"Your teacher has already reached an agreement with Sister Changli. Sister Jingliu will help you expel the evil fire in three days—then, you won't have to suffer from it anymore." Keqing smiled as she spoke. Looking at the red-haired girl quietly drinking fish soup in front of her, Keqing couldn't help but feel a surge of respect.
From Lu Jingming, she had learned about the nature of the evil fire Ma Xiaotao carried—a flame that could arouse one's most primal desires.
Ma Xiaotao's ancestor, Ma Hongjun, had to constantly vent his desires from a young age to alleviate the pain of the evil fire, which led him to go through girlfriend after girlfriend, all of whom left because they couldn't endure the intense needs brought on by the fire.
But Ma Xiaotao's evil fire was even stronger than Ma Hongjun's.
Yet she endured it all through sheer force of will.
Ever since her martial soul awakened, she had remained true to herself, kept her integrity, and never lost herself to the desires brought by the evil fire.
In terms of sheer willpower, she far surpassed her ancestor.
Because of this, Keqing felt a strong fondness for Ma Xiaotao.
Keqing herself was extremely self-disciplined, and admired others who also possessed great self-control.
That was why she had taken it upon herself to care for Ma Xiaotao.
After all, there was no shortage of maids in the City Lord's Mansion—people in Haiyuan City were proud to send their daughters there to serve.
…
Clang! Clang!
Two sharp metallic sounds rang out in the training ground. Lu Jingming's longsword became a blur of afterimages as he thrust aggressively toward Jingliu.
Every strike was as fast as lightning, sword winds howling as if to tear the air apart.
But Jingliu stayed calm, blocking each attack easily with a single hand.
Each time their swords met, brilliant sparks scattered through the air like fireworks.
Lu Jingming's attacks were like waves, unleashing intricate sword techniques and fierce energy that battered the training ground's soul-forged metal floor, leaving deep white grooves despite the material's toughness.
Even though Lu Jingming gave it his all and displayed his swordsmanship to the fullest, Jingliu always handled it with ease and composure.
Every move was just right, seamlessly blending with her surroundings, displaying the bearing of a true master.
At the instant when Lu Jingming's momentum stalled between attacks, a cold glint flashed in Jingliu's eyes and her sword thrust out like lightning.
Lu Jingming saw a flash of cold light, his body freezing in place—the tip of her sword was already at his throat, barely a hair's breadth away.
Looking at the cold, shining sword so close to his neck, Lu Jingming helplessly raised his hands in surrender, but still wore a cheeky smile: "As expected of Teacher Jingliu, your swordsmanship is unmatched! Even without using soul power, you can defeat me so easily."
"I'm not Herta, and you've been slacking off lately." Jingliu didn't respond to the flattery, only giving a mild but strict assessment.
Lu Jingming laughed awkwardly.
He knew he had been slacking in his sword practice recently, spending less time on it due to other pressing matters.
Jingliu understood his busy schedule, but calmly said, "No matter how much you plan, in the end, strength is what counts."
Lu Jingming nodded in agreement.
He understood this well, so he already planned to delegate his tasks and focus on cultivation to improve his strength.
After all, he held the Authority of Reality and could trust others to handle things for him.
At this moment, Zhang Lexuan approached lightly, holding a delicate handkerchief.
She gently wiped the sweat from Lu Jingming's forehead and softly said, "Sister Changli has finished negotiating with Dean Yan."
"Is that so? Then I'll leave the rest to you, Teacher." Lu Jingming didn't look surprised at the news.
He knew that to solve Ma Xiaotao's evil fire, as long as the terms weren't too harsh and didn't threaten Shrek Academy's interests, Yan Shaozhe would likely agree.
Since Yan Shaozhe had accepted their terms, it was now up to Jingliu to deal with the evil fire.
After his intense sword training, Lu Jingming was drenched in sweat.
He returned to his quarters, took a comfortable bath, changed into clean clothes, and then went with Zhang Lexuan and Jingliu to the reception hall.
There, they met Yan Shaozhe again.
Yan Shaozhe greeted them with a satisfied smile, "Lord Jingming, Shrek Academy accepts your three conditions. When can you remove the evil fire from my disciple?"
The three conditions negotiated by Changli and Yan Shaozhe were all within Shrek Academy's capabilities—there was no outrageous price, which pleased Yan Shaozhe.
The first condition: Shrek Academy must provide two spots to train for a year at the Golden Ancient Tree on Sea God Island.
This was a rare opportunity, usually only given to inner court disciples, and most only got a few months.
But as a member of Sea God's Pavilion and Dean of the Martial Soul Department, Yan Shaozhe had the authority to grant it.
Moreover, if Ma Xiaotao's evil fire could be resolved, Shrek could potentially cultivate another Pavilion Master with an Ultimate attribute.
In Shrek's history, the last Pavilion Master with an Ultimate attribute was a legend.
Four thousand years ago, during the Sun-Moon Continent's invasion of Douluo, while Douluo's three nations were losing ground, that Pavilion Master led over a hundred powerful Titled Douluo and defeated the Sun-Moon Empire, saving the continent and leading Shrek Academy to its greatest glory.
It was also that Pavilion Master who forced the Sun-Moon Empire to cede territory and even rename their continent to Douluo Continent.