--- Chapter 71 ---
Huo Yuhao and Murong Qianxue faced the Shrek Academy's representatives with casual yet calm looks. They talked for three hours about Dragon Nest's training method, which made them speechless because the main thing about Dragon Nest Academy was the rivalry between students.
"That simple?" Yan Shaozhe frowned after listening to Huo Yuhao's story. "I know you guys gave our student School Points to survive there but to think it would be this dire..."
He remembered the report about Lin Dong and muttered, "It's a mad way of teaching, but definitely working. Of course, Dragon Nest Academy gave their students basic needs, and that's basic fairness. Nonetheless, if students want to grow more than others, they have to gain more School Points to get external resources."
Huo Yuhao nodded and commented, "50.000 School Points would last for two semesters or one year, but that only takes into account accessing the training ground. We have a Medicine Hall where students could buy physical refinement pills or spirit gathering pills to improve their strengths."
"We could do this because Dragon Nest is more advanced with abundant resources while other academies hid their resources only for "special." students. Dragon Nest Academy obviously has divisions, but one thing is for sure. All of our students are special."
"Dean Yan, how many students could access the special training room below Sea God Island?" A grin gradually appeared on Huo Yuhao's face because Yan Shaozhe became solemn when hearing that.
Yan Shaozhe clenched his hand and questioned, "How did you know about that?!"
"Oh, so there is a special training room there? My guess is correct, hahaha. Thanks for confirming it." Huo Yuhao chuckled and watched Yan Shaozhe's face turn pale like paper. He tricked him so easily.
"Y-You..."
Yan Shaozhe rubbed his temple because talking with this young man was tricky. He doesn't know the depth of Huo Yuhao's verbal manipulation because he can't read him at all. And those royal blue eyes seemed to always gaze straight into his soul.
"Hey, be more polite!" Ma Xiaotao demanded while frowning at the handsome young man.
Huo Yuhao shrugged and returned, "I'm more polite than you thought, Senior Xiaotao. Do you think Dragon Nest would even talk about this information with you guys? Dream on because the other faction doesn't get this special treatment. They could only grit their teeth and watch our students become stronger faster than you could do with training one Spirit Sage."
"You can take everything I say with a grain of salt, but believe me. In just a few more years, Dragon Nest would be more powerful than it was right now. And you could only watch and tremble inside your little home."
"Yuhao, what do you think about an alliance with us, Shrek Academy?" Yan Shaozhe suddenly proposed, which caused Murong Qianxue to sneer.
The Ice Demoness rolled her eyes at Yan Shaozhe's proposal and responded indifferently, "Alliance completely was formed when every faction is on equal footing. Shrek Academy cannot provide us with anything but slight entertainment. And that's no different than leeching on us."
"Do you think we didn't know Shrek Academy wanted to know about our Runes Knowledge? I bet all your researchers are hungry for it."
"Answer me, the respected dean of Shrek Academy. Can you give us something equal to ally with Dragon Nest?" Her voice was cold, and it was enough to make Ma Xiaotao shiver out of instinct.
Ma Xiaotao entered a stance because she felt threatened by Murong Qianxue, but that would be a futile attempt because even Yan Shaoze wasn't confident to fight against the Ice Demoness Douluo and win.
[Name: Murong Qianxue]
[Age: 35]
[Species: Human]
[Cultivation: Level 97/Hyper Douluo]
[Martial Soul: Onimusha of the Winter(9+)]
[Power Level: 98.9 Peak Hyper Douluo]
[Description: A cold lady with a particular fetish]
Huo Yuhao glanced at Yan Shaozhe and checked the man's status panel. And he was surprised to find out he was weaker by a large margin compared to Murong Qianxue in overall power level.
[Name: Yan Shaozhe]
[Age: 112]
[Species: Human]
[Cultivation: Level 96/Hyper Douluo]
[Martial Soul: Bright Spirit Phoenix]
[Power Level: 97/Low Hyper Douluo]
[Description: A man with love scars]
Yan Shaozhe is ironically three times older than Murong Qianxue, and Huo Yuhao found it amusing because the Dean of Shrek Academy's background is more surprising than anyone ever expected. It is told very poorly in Douluo Dalu 2's story because everything was "somewhat." rushed at the end. Still, Yan Shaozhe's grandparents can be considered the "most powerful." people on the Douluo Continent. And they are equal to Mu En at his peak.
If fate works well for Yan Shaozhe, he could become Demi-God and reach 99 with proper guidance. Well, he survived this cruel world long enough that was quite lucky of him.
"Let's talk about this again later." Huo Yuhao suddenly closed the discussion because Yan Shaozhe couldn't win with such a weak proposal. He needed other elders from the Sea God Pavilion to consider the pros and cons.
And Yan Shaozhe understood that because Murong Qianxue's cold statement made him realize Shrek Academy doesn't provide any benefits. "Very well. I'll hold a meeting in the Sea God Pavilion to discuss this matter later." He sighed in defeat.
"Let's talk about something else."
"Yuhao, You claimed there are many ways to solve my disciple's problem. Can you prove that?" He asked while staring at Huo Yuhao with a hopeful look.
"Eh?" Ma Xiaotao gasped in shock because her Martial Soul Evil Fire Phoenix had been a big problem since she was six. This hereditary sickness caused so much pain for her and even made her go insane from time to time.
