"Dean, Dean, Hongjun's evil fire has flared up again."
"Dean, please help Hongjun!"
Flander: "..."
Flander's face darkened, thinking, how can I help? Do you want me to be crippled?
"What happened? Why did the evil fire suddenly erupt?"
"Hongjun saw the village girl Cuihua and his beastly nature was unleashed."
"Hongjun, he, he's in heat..."
"Mubai, Oscar, I think you two want to practice."
Ma Hongjun had an urge to roll his eyes; these two guys were too annoying.
Ma Hongjun tried to draw the evil fire out of his body as much as possible. In broad daylight in the village, a man with such a blazing fire might frighten the villagers.
"Mubai, Oscar, you two can practice with Hongjun. It'll be good to see if you've improved this time, and you can also help him release his fire."
Flander sneered; this method could also teach these two a lesson.
"I'm here, Mu Bai, Xiao Ao!"
"My spear has been itching for action!"
Before the two could even respond, Ma Hongjun summoned his Dragon Soul Spear.
"Hundred Birds Emerge from the Nest!"
He attacked Dai Mu Bai.
"I won't use my soul skills, you two can go all out." Ma Hongjun said excitedly.
"Then let's go!"
"White Tiger, Possession!"
"Xiao Ao, get the sausages ready!"
Dai Mu Bai immediately became serious. He was currently level 28, two levels higher than Ma Hongjun, but Ma Hongjun had a thousand-year soul ring.
The two hadn't truly fought before. Although he knew he was no match for Ma Hongjun, Dai Mu Bai still wanted to see the difference.
"White Tiger Protective Shield."
"Hmph, Mu Bai, you can't protect yourself. Be careful, my spear is specifically designed to break through qi!"
"Poison Dragon Drill!"
A cold light flashed on Ma Hongjun's Dragon Soul Spear, striking Dai Mu Bai's shield like a poisonous dragon attacking.
"White Tiger Blazing Light Wave!"
"Hundred Birds Echo!"
The two collided, and a powerful shockwave erupted, knocking Oscar to the ground.
Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai were locked in a fierce battle. Dai Mubai had two soul skills enhancing his abilities, while Ma Hongjun, fighting alone, held his own. Fueled by his evil fire, Ma Hongjun fought with increasing ferocity, putting Dai Mubai at a significant disadvantage.
"I have a giant sausage!"
"I have a giant sausage!"
"Brother Dai, catch!"
Oscar created two more giant sausages and tossed them to Dai Mubai, who caught them without hesitation and popped them both into his mouth.
Flander watched all this with a smile.
Oscar became even more excited and created three more giant sausages in one go.
The commotion outside attracted Zhao Wuji and the other four teachers.
They all knew Ma Hongjun's strength level—a yellow-purple soul ring—but this was the first time they had witnessed Ma Hongjun's actual combat abilities.
Zhao Wuji exclaimed in surprise, "This... Mu Bai is completely being humiliated!"
Shao Xin, a food-type soul master, first looked at Oscar, then at Dai Mu Bai, and then smiled with satisfaction, saying, "Mu Bai finally ate Oscar's sausage."
"Yeah, but Ma Hongjun is so strong, he didn't even use his soul skills." Lu Qibin sighed in agreement.
Li Yusong stroked his beard and praised, "He's really strong, like he's taken an aphrodisiac."
Flander narrowed his eagle eyes, looked at Li Yusong, and nodded.
"Old Li, good eye, you hit the nail on the head."
The four of them didn't know about Ma Hongjun's evil fire problem, but Li Yusong guessed correctly.
The Dragon Soul Spear's attack was too strong; even with Oscar's sausage support, Dai Mu Bai couldn't withstand it.
Soon, many small holes appeared on Dai Mu Bai's body. This was only because Ma Hongjun held back, not using any ruthless moves or targeting his vital points.
However, fighting Dai Mu Bai like this, without going all out, really couldn't solve the evil fire problem.
Flander immediately saw the problem and turned to Li Yusong, saying,
"Old Li, go down and spar with Hongjun."
"What?! Old Cathawk, are you sure?"
"Yes, go ahead, just don't use your soul skills."
"Nonsense, I need to use my soul skills to deal with this kid."
Li Yusong summoned his Dragon Pattern Staff, struck out with it, repelling Ma Hongjun, and stood in front of Dai Mubai.
"Mubai, you go down, I'll play with him."
"Okay, Teacher Li, be careful then."
"Kid, do I need to be careful?"
"Oh!"
Dai Mubai retreated, withdrawing his martial spirit. His clothes were ripped to shreds, and his body was covered in numerous wounds of varying sizes.
Shao Xin walked over, conjuring a few green candies in his hand.
"Mubai, eat them!"
"Thank you, Teacher Shao."
Oscar also retreated back to the battlefield.
Ma Hongjun's fighting spirit soared, his internal power surging like a volcano, impossible to suppress any longer.
