Morning.
Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao stepped out of the room. Yan Shaozhe had already left.
Zhu Ziyang looked utterly exhausted. After enduring such high tension, his body finally relaxed, and the overwhelming fatigue followed right after. Along with his soul power being completely depleted, a deep sense of emptiness settled in. Right now, all he wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep.
By contrast, Ma Xiaotao's complexion was vibrant. She exuded an unprecedented sense of lightness and joy. Her pink eyes sparkled with delight, excitement, and exhilaration. The medicinal power of the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower was tremendously strong—it had completely eradicated the evil flame that had once invaded her very bones. Her Martial Soul no longer bore the corrupted name of Evil Phoenix. Now, it was a true, super-class Martial Soul: the Fire Phoenix.
Yes, with the expulsion of the corrupted force, Ma Xiaotao's Martial Soul now possessed a true ultimate fire attribute.
At present, Ma Xiaotao's soul power had reached Rank 64. The leftover medicinal force from the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower had raised her by two entire levels.
"Ziyang, little brother, I owe you more and more, don't I?" Ma Xiaotao wrapped her arm around Zhu Ziyang's shoulders affectionately, her pink eyes glowing with charm.
"Heh, don't worry about it. Between us, why even talk about debts?" Zhu Ziyang smiled, but an involuntary image of what he saw when he woke earlier flickered in his mind. His blood stirred a bit from the memory, and he quickly shook his head to get rid of the thought.
"Sister Xiaotao, I'm going back to rest. I'll see you this afternoon."
"Oh, right!" Ma Xiaotao nodded immediately. "You should go. I want to take some time to explore the changes in my Martial Soul."
"Bye, Sister Xiaotao." Zhu Ziyang turned and headed back toward his room.
"Ziyang," Ma Xiaotao suddenly called out behind him. "I apologize on behalf of my teacher."
"Sister Xiaotao, this wasn't your fault," Zhu Ziyang paused for a moment, then shook his head without turning around. "I don't want to talk about it right now."
Zhu Ziyang left. Ma Xiaotao stood in place and let out a long sigh.
They weren't fools. How could they not realize this had all been part of Yan Shaozhe's scheme?
The Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower's medicinal effect was indeed intense, but with Ma Xiaotao's strength and willpower, she could have absorbed it alone. However, the medicine had turned violent, so violent that she couldn't suppress it by herself and needed Zhu Ziyang's help to tame it.
That was too much of a coincidence—it felt precisely like a premeditated trap.
And it was. A trap laid with almost no effort to hide its purpose. After taming the Sunflower's power together, both Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao discovered a trace of soul power that had caused the outburst—a thread imbued with both light and phoenix aura. That kind of soul power left no doubt as to its owner.
They both knew exactly what Yan Shaozhe intended. He had never given up on pairing the two of them. This time, he even tried to force the issue by driving them into intimacy. Had Zhu Ziyang not been calm enough, they really might have walked straight into the trap.
Zhu Ziyang now understood why Mu En had become so disappointed in Yan Shaozhe.
To achieve his own ends, Yan Shaozhe had been willing to use even his own disciple, exploiting such a crucial turning point in Ma Xiaotao's cultivation to provoke a reaction from the Sunflower and lure Zhu Ziyang into taking action. Although he had maintained control over the situation, making sure Ma Xiaotao wasn't harmed, what should have been a smooth process turned arduous and painful.
Zhu Ziyang's opinion of Yan Shaozhe had fallen to rock bottom. Compared to him, even Xuanzi was more respectable—at least Xuanzi was merely foolish, while Yan Shaozhe's thoughts were impure.
Back in his cabin, Zhu Ziyang collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep almost instantly. Soon, his light snoring echoed in the room.
—
Meanwhile, Ma Xiaotao found Yan Shaozhe.
"Teacher, why did you do that?" she asked angrily.
"Xiaotao, I did it for your own good!" Yan Shaozhe looked bitter as he responded. He had thought his disciple would understand him, but in the end, he realized he was alone.
"Hoo…" Ma Xiaotao tried to calm herself and spoke with pleading in her voice. "Teacher, I understand your intentions. But please, stop interfering in matters between Ziyang and me. Can you do that?"
Yan Shaozhe stared at her blankly. His gaze was complex. After a long silence, he finally nodded slowly.
"Alright. I promise. I won't interfere between you two anymore."
"Thank you, Teacher." Ma Xiaotao visibly relaxed. A trace of guilt appeared on her face. "I was too harsh just now. Please forgive me."
"It's nothing," Yan Shaozhe waved his hand and gave a self-deprecating smile. "You're more decisive than I am. Sometimes I think maybe Lin'er should be your teacher, not me."
"Teacher, I—" Ma Xiaotao started, trying to comfort him.
"No need," Yan Shaozhe interrupted her. "Let's test your Martial Soul now."
"Alright," Ma Xiaotao nodded helplessly.
—
When Zhu Ziyang woke up, it was already one in the afternoon.
He immediately sat up and checked his condition. After helping Ma Xiaotao absorb the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, he had also gained some benefits. First, his soul power had advanced to Rank 53, thanks to the medicinal aura that had dispersed from Ma Xiaotao during the process.
But beyond that, the greatest gain was the improvement in his ultimate ice.
His ice element affinity had surpassed 95, and the ultimate talent tied to it had finally revealed itself. Ultimate Ice had one innate gift, while Ultimate Light had two—this alone showed the gap between high-level elements like light and more common elements like ice.
The innate gift of Ultimate Ice was called Ice Might. It was a passive aura field. When Zhu Ziyang activated his Heavenly Frost Holy Dragon Martial Soul, the field would radiate from his body, mentally intimidating all nearby life forms. They would experience fear, losing the courage to launch attacks against him.
It was similar to a dragon's aura, especially effective against ice-element creatures. For others, it depended on Zhu Ziyang's overall strength.
"I could combine this with Monarch Over The World," Zhu Ziyang rubbed his chin and quickly devised ways to use Ice Might. He nodded with satisfaction.
"Lord Ziyang, you're awake!" Xingcai, who had been quietly waiting in the room for some time, ran over. Her eyes sparkled with affection and reverence. She nuzzled her head against him and chirped happily.
"Ah, long time no see, Xingcai!" Zhu Ziyang smiled warmly and stroked her fur. "So you've completed your secluded training. Looks like you've made progress!"
Half a year ago, Xingcai had gone into seclusion beneath the Golden Ancient Tree—an opportunity Zhu Ziyang had personally given her.
Now she was back, and her cultivation had reached 5,000 years. She had finally grown out of her infancy and entered adolescence. Her height and size were now nearly equal to her mother's. After reaching this phase, a Star Radiance Unicorn's body would stop growing—only the horn on their forehead and the wings on their back would continue to mature.
"Mhm!" Xingcai nodded excitedly. "I've cultivated to five thousand years! I can now beat ten of my old selves!"
"Hahaha, that's amazing!" Zhu Ziyang laughed heartily, then a thought suddenly occurred to him. If he sent Xingcai into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, wouldn't that unique environment also work wonders for her? One year inside equals ten years outside. With her bloodline talent, couldn't she reach ten thousand years of cultivation in just a decade?
The idea took root in his heart. He decided that once he had enough strength to command the immortal herbs inside the Well, he would send Xingcai there immediately for training.
"Come on, let's go for a ride!" Zhu Ziyang said, standing up and patting Xingcai's head.
Overjoyed, Xingcai quickly followed him. Zhu Ziyang mounted her back, and the two of them dashed across Sea God Lake, galloping across the lakeside grasslands.
(End of Chapter)
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