Douluo Continent: The Eternal Order of the Azure Sky.

Ma Xiaotao gasped sharply, instantly snapping back to reality. She instinctively covered her flushed face with both hands, the movement so large that her elbows were squeezed into a startling arc.

"Why am I having this dream again?!"

She gasped in surprise, but the sound startled even herself—

Her voice was terribly hoarse, dry yet strangely magnetic, as if she had been shouting all night, completely different from her usual clear and melodious voice.

Kong Tianxu looked at her like this and shook his head helplessly. He glanced at the messy ground, took out a clean, moon-white robe from his storage soul tool, flicked his wrist, and the robe unfolded, gently floating over to cover Ma Xiaotao.

"Put them on." His voice was also a little hoarse.

She subconsciously circulated her soul power, and an unprecedented sense of power filled her body. A golden-red flame appeared at her fingertips, and just looking at it, one could feel its terrifying heat.

What is this? My Phoenix Flame has completely evolved!

The cool touch of the fabric made Ma Xiaotao shiver. She hurriedly wrapped her robe tighter around herself, trying to cover up her embarrassingly revealing private parts, but her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, almost bursting out of her chest.

This is not a dream...

The sensations of the body returned like a surging tide. An extreme soreness and swelling permeated every part of my body, as if I had been crushed and rammed by a giant dragon countless times. Yet, strangely, it was accompanied by an unprecedented sense of lightness and clarity, as if a river channel that had been blocked for many years had been completely dredged.

What shocked her most was the evil, fiery, and restless energy deep within her dantian, which had accompanied her since the day she awakened her martial spirit, burning her mind like a bone-deep ailment, bringing her endless pain and irritability.

Disappeared.

It wasn't because the cool power that was once imprinted on my chest was temporarily suppressed or sealed, but because it had truly vanished!

She subconsciously, almost trembling, circulated her soul power.

A scorching and pure, boundless power surged through her meridians, which had expanded and solidified countless times. An unprecedented sense of power filled her entire body, almost making her groan out loud.

With a slight movement of the fingertips, a wisp of flame spontaneously ignites.

It was no longer the phoenix flames of the past, a mixture of dark red and violent black, but a pure, bright, and extremely noble golden-red. The flames burned quietly, without the slightest hint of violence, but just by gazing at them, one could feel the terrifying heat contained within.

The flame was warm and powerful, yielding to her will, like an extension of an arm.

"This is..." Ma Xiaotao stared blankly at the golden-red flames dancing on her fingertips, her beautiful eyes filled with unbelievable joy and bewilderment, "The evil fire in my Phoenix Flame has been completely purified?!"

She abruptly raised her head and looked at Kong Tianxu, who was already dressed and standing quietly not far away, watching her. His handsome face was expressionless, but a hint of disappointment seemed to flash deep in his purple eyes.

After the initial euphoria came an even greater surge of embarrassment, panic, and countless questions.

“Tianxu…” Ma Xiaotao’s voice was still hoarse, but her tone lowered unconsciously. “What exactly happened? I remember we were in the finals of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament, and I triggered the Evil Fire… How did I end up here? What about me… the Evil Fire on my body…”

Chapter 209 Kong Tianxu: Sorry, I'm not a local.

Kong Tianxu did not answer. He simply tightened his slightly oversized robe, completely concealing the fine gold and silver dragon scales on his chest that were slowly disappearing.

Silence spread between the two, with only their slightly rapid breathing audible.

Finally, Kong Tianxu broke the silence. He stood up and looked down at Ma Xiaotao, whose face was full of confusion.

"For the sake of a temporary victory, you're even willing to burn yourself out. Ma Xiaotao, do you still remember what you promised?"

I'm very disappointed in you.

It wasn't until he stood up completely straight that Ma Xiaotao realized with a start that Kong Tianxu had changed dramatically from the way she remembered him. He had become much taller, his posture upright like a pine tree, completely surpassing hers. The lines of his face had also lost some of the immaturity of his youth, gaining a more resolute and rugged curve, making him appear particularly handsome and imposing in the dim light.

What exactly happened?

More memories kept surfacing, and the beautiful blush on Ma Xiaotao's face instantly faded. Countless confusions and anxieties came rushing in, almost overwhelming her.

She instinctively reached out, as if trying to grab something and hold onto the departing figure, but her throat felt like it was being choked, and she couldn't make a sound.

Kong Tianxu gave her no further chance to ask questions or explain. Without a second thought, he walked straight to the heavy wooden door and pushed it open.

Outside the door, Yan Shaozhe was indeed already waiting. Upon seeing Kong Tianxu come out, he immediately stepped forward, intending to question him as planned.

