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While the Star Luo Emperor and his sister Xu Jiujiu were discussing how to refine their relationship with Ye Wen, Ma Xiaotao and Tang Ya on the arena stage had already engaged in an intense battle.
Though Tang Ya's attributes were countered by Ma Xiaotao's, even ultimate fire struggled to break through the formidable defenses formed by the Blue Silver Emperor, which possessed life-like resilience. This gave Tang Ya ample time to respond calmly.
But the more composed Tang Ya appeared, the angrier Ma Xiaotao became. It was clear that she had been completely drawn into Tang Ya's plan to wear her down through attrition.
Unfortunately, Ma Xiaotao had no way to break out of this strategy.
It was infuriating!
However, Ye Wen's actual plans for this match differed slightly from what Ma Xiaotao had assumed.
Ye Wen hadn't intended a war of attrition but rather planned for Ma Xiaotao to serve as an experience farm for his disciples.
After all, soul masters with extreme attributes were rare, let alone one as elite as Ma Xiaotao, who had been meticulously cultivated by Shrek Academy. Even with the girls equipped with soul-guided armor granting them Level 70 soul power, they still couldn't gain a significant advantage against someone capable of fighting across a major cultivation gap like Ma Xiaotao.
Thus, Ye Wen's instructions to the girls were simple: do their best to hold her off and hone their skills, but avoid going too far.
Otherwise, how could Jiang Nannan have exited the match without any burns after facing ultimate fire?
After several failed attempts, Ma Xiaotao finally abandoned the idea of defeating Tang Ya using conventional means.
She glanced at her fifth soul ring, contemplating whether she could rely on her strongest soul skill to end the fight in one decisive move.
But upon considering Tang Ya's dense, multi-layered defenses, Ma Xiaotao concluded that breaking through instantly would be impossible. Doing so would only waste her soul power, making it an inefficient choice.
After careful deliberation, Ma Xiaotao took a deep breath, assessed that she still had about 80% of her soul power remaining, and decided to take a bold risk.
On the arena stage, Tang Ya was satisfied with the defensive strength of her Blue Silver Emperor. Even against the overwhelming pressure of ultimate fire, her martial soul demonstrated both powerful defense and control capabilities. If she could handle such an opponent, she would surely fare better against others in the future.
"Tang San, Tang Wulin, Hao Tian Sect, just wait! My Tang Sect will have its revenge!"
Just as Tang Ya was quietly reveling in her confidence, she suddenly sensed an oppressive and immense surge of soul power. She looked up at Ma Xiaotao once more.
"This soul power? What is Ma Xiaotao planning?"
At first, Tang Ya wondered what kind of powerful move Ma Xiaotao was preparing. But soon, she dismissed it, as her own strength had given her unwavering confidence.
The ultimate fire enveloping Ma Xiaotao now appeared weak, as if a mere breeze could extinguish it. However, any knowledgeable soul master would recognize the truth—Ma Xiaotao was amassing an enormous reservoir of soul power.
In Tianxing Academy's competitor lounge, Ye Wen watched Ma Xiaotao's buildup with a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
"This is a self-created soul skill. It seems Shrek Academy is quite generous with its true core disciples. However…"
A sneer curled at the corner of Ye Wen's lips. Though Ma Xiaotao was indeed using a self-created soul skill, the technique itself was crude, lacking any real research value. It merely involved forcibly compressing soul power at specific nodes using mental force.
As Ye Wen had surmised, the self-created soul skill Ma Xiaotao was employing was Shrek Academy's secret technique—Compression. A name as straightforward and brutal as its nature.
Yet, as the saying goes, simplicity embodies the highest truth. Though rudimentary, this technique allowed Ma Xiaotao to unleash power far beyond her current level.
At this moment, Ma Xiaotao's ultimate fire was being compressed. But that wasn't all—she also activated her second soul skill, Phoenix Rebirth in Flames, to further enhance the intensity of her ultimate fire. Finally, she even tapped into the power of a soul bone embedded in her right arm.
At this instant, a sinister crimson flame began to coalesce in Ma Xiaotao's hands.
Though Tang Ya's confidence had wavered slightly due to the overwhelming power, she instinctively recognized the danger the moment Ma Xiaotao began forming this attack.
Almost reflexively, Tang Ya summoned the full force of her Blue Silver Emperor, weaving a thick cocoon around herself to shield against Ma Xiaotao's assault.
But Ma Xiaotao merely regarded the dense layers of Blue Silver Emperor with disdain.
Though Ma Xiaotao possessed only Level 67 soul power, even without the augmentation of ultimate fire, she had the means to directly confront a Soul Sage. With the addition of ultimate fire, she could even bridge a ten-level gap to fight other soul masters.
And now, this Compression technique elevated her ultimate fire to even greater heights.
Its destructive power could injure a Soul Douluo!
Ma Xiaotao acknowledged that these soul-guided tools enabling Level 30-40 soul masters to reach Level 70 were impressive. However, the materials comprising them likely didn't exceed Grade 8 in strength. Even at Grade 8, Ma Xiaotao remained confident that this single strike could shatter Tang Ya's defenses—and potentially kill her—even if she possessed an invincible barrier capable of withstanding a Soul Douluo's attack for three seconds.
As for whether killing Tang Ya might incur the wrath of Ye Wen, a transcendent Douluo, Ma Xiaotao's mind was currently clouded by Shrek's honor. She had lost all sense of restraint.
"Die!"
Before unleashing her compressed attack, Ma Xiaotao also activated her most powerful single-target offensive soul skill—Phoenix Piercing Cloud Strike.
Faced with such an attack, even layered defenses capable of withstanding a Soul Sage or Soul Douluo were as futile as ants trying to shake a tree.
At this moment, everyone realized the terrifying power of Ma Xiaotao's strike and instinctively gasped in shock.
After all, Tang Ya was the disciple of a transcendent Douluo! Did Shrek really need to go this far? Wasn't this just a match?
But upon closer reflection, they understood—Ma Xiaotao was an orphan, thoroughly indoctrinated under Shrek's relentless education system. For the sake of Shrek's honor, what wouldn't she do?
In the competitor lounge, Bei Bei was speechless. Even from such a distance, he—a mere Soul Ancestor—was terrified by the searing heat radiating from the attack. How much worse must it have been for Tang Ya, who faced it head-on?
Bei Bei dared not imagine, nor could he intervene. Overwhelmed by inner turmoil, he closed his eyes in anguish.
The moment the flames made contact with the Blue Silver Emperor, the grass instantly withered, blackened, and turned to ash before burning away entirely, charging straight toward the core of the cocoon.
By the time the crowd regained their senses, the remnants of the Blue Silver cocoon had become a blazing fireball—a sight both horrifying and unforgettable.
No one could speak, stunned by Ma Xiaotao's immense power while simultaneously worrying about the consequences. Would the loss of such a disciple enrage the transcendent Douluo?
Many instinctively turned their gaze toward Ye Wen. Yet, there he sat, calm and composed, like an old man fishing by a riverbank, watching the match unfold with complete equanimity, undisturbed by the chaos.
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