire cloud as it dashed across the surface, bridging hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye.
As the figure got closer, Jiang Qingtong saw that even the person's hair was fiery red. Her entire being radiated fierce and dangerous energy, and she wore a flaming mask across her face.
Jiang Qingtong's pupils shrank. A wave of scorching heat rushed toward her. Before she could react, the figure appeared right in front of her and struck out with a palm!
Flames surged as the strike came, and Jiang Qingtong could even hear the distant cry of a phoenix!
Just as the attack was about to hit her, a radiant glow flared from her body. From the necklace around her neck, a complex array of layered, shimmering formations unfolded, blocking the strike entirely.
This was Seven-Leaf Mirror Lotus, one of her defensive ninth-level soul tools.
The overlapping barriers absorbed the brunt of the attack, and in the next moment, a red light flashed—the force was reflected back toward the attacker!
The red-haired figure let out a muffled grunt as the counterforce sent her flying backward before she could even release her soul rings. She crashed down onto the shore of the Sea God Lake.
Jiang Qingtong walked over and looked at the red-haired girl, now half-submerged in water.
"Evil Fire Phoenix… Ma Xiaotao," she murmured.
She glanced at the scorched earth nearby and gently patted her chest. "Whew… I got lucky. If I wasn't better prepared, I'd be toast."
Ma Xiaotao's martial soul, Evil Fire Phoenix, was inherited from the original Shrek Seven Devils' Ma Hongjun from ten thousand years ago.
It was an unquestionably powerful fire-element martial soul. Unfortunately, it came with the drawback of chaotic "evil fire" energy that often drove its wielder into berserk frenzies.
Looking at this naturally gifted martial soul—one that had the potential to evolve into Extreme Flame in the future—Jiang Qingtong fell into deep thought.
Should I imprint it… or not?
Extreme Flame martial souls were known for their unparalleled offensive power. It was tempting—but she wasn't sure whether imprinting it might also infect her with its berserk qualities.
After pondering for a while, she shook her head and made her decision.
"Forget it! Fortune favors the bold. If things go wrong, I'll just imprint Huo Yuhao's Extreme Ice later to balance it out!"
She activated her martial soul, Mirror Flower, and her second soul ring lit up. A faint glow enveloped Ma Xiaotao's unconscious body as her martial soul was imprinted into the flower.
Gradually, on one of the crystal petals, a vivid red phoenix mark took shape.
---
Moments later, over a dozen figures soared from the depths of Sea God Lake—Elder Song, Elder Zhuang, and the other elders of the Sea God Pavilion had arrived, alerted by the earlier disturbance.
"Xiaotao!" Cai Meier cried as she rushed to Ma Xiaotao's side and lifted her unconscious body.
"What happened?" Zhuang turned to Jiang Qingtong for an explanation.
Jiang Qingtong pointed to her necklace and calmly explained the entire encounter.
Zhuang examined Ma Xiaotao and confirmed that she had only passed out from the recoil of her own attack. Her body was unharmed, and he let out a sigh of relief.
Elder Song stepped in front of Jiang Qingtong, her expression stern. "What happened today—you must not speak of it to anyone. If you do—"
"And if I do?" Jiang Qingtong interrupted with a pout, her large eyes brimming with innocence. "Are you threatening me, Elder?"
"I get it. I'm from the Sun Moon Empire. I'll never be truly accepted here, will I?"
A bit of tea-drama manipulation—very effective against the self-righteous elders of the Sea God Pavilion.
"Don't overthink it!" Elder Zhuang immediately stepped in to comfort her. "Who says we don't accept you? If we didn't, would we have let you enroll in the first place? That'd just be making trouble for ourselves."
Elder Song looked a bit awkward. After clearing her throat, she turned to Cai Meier. "Meier, take Xiaotao back to rest."
"Yes," Meier nodded, then turned to leave with Ma Xiaotao in her arms.