The hazy, cold moonlight poured down, dyeing the seven-colored poisonous miasma above the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well into the same hue. It resembled ethereal clouds and mist, condensing without dispersing.
The figures of Xu Zihuang and Ye Guyi appeared above the seven-colored poisonous miasma, with the silver moon hanging high in the night sky behind them. Their long hair fluttered in the wind, creating a scene of otherworldly beauty, as if straight out of a painting.
Xu Zihuang and Ye Guyi exchanged a glance, then simultaneously drifted southward away from the Sunset Forest.
They planned to rest for one night on the outskirts of the Sunset Forest and head to Shrek Academy tomorrow.
There were still more than four months until the next All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Competition, to be held in Mingdu. Shrek Academy's academic year was also nearing its end. During the following month-long holiday, junior outer court students would busy themselves preparing for the promotion assessment, while senior outer court students would undergo the inner court promotion assessment or graduation assessment.
At the same time, Shrek Academy's inner court would recruit from across the continent. As long as they met the requirements, they could be admitted to Shrek Academy's inner court.
However, Shrek Academy already gathered the elites of the continent's younger generation of soul masters. Under normal circumstances, very few external soul masters could pass the inner court's admission assessment.
Of course, someone like Ye Guyi, a heavenly prodigy whose talent surpassed even the inner court's eldest senior sister Zhang Lexuan and Ma Xiaotao, unquestionably met the criteria.
A twenty-one-year-old Soul Saint with soul power as high as rank 75. This cultivation speed was much faster than that of the eldest senior sister Zhang Lexuan. Ma Xiaotao was already twenty-four this year, and her soul power was only one rank higher than Ye Guyi's.
What concerned Xu Zihuang more was what identity Ye Guyi should use to enter Shrek Academy.
While Xu Zihuang was deep in thought, Ye Guyi's clear and cold voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
"Zihuang."
"Hm?" Xu Zihuang turned, looking straight into Ye Guyi's golden eyes.
Ye Guyi's gaze was profound, her red lips slightly parted.
"That little girl from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is called Ning Tian, right? I want to know, are you still purely intending to use her?"
Xu Zihuang's expression froze for a moment before he shook his head very frankly.
"Sister Lingyi, at first, that was indeed my intention. I also thought I could suppress all emotions, but I cannot deny that I have been influenced by this experience. Elder Mu and Elder Xuan treated me sincerely, my eldest senior sister showed me special care, and there are also Senior Brother Bei, Senior Sister Xiaoya, and Ning Tian. Unknowingly, I seem to have somewhat immersed myself in playing the role of Yu Tianhuang, or perhaps I've truly developed a slight sense of belonging toward Shrek Academy."
"Perhaps these feelings won't shake my determination in the future, but they are genuine sensations deep within my heart. Especially recently, with my strength advancing so rapidly, the pressure has suddenly lessened, and my mindset has begun to change."
Hearing Xu Zihuang's reply, Ye Guyi remained silent for a long while before revealing a gratified smile. In her mind, she couldn't help recalling memories of her childhood days spent with Xu Zihuang.
This was the real Xu Zihuang, the one who didn't need to suppress himself too much.
"Zihuang, I've decided what identity I'll disguise myself with to enter Shrek Academy alongside you." Ye Guyi smiled radiantly at Xu Zihuang.
"From now on, I am your older sister. Mm, your biological older sister."
"?????" Ye Guyi's sudden words caught Xu Zihuang completely off guard for a moment. But upon reflection, he felt this fake identity was actually very suitable.
First, he and Ye Guyi couldn't pretend they didn't know each other.
Ye Guyi's disguise ability couldn't compare to his. Any discerning person could see from her subtle expressions and speech that her relationship with him was far from ordinary.
If they used the identity of biological siblings, everything would be perfectly reasonable.
Xu Zihuang's public identity was the illegitimate son of the current sect master of the Heavenly Dragon Gate. As for who his birth mother was, the Heavenly Dragon Gate had not provided detailed information. This was inherently an unsavory matter, and since Shrek Academy had absolute trust in Xu Zihuang, they naturally wouldn't dig into his origins.
