Shrek City.
No matter the time, Shrek City always appears full of vitality and prosperity. The streets are extremely crowded with people, and the shops lining both sides are doing exceptionally brisk business.
As one of the most important trade centers on the continent, Shrek City's prosperous commerce has always been the most significant source of income for Shrek Academy.
Within Shrek City, land can truly be described as worth its weight in gold.
However, following the deathbed instructions of Elder Mu, the upper echelons of Shrek Academy specially designated an area inside Shrek City, close to Shrek Academy, for the Tang Sect and rebuilt the Tang Sect mansion there.
The vermilion walls are more than two zhang tall. Facing the street, they stretch nearly a hundred meters.
The main gate of the Tang Sect is three zhang high, with a huge plaque hanging above it. The large gilded characters "Tang Sect" are prominently displayed. Below the plaque, the signature is unmistakably that of Mu En!
These two characters, "Tang Sect," were personally written by Elder Mu during his lifetime, showing the importance he attached to rebuilding the Tang Sect.
Unfortunately, those who knew of Elder Mu's existence were limited to the high-level members of Shrek Academy and the teachers and students of the inner court. They could not help the Tang Sect gain fame within Shrek City or across the continent.
Nearly half a year has passed since the Tang Sect was rebuilt. Although Shrek Academy recommends it to some students without a sect, up to now, not a single person has been willing to join the Tang Sect voluntarily.
After all, the Tang Sect had long since declined. At present, the only soul tools produced by the sect are the third-level soul cannon designed by Huo Yuhao. It really holds no appeal.
Shrek Academy could only provide initial funding for the Tang Sect; future development still depended on Tang Ya and Beibei to manage.
For various reasons, the Tang Sect's development has shown no real progress. Currently, the Tang Sect still consists only of Tang Ya, Beibei, and Huo Yuhao. Even the third-level soul cannon, which combines Tang Sect mechanisms with soul tool characteristics, has found almost no market.
The front courtyard of the Tang Sect is very small, with wing rooms on both sides and almost no extra decoration. Compared with the impressive appearance seen from the main gate, there is quite a noticeable gap. Most of the space has been built into rooms.
However, those rooms have completely become mere decorations. Huo Yuhao has been busy with the graduation assessment of Shrek Academy's outer court soul guidance department and usually stays on the academy side. Only Beibei and Tang Ya have been living here to manage the Tang Sect.
But compared to usual, the Tang Sect is much livelier today.
A total of six people, three men and three women, are sitting around the wooden long table in the center of the front courtyard, catching up. The atmosphere is very harmonious.
They are precisely Tang Ya, Beibei, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, Ning Tian, and He Caitou, who have just returned to Shrek Academy after finishing their exchange at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
Xu Sanshi is leaning back carelessly in his wooden chair, gulping down the tea in his cup like a cow drinking water.
"Beibei, Tang Ya, are you two capable or not? It's been so long, and the Tang Sect hasn't recruited even one disciple."
"Stop saying sarcastic things here." Beibei glared at Xu Sanshi unhappily.
During this period, he could still keep calm. But he could clearly see the anxiety in Tang Ya's heart.
"We're not capable? Then you do it? If you're willing to join the Tang Sect, I'll even let you be the person in charge."
Xu Sanshi grinned at Beibei.
"Didn't I already tell you my condition for joining the Tang Sect? As long as you can fulfill it, I guarantee I'll join without a second word."
As he spoke, he even nudged his lips toward Jiang Nannan sitting across from him.
Beibei gave Tang Ya a meaningful look. Tang Ya hesitated slightly but still shook her head.
She believed that if she personally invited Jiang Nannan to join the Tang Sect, Jiang Nannan would likely find it hard to refuse out of consideration for their friendship.
But doing so would only put Jiang Nannan in a difficult position.
Tang Ya didn't want to do that. Because not only would it make Jiang Nannan feel troubled, it would also make the friendship between them no longer pure.
Seeing this scene, Ning Tian, sitting to the side, gave a sweet smile.
"Senior Sister Tang Ya, as the end of the year approaches, according to tradition, our Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Nine Treasure Pavilion will hold several auction events in Shrek City. One of them is specially for auctioning soul tools. At that time, you can bring your Tang Sect's soul tools to be auctioned there. It should help the Tang Sect gain some reputation."
Ning Tian spoke very tactfully. Although this gave Tang Ya a favor, it was done in a way that Tang Ya could accept without feeling pressured.
At that moment, He Caitou also spoke up. He rubbed his big bald head and smiled foolishly:
"Senior Brother Beibei, if you don't mind, I can also help improve that third-level soul cannon of yours. Using the same principle, upgrading that third-level soul cannon to fifth or sixth level should not be a problem."
