Flender opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say anything to try to keep them. After all, Oscar was merely a student of Shrek Academy, not his personal disciple.
However, at this moment, Flender noticed something amiss. Wait! Why had all those innocent students been allowed to leave, while his disciple Ma Hongjun was still kneeling beside him?
Flender hurriedly shouted to Qian Renxue, "Your Holiness, my disciple is innocent too! Though he likes visiting brothels, he's a good kid—it's all because of the side effects of his martial soul that forced him into it!"
But Qian Renxue paid him no heed. Instead, she lightly tapped her scepter and began counting down:
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1."
In the next instant, under the shocked gazes of everyone present, Ma Hongjun's eyes turned blood-red, and purplish-red flames began to burn on his body. However, the purple rapidly spread, completely overtaking the red until the flames deepened into black.
Flender stared at this scene in astonishment. Though his teaching abilities were lackluster, he wasn't entirely incompetent. He exclaimed immediately:
"This is a martial soul mutation? But how is this possible? This child hasn't even obtained his fourth soul ring yet, and the soul beasts he hunted earlier had very ordinary bloodlines—it shouldn't have triggered such a transformation in his Phoenix martial soul!"
At this point, Qian Renxue interjected, "Though my martial soul isn't specifically designed to suppress fallen soul masters like the Six-Winged Angel, it is highly sensitive to dark and evil attributes. The moment my soul power touched this young man, I sensed that his martial soul had already been fully awakened to its dark attribute due to certain influences. His martial soul should now be called the Dark Phoenix."
In this era, certain attributes weren't outright condemned as they would be in the Unrivaled Tang Sect period; otherwise, Bibi Dong wouldn't have been able to ascend to the position of Pope.
Thus, Flender initially didn't realize anything was wrong and instead looked at Ma Hongjun with joy. If his martial soul had evolved into a Dark Phoenix, then the influence of the demonic flames should be mitigated, and his disciple might still have a promising future.
But just as Flender was about to plead further, Qian Renxue's next words plunged him into despair.
"It's a pity for this young man—he possesses one of the most top-tier martial souls, yet because of this irresponsible teacher, he has been pushed onto a path of no return."
"What do you mean, Your Holiness?" Flender muttered, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.
Qian Renxue casually waved her hand, causing Ma Hongjun to faint and exit his martial soul attachment state. Then she explained:
"Flender, what do you think a fallen soul master is?"
This time, Qian Renxue didn't wait for Flender to respond and continued explaining on her own:
"So-called fallen soul masters are beings that everyone in the Douluo Continent must eliminate. They act without restraint, indulging in wanton slaughter—not only of soul beasts but also of civilians and other soul masters. They are the cancer of the Douluo Continent.
"And why do these fallen soul masters predominantly possess attributes like evil, devouring, or bloodlust? And why aren't all soul masters with such attributes automatically considered fallen soul masters?"
At this moment, Flender finally realized what Qian Renxue was implying, and his face turned ashen.
"A normal Dark Phoenix martial soul is nothing out of the ordinary. If the Spirit Hall can accommodate someone like Bone Douluo, who possesses a dark attribute, then naturally we wouldn't reject a soul master with a Dark Phoenix martial soul.
"But the problem lies in this young man's previous behavior under your guidance. He indulged in debauchery, frequenting brothels, allowing his inner evil desires to grow to an immense extent. Now, with the awakening of the darkest aspect of his martial soul,
"As we all know, while martial souls can influence a soul master's personality and physique over time, ultimately, it depends more on the soul master's own willpower.
"I have already examined this young man. Although his martial soul has mutated into a Dark Phoenix, he has completely lost his rationality. If left unchecked in the outside world, and without proper restraint, he will quickly become a fallen soul master."
As she spoke, Qian Renxue gestured to the surrounding major factions:
"If any of you doubt my words, feel free to step forward and investigate for yourselves. Considering this boy hasn't committed any grave offenses, I permit you to take him back to your sects for cultivation. But don't blame me if he becomes a fallen soul master in the future and drags you down with him."
The representatives of the major factions, including Ning Fengzhi, hastily waved their hands, claiming they had no intention of taking him.
Especially Ning Fengzhi—he was well aware of Bone Douluo's backstory. Though Bone Douluo appeared friendly to everyone, Ning Fengzhi knew he was a smiling tiger—someone who seemed gentle on the surface but possessed an unwavering resolve. It was precisely this determination that kept him from succumbing to the dark attributes of his martial soul, allowing him to become a Title Douluo.
As for ordinary soul masters with such evil attributes, if given even a little leeway, they almost inevitably fell into depravity.
Though Ning Fengzhi's insight wasn't as sharp as Qian Renxue's, he could still tell that Ma Hongjun had been completely dominated by his martial soul's attributes, reduced to a beast driven solely by the need to vent its desires.
At this moment, Flender's face was filled with despair. He never imagined that his negligence would lead to such a disastrous outcome—for a disciple he had raised like his own son.
Flender looked around, seeing no one willing to take on the burden of Ma Hongjun, and his expression turned utterly ashen. But then, suddenly remembering something, he turned toward Ye Wen and urgently pleaded:
"Lord Ye, please take Hongjun in! Though he may seem tainted under the influence of his martial soul, with your abilities, you can surely guide him back onto the right path. In time, you'll have an exceptional martial soul servant at your disposal."
Saying this, Flender gritted his teeth, realizing just how thorny Ma Hongjun's situation was. He quickly added another incentive:
"If you agree to take Hongjun, I, this old man, am willing to pledge myself to the Medical Alliance and serve you faithfully for life!
"I'm already at Level 79, a Soul Sage. Give me a little more time, and you'll gain both an exceptional martial soul servant and a Soul Douluo under your command! Please, Lord Ye, consider this carefully!"
When Flender's words rang out, the entire crowd erupted in shock.
Though there were over a dozen Title Douluos present in Spirit City, making Soul Sages seem less impressive, if Flender truly broke through to Soul Douluo level, his strength would rank among the top two hundred across the entire Douluo Continent.
Faced with such a subordinate, even the emperors of the two great empires would be tempted, let alone someone who also came with a top-tier martial soul and the potential to break through to Title Douluo.
But at this moment, neither empire made a move.
Because even they couldn't afford to associate with fallen soul masters. They believed that Ma Hongjun's path to breaking through to Title Douluo would likely involve becoming an evil soul master.
As long as they gained a Title-level combatant, the two empires didn't care whether someone was a fallen soul master. After all, figures like Dugu Bo were already morally ambiguous, and in the eyes of nobles who viewed human lives as expendable, sacrificing a few commoners for a Title Douluo was a bargain.
Unfortunately, this was the Spirit Hall—they couldn't openly express their desire to recruit Ma Hongjun.
This was quite frustrating.
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