Unlike Bei Bei's pleasant surprise, Xu Tianxi sighed inwardly.
If Huo Yuhao hadn't met the Tang Sect duo, he wouldn't have been able to get into Shrek, even with a letter of recommendation. But in all fairness, his current progress was already on par with that of an average genius; the Elixirs he consumed weren't wasted.
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"Since I've taken two opportunities from you this time, I'll give you another push. How you proceed from here is up to you."
With this thought, Xu Tianxi slowly walked up to Huo Yuhao and took out an Emerald Green Plant, its green light shimmering. It was clearly a remarkable medicinal treasure.
"This is a Hundred-Year Immortal Spirit Grass. It's not a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure, but it's an excellent supplement that should provide some Divine Benefit to your cultivation."
Just as Huo Yuhao opened his eyes, he saw Xu Tianxi presenting a crystalline, emerald-green herb. Touched, he repeatedly waved his hands in refusal, his words jumbled.
"No, no, Brother Kong, you've already helped me so much. I can't take anything else from you––"
His mother had taught him to know when to advance and when to retreat. Xu Tianxi and the other two had been righteously indignant earlier when Sister Tang Ya spoke out of turn, showing they were truly good people. And they had hunted a Soul Ring for him with Brother Bei Bei and the others. Huo Yuhao knew very well that this wasn't something a few grilled fish could repay.
Xu Tianxi smiled. "Your accent sounds like you're from the Star Luo Empire, am I right?"
Huo Yuhao nodded blankly.
"Then don't refuse." Xu Tianxi directly handed over the Immortal Spirit Grass, then turned to Bei Bei.
"Brother Bei, I'll leave the rest to you. We need to get going."
Bei Bei looked surprised. "Brother Kong, what do you mean?"
"You know my background, but I don't play favorites. Shrek is the number one academy in the world, and Soul Masters can receive the best training there."
Xu Tianxi paused, glanced at Huo Yuhao, and continued, "I see that Little Brother Huo's talent is quite good. If you protect him, there's a chance he might graduate from the Shrek Outer Courtyard. You've long had your eye on him, haven't you?"
"Brother Kong truly has keen insight." Bei Bei gave an embarrassed laugh, admitting that he had indeed been interested in Huo Yuhao for a while.
"After graduation, there's always a path forward. Don't forget Star Luo. We're off."
Xu Tianxi waved his hand, signaling Xiao Hongchen and Xuan Ziwen to turn and leave, embodying the spirit of someone who, having accomplished great deeds, departs without seeking recognition.
Watching the three leave, Bei Bei sighed deeply, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
It was Tang Ya's first time seeing Bei Bei sigh. She tugged on his arm, asking curiously, "Bei Bei, why are you sighing?"
With those three gone, it was practically a done deal that they would take Huo Yuhao into the Sect. Tang Ya couldn't understand what was wrong with Bei Bei.
"Though I don't say it aloud, I consider myself a top-tier genius of this generation. I never expected the Star Luo Royal Academy to have such a formidable opponent. I'm just feeling a bit emotional."
Bei Bei stated, his expression distant, and sighed again, shaking his head.
"If I were him, I honestly don't think I could be so open-minded. He's a very formidable individual. In the Shrek Outer Courtyard, probably only I, and that guy Xu Sanshi, can compare to him."
Tang Ya made a long, drawn-out "Hmmph" sound. "I feel like you're just praising yourself. How shameless."
Bei Bei reached out and pinched Tang Ya's delicate nose, saying seriously,
"I'm serious this time. If I didn't have some special trump cards, my chances of beating him would likely be slim. His eccentric companion is also not to be underestimated."
Tang Ya calmed down upon hearing this, no longer teasing Bei Bei. She turned to Huo Yuhao, who was standing to the side, and began her recruitment efforts with a beaming smile:
"Little Yuhao, since you're all alone now, why don't you join our Sect? Our Tang Sect was once the number one Sect on the continent! The first Sect Master, Tang San, changed the entire landscape of the continent and laid the foundation for the future development of Soul Masters on our continent—"
After Tang Ya finished recounting the glorious history of the Tang Sect, Huo Yuhao's body trembled, not because of Tang Ya, but because he recalled what that senior from the Holy Spirit Church had said:
The Holy Emperor, the founder of the Holy Spirit Church, was the greatest person in the history of the Douluo Continent! He was a manifestation that I couldn't even imagine!
And that senior had also said that if he encountered other members of their church from Shrek who were hunting Soul Rings, he shouldn't refuse if they invited him to join an ancient Sect that had been passed down for thousands of years. And in the history of the continent, there was no one greater than Sea God Tang San, and the Tang Sect had been passed down for ten thousand years—
So, Sea God Tang San was the manifestation of our Holy Emperor of the Holy Spirit Church?!
Huo Yuhao was as excited as if he had discovered a new continent. He agreed without hesitation: "Okay! I'm willing to join the Tang Sect!"
"That's wonderful!" Tang Ya leaped into the air, her smile as radiant as the morning sun.
Bei Bei watched from the side, feeling that Huo Yuhao was a bit rash. He stepped forward to remind him of some important matters, such as the Tang Sect's Six Great Skills. He warned that if Huo Yuhao ever betrayed the Sect, neither he nor Tang Ya would let him off, and all the skills would be reclaimed.
As for what "reclaiming the skills" meant—whether it meant being unable to use them for life, or having one's limbs or even Martial Soul crippled—that was open to interpretation.
Huo Yuhao was utterly consumed by the thought of returning to the embrace of the Holy Spirit Church. His expression was incredibly eager as he requested to join the Tang Sect.