However, when he saw that Kong Tianxu's face did not show the expected embarrassment, awkwardness, remorse, or helplessness of a young boy who had caused trouble, but rather a cold and stern expression that should never have appeared, his heart skipped a beat, and the words he had prepared became difficult to utter.

Something's wrong! This is definitely not the reaction we should be having!

“Dean Yan,” Kong Tianxu interrupted Yan Shaozhe this time, showing him no respect whatsoever, “I will complete the mission of the inspection team as promised. But I have personally experienced Shrek Academy’s methods today.”

"Intoxicating fragrances, spring breezes and dews... and at least seven other bewitching scents whose names I can't even recall. What a profound and meticulously crafted legacy, what painstaking effort!"

Wait a minute, that's not how the script was written. Shouldn't he be full of remorse, expressing his responsibility and begging for forgiveness with a guilty look on his face?

Yan Shaozhe's expression froze completely, his heart churning with turmoil. Every word, every sentence, was enunciated with exceptional clarity by Kong Tianxu, like slaps to the face, shattering his carefully crafted demeanor and rhetoric.

How could he have known!

The ingredients used by Elder Zhuang and Elder Lin were secret recipes passed down in the academy, and their preparation methods were even more secretive. How could he possibly know them all by heart? This plan was meticulously arranged, with the environment of Wutong Pavilion, the guidance of Senior Ma Santong's remaining insights, the precise control of the mixed medicinal power, and even the post-event explanations. It should have been flawless!

Moreover, judging from his tone, doesn't he feel any attachment or guilt towards Xiao Tao at all?

Kong Tianxu ignored the complex emotions on his face, strode past him, and walked straight on. The tall, upright figure didn't hesitate for a moment, retracing his steps and disappearing quickly into the deep, winding passages within the Golden Tree.

Yan Shaozhe stood there, his face flushing red and then turning pale. His lips moved, but he couldn't utter any words of explanation.

He watched Kong Tianxu's figure disappear at the end of the tangled passageway of the golden tree roots. After a long while, he let out a deep sigh, turned around, and walked into the quiet room that was unusually silent at the moment.

Inside, Kong Tianxu seemed to have dealt with the situation using some special means before leaving. The expected strong smell and messy scene did not appear. Instead, it was unusually clean, leaving only a faint and strange aftertaste in the air.

Ma Xiaotao looked at Yan Shaozhe, her face pale. She was now fully dressed in her moon-white robe, but her eyes were vacant. Considering Kong Tianxu's questioning tone, when she heard the words "spring breeze and dew fragrance," she already roughly understood what had happened.

"Xiao Tao," Yan Shaozhe composed himself, quickly stepped forward, and asked with concern, "How are you feeling now? Is that evil fire in your body still affecting you?"

Ma Xiaotao slowly shook her head and said, "Teacher, my evil fire seems to have been completely removed, and I can't feel any residue."

She raised her eyes and looked directly at Yan Shaozhe, her pale peach-colored eyes glistening with tears. "Can you tell me... what exactly happened?"

Yan Shaozhe's face showed even more pity and guilt. After hesitating for a moment, he carefully began to speak, starting from Shrek Academy's defeat in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament, and recounting the series of events that occurred after Ma Xiaotao lost her mind.

Of course, Yan Shaozhe selectively ignored some of the more insidious schemes in order to avoid affecting Shrek Academy's image in Ma Xiaotao's mind.

"Xiao Tao, you unleashed the full power of the Black Phoenix during the final match. While that allowed your martial soul to evolve to the level of true ultimate fire, it also caused the Black Phoenix's violent intent to nearly devour your mind. If we don't intervene in time, you are very likely to completely succumb and become an evil soul master. In order to preserve your mind and take this opportunity to completely purify the deeply rooted evil fire in your martial soul, the only way is to find a male soul master with ultimate ice power to perform the most thorough... yin-yang complementarity with you. We have no choice but to resort to this desperate measure."

Seeing that Ma Xiaotao seemed to be having trouble accepting it, Yan Shaozhe lowered his voice even further.

"This whole affair was planned by your master alone. If you have any grievances, blame me. Take a good rest for a few days. Your cultivation level has already reached level seventy. Soon, the academy will send an elder to take you to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for your seventh soul ring."

They actually lost the tournament? No wonder Tianxu acted that way...

Ma Xiaotao lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, concealing the strange emotion that flashed through her eyes.

Even she herself didn't realize that, faced with the massive changes that had taken place over the past three years, what touched her the most was not Shrek Academy's victories or defeats in the tournament, but Kong Tianxu's attitude.

After a long pause, she raised her head again, her face forcibly regaining some of its former determination and stubbornness.

“Teacher, I don’t blame you. I feel better than ever before. Let’s go hunt for the seventh spirit ring tomorrow. I can’t wait.”

