The next morning, after having breakfast in the cafeteria, Huo Yuhao bypassed the freshman teaching building and walked eastward along the southern side of Shrek Square. Before long, he arrived at a small path beside Sea God Lake.
Passing through the forest by the path, the shimmering Sea God Lake unfolded before his eyes.
The lake water was exceptionally clear, the azure blue water sparkling like blue silk, and the gentle breeze created ripples on the surface.
A soft mist mixed with fresh air greeted him, and the lake reflected the blue sky, white clouds, and the lush green trees on its banks. The scenery was truly enchanting.
However, despite the beautiful scenery, Huo Yuhao had no interest in appreciating it. He walked slowly along the path by the lake, his eyes suddenly flashing with a red glow as he turned to look at the island in the center of Sea God Lake.
"They're here!"
Huo Yuhao's eyes shone with red light as he looked in that direction. A red figure was skimming over the water, shooting toward Huo Yuhao.
Those dressed in red uniforms were inner court disciples of Shrek Academy, and there was only one person who would appear at this time, Ma Xiaotao!
As she got closer, Huo Yuhao could see her more clearly. Not only were her clothes red, but her hair was also blood-red. She had a tall, slender figure, but exuded a fierce aura, like a terrifying soul beast. She wore a red mask on her face, and even her eyes were blood-red.
The air around her was slightly distorted, and where she passed, a mist of water rippled beneath her feet.
"This little girl's flames are interesting, but they seem to carry a hint of darkness. The key is that she is very afraid of this dark power, not accepting its presence, which causes her to lose her sanity due to its backlash."
The voice of Yao Lao rang out in Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea.
Even Tianmeng (Sky Dream Iceworm) was awakened and hurriedly asked Huo Yuhao, "Yuhao, do you need my help?"
"No, Tianmeng, I need the flames on her body," Huo Yuhao shook his head and said. "Teacher, can her flames be considered a special beast fire, used to upgrade the Burning Technique (Fen Jue)?"
"Indeed, but even if you use the Burning Technique to devour all her current flames, it would only condense a small flame seed in your body. You must continuously devour her flames or use some fire-attribute treasures to nurture it, allowing the seed to grow for the Burning Technique to absorb," Yao Lao replied.
"Is that so?" A smile appeared on Huo Yuhao's lips. "Don't worry, Teacher. I won't need to chase her; she will come to me, asking me to absorb her flames."
A terrifying heatwave swept over, and an incredibly violent and frenzied aura erupted from Ma Xiaotao.
Huo Yuhao felt as if he were covered by a sea of fire, and all the vegetation within a few dozen meters around him instantly turned yellow and scorched.
Ma Xiaotao seemed to have noticed Huo Yuhao's presence, and a massive flaming handprint condensed and shot directly toward him.
Just as Huo Yuhao was about to be engulfed by the flaming giant hand, the black ring he wore on his hand suddenly emitted a small wisp of white flame.
But just this tiny flame transformed the area within a hundred meters into a world of ice and snow, even freezing a part of Sea God Lake.
Feeling the terrifying chill, a loud phoenix cry erupted from Ma Xiaotao's body.
A giant fire phoenix hovered behind her, with six soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and two black—circling her body, showcasing her Soul Emperor level strength.
Among her six soul rings, the second, third, and sixth rings lit up simultaneously, and the flames behind her turned dark red. A thin, finger-like fire line shot from the fire phoenix's mouth.
"Well, the destructive power is not great, but the display is quite impressive," Yao Lao chuckled in Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea.
Under Yao Lao's control, the small white flame expanded suddenly, transforming into a thin flame membrane. It easily shattered the fire line from the fire phoenix and then enveloped Ma Xiaotao.
Ma Xiaotao was completely frozen by the bone-chilling cold, unable to make any resistance.
"Do it now, Yuhao, this is the perfect time."
Huo Yuhao nodded, activating his Flame God's Eye martial soul. The pale yellow soul power within him began to circulate as he used the Burning Technique to devour the flames within Ma Xiaotao.
Since Ma Xiaotao was unable to use her soul power to resist, Huo Yuhao's devouring speed was extremely fast. Within just a few breaths, he had completely devoured the Phoenix Evil Fire within Ma Xiaotao's body.
The Phoenix Evil Fire, which had driven Ma Xiaotao insane, was as quiet as a well-behaved child before the Burning Technique, without any disturbance. The crimson eyes of Huo Yuhao's Flame God's Eye martial soul also faintly glowed a dark red.
"Yuhao, someone is coming," Yao Lao reminded.
"Yes, Teacher, I'm done here. Could you please knock me out before you leave?"
Yao Lao sighed helplessly. In all his years, he had never heard such a request.
However, he understood that Huo Yuhao wanted to pretend he knew nothing in front of the incoming people. So, the white flame turned into a fist the size of a sandbag, knocking Huo Yuhao out cold before being retracted back into the black ring.
Soon, over a dozen figures arrived at an astonishing speed, reaching the shore of Sea God Lake in just a few blinks of an eye.
The aftermath of Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire backlash was quickly handled. Huo Yuhao then feigned ignorance, waking up with a bewildered expression.
Upon opening his eyes, he saw a middle-aged man in white standing before him.
"You are safe now. Please forget what you just saw, or you will be expelled from the academy," the middle-aged man in white said flatly.
Huo Yuhao secretly sneered. Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire backlash was not the first time, and previous victims did not have his extraordinary abilities.
Judging by the teacher's attitude, it seemed that if an outer court disciple was killed by Ma Xiaotao, it was their bad luck, and they would only receive some compensation at best. However, if anything happened to Ma Xiaotao, Shrek Academy would not take it lightly.
After all, the original story's Soul Master Academy competition was an example. On the battlefield, they openly and deliberately killed members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy and the Holy Spirit Cult. But if anyone on their side was hurt, even the 98th-level Bright Phoenix Douluo and the Deputy Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion would personally demand compensation.
Despite the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy and the Holy Spirit Cult having many soul masters and two ultimate Douluo backing them, they never caused any trouble for Shrek, which was quite ironic.
Villains lose because they care about their reputation, while Shrek wins because they are shameless.
"I understand. So what compensation will the academy give me?" Huo Yuhao extended his hand and asked the middle-aged man in white calmly.
The middle-aged man in white frowned, clearly displeased by Huo Yuhao's cold attitude.
However, he was there to handle the aftermath and could not afford to escalate the situation.
Taking a deep breath, the middle-aged man in white tossed a green object to Huo Yuhao, saying, "This Soul Ascension Pill is the academy's compensation to you. I believe you are smart enough to keep your mouth shut."
With that, the middle-aged man in white rose into the air and flew towards Sea God Lake.
"Go to class. Remember, forget everything you just saw."
Huo Yuhao nodded and looked at the Soul Ascension Pill in his hand, a smile appearing on his face.
Indeed, causing trouble once is satisfying, but causing trouble all the time is even more satisfying. This time, it seemed that his strength was about to skyrocket.