Chapter 111: Three Options

Ma Xiaotao opened her eyes once more.

Just a moment ago, she was fiercely arguing with her teacher, faces flushed with anger. But now, she found herself by the Sea God Lake again, surrounded by thick, pearl-white mist. Beneath her was scorched earth still radiating heat from the Phoenix Evil Fire.

The scene before her was almost an exact replica of that previous incident. And standing right in front of her was a red-haired boy, staring coldly in her direction—Ma Xiaotao almost thought he was a vengeful spirit come to claim her life.

"I'm sorry!!! It's all my fault! My power went out of control, and that's why you lost your life... I know apologizing now won't change anything, but I'll do everything in my power to make it up to your family—"She had rehearsed these words countless times, and they rolled off her tongue without a second thought.

Then, she realized something was wrong.

The red-haired boy was wearing the white school uniform of a Shrek Academy first-year student. His features were quite handsome, but not in the rugged style she preferred. Instead, he had a gentle, refined appearance.

Perched on his shoulder was a fluffy bird. Its black feathers gleamed in the sunlight with a magnificent luster. From pale gold-green to violet, the colors shifted depending on the angle. Its belly was a creamy yellow, and its tail ended in a sharp point. A pair of beady, black eyes were fixed on Ma Xiaotao.

A swallow? Ma Xiaotao recognized the bird.

It felt odd to her. Swallows weren't known to be close to humans—she had never heard of anyone taming one. Legends said that these birds never touched the ground. They might rest on treetops or under eaves but never on a human's shoulder.

And the boy... There was something in his molten gold eyes—majestic scrutiny and evaluation.

A chill ran down Ma Xiaotao's spine. Not even Yan Shaozhe, in his most furious state, had ever made her feel such piercing pressure.

It was a fearsome aura, something no eleven- or twelve-year-old boy should possess.

Stranger still, behind the red-haired boy, the ground and vegetation were completely untouched by fire. The area behind him was perfectly intact, sharply contrasting with the scorched earth beneath her.

It was as if her Phoenix Fire had halted in reverence at the boy's feet.

Ma Xiaotao stared at him as she slowly stood up. Though still bewildered, her instincts made her movements cautious and guarded.

Wang Rui watched her reaction and smiled, clearly pleased. Creatures driven by intuition were easy to deal with—once they knew fear, everything else would go smoothly.

Bai Chenxiang, on the other hand, looked at him in disdain, clicking her sharp beak in annoyance. "He's supposed to be a big cat, so how can he suddenly act like a fox wagging its tail?" she thought.

"Ma Xiaotao, you're lucky this time. You met me, so nothing bad happened," Wang Rui said meaningfully. "If someone else had been here, you'd have woken up to find charred bones."

Even if Ma Xiaotao were slow to catch on, she'd have realized everything just now was an incredibly vivid dream, and this was the real world.

She looked at Wang Rui, suspicion and unease evident in her gaze. "Just now, that was you—"

"Your martial soul has some serious issues," Wang Rui interrupted casually, his tone light. "A friend of mine asked me to help you out. In her honor, I can offer a way for you to continue cultivating normally. Want to hear it?"

Ma Xiaotao hesitated for a moment, then responded with a hint of resignation, "I'll listen."

"What I'm about to tell you is quite sensitive, tied to certain secrets about the forces behind me. I need you to swear that you won't reveal any of today's events to anyone."

"Alright, I swear," Ma Xiaotao answered without hesitation. She was curious about what this strange red-haired boy had to say.

The moment the words left her mouth, she felt something invisible binding her.

An inexplicable thought appeared in her mind: if she broke this oath, she would face severe consequences.

Ma Xiaotao's eyes widened in shock as she stared at Wang Rui.

"Don't look at me like that. Didn't your teacher ever tell you not to make casual oaths?" Wang Rui shrugged. "Especially not oaths to fate."

Binding the oath to fate and linking it to karma—such a trick was all too easy for him.

"Nope. But now I know," Ma Xiaotao muttered.

"Ow!" Wang Rui suddenly let out an exaggerated yelp—though it looked like he was just acting. The swallow on his shoulder had yanked his hair.

"Alright, enough teasing," he said, waving his hand. "Your problem isn't that hard to solve, but it won't come free. I can give you three options."

"Option one: I help you elevate your power to the pinnacle of Ultimate Fire and provide you with an compatible hundred-thousand-year spirit ring and a hundred-thousand-year spirit bone."