Before she finished speaking, Ma Xiaotao's aura began to undergo a dramatic change.

The air around her body distorted silently, the temperature rose at an alarming rate, and the incredibly tough golden wood floor beneath her began to tinge with a dark red.

With each breath she took, a faint golden-red halo spread outwards, filling the entire quiet room. That scorching and sacred aura, pure and powerful, forced even Yan Shaozhe, a Super Douluo, to take a few steps back in slight surprise to avoid its intense sharpness.

"hold head high--"

A loud phoenix cry resounded throughout the Sea God Pavilion, and behind Ma Xiaotao, a pair of huge golden-red phoenix wings suddenly spread open.

Yes, this time it was golden red, not dark red, and her own fire attribute aura soared into the sky.

In an instant, it seemed as if a miniature golden-red sun had truly risen in the secret chamber, its intense light bursting forth and the temperature soaring to a terrifying level, even the air crackling with a faint scorching sound.

This light even drew upon the vast power of light inherent in the golden tree itself, subtly resisting it, causing a rich golden halo to flow across the walls of the entire quiet room.

In terms of temperature alone, this was undoubtedly the strongest fire Yan Shaozhe had ever seen in his life, and it was gentle and sacred, without any trace of its former tyranny and evil.

"Pure, ultimate fire!" Upon seeing this, Yan Shaozhe's previous heaviness was instantly replaced by immense joy. "Good! Excellent! Xiao Tao, you should rest well today and stabilize your cultivation. Tomorrow, I will personally take you to hunt for your seventh soul ring!"

Ma Xiaotao nodded slightly, and the golden-red light gradually subsided. Her fiery red hair regained its luster, each strand looking like a ruby ​​drawn from silk.

She didn't say anything more, but her gaze involuntarily drifted to the tightly closed wooden door, as if she could see through the thick tree wall and see that tall, departing figure.

brat...

She silently snorted in her heart, a strange tremor mixed with guilt and resentment quietly surging within her.

Just you wait. Once I've hunted down the Soul Rings and obtained my Martial Soul True Form, I'll knock you out, tie you up, and make you warm my bed every day! Let's see if you dare give me that sullen face again!

She was unaware that the part Yan Shaozhe omitted also included Kong Tianxu's feat of single-handedly overthrowing the entire inner courtyard...

-----------------

Stepping out of the area shrouded by the golden tree and feeling the cool air and sunlight of the outside world again, Kong Tianxu's tightly pursed lips finally curved into a barely perceptible smile.

Mu En was indeed remarkable, having actually grasped one of the underlying logics of Douluo Continent. Unfortunately, he never expected that Kong Tianxu was not a local at all.

Although the trip to the Golden Tree was filled with all sorts of indescribable events, we not only successfully achieved our goals, but also gained far more than we expected.

Not only did he successfully obtain the Dragon Pill, but he also completed the absorption and fusion in a near-perfect manner, even when his soul power was exhausted and his body and spirit were on the verge of absolute weakness from repeated extreme releases.

He was worried about how to meet Long Dan's demanding absorption requirement of "having no resistance in the body and being in an absolutely weak state," but unexpectedly, Shrek's scheme paved the way for him.

I just never expected it to be through this method...

Thinking of this, his expression became somewhat strange, fragmented images flashed uncontrollably through his mind, and his Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

Well, although Ma Xiaotao was not very obedient, she never disappointed him in some ways. The extreme envelopment and heat were simply irresistible to him.

Chapter 210 Limit Douluo Physique and Powerful Return - Ma Xiaotao

Back in his dormitory on Poseidon Island, the door was tightly shut, completely isolating him from the outside world. Kong Tianxu leaned against the door, carefully going over the whole incident from the beginning, as many vague details gradually became clear in his mind.

The feeling of having my soul power instantly drained was so similar to the time when the God of Destruction forcibly pulled my soul into the God Realm.

Therefore, this time it's probably not just the domineering medicinal power hidden in the Jiamu Divine Pill and the special environment of the Wutong Pavilion that contributed to its power; the divine power left behind by the Goddess of Life's blessing also probably contributed to its power invisibly.

However, judging from the final result...

It doesn't seem like I've lost out?

He raised his right hand, palm up, and his mind stirred slightly.

"call--"

A cluster of pure and intense golden-red flames suddenly leaped from his palm without warning and burned quietly.

At the heart of that leaping flame, a delicate and noble aura flowed, identical to the phoenix flame origin that Ma Xiaotao had previously displayed. However, there were subtle differences in color and inner aura.

Although both are extreme fires, Ma Xiaotao's flames are more like the blazing crimson of a true phoenix, while his flames are a richer and more dazzling gold.