In the Dean's office at Shrek Academy, Yu Xiaogang stood by the window, his hands clasped behind his back. He gazed out at the training grounds, maintaining the composed posture of a wise master.
"Xiaogang, what exactly do you plan to do about Hongjun's Evil Fire?"
Flender pushed up his crystal glasses, looking at Yu Xiaogang's back as he asked.
He had considered various ways to solve Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire problem over the years but had always been at a loss. If anyone in the world could solve this problem, Flender believed it was only Yu Xiaogang, the renowned theoretical master.
At least, that's what Flender wanted to believe.
Yu Xiaogang didn't turn around. He cleared his throat and spoke in his characteristically calm, slightly lecture-like tone:
"Boss Flender, after my in-depth research and observation these past few days, the root cause of Hongjun's Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul lies in its incomplete mutation. Or rather, the mutation produced powerful strength but also brought uncontrollable side effects."
"This extremely yang and fiery Evil Fire, if not properly guided, will not only affect his temperament and hinder his cultivation, but in the long run, it may even backfire on him, burning his own foundation."
Hearing this, Flender's lips twitched almost imperceptibly. He thought to himself, 'Nonsense! He was my direct disciple for years; how could I not know that already?'
Despite his inward grumbling, Flender put on a supportive smile and flattered him. "Xiaogang, you truly are a master of theory, seeing through the essence at a glance! So, in your expert opinion, what is the solution?"
Facing Flender's flattery, Yu Xiaogang was quite pleased. He nodded slightly and continued to explain, "As the saying goes, Extremes meet, and Yin and Yang must complement each other. Hongjun's Evil Fire is too intense, and it is necessary to introduce a counteracting force to harmonize it."
At this point, Yu Xiaogang paused for dramatic effect. He turned to look at Flender, and seeing the anticipation on his face, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
"So, my plan is... when his Soul Power reaches Level 30 and he needs his third Soul Ring, I won't look for a fire-attribute Soul Beast anymore. Instead, I will choose a powerful ice-attribute Soul Beast!"
"An ice-attribute Soul Beast?!"
Flender almost thought he misheard. His eyes widened instantly. "Xiaogang, this... once the Soul Power attributes clash, at best the third Soul Ring will be ruined and wasted. At worst, the conflict will destroy his foundation or kill him!"
"Brother Flender, you don't understand."
Yu Xiaogang seemed to have anticipated Flender's objection. A confident and smug smile appeared on his face as he explained:
"For ordinary fire-attribute Soul Masters, this naturally wouldn't work. But Hongjun's Martial Soul is a Fire Phoenix, a top-tier Beast Martial Soul with extremely strong inclusiveness and malleability."
"This Evil Fire is a mutated product, not a pure fire element. By using the extreme cold power of an ice-attribute Soul Ring, the goal isn't to extinguish his phoenix flames, but to suppress and remove the uncontrolled, impure Evil Fire, leaving only the purest Phoenix Fire behind."
"This move seems risky, but it's actually a do-or-die situation to achieve greatness. If successful, it will be a true phoenix rising from the ashes!"
Flender listened, stunned into silence. He thought to himself, 'Can this really work? A fire-attribute Soul Master absorbing an ice-attribute Soul Ring? Isn't that complete nonsense?'
But seeing Yu Xiaogang's confident demeanor as a "Grandmaster," Flender could only forcefully suppress his doubts. He mentally hypnotized himself: 'Xiaogang is a master; he must have his reasons for saying this. Besides, Hongjun is now his disciple; surely he wouldn't act recklessly with his student's life.'
If Lin Mu heard Yu Xiaogang's theory, he would definitely exclaim, "Truly a 'Master' of disaster!"
First, there was the brilliant idea of adding a poison-attribute Soul Ring to the life-attribute Blue Silver Grass. Now, there was the addition of an ice-attribute Soul Ring to the Evil Fire Phoenix. Anyone with a sane brain wouldn't do such a thing.
Seeing that Flender no longer objected, Yu Xiaogang assumed he was convinced by his superior theory. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he declared:
"Don't worry, Boss Flender. Once Hongjun absorbs the third Soul Ring I choose for him, you will see a true Fire Phoenix Soul Master! A true Phoenix Martial Soul shouldn't be trapped by mere impurity!"
Flender opened his mouth to argue, but then swallowed his words. He sighed with a hint of helplessness. "Alright, Xiaogang. Then... I'll leave it to you."
He rubbed his temples, feeling a significant risk, but now he could only trust his brother.
'Xiaogang is, after all, a renowned theoretical master; surely there won't be any major problems?'
Meanwhile, Lin Mu and his companions had entered the Star Dou Great Forest. They spent the entire morning searching without finding a suitable Soul Beast.
ROAR!
A deep roar resounded through the trees, accompanied by a trembling of the ground. A Soul Beast over five meters long, covered in dark red scales and resembling a giant lizard, burst forth from the dense undergrowth.
Without any warning, it unleashed a scorching breath of fire. Fortunately, Lin Mu and his companions reacted quickly, evading the attack.
"A 30,000-year-old Earth Flame Lizard. It possesses both fire and earth attributes, combining high attack and defense, though its speed is slightly lacking."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Mu's figure vanished from Tang San and Xiao Wu's sight.
"Armor Fusion!"
When he reappeared, he was already mid-air above the Earth Flame Lizard's head, fully clad in his flaming armor. His fourth Soul Ring, a black 10,000-year ring lit up.
"Fourth Soul Skill: Flame Splitter!"
A giant lava axe materialized in his right hand, his fiery Soul Power surging instantly. He raised the axe high. Countless flames gathered on the blade, forming a giant energy edge over ten meters long in the blink of an eye.
BOOM!
With a deafening roar, the blow slammed into the Earth Flame Lizard's back, easily slicing through its tough scales. Without its defenses, the scorching flames began to burn directly into its flesh.
Under the intense heat and physical trauma, the Earth Flame Lizard convulsed violently a few times before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.
Immediately afterward, a deep black Soul Ring slowly condensed and floated above the corpse.
"Master's strength is becoming increasingly unfathomable," Tang San exclaimed, his eyes filled with awe.
Xiao Wu, standing to the side, had a complex expression. She was completely devoid of the joy and excitement she usually felt. Upon returning to the Star Dou Great Forest and seeing the slaughter, she was perhaps remembering her identity as a Soul Beast.
"Brother... do Soul Beasts deserve to die?"
Hearing this, Tang San's face showed a hint of surprise. He touched Xiao Wu's forehead to make sure she didn't have a fever, then said seriously, "Xiao Wu, Soul Beasts don't inherently deserve to die. But does that mean we humans deserve to die when they attack us?"
Hearing this, Xiao Wu immediately fell silent.
While the two were talking, Lin Mu had already returned to the ground, looking at the charred corpse of the Earth Flame Lizard with a calm expression.
Since the age of his fourth Soul Ring was increased to ten thousand years by the system reward, its power had increased dramatically, even surpassing the sixth Soul Rings of many Soul Emperors.
Lin Mu had considered using his Soul Ring Age Increase Card on his fifth or sixth ring instead, but applying it to the fourth ring gave him the best immediate power boost.
Therefore, even though a black fourth Soul Ring was too high-profile and attracted attention, Lin Mu still chose the most rational option; improving his strength was the most important thing. Everything else was secondary.
"The Earth Flame Lizard's attributes are a good match, but its age is a bit low, and its quality isn't as high as my third ring, the Hellfire Dragon. This isn't good enough for my seventh ring."
Lin Mu sighed; a Soul Ring of this level was definitely not among his choices for his Martial Soul True Body.