Tang Ya's eyes immediately lit up. She exchanged a glance with Beibei, then hugged Ning Tian's arm.
"Ning Tian, we'll have to trouble you again this time."
"What trouble? Senior Sister Tang Ya. If Tianhuang were here, he would definitely do his best to help the Tang Sect grow stronger." Ning Tian shook her head with an unchanged smile.
Beibei also heavily patted He Caitou's shoulder.
"Thanks, Caitou."
His clever plan had failed once again, but Xu Sanshi showed no discouragement. He simply grinned foolishly at Jiang Nannan. In truth, he didn't care at all about joining the Tang Sect; he just wanted more opportunities to stay close to Jiang Nannan.
Noticing Xu Sanshi's gaze, Jiang Nannan slightly furrowed her beautiful brows.
After several years, the relationship between Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan had finally eased a little. He didn't dare push his luck and immediately sat up straight. At the upcoming Sea God's Fate blind date event, he still planned to make a fierce charge once more. He couldn't afford to make Jiang Nannan feel annoyed at this critical moment.
This guy put on the appearance of a proper gentleman and spoke righteously:
"That kid Tianhuang hasn't gotten himself into some romantic trouble outside, has he? He's been away training for almost half a year. If he doesn't come back soon, he's going to miss—"
However, before Xu Sanshi could finish, a gentle voice suddenly sounded in everyone's ears.
"Senior Brother Xu, speaking ill of someone behind their back isn't very nice."
Everyone's eyes widened.
"Tianhuang?!"
Beibei looked around but could not sense Yu Tianhuang's presence.
"Tianhuang, where are you right now?"
"Senior Brother Beibei, I just entered the main gate of the academy. I'm heading to Sea God's Island to see Elder Xuan and the others first. We can catch up later."
Yu Tianhuang's voice then faded away. Ning Tian was the first to stand up, her water-blue beautiful eyes sparkling with light.
Under everyone's gaze, Ning Tian couldn't help but blush slightly.
"Senior Brothers, Senior Sisters, I'll head back to Sea God's Island first."
Tang Ya giggled, understanding immediately, and said:
"Ning Tian, go ahead. We'll head over later."
Under everyone's teasing looks, Ning Tian walked away with light steps. The blue iris flower patterns on the pleated white skirt hem opened and closed with her movements, creating a special kind of beauty.
Xu Sanshi still grinned cheekily, though his heart was filled with envy.
"When will Nannan care about me like that too?"
Beibei, on the other hand, showed a thoughtful expression, his gaze deep.
Although the Tang Sect mansion is very close to Shrek Academy, which lies within Shrek City's eastern gate, there is still at least a dozen kilometers between them. To be able to sense the situation here and transmit his voice across such a distance, Yu Tianhuang's current spiritual power level is probably not inferior to Elder Xuan's. Perhaps even compared to their Ancestral Master Mu back in his lifetime, Yu Tianhuang's spiritual power realm might not be much lower.
He Caitou and Jiang Nannan also raised their heads to look toward the towering high wall not far away. Shrek Academy is located inside Shrek City, but it does not directly connect to the city center precisely because of this dividing wall.
On the other side, Yu Tianhuang and Ye Guyi had already arrived at the shore of Sea God Lake.
As the semester was nearing its end, the outer court students of Shrek Academy were basically busy cultivating to avoid elimination. The small path by the lakeside appeared especially tranquil.
The two of them rose into the air at the same time and flew toward Sea God's Island.
Yu Tianhuang also used spiritual power to briefly communicate with Elder Xuan. Ye Guyi had already received permission to enter Sea God's Island.
Moreover, Elder Xuan said he would meet them in the open area in front of Sea God Pavilion.
Along the way, Ye Guyi looked around curiously at Shrek Academy, which had witnessed most of Yu Tianhuang's teenage years.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Yu Tianhuang and Ye Guyi did not release their martial souls and soul rings. Instead, they used flying soul guidance devices to cross Sea God Lake.
After passing through the misty water vapor above Sea God Lake, Sea God's Island came into view.
Yu Tianhuang and Ye Guyi exchanged a tacit glance, then ascended higher and landed in the open area in front of Sea God Pavilion.
At this moment, two figures were already waiting there. They were precisely the current master of Sea God Pavilion, Elder Xuan, and the inner court's Senior Sister, Zhang Lexuan.
Ye Guyi naturally took hold of Yu Tianhuang's arm, then stepped forward and bowed to Elder Xuan.
"Over all these years, thank you for taking care of Tianhuang."
"You are…?" Elder Xuan was extremely surprised. From Ye Guyi's tone, he realized that her relationship with Yu Tianhuang was definitely extraordinary.
