Douluo Continent: I'm writing a diary, and something's not right with you guys.

But in the end, she still chose to return here and protect this place. If it were me, I definitely couldn't do it.

Gu Yuena looked at the words in the diary, her eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.

She had been asleep for countless years, witnessing all the love, hate, and passion of humanity, as well as this so-called sense of belonging.

That's how humans are; even if they've been hurt by the group they belong to, they still develop an unbreakable bond with that group.

She couldn't understand the sentiment of being willing to dedicate one's entire life to it, yet she was also used to it.

Speaking of Shrek Academy, it has many flaws. The higher-ups are hypocritical, hypocritical, and like to engage in all sorts of underhanded tactics. There are quite a few people across the continent who criticize it.

But one thing is undeniable: the loyalty, or rather, the sense of identification, that people who come from Shrek Academy have for the academy is ridiculously high.

Whether they were hurt by the academy or graduated smoothly, almost all of them regarded Shrek Academy as their root.

He would dedicate his entire life to the academy, and even if the academy made a mistake, he would try to make amends and protect it, instead of turning away.

To put it bluntly, whether you call it brainwashing or PUA, that's the gist of it. Shrek Academy certainly has a knack for winning people over.

No academy on the entire continent can compare. As for whether this is good or bad, whether to use a positive or negative term, that's a matter of opinion.

You say it's good? It can make a group of geniuses willingly dedicate their lives to the academy, uniting them as one, allowing Shrek Academy to stand tall across the continent for so many years.

You might say it's bad, but it can make people who have been hurt by the academy forget their suffering and still wholeheartedly dedicate themselves to it. Thinking about it that way is quite terrifying.

As Xiao Xiao read this passage, she also felt a sense of unease.

She grew up listening to the legends of Shrek Academy and worked incredibly hard to get into it, because she felt it was the holy land of soul masters.

Now that she knows so much inside information, she doesn't know whether her sense of identification with the academy is right or wrong.

Ning Tian gently shook his head, feeling that Shrek Academy was indeed not simple.

Even after so many years, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School couldn't instill such a strong sense of belonging in its disciples, but Shrek Academy was able to.

Even with so many flaws, countless geniuses still flock to it, willing to dedicate their lives to it. This is truly admirable.

Tang Ya smiled self-deprecatingly.

Tang Sect and Shrek Academy have been allies for so many years, so what if she knows about all the dirty deeds of Shrek Academy's higher-ups?

Chapter 90 Evil Fire? A Perverse Setting!

Even though she suffered a lot of grievances, she still regarded Shrek Academy as her support and Tang Sect as her home. In the end, she was unable to break free from this circle.

However, in any case, the fact that Ma Xiaotao had a happy ending is a blessing in disguise.

It's just a pity for those innocent ordinary people who were killed by Feng Ling because of Yan Shaozhe's personal affair. They didn't have Ma Xiaotao's good luck and didn't even know how they died.

Because of one person's selfishness, they lost their life and had nowhere to seek justice.

Ultimately, in the world of Soul Masters, the strong always call the shots. The lives of ordinary people are utterly insignificant in the eyes of these Super Douluo.

It's utterly ridiculous that they can sacrifice people and use them as bargaining chips at will.

Ma Xiaotao clenched her fists tightly, secretly making up her mind.

Now that she knew what would happen in the future, she would never allow herself to fall into the hands of the Holy Spirit Cult, nor would she allow her teacher's selfishness to harm so many innocent people.

She should take control of her own destiny, instead of letting others manipulate her.

Honestly, I still can't understand what the original author was thinking when he put the Evil Fire Martial Soul into a female Soul Master.

In Douluo Continent I, Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire Phoenix can quell his evil fire by visiting a brothel and seeing a few girls. At most, people will say he has an immoral private life, but he can still continue his cultivation and competitions without any delay. He can even become a god and live an endless life.

But when it came to Ma Xiaotao, she also possessed the Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul, a variant of the Ultimate Fire, and her talent was no less than Ma Hongjun's back then. It's just a pity that Ma Xiaotao was a woman.

Gratitude flashed in Ma Xiaotao's eyes again. The days when she was gnawed by the evil fire were still vivid in her mind. She remembered clearly those nights when she was gripped by fear and the despair when she woke up after losing control.

If it weren't for the rewards from this diary dungeon that completely repaired her martial soul's flaws, she would probably still be living in an abyss where she could be devoured by evil fire at any moment.

She sighed softly, her heart filled with gratitude for Lin Ye.

The concept of "evil fire" itself carries a kind of wicked and vulgar humor.

If a male Soul Master's evil fire erupts, there are readily available ways to resolve it, and no one will really do anything to him. Some of his peers even use it as a romantic anecdote to joke about, and then forget about it as soon as they turn their backs.

But what about female Soul Masters? In the end, Douluo Continent is a world with a feudal background, where a woman's reputation is of paramount importance.

Male Soul Masters are considered carefree and romantic when they frequent brothels, but if a female Soul Master dares to do even the slightest thing like that, she'll be drowned in spittle.

Let alone staying in a top-tier academy like Shrek Academy, even if you went to any corner of the continent, you would be gossiped about behind your back, which would be no different from complete social death.

Not to mention that once the evil fire completely erupts, a person loses all reason and doesn't even know who they are, let alone think about solving the problem on their own.

If it really comes to that, you'll either be consumed by the evil fire and explode, or you'll lose control and do something that ruins your entire life—either way, you're trapped in a dead end with no way out.

Behind Lin Ye, Xiao Xiao looked at the words in her mind, her delicate brows furrowed tightly.

She only knew that Senior Ma Xiaotao was a genius in the inner academy and was often troubled by evil fire, but she never thought about it in depth. There were so many frustrating and powerless aspects behind it.

