Chapter 210: Greetings, Adoptive Mother.
Suppressing the evil fire using ultimate water wasn't all that complicated, in principle. It was much the same as when Huo Yuhao had directly released the cold energy of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion martial soul in the original story—different paths, same destination.
Furina simply summoned the three members of the Salon Solitaire—Mademoiselle Chevaleyda, Lord Usher, and Madame Hevmayer—and had them release water elements onto Ma Xiaotao.
Of course, she also gave them specific instructions not to treat Ma Xiaotao as an enemy to attack, but simply to blow some bubbles and create gentle streams of water.
Mademoiselle Chevaleyda waved her claws, Madame Hevmayer leisurely blew bubbles, and Lord Usher's tentacles swayed gently. They surrounded Ma Xiaotao and began to emit soft currents of water.
When Ma Xiaotao first laid eyes on them, she thought they were some kind of rare sea soul beasts. Only after Furina explained did it dawn on her: this was actually Furina's second martial soul.
This must be a truly one-of-a-kind second martial soul, right? It was clearly a beast martial soul, yet it could move about freely. Moreover, three entities existed simultaneously, and their strength was not to be underestimated.
Compared to the martial soul of Yu Xiaogang, hailed as the foremost master of martial soul theory in Shrek Academy's history, this was unfathomably more formidable.
After all, although Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang's Luo Sanpao could also be summoned to move freely, its strength was simply too weak. Before consuming the medicinal herb, he was limited to Rank 29 for life, unable to even break through Rank 30.
And Furina's? Not only could she summon three at once, but they also possessed the quality of ultimate water. That factor alone crushed countless other martial souls.
If Furina had no descendants to inherit it, this martial soul would likely remain a unique treasure, hers alone in the entire world.
But in Ma Xiaotao's eyes, none of that was important. What was important was that Furina's martial soul truly was ultimate water, and it truly could help dispel her evil fire.
The evil fire, which could erupt at any moment, now seemed to have met its natural nemesis, thoroughly washed clean. It was like a raging forest fire suddenly encountering a violent storm, or even a heaven-enveloping tsunami.
The fire was extinguished. The smoke dispersed. All that remained was coolness and tranquility.
Ma Xiaotao felt a sense of release in her body that she hadn't experienced in ages. The feeling was like returning to the time when she'd just started cultivating—no, it was even more soothing than then.
It was as if every meridian had been gently cleansed, every single cell leaping with joy.
She even felt that even if she cultivated non-stop without sleep for the next three months, the evil fire might not necessarily rampage.
Furina watched her standing there with closed eyes, an expression of pure bliss on her face, and knew the evil fire had been more or less suppressed.
She spoke softly. "Alright, everyone, you can stop now."
Mademoiselle Chevaleyda and the others fell still.
Furina nodded to them. "Thank you."
Chevaleyda waved her claws as if saying "you're welcome." Madame Hevmayer blew a tiny bubble, serene as ever. Lord Usher swayed his tentacles in response.
Ma Xiaotao opened her eyes, her face full of obvious reluctance for it to end. "It... it's over already?"
Her voice even carried a hint of unwillingness to part.
"Yes, it's over." Furina looked at her. "How do you feel?"
"I feel fantastic." Ma Xiaotao smiled, her brows and eyes relaxing completely. "Although the evil fire wasn't completely purified, I feel like I won't be irritable for a very long time. I can continue cultivating with peace of mind."
As she spoke, her tone held a lightness she hadn't felt in a long time—the lightness of someone who had been crushed under a heavy burden for years finally able to catch a breath.
Furina nodded. "That's good, then. You should head back. Come find me once a week from now on, for additional suppression, just in case. We'll also see if a complete cure is possible."
"Alright, no problem." Ma Xiaotao nodded repeatedly, then suddenly became solemn. "Thank you once again. You are practically my second parent."
Furina was amused by her serious expression and cracked a casual joke. "That works too. You could just call me 'Mom.'"
The moment the words left her mouth, she expected Ma Xiaotao to blush and refuse, or awkwardly change the subject.
Unexpectedly, Ma Xiaotao froze for a second, then grit her teeth, took a deep breath, as if making an incredibly difficult decision.
"Greetings, Adoptive Mother!"
Furina was dumbfounded.
Ma Xiaotao straightened her back, her tone so solemn it was almost majestic. "I, Ma Xiaotao, have drifted half a lifetime, only regretting I never met a worthy master. If you do not scorn me, I am willing to bow and call you Adoptive Mother!"
The stance was practically a sacred ritual.
"Uh... you actually called me that!" Furina didn't know whether to laugh or cry, momentarily at a complete loss for words.
Ma Xiaotao said with utter seriousness, "You are worthy of me doing so. Just like Shrek Academy is worthy of my respect. Adoptive Mother!"
She spoke earnestly, without the slightest hint of joking in her eyes.
