Chapter 55 Dispelling the Evil Fire.
Inner Courtyard!
A gentle breeze rippled across the clear, sapphire-blue surface of Sea God Lake, where the rose-gold sunset cast a dazzling, shimmering glow.
The vegetation here was almost all at least a thousand years old, some trees reaching hundreds of meters in height. Walking along the paths, the air was not only fresh but also obscured the view, creating a sense of being lost in the beauty of the landscape.
"Junior Brother Wu, what do you think of the scenery in the Inner Courtyard?" Zhang Lexuan asked with a light laugh, noticing Wu Xuan's wandering gaze.
"The scenery is naturally extremely beautiful; I'm starting to like it here," Wu Xuan replied sincerely.
"Then you must enter the Inner Courtyard soon, Junior Brother!" Zhang Lexuan smiled.
Looking at Zhang Lexuan's bright smile, Wu Xuan was momentarily captivated, then nodded, "I will!"
As the two chatted idly, a pavilion soon came into view.
It was a three-story building, brown in color, entirely made of wood, with a rustic and weathered feel. Upon closer inspection, one could see an almost oily sheen on the wood. The three-story building was only about ten meters tall, lacking any grandeur or magnificence. However, directly above the entrance on the first floor hung a black plaque with three large, gilded characters identifying it: Sea God Pavilion.
Three figures were already waiting in the center of the Sea God Pavilion:
Elder Xuan, Dean Yan Shaozhe of the Martial Soul Department, and Ma Xiaotao, dressed in red with an exceptionally striking figure.
"Elder Xuan, Dean Yan," Wu Xuan respectfully bowed to them.
Elder Xuan casually wiped the oil from his hands on his dirty clothes and approached Wu Xuan with a smile, saying, "Don't feel pressured this time in exorcising Xiaotao's evil fire. Just do your best."
"Don't worry, Elder Xuan. As long as it's a negative mental state, I'm quite confident," Wu Xuan replied.
Yan Shaozhe nodded gently to Wu Xuan upon hearing this.
Ma Xiaotao, standing to the side, scrutinized Wu Xuan closely, her beautiful pink eyes gleaming with a critical light. She never imagined that it was that gust of wind that had dispersed the pent-up evil fire within her, allowing her to be free from its torment for months.
Ma Xiaotao wasn't wearing a veil today; her beauty was comparable to Zhang Lexuan's, though their temperaments were completely opposite.
At Elder Xuan's prompting, Ma Xiaotao immediately sat cross-legged on the spot. Accompanied by a clear phoenix cry, an incredibly scorching wave of energy instantly emanated from her body, spreading outwards.
Two yellow, two purple, and two black—six perfectly matched soul rings—pulled rhythmically around Ma Xiaotao's body. After releasing her martial soul, the blush on her pretty face intensified, and a faint red glow flickered around her.
A crimson phantom of the Evil Phoenix Martial Soul rose behind Ma Xiaotao, its soul power swirling around her, making her appear bathed in crimson flames.
However, as the crimson flames continued to emanate, wisps of black flame began to emerge from within them. In that instant, Ma Xiaotao's originally flushed face began to slowly contort, her expression one of immense torment.
At this moment, Elder Xuan, Yan Shaozhe, and Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan almost simultaneously turned their gazes to Wu Xuan.
As Wu Xuan slightly raised his right hand, emerald green wind elements drifted out and gathered around him. Surrounded by the wind elements, everything around him seemed to slow down.
Yellow, purple, purple, black. Four extraordinary soul rings rose around Wu Xuan.
Wu Xuan nodded to the three, and then his first soul skill quietly lit up.
As a cool breeze gently blew from around Wu Xuan, Ma Xiaotao's appearance also began to change noticeably.
The crimson flames on her body flickered, and soon wisps of black energy began to separate from the flames around her.
Elder Xuan and the others were instantly overjoyed, for this black energy was none other than the Evil Fire from Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul!
After the last wisp of black energy dissipated from the flames surrounding Ma Xiaotao, the crimson phantom of her Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul shone even brighter, and a wave of scorching heat swept over them, its temperature clearly surpassing that of ordinary flames.
"This temperature is... the ultimate fire?!" Yan Shaozhe looked at Ma Xiaotao in disbelief.
Wu Xuan withdrew his martial soul and explained, "Dean Yan, this is the main ability of my first soul skill. It can increase the basic elemental amplification of the five elements—water, ice, fire, thunder, and wind—by ten percent."
