Soul Devouring Spider

During the process of guiding Huo Yuhao, Bei Bei discovered that his meridians were severely blocked. It was hard to imagine how many times more effort he must have put in compared to others to even reach level 10.

After helping to clear the blockages, it took him over an hour to recover.

After Tang Ya finished absorbing her Soul Ring, the group returned to the original stream. Bei Bei used his electric net to catch fish, and Huo Yuhao was responsible for roasting them.

Tang Ya, meanwhile, was fussing over Huo Yuxi. "Xixi, this spider plushie is so cute! It's adorably ugly."

Upon hearing the word "ugly," the little spider couldn't take it anymore. It instantly changed its form, and the small creature with a large dot on its hand stood on Huo Yuxi's hand, glaring at Tang Ya.

"Sister Xiaoya, this is my Martial Soul, the Soul Devouring Spider," Huo Yuxi said, patting the spider's head to calm it down.

"Ah? This is your Martial Soul?" Tang Ya's eyes widened. "But it's so beautiful! I've never seen a beast-type Martial Soul in its true form before. Can it talk? Can I touch it?"

"Mhm, it can't talk, but I can understand its meaning," Huo Yuxi said, cradling the Soul Devouring Spider and handing it to Tang Ya to touch.

When Tang Ya touched it, she felt a furry texture. The gradient-colored fur shimmered in the sunlight. In the blink of an eye, Tang Ya found herself in a beautiful flower city. The fragrance of the flowers was incredibly rich, making her feel intoxicated.

Here, she could escape all her worries and didn't need to think so much. She could just lie down and rest.

"Spider-Spider, you can't do this. Sister Xiaoya is a good person. She's a friend to me and my brother."

Huo Yuxi's displeased voice drifted from afar. The next second, Tang Ya retracted her hand, reflexively pulling it behind her. She shook her head, trying to clear her head.

"I'm sorry, Sister Xiaoya. Spider-Spider just likes to play. It means no harm."

"Hehehe, it's fine, it's fine. I was the one who intruded," Tang Ya said, carefully taking Huo Yuxi's other hand and leading her to sit by the fire.

"So, Xixi, what level are you now? I remember you already had two Soul Rings, and you look only about 8 or 9 years old?"

At this, Bei Bei, who was beside her, also looked up at Huo Yuxi. It was truly enviable talent.

"No, no. My brother and I are twins. We're 11 years old this year, but I have Innate Soul Power of level 15. I'm already level 29 now."

"Innate Soul Power level 15?"

"Level 29?"

They both exclaimed in unison. The two looked at each other, so surprised that they forgot that after reaching level 10, one needed to acquire a Soul Ring to continue leveling up. They couldn't fathom why Huo Yuxi's Innate Soul Power would reach such a high level as 15.

Huo Yuhao looked at their expressions, and a sense of pride welled up inside him. This was his sister. Even if his own talent was poor, so what? His sister had Innate Soul Power of level 15, and at only 11 years old, her Soul Power had already reached level 29.

"Mhm, mhm," Huo Yuxi blinked her big eyes, completely unaware of what level 29 at 11 years old signified.

"By the way, your body is so frail. How did you manage to absorb a thousand-year Soul Ring for your second Soul Ring?"

At this, Huo Yuxi subconsciously glanced at Huo Yuhao, then her gaze drifted. "I don't know either. Back then, back then I didn't know how many years the Soul Beast was. I just absorbed it randomly, and it worked."

Tang Ya's mind conjured up all sorts of scenarios about the twin siblings living a difficult life since childhood, with no one to guide their cultivation. They had learned haphazardly from vague methods described in books.

"From now on, we'll accompany you to hunt for Soul Rings," she said, hugging Huo Yuxi's head. "Little Yuhao too."

These words touched the hearts of the two little ones.

The next day, the four ate a simple meal and headed west.

Along the way, Huo Yuhao was immersed in cultivating the Tang Sect's techniques, while Huo Yuxi diligently followed him in cultivating her Soul Power. Both Tang Ya and Bei Bei were moved by their diligence and hard work.

"Xixi has been cultivating all the way. Is her body capable of handling it? Little Yuhao too, I've never seen him rest, and I feel like he's hiding something in his heart."

Bei Bei pinched her cheek. "Don't worry, he knows what he's doing. Besides, it's normal to have secrets. If you really think about it, how long have we known them? If they told us everything without any reservations, we'd have to consider whether the Tang Sect should take them in."

"Hmph."

Tang Ya turned her head away and walked towards the siblings who had just finished their cultivation. "Little Yuhao, don't push yourself so hard. Our cultivation emphasizes a balance between work and rest."

"Look at Xixi, she's been cultivating with you all along. You might be able to handle it, but her body might not."

Huo Yuhao turned his head and saw Huo Yuxi looking at him with her deer-like eyes. "I'm sorry, Xixi. It was my oversight. Are you hungry?"

Bei Bei timely produced some dry rations. "Let's eat something first. We're almost there."

At this moment, the Soul Devouring Spider transformed and crawled onto Huo Yuxi's forehead. She calmly reached out and took a piece, taking a bite. "Spider-Spider, why are you out again? Do you want to eat something? But it's just dry rations, you probably won't like it."

As she spoke, she popped it into her own mouth. Huo Yuhao handed her the water flask. "Eat slowly, there's more here."

Tang Ya took the last bite and looked at Huo Yuhao mysteriously. "Little Yuhao, I'll give you another little bonus."

"What other bonus?"

Huo Yuhao was a bit puzzled. He had already received quite a lot from joining the Tang Sect: a storage Soul Tool, various cultivation techniques, and one-on-one guidance.

"As the former number one sect on the continent, the Tang Sect has always had a friendly relationship with Shrek. Although it has declined now, it still retains a small privilege: one quota for direct entry into Shrek Academy each year without an examination."

"I, the Sect Master, have now decided to give this quota to you," Tang Ya said with a smile.

Huo Yuhao, however, did not look as happy as she expected. "There's only one? What about Xixi?"

Tang Ya explained, "You've just caught up with the academy's new student enrollment. Xixi can enter the academy through the regular assessment."

"I'm sorry, Teacher Xiaoya, but I cannot accept," Huo Yuhao said, looking at them persistently. "I am the elder brother. How can I participate in the exemption while my sister has to take the assessment alone?"

"Besides, she has never had any formal combat experience. If I let her go alone and she gets hurt, I will never forgive myself."

Tang Ya and Bei Bei were stunned for a moment. They exchanged glances and fell silent for a while before saying, "Little Yuhao, to be honest, Shrek's enrollment requirements are to be under twelve years old, have Soul Power of level 15, and require recommendation letters from at least the main cities of the three great empires. Your enrollment conditions are not met."

"But Xixi is different. At such a young age, she's already level 29. Most new students have strength within level 20, and Xixi, possessing two Soul Rings at such a young age, is already enough to look down upon most candidates."

"If you want to protect her under your wing, then you must seize this opportunity to enter Shrek and improve your own strength."

Huo Yuhao fell silent. As expected, he was still too weak. He couldn't even protect his sister, let alone avenge their mother. Now, he even had to let his sister participate in the assessment alone while he got an exemption...

As he was lost in his thoughts, a small, soft body suddenly hugged him. He looked down and met Huo Yuxi's bright eyes, and his heart softened.

"Brother, I can do it. Believe me. Didn't you say we need to become strong to avenge Mom? Mom also said Shrek Academy is very powerful, so let's go there to study, okay?"