She wholeheartedly agreed: "Lin Ye is right, this is so unfair! We have the same martial soul, why is she being treated so harshly by my senior..."

What's even more ridiculous is that in the entire Douluo Continent, among so many Title Douluos and so many well-known figures in the Soul Master world, no one thought there was a problem with this setting? No one thought of finding a truly effective way to solve Ma Xiaotao's problem once and for all?

To put it bluntly, it's just that nobody really cares whether she lives or dies.

Shrek Academy claims she is the future of the academy and the most outstanding genius on the continent, but what has she done besides finding a few ice-attribute soul masters to temporarily suppress her evil fire every time it erupts?

Yan Shaozhe, as an elder of the Sea God Pavilion and her own master, couldn't even solve the flaw in his disciple's martial soul.

All he thinks about is how to make her bring glory to the academy, how to make her achieve good results in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament, and how to uphold the reputation of Shrek Academy.

Oh, no, it's not entirely hopeless. In the original story, her problem with the evil fire was ultimately resolved by Huo Yuhao's ultimate ice and the power of Electrolux.

But what happened before that was resolved? How much suffering did she endure? How many times did she teeter on the brink of death? She was even controlled by evil fire and almost destroyed herself. In the end, she was abducted by the Holy Spirit Cult and turned into a black phoenix that everyone hated.

Such a brilliant and talented girl, she was worn down half her life, and her life was almost completely ruined.

Zhang Lexuan stopped circulating her soul power, looked at the words in her mind, and her eyes were filled with complex and unpredictable emotions.

As the senior disciple of Shrek Academy's inner court, she knew better than anyone the suffering Ma Xiaotao had endured over the years, and she had accompanied Dean Yan Shaozhe countless times to suppress Ma Xiaotao's evil fire.

But these people only ever thought about "suppression," never stepped out of this circle, and never truly stood in Ma Xiaotao's shoes to consider the injustice and harshness imposed on a girl.

She gently shook her head, feeling a greater appreciation for Lin Ye's insight and a sense of indescribable guilt for the academy's inaction over the years.

Looking at the endings of Ma Hongjun and Ma Xiaotao, it's even more ironic.

Ma Hongjun eventually became the Phoenix God. Although he couldn't take Bai Chenxiang to heaven, he was still a proper god with endless lifespan, living a carefree life in the divine realm.

But what about Ma Xiaotao? In the original story, even though the problem of the evil fire was barely resolved in the end, she didn't have a good ending.

He was trapped in Shrek Academy his whole life, without even a decent place to belong, and lived in the shadow of the evil fire his entire life.

Both possess the Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul, yet simply because of their gender, one is worlds apart – isn't that ridiculous?

I've also seen some comments saying that Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix is ​​a mutated martial soul, stronger than Ma Hongjun's, so the evil fire is also more intense and harder to control.

Does Qiang deserve to suffer like this? Does Qiang deserve to be trapped by this broken martial spirit for the rest of his life? Does Qiang deserve to struggle on the brink of life and death every day?

Alas, what a pity, that's the difference.

Male Soul Masters can do whatever they want based on their strength. A little bit of private life issues are nothing to them. They can turn around and clear their name with their talent and strength, and be praised as geniuses.

Even a single rumor about a female Soul Master can affect her entire future. No matter how talented or powerful she is, she cannot escape malicious speculation and gossip.

Chapter 91 Huo Yuhao? What a coincidence?

Lin Ye and his friends arrived at the cafeteria. Lin Ye, Wang Dong'er, Xiao Xiao, Ning Tian, ​​and Wu Feng together made them the most eye-catching group in Shrek Academy's outer courtyard at the moment.

Lin Ye, Wang Dong'er's handsomeness, and the three great beauties Xiao Xiao, Ning Tian, ​​and Wu Feng—they attracted constant attention as they walked.

Those who were openly and those who were secretly following their footsteps all the way to the empty seats at the innermost part of the cafeteria.

Lin Ye has never been too picky about food. As soon as the group pulled out their chairs and sat down, Xiao Xiao came over.

Xiao Xiao's round face was full of excitement as she waved the plate in her hand: "Lin Ye, Wang Dong, Ning Tian, ​​Wu Feng, don't worry about me! I've already figured out all the best food stalls in the cafeteria."

I know exactly which window has the tenderest ribs and which has the most flavorful broth. Shall I help you decide on the menu?

The girl's eyes sparkled, with an adorable air of wanting credit, making it impossible for anyone to refuse her.

Wang Dong'er nodded first, and Ning Tian and Wu Feng also smiled and agreed. Lin Ye naturally had no reason to refuse, and smiled, "Okay, then thank you for your trouble."

Having received permission, Xiao Xiao immediately ran off to get her food with great joy, and the group gradually sat down.

Although there were still quite a few eyes fixed on them, most of them had dispersed. After all, people come to the cafeteria to eat, and they can't keep staring at people and forget to eat.

Lin Ye had just picked up the drink on the table and taken a sip when his gaze inadvertently swept over the window seat at the three o'clock position, and he paused.

The person sitting there was none other than Huo Yuhao.

Such a coincidence?

Huo Yuhao sat there all alone, a plate in front of him and chopsticks in his hand, but he didn't put a single bite of food in his mouth for a long time.

His movements were stiff, his eyes were vacant, and his expression was somewhat dull. He seemed to have lost his soul, sitting in the noisy cafeteria, completely out of place with the surrounding hustle and bustle.

Lin Ye only needed one glance to understand everything.

Without Wang Dong'er by his side, this guy was bored eating alone, so he probably sank his consciousness into the sea of ​​his mind and chatted with Tianmeng Ice Silkworm.

Without conscious control, the external body naturally appears blank and lifeless.