Even if they did investigate, with the Heavenly Dragon Gate's confirmation, nothing would come up.
Meanwhile, Ye Guyi was a descendant of the Angel Clan, which had long declined and scattered across the continent. Her family had been exterminated by evil soul masters, leaving no traceable origin.
Once Ye Guyi displayed her Sacred Angel martial soul and claimed to be Xu Zihuang's biological older sister, people would naturally assume, by conventional thinking, that Xu Zihuang and Ye Guyi's mother was a descendant of the Angel Clan.
Ten thousand years ago, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was destroyed by the Spirit Hall controlled by the Angel Clan. The blood feud between the two great clans was no exaggeration. Even after ten thousand years, that hatred was difficult to completely erase.
Especially for the stubborn older generation of soul masters. Xu Zihuang's maternal grandfather happened to fall squarely into that category.
This perfectly explained why Xu Zihuang possessed such astonishing talent yet was not accepted by the Heavenly Dragon Gate.
A flawless closed loop.
"How about it, Zihuang? You should understand my intention."
Ye Guyi was completely devoid of her previous aloof demeanor. Her brows carried a smile as she cast a charming, flirtatious glance at Xu Zihuang.
"Call me sister. There'll be a reward for you later."
"Can I decline this reward?" Xu Zihuang deliberately pretended to remain unmoved.
Ye Guyi raised an eyebrow and said with a slight pout.
"No. You only have two choices: accept the reward willingly, or accept it passively."
"…"
Half an hour later, Xu Zihuang and Ye Guyi set up camp on a hill with an open view in the southern part of the Sunset Forest.
The bonfire flickered in the wind, sending up bursts of sparks that dissipated into the air. Located in the north-central region of the Heavenly Soul Empire, the Sunset Forest's temperature was far lower than that of the Star Dou Great Forest. And now, in the depths of winter, the howling cold wind grew increasingly fierce.
The frequency of sparks flying also increased.
Pa pa pa—
The crimson bonfire reflected on the nearby leather tent, light and shadow overlapping.
The next morning, Xu Zihuang and Ye Guyi were fully prepared and ready to set out.
A faint blush graced Ye Guyi's fair, delicate face. She affectionately held onto Xu Zihuang's arm, her complexion glowing with health.
The enhancements to her physical condition from the Hundred-Thousand-year Infernal Delicate Apricot soul ring, soul bone, and the Yearning Heartbroken Red had manifested fully last night.
Of course, Xu Zihuang, whose physical strength rivaled that of a humanoid ferocious beast, would never fall behind.
Ye Guyi lifted her chin slightly, gesturing toward Xu Zihuang.
"Sister." Xu Zihuang could only comply with Ye Guyi's wish and enter the role he was playing.
Although Ye Guyi had made him call her that plenty last night, in this serious setting, the taboo sense of pleasure felt even stronger.
"Mm."
Yet on the surface, she showed no trace of anything unusual. She simply responded naturally. The gaze she directed at Xu Zihuang was filled with doting affection.
This part required no acting.
Ye Guyi asked with a beaming smile.
"How is it, Zihuang? This should be fine, right?"
"There shouldn't be any flaws. Let's go, Sister Lingyi. We should adapt to this as quickly as possible before reaching Shrek Academy." Xu Zihuang nodded helplessly. Ye Guyi, disguising herself with this identity, would save him a lot of trouble, but he still felt a strange sensation. It seemed he would need some time to adjust.
It was foreseeable that Ning Tian would not feel the slightest hostility or sense of threat toward Ye Guyi in the future. Instead, she would rack her brains to curry favor with Ye Guyi.
Xu Zihuang even wondered if this was one of the reasons Ye Guyi chose to do this.
Afterward, the two successively activated their flying soul tools and flew toward Shrek Academy.
Shrek Academy was located on the southeastern border of the Heavenly Soul Empire, while they were currently in the north-central region. The journey was long, but with their flying speed, it would only take two to three hours to arrive. During this time, Xu Zihuang and Ye Guyi continued conversing, working to quickly adapt to their new roles.
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