Ma Xiaotao gasped. At her level, she clearly understood the rarity of a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring. But she didn't speak immediately—there was no such thing as a free lunch. Such valuable conditions would surely come with a heavy price.

Sure enough, Wang Rui continued, "The cost is that you'll sell yourself to me and work for me from now on. But I consider myself a decent boss and never mistreat my subordinates, so I strongly suggest you think about it.

"The second option: I'll purify the evil energy in your body, turning your Phoenix Evil Fire into a normal flame suitable for cultivation. The price? Once you reach the rank of Titled Douluo, you'll work for me for thirty years."

Wang Rui observed Ma Xiaotao's expression closely and raised an eyebrow. She was waiting for the third option, displaying impressive resolve.

"As for the third... I won't handle the Evil Fire for you, but I'll point you toward a path. Whether you succeed depends entirely on yourself. Since this option isn't guaranteed, it's half business, half charity—I only need you to do three tasks for me."

Before he even finished speaking, Ma Xiaotao decisively said, "I choose the third."

"Aren't you going to reconsider?"

She shook her head. "The first two options are generous, but Dean Yan raised me. I owe him too much, and I still need to repay him. I can't serve you for life."

"Well, I'm impressed."

Regardless of whether Ma Xiaotao could fulfill his requirements, her value as Ma Hongjun's descendant and Bai Chenxiang's interest made her a useful pawn on the chessboard. Wang Rui knew the Three-Eyed Golden Lion would not lose out in the end.

"Tell me about your martial soul. Do you realize your problem is much worse than your ancestor's?"

"I've been suppressing it for years..." Ma Xiaotao hesitated.

"No." Wang Rui let out a disdainful snort. "You've been misled by Shrek Academy—or rather, they simply don't understand the situation. Back then, Ma Hongjun, your ancestor, had a very different issue with his Evil Fire. His Phoenix Evil Fire was purplish-red. But what color are your flames?"

Dark red, or perhaps even blackish-red, Ma Xiaotao thought to herself. If what he was saying was true... dark red flames were far more ominous than purplish-red ones.

"Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire manifested as an extraordinary level of, let's say, desire in matters of the opposite sex. If he didn't find an outlet, the power inside him would explode. But tell me, do you ever feel the urge to just jump on a handsome guy when you see one?" Wang Rui asked, his face completely neutral.

Ma Xiaotao was stunned. She looked like she was struggling to accept how someone with such a refined face could say something so... vulgar.

"No," she replied stiffly.

"Your desire is for destruction and annihilation. You won't self-destruct—you just lose all reason, attacking and destroying everything around you." Wang Rui's voice softened. "What's inside you isn't desire; it's despair and madness... You want to burn the entire world down with your black flames. This is entirely different from Ma Hongjun's problem."

"The original Evil Fire Phoenix was indeed a mutated martial soul, but as generations passed, your ancestors' training conditions improved... the bloodline they passed down became more stable, and the desires within the Evil Fire also weakened. So, have you ever wondered why your problem is so much worse?"

"Let's assume someone with overwhelming desires constantly suppresses them. At worst, they'd probably become depraved maniacs—not someone who wants to destroy the entire world, right? This means that the negative factor in your martial soul doesn't come from your bloodline. There's only one other possibility."

Ma Xiaotao opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but then closed it again.

"Your situation is much closer to that of an evil spirit master in the strictest sense." Wang Rui stroked his chin. "A martial soul is called that for a reason—part of it is tied to one's bloodline, but another part is linked to the soul itself. The most extreme example I know of is a woman whose martial soul had no connection to evil spirits. But when the hatred in her heart reached its peak, her martial soul mutated into a so-called 'evil martial soul' called the 'Spirit of Vengeance.'"

"From what I understand, negative emotions trigger the negative aspects of a martial soul. For example, if someone's martial soul carries a hidden tendency for corruption, strong negative emotions could activate that tendency. Conversely, if someone's martial soul has no such inclination, intense negative feelings could still cause it to mutate."

"Ma Xiaotao," Wang Rui's voice grew heavy, "are you sure you haven't lost any memories?"

Staring into his cold, golden eyes, Ma Xiaotao suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.

As for why Yan Shaozhe was taking so long to arrive...It was because the auspicious aura from the Three-Eyed Golden Lion made his luck so bad that he went the wrong way.

(End of Chapter)