All the pain and despair she had endured over the years seemed to find an outlet for release at this very moment.
Ma Xiaotao could no longer maintain her composure. In her excitement, she closed the distance again, her hands suddenly pressing down on Caelus's shoulders.
"I need your help."
Her voice trembled slightly with emotion, and her beautiful Phoenix-like eyes were now filled with pleading and expectation.
"Don't worry, I will definitely provide a reward that satisfies you."
The strength coming from her shoulders was immense; those soft palms now felt like iron pincers.
Caelus was shaken slightly by her grip, his body involuntarily leaning back against the tree trunk behind him.
A rich feminine fragrance, with a faint hint of jasmine, mixed with the unique scorching aura of the Phoenix Flames, wafted over him.
His gaze inevitably met those magnificent "lethal weapons" that were right before his eyes.
Even with his Mind and nature tempered by two lifetimes, he couldn't help but feel a wave of dry heat in his throat.
He calmly and tactically tilted his head back to create a bit of distance, speaking placidly as if unmoved by the beautiful scenery in front of him.
"It's to suppress the evil fire in your body, isn't it?"
His tone was very flat.
"I heard Senior Sanshi mention the defect in your Martial Soul by chance before, Sister Xiaotao."
Ma Xiaotao froze for a moment; she hadn't expected Caelus to guess the reason so easily.
"That's right, it's the evil fire."
She no longer cared about being shy and spoke urgently.
"My Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul becomes increasingly difficult to control as my Soul Power increases. I haven't dared to Cultivate with full strength for a long... long time. If this continues, sooner or later I will be consumed by the evil fire's backlash and completely fall to becoming an Evil Soul Master."
By the end, a hint of fear and trembling had entered her voice.
"So, I need your Ultimate Ice. Only your Ultimate Ice can suppress the evil fire inside me."
"I understand."
Caelus nodded, expressing his understanding.
"As long as you agree to help me suppress the evil fire with your Ultimate Ice every once in a while..."
Seeing that Caelus didn't refuse, Ma Xiaotao was overjoyed. She impatiently took out a warm white jade box from her storage spirit tool.
"...then this is yours."
She shoved the jade box into Caelus's hands, looking at him with eyes full of anticipation.
The jade box felt cool to the touch, yet it still carried the lingering warmth of Ma Xiaotao's body.
Caelus glanced down.
"It's actually ten-thousand-year whale gel. Are you always this generous, Sister Xiaotao?"
He weighed the jade box in his hand, feeling quite moved in his heart.
'ten-thousand-year whale gel... this is indeed good stuff.'
Before coming here, he really hadn't expected Ma Xiaotao to offer any decent reward.
In his original plan, no matter what Ma Xiaotao offered, or even if she offered nothing at all, he would have agreed to help.
The reason was simple.
First, his future goal was to become the actual controller of Shrek Academy and take the position of the master of the sea gods pavilion.
And Ma Xiaotao, as Yan Shaozhe's Personal Disciple, a true blue member of Shrek's direct line, and a future Elder of the Sea Gods Pavilion, was an object absolutely worth winning over.
Having her owe him a favor now was a favor heavy enough to be traded for massive returns in the future.
Second, suppressing the evil fire was almost an effortless task for him.
The Ice Empress's Ultimate Ice had a natural and absolute suppression over the Evil Fire Phoenix.
At most, he would expend some Soul Power to solve Ma Xiaotao's big problem.
This was a deal with zero cost and infinite profit.
But he never expected Yan Shaozhe and Ma Xiaotao to be so generous, offering ten-thousand-year whale gel right off the bat.
He knew the value of this item better than anyone.
One must know that even the Star Luo Imperial Family, despite valuing him immensely, had never given him ten-thousand-year whale gel.
Most were hundred-year quality, and even thousand-year ones were few and far between.
In his knowledge, only one person had ever enjoyed ten-thousand-year whale gel—Castorice.
But what was Castorice's status?
The Death Saintess of the Holy Spirit Cult, with a status comparable to an Imperial Princess, perhaps even higher.
It was only natural that she could enjoy such resources.
And now, Yan Shaozhe had brought out this strategic-level resource just for a single request.
One could only say that the foundation of Shrek Academy was indeed unfathomable.
"Well? Are you satisfied with this reward?"
Seeing Caelus remain silent for a long time, Ma Xiaotao asked somewhat nervously.
"Very satisfied."
Caelus pulled back his thoughts and looked up at her with a smile.
"It's just suppressing the evil fire. You're being too polite, Sister Xiaotao. This gift is so precious I feel a bit unworthy of it."
"No, you are worthy of it."
Ma Xiaotao immediately countered.
"As long as my problem can be solved, never mind a piece of ten-thousand-year whale gel, I'd do anything you ask."
These words slipped out of her mouth. Only after saying them did she feel it was somewhat inappropriate, and her face turned red again.
Seeing Caelus accept the jade box, half of the heavy stone in her heart finally dropped.
She now wished she could have Caelus help her suppress the evil fire immediately, to feel that long-lost sensation of Soul Power flowing freely.
But she remembered her teacher's instructions.
'You must show sincerity.'
Thus, she forced down her inner urgency and took the initiative to say:
"Come, I'll help you refine this whale gel first. This thing has a miraculous effect on improving physical constitution. You're at the stage of building your foundation; eating it now will bring immeasurable benefits to your future."
As she spoke, she reached out her hand, and a wisp of dark red, viscous Phoenix Flame ignited at her fingertip.
"I'll use my True Phoenix Fire to help you refine it. This will preserve its medicinal properties to the greatest extent and allow you to absorb it better."
She didn't rush to have Caelus help her, but instead thought of helping Caelus increase his strength first.
This posture was indeed full of sincerity.
However, upon hearing her words, the expression on Caelus's face became quite strange.
He glanced at the dancing flame on Ma Xiaotao's fingertip, then at her face which was written all over with 'I am very sincere,' and looked at her with a peculiar gaze.
"Now? Right here?"
"Yeah, is something wrong?"
Ma Xiaotao felt uncomfortable under his strange gaze and felt inexplicably guilty.
"There's no time like the present, right?"
Caelus didn't answer, but instead asked back:
"Sister Xiaotao, don't you know?"
His tone was indescribably strange, as if he were looking at an innocent little rabbit.
"I... is there something I should know?"
Ma Xiaotao was completely confused by his question and replied somewhat crossly.
Caelus sighed and spoke in a tone that was half-teasing and half-pitying:
"ten-thousand-year whale gel is extracted from the essence of whale-type Soul Beasts. It is one of the premier 'extreme Yang' substances in the world."
"And you want me, an eleven or twelve-year-old boy full of vigor, to eat this kind of thing right here in the middle of nowhere..."
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