Lu Jingming remained silent. True power deserved respect. Yan Shaozhe was a Title Douluo of rank 95, undeniably a powerhouse on the Douluo Continent. Even the usually fiery Ma Xiaotao had quieted down, sullenly kicking pebbles instead of yelling, which spoke volumes about Yan Shaozhe's intimidating presence.
Ma Xiaotao only occasionally glared at Lu Jingming to vent her frustration. Though she was hot-headed, she wasn't foolish. From her teacher's demeanor, she keenly sensed that Jing Liu was also an extraordinary master, worthy of his solemn regard. In such a situation, she knew she had no right to interject.
"The rules of soul hunting have always been first come, first served. The soul beast belongs to whoever hunts it. If you have an objection, let strength do the talking," Jing Liu's voice remained cool and concise. Her meaning was clear: So what if you spotted this Ashen Brilliant Phoenix first? We were the ones who defeated and killed it. If you have a problem with that, then let's fight.
Yan Shaozhe's cheek twitched. He hadn't expected Jing Liu to be so unyielding and overbearing, showing no regard for Shrek Academy's reputation. The Ashen Brilliant Phoenix was dead, and he initially didn't want to escalate things. If Jing Liu had just softened her stance a little, offered some compensation, or apologized, the matter could have been dropped. But Jing Liu's aggressive attitude put him in an awkward position. If he backed down now, he'd lose not only his personal prestige but also the dignity of Shrek Academy. In this dilemma, a conflict seemed unavoidable.
"Good, very good! Since you insist, let's settle this with our hands!" Yan Shaozhe laughed in anger. As soon as his voice fell, a clear phoenix cry exploded. In an instant, a brilliant phantom of a Radiant Phoenix slowly emerged behind him, and a powerful soul power surged out in all directions like a roaring tide. The vast power of light instantly dispelled the gloom that permeated the forest, illuminating the surroundings as bright as day.
"Chirp—" Almost at the same moment, a clear sword cry shot up into the sky. An intensely sharp sword intent, capable of freezing all things, pierced through the clouds. Along with this sword intent, the surrounding air instantly solidified, the temperature plummeted, and cold air spread everywhere. In the blink of an eye, large snowflakes began to fall from the sky, creating the bizarre phenomenon of snow in June.
Under the oppressive sword intent of Jing Liu, Yan Shaozhe's powerful aura, which he had just released, was instantly suppressed. Ma Xiaotao instinctively took a step back. In a daze, she seemed to see a long sword entwined with cold air, capable of shattering stars, and a moon glow as frosty as snow, freezing all things. Strangely, under the cover of this biting cold, her body, which had been uncomfortably hot due to the evil flame tormenting her, now felt an unprecedented sense of comfort. The evil flame that had tormented her for years, causing her immense pain, had actually dissipated quite a bit in that instant. The irritation she felt from Lu Jingming, which had made her furious, also gradually calmed down, and her heart became exceptionally peaceful.
"Ultimate... Ice!" Yan Shaozhe uttered each word slowly, his eyes filled with intense apprehension, yet mixed with a hint of undeniable surprise. Heaven knew how much effort he had put into helping Ma Xiaotao eliminate the troublesome evil flame within her over the years, trying countless methods and searching everywhere for soul masters with the Ultimate Ice attribute, but always returning empty-handed. He and Ma Xiaotao had almost despaired. He never expected that on this trip, to hunt Ma Xiaotao's third soul ring, he would unexpectedly encounter a master with the Ultimate Ice attribute.
However, after the surprise, Yan Shaozhe quickly fell into a headache again. Judging from the current situation, it was truly difficult to handle. If he had known earlier that Jing Liu was a master of the Ultimate Ice attribute, he would never have easily clashed with her over a thousand-year soul beast. Now, he was truly in a dilemma. If he really made a move and thoroughly offended the other party, how could he shamelessly ask for help to eliminate Ma Xiaotao's evil flame in the future? Moreover, from the brief clash of auras just now, he clearly knew that he was probably no match for Jing Liu. But to let him easily admit defeat and back down, he was truly unwilling. After all, Shrek Academy was renowned on the Douluo Continent, and as the dean of the Martial Soul Department of the academy, if he retreated like this, it would truly damage the academy's reputation.
Just as Yan Shaozhe was in a tangled state of mind, he turned his head and looked at Ma Xiaotao, who stood beside him and whom he cherished like his own daughter. Gritting his teeth, after a difficult struggle, he finally decided to let go of his so-called pride and choose to back down.
"Two sirs, please stop. Let's talk this over properly." Just at this critical moment, a clear and pleasant female voice, like the singing of an oriole, suddenly rang out.
Hearing this voice, Jing Liu and Yan Shaozhe almost simultaneously retracted their respective auras. Yan Shaozhe secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling incredibly fortunate. He quickly looked at the newcomer, a hint of goodwill unconsciously appearing in his eyes.
A golden-haired girl in a magnificent golden dress was gracefully approaching with light steps. Her figure was graceful, and her temperament was elegant. Every step seemed to carry an innate nobility and grace. Behind her, several figures followed, each radiating an extraordinary aura, clearly not ordinary individuals. However, from their formation, it was evident that everyone centered around this golden-haired girl, showing her great respect. Among them was a white-haired old woman, who, despite her kind face, exuded an extremely powerful soul power fluctuation. It was she who had subtly blocked the powerful impact generated by the clash of auras between Jing Liu and Yan Shaozhe, protecting the golden-haired girl from harm.
"Senior Jing Liu, Dean Yan, it's just a thousand-year soul beast. There's really no need to make such a big fuss. Everyone can sit down and discuss things calmly," the golden-haired girl's face was beaming with a gentle smile as she used her soft and pleasant voice to slowly mediate the tense atmosphere.
Lu Jingming was astonished by these words and couldn't help but look at the golden-haired girl a few more times.