In the sprawling universe of The Peerless Tang Clan (绝世唐门), few organizations evoke as much dread as the Shengling Jiao (圣灵教), the Holy Spirit Church. It is a dark convergence for Evil Soul Masters, or Evil Soul Masters, governed by ruthless principles. Within its shadows, two young women bearing the title of Holy Maiden, or Shengnü (圣女), found their fates inextricably bound to the sect.
Yet their paths could not have been more different. Ma Xiaoitao (马小桃) was groomed as a future leader, showered with the sect's most precious resources. Tang Ya, however, became a manipulated instrument of slaughter, her mind and spirit imprisoned. What core logic within this brutal faction created such a stark divergence in their treatment?
The Currency of Innate Power
The Holy Spirit Church worships pure, destructive potential above all else. This is where the fundamental distinction between the two maidens begins. Ma Xiaoitao's martial soul is the Evil Fire Phoenix, a direct bloodline inheritance from Ma Hongjun (马红俊), one of the legendary founding Shrek Seven Devils. Its inherent capacity for catastrophic power was immense. After her soul was influenced by the Sword of Judgment during the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, it mutated into the Black Phoenix, awakening a dark attribute of extreme fire. This transformation did not just align with the sect's creed of annihilation; it represented a rare evolutionary possibility, a raw diamond of nearly limitless growth.
Tang Ya's (唐雅) journey was one of forced metamorphosis. Her original martial soul was the common Blue Silver Grass. It was only after being consumed by vengeance that she forcibly activated a life-devouring ability. While this granted rapid increases in combat strength, its nature was fundamentally different. The church viewed it as an engineered utility, a tool forged from external trauma, lacking the innate, prestigious lineage that Ma Xiaoitao possessed. One was a born queen of darkness; the other was a weapon retrofitted for a purpose.
This perception dictated their roles from the outset. Upon being taken into the sect, Ma Xiaoitao entered its inner circle. She stayed close to the sect leader, participated in key deliberations, and was explicitly designated as the heir. When she approached the rank of Titled Douluo (斗罗), even the supreme elder, Ye Xishui (叶夕水), prepared to personally hunt a 100,000-year soul ring for her—an honor reserved for the sect's absolute pinnacle.
A Tool Versus An Investment
Tang Ya's title of Blue Silver Holy Maiden became a shackle. The church valued her manufactured devouring skill for its immediate tactical application. She was deployed on missions to eliminate targets, a swift and efficient killer. To ensure this tool remained compliant, her mind was clouded with secret drugging. The Titled Douluo assigned to her were not guards but wardens, enforcing control rather than offering protection. She operated from a position of absolute subordination, granted no voice in the sect's affairs and permitted no network of her own.
The disparity stemmed from a cold calculus of value and return. Ma Xiaoitao represented the sect's long-term future. An heir with the dark attribute of extreme fire promised not only to amplify its current might but potentially to elevate the entire church to unprecedented heights. Investing rare soul rings and top-tier secret arts in her was a high-stakes bet for an exponential future payoff.
Tang Ya was assessed differently. Her power, though quick to manifest, was deemed to have a lower ceiling. She was not a long-term strategic asset but a tactical one. Furthermore, her entry into the sect was rooted in manipulated hatred and mental coercion. For the leadership, this made control and exploitation the only rational choices. Trust and cultivation were reserved for the chosen heir; containment and use were for the disposable weapon.
Their ultimate destinies reflected this initial calculus. Rescued and purified, Ma Xiaoitao's supreme talent allowed her to ascend to the position of Sea God's Pavilion Master, transforming her darkness into light. Though also saved by her comrades, Tang Ya bore the permanent scars of the sect's chemical and psychological torment. Even the later awakening of her Blue Silver Emperor lineage could not fully heal the damage inflicted during her time as a controlled instrument. Their stories lay bare the unforgiving law of the soul master world: whether in light or darkness, inherent power and perceived potential ultimately dictate one's worth. The Holy Spirit Church merely enforced this law in its most naked and unapologetic form.
