DD2: Glory of the Unrivaled Angel

"I do have a way."

Ma Xiaotao hadn't been holding out much hope in her heart, but Ling Bai actually nodded!?

Her slender body sprang up in an instant. She rushed over and tightly grasped Ling Bai's hand, squeezing so hard that his bones cracked and popped. Her pretty face was filled with pleading and hope as she urgently asked:

"What method? Please, tell me!"

The evil fire had tormented her for twelve years. Even the number one Spirit Master Academy on the continent was powerless against it. Ma Xiaotao felt like a patient suffering from a chronic terminal illness, already given a critical notice by the best hospitals. Now, someone suddenly told her that there was still hope. How could she not lose her composure upon grasping this life-saving straw!

Ling Bai struggled to pull out his reddened hand, raised two slender fingers, and said, "I have two solutions. Listen, and you can choose for yourself."

"Go ahead, I'm listening!"

When it came to the Evil Fire Phoenix, Ma Xiaotao was as obedient as she could be at this moment.

"First, like your ancestor from ten thousand years ago, the Phoenix Douluo Ma Hongjun, you can consume the legendary immortal herb Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower. It would greatly enhance the Phoenix bloodline within you, and the evil power hidden in your flames would naturally be resolved."

"Not this again..."

Ma Xiaotao deflated like a punctured balloon, her face full of exasperation. "The academy and Teacher already know this method! The problem is that the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower is an immortal herb. Such a thing might only exist in legends. The academy has used every connection over the years but hasn't found even a shred of news about the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower."

"That's truly unfortunate."

Ling Bai remained expressionless on the surface. He knew that the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower was located at the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well, but his relationship with Ma Xiaotao was far from the point of giving away an immortal herb. If she were willing to switch allegiances in the future, he might think about it.

Planting the idea of the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower in Ma Xiaotao's heart was just to sow a seed. The solution he truly wanted to propose was the second one.

"Second, as everyone knows, the holy attribute of the Seraphim is the nemesis of all evil. The Evil Fire Phoenix is no exception. Therefore, I can completely eliminate the evil fire within your body."

Ma Xiaotao's large, pink eyes widened. Happiness came so suddenly that she was caught off guard. She blurted out:

"Please help me extinguish the evil fire now! I swear I won't bother you again after this, and I'll definitely reward you handsomely afterward!"

"Alright."

Ling Bai looked at Ma Xiaotao, his eyes deep as an abyss. "Before that, I need to remind you of one thing. There's a price to pay for everything."

"Uh... a price?"

Ma Xiaotao didn't know what thoughts had crossed her mind, but a blush instantly spread across her cheeks. She subconsciously tightened her sexy red short skirt, her long, black-stockinged legs pressed together and turned slightly to the side without leaving any gap.

"Don't let your imagination run wild. I'm talking about something completely pure and innocent."

Ling Bai instantly pierced through the impure thoughts in Ma Xiaotao's mind, causing her to glare at him in embarrassment and annoyance.

He blinked innocently. Big Sister, how could you blame this on me?

If I really had improper intentions toward you, wouldn't it have been better to just go with the flow from the beginning? Why would I bother taking such a roundabout way!

With a helpless sigh, Ling Bai continued, "There's gain and loss in everything; this is an eternal truth of the world. The holy power of the Seraphim is a form of dissolution. While purifying evil energy, it will inevitably purify some of the essence of your Phoenix flames."

Ma Xiaotao frowned deeply. The essence of a Martial Spirit affected its level. She couldn't afford not to take it seriously. After a long pause, she finally asked with difficulty:

"Will the impact be significant?"

Ling Bai said calmly, "To say it's not big, the Fire Phoenix will still remain among the top-level Martial Spirits that look down on the masses. To say it's not small, after I help you, you will have no possibility of touching the Ultimate Fire in this lifetime."