"Senior Sister Xiao Tao's Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul already had a fire element attribute close to the realm of ultimate fire, and this ten percent attribute amplification is exactly what allowed her to transform."
"Truly worthy of being a soul skill of an ultimate martial soul, it's truly extraordinary," Yan Shaozhe remarked.
"Elder Xuan, do you think Xiao Tao's evil fire problem has been completely resolved?" Coming back to his senses, Yan Shaozhe couldn't help but ask Elder Xuan.
"Hmm! Let me examine her carefully." Elder Xuan replied, then began to carefully examine Ma Xiaotao's condition.
After a long while, Elder Xuan said in a deep voice, "Xiaotao's problem with the evil fire comes from the origin of her martial soul. It seems that the accumulated evil fire in her body has only been temporarily resolved. It shouldn't be a problem for the next month or two. However, as long as she continues to cultivate, the evil fire problem will likely reappear. But with Wu Xuan here, we can have him remove it later."
Yan Shaozhe nodded upon hearing this. The great effect of Wu Xuan's soul skill had greatly exceeded his expectations. He then took out a token from his soul tool and smiled, "Student Wu Xuan, this token is your pass to the inner academy. From now on, you can freely enter and exit the inner academy with this token."
"Thank you, Dean Yan!" Wu Xuan happily accepted the token. Although he didn't want to join the inner academy directly for the time being, he was very willing to accept the freedom of entry and exit.
"Le Xuan, take Wu Xuan back." Elder Xuan took a bite of the chicken leg in his hand and instructed.
"Yes, Elder Xuan."
"..."
Morning! Another new semester!
With the influx of new students, many unfamiliar faces appeared along the shores of Poseidon Lake.
Wu Xuan, Qian Guming, and Xiao Xiao, who was waiting for them downstairs, walked together towards their new classroom.
After a semester of getting to know each other since being assigned to different classes, Xiao Xiao's relationship with the two men, while not exactly intimate, had reached a point where they could talk about anything.
As for why Xiao Xiao's interactions with Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao had gradually decreased, Wu Xuan didn't know.
As the three were walking, two familiar figures holding hands came into view ahead.
"Yuhao!" Xiao Xiao exclaimed in surprise.
The two turned around and saw Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao.
"Xiao Xiao! Wu Xuan, Qian Guming! Long time no see!" Huo Yuhao smiled.
"Yuhao! Where did you go during the holidays? Yesterday afternoon, Wang Dong was almost crying waiting for you." Wu Xuan quickly stepped forward and playfully punched Huo Yuhao.
"You're the one who cried! Wu Xuan, I'm warning you, don't you dare slander me!" Hearing Wu Xuan tease him, Wang Dong's face immediately turned red with anger.
Huo Yuhao tugged at Wang Dong, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Of course I know that. I've already apologized to Wang Dong."
Just as Wu Xuan was about to say something, Qian Guming exclaimed, "A Level Two Soul Master badge! Huo Yuhao, you've become a Level Two Soul Master? That's impressive!"
Wu Xuan was surprised and looked Huo Yuhao up and down. Sure enough, he spotted a badge with two stars engraved on the hem of Huo Yuhao's clothes.
"Of course! My Yuhao officially became a core disciple of the Soul Guidance Department last night. He even became a disciple of Teacher Fan Yu of the Soul Guidance Department," Wang Dong said proudly, holding Huo Yuhao's hand.
Xiao Xiao, watching the two so intimately, couldn't help but shiver.
"Wow, Yuhao! Congratulations! Becoming a core disciple of the Soul Guidance Department means you can stay in the academy even if you don't pass the promotion exam," Wu Xuan congratulated.
"Yeah, yeah! We can eat your grilled fish more often now," Qian Guming teased.
"Get lost! Once Yuhao becomes a core disciple of the Soul Guidance Department, he won't be selling grilled fish at a stall anymore," Wang Dong retorted.
"Alright, Wang Dong! We're all friends, of course you can have grilled fish if you want. But Wu Xuan, you're wrong about something. I'm absolutely confident I'll pass this entrance exam," Huo Yuhao said confidently.
"Oh! Then I'll wait and see," Wu Xuan smiled indifferently.
"Hmph! This time, not only Yuhao, but even I, will definitely shock you all," Wang Dong said arrogantly.
"Let's go! If we keep chatting like this, won't we get to class?" Xiao Xiao reminded them from the side.
"Haha! That's right, let's hurry to the classroom!"
Everyone quickened their pace upon hearing this.
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(End of Chapter)