Chapter 243: Step by Step

"Hehe, as expected nothing can be hidden from the teacher; actually I discovered another use for Evil Fire."

Ma Hongjun guessed he couldn't hide from Fulangde, so he had already prepared an excuse.

"Working with a female Soul Master not only solves the Evil Fire problem, keeps it from erupting for a long time, but also raises the Soul Power Level?" Fulangde's pupils narrowed; he hadn't expected such a method to boost the Soul Power Level.

"Yes, teacher."

Fulangde was initially skeptical, examined Ma Hongjun's condition carefully, found no issue; his life force was extremely vigorous, even a bit excessively so.

He nodded inwardly, temporarily believing Ma Hongjun's excuse.

Ma Hongjun, of course, dared not reveal the truth; fortunately the Evil Fire hidden within his soul power masked any problem.

"Teacher, how is the academy's development lately?" Ma Hongjun quickly changed the subject, continuing to ask, fearing Fulangde would notice something amiss.

Ma Hongjun knew his teacher was extremely shrewd; a slip could have him spot the inconsistency.

"With the Clear Sky Sect's golden brand behind us, we can recruit more students, and no SoulMasterForce dares to provoke us lightly."

A high‑quality Soul Master academy easily attracts attention from various SoulMasterForce factions; they all hope to cultivate outstanding disciples for their families or sects.

Especially lately, the Clear Sky Sect's reputation has surged, bringing many benefits to Shilake Academy and attracting numerous talented students.

Some students come specifically for the Clear Sky Sect, believing that graduating from Shilake Academy gives them a chance to join the Clear Sky Sect.

For Fulangde, this outcome is naturally very satisfactory.

The two soon arrived at a town outside the Star Dou Great Forest, but they did not rest there, heading straight into the forest.

In the Outer Perimeter, encountering Ten Thousand Year level Soul Beasts is rare; Fulangde led Ma Hongjun deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest.

"You also be careful."

"Don't worry, teacher, I understand."

Their luck was good; the first Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast they met matched Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire Phoenix perfectly in attributes.

With Soul Saint Fulangde intervening, there was no surprise; Ma Hongjun delivered the final blow.

A profound Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring emerged from the beast's corpse, and Ma Hongjun immediately sat cross‑legged on the ground, beginning to absorb the Soul Ring.

At the moment he successfully absorbed the Soul Ring, the ferocious aura of the Evil Fire Phoenix burst from Ma Hongjun's body.

"Is the Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul's aura getting more violent?" Fulangde suddenly realized he couldn't read Ma Hongjun any longer.

After finishing the Soul Ring absorption, Ma Hongjun's eyes turned toward a distant direction.

"Fatty, what's wrong?"

"Teacher, there's a Soul Master over there," Ma Hongjun said.

Even Soul Saint Fulangde didn't sense it, but Soul King Ma Hongjun sensed it first.

More precisely, Ma Hongjun sensed the aura of a female Soul Master; ever since he had taken nourishment from a female Soul Master, he has become highly sensitive to it.

The higher the Soul Power Level of a female Soul Master, the greater the benefit to him.

After successfully absorbing the Fifth Soul Ring, the Evil Fire inside began to boil, his whole body turning scorching red, and his surface temperature rose extremely high.

Fulangde immediately noticed the change in Ma Hongjun and knew the Evil Fire was erupting.

"Teacher… female Soul Master…" Ma Hongjun again pointed toward the earlier direction.

If the Evil Fire isn't dealt with promptly, Ma Hongjun's condition would worsen terribly; Fulangde's gaze flickered—this is his own disciple, could he really watch him suffer an accident right before him?

First try to communicate; if that fails…

Fulangde couldn't delay; his martial soul possessed him, and the speed of his flight burst forth, covering dozens of miles in just a few seconds.

Liuyue Sect, a third‑rate Soul Master sect, whose sect leader is a Six‑ring Soul Emperor.

An Elder inside the sect led three fairly talented disciples to the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain the Third Soul Ring.

Especially the sole female disciple in the group, who could reach level thirty by age twenty, is the most gifted disciple in Liuyue Sect; the sect leader holds her in high regard and specifically assigned the three Elders to lead the hunt.

The Fifty‑one level Five Ring Soul King intends to bring her Third Soul Ring to the optimal Thousand‑Year Soul Ring.

"Third Elder, what's wrong?"

Fulangde did not conceal his Soul Power fluctuation; a Soul Saint's burst of Soul Power moved steadily toward them, startling the Third Elder.

When Fulangde appeared before him, he dared not show any disrespect.

"Soul Saint, may I ask what assistance you require?" the Third Elder asked respectfully.

He did not mention Liuyue Sect; its leader is only a Soul Emperor, while the other is a Soul Saint—bringing up the sect's name might anger him.

"I indeed need your help."

Fulangde did not intend to beat around the bush, stating his purpose directly.

"What?" the Third Elder startled, and the female disciple's face turned even whiter.

"You must agree to this; my disciple is also capable. If it truly cannot be done, we can let them become partners, or I can compensate you later."

"Teacher, I can't hold on much longer; stop the chatter with them and act directly."

Unable to suppress the Evil Fire, the scorching, raging Evil Fire burned Ma Hongjun's body and eroded his willpower; he was about to lose control.

The Third Elder's eyes showed conflict; this is the sect's most gifted disciple, and if he refuses, he may have to risk his very life.

"Yu Er, I'm sorry," the Third Elder said with a helpless smile.

Ma Hongjun, who could no longer hold back, lunged forward directly.

……

"You two brats, this time you won't get away."

A Hunting Soul Group blocked the three, their stance aimed at Oscar and the little beggar.

Previously Oscar had offended them, but he didn't expect to meet them in Baohua City.

"Brother Da Li, we're counting on you this time," Oscar brought the little beggar closer to Tie Li.

"Even if you added another person, the debt from last time must be settled today," the Hunting Soul Group leader stepped forward.

With one white, two yellow, two purple, as the Hunting Soul Group leader his Soul Power Level reached fifty‑three, not to be taken lightly.

The other members of the Hunting Soul Group each have cultivation of three or more Soul Rings; even in a big city, the strength of their Hunting Soul Group ranks among the notable ones.

But when they saw Soul Rings appearing one after another beneath Tie Li, their expressions all changed at once.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black!

The Soul Emperor who possesses two Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings—just those two Soul Rings caused them to lose confidence in battle.

Even Oscar hadn't expected that after only a year, Tie Li had already raised his Soul Power Level to Soul Emperor.

"Da Li, beat them!" Oscar's face brightened; the nervous look had long vanished, replaced by a different expression.

A Flying Mushroom Intestine landed in Tie Li's hand; it was Oscar's third soul skill, and Tie Li had already experienced the potency of this soul skill.

One minute of flight ability, and at the speed of a phoenix‑tail rooster‑crest snake.

(End of chapter)