Douluo: The Unrivaled Demon Lord

Chapter 162 Applying Medicine to Purify the Evil Fire and the Ultimate Fire, and the Long-Awaited Bet
In the afternoon, Ma Xiaotao, who had just woken up, huddled in the corner of the big bed, shivering.

My family members, who would understand? I just woke up from a sweet dream, hadn't even had a chance to stretch, and found myself surrounded by people…

Hmm, especially since the other person had been staring at her for who knows how long, it made Ma Xiaotao feel really uneasy...

"Hey, hey, are you guys crazy?" Ma Xiaotao was about to speak when she looked up... Oh, it's Han Ruoruo and the other two. Oh well, now it's her turn to be in trouble...

"Han, Han-senior, Wu-senior, Ling Luochen... oh no, Luochen-junior, good afternoon..."

Ma Xiaotao gave a weak greeting.

Han Ruoruo and the other two exchanged a glance, and then burst out laughing at the same time.

"Xiao Tao, how come I never noticed you could be so clueless before?"

Han Ruoruo said with a bit of a laugh.

"Oh yeah, and your sleeping posture is even wilder than mine, tsk tsk, Xiao Tao, we absolutely must never sleep in the same bed again, otherwise everyone else will be kicked off the bed by the two of us sooner or later..."

Wu Ming also looked at Ma Xiaotao with great interest, but what she said made Ma Xiaotao wish she could dig out a three-bedroom apartment on the spot.

"I've applied the medicine for you. I can explain what happened before. I hope we can get along well in the future."

Ling Luochen followed suit and spoke up.

Ma Xiaotao was somewhat bewildered by the back-and-forth of her words, and it was only after a long while that she felt the strangeness beneath her.

Ma Xiaotao's pretty face flushed red again. She looked at Ling Luochen somewhat helplessly, then stammered:

"Where...where did you put the medicine?"

Well, she already had the answer in her heart, but she just wanted to make a last-ditch effort.

"You went too far last night."

Ling Luochen simply said in a calm tone.

Ma Xiaotao: Σ()

After a moment of silence, Ma Xiaotao covered her head with the blanket and mumbled:
"Let me die for a while, I'll come back to life later."

Han Ruoruo and the other two exchanged glances again, then chuckled softly. After whispering a few words in Ma Xiaotao's ear, they led Wu Ming and Ling Luochen out of the room...

……

About half an hour later, Ma Xiaotao, dressed neatly, walked out of the room with an embarrassed and shy expression.

Han Ruoruo and her two companions, who were chatting idly in the corridor, glanced at Ma Xiaotao, who seemed to have gained a touch of allure, and then gestured for Ma Xiaotao to follow them.

There was supposed to be a competition today, but the opponents were too weak. So when Han Ruoruo explained that Ma Xiaotao was close to breaking through and needed to go into seclusion for two days, no one else thought much of it. After all, excluding the monster Shu Yan, Ma Xiaotao's talent was unparalleled in Shrek Academy. Even with the trouble of the Evil Flame, she was still very likely to break through and become a Soul Saint at the age of twenty.

This is no longer the potential of a Super Douluo, but a sure sign of future limit and a seed of godhood. Of course, the prerequisite for this is to resolve the problem of the evil fire within her.

"Xiao Tao, the evil fire on your body is not difficult to remove. Ayan has already made arrangements. Today he will help you purify the evil fire, so that you can become an ultimate fire soul master like Ming'er."

Han Ruoruo said softly.

Upon hearing the words "not difficult," "purifying evil fire," and "ultimate fire," Ma Xiaotao's lips twitched, but at the same time, a look of joy and anticipation involuntarily appeared on her face.

It wasn't for nothing that she risked her life to accompany him yesterday; if it weren't for Ling Luochen's icy-cool ointment, she probably would have been burning up for a few more days...

……

The underground room of the Star Emperor Hotel.

As the largest hotel directly under the royal family, the Star Emperor Hotel is extremely well-equipped with facilities such as secret rooms. You don't need to know the specific purpose of these buildings, but the fact that they exist is enough.

However, such facilities are not open to outsiders. The reason Shu Yan was able to enter was because of the special permission of Princess Xu Jiujiu. For this privilege, Shu Yan was almost willing to offer himself to Xu Jiujiu!

If Ma Xiaotao knew that Shu Yan had gone to such lengths for her, she would surely be very moved!
Ma Xiaotao: What did you say?
……

Meanwhile, on the other side, Shu Yan, who had been waiting for a long time, finally met Han Ruoruo and the other three.

Shu Yan casually waved his hand, and the ultimate ice transformed into a solid ice wall covering the entire secret chamber, in order to prevent the Phoenix Evil Fire from completely destroying this place later.