Huo Yuhao leaned on the sofa because he wasn't lying when saying Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix is so easy to fix. However, there are many ways to do it.
Ma Xiaotao's ancestor, Ma Hongjun, possessed a problem with his Evil Fire Phoenix. That's why the chicken boy had to visit red-light districts continuously to keep himself from getting berserk. And a person with a strong Ice-Attributed Martial Soul is a "great." pair with him. This method worked for Ma Xiaotao, but Yan Shaozhe had been searching "suitable." partner for her, and not worked very well so far.
An immortal herb called Cockscomb Pheonix Sunflower could fix Ma Xiaotao's issue. Unfortunately, Huo Yuhao hasn't gotten that herb in the last six years because Sunset Forest's location "strictly." was hidden by Tang San. And He couldn't use Risu to detect it.
Ma Hongjun devoured a rare core from a Prehistoric beast and 2nd awakened Evil Fire Phoenix to Nine-Headed Fire Phoenix, eliminating the negative effect of his martial soul. Ma Hongjun could be considered one of the most talented people from 10.000 years ago with his powerful martial soul, but because of his laziness, he got punished when becoming a god.
There is also another way to fix Ma Xiaotao's problem, which is by accepting her dark side. It would enhance her Evil Phoenix Origin and make her talent soar even more. In the original story, she becomes the Evil Spirit Master and is powerful enough to fight known future figures.
"Ninth Heaven Rainbow Phoenix." Huo Yuhao muttered, which stunned Yan Shaozhe and Ma Xiaotao. "In theory. Anything with strong Yang or Fire Element could cleanse Ma Xiaotao Evil Fire Phoenix's Backlash."
He smiled and said, "Make your choice, Senior Xiaotao."
"Do you want to accept or cleanse your darkness? It all depends on your decision."
"Oh yeah, I only accepted rare things like Spirit Bones, Heavenly Herbs, or Rare Minerals as payment." He added while grinning at Yan Shaozhe because he would make this guy poor.
"I'll do anything to help my student." Yan Shaozhe countered firmly, but his heart would cry a few minutes later.
Ma Xiaotao slowly opened her mouth and said, "I want this darkness to disappear completely. It just gives me nothing but suffering for the past 17 years. This stupid disease always made me insufferable to even talk with my fellow students."
"I-I'm afraid they would burn to ashes when I lost control."
Yan Shaozhe shook his head because Ma Xiaotao couldn't make good relationships with others. After joining Shrek Academy for 17 years, she barely could maintain contact with her teammate because of the Evil Fire Phoenix's Backlash. Just one intense emotional trigger, enough to make her lose control.
"Qianxue, escort the dean outside. I'll start the treatment by myself." Huo Yuhao suddenly flicked his finger and created a bounded field around him. Murong Qianxue nodded and dragged Yan Shaozhe before he could even react accordingly. The last thing he could catch was Ma Xiaotao's yelp of surprise.
"Kyaa~!"
"Xiaotao!!!" He shouted desperately like a drama queen.
Murong Qianxue threw the dean on the ground and said, "Stop being so dramatic. Your student would be okay."
"If I were you, I'd worry more about your financial status after this."
Ma Xiaotao's eyes widened because Huo Yuhao released an aura of a Phoenix. She yelped in surprise because it was purer than her Evil Fire Phoenix, which shouldn't be possible. After all, Ninth Heaven Phoenix Rainbow was known as Divine Beast in the ancient record. It didn't end there because Divine Dragon's presence overwhelmed the room a second later.
"Y-You, What are you??" She asked while looking like a terrified cat or maybe a chick because she had Evil Fire Phoenix.
Huo Yuhao's face suddenly becomes solemn, like that question is a million-dollar question. It is the "once in a lifetime." moment because he hasn't done it to others yet. He walked to overshadow Ma Xiaotao with his sheer shadow and size.
He quickly changed his voice to become lower and said, "I'm Batman..."
"W-What???"
"Yey!" Huo Yuhao pumped his fist in excitement because he had fulfilled one of the secret goals.
"Anyway, let's start your treatment."
[Name: Uriel]
[Type: Extra Skill]
[Grade: SS+]
[Description: An Extra Skill that embodiment the presence of Archangel Uriel and possesses a portion of her ability, It allowed the wielder to summon her authority over Hell Flame Ignitions and Holy Power that destroy devil]
[Uriel activated]
[Demonic Judge of Fire's ability triggered because of Evil Fire Phoenix's Nature]
"Hell Flame Ignition." Huo Yuhao slowly lifted his right hand and summoned a pure white fire that burned away at any evil found in its target. And This fire won't die by normal means because of its destructive power. However, Huo Yuhao could use Thunderfire to tame it "easily." as the most powerful flame in the Dark Flame Universe is no joke. Naga would be mad if his Thunderflame lost to Uriel's Fire.
Huo Yuhao summoned the Thundefire and merged with Hell Flame Ignition, creating a flame with mainly violet and pure white color. It releases a holy draconic presence that makes anything considered Evil bend their knees on the ground.
"Senior Xiaotao?" He played around with the Divine Flame like it was a tennis ball. "You can handle heat quite well, right?"
"W-W-Wait! LET'S TALK ABOUT IT FIRST-!!" Ma Xiaotao fearfully shouted, but Huo Yuhao whistled casually and threw the flame onto her body.
"Let it BURN!"