After Wang Feng parted ways with Huo Yuhao's group, he wanted to resume his training. After all, there was nothing else he could do at the moment.
Just as Wang Feng was walking toward the training area, he ran into a familiar face on the path. It was Senior Ma Xiaotao.
Wang Feng was about to greet her, but he noticed something strange about Ma Xiaotao's expression.
She staggered toward him, her face flushed red, and the air around her felt scorching.
"Senior? What's happening to you?" Wang Feng approached her with concern.
But when Ma Xiaotao heard Wang Feng's voice, it was as if she had found her destination. She tightly embraced him and dragged him away to an unknown location.
Wang Feng was stunned when her burning-hot body clung to his. The fiery aura enveloping her caused sweat to instantly bead on his forehead.
He tried to break free from her grip, but Ma Xiaotao, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. "Don't move! Help me again like you did yesterday."
Hearing this, Wang Feng fell silent and allowed Ma Xiaotao to lead him into a forest near the academy.
Her breathing was ragged, and wisps of flame seemed to seep from her pores. Her eyes looked dim, overwhelmed by her uncontrollable Martial Soul.
"I... I don't know why... but ever since I did it... with you yesterday, my body... when I cultivated... started producing even more evil fire... than usual," she said in a hoarse voice, her face nearly resting against Wang Feng's chest.
Wang Feng could feel just how chaotic and scorching the energy within Ma Xiaotao's body had become. The fire aura she usually controlled now blazed like a wildfire on the verge of exploding. Every breath she took carried traces of flame, as if her body was being consumed from within.
"You mean, after we finished yesterday, you immediately went back to cultivating like usual?"
Ma Xiaotao weakly nodded. "Yes… I thought it would help. But it was the opposite. The fire… it's like it went wild inside me. The more I tried to suppress it, the more feral and hot it became." Her breath grew heavier, and her body wavered slightly before Wang Feng caught her.
Wang Feng could feel how hot her body was against his own, and he too began to feel the searing heat due to her temperature.
But what confused — and slightly concerned — Wang Feng was the cause: why did her evil flame become even more intense after their interaction yesterday?
"I don't understand... why does your body react like this to me?" Wang Feng asked, trying to maintain emotional distance, even though he was holding her so closely.
"I don't know either," Ma Xiaotao murmured weakly. "But… when you're near… the fire doesn't burn… it actually feels… like something is soothing it… warm and peaceful…"
Wang Feng closed his eyes briefly. He knew his Martial Soul, the Ethereal Lotus, possessed great healing and calming abilities. Perhaps its power was naturally working when in contact with Ma Xiaotao's destructive fire energy. But if that were true, then Ma Xiaotao would become increasingly dependent on his presence to stay stable. That... could become a problem.
"All right," Wang Feng said at last. "I'll try to stabilize your energy again, like yesterday."
Wang Feng channeled his soul power to activate the Ethereal Lotus Martial Soul. Above them, a lotus bloomed with an aura of harmony that could bring peace to all living things.
The gentle light of the Ethereal Lotus slowly enveloped Ma Xiaotao, bathing her burning body in a soothing yet profound energy. The lotus petals floating in the air radiated a calming aura that even managed to ease the searing heat surrounding them. The red flames cloaking Ma Xiaotao's body flickered unsteadily, then gradually began to subside, as if calmed by a mother's embrace.
Ma Xiaotao could feel her Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul becoming content after absorbing the light emitted by the Ethereal Lotus.
Her labored breathing became more steady, although cold sweat still dripped from her forehead.
"…So comfortable…" she whispered, barely audible.
Wang Feng didn't respond. He was focusing all his concentration on understanding what had caused Ma Xiaotao's condition to spiral out of control. Because they were embracing, Wang Feng was able to sense her state clearly. He found nothing unusual in her physical body, which meant the problem lay with the Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul itself.
He closed his eyes and delved deeper using the power of his Ethereal Lotus, trying to reach the root of the chaos within Ma Xiaotao's soul power. Waves of heat, wild and turbulent, greeted him the moment he touched the core of the girl's power. But—there was something else.
Beneath the rampaging evil flames, Wang Feng sensed a kind of… instinctual drive. As if the Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul was searching for something. Not just releasing heat uncontrollably, but reacting to something that happened yesterday—perhaps something unintentional between him and Ma Xiaotao.
Could it be… Wang Feng thought. I didn't just affect her—my Martial Soul did too. The Ethereal Lotus may have left behind some residual energy in her body… and the Phoenix is responding to it.
His Ethereal Lotus carried a pure and harmonious nature, the opposite of the destructive Evil Fire Phoenix. But rather than clash, the Phoenix had absorbed his lotus energy.
But why? Wang Feng had an idea. What if Ma Xiaotao's Martial Soul is trying to evolve? And my lotus energy acted as an accidental catalyst? That would explain why her evil flames flared up again so quickly.
Wang Feng opened his eyes. The lotus petals floating above them gradually faded one by one, leaving behind a silence broken only by Ma Xiaotao's now-calm breathing as she lay in his arms.
Ma Xiaotao now leaned weakly against Wang Feng's chest, her breath steadying, though her body still radiated heat. The fiery redness in her face slowly faded, returning to its usual hue. However, the air around them still carried traces of flames not yet fully extinguished.
Wang Feng gently brushed her hair—not out of affection, but to ensure she was stable. He looked up at the sky through the forest canopy, his mind racing.
If his theory was right, there were two major possibilities.
First, the Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul was on the verge of evolving, and his Ethereal Lotus acted as an unintended catalyst. Instead of weakening the Phoenix, the lotus energy was fueling it, pushing it toward a new threshold.
The second possibility… was far more dangerous.
Ma Xiaotao's Martial Soul might be beginning to rely on him. Not emotionally—but spiritually. If this continued, it was very possible that her soul power would become unstable whenever she was not near him.
Wang Feng let out a long sigh. Alright. If this happens to her again tomorrow, then my conclusion must be correct.