"Xiao Tao, I'll give you two options now. First, after you consume the essence of the Phoenix Cockscomb Sunflower, I will immediately use extreme ice to stimulate the Phoenix Evil Fire within your body, causing it to erupt fully. During this process, you need to do your best to resist the erosion from the Phoenix Evil Fire until I help you purify and absorb all the evil energy within the fire, enabling your martial soul attribute to overcome that hurdle and enter the ultimate realm..."

"Secondly, you also need to take Phoenix Cockscomb Sunflower now, but I will not use the extreme ice to stimulate the outbreak of evil fire in your body. You need to wait for the Phoenix Cockscomb Sunflower to slowly urge your Phoenix Evil Fire to evolve into pure extreme fire. This will take a long time. I conservatively estimate that it will take at least a month for you to transform."

"After so many years of accumulation and refinement, the evil fire has long become an indispensable part of your essence. Your phoenix flames are so terrifying precisely because of this evil fire. Once all the evil energy is removed, and with the medicinal power of the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, you can not only become an ultimate fire soul master, but also break through to the Soul Saint realm in one fell swoop..."

Ma Xiaotao was initially incredibly excited, but upon hearing the one-month timeframe, she immediately shook her head. She was an impatient person, and besides, the Soul Battle Tournament, which she had been eagerly anticipating, was currently underway. Where would she find a month to seclude herself? What a joke! By the time she emerged, the Soul Battle Tournament would have long since ended. She couldn't possibly wait that long…

Shu Yan wasn't too surprised. Looking into Ma Xiaotao's determined eyes, he continued:
"The former is much faster, but you will also suffer more pain... You must be familiar with the feeling of being burned by evil fire, but I can tell you very clearly that the pain you have suffered before is negligible compared to this time."

"Xiaotao, are you sure?"

"Yeah! I'm sure!"

Ma Xiaotao remained steadfast.

"Okay, get ready, we'll start right away."

Shu Yan didn't say anything more. He still had some confidence in Ma Xiaotao, and at least this kind of thing was definitely not going to go wrong.

……

Outside the secret chamber, hearing the faint, heart-wrenching screams emanating from within, Han Ruoruo sighed softly and then said:

"Xiao Tao's evil fire is like a maggot clinging to a bone; the pain she would have to endure to completely purify it is dozens of times greater than having her ten fingers pierced. Sigh, this silly girl, anyway, with Shu Yan around, how could she possibly lose this competition..."

"She has her own ideas and pride. If it weren't for Ayan, she would undoubtedly be the protagonist of this Soul Master Competition."

Ling Luochen said softly. Wu Ming, however, felt a pang of sadness.

"When I advanced to the Ultimate Soul Master level, I felt quite comfortable. I never expected Xiao Tao to suffer like this..."

"Sigh x3"

The three exchanged a glance, then simultaneously began to pray for their fourth sister. Such a promising talent couldn't afford any problems...

……

As night fell, Shu Yan emerged from the secret room carrying Ma Xiaotao, whose body was soaked with sweat. Looking at Han Ruoruo and the other two still waiting outside, he smiled gently and said:
"That's all. Luo Chen, Ming'er, you two take Xiao Tao to take a bath and then let her rest early."

Ling Luochen and Wu Ming quickly stepped forward to support Ma Xiaotao, who was so exhausted that she was barely conscious, and then led her to the top floor.

Han Ruoruo stepped forward and took Shu Yan's arm. As they walked forward, Han Ruoruo asked:
"All successful?"

"With me taking action, what unexpected things could possibly happen?"

Shu Yan smiled and asked in return.

"You're never serious."

Han Ruoruo gave a coquettish remark, then leaned closer to Shu Yan and whispered:
"How does Xiaotao taste? Compared to Ming'er?"

"None of them are as good as Sister Ruoruo."

Shu Yan's answer was somewhat irrelevant.

"Stop being so cheeky, believe it or not, your older sister will beat you up..."

Han Ruoruo gave a soft snort, but there was a hint of smugness in her snort.

As the two chatted and laughed, their voices gradually faded into the distance until they disappeared completely...

……

When Ma Xiaotao woke up the next day, she was shocked to find that the evil fire that had bound her for more than ten years had completely disappeared. The pure and ultimate fire meant that she no longer had to suffer the pain of being burned by the evil fire. The pleasure of that primal evolution made her feel that she could now kill ten bulls with one punch.

After confirming the itinerary for the next two days, Shu Yan took Ma Xiaotao to the Xingluo Southern Forest.

In less than half a day, Shu Yan helped Ma Xiaotao hunt down an 80,000-year-old Scorching Sun Dragon as her seventh soul ring.

