"Leave it to me." Keqing gently nodded, then helped Ma Xiaotao toward the villa. Soon, their figures vanished from Lu Jingming's sight.
It wasn't until Keqing and Ma Xiaotao were completely out of view that Lu Jingming shed his playful expression, his demeanor turning serious. He looked at Zhang Lexuan and softly asked, "How was it, Sister Lexuan?"
Zhang Lexuan naturally understood what Lu Jingming wanted to ask. She furrowed her brow slightly, thought for a moment, then quietly said, "Very strong.
Even at the same cultivation level, while I could win, the process would definitely not be easy. And you should know, if her evil fire can be successfully removed and her martial soul evolves into Extreme Fire, it would be even harder for me to defeat her then."
Lu Jingming wasn't surprised by this. After all, Zhang Lexuan wasn't using any cheats; she was a pure genius who had grown through her innate talent and tireless effort.
Ma Xiaotao was also an exceptionally gifted individual, and with careful cultivation at a top academy like Shrek Academy, her strength was naturally not to be underestimated.
At the same level, Zhang Lexuan's ability to defeat Ma Xiaotao largely benefited from Jingliu's diligent guidance and training.
Although on the surface, Zhang Lexuan's victory seemed easy, in reality, she used four soul skills! If Zhang Lexuan's true level were the same as Ma Xiaotao's, both at forty-first level, she definitely wouldn't have won so easily.
While Zhang Lexuan deliberately suppressed her soul power level during the battle, the quality and total amount of her Soul Emperor-level soul power would not change. That deep and vast soul power foundation, even when intentionally reined in, subtly gave Zhang Lexuan a certain advantage.
Zhang Lexuan's willingness to accept Ma Xiaotao's soul duel challenge on Lu Jingming's behalf wasn't just out of protectiveness.
A deeper reason was her desire to use this opportunity to understand the true strength of an elite disciple from the continent's foremost academy, Shrek Academy.
After all, St. Freya Academy was now officially registered and recognized as a high-level Soul Master academy within the Star Luo Empire.
This meant the academy qualified to participate in the 2023rd Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, to be held next year in Heaven Dou City, the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire.
In reality, for St. Freya Academy's actual situation, it wasn't easy to be rated as a high-level Soul Master academy.
However, with Lu Jingming being a noble of the Star Luo Empire and having a princess as a convenient older sister, these advantageous conditions allowed them to smoothly resolve this issue through "special channels." Even if some people had objections, they immediately fell silent upon learning that St. Freya Academy had a formidable Titled Douluo (Jingliu) overseeing it.
After all, it simply wasn't worth offending a Titled Douluo over such a minor matter. Those who navigated the circles of nobility were shrewd and worldly individuals and naturally wouldn't do something so foolish.
Zhang Lexuan would be exactly eighteen next year, meeting the eligibility requirements to participate in this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament.
However, a tricky problem before her was that finding suitable teammates wasn't easy. St. Freya Academy was still new and lacked a deep foundation, with a limited number of excellent students.
At present, the only person of suitable age and ability to participate with her was Keqing. However, Lu Jingming already had a solution in mind for this problem.
It was just a matter of gathering five teammates for the competition, and in his opinion, Madam Herta was exceptionally talented and capable, so resolving this minor issue should be no trouble.
While it wasn't hard to find Soul Masters under the age of twenty, finding ones who wouldn't be a liability and had a soul power level of at least forty was far more challenging.
Within the entire Haiyuan City, there were very few Soul Masters who met this criterion, and most of them came from established families or sects, not students of St. Freya Academy.
This meant Lu Jingming had to find other ways to gather five people and ensure they wouldn't hinder Zhang Lexuan and Keqing. After all, the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament was highly anticipated.
If St. Freya Academy could even make it to the top thirty-two in the competition, the academy's reputation would naturally soar.
Ma Xiaotao slowly opened her eyes in a daze, her gaze landing on an unfamiliar ceiling.
She paused slightly, then realized she was lying on a soft, comfortable bed. She propped up her slightly languid body and stretched, feeling incredibly refreshed, completely unlike someone who had just experienced a fierce, arduous battle and depleted their soul power.
Ma Xiaotao was no stranger to this feeling. She knew that a healing-type Soul Master had provided her with comprehensive and meticulous treatment during her unconsciousness, helping her recover as much as possible to avoid any lasting side effects.
As she moved, the bedsheet inadvertently slipped, revealing a thin nightgown. Ma Xiaotao was startled to realize her original clothes had been changed.
The thought that this was not the familiar Shrek Academy instantly made her expression darken, and a trace of unease surged in her heart.
"Don't worry, I changed your clothes for you." Just then, Keqing gently pushed open the door, steadily holding a bowl of fragrant fish soup.
As soon as she entered, she noticed Ma Xiaotao's unusual expression and immediately understood what she was thinking, so she explained with a smile. Being girls, Ma Xiaotao's thoughts weren't hard to guess.
Seeing that the person who entered was Keqing, Ma Xiaotao's expression relaxed considerably, and she softly said, "Thank you!" She wasn't an ill-mannered person.
In this situation, it was clear that Keqing had taken careful care of her while she was unconscious, and a word of thanks was the least polite response.
"My name is Keqing. This bowl of fish soup is made from a hundred-year Silver Spirit Fish, and it's very helpful for recovering your soul power." Keqing first introduced herself kindly, then presented the steaming fish soup to Ma Xiaotao.
Ma Xiaotao didn't hesitate, reaching out to take the fish soup. She knew that if the other party truly wished her harm, there would have been ample opportunities while she was unconscious and defenseless, so she wasn't worried about the soup being poisoned.
"I'm Ma Xiaotao, just call me Xiaotao," Ma Xiaotao said. Keqing appeared older than her, and being another girl, Ma Xiaotao unexpectedly showed a docile and obedient side at this moment, a complete contrast to her defiant, fiery persona in front of Lu Jingming.