DD2: Glory of the Unrivaled Angel

"He's gone."

Yan Shaozhe spoke softly as soon as Ling Bai's figure disappeared from sight.

Ma Xiaotao quickly glanced in the direction where Ling Bai had left when she heard this, a faint blush of what seemed like shyness appearing on her cheeks.

"Xiaotao, why didn't you tell me you couldn't suppress the evil fire in your body?"

Yan Shaozhe's brow furrowed when he saw her standing up, and his tone became more severe and reprimanding. "Do you realize that if you hadn't happened to run into Ling Bai, you might have caused a great disaster?"

"I'm sorry, Teacher. I thought I could handle it..."

In front of her teacher, Ma Xiaotao put away the fiery temper of the Evil Fire Phoenix and bowed her head like a well-behaved bird to admit her mistake.

Because she had been too eager in cultivating her spirit power, the evil fire within her had gradually spiraled out of control. By the time Ling Bai accidentally intruded, Xu Sanshi's spirit power was already nearly exhausted. She was bound to lose control that night, and Ling Bai just had the misfortune to walk into the line of fire.

Yan Shaozhe let out a long sigh. "You are my direct disciple and the first... second genius of Shrek Academy in a hundred years. If the evil fire were to ruin you, it would be a lifelong regret for me as your teacher!"

"Second?"

Ma Xiaotao keenly noticed Yan Shaozhe's change in wording. In terms of pure cultivation talent, she was even superior to Big Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan and had always been the number one genius of Shrek Academy's Inner Courtyard. Since when had she fallen to second place?

"Is there a problem?"

Yan Shaozhe glanced at her, "A dignified Spirit Emperor being completely suppressed by a Spirit Ancestor from start to finish. Ling Bai's final move, Ten Thousand Blades Radiant Glory, even amazed me.

A 4-ringed Spirit Ancestor with a yellow-purple-purple-black superior spirit ring configuration, Seraphim Martial Spirit, innate rank 20 spirit power, innate domain, a disciple of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan..."

"Teacher, please stop... He does seem to be a bit more talented than me."

Ma Xiaotao lightly bit her red lips. Only now did she realize that Ling Bai's talent, strength, and background were all so astonishing. He didn't even look fifteen!

A thought suddenly crossed her mind. She hurriedly said, "Oh, right, Teacher! My evil fire has eased somewhat, and it's also because of Ling Bai's ability!"

Yan Shaozhe raised his palm and placed it on her shoulder. A gentle light-attribute spirit power flowed through all the meridians in Ma Xiaotao's body.

After a long while, he confirmed, "In the past, we always used strong water or ice elements to suppress the Phoenix Evil Fire. But this time, the evil fire seems to have been directly eliminated. Before the evil fire invades your body again, you can cultivate and fight to your heart's content. I estimate this state can last about a year."

"Yay!"

Ma Xiaotao clenched her fists tightly. An entire year! She had never had such a long period of worry-free cultivation since her Martial Spirit awakened at the age of six. The surprise and joy made her feel like tears were welling up in her eyes!

"Teacher, why was Ling Bai able to suppress the Phoenix Evil Fire?" Ma Xiaotao asked in confusion.

She vaguely remembered Ling Bai injecting a strand of golden sword energy into her body. The sword energy rampaged through her limbs and bones, her internal organs and meridians, cutting down any trace of evil fire it encountered with unparalleled dominance.

"Silly girl, it's because of the Seraphim!"

A fiery excitement flashed in Yan Shaozhe's eyes, and his voice carried a slight tremble.

"The God-level Martial Spirit Seraphim naturally possesses the Ultimate Holy attribute. That little bit of evil fire in you is nothing before the Ultimate Holy!"

"Ultimate Holy?!"

The Seraphim was too ancient. Its disappearance over ten thousand years had caused many Spirit Masters to forget its immense power.

The Evil Fire Phoenix was already very close to Ultimate Fire, but it still fell short by a bit. That tiny gap meant an unbridgeable chasm, one that Ma Xiaotao might never be able to bridge in her lifetime.

The Holy attribute itself was an incredibly powerful attribute, far surpassing the basic elements of earth, water, wind, and fire. Martial Spirits with the Holy attribute were all top-tier, such as the Seraphim, Holy Dragon, Holy Unicorn, and so on.