Ma Xiaotao subconsciously clenched her silver teeth upon hearing this. Achieving an Ultimate attribute was the dream of every Spirit Master, not to mention that the Evil Fire Phoenix had a genuine chance of stepping into the Ultimate realm.

"If the Seraphim were replaced with Ultimate Ice or Ultimate Water to neutralize it, you'd pay a similar price," Ling Bai added. "After all, an Ultimate attribute is an external force, whereas absorbing the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower relies on your own strength to overcome the issue. I hope you'll go back and discuss the pros and cons carefully with Dean Yan. If you ultimately decide you need the help of the Seraphim, feel free to come find me at the Ancient Golden Tree anytime."

"... Thank you. I'll discuss it with Teacher."

Even though she had learned of a way out, Ma Xiaotao couldn't bring herself to be happy. With her proud nature, giving up her future potential was more painful than death.

"Big Senior Sister and company should have parted ways by now."

Ling Bai's words carried a hint of sending off a guest. Ma Xiaotao caught on and didn't say more. After bidding him farewell, she opened the door and left.

Ling Bai gazed at the closed golden wooden door, as if seeing her departing figure through it. He began to analyze and weigh the pros and cons in his heart.

...

In the blink of an eye, three months had passed since Ling Bai enrolled in Shrek Academy, and it was time for the freshman examination that would determine whether the six Inner Courtyard freshmen would stay.

These three months could be described as rich and fulfilling for Ling Bai. He would routinely have breakfast with his Elder Sister Han Ruoruo in the mornings. Afterward, he would go to the Library Pavilion to read or attend courses that interested him in the Teaching Building. In the afternoons, he would head to the Spirit Dueling Arena to hone his combat skills. In the evenings, he would go to the Outer Courtyard to have dinner with Ning Tian and Wu Feng, and finally return to the Ancient Golden Tree to meditate and cultivate.

He was occasionally interrupted by Ma Xiaotao or Dugu Lin. The former never brought up the issue of the Evil Fire Phoenix again, which matched Ling Bai's expectations perfectly. The closer a Spirit Master was to achieving an Ultimate attribute, the less willing they were to give up pursuing it.

As for Dugu Lin, she was purely bored and sought him out. They would just chat casually and have lunch together, never discussing anything important. Yet she seemed to enjoy it immensely, showing up every three days at places where Ling Bai frequented to wait for him.

There were also some minor matters. For instance, it was unclear what had gotten into Ling Luochen. Whenever she heard that Ling Bai was going to the Spirit Dueling Arena, she would drop everything, no matter how important, and rush over to challenge him. She lost repeatedly yet kept fighting, losing battle after battle.

Ling Bai saw her nearly beaten to tears several times, with teardrops swirling in her eyes. But the next day, she would definitely show up on time again. The picture of perseverance.

The Inner Courtyard's number one lapdog, the 5-ringed Spirit King Qian Fufu, had tried to persuade her several times, but all attempts ended in failure. Feeling sorry for his goddess, he resolutely chose to join the ranks of those who were repeatedly beaten yet continued to fight.

Although they were often beaten miserably, the Inner Courtyard students gradually noticed that they were actually visibly growing stronger. As a result, the number of people joining the ranks of the 'defeated but persistent' surged, with Spirit Ancestor and Spirit King level students fired up as if they had taken stimulants.

Ling Bai was utterly baffled by these daily punching-bag-style battles, but his Spirit Dueling Badge advanced by leaps and bounds within three months, rising from white to purple. In the process, he even broke the record held by Elder Mu in his youth for the fastest advancement.

The rich Ultimate Light power provided by the Ancient Golden Tree, combined with the intense daily battle tempering, allowed his spirit power to leap from rank 41 at enrollment to rank 44 in just three months. If he continued to cultivate diligently like this, he might even break through to the 5-ringed Spirit King rank before the start of the Continental Elite Spirit Master Academy Tournament!

Early in the morning, as the sky was just beginning to brighten, Ling Bai had breakfast with Han Ruoruo and then headed alone to the Inner Courtyard's Examination Hall...