"Joining your Inner Court's... official selection squad?"
Having suppressed the Evil Fire, both individuals looked somewhat disheveled, though this time it was Ma Xiaotao's turn to lie across Huo Yuhao's lap.
"Yeah..." Ma Xiaotao raised her hand to rub Huo Yuhao's head. "Sister Lexuan and I recommended you to the Academy. After all, with your skills, you should have entered the Inner Court long ago."
"It just so happens that Dai Yueheng was expelled. The Soul Tool Department student who was promoted as a substitute is relatively weak. You can take his place as an official team member. This way, you'll essentially enter the Inner Court directly, and all the benefits of an Inner Court disciple will be implemented for you without a single one missing."
"..." Huo Yuhao remained silent for a moment, naturally interlacing his fingers with Ma Xiaotao's. "Sister Xiaotao, is that Shrek Inspectional Corps simply made up of Inner Court students?"
"Mm, Inner Court disciples must complete thirty inspection missions before they are permitted to graduate."
Huo Yuhao shook his head. "Sorry, Sister Xiaotao, I don't want to join Shrek's Inner Court."
Ma Xiaotao gave a bitter smile. "Even though I expected this, hearing it come from your mouth still surprises me..."
At least for now, Shrek Academy was still the number one academy on the Douluo Continent, and the Inner Court was the elite among the elite. Graduating from the Shrek Inner Court meant being held in high regard regardless of which power on the Douluo Continent one joined.
Ma Xiaotao stood up and gazed into Huo Yuhao's eyes. "Just like you said, perhaps Shrek really isn't as righteous as I imagined. But Shrek Academy is the place that raised me. Before I repay these debts of gratitude, I still have to finish what I must do!"
Huo Yuhao chuckled ruefully. "...I know I can't persuade you, Sister Xiaotao, so I just want to tell you one thing: nothing is more important than your own life."
No...
Ma Xiaotao looked deeply at Huo Yuhao.
To me, little Yuhao, do you know? You are more important than my own life...
...
Regarding becoming one of the Shrek Seven Monsters, Wang Dong's enthusiasm was naturally high. It couldn't be helped—after all, he was the child of the original Shrek Seven Monsters' third and fifth members.
To this end, Wang Dong even changed his usual laziness. He no longer spent his nights sleeping heavily, instead diligently cultivating alongside Lan Xuanyu.
After the second-year advancement exams ended, all core disciples of the Outer Court received invitations to the Shrek City Treasure Appraisal Convention.
Given that they hadn't properly explored Shrek City since arriving, Wang Dong and Lan Xuanyu hit it off and decided to go to the convention together to broaden their horizons.
Moreover, as a disciple of Xuan Zi, Lan Xuanyu had secured the same treatment that Huo Yuhao originally had: a Red-Class VIP Card, allowing him to take any one item from the Treasure Pavilion for free once a year.
Items obtained for free are always the sweetest; there's no reason not to take them.
To their surprise, they actually ran into Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and... Huo Yuhao on the way.
Huo Yuhao walked in front with his hands behind his head; Ning Tian had a calm, quiet smile on her face, while Wu Feng, who was linking arms with her, looked completely reluctant.
In truth, Huo Yuhao didn't really want to come, but he couldn't resist the repeated urging of his teammate Ning Tian, so he reluctantly tagged along.
I knew it, bumping into them at a time like this never leads to anything good... Seeing Lan Xuanyu and Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but complain internally.
The relationship between them wasn't exactly good, but it wasn't terrible either—at least not to the point of fighting on sight.
As a well-bred young lady, Ning Tian politely nodded to Lan Xuanyu and Wang Dong first. Lan Xuanyu and Huo Yuhao acted as if they didn't know each other, moving past and heading straight into the Treasure Pavilion.
As for Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao ignored him entirely.
Upon entering the Treasure Pavilion, Huo Yuhao's eyes brightened.