Tang Ya was overjoyed and immediately had Huo Yuhao formally acknowledge her as his Teacher. After three bows, the Tang Sect finally had a third member beyond the teacher-student romance pairing.
"Oh, by the way, Senior Brother, what were those Soul Guided Weapons that Brother Kong and the other brother used? Teacher Xiao Ya doesn't seem to like them very much—"
On the way back to Shrek, Huo Yuhao quietly asked Bei Bei, occasionally glancing at Tang Ya, who was walking at the very front.
"This has something to do with the decline of our Tang Sect. Soul Guided Weapons replaced the Tang Sect's Hidden Weapons. It's a development of the times, I suppose, but Teacher Xiao Ya has never quite accepted it—"
Deep within the Star Dou Great Forest, Xu Tianxi and the other two chatted while sightseeing, their topic naturally being Bei Bei and his companions.
"I say, Old Xu, you seem to think highly of that Bei Bei fellow. You're not planning to have a big fight with him in next year's Grand Competition, are you?" Xiao Hongchen asked leisurely.
"Something like that. There aren't many people in the Shrek Outer Courtyard worth paying attention to, and he's one of them," Xu Tianxi said without hesitation.
"He's very likely a descendant of Shrek's current Sea God Pavilion Master. He definitely has some abilities that ordinary people don't, so he shouldn't be underestimated."
"It's not bad, I guess. I see his Soul Power is only around level forty-one or forty-two. He just broke through to Soul Ancestornot long ago. I'm already preparing to break through the bottleneck to Soul King. Give me some more time, and I'll definitely be able to break through before next year's Grand Competition," Xiao Hongchen said with a hint of pride.
"If he's the strongest in the Shrek Outer Courtyard, then in the next Grand Competition six years from now, you, me, and Meng will easily defeat them all!"
Xiao Hongchen grew more and more excited as he spoke, a flush of excitement spreading across his face. He waved his fists, declaring passionately,
"By then, under the eyes of everyone in Mingdu, we'll shatter Shrek's undefeated myth, and our names will surely be remembered for eternity! Just thinking about it fills me with excitement."
As his voice faded, before Xu Tianxi could speak, Xuan Ziwen reminded him, a hint of helplessness in his tone:
"Shrek Outer Courtyard doesn't have many talents, but our academy also seems to have very few formidable fighters in recent generations. Besides the three of you, there's almost no one else."
"Those geniuses are excellent at research and creation in the laboratory, but if you make them fight in an arena... to put it bluntly, their combat power is even worse than the elite soldiers of the Five Great Guardian Hands."
Xu Tianxi fell silent for a moment, then curiously asked Xiao Hongchen and Xuan Ziwen,
"Speaking of which, which genius came up with the idea of making talents from our research academy fight in competitions? Isn't that a waste of talent?"
"I don't know, maybe it's just 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do'," Xuan Ziwen shrugged, indicating he had no idea.
"No one questioned this kind of thing. Anyway, we'll just go on a rampage together," Xiao Hongchen waved his hand, dismissing these as insignificant details.
Xu Tianxi nodded, extending his Spiritual Power to explore his surroundings.
The Star Dou Great Forest had an excellent environment with many good things. For his fourth Soul Ring, he had considered the Silver Eagle Beast, Twin Cyclops, and other top-tier psychic-type Soul Beasts here. If he could encounter a suitable one, he wouldn't mind asking Xuan Ziwen to help him capture it.
However, the Sun Moon Empire's native Silver Soul Beasts were also good. A Silver Soul Beast like the Silver Moon Wolf King would be even more beneficial to him.
Perhaps it could bring about an enhancement to the Martial Soul's origin... Xu Tianxi was gradually entering the territory of some ancient Soul Beasts when Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's voice suddenly echoed in his mind, filled with caution.
"Tianxi, I seem to sense a somewhat familiar aura not far ahead. Be careful."
"A familiar aura for you? What do you mean? It's not a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast or a Ferocious Beast, is it?"
Hearing that Tianmeng Ice Silkworm had detected an anomaly, Xu Tianxi's internal alarm bells rang loudly. Although Brother Tianmeng was useless, the Soul Beasts he dealt with were all powerful: Northern Ice Emperor, the Star Dou Ferocious Beast Group—none of them were easy to handle.
Xuan Ziwen had already prepared his sensing device, which should have been able to detect the aura of Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beasts and Ferocious Beasts in advance. But since Tianmeng Ice Silkworm spoke up, Xu Tianxi had to be extremely vigilant.
"It hasn't reached the level of a Ferocious Beast, and there's no aura of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast nearby. On the contrary, that aura is very faint."
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm reassured Xu Tianxi, then added, "But I still feel it's a bit familiar, a feeling I can't quite describe."
"That's strange then. Tell me the direction, and I'll go check it out."
Xu Tianxi pondered, greeted Xuan Ziwen, and began to scan inch by inch with his Soul Beast sensing device.
Not long after, his Soul Beast sensing device glowed brightly in front of a Clear Lake. Xu Tianxi displayed his Illusory Moon Mystic Eyes and scanned inch by inch. Everything within several hundred meters was subtly perceptible; he could even clearly see a dragonfly vibrating its wings.
Suddenly, a golden-shelled turtle came into view. Its shell had a diameter of over two meters, and its golden shell was not only striking but also appeared to have a very thick keratin layer.
It was lying prostrate by the lake, its four limbs retracted into its shell. Its extended head looked energetic, but its eyes were dull and lifeless, and its overall vitality was very poor.
"This thing... is it a Golden Hawksbill?"
Xu Tianxi blinked a few times, making sure he wasn't mistaken.
PS: The Golden Hawksbill is an Auspicious Beast of Fortune. I wish all readers who see this a happy Lantern Festival and good luck and smooth sailing in the new year.