Taking Huo Yuhao as Disciple, Gu Yuejin's Strength

Watching Huo Yuhao's increasingly wary gaze, Gu Yuejin's lips curled slightly, a quiet smugness settling in his heart.

This was exactly the effect he wanted.

As long as he tore off that glossy, gilded facade of Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect, letting Huo Yuhao see the rot and hypocrisy beneath, this favored son of fate would naturally make the right choice.

Seeing Huo Yuhao about to leave, Tang Ya and Beibei were clearly panicking.

This was a promising seedling they'd been staking out for ages—if they let him slip away, when would the Tang Sect's revival ever come?

"Little Brother Huo, don't listen to his nonsense!"

Tang Ya stepped forward urgently, trying to salvage the situation. "The Tang Sect may be small now, but our ultimate arts are still here! The Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, the Purple Demon Eyes, and those powerful hidden weapons—join us, and they're all yours!"

"Powerful hidden weapons?"

Gu Yuejin laughed as if he'd heard a joke, cutting in without mercy. "You mean those scrap metals that can't even break a Soul Guide Shield?"

"You—!" Tang Ya was choked speechless.

Gu Yuejin's gaze fell on her, undisguised contempt shining in his eyes. "Tang Ya, if I'm not mistaken, your Soul Power has just reached level thirty, and you haven't even attached your Third Soul Ring yet, have you?"

"The dignified head of a sect, no longer young, and you can't even be called a Soul Elder."

"With that level of skill, you still have the nerve to take on disciples? Are you trying to teach him how to end up as miserable as you at his age?"

These words were a dagger to the heart.

Tang Ya's face went deathly pale in an instant, her lips trembling as she tried to retort but found no excuse.

Because it was an ironclad fact.

"And stop hanging Tang San's name on your lips all day."

Gu Yuejin gave her no chance to catch her breath, pressing on relentlessly. "You worship Tang San like a god, but what has he done for you descendants?"

"The Mysterious Heaven Skill is a neutered version. The hidden weapon blueprints are incomplete."

"He took the true divine techniques to the God Realm, leaving you nothing but scraps. Is that what you call faith?"

At that, Gu Yuejin let out a cold laugh. "In the end, it's nothing but selfishness."

"Shut up! Don't you dare insult our ancestor!"

Beibei and Tang Ya roared in unison, their eyes bloodshot, as if he'd touched an inviolable scale.

In their hearts, Tang San was the supreme god, a faith that could never be defiled.

"Insult?"

Gu Yuejin shook his head, looking at them like two hopeless fanatics. "Tang Ya, you fancy yourself a Blue Silver Grass Genius, thinking you can replicate Tang San's glory."

"But you don't even have the most basic common sense."

"Tang San was the Blue Silver Emperor, the sovereign of plant-type soul beasts, with a top-tier life level."

"And you? You're just ordinary Blue Silver Grass—weeds by the roadside."

"A fool who can't even tell Blue Silver Emperor from Blue Silver Grass—no wonder the Tang Sect has fallen into ruin in your hands."

Tang Ya was struck as if by lightning, frozen stiff on the spot.

The talent she'd always prided herself on, the belief she'd clung to that "no martial soul is useless"—Gu Yuejin had just trampled it all into the dirt.

"You're lying!"

Tang Ya screamed hysterically. "My cultivation speed is fast! I'm almost catching up to the ancestor's record back then!"

"I'm not a waste!"

Beibei also stepped forward, lightning crackling over his body as he stared hard at Gu Yuejin. "You keep saying we're unqualified, but what about you?"

"You look no more than seventeen or eighteen—what right do you have to act so high and mighty here?"

"Or is it all just talk?"

This was their last counterattack.

Retreating to advance, questioning Gu Yuejin's age and credentials.

After all, on the Douluo Continent, strength was the only truth.

"Qualification?"

Gu Yuejin smiled.

It was a smile from on high, like a dragon gazing down at an ant.

"Since you won't cry until you see the coffin, let me show you what a real genius looks like."

The moment the words fell, a terrifying, suffocating Aura suddenly erupted from within Gu Yuejin.

Boom—!

The air around them seemed to freeze, a pressure emanating from the very level of existence that made Tang Ya and Beibei's faces drain of color. Their knees buckled, nearly forcing them to their knees.

Then, behind Gu Yuejin, a phantom figure materialized—his Body Martial Soul.

But what truly horrified them were the soul rings rising beneath his feet.

Yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black...

The configuration of the first six rings was astonishing, yet still within the bounds of human understanding.

However, when the seventh soul ring slowly ascended, the entire forest seemed to fall into a deathly silence.

It was a vivid, soul-seizing...

Red!

A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!

One yellow, two purple, three black, one red!

A Seven-Ring Soul Saint!

"This... how is this possible?!"

Beibei's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. His usually refined face twisted beyond recognition.

Tang Ya's legs gave out entirely. She collapsed to the ground, her mind a blank slate.

An eighteen-year-old Soul Saint?

And a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring?

This had completely shattered their understanding. Even the senior disciple of Shrek Academy's Inner Court, even the legendary Sea God Pavilion's master in their youth, had never been this terrifying!

Compared to their proud title of "Shrek Genius," the Gu Yuejin before them was nothing short of a divine miracle!

That stark contrast struck like a heavy hammer, smashing their pathetic pride into dust.

Standing to the side, Huo Yuhao struggled to breathe under this oppressive pressure.

But the light in his eyes had never burned brighter.

On one side: a thirtieth-level, declining Tang Sect, still peddling empty promises.

On the other side: an eighteen-year-old peerless powerhouse with a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.

Even a fool knew which to choose!

And more than that, this powerhouse wasn't just strong—he was the only one willing to stand up for him and openly rebuke that "noble academy."

This was a true pillar to lean on!

This was a true backer!

Without a shred of Hesitation, Huo Yuhao dropped to both knees again. His head struck the ground hard, the sound crisp and clear.

"Master above! Please accept this Disciple's bow!"

That cry of "Master" came from the depths of his heart, resolute and unyielding.

Watching Huo Yuhao kneel at Gu Yuejin's feet, Tang Ya felt a sharp pain in her chest, as if something precious had been ripped away from her.

That was the hope of reviving the Tang Sect!

And now it was being taken right in front of her, with humiliation added on top.

"Pfft—"

Overwhelmed by rage and grief, Tang Ya spat out a mouthful of blood. Her entire body swayed, on the verge of collapse.

"Xiaoya!" Beibei cried out, quickly catching her. His gaze toward Gu Yuejin was now filled with wariness and fear.

Faced with such a powerhouse, they didn't even have the right to throw out harsh words.

Gu Yuejin couldn't be bothered with those two losers. His attention was fixed on the virtual panel before him.

[Successfully accepted Huo Yuhao as Disciple. Slapped the faces of Tang Sect and Shrek Academy.]

[Main Quest progress increased to 5%.]

[Instant reward received: Soul Power increased by one level.]

A warm current surged through his body. A glint of sharp light flashed in Gu Yuejin's eyes.

Level seventy-three.

Wasn't this leveling speed way more satisfying than slogging through bitter cultivation?