[Note: In Douluo Continent, adulthood begins at age 12. All actions in this book are within reasonable bounds!]
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Xiao Xiao's call sent shivers down Lin Yun's spine, her sweet voice awakening the beast lurking within him.
But this time, the initiative clearly wasn't his.
Just as he was wrestling with whether to act like a beast or restrain himself tonight, Xiao Xiao's smile suddenly took on a strange, predatory edge—her eyes gleaming with an almost obsessive intensity as she stared at him.
Then—
With a bold motion, Xiao Xiao grabbed the shoulder strap of her dress and, using her freshly advanced rank-40 soul power, ripped it clean in half.
Lin Yun's expression turned to outright horror as he gaped at her outrageous act.
Something's wrong. Very, very wrong!
His gaze flicked between her flawless, snow-white skin and the heart-shaped pupils now dominating her eyes. Instinctively, he scooted backward—only to nearly topple off the bed.
Xiao Xiao reacted swiftly, yanking him back by his collar before flipping him onto the mattress. The next instant, she straddled him, her near-naked body pressing down through the thin fabric of his clothes. Even through the barrier, he could feel the silken smoothness and intoxicating softness of her skin.
"Brother Yun~ Tonight, you don't get a say~"
Her whisper tickled his ear before she abruptly sealed his lips with hers, her restless hands already tearing at his clothes.
She was proactive—but painfully inexperienced.
Lin Yun took his time guiding her.
Their bodies entangled, savoring each other's taste, surrendering completely to the moment—until a cry of mingled pain and ecstasy marked their final union.
The night was beautiful, the breeze tender.
(A mature dividing line~ Side story tag /)
———
After their frenzied night, Lin Yun carried Xiao Xiao on his back as they leisurely returned to Shrek Academy.
Xiao Xiao, after all, was still human. Even the Ice Empress struggled to endure Lin Yun's vigor; for Xiao Xiao to last the entire night was a testament to willpower surpassing physical limits.
(Though the nourishing effects of the Golden Dragon King's essence certainly helped.)
Their night of passion had an unexpected benefit—Xiao Xiao's soul power, which had surged from absorbing the spirit bone, stabilized completely. Her physical strength had also improved dramatically.
Previously, she might have only been able to absorb a 4,000- to 6,000-year spirit ring for her fourth rank. But after integrating the 100,000-year bone and Lin Yun's "contributions," she could now handle a *10,000-year* spirit ring.
With Lin Yun and the Ice Empress present, soul shockwaves weren't a concern either.
Soul tremors were essentially the vengeful remnants of a spirit beast's resentment after death. But with Lin Yun and the Ice Empress overseeing the hunt, no slain beast would dare retain even a wisp of malice.
'Perfect timing—when they go deal with the Death God's Agent, I'll take Xiao Xiao spirit ring hunting. Out of sight, out of mind!' Lin Yun's lips curled into a smirk.
Fighting the so-called "Strongest Soul King" held no fear for him.
As a Soul King himself, Lin Yun was more than happy to claim that title from the Death God's Agent.
But his presence would complicate things.
Not killing the enemy would make him seem suspicious—Shrek's idiots might even label him a evil soul master.
Yet eliminating the Death God's Agent would rob Shrek of its much-needed wake-up call. (Lin Yun was very eager to see how this "Strongest Soul King" would humiliate Xuan Zi into becoming the laughingstock of Douluo 2.)
The best solution? Out of sight, out of mind!
Let Xuan Zi lead Shrek's "elite team" into that disaster while he took Xiao Xiao spirit hunting!
———
Meanwhile, Ma Xiaotao had begun refining the Blazing Flame Scorching Sunflower.
Normally, this herb was highly toxic—requiring simultaneous consumption with the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass to neutralize its effects.
But at the 100,000-year level, things changed.
Ordinary Blazing Flame Scorching Sunflowers lacked Ultimate Fire attributes. Upon gaining sentience, like the Ice Jade Scorpion, it had willingly shed its toxicity to achieve the Ultimate Fire tier.
Thus, the current version was perfectly safe to ingest.
And immortal herbs lived up to their legendary status.
To Douluo's soul masters, they were nothing short of cheat codes. The moment Ma Xiaotao consumed the herb, the corrupting flames in her martial soul visibly receded. Violet-red flames transitioned to gold-red as her Evil Fire Phoenix underwent a true metamorphosis—into a pure Fire Phoenix.
Her attributes had officially reached the Ultimate tier!
Yet while her aura skyrocketed, her soul power did the opposite—plummeting from rank 66 all the way to 62 before stabilizing.
This was the price of Ultimate attributes: soul power compression. The herb could have easily pushed her to Soul Sage, but the evolution to Ultimate Fire demanded a denser energy structure.
Ultimate attributes didn't stop compressing just because one's rank increased—otherwise, their advantage in energy density and volume would be meaningless.
Ma Xiaotao felt a twinge of disappointment, though not entirely. She'd anticipated this outcome beforehand.
What mattered was—
Whoosh!
Golden-red flames erupted from her palm, the searing heat distorting the air around her. A piercing phoenix cry tore from her throat as years of pent-up frustration vaporized in an instant.
Screee—!!!
"This is the Fire Phoenix. The true Fire Phoenix!"
"Hahahaha—!"
Her maniacal laughter echoed through the chamber as two decades of repression finally found release.
No more suffering under evil flames. No more enduring that disgusting corruption!
She—Ma Xiaotao—had become a genuine Fire Phoenix at last!
She burst from the training room, gold-red wings unfurling as she took to the skies above Sea God's Lake, her jubilant cries scattering the clouds.
"Good… very good!"
(End of Chapter)
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