With a thousand-year cultivation, the Ashen Brilliant Phoenix could rival soul beasts with over five thousand years of cultivation. In the human world, such a feat would mark it as a genius capable of fighting above its rank. Of course, comparisons between humans and soul beasts are only approximate; to truly determine victory and strength, one must fight to find out.
On Lu Jingming's right hand, dense black mist surged like a tide. From within this swirling mist, a pitch-black long spear slowly materialized. The moment it appeared, the spear exuded a suppressive aura. Lu Jingming didn't hesitate, fiercely thrusting the dark spear into the now defenseless Ashen Brilliant Phoenix. His movement was clean and decisive, without the slightest pause or hesitation.
"Stop!" Just as the spear was about to touch the Ashen Brilliant Phoenix, a resounding shout, like a great bell, suddenly echoed.
However, Lu Jingming seemed not to hear, his hand movements not pausing in the slightest. The black spear, with an unstoppable momentum, unhinderedly pierced into the heart of the Ashen Brilliant Phoenix. As the spear entered, its black tip shimmered with eerie black light particles. These particles, as if alive, rapidly spread to the Ashen Brilliant Phoenix's tough exoskeleton protecting its core. In an instant, what seemed like an impenetrable exoskeleton was easily disintegrated like fragile tofu. The process was silent, yet it radiated a chilling power.
It wasn't until a brilliant purple soul ring slowly emerged from the Ashen Brilliant Phoenix's body that Lu Jingming unhurriedly turned to look in the direction the voice had come from.
He saw a dazzling golden light flash like lightning, followed by the appearance of a middle-aged man in a pure white robe and a red-haired girl with a playful bun. The middle-aged man had an extraordinary demeanor, exuding a steady and reserved aura, while the red-haired girl was full of vitality, her large eyes like nimble stars, now wide with anger.
Seeing the deceased Ashen Brilliant Phoenix, the middle-aged man's brows immediately furrowed tightly, his expression becoming very grim, subtly revealing displeasure and regret. The red-haired girl, even more, widened her eyes, her face filled with disbelief. Then, she forcefully put her hands on her hips and loudly questioned in a spoiled, willful tone, "Didn't I tell you to stop? Why did you still kill it?"
Lu Jingming merely glanced at them indifferently, his eyes carrying a hint of disdain and coldness. His tone was flat but carried an undeniable firmness: "You say stop, and I should stop? Why should I listen to you? Who do you think you are?"
"You!" The red-haired girl was so enraged by Lu Jingming's merciless reply that she was dumbfounded, momentarily speechless. She pointed at Lu Jingming, her mouth opening and closing, but she couldn't find the right words to retort. She never expected that this little brat, who looked to be only about six years old, would speak with such strength and arrogance, completely disregarding her.
"That was a thousand-year soul beast! How old are you? You killed it but can't even absorb its soul ring. This is simply a complete waste!" The red-haired girl's small chest heaved violently with anger, her temper instantly flaring up.
"Waste or not, that's my business. What does it have to do with you?" Lu Jingming retorted verbally, but his gaze subtly shifted to the white-robed middle-aged man who hadn't spoken yet. In this brief moment, he keenly noticed that a portion of Jingliu's attention was also focused on that white-robed middle-aged man. Based on his understanding of Jingliu, this undoubtedly meant that the white-robed middle-aged man was no ordinary individual.
"Heh, look at my temper! You annoying little brat, today, Auntie here is going to teach you a good lesson!" The red-haired girl was fuming with anger, genuinely radiating flames. She was wreathed in burning fire, and she poised to charge at Lu Jingming, seemingly intent on giving him a severe beating to vent her frustration.
"Xiaotao, don't be rude." Just at this tense moment, the white-robed middle-aged man finally spoke slowly. His voice was calm yet carried an irresistible authority. He first stopped the impulsive red-haired girl in time, then turned his gaze to Jingliu, a humble smile appearing on his face. He cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "I am Yan Shaozhe from Shrek Academy. May I ask who you are?"
Upon hearing the white-robed middle-aged man introduce himself, Lu Jingming's brows subtly arched, a hint of surprise welling up in his heart. He never expected such a coincidence, to meet Yan Shaozhe, the Flaming Phoenix Douluo and the renowned Dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department, here.
After a brief thought, Lu Jingming's gaze fell on the red-haired girl. This made the identity of the hot-tempered red-haired girl quite obvious. Based on the timeline and age calculations, he was similar in age to Beibei and Xu Sanshi, while Ma Xiaotao should be about five years older than him. This red-haired girl, judging by her appearance and temperament, indeed looked about twelve years old. Coupled with Yan Shaozhe affectionately calling her "Xiaotao," considering all these clues, Lu Jingming was basically certain that the person before him was Ma Hongjun's descendant, Evil Fire Phoenix Ma Xiaotao.
"Jingliu." Jingliu's tone was as flat as ever, simply two words, serving as her response to Yan Shaozhe.
Yan Shaozhe's mouth twitched subtly. He had just introduced himself and revealed Shrek Academy's name, expecting the other party to show some respect. However, to his surprise, the other party merely gave a name he had never heard before. This truly left him feeling a bit helpless, a faint hint of dissatisfaction rising in his heart.
However, he forcibly suppressed this emotion. After all, he couldn't discern Jingliu's true strength. This alone made him wary of rash actions. This was not Shrek Academy's territory, but the perilous Star Dou Great Forest. If he accidentally provoked a powerful individual, he himself might not fear, but Ma Xiaotao by his side would be in danger. As a teacher, he had to ensure his student's safety no matter what.
"Your Excellency, we have been tracking this Ashen Brilliant Phoenix for a long time, and as you know, it is a thousand-year soul beast. Given this young friend's age, it's not suitable for him to absorb its soul ring. Is this conduct not somewhat improper?" Yan Shaozhe tried his best to make his tone sound as calm as possible. Normally, if anyone else dared to ignore Shrek Academy like this, even if he wouldn't immediately call for a fight over a thousand-year soul beast, he would at least give a minor warning to let the other party know that Shrek Academy's dignity was not to be violated. But facing Jingliu, his instincts constantly told him to proceed with extreme caution.