Inside the bathroom.
Steam billowed. From within the white mist, a slender arm reached out and braced against a wall made of special porcelain. Fiery red hair, soaked and clinging, draped over fair shoulders, revealing a stunningly beautiful face.
"Huff… huff…"
Ma Xiaotao's chest heaved, unsteady as waves. Propping herself on the wall, she finally managed to lift her head. Her fox-like, narrow eyes flashed with a hint of retreat. "Xiao Wen, the evil fire in my body is all vented. Let's stop…"
"Oh?"
The mist parted behind her, revealing an upper body bared, muscles clearly defined but not bulky—just right.
Su Wen's eyes held a smile.
His hand slowly pressed against the hot beauty's smooth abdomen.
Ultimate Ice surged once more, sending Ma Xiaotao's once-proud Evil Phoenix flame fleeing in panic, shrinking entirely back within.
"Nngh…"
The sudden chill made Ma Xiaotao arch and tremble, her long, shapely legs going a bit weak. Her jade-like hand gripped Su Wen's arm, five fingers painted a bright bean-red, especially alluring—but her voice was soft and languid.
"Sister Xiaotao, since I'm helping you suppress the evil fire, how am I supposed to deal with my evil fire?"
Su Wen smiled, eyes curved.
"I'm feeling very… fired up right now…"
"…"
Ma Xiaotao's fair, pretty face flushed. She turned her head aside, not daring to look at Su Wen directly.
"T-then… okay."
With her tentative consent, Su Wen's hands gently guided her, turning her to face him amidst the swirling steam.
Their bodies pressed close, the contrast of his cool Ultimate Ice against her lingering inner flames.
Ma Xiaotao's breath quickened, her full, rounded breasts rising and falling with anticipation, their soft peaks hardening under the misty air. Her skin, flushed and dewy, glowed like polished jade, her slender waist curving gracefully into wide hips that framed her untouched intimacy—a delicate flower of pink petals, glistening with the steam's moisture and her growing arousal.
Su Wen's gaze softened with desire, his own form responding eagerly.
His manhood, firm and pulsing with heat despite his icy essence, stood proud and ready, its smooth length veined with subtle ridges, the tip flushed and sensitive.
He leaned in, capturing her lips in a deep, fervent kiss, their tongues dancing like flames meeting frost.
Ma Xiaotao's eyes fluttered shut, a soft moan escaping her as waves of pleasure rippled through her core— a sweet, building ache that made her inner walls clench in eager anticipation.
"Sister Xiaotao," he whispered against her ear, his voice husky, "this will be your first... I'll be gentle."
Her cheeks burned brighter, but she nodded, her expression a mix of vulnerability and fiery resolve, her narrow eyes half-lidded with trust and budding ecstasy.
He lifted her effortlessly, her legs wrapping around his waist as he braced her against the porcelain wall.
The steam enveloped them like a cocoon, heightening every sensation. Slowly, tenderly, he positioned himself at her entrance, the warm, velvety folds parting slightly to welcome him.
Ma Xiaotao gasped, her fingers digging into his shoulders, nails leaving faint crescent marks on his defined muscles.
The initial press brought a sharp, fleeting sting—a momentary barrier giving way as he entered her fully, inch by inch, her virgin warmth enveloping his length in a tight, silken embrace.
"Ah... Xiao Wen..." she whimpered, her voice a breathless melody, her body trembling with the exquisite blend of pain and pleasure.
Her inner flames surging not in rebellion but in harmony, mingling with his ice to create an intoxicating heat that spread from her core outward.
Each gentle thrust built a rhythm, her hips instinctively rocking to meet him, the friction sending sparks of delight through her nerves. Her intimate depths, now fully claimed, pulsed around him, slick and responsive, drawing him deeper with every motion.
Pleasure mounted like a rising inferno; Ma Xiaotao's expressions shifted from wide-eyed wonder to blissful abandon, her lips parted in soft cries, brows furrowed in concentration as ecstasy coiled tighter within her.
Su Wen's own face mirrored her rapture, his eyes locked on hers, a smile of satisfaction playing on his lips as he felt her body yield and respond. The sensations were overwhelming—her warmth gripping him like molten silk, his cool essence heightening her sensitivity, making every glide feel like electric bliss.
