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Yu Wen Tuo entered the dormitory marked by the sign. The Shrek Academy of today was vastly different from ten thousand years ago.
Due to the recruitment of noble children, the academy was extremely wealthy, and the dormitories were luxurious. Typically, two students shared a room, but Yu Wen Tuo's room was peculiar—it was a single-person room.
"Single occupancy? Another trick from the academy?" Yu Wen Tuo muttered to himself.
"This isn't a trick from the academy; it's my gift to you. I wanted to give you the best living environment—quiet, undisturbed, so you can focus on cultivation."
A familiar feminine voice rang out at the doorway. After six years of hearing it, Yu Wen Tuo knew exactly who it was without even turning around.
"Ma Xiaotao, what brings you here today? This is the boys' dormitory. Is your evil fire acting up again?"
"So what if it's the boys' dormitory? Is there anywhere in Shrek Academy that I'm not allowed to go?" Ma Xiaotao retorted.
She was the leader of the current Seven Monsters of Shrek, a personal disciple of Dean Yan Shaogezhi, the grand-disciple of Dragon God Douluo Mu En, and a descendant of the first generation of Shrek Seven Monsters, Ma Hongjun. Her status within the academy was unparalleled. Not only could she freely enter the boys' dormitory, but she could even visit the Sea God Pavilion whenever she pleased.
"As for the evil fire, are you worried about me?" Ma Xiaotao looked at Yu Wen Tuo hopefully—if he had asked out of concern for her, she would have been overjoyed.
"Worried about you? I don't have the time. Just stay away unless absolutely necessary. In fact, it'd be best if I never saw you again in this lifetime," Yu Wen Tuo replied coldly.
"You…!" Ma Xiaotao's expression darkened immediately. While Yu Wen Tuo was always amiable with others, his demeanor toward her remained consistently distant and rejecting.
But she knew she had wronged him. For a soul master, being deprived of their golden training years between six and twelve was catastrophic—it could permanently damage one's foundation.
Moreover, Yu Wen Tuo's soul power was unique—Pure Flame. For six years, it had been corrupted by her evil fire. She suspected it might now be weaker than even the most common flame-type soul powers.
Originally, Pure Flame, though not as powerful as Extreme Flame, was still considered a high-tier soul power. Now, whether it could even maintain mid-tier strength was uncertain.
Such a deep grudge—it was only natural that he hated her.
"I've said it before: in the future, I will compensate you. I'll take care of you for the rest of your life, ensuring no one ever harms you. Once upon a time, our Tang Sect ancestor made a promise to his wife, Xiao Wu: anyone wishing to harm her would have to step over his corpse first. Yu Wen Tuo, if you stay here obediently, I can make the same promise to you!" Ma Xiaotao declared earnestly.
She didn't make promises lightly, but when she did, she stuck to them until the end.
"I don't need your promises," Yu Wen Tuo turned back and said. "Ma Xiaotao, leave. If your evil fire isn't acting up, don't come near me."
"Yu Wen Tuo, I've said everything I can, yet you remain completely unyielding, refusing to understand my intentions!" Ma Xiaotao became enraged. Her words had practically been a declaration of affection, and they had been rejected so mercilessly. How could she bear it?
With a wave of her hand, all the windows and doors in the dormitory slammed shut.
Yu Wen Tuo was startled. "Hey, you said your evil fire wasn't acting up. What are you planning now?"
"Though it hasn't acted up, there's still a trace of it left inside me. Let's see if you can help me resolve it completely over the next few days," Ma Xiaotao said as she approached Yu Wen Tuo and pushed him onto the bed.
The next morning, the sun rose high into the sky.
The fiery glow that had lit the room all night finally dimmed. This wasn't candlelight—it was the interplay of Ma Xiaotao's evil fire and Yu Wen Tuo's Pure Flame.
Ma Xiaotao's evil fire had been almost entirely neutralized. The remaining trace wouldn't affect her anymore—not even during full combat. Situations like the one in the original story where her evil fire was triggered by the Sword of Judgment wouldn't happen again.
Still, as long as the evil fire lingered, her Phoenix Soul wouldn't reach perfection. She still needed Yu Wen Tuo to purify her flames completely, transforming them into true Extreme Flame.
At that point, once she reached the Spirit Sage level, she'd be able to defeat ordinary Title Douluo warriors. Moreover, she'd enjoy the accelerated cultivation speed granted to extreme soul powers after reaching level seventy, making it easier for her to become a Title Douluo—and eventually an Ultimate Douluo.
In the morning light, two pale figures climbed off the floor. Their clothes had been burned by the intense flames the previous night, but Ma Xiaotao was already accustomed to being unclothed in front of Yu Wen Tuo. After all, they'd been like this for six years, so there was no need for modesty.
Skilled hands retrieved two sets of clothes from her storage soul conductor—one for herself and another tossed to Yu Wen Tuo. She always carried extra clothes for him in her soul conductor.
"Judging by your soul power yesterday, you're nearly at level seventy, right? Once you reach the Spirit Sage level, I believe all traces of the evil fire will be eradicated from you," Yu Wen Tuo remarked. Ma Xiaotao was undoubtedly stronger than her counterpart in the original story. Not only did she fully control her soul power, but her soul force was also exceptionally potent, having absorbed so much of Yu Wen Tuo's essence over the years.
"About that… When I reach level seventy and achieve Extreme Flame, will you let me go? By then, I won't have any value to you anymore," Yu Wen Tuo cautiously probed. Though he already had a plan to leave, it involved participating in the first Soul Master Tournament, which would take some time. He preferred an earlier escape if possible.
Upon hearing this, the blush on Ma Xiaotao's face vanished instantly. Leaning closer to Yu Wen Tuo, her breath hot against his cheek, she growled furiously, "Yu Wen Tuo, I've told you—you're never leaving. Ever. Stop dreaming of it!"
With that, Ma Xiaotao stood up and stormed out of the room, kicking the door open in anger.
"How dare he still think about leaving? Does he see me as nothing more than a tool?" Ma Xiaotao muttered under her breath as she walked.
Unlike Huo Yuhao from the original story, who was young, malnourished, and frail, Ma Xiaotao had always treated Huo Yuhao like a younger brother.
However, Yu Wen Tuo wasn't someone she could view as a child. His height and appearance resembled that of a sixteen-year-old, and his mature demeanor prevented her from seeing him as anything other than a man.
His resilience was remarkable. No matter how many times she had sabotaged him or how many setbacks he faced, he always bounced back quickly. For six consecutive years, anyone else would have given up long ago, but he remained confident and determined.
She had seen his smile—a calm acceptance of despair, yet brimming with hope for the future.
And after six years of physical intimacy, he belonged to her. How could she possibly let him go?
Ma Xiaotao believed that since she had absorbed Yu Wen Tuo's essence, she bore responsibility for his future. But Yu Wen Tuo had also benefited from her for six years, so he owed her too.
Thus, she would never let him go—never!