Although this process only involved expelling the evil fire, Ma Xiaotao couldn't instantly become an extreme-attribute Soul Master.
However, with Shrek Academy's profound foundation and abundant resources, it was only a matter of time before she reached that goal.
Moreover, freed from the shackles of the evil fire, Ma Xiaotao's cultivation speed would significantly increase, and her future achievements would be immeasurable.
For the year-long cultivation opportunity at the Golden Ancient Tree on Seagod Island within Shrek Academy, Lu Jingming chose Zhang Lexuan and Keqing.
Yan Shaozhe was quite surprised by this; he couldn't understand why Lu Jingming would pass up such an excellent opportunity for self-improvement.
After all, cultivating at the Golden Ancient Tree on Seagod Island was a shortcut to rapid cultivation that countless Soul Masters dreamed of! Even if Lu Jingming intended to prioritize Zhang Lexuan and Keqing, Yan Shaozhe would have surely agreed if he had asked for just one more slot at that time.
After all, for Shrek Academy, providing one more Golden Tree cultivation slot was no big deal; there was no fundamental difference between two and three slots.
However, how could Yan Shaozhe know about the deep-seated apprehension in Lu Jingming's heart? He didn't know whether the Golden Tree of Shrek Academy concealed any contingencies left by the Seagod.
After all, at some future point, the Seagod's mother would actually replace the Golden Tree, becoming the new core of the plane.
If, at this time, the Golden Tree truly contained pre-arranged contingencies by the Seagod, wouldn't Lu Jingming be walking straight into a trap by rashly going there? It was naturally fine for Zhang Lexuan and Keqing to go cultivate, but Lu Jingming carried the True Authority.
If the Seagod were to detect the existence of the True Authority during his cultivation, wouldn't it all be over? Even if this possibility was minuscule, one in ten million, Lu Jingming was absolutely unwilling to take that risk.
Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, Lu Jingming only requested two slots from Shrek Academy, decisively giving up his own opportunity to cultivate at the Golden Tree.
Although he was secretly envious of the life energy within the Golden Tree that could rapidly increase soul power levels, he resisted the temptation when faced with potentially immense risks.
Given Zhang Lexuan and Keqing's current soul power levels, cultivating at the Golden Tree for a year gave them a high chance of breaking through to Soul Saint.
Once they reached this realm, even if the other teammates of St. Freya Academy were slightly weaker when participating in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, Zhang Lexuan and Keqing's powerful strength would make it easy to achieve an excellent result in the competition.
They might even have a chance to contend for the supreme glory of the championship, potentially making history and unseating Shrek Academy from its throne.
Yan Shaozhe remained oblivious to all of this. He had no idea if he would regret this decision after this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament concluded. It was as if Shrek Academy had personally created a formidable adversary.
In just half a day, Jingliu helped Ma Xiaotao expel the evil fire. Although the root cause wasn't completely removed, Jingliu left behind her Extreme Ice soul power, sealing the evil fire.
As long as Ma Xiaotao's martial soul evolved into Extreme Fire, with the interaction between the two extreme-attribute soul powers, Jingliu's seal could then completely eradicate the evil fire.
Even if Ma Xiaotao ultimately failed to evolve into an extreme martial soul, the seal left by Jingliu was extremely stable and would last for decades without issue.
This meant that for many years to come, Ma Xiaotao would no longer have to worry about the sudden eruption of the evil fire. Decades were enough time for a talented Soul Master to grow into a formidable Titled Douluo.
By then, even if the evil fire reappeared, Ma Xiaotao's strength would be more than sufficient to handle it with ease, without much threat.
Yan Shaozhe was very satisfied with this transaction. As he prepared to leave, he sincerely invited Lu Jingming to further his studies at Shrek Academy, confidently assuring him that with Lu Jingming's talent and potential, he would definitely be able to enter Shrek Academy's inner court.
As the Dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department, Yan Shaozhe possessed keen insight and naturally perceived the extraordinary talent within Lu Jingming.
In his opinion, the talent Lu Jingming displayed even surpassed Ma Xiaotao's. After all, Lu Jingming possessed a thousand-year first soul ring, a rare achievement worthy of a prominent place in Soul Master history.
However, Lu Jingming politely declined Yan Shaozhe's invitation. In his heart, he found no reason to go to Shrek Academy.
Would he just go there for daily running exercises or weighted training? Furthermore, the biggest appeal of entering Shrek Academy's inner court was the opportunity to cultivate at the Golden Tree, which was precisely what Lu Jingming desperately wanted to avoid.
Given the potential unknown risks hidden within the Golden Tree, how could he possibly willingly step into it?
Yan Shaozhe expressed great regret at Lu Jingming's refusal but did not press the matter further. He then took the Simulated Universe soul tool devices, which cost him over a hundred million gold soul coins, and departed with Ma Xiaotao.
Before leaving, Ma Xiaotao specifically walked up to Lu Jingming and glared fiercely at him, seemingly venting her dissatisfaction with his previous verbal provocations.
Then, she slightly puffed out her chest, intentionally and unintentionally displaying her well-developed figure—her intent was obvious: she was showing Lu Jingming that she was not the "little girl" he had called her. Clearly, she was still bothered by Lu Jingming's provocative remarks before she fainted.
Lu Jingming was speechless at this; who would give a rival a benefit like that? She was indeed still a little girl! Unaware that her actions were a bit off, and not noticing her teacher's strange gaze, Ma Xiaotao triumphantly followed Yan Shaozhe away.
Zhang Lexuan and Keqing did not immediately accompany Yan Shaozhe to Shrek Academy, as they were waiting for someone else.
"Ningguang, I'm counting entirely on you for this matter. I'll arrange for one hundred Millelith (Liyue's armed forces in Genshin Impact) (Liyue's armed forces in Genshin Impact) to accompany you to Shrek City. There, they will all follow your command and direction." After Yan Shaozhe left, Lu Jingming used the True Power he had painstakingly accumulated during this period to manifest Keqing's colleague, the Tianshu(Celestial pivot)of the Liyue Qixing, Ningguang, into this world.
The reason he chose Ningguang was that Lu Jingming knew that to establish a Chamber of Commerce in Shrek City, there had to be an outstanding talent capable of overseeing the entire operation and skilled in commercial ventures.
Ningguang was undoubtedly the perfect candidate; her talent and wisdom in the commercial field were unquestionable. To start from scratch and become the immensely wealthy Tianshu of Liyue, Ningguang's business acumen was undoubtedly strong.
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