As their pace quickened, her legs tightened around him, her full breasts pressing against his chest, nipples grazing his skin and sending jolts of delight through both.
The pleasure crested for her first, an orgasm crashing over her like a phoenix's rebirth—her body arched violently, inner walls convulsing in rhythmic waves around his manhood, a flood of warm nectar coating him as she cried out, "Xiao Wen... it's... ahh!"
Her expression was one of pure, unrestrained joy, eyes squeezed shut, mouth open in a silent scream that dissolved into gasps, her fiery hair whipping as she trembled in release.
Su Wen followed soon after, the sight and feel of her climax pushing him over the edge.
His own peak built with intense pressure, his length throbbing within her depths before spilling forth in powerful surges, filling her with his essence.
A low groan escaped him, his face contorting in ecstasy, muscles tensing as waves of pleasure radiated from his core, leaving him breathless and sated.
They lingered in the afterglow, bodies entwined, her head resting on his shoulder as soft whimpers of contentment escaped her lips.
The evil fire within her was thoroughly quelled, replaced by a warm, lingering satisfaction that made her limbs heavy and her heart light.
…
On the big bed.
Su Wen looked thoroughly satisfied. Beside him, Ma Xiaotao had fainted into sleep; as soon as he carried her back to the room, she drifted off heavily.
"Mm…"
Ma Xiaotao's willow brows knit, as if trapped in a nightmare.
She rolled over and hugged Su Wen tight, her brow slowly smoothing, the corner of her lips curving in a sweet smile.
Compared to Zhang Lexuan's water-soft tenderness, Ma Xiaotao was blazing like fire—love surging, rising like flames, burning…
"The Fire Dragon King's core."
Su Wen mused for a while.
In his palm floated a crimson dragon core, wreathed by motes of firelight. Ma Xiaotao's talent, even by the original story's standards, could rank among the very top. After her later dark turn as the Holy Spirit Cult's Saintess, she finally wielded the true combat power of the Evil Fire Phoenix.
With Jiao Jiao's sacrifice for his seventh soul skill, this Fire Dragon Core—among those near him—she was the most suitable candidate.
Of course, he would never admit that he kept the Water Dragon Core for himself and gave the Fire Dragon Core to Ma Xiaotao; when the holders of the Water and Fire Dragon Cores blend like water and milk, their synergy could rival a martial soul fusion…
"Ah… open up."
Su Wen parted the beauty's red lips and slipped the Fire Dragon Core inside, tapping her throat lightly. The core slid down into her belly.
"Done."
"Mm…"
Ma Xiaotao murmured in her sleep, licking her red lips as if savoring ice cream in a dream.
Su Wen: "…"
…
Another three months flashed by.
Su Wen cultivated daily—either fusing martial souls with Wang Dong'er, or with Ma Xiaotao. In just three short months, he rose another level, reaching Rank 56 Soul King. He figured within half a year he could claim another soul beast.
The Forging Department was also progressing in an orderly fashion.
Though there were only four students for now (Wang Dong'er joined), the setup was lavish. Beyond thirty million gold soul coins annually, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect supplied crates of rare metals and steadily more resources—enough to make many Shrek students envious.
"Boom!"
"Clang!"
Inside the Forging Department's lab.
A sequence of heavy strikes rang out; sparks flew as the high-temperature furnace scorched the entire forging platform until it seemed about to melt. Even the air rippled.
Old Du watched Wang Dong'er's rapid progress, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Damn it—another smithing genius.
So what if her martial soul is the Clear Sky Hammer?
…Well, actually, that is a big deal. In just three months, the girl reached the Thousand Refinements realm. And that Mu Qiu'er was even more impressive, outmuscling Lou Yingying and leaving her behind…
As the forging finished—
Wang Dong'er flicked her ponytail, hefted her Clear Sky Hammer, and wiped sweat from her brow, her delicate face brimming with pride.
A beam of light rose from the refined Silver.
Old Du felt numb. Metal spirit! Metal life! And in just three months! Even he—currently the only Divine Craftsman on the Douluo Continent—barely matched this level.
Simply… born to be a smith.
And you say you're focusing on martial souls?
What a… wrong turn.
"Not bad."
Su Wen nodded slightly and clapped.