Unfortunately, this blazing sun dragon did not produce any soul bones, otherwise it would have been an extremely precious gift.

After absorbing the seventh soul ring, Ma Xiaotao's soul power successfully advanced to the Soul Saint level. Afterwards, Shu Yan took her back to Star Luo City using spatial teleportation. It wasn't until the next day that the others learned that Ma Xiaotao had become an ultimate soul master, broken through to the Soul Saint level, and even obtained the seventh soul ring.

Everyone looked at Shu Yan with strange eyes. Anyone with eyes could see that only Shu Yan could do such a thing. When Elder Xuan heard the news, he was stunned at first, and then he was overjoyed.

As Yan Shaozhe's only beloved disciple, Ma Xiaotao was taken to Shrek Academy by Yan Shaozhe to be raised and nurtured shortly after she awakened her martial soul. For Ma Xiaotao, Shrek Academy was her home and her place of belonging.

In some ways, she and Zhang Lexuan are the same. They will definitely stay in Shrek Academy and join the Sea God Pavilion to become the next elder. In fact, both Ma Xiaotao and Zhang Lexuan have the potential to become Limit Douluo. Moreover, now that Ma Xiaotao has this relationship with Shu Yan, it means that Shu Yan also has an inseparable connection with Shrek Academy. In any case, Shrek Academy has made a huge profit in this round!
Without delay, Xuanzi immediately decided to send this good news back to Shrek Academy as quickly as possible, so that Yan Shaozhe could also enjoy the good news…

From now on, these older generations can truly retire in peace... Hehehe...

……

Shu Yan could actually guess what Xuanzi and the others would think after learning the news, but he didn't care.

Shrek Academy is destined to be passed down to Zhang Lexuan, Ma Xiaotao and others, who are all his staunch supporters. At that time, the reform of Shrek Academy will be a natural progression... A new era needs new people, and people like Xuanzi will inevitably be forgotten by the times sooner or later.

As time goes by, this competition is gradually coming to an end.

This year's Shrek Academy team is truly a gathering of heroes, with two players possessing extreme attributes and several top geniuses like Dai Yueheng. Such a lineup is unprecedented. After more than twenty days of competition, Shrek Academy's reputation has only grown stronger, and Captain Shu Yan, who has yet to make a move, has become the talk of the town...

Shu Yan has far too many accolades. His fame isn't limited to Shrek Academy; word-of-mouth is rampant throughout the Douluo Continent. Just like the Black and White Twin Holy Dragons of the past, almost every Soul Master on the continent who has made a name for themselves in the Soul Master world knows of their existence…

Countless people were eagerly anticipating Shu Yan's intervention. Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochen's exceptional attributes were already a game-changer, but Shu Yan, simply by standing there, seemed to effortlessly overwhelm the two geniuses...

……

"Shu Yan, when exactly do you plan to make your move? This princess is truly curious to know just how strong you are."

The flickering candlelight illuminated their faces. This was the top floor of another super-large hotel in Xingluo City, from which one could almost overlook the lights of the entire city.

Xu Jiujiu wore a gold and red gown, which was clearly not an ordinary piece. Wearing it made her skin look even whiter than snow, and her pretty face looked as fresh and refined as a fairy, making her incredibly beautiful.

Shu Yan casually swirled his wine glass, leaning back slightly. His sharply defined face looked exceptionally handsome in the candlelight, exuding an indescribable sense of confidence and arrogance.

Xu Jiujiu propped her head up with one hand, her gaze fixed on Shu Yan's face. As she stared, she became somewhat mesmerized...

Shu Yan looked at Xu Jiujiu, then chuckled and said:
"How about this, when it's your Star Luo National Academy's turn to play, I'll go on stage and take on seven opponents at once, so you can see my strength. What do you say?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Jiujiu gave Shu Yan a reproachful glare, then chuckled softly:
"Is that so? But our Star Luo National Academy is not a pushover. How about this, let's make a bet. If we lose, I'll grant you one wish, and if you lose, you grant me one wish."

"Fair and just, honest and fair to all, young and old, how about that?"

"Sure, I love making bets with people."

Shu Yan thought about it for a moment, and then agreed.

After a period of ambiguity, Xu Jiujiu clearly had other thoughts, but Shu Yan didn't care. This princess was indeed meticulous and serious when dealing with important matters, but when it came to handling emotions, she was really not very good at it... or rather, she wasn't particularly outstanding.

“Alright, then the bet is officially established. Grandma Manyi, you will be our witness.”

He spoke into the darkness beside him after a long while.

In the darkness, the silhouette of an old woman suddenly appeared, and then she answered:
"Your Highness, rest assured, I will certainly act as a good witness..."

……

(End of this chapter)