Ma Xiaotao was stunned. Four methods were clearly laid out before her, yet she felt like someone standing at a crossroads, momentarily unsure which way to go.
The first method was too embarrassing. Putting aside the fact that she didn't have someone she truly loved yet, even if she did, the mere thought of using such a method to resolve the Evil Fire made her face flush and her heart race. She would absolutely not choose it.
The second method required luck and Opportunity. If she had started trying from a young age, it might have actually been useful. But now, her Rank was too high, and the Evil Fire had flared up to a critical point; she simply couldn't afford to wait for those ethereal Opportunities.
The third... ask Furina for help? Could Ultimate Water really completely purify Evil Fire? At the very least, one thing was certain: it could truly allow her to continue to Cultivate and suppress that power that was on the verge of spiraling out of control.
As for the fourth method, she looked up at the confident smile on Furina's face—Immortal Herbs? How could those things be so easy to find? If it were that easy, wouldn't the entire Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School have evolved into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda by now? After all, they were a great Sect that had been passed down to this day, still active and illustrious on the continent. And their Shrek Academy hadn't been able to find the Immortal Herbs that the Original Shrek Seven Devils had consumed in ten thousand years.
Yet Furina had spoken so confidently, coupled with her monstrous Talents and the ability to make even her own teacher lower his stature.
Everything was telling her: this person might actually have a way.
Ma Xiaotao bit her lip, her fingers unconsciously twisting together.
After a long silence, she finally raised her head, her eyes carrying a hint of testing and a trace of hope: "Can you... really find a way to get them?"
"How many times have you asked me that?" Furina didn't answer directly, instead tilting her head slightly and asking back with a hint of teasing in her voice.
"..." Ma Xiaotao pursed her lips and remained silent. She knew her question was redundant, but this matter was simply too important to her—so important that she had to confirm it repeatedly.
Furina smiled slightly, walked over slowly, and gently reached out to pat her shoulder. The movement was as casual as soothing a nervous little animal.
"Anyway, it depends on your choice. Different choices, different prices." Her tone was nonchalant, as if she were talking about something as simple as what to eat today.
"But it doesn't matter; your teacher is paying anyway, so I don't mind. If you feel bad for your teacher, you can also help him out a bit by paying a small price yourself."
"What price?" Ma Xiaotao asked almost immediately, her eyes fixed on Furina.
She calculated quickly in her mind: although she didn't come from a wealthy family like Dai Yueheng, her Talents were far better than his.
Even if she couldn't pay it back now, once she became a Titled Douluo, wouldn't returning these favors be easy? Besides, her teacher Yan Shaozhe was the Shrek Academy Dean of the Martial Soul Department; in the future, he might even go a step further and become a member of the Sea Gods Pavilion.
With power and influence then, he would surely be able to repay Furina's favor.
"It's simple, and it doesn't require much of a price—" Furina paused, a meaningful glint flashing in her eyes, "Just join my Axis Cult."
Ma Xiaotao was stunned.
Furina watched the changing expressions on her face, while other thoughts turned in her mind. In the original work, Ma Xiaotao's performance in the Early Stage was that of a crazy woman who did nothing but Cultivate, with almost nothing in her eyes except becoming stronger.
But it had to be said, her Talents were indeed high, and she was much more hardworking than that Ma Hongjun from Douluo 1. It was just a pity she was held back by this broken Martial Soul.
If it were any normal Martial Soul of the same quality as the Evil Fire Phoenix, it wouldn't be like this.
Furthermore, considering her teacher was Yan Shaozhe, there was a high probability she would inherit the position of Shrek's Dean of the Martial Soul Department in the future.
While building good relations with the older generation was important, doing so with the new generation was equally vital. By securing both, Shrek could be completely turned into one of their own.
"This..." Ma Xiaotao hesitated, her brow furrowing slightly.
Shrek's kindness to her was too great. When her parents died, Shrek took her in, provided so many resources, and nurtured her to this day. It was her second home; one could even say that without Shrek, there would be no Ma Xiaotao today.
Asking her to join another Sect or organization? The mere thought of it made a flicker of guilt rise in her heart.
But on the other hand, this was the only chance for her to rid herself of the Evil Fire.
The two thoughts clashed fiercely in her mind, and her expression shifted accordingly.
Furina watched her conflicted appearance and wasn't in a hurry, merely speaking slowly: "I'm not asking you to make a decision right now. You can go back and talk to your teacher; I believe he will agree."