"To produce spirit within three months—that's already excellent."
Old Du's mouth twitched hard.
And this one was even heavier weight.
He had thought the kid slacked off these three months, lost interest in forging. But seeing him today—this brat had stepped into Soulforging!
Blending three or four metals?
Easy as pie…
In half a year, he'd grown to the realm of a Saint Craftsman.
And he still kept up his martial soul cultivation daily.
A surefire Divine Craftsman seedling.
This isn't just Heaven feeding him with a spoon—it's Heaven shoving it down his throat!
"Hehe~"
Wang Dong'er hopped over and took Su Wen's hand, brimming with energy like a little doe.
The trauma left by the Clear Sky Sect had faded greatly with time. The Clear Sky Sect seemed almost forgotten.
Winter break long past, and just as Su Wen said, they never dared come to Shrek to cause trouble. Perhaps it was Elder Mu's recent rise—or mainly because of the soul beast sovereign, the Silver Dragon King…
"Heading to the Sun and Moon Empire, we must be careful."
Old Du pondered a while, then spoke slowly.
"They'll send students of equal talent. Xiao Hongchen is among them, and even some promising youngsters from the imperial military—top talents all. The stakes are high," Su Wen said with a smile.
"Xiao Hongchen? That's expected. But why isn't his sister coming?" Old Du frowned.
"No idea." Su Wen shook his head.
"Once we part this time, it'll be three years before we meet again. I'm taking the Forging Department's core group with me. If you're willing to accept disciples, take in a few pleasing ones to teach for now. When we return, that's when the Forging Department will truly shine again."
"…Alright."
…
Jiang Nannan's eyes brimmed with tears. Before leaving, she and her mother sewed several outfits. She handed a scarf to Su Wen, and when no one was around, she gave him a soft kiss.
Ma Xiaotao was relentless—the battlefield spread to the kitchen, living room, sofa, bathroom—traces everywhere. She wasn't on the exchange list this time; even if she wanted to go, Su Wen wouldn't agree.
Senior Sister Lexuan didn't spare Su Wen before departure either.
But her love was more reserved—like a mature, rational elder sister, accommodating Su Wen's every impact. No matter when, she remained gentle.
Ning Tian and Wu Feng stayed at the academy.
After all, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Sun and Moon Empire didn't get along. If enemies targeted them, Ning Tian—the sect's young lady—would be the first target.
Wu Feng stood akimbo like a dope, but snuck in a quick peck on Su Wen before he left.
…
Mapleleaf City.
Located on the Heavenly Soul Empire's border and adjoining the Sun and Moon Empire, it was a strategic checkpoint. Though a frontier town, it was a major military city—quite prosperous.
In the central square.
The two sides faced off across from each other.
Yan Shaozhe and Jing Hongchen exchanged pleasantries at the front. Two old foxes smiling happily, yet razor-edged beneath the surface—ordinary eyes couldn't spot the barbs.
Su Wen stood to the side, yawning in boredom.
As for entering the Sun and Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, he cared more about how to get a humanoid soul tool. That thing was a state secret—especially still in development and tightly guarded. Unless he set wolves on tigers, let the Body Sect raid the Mingde Hall labs again, and then reap the fisherman's profit…
Forget it—doing the Body Sect like that might be a bit much.
But not impossible. Noted in the little black book…
Of course, to study soul tools, he needed strong spiritual power as a foundation. Even with his solid comprehension, that hard requirement had to be addressed—he naturally set his sights on that one in the Evil Demon Forest.
As the continent's number one spiritual-type ferocious beast, it was the prime target. Without doubt, among the Evil Eyed Tyrant line, its potential ranked first.
But the Evil Emperor didn't get much ink in the original—clearly a moody, wicked character. If he barged in rashly… trouble would follow. Plus, the Holy Spirit Cult's headquarters was in that forest. He couldn't use force—no way.
Wait!
As the soul beasts' sovereign, Gu Yuena should have dominion over that fellow, right? He could invite her along.
But Gu Yuena wasn't coming this trip. She stayed at Shrek to quietly cultivate her human form.
"Senior Su Wen!"
While Jing Hongchen and Yan Shaozhe chatted, the crowd behind murmured.