Earlier, Yu Tianhuang had only said he wanted to bring someone onto Sea God's Island to participate in the inner court assessment and become an inner court disciple. He did not know Ye Guyi's identity.
Ye Guyi gave a gentle, doting smile.
"I am Tianhuang's sister."
Now, not only Elder Xuan, but even Zhang Lexuan showed surprise, looking back and forth between Yu Tianhuang and Ye Guyi.
"Tianhuang, you have a sister?"
"Yes, Senior Sister."
Yu Tianhuang nodded solemnly. Ye Guyi affectionately stroked Yu Tianhuang's cheek and softly explained:
"My name is Ye Guyi. I take my mother's surname. Tianhuang and I were separated when we were very young. We only reunited recently."
This was the true story between her and Yu Tianhuang, flawless and without any loopholes.
Elder Xuan knew Yu Tianhuang's background. Having an older sister actually made perfect sense. Seeing the genuine emotion on Ye Guyi's face, most of the doubt in his heart disappeared. He no longer suspected anything.
Moreover, Ye Guyi's aura was deep and steady; one could tell at a glance that her foundation was extremely solid.
Yu Tianhuang smiled bitterly and asked:
"Elder Xuan, Senior Sister. I know the inner court entrance assessment hasn't started yet, but could we make an exception for my sister? Her talent is not much worse than mine."
Elder Xuan laughed.
"You brat, do you have some misunderstanding about your own talent? Fine, let Lexuan make the arrangements. Whether it's sooner or later doesn't make much difference. As for you, now that you're back, stay in the academy and cultivate properly. No more running around. You've been gone for nearly half a year without any news. If Little Tao hadn't told me some things about you earlier, I would have gone looking for you myself."
"Elder Xuan, Senior Sister, thank you for your trouble. However, before that, there is one thing I want to confess to you both."
Yu Tianhuang's expression turned serious. He turned to look at Ye Guyi beside him.
Ye Guyi silently stepped forward. A holy aura bloomed on her beautiful face. In that instant, her soul seemed to reach an extremely intense state. White-gold light radiated from her entire body, dazzling like a golden sun even in broad daylight.
At the same time, four pure white wings appeared behind her.
"This is…? Sacred Angel martial soul?!"
Elder Xuan's and Zhang Lexuan's pupils suddenly contracted.
As the two pairs of angel wings flapped, circles of soul rings rose from beneath Ye Guyi's feet.
Yellow! Yellow! Purple! Purple! Black! Black! Red!
The first six soul rings were still within Elder Xuan's and Zhang Lexuan's expectations. But when the seventh blood-red soul ring rose, both of their gazes froze.
A seventh soul ring that was already at the ten-thousand-year level?!
In the nearly thousand-year history of Shrek Academy, only Elder Mu and Yu Tianhuang had achieved this. It was no exaggeration to say that, whether in terms of martial soul quality or future soul ring configuration, Ye Guyi was superior to the inner court's Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan.
Elder Xuan finally understood why Yu Tianhuang had said those words. Ye Guyi's talent truly was comparable to Yu Tianhuang's.
However, what concerned him most was still Ye Guyi's martial soul.
"So that's how it is. So that's how it is."
Everything made sense now. Yu Tianhuang actually carried the bloodlines of both the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family and the Angel family. With these two supreme bloodlines combined in one person, it was no wonder his talent was so astonishing.
Moreover, the fact that Yu Tianhuang and Ye Guyi had voluntarily confessed this to him made him feel convinced and trusting.
Zhang Lexuan showed a sincere smile. If both Yu Tianhuang and Ye Guyi could stay in the future, how powerful would Shrek Academy become?
Elder Xuan nodded with a face full of delight. Since Elder Mu's passing, it had been a very long time since he had been this happy.
"The Martial Soul Hall, once controlled by the Angel family, disappeared long ago in the river of history. The grudges from ten thousand years ago have nothing to do with people of this era. Just as a person cannot choose their own birth, the fact that Tianhuang carries the bloodline of the Angel family will not affect his status as a member of Shrek Academy. Our Shrek Academy has always upheld this principle."
"Alright, you two may go."
After giving a few instructions, Elder Xuan transformed into a streak of light and disappeared from the spot.
Zhang Lexuan, with a gentle and serene smile, extended her jade hand toward Ye Guyi.
"Guyi, welcome to becoming a member of the academy. If you wish, you can treat this place as your home, just like Tianhuang. In the future, if you need anything or encounter any problems in cultivation, feel free to come find me."
"Thank you, Senior Sister."
Ye Guyi also extended her hand and shook hands with Zhang Lexuan.
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