She paused, her tone becoming even more relaxed: "Besides, my Axis Cult doesn't restrict personal freedom. As long as you join the Axis Cult and don't betray us, don't become an Evil Soul Master, and don't commit crimes like murder or arson, anything goes."
"Furthermore—" Furina's lips curled into a meaningful smile, "Shrek is currently in a state of cooperation with the Axis Cult. There's nothing wrong with you joining the Axis Cult, and certainly no downside. What do you think?"
Every word was like a gentle whisper, yet they accurately struck at Ma Xiaotao's inner defenses—doing this wouldn't violate her principles, wouldn't affect her repaying Shrek's kindness, and wouldn't earn her the reputation of an ungrateful wretch. All her concerns were being resolved one by one.
Ma Xiaotao took a deep breath and finally made up her mind. She bent down and gave a solemn bow, her usual arrogance deeply restrained, leaving only sincerity.
"Fine. I, Ma Xiaotao, am willing to join the Axis Cult and will never betray it. Also, please rest assured, as a student of Shrek, how could I ever engage in the dealings of an Evil Soul Master?"
She straightened up, meeting Furina's gaze calmly, then paused and added: "In addition, I deeply apologize for attacking you all before. I truly lost control then, and even my memories are very blurred; I had no idea what I was doing."
By the end, her voice lowered, carrying a hint of difficult-to-express shame.
As things stood, she was in the wrong and was the one asking for a favor. If she didn't lower her stature, it would be unjustifiable. Moreover, compared to Furina's Talents, what did her little bit of pride amount to? The other was even a Food Element Soul Master; the gap was so large she couldn't even fathom catching up.
She used to always feel that she was the strongest of the younger generation, but now she finally understood what it meant for there to always be someone better.
Her teacher had said this before, but it always went in one ear and out the other; only now was it truly etched into her heart.
Furina nodded with satisfaction: "Very well. I will help look for the Immortal Herb and hand it to your teacher when the time comes. Before that, I'll use my Ultimate Water to help you suppress it for a bit."
She paused, her tone becoming a bit more serious: "Also, when you Cultivate, have your teacher or another teacher of a higher Rank than you keep an eye on you to prevent any further loss of control."
Furina knew very well: Yan Shaozhe was busy with reforming Shrek. If he forgot about this again, or hadn't listened in the first place, and Ma Xiaotao lost control once more, wouldn't that directly harm the New Students? With her combat power, who among those of the same level could stop her?
"Yes, yes, I definitely will!" Ma Xiaotao nodded repeatedly, her tone as sincere as if she were making a vow, "I will tell the teachers. Please rest assured, I will also control myself."
Furina remained calm on the surface but shook her head inwardly.
Don't be ridiculous. If you could control yourself, would the previous incident have happened? Even in the original plot, when Huo Yuhao used Ultimate Ice to help suppress it, didn't you still run off every few days to snatch him away to suppress your Evil Fire?
It was lucky that Huo Yuhao was a kind person and had a good impression of Shrek. Any other protagonist, and it would likely have ended with you seeking your own death or facing all sorts of difficulties.
One could only say that this Shrek World setting is very comfortable, except for the existence of Evil Soul Masters.
But the problem was, the reason Evil Soul Masters could run rampant during the douluo 2, Douluo 3, and even Douluo 4 eras was ultimately because that pure and noble Lord Sea God destroyed the Slaughter City and wiped out the Spirit Hall, which specifically cleared out Evil Soul Masters.
Not cleaning up his own mess and leaving it to future generations, huh?
Furina silently lamented in her heart: Tang San, you really deserve to die.
However, these thoughts only flashed by for a moment. She quickly retracted her thoughts and called out to Ma Xiaotao: "Alright, alright, I'll take you to the bathhouse first. I'll use my Ultimate Water to help you suppress it and see if it can be completely purified. If it works, it saves me the trouble of finding an Immortal Herb; if not, you'll just have to make do for a while."
"O-okay, thank you very much." Ma Xiaotao nodded repeatedly, her gratitude almost overflowing from her eyes.
At this moment, in her eyes, Furina had completely become that life-saving straw, and the only thing she had to do was clutch it tightly and never let go.
The two of them walked out one after the other. Ma Xiaotao followed behind Furina, looking at that calm and unhurried back, and a strange feeling suddenly welled up in her heart.
How could this person, who looked even younger than herself, make someone feel like they wanted to rely on her?
Perhaps this is what a truly strong person is like.
She withdrew her gaze and silently followed. The matter of the Evil Fire finally had a resolution, and the weight that had been on her heart for years seemed to loosen slightly. Although the road ahead was still unclear, at least she had grasped that straw.
That was enough.
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