A tall youth in a Soul Engineering Department uniform walked over, speaking carefully.
"And you are…?"
Su Wen blinked.
"Ye Xiaosheng. You can call me Xiao Sheng." The young man's posture was very low—almost reverent. Of the four Soul Engineering students going, all were somewhat respectful toward Su Wen.
"Xiao Sheng…"
Su Wen chuckled.
He remembered in the original that Huo Yuhao and He Caitou called him Sheng Ge, and he answered leisurely…
The contrast was interesting.
Not that he meant to mock—the guy had merely competed for a team lead, used no despicable means, and after recognizing Huo Yuhao and He Caitou's strength, he even ceded the spot.
It was just that Su Wen's battle against the Holy Spirit Cult six months ago was seared into countless minds—his high-spirited, defiant, truly genius posture displayed to the fullest. This was Shrek Academy's poster boy.
Many Shrek students genuinely respected, even revered, him.
A living legend.
Who knew how high he would climb?
Ye Xiaosheng grinned in response.
Su Wen: "…"
From the side, Wang Dong'er turned her head, shoulders shaking with laughter.
The escorting teacher, Fan Yu, flashed a cold light in his eyes, then turned away silently. The academy actually didn't want to send him, but the Soul Engineering Department had no one else presentable. Considering Zhou Yi was still at Shrek, they tacitly approved it.
This exchange: five from Soul Engineering, five from Forging.
Yan Shaozhe was stingy with the Martial Soul Department's slots. Su Wen simply requisitioned them all—ten total.
On the other side, Xiao Hongchen led the team.
The youths behind him, some in the Imperial Academy uniform, some in military camo, all stared at Shrek like tigers watching prey.
Peace between the two sides in Su Wen's cohort didn't mean peace for the past four thousand years.
And there were plenty of standouts.
Xiao Hongchen's gaze was complicated.
This time, the Sun and Moon Empire was making a big show mainly because of Su Wen—deploying promising young talents from various military regions. After all, that kid could single-handedly rival any one of the four Beast Soul Master regiments—Grandpa's evaluation.
The others were just add-ons.
Of course, Xiao didn't care how big a stir Su Wen would cause in the Empire. He cared more about his sister…
That face-obsessed girl might fall head over heels for Su Wen. This time, only because Meng Hongchen protested fiercely was her name removed from the exchange list. As for his intent? Anyone could guess.
"Alright, we'll exchange squads and depart separately, Dean Yan," Jing Hongchen said, smiling at the shining beacon within the Shrek team—Su Wen. Knowing this kid was coming, he could finally rest easy. Shrek wouldn't dare play dirty. With Su Wen in their hands for three years, his precious grandson wouldn't be harmed.
If anything happened to Xiao Hongchen, Mu En—and all of Shrek—would skin the culprit alive…
And vice versa.
In fact, upon learning Su Wen would come, voices in court suggested detaining him upon arrival in Mingdu—or radicals even wished to execute him.
They even dared to target him, the Hall Master of Mingde Hall.
Fortunately, His Majesty was wise and vetoed all extremes.
That old emperor was usually indecisive—annoying—but this time, Jing approved.
Whoever dared put his grandson's life on the line, he'd go to war with them!
Of course, tempting Su Wen was fair game. If they could lure him to Mingde Hall, the Empire would hit the jackpot…
Jing Hongchen and Yan Shaozhe exchanged a look and laughed heartily, both old foxes thinking the same thought.
A Soul Engineering prodigy would greatly benefit Shrek's fledgling Soul Engineering Department—and both were 200% confident in their respective exchange students.
"…"
Golden wings sprouted behind Jing Hongchen as he smiled at the crowd.
"Let's go."
With that, the peculiar flying soul tool turned into a pillar of light, enveloping the Shrek group and lifting them toward the sky.
"Do not resist…"
Jing Hongchen's gentle voice followed.
Everyone felt the ground vanish beneath their feet—weightlessness all at once.
Su Wen glanced around. The golden wings from before had expanded a thousand-fold, their radiance wrapping everyone.
"Bionic tech."
Su Wen murmured.
Compared to the rest of the continent, the Sun and Moon Empire's soul tools were leagues ahead—their tech tree absurdly advanced.
"Good eye," Jing Hongchen said with a warm smile.