Flames appeared in his hands, spreading across his spear.
"Perfect timing, take this!"
The silver spear, covered in flames, transformed into a crimson flame spear.
In Ma Hongjun's hands, it was like a fire dragon, agile yet ferocious.
The Dragon Soul Spear and the Dragon Pattern Staff clashed in mid-air, a spectacular battle unfolding.
Li Yusong had lived for sixty years, his time immersed in staff techniques exceeding Ma Hongjun's combined lifespan. His understanding of staff techniques was equally profound, allowing him to unleash formidable power even without soul skills.
His staff techniques were extremely domineering, employing simple and effective moves, devoid of any frills, each strike purposeful and efficient.
With his experience in spear fighting from two lifetimes and the exquisite mastery of the three major spear techniques, Ma Hongjun, though not as strong as Li Yusong, handled the situation with ease. Especially with the Hundred Birds Playing with the Phoenix movement technique, he could even find opportunities to counterattack amidst Li Yusong's ferocious attacks.
Most importantly, facing Li Yusong, he didn't need to hold back; he could fight without restraint, treating Li Yusong like a spirit beast.
That's what made the battle truly exciting.
Li Yusong grew increasingly alarmed as the battle progressed, thinking that this kid was truly on steroids, growing stronger with each fight.
What worried him most was the strong adhesive power of Ma Hongjun's flames. Every time spear and staff clashed, the dragon-patterned staff would be imbued with the flames from the spear, requiring him to expend considerable spirit power to extinguish the malevolent flames.
The battle in the arena grew increasingly intense. Li Yusong's staff techniques were domineering, but Ma Hongjun's malevolent fire erupted, making his spear techniques even more domineering, ferocious, and savage.
Lu Qibin, who was originally the calmest one, whose martial soul was the Starry Chess, and whose cultivation emphasized a calm mind, was now also losing his composure. He looked at Flander and said, "Dean, you've really brought back a monster this time."
Flander chuckled, didn't reply, and continued watching the two fight.
"Haha, Old Li, are you up to it?"
"Old Li, I think you're really getting old, you can't even lift a stick anymore."
"Hmph, Zhao Wuji, all you do is talk nonsense, why don't you give it a try?"
"Haha, alright, I'll give it a try, it's been a long time since I've fought. My hands are really itching."
Zhao Wuji jumped up and punched between Ma Hongjun and Li Yusong, separating the two.
Then he took over the fight with his bare hands from Li Yusong and Ma Hongjun.
"You're just in time, I love fighting bears!"
"Good lad, you're arrogant enough, come and taste my fists."
Li Yusong put away his Dragon Pattern Staff and quickly retreated. Of course, he wasn't unable to beat Ma Hongjun, but if the fight continued, he might really not be able to hold on and would have to use his soul skill.
"It would be truly shameful for a Soul Emperor to fight a Grand Soul Master and even use Soul Skills. "
Li Yusong walked up to Oscar and said,
"Give me a sausage, a big one!"
Oscar: "Oh!"
"I have a big sausage!"
Zhao Wuji's burly body was truly like a giant bear.
"Kid, try the taste of bear paws."
Zhao Wuji's huge hand slapped over, and Ma Hongjun quickly activated the Hundred Birds Playing with Phoenix Body Technique, finding a position to avoid his large hand.
He couldn't take it head-on; if he were hit, Zhao Wuji's power would be enough to send him flying outside the village.
Ma Hongjun leaned back, his knees sliding to the ground, missing Zhao Wuji's hand.
"Hundred Birds Returning."
"Returning Spear!"
In that instant, Ma Hongjun unleashed two spear techniques.
The Dragon Soul Spear pierced into Zhao Wuji's armpit, a weak point in his defense.
"What a cunning kid, but unfortunately, you underestimated my defense."
This spear failed to penetrate.
Ma Hongjun quickly retreated, but Zhao Wuji still swept the spear shaft with his foot, sending him flying.
Ma Hongjun regained his footing, a slight smile playing on his lips. "The spear didn't pierce in, but the fire stayed."
Zhao Wuji felt a burning pain. Looking down, he saw a small flame burning under his armpit. His armpit hair had been burned away, but the flame still hadn't extinguished. The adhesion was incredibly strong.
The onlookers were secretly chuckling, especially Li Yusong, who was gloating.
"Such a malevolent flame!" Zhao Wuji exclaimed in amazement.
Ma Hongjun smiled and said, "So, Teacher Zhao, you'd better be careful. I have many flames; your bear fur can't withstand the heat."
"Good lad, I'll play with you properly. Unleash all your flames, use all your soul skills—the more powerful the better!"
Zhao Wuji's interest was piqued, and his Martial Soul, the Mighty Vajra Bear, activated, instantly extinguishing the flames under his armpits.
Ma Hongjun's flames, no longer suppressed, ignited instantly, transforming him back into the Flame Boy.