Chapter 83: Lin Yun vs. Ma Xiaotao

"What's wrong? What's over there?" Xiao Xiao blinked, her voice filled with confusion.

Compared to Lin Yun, her eyesight wasn't as sharp. Aside from the rising mist in the distance, she couldn't see anything else.

Although she knew that the appearance of mist over Shrek Lake at this time of day was definitely not normal, with Lin Yun by her side and being within Shrek Academy, Xiao Xiao didn't feel the slightest bit of danger. Instead, she curiously craned her neck like a naive deer.

"It's nothing, just a brainless, hot-headed woman from the inner court with a big chest," Lin Yun said with a faint smile, as spirit rings began to rise from beneath his feet.

"Step back. I'm about to… no, I can't control the boiling blood in my body anymore!"

Afraid?

Not at all!

Defeating someone like Zhou Yi, a useless weakling, with three spirit rings wasn't impressive. But defeating Ma Xiaotao, a prodigy of the inner court, with three spirit rings—that would make him a true hero!

A mere Evil Fire Phoenix dares to show off in front of me, the Golden Dragon King?

Xiao Xiao was momentarily stunned. She glanced at Lin Yun's profile, then at the mist that was almost upon them, and decisively turned and ran on her short legs.

She wanted to stay and help Lin Yun, but reality was cruel. Although the gap between her and Lin Yun was only one spirit ring, they were on completely different levels. She had no place in Lin Yun's battle.

Staying here would only hold him back.

Watching Xiao Xiao decisively run away, Lin Yun nodded in satisfaction.

If Xiao Xiao had stubbornly insisted on standing by his side, he would have been utterly exasperated. This was a热血 (hot-blooded) male-oriented story, not a缠绵 (romantic) female-oriented one!

"Now then… let me see just how strong an inner court disciple of Shrek Academy really is!"

Rip!

The sleeve of Lin Yun's right arm instantly tore apart as golden dragon scales emerged from beneath his skin. His muscles and bones twisted and collided violently, eventually forming a massive golden dragon claw.

"No, this isn't enough yet!"

Clang!

The Dark Golden Claw Bear external spirit bone—Golden Dragon Claw!

Five crimson-gold blades, etched with dragon scale patterns, shot out from Lin Yun's fingers, adding an even more terrifying aura to the already fearsome dragon claw. The sharpness of the blades was so intense that even the blue silver grass beneath Lin Yun's feet was shredded into pieces.

Ah Yin: You've already earned yourself a death sentence!

Screech!

By the time Lin Yun finished his preparations, a wave of heat was already rushing toward him. Sensing the danger by the lakeside, Ma Xiaotao, whose mind was already consumed by the evil fire, let out a piercing phoenix cry. The flames around her body surged violently.

The eerie purple-red flames evaporated the surrounding mist, revealing her curvaceous figure, clad in the red inner court uniform.

This figure… way better than Wu Feng's!

Is this the natural advantage of female fire-attribute spirit masters? Does the fire attribute also promote physical development?!

Lin Yun was curious, but what he was even more curious about was how beautiful Ma Xiaotao's face, hidden behind her mask, truly was.

They say that if a woman can't see her toes when she looks down, she's a peerless beauty. Ma Xiaotao wasn't just unable to see her toes—this made Lin Yun, who had recently awakened his inner "pervert," eager to catch a glimpse of her face.

Screech!

As if sensing Lin Yun's lecherous gaze, Ma Xiaotao let out another sharp phoenix cry when they were still thirty meters apart. She spat out a cone of terrifyingly high-temperature flames from her mouth.

Phoenix Fire Line!

Facing Ma Xiaotao's powerful spirit skill, Lin Yun activated his third spirit ring. Highly compressed air exploded from his right fist.

Dragon-Shattering Fist!

Wind could either fuel fire or extinguish it. Under the air cannon formed by the Dragon-Shattering Fist, the Phoenix Fire Line instantly shattered. The cone-shaped flames dispersed into scattered sparks before vanishing into the air.

The Dragon-Shattering Fist, its momentum not yet spent, though weakened by the Phoenix Fire Line, still struck toward Ma Xiaotao.

Another piercing phoenix cry rang out as the flaming wings on Ma Xiaotao's back expanded several times in size. A surge of purple-red flames erupted from her body.

Blazing Phoenix!

Ma Xiaotao crossed her arms in front of her, gathering a large amount of flames to form a fiery shield. The flaming wings on her back abruptly folded inward.

Though her mind was nearly consumed by the evil fire, leaving her to act on instinct alone, Ma Xiaotao was still a disciple of Shrek's inner court. Even her subconscious reactions revealed her rich combat experience.

Boom—

The Dragon-Shattering Fist collided with the shield formed by Ma Xiaotao's flames and wings, instantly halting her advance. Not only that, the powerful force of the impact sent her flying backward more than ten meters through the air.

Ma Xiaotao, now flying backward, spread her wings and used the force of her flaming feathers to stabilize herself in the air.

She was furious.

Even though her rationality was gone, being pushed back head-on dealt a heavy blow to the arrogance she had cultivated over the years. The frustration only added to the burning agony of the evil fire.

Ding ding ding—

Whoosh!

A series of crisp sounds rang out, accompanied by the roar of surging flames. Ma Xiaotao's sixth spirit ring released a deep black light.

Phoenix Meteor Shower!

Countless fireballs formed behind her, locking onto Lin Yun's position before raining down like a meteor shower, truly living up to its name.

"Haha, bring it on!" Lin Yun laughed heartily. The Golden Dragon Claw on his right hand, already unleashed, shone with a sharp crimson-gold light. Five massive claw shadows appeared on his dragon claw.

External Spirit Bone Skill—Sky-Rending Dragon Claw!

The Golden Dragon Claw rose high, and with a smile on his face, Lin Yun swung it down.

Five terrifying claw shadows, seemingly capable of tearing space itself, sliced through all the Phoenix Meteors with a sonic boom. The uncontrolled meteors exploded mid-air, creating a wall of fire.

The intense heat evaporated large amounts of lake water, and the flames scorched the lush blue silver grass by the lakeside into ash.

Boom—

The next second, the wall of fire was torn apart as Ma Xiaotao flew out from the breach. Her third and fifth spirit rings glowed with purple and black light, respectively.

Phoenix Wings Soar combined with Phoenix Piercing Strike!

"Alright, enough playing around." Lin Yun raised his left hand and reached into his robe, pulling out a small emerald-green scorpion. The moment the scorpion appeared, the scorching temperature around them instantly dropped.

The nearly boiling lake water froze into ice in an eerie manner, and a cold mist rose from the lake's surface. The surrounding chaos was now covered in a thin layer of frost.

Ice Jade Scorpion—Qing'er!

(End of Chapter)

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