Seeing Huo Yuhao's increasingly wary gaze, Gu Yuejin's lips curled into a faint smile. He felt secretly pleased.
This was exactly the effect he wanted.
As long as he tore away the glossy facade of Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect, and let Huo Yuhao see the rot and hypocrisy beneath, this Child of Destiny would naturally make the right choice.
Seeing that Huo Yuhao wanted to leave, Tang Ya and Beibei were clearly getting anxious.
They had spent ages lying in wait before finally finding such a promising young talent. If they let him get away now, who knew how long the Tang Sect's revival would take?
"Little Brother Huo, don't listen to his nonsense!"
Tang Ya hurried forward, trying to salvage the situation. "There may not be many of us in the Tang Sect now, but we still have our secret techniques! The Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, Purple Demon Eyes, and powerful hidden weapons—if you join us, they'll all be yours!"
"Powerful hidden weapons?"
Gu Yuejin cut in without mercy, as if he'd just heard a joke.
"You mean those scraps of metal that can't even break through a Soul Guide Shield?"
"You—!" Tang Ya choked with anger.
Gu Yuejin's gaze fell on Tang Ya, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt.
"Tang Ya, if I'm not mistaken, your Soul Power has only just reached level thirty, and you haven't even obtained your Third Soul Ring, have you?"
"You're the head of a great sect, and you're not exactly young, yet you're not even a Soul Elder."
"With skills like that, you have the nerve to take on disciples? Are you going to teach him how to end up as miserable as you are at your age?"
His words struck right at the heart.
Tang Ya's face instantly turned deathly pale. Her lips trembled as she tried to retort, but she couldn't find a single excuse.
Because it was the truth, as solid as iron.
"And stop bringing up Tang San every chance you get."
Gu Yuejin gave her no chance to catch her breath, pressing on.
"You worship Tang San like a god, but how did he treat you descendants?"
"The Mysterious Heaven Skill is an incomplete version, and the hidden weapon blueprints are missing pieces."
"He took the true divine techniques with him to the Divine Realm and left you nothing but scraps. Is that what you call faith?"
At that, Gu Yuejin gave a cold laugh. "When you get down to it, it's nothing but selfishness."
"Shut up! Don't you dare insult our ancestor!" Beibei and Tang Ya roared at the same time, their eyes bloodshot, as though he'd touched a raw nerve.
In their hearts, Tang San was the supreme god, a faith that no one was allowed to profane.
"Insult?"
Gu Yuejin shook his head. He looked at them as if they were two hopeless fanatics.
"Tang Ya, you pride yourself on being a Blue Silver Grass prodigy and think you can recreate Tang San's glory."
"But you don't even know the most basic facts."
"Tang San was the Blue Silver Emperor, the emperor of plant-type soul beasts, with a supreme level of life."
"And you? You're nothing but ordinary Blue Silver Grass, just roadside weeds."
"No wonder the Tang Sect fell into your hands, when you can't even tell the Blue Silver Emperor apart from Blue Silver Grass."
Tang Ya felt as if she'd been struck by lightning. She froze on the spot.
The talent she'd always been proud of and the belief she'd always held—that "there are no useless Martial Souls"—had just been dismissed as worthless by Gu Yuejin.
"You're talking nonsense!"
Tang Ya shouted hysterically. "I cultivate very quickly! I'm almost caught up to our ancestor's record!"
"I'm not useless!"
Beibei stepped forward as well, lightning surging around him. He glared at Gu Yuejin. "You keep saying we're unqualified, but what about you?"
"You look no older than seventeen or eighteen. What gives you the right to lecture everyone?"
"Is it just because you're good at talking?"
This was their final counterattack.
They tried to turn the tables by questioning Gu Yuejin's age and credentials.
After all, on the Douluo Continent, strength was what mattered.
"Credentials?"
Gu Yuejin smiled.
It was a smile of utter superiority, like a dragon looking down on ants.
"Since you refuse to believe it until you see the coffin, I'll show you what a true genius looks like."
As soon as he finished speaking, a terrifying, suffocating Aura erupted from within Gu Yuejin.
BOOM!
The air around them seemed to freeze. A pressure born of an overwhelming disparity in life level made Tang Ya and Beibei's faces change drastically. Their knees buckled, and they nearly fell to the ground.
Then, a phantom figure appeared behind Gu Yuejin. It was his Body Martial Soul.
But what truly left them horrified beyond belief were the Soul Rings rising beneath his feet.
Yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black...
The first six Soul Rings were astonishing, but still within the bounds of human understanding.
Yet when the seventh Soul Ring slowly rose, the entire forest seemed to fall into deathly silence.
It was a vivid, heart-stirring shade of...
Red!
A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!
One yellow, two purple, three black, one red!
A Seven-Ring Soul Saint!
"T-That's impossible!"
Beibei's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. His usually refined face twisted beyond recognition.
Tang Ya's legs gave way, and she slumped to the ground, her mind going blank.
An eighteen-year-old Soul Saint?
With a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring?
This was completely beyond anything they could comprehend. Not even Shrek Academy's Inner Court senior disciple, or even the legendary master of Sea God Pavilion, could have been this terrifying when young!
Compared to the "Shrek prodigies" they'd always been so proud of, Gu Yuejin was practically a miracle!
The sheer contrast was like a heavy hammer, smashing their pitiful pride to pieces.
Huo Yuhao, standing to one side, was also having trouble breathing under that terrifying pressure.
But the light in his eyes had never been brighter.
On one side was the fallen Tang Sect, with its level-thirty leader still making empty promises.
On the other was an unrivaled powerhouse who was eighteen and possessed a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.
Even an idiot would know which to choose!
Besides, this powerhouse wasn't just strong. He was also the only person willing to stand up for Huo Yuhao and openly criticize a "noble academy" to its face.
This was a real powerhouse to rely on!
This was a real backer!
Without the slightest hesitation, Huo Yuhao dropped to his knees again and bowed his head hard against the ground. His voice rang out clear and loud.
"Master, please accept this disciple's bow!"
He called him "Master" with heartfelt conviction and unwavering resolve.
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 the Tang Sect's revival!
Someone had snatched it right in front of her, and even humiliated her in the process.
PFFT!
Overcome with rage, Tang Ya spat out a mouthful of blood and swayed unsteadily.
"Xiaoya!" Beibei cried out. He hurriedly caught her, looking at Gu Yuejin with fear and wariness in his eyes.
Against a powerhouse like this, they didn't even have the right to threaten him.
Gu Yuejin couldn't be bothered with those two losers. His attention was now fixed on the virtual panel before him.
[Successfully took Huo Yuhao as a disciple, humiliating the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy.] [Main Quest completion increased to 5%.] [Immediate reward received: Soul Power increased by one level.]
A warm current flowed through his whole body, and a glint flashed in Gu Yuejin's eyes.
Level seventy-three.
Wasn't leveling up this way way more satisfying than grinding through cultivation?
Before you continue