Douluo: The Martial Soul Asura Armor, a Good Spirit Turning Evil

Sea God Pavilion.

The heavy wooden door was tightly shut, keeping out both the lake breeze and the sounds of people.

The meeting room was dimly lit, with only the soul-guided lamp in the center of the long table emitting a cool light that shone on everyone's faces, creating a stark contrast between light and shadow.

Moon sat in the main seat, with his back to everyone.

His chair faced the huge portrait of the Shrek Seven Devils on the wall. The people in the portrait were blurred, and only seven figures standing side by side could be seen.

He didn't speak; he hadn't uttered a single word since the meeting began.

The long table was filled with people on both sides.

Old Zhuang sat in the first seat to Mu En's left. His hair was white, his face was thin, and his fingers tapped on the table.

He is the most senior elder of the Sea God Pavilion, with the Martial Soul Tree of Life, and a level 95 support-type Super Douluo.

He was facing Xuanzi.

The gourd of wine was placed on the table, unopened. He crossed his arms over his chest, leaned back in his chair, and half-closed his eyes, as if he were about to fall asleep.

Qian Duoduo sat to Zhuang Lao's left, his brows furrowed, and he twirled a soul tool component between his fingers at a rapid pace.

Xian Lin'er sat next to him, her back straight, her face expressionless, her gaze fixed on a certain spot on the table.

Cai Meier sat opposite Xian Liner, her expression gentle, but her lips were tightly pursed.

Yan Shaozhe sat to Xuanzi's left, his face ashen.

His right hand was wrapped in a bandage, left by Duanmu Yan's Asura Demon Dagger.

The wound wasn't deep, but he didn't use his soul power to heal it, as if he deliberately left it there.

Old Song sat at the very end of the long table, near the door.

She is Xian Lin'er's mother, her martial soul is the Azure Shadow Divine Eagle, and she is a level 97 Power Attack-type Title Douluo.

Her gaze shifted back and forth between Yan Shaozhe and Xuanzi, her lips moved, but in the end she said nothing.

The silence lasted for a long time.

"Tell me everything," Old Zhuang finally spoke, his voice hoarse as if he hadn't spoken in a long time. "How should we handle this matter?"

"What are you dealing with?"

Xuanzi opened one eye and looked at Elder Zhuang. "Should we deal with Ma Xiaotao, or Duanmu Yan?"

Old Zhuang did not respond.

Xuanzi sat up straight, picked up the wine gourd from the table, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip.

The smell of alcohol filled the conference room. Some people frowned, but no one spoke.

"Ma Xiaotao's matter has been going on for more than a day or two." Xuanzi put down his wine gourd, his tone calm. "Everyone here knows the situation with her martial soul."

"The uncontrollable rage, the loss of control, the rampage—these things have happened before. Each time, Yan Shaozhe would restrain her, confine her for a few days, and release her once she regained her senses. When has anyone ever died?"

He glanced around at everyone present.

"No one was killed today. Ma Xiaotao ran to the lakeside and bumped into Duanmu Yan, and they got into a fight. Duanmu Yan wasn't injured, and neither was Ma Xiaotao. The only one who was injured was Yan Shaozhe, who was slashed by his own student."

Xuanzi pointed to the bandage on Yan Shaozhe's hand and twitched his lips.

"Is this really worth holding a meeting of the Sea God Pavilion?"

The soul tool parts in Qian Duoduo's hand stopped moving.

"Elder Xuan, you can't say that." His voice wasn't loud, but it was firm. "This isn't the first time Ma Xiaotao has lost control, but it's also not the first time she's almost killed someone when she lost control."

"Just because nothing happened before doesn't mean nothing will happen in the future. Duanmu Yan is right; if the root of the evil fire in her body isn't removed, it will cause a major disaster sooner or later."

"So?" Xuanzi looked at him. "How are you going to get rid of her? Destroy her martial spirit? Or, like Duanmu Yan said, just kill her?"

Qian Duoduo's lips moved slightly, but she didn't answer immediately.

"I didn't say I wanted to kill her." He paused, "But I don't think Duanmu Yan's actions were wrong. When Ma Xiaotao lost control, she was no different from an evil spirit master. He handled it according to his own principles, so what's the problem?"

"Principles?" Xuanzi's voice rose a few decibels. "His principle is to kill any evil spirit master he sees. Is Ma Xiaotao an evil spirit master?"

"She's a disciple of our Shrek Academy's inner court, one of the Shrek Seven Devils, and Yan Shaozhe's direct student. She only has a problem with her martial soul, not that she's malicious. How can you confuse these two things?"

"Just because a martial spirit has a problem doesn't mean it can be ignored?" Qian Duoduo retorted sharply. "Elder Xuan, do you know how many people Ma Xiaotao has injured when she's out of control? Outer court students, inner court disciples, even instructors have been beaten by her. Every time, she's just put in confinement for a few days and then released, only to go out of control again next time. What do you call that? That's called raising a tiger to cause trouble."

"That's enough." Yan Shaozhe finally spoke, his voice low and deep. "Ma Xiaotao is my student, and I will handle her problem."

"How are you going to handle this?" Qian Duoduo turned to look at him. "You took her away in front of everyone today, and then what? Solitary confinement? Additional restraints? How many times have you used these things? Did they even work?"

Yan Shaozhe remained silent.

Old Song coughed softly, drawing everyone's attention.

"Let me say a few words." Her voice wasn't loud, but it was clear. "Ma Xiaotao's problem certainly deserves attention. But Duanmu Yan's approach also has its flaws."

She paused, as if considering her words.

"This matter has already had a significant impact. If it continues to spread, what kind of damage will it do to the college's reputation? Have you considered that?"

"Is reputation more important than life?" Cai Meier spoke, her tone cold. "Mr. Song, I'm not targeting you personally. But if Ma Xiaotao really loses control completely, it won't just be her who dies. Will Shrek Academy's reputation be preserved then?"

Old Song glanced at her but did not refute her.

Xian Lin'er interjected at this moment, her voice gentle, as if trying to smooth things over.

"Duanmu Yan's intentions were good, and I believe everyone here agrees on that. His actions were indeed a bit extreme, but he is young after all, and he came in from the outside, so he doesn't have a deep emotional connection to the academy. He acted according to his own principles, so we can't say he was wrong."

She glanced at Xuanzi.

"But Elder Xuan has a point. Ma Xiaotao is a member of the academy, and her problem should be resolved internally. Duanmu Yan's immediate attempt to kill is indeed inappropriate."

"So what do you think we should do?" Qian Duoduo asked.

Cai Meier thought for a moment.

"The two issues should be handled separately. The college must come up with a practical and feasible solution to Ma Xiaotao's problem; it can no longer be handled by detaining her for a few days and then releasing her as before."

"Regarding Duanmu Yan's problem... give him a verbal warning and tell him that in the future, if he encounters such a thing, he should report it first and not take action himself."

"A verbal warning?" Qian Duoduo laughed, her laughter laced with sarcasm. "That kid Duanmu Yan, you think he'd listen to a verbal warning?"

Cai Meier paused for a moment.

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

Qian Duoduo didn't answer. He slammed the soul tool parts in his hand onto the table, making a crisp "smack" sound.

"My opinion is simple. Duanmu Yan hasn't done anything wrong and doesn't need any action. The academy must take Ma Xiaotao's problem seriously. It's better to wait until she completely loses control before regretting it."