Douluo Continent: I, Long Aotian, will not be a supporting character.

Ma Xiaotao's powerful breakthrough when her evil fire erupted, combined with Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's two top-tier martial soul fusion skills that delivered a fatal blow, caused a stunning reversal of the situation on the field in an instant.

The Shrek Academy team, which was originally on the verge of defeat, broke through the encirclement from the brink of defeat and completed this epic comeback, defeating the powerful Star Luo Empire Royal Academy team and successfully advancing to the finals of the competition, thus securing the top two spots in this continental elite competition.

This thrilling victory sent the entire audience into a frenzy, with a deafening roar that nearly lifted the dome of the arena.

Everyone was immersed in the shock and excitement of Shrek Academy's comeback from the brink of defeat. They all marveled at how Shrek Academy truly deserved to be the number one academy on the continent with a history of ten thousand years. Its foundation was unfathomable, and even in such a perilous situation on the verge of defeat, it was able to turn the tide and win.

However, amidst the cheers and praises, Long Aotian merely watched coldly, a disdainful sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.

In his view, although Shrek Academy achieved this seemingly glorious victory in the semi-finals, there was a huge hidden danger behind it that could completely destroy the Shrek team. And the fuse that ignited this hidden danger was Ma Xiaotao, who made a "great contribution" in this battle.

Throughout this continent-wide competition, this wasn't the first time Ma Xiaotao had deliberately ignited the raging evil fire within her in order to win.

While the eruption of evil fire can amplify the destructive power of the phoenix fire to the extreme in a short period of time, pushing Ma Xiaotao's combat power to its peak and giving her terrifying strength to crush her opponents, the price behind it is extremely heavy, and it can even be said to be drinking poison to quench thirst.

Each time she actively ignited the evil fire, it meant that the domineering power of the evil fire would deeply erode Ma Xiaotao's meridians and soul, and the evil energy in her body would continue to accumulate and settle, like a bone-deep carbuncle that could not be expelled from her body.

If this continues, her mind, the source of her soul power, and even the foundation of her martial soul will be continuously corroded by this evil energy, and the speed of her decline will only accelerate.

Moreover, in this timeline, without the suppression and guidance of Huo Yuhao's extreme ice from the original work, the evil fire within Ma Xiaotao's body was already in a critical state that was becoming increasingly serious and could get out of control at any time.

What is most regrettable and ironic is that, in addition to Ma Xiaotao's own strong competitive spirit and her obsessive fighting will, this dangerous situation was also caused by the indulgence and tacit approval of Xuanzi, the "Supreme Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult".

As the mentor leading Shrek Academy, and a level 98 Super Douluo, how could Xuanzi not know the enormous harm that the Evil Fire outbreak would cause to Ma Xiaotao?

He knew better than anyone that every time he ignited the evil fire, he was pushing her one step closer to the abyss of becoming an evil soul master.

But every time Ma Xiaotao ignited her evil fire, with her body surrounded by terrifying black flames, Xuanzi not only did not speak up to stop her, but also did nothing at all.

Xuanzi was so eager for Shrek Academy's victory that, in order to maintain Shrek Academy's glory and reputation for ten thousand years, and in order for Shrek to continue to advance in the battles against other academies, this old man, who could be called the pillar of Shrek, chose the most selfish option of turning a blind eye.

He clearly had the ability to intervene, even just slightly suppressing the restless evil fire within Ma Xiaotao's body would have alleviated much of her pain.

But he didn't. He just stood at the edge of the rest area, watching Ma Xiaotao exhaust her life in exchange for strength amidst painful screams.

When Ma Xiaotao's face was contorted by the backlash of evil fire on the field, Xuanzi simply closed his eyes instinctively, as if all the sacrifices were justified as long as the scales of victory tipped in Shrek's favor. This silent indulgence was more cruel than any action, gradually cutting off Ma Xiaotao's path back.

In the original storyline, Ma Xiaotao was ultimately driven to madness by Ma Rulong's Judgment Sword from the Sun Moon Team during the finals, causing her to inevitably fall into the trap of becoming an evil soul master. She then openly lost control on the field, cruelly killing her opponent. However, in this particular competition, the Sun Moon Team had already been defeated by the Imperial Academy and was eliminated from the remaining matches, thus the direct cause of the Judgment Sword's influence had disappeared.

However, this does not mean that Ma Xiaotao's crisis has been completely resolved. On the contrary, the deep-seated hidden dangers remain unresolved and have even become more severe due to the lack of external mandatory intervention.

Ma Xiaotao is extremely competitive and has an almost obsessive desire to win. The closer she gets to the finals and the stronger her opponents are, the more she will push her limits without hesitation.

At the same time, Xuanzi's old and stubborn thinking made him cling to Shrek Academy's eternal glory. With an attitude that valued honor and achievements to an extreme, he continued to indulge her behavior of igniting the evil fire without any substantial intervention or guidance, let alone seeking a solution to suppress the evil fire and purify the evil energy.

If this continues, with the start of the intense final battles, driven by extreme combat pressure and her insane desire to win, Ma Xiaotao will inevitably reignite her inner rage.

Even without the Sword of Judgment as an external catalyst, the ever-accumulating and increasingly intense evil energy within her will eventually completely erode her divine soul and martial spirit origins, ultimately leading to her self-immolation. She will not need any external catalysis; she will utterly fall into depravity on her own, becoming a true evil soul master.

This ticking time bomb lurking within the Shrek team will eventually bring an irreparable and devastating crisis to the team on the final stage. Behind their seemingly glorious comeback against all odds, deep-seated hidden dangers have long been buried, just waiting for that moment to explode.

Thinking of this, Long Aotian's eyes suddenly turned cold, and a sense of vigilance rose from the depths of his heart. The final stage was destined to be a battlefield, and Ma Xiaotao was the ticking time bomb that could detonate the entire arena at any moment and drag everyone into the abyss.

Once that woman completely falls into the clutches of evil spirits, the extreme evil fire that has been accumulating within her will inevitably go out of control, and she will become a humanoid beast that only knows how to kill and destroy.

Driven by evil thoughts, she will become ruthless and indiscriminately destroy all living things in the Soul Arena.

For the sake of ultimate victory, and more importantly, for the absolute safety of our teammates, we must not harbor any illusions. We must develop comprehensive contingency plans in advance, and even be prepared to suppress her at all costs the moment she completely loses control.

We must not allow this "evil phoenix" that is already on the verge of exploding to harm our own people in the slightest.

In this life-or-death final, any hesitation could lead to a total defeat.