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"Such coldness~" was Ma Xiaotao's first thought.
But soon, Ma Xiaotao quickly noticed her own abnormality, and her eyes began to flicker with complexity.
It was the demonic flames again.
Ye Wen only withdrew his hand after suppressing Ma Xiaotao's demonic flames to a manageable level.
"There, now that you know your martial soul has flaws, stop thinking about all sorts of nonsense. It will only make you more vulnerable."
As a teacher, Ye Wen instinctively scolded Ma Xiaotao for her foolish behavior. But then he remembered he wasn't her teacher and suppressed his urge to continue lecturing, turning instead to look at Xuan Zi beside him.
"Xuan Zi, I see that among Shrek Academy's many inner court students, there are only a few who qualify to become the next-next Sea God Pavilion Elder after you.
How about it? Want to make another deal? A deal that could potentially give Shrek another Supreme Douluo in the future?"
Xuan Zi's eyes wavered. Though he knew Ye Wen likely had ulterior motives, the prospect of gaining a potential future Supreme Douluo candidate was too tempting to resist.
Currently, there were only two individuals qualified to become the next-next Sea God Pavilion Elder. One was Bei Bei, Mu En's grandson. Though this guy had been slacking off due to love-sickness in recent years, if Mu En used a secret technique to help him before passing away, Bei Bei would undoubtedly become a Supreme Douluo in the future.
The other candidate had a more complicated background.
That was Zhang Lexuan, Bei Bei's child bride and a prodigy who reached Soul Emperor rank at just 24 years old.
Unfortunately, her bloodline was rather unique. Though no one explicitly mentioned it, Shrek's true upper echelons knew that Zhang Lexuan's roots lay in the Sun Moon Empire.
Her martial soul was the moon—the same as the Sun Moon Empire's royal family.
Though Zhang Lexuan had been raised by Shrek since childhood, if her dark history were ever exposed, it would be hard to guarantee her absolute loyalty.
Thus, when it came down to it, the only person Shrek could truly count on to become a Supreme Douluo in the future was the unreliable Bei Bei.
This realization was unbearable for Xuan Zi, whose mind was already filled with anxiety.
Though Ma Xiaotao had also been taken in by Shrek after her family's destruction, she was still a descendant of one of the original Seven Monsters of Shrek from ten thousand years ago. If Shrek could gain another prodigious candidate, Xuan Zi hoped it would be Ma Xiaotao.
Finally, gritting his teeth, Xuan Zi muttered, "What do you want?"
Ye Wen smiled. At this stage, Tian Xing Academy lacked neither money nor talent—it only needed time to develop.
This deal was something Ye Wen had impulsively added on the spot. In the end, he wrote up a page of unequal terms and handed it to Xuan Zi.
Watching Ye Wen draft the terms, Xuan Zi's face fell. Even someone as dull-witted as him knew that such agreements were far more insidious than any immediate losses.
However, the carefree and laissez-faire Xuan Zi felt a bit smug. These so-called agreements were ultimately meant to be torn apart. If they ever truly harmed Shrek's interests, Xuan Zi wouldn't hesitate to disregard them.
But upon reading the terms Ye Wen had written, Xuan Zi rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
"Lord Tian Xing… Are these conditions not too…"
The terms Ye Wen had set were surprisingly lenient.
They simply stated that Shrek could not suppress trade or academic exchanges related to Tian Xing Academy in the future, nor interfere with students' choices after graduation. There was no mention of money or resources.
But Ye Wen was well aware that behind Shrek's apparent decline lay a terrifying network of connections.
If Shrek truly wanted to suppress a certain faction, even Tian Xing Academy—or even the entire Tianhun Empire—would be powerless to resist.
Ironically, Xuan Zi, the hands-off elder, was the least perceptive of this reality.
Ye Wen picked up another skewer of grilled meat and began eating, casually saying:
"Don't worry, there are no traps. This deal is just a bonus. After all, didn't I say? I'm not Shrek's enemy."
Xuan Zi remained silent for a long time before finally thanking Ye Wen.
The tensest person during this seemingly mundane transaction was actually Ma Xiaotao.
After all, who in their right mind would want to be driven crazy every day by all sorts of uncontrollable desires?
Seeing Ye Wen beckon her over, Ma Xiaotao immediately ran over excitedly.
"Sit down. Let me first help you remove the side effects of your martial soul."
Ma Xiaotao obediently sat cross-legged, completely devoid of her usual fiery arrogance.
It was strange—ten thousand years had passed, and the demonic phoenix flames that should have been purged from Ma Hongjun's lineage had somehow reappeared in Ma Xiaotao.
And Ma Hongjun hadn't died—he had ascended to godhood! For such side effects to reappear in his bloodline was absurd, further diminishing the dignity of the Douluo gods.
Speaking of which, Ma Hongjun became the Phoenix God, not the Fire God. As the most compatible divine title for his martial soul, how had his bloodline dwindled to only Ma Xiaotao? Without Tang San's interference, Ye Wen found it hard to believe.
Ye Wen's eyes darkened slightly, as if realizing something.
So the plan for the Tang family's dominance of the continent has already begun? No wonder Tang San is called the God King.
Though the Phoenix martial soul couldn't compare to the Angel martial soul of ten thousand years ago, it was still the only Ultimate martial soul among the original Seven Monsters of Shrek.
Hmm, Tang San's half-baked Blue Silver Emperor doesn't count—after all, Tang San later went on to play with forks.
If Ma Hongjun's bloodline had truly flourished, what role would Shrek have played? A group of insane Ultimate Fire Soul Saints would have been enough to sweep across the continent.
Tsk, come to think of it, the strongest bloodline ancestor is actually Ma Hongjun.
At this moment, Ye Wen gently placed his hand on Ma Xiaotao's head and began carefully sensing her condition.
Ye Wen had encountered Ma Hongjun before, but the Ultimate Fire of Ma Hongjun's demonic phoenix flames couldn't compare to Ma Xiaotao's. In fact, Ma Hongjun's fire fell short of being considered Ultimate Fire, and with the burden of innate demonic flames, his initial cultivation was pitifully weak.
But Ma Xiaotao's situation was different.
Though Ma Hongjun hadn't paid much attention to his bloodline in the God Realm, each generation benefited from his legacy. At the very least, they could all reach the Soul Saint level. Over time, Ma Xiaotao's bloodline had grown incredibly powerful, and the flames within her had reached the pinnacle of Ultimate Fire in this world.
This investigation also allowed Ye Wen to truly uncover Tang San's scheme.
Compared to the mixed demonic flames within Ma Hongjun, the Ultimate Fire and demonic flames within Ma Xiaotao were clearly distinct. However, it was evident that her pure Ultimate Fire had been contaminated by external demonic flames. If left unchecked, her pure Ultimate Fire would degrade or even erupt violently.
What a sin, Tang San~
Fortunately, this minor issue was nothing more than a small surgery for Ye Wen.
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