Furina shook her head helplessly. "Fine, fine. You truly have exceeded my expectations. I originally thought you were quite arrogant."
"I did indeed feel some disdain before." Ma Xiaotao admitted openly, a rueful smile appearing on her face. "But after witnessing it with my own eyes, my thoughts have changed. There is always someone better, always a higher heaven beyond heaven. Compared to you, the monsters of our Shrek are practically a joke."
As she said this, her voice held self-derision, but also heartfelt admiration.
What kind of genius could be as terrifying as Furina? In just about a year, she'd gone from Soul Ancestor to the peak of Soul Emperor. With just one more soul bone absorbed, she'd break straight through to Soul Sage. And she was a food-type soul master!
Weren't food-type soul masters supposed to cultivate slower than other soul masters? Could it be that Furina's innate soul power was Rank 20, and she'd been steadily accumulating strength all this time? But that was far too absurd! It was more believable to just say Furina truly was the reincarnation of the Water God.
After all, even the original Shrek Seven Devils, who underwent divine trials, couldn't achieve such a monstrous cultivation speed.
Furina spread her hands in a "don't blame me" gesture.
She knew perfectly well in her heart: two divine trials progressing simultaneously, the System providing resources and cultivation manual support, Faith Power ceaselessly flowing in as reinforcement, and on top of that, the Water God's divine trials being inexplicably condensed into three.
How could her advancement speed not be fast? If it weren't fast, then she'd truly be useless.
"Alright, alright. And don't call me 'Adoptive Mother' or anything like that." Furina waved a hand. "Just call me normally. If others heard that, they'd think I have some sort of special fetish."
"Alright, Furina." Ma Xiaotao complied readily.
"Go back for now. Come find me in a week, unless your evil fire is about to erupt within that week," Furina instructed.
She had originally considered having Ma Xiaotao come once a day, but reconsidered—she wasn't her primary physician, nor was she short on treatment fees. Once a week was fine.
Even if it really couldn't be removed, she could just find an immortal herb directly then, or buy one from the System Shop—no difficult task.
With Ma Xiaotao coming only once a week, she'd have plenty of free time and could even seize the chance to find a suitable location and plant that Seed of Life.
"Alright, thank you again!" Only then did Ma Xiaotao turn and walk, still dripping wet, out of the bathhouse.
To anyone who didn't know the circumstances, her current state looked as if she'd run through a rainstorm or accidentally fallen into a pond.
But she had the Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul and could dry herself at any time. Furina estimated that by the time she walked out of the dormitory building, she'd be pretty much dried off.
Besides, with her strength, even if she walked out soaking wet, probably no one would dare point and whisper to her face.
After Ma Xiaotao left, Furina returned to her dormitory and began absorbing the soul bone. She still had Mademoiselle Chevaleyda and the others watch over the room while she, on one hand absorbed the soul bone, and on the other hand, pondered where exactly she should plant that Seed of Life.
The Lake of Life was naturally a good choice; the life energy there was exuberant, practically a natural hotbed.
But the problem was, would Gu Yuena agree?
This was an artifact of the Goddess of Life. The Goddess of Life could use it to observe the situation in the lower realm. To Gu Yuena, wouldn't this be equivalent to installing a surveillance camera right outside her front door? She likely wouldn't agree.
With the Lake of Life ruled out, the best choice remaining was the Yin-Yang Eyes of Ice and Fire.
That was a precious treasure land. If she planted the Flame of Life there, with the Yin-Yang Eyes of Ice and Fire's own amplification, it would be an absolutely perfect match! Medicinal herbs would be inexhaustible, never running dry—just thinking about it made her heart race with excitement.
A smile of anticipation curved the corner of Furina's lips.
"Very well. It's happily settled, then. In a few days, I'll go and reclaim the Yin-Yang Eyes of Ice and Fire."
She murmured softly to herself, her tone carrying the unshakable composure of certain victory.
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Thanks for reading the chapter!
I started a new translation and I would be very happy if you decided to check out my new translation story. It's a crossover of Toaru and One Piece... Well, the only Toaru element here is one cute Misaka. This is all that came of my desire to translate a Toaru fanfic, but I'm not complaining—even though I've only just started reading and translating it, I'm really enjoying the story. It has plenty of slice-of-life elements, and the pacing is quite slow and detailed. It's written in a sweet, positive way—at least for now. There likely won't be any romance, as there were no tags indicating such, but I won't say for sure until I've finished reading it myself. I'd recommend it to those who aren't craving violence, carnage, or excessive cruelty. In my opinion, it's a worthwhile story, though it's definitely a matter of personal taste—especially since the protagonist is a girl, which isn't everyone's cup of tea (though it doesn't really matter for now—at least as of 30+ chapters in, Misaka is still 6 years old). Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story as much as I do.
One Piece: Railgun Misaka Misaka https://www.webnovel.com/book/one-piece-railgun-misaka-misaka_37195209600636405