Two rows of beautiful girls, roughly seventeen or eighteen years old, stood on either side. All the girls wore short golden skirts that showcased their cleavage. With every curve accentuated and their fair, slender legs on full display, one might think they had stepped into the Tian Shang Ren Jian nightclub...
"Welcome, esteemed guests."
Seeing Huo Yuhao and the others enter, the two rows of girls bowed ninety degrees and spoke in unison.
Any normal man would stop to appreciate such a beautiful sight, but at that moment, an untimely voice rang out.
"Don't look!"
Huo Yuhao froze; these words were directed at him by Wang Dong.
???
Huo Yuhao looked at Wang Dong as if he were an idiot. "Whether I look or not, what does it have to do with you?"
"I..." Wang Dong was momentarily speechless. Indeed, how could he control whether Huo Yuhao looked or not?
"Inexplicable..." Huo Yuhao muttered. He waved a hand to Ning Tian and walked further inside.
"..." Wang Dong bit his lip unwillingly and pulled Lan Xuanyu up to the second floor.
Lan Xuanyu didn't say anything, but his heart was in a bit of a turmoil.
What should I do? Looking at the situation, there seems to be zero progress in the relationship between Huo Yuhao and Aunt Tang Wutong...
While checking their credit limits, the Golden Radiance Left Arm Bone placed in the most central position of the second-floor exhibition hall naturally caught Wang Dong's eye.
Lan Xuanyu looked at Wang Dong and saw the fiery glow in his eyes. Wang Dong also looked toward him and whispered, "I can feel it. It suits me."
But after seeing the marked price, Wang Dong's pupils suddenly constricted.
"...9.5 million gold soul coins?!"
Although the Clear Sky Sect was quite wealthy, it wasn't easy to produce nearly ten million gold soul coins directly after being heavily damaged by a mysterious figure several years ago.
Wang Dong shook his head with regret. "Xuanyu, let's look elsewhere."
However, Lan Xuanyu stopped and rubbed his chin.
Ten-thousand-year Golden Earth Dragon King, Light attribute...
It was a pity; if it were a soul beast, he could have extracted its bloodline to gain Light attribute control, but he couldn't do that with just a soul bone.
It was, however, very suitable for his aunt's Radiant Butterfly Goddess martial soul. He could use his Red Card slot to exchange for it; after all, they were family...
Tonight, Aunt Tang Wutong's expenses were covered by Lan Xuanyu!
Lan Xuanyu pulled Wang Dong to the counter and whispered, "Pack up this soul bone and send it to our dormitory!"
Wang Dong turned to look at Lan Xuanyu. "Xuanyu, this..."
Lan Xuanyu shook his head gently, pulling out his Red-Class VIP Card to pay for Wang Dong.
However, a question began to rise in Lan Xuanyu's mind that he couldn't quite figure out.
He hadn't thought much of it before, but now it seemed there was a massive problem with Wang Dong's martial soul.
Grandfather Tang San had the Blue Silver Emperor plus the Clear Sky Hammer, and Grandmother Xiao Wu was a Soft-Bone Rabbit in human form. Why would Tang Wutong, as a direct descendant, have such a strange martial soul as the Radiant Butterfly Goddess?
No, it later even evolved into the even more nonsensical Radiant Dragon Butterfly.
What does a butterfly have to do with a dragon? And how do a Blue Silver Emperor and a Soft-Bone Rabbit mutate into a butterfly?
His father Tang Wulin didn't count; that was because the Golden Dragon King injected its own bloodline essence into his body, changing his genes. He knew about Huo Yuhao; that was a second martial soul brought by that million-year-old bug named Skydream.
But there was no explanation for Tang Wutong's martial soul, and she even passed it down to her daughter, Dai Ying.
Could it be...
Thinking of Tang Wutong's eventual Butterfly God Divine Position, Lan Xuanyu fell silent.
Grandpa, what exactly are you trying to do...