If Ling Bai ever steps into the rank of Titled Douluo, Ma Xiaotao couldn't imagine who would be worthy to be his opponent.

"It's just such a pity that the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan got to him first. Otherwise, I would have found a way to bind him to the academy and groom him to be the next Sea God Pavilion Master! You could also have married him along the way and never have to worry about the evil fire flaring up uncontrollably again!"

Yan Shaozhe slapped his thigh, frustration written all over his face. How he wished Ling Bai's background was as clean as a blank sheet of paper!

After the original Shrek Seven Monsters ascended to the Divine Realm, Shrek Academy produced three individuals with Ultimate Martial Spirits over the past ten thousand years. Each of them became the Sea God Pavilion Master and led the academy during its most glorious eras. Among them, the Sea God Pavilion Master with the Ultimate Fire attribute even led the three great empires to defeat the Sun Moon Empire, unifying the two continents under the name of the Douluo Continent. This achievement left a significant mark in the annals of history.

The current Master of the Sea God Pavilion, Dragon God Douluo Mu En, had been gradually declining in health since his battle with Du Bisi. He had personally informed many elders that he had less than ten years of life remaining.

Taotie Douluo Xuan Zi's Martial Spirit had inherent flaws, and he himself, the Dean of the Martial Spirit Department, still lacked the necessary strength. Neither of them was suitable to succeed as the Master of the Sea God Pavilion. Now, with the sudden appearance of a Seraphim, he couldn't help but wonder if this was a heaven-sent successor for Shrek Academy!

"My personal matters are none of your concern!"

No matter how fiery Ma Xiaotao's temper was, she was still a maiden. Mentioning marriage inevitably brought a blush to her cheeks. She turned her head away and said haughtily:

"I would never marry someone I don't like just because of the evil fire! Besides, Teacher, don't you find it a bit strange for a Seraphim to become the Master of the Sea God Pavilion? The Spirit Hall was destroyed by our ancestors ten thousand years ago..."

"What's so strange about it?"

Yan Shaozhe retorted unhappily, "The Spirit Hall almost wiped out the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan ten thousand years ago, yet now they're embracing Ling Bai just the same! Xiaotao, remember this: there are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests!

What the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan can do, our Shrek Academy can do as well!

Since Ling Bai has enrolled in Shrek Academy, it means he doesn't harbor any great enmity toward the academy. Therefore, anything is possible!

But the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan... Jianmu Douluo..."

Yan Shaozhe paced anxiously in place. Ma Xiaotao opened her mouth but didn't know what to say. It was rare to see Yan Shaozhe so unsettled.

Her gaze followed Yan Shaozhe back and forth until she saw stars. She sighed and said, "Teacher, take your time to think. I'm going back to rest."

"Mm, alright."

Yan Shaozhe replied absentmindedly, barely registering her words.

When Ma Xiaotao returned to her residence, she noticed that the room across from hers was completely dark.

"Has he already gone to rest?"

...

Dawn split the night, welcoming the first rays of the rising sun. Along the shore of Sea God Lake, a figure gracefully descended from an ancient, towering tree.

That figure was naturally Ling Bai. The previous night's starry sky and moonlight provided a pleasant scenery. After parting ways with Yan Shaozhe and Ma Xiaotao, he hadn't returned to his room but had slept on a tree branch, using the night breeze as his pillow.

He walked toward his own small house. According to Big Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan, today a senior student would be his Inner Courtyard guide.

From a distance, he spotted a figure.

She was leaning against the door with her eyes closed, a few tiny drops of dew hanging from her long eyelashes. The morning light shone from behind her, making her beautiful, picturesque features and exquisite, curvaceous figure appear faint and ethereal, like a painting in the glow of dawn.

Ling Bai approached quietly and greeted gently:

"Hello, may I ask who you are?"

The young woman slowly opened her eyes. Her inky black pupils were as deep and serene as a cold spring. The corners of her rosy lips curved into a gentle smile:

"Greetings, Little Junior Brother. I am Han Ruoruo, your Inner Courtyard guide for today."

"Greetings, Senior Sister Han."

Han Ruoruo's eyes shimmered as she gazed at the youth's exceptionally handsome face. Her long eyelashes fluttered lightly as she blinked and said:

"Little Junior Brother, that's not fair of you. You call Lexuan 'Big Senior Sister,' but for me, it's just a regular 'Senior Sister'?"