Tang Ya convinced herself

Ning Tian had been troubled lately.

She had thought spending every day with Aoyao would make her name appear in the diary more often, but instead, Aoyao mentioned other people's names more frequently.

Yesterday, she had finally managed to get her name mentioned a few times, only to run into that girl named Ma Xiaotao during a meal at the cafeteria, costing her another opportunity.

To avoid encountering others who also possessed Diary Copies in the cafeteria, Ning Tian decided... to eat out.

At that thought, Ning Tian took a deep breath and revealed a flawless smile. "I'm getting tired of always eating at the cafeteria. Why don't we eat out today? I happen to want to buy a few things in Shrek City."

Wu Feng glanced at Ning Tian without offering any opinion.

In her heart, Ning Tian's words came before everything else. Since it was Ning Tian's suggestion, she naturally would not object.

Aoyao would not refuse either.

Ning Tian was paying anyway, so where they ate... might as well be up to her.

Seeing that neither had any objections, Ning Tian's smile grew a little brighter.

Unfortunately... her plans could never keep pace with change.

[Little Huo's grilled fish?]

[Oh... right, right! I almost forgot about this! There was this part, too!]

At Aoyao's "reminder," Ning Tian and Wu Feng could not help looking toward the queue stretching like a long dragon outside Shrek Academy's gates.

A great many vendors gathered outside Shrek Academy, with heads bobbing through the crowd and no shortage of academy students stopping to buy things. But that stall had the longest queue, and most of those waiting were Shrek students.

This immediately piqued Ning Tian's and Wu Feng's curiosity.

The owner of that stall was, naturally, Huo Yuhao, who was working to support his studies.

With help from Tang Ya, who had tasted his grilled fish, Huo Yuhao had opened Little Huo's Grilled Fish after all. Within just a few days, its reputation had spread rapidly, finally giving him a way to cover his meals and living expenses.

At that thought, Huo Yuhao could not help casting a grateful look toward Tang Ya beside him.

Sister Xiaoya had won over the cafeteria lady and arranged for his ingredients, and she had also found him this prime location.

Without Sister Xiaoya, his meager savings would never have been enough to sustain a normal life.

Apart from his mother, Sister Xiaoya was the first person to treat him so well... he had to repay her and help her lead the Tang Sect back to its peak!

Huo Yuhao believed he had that ability.

As long as he could awaken his second martial soul with Brother Sky Dream's help, he would surely become a powerhouse in the future, restore the Tang Sect's glory, and repay Sister Xiaoya's kindness!

"Sister Xiaoya..."

Huo Yuhao had just been about to say a few words to declare his loyalty when Tang Ya dashed off like a wisp of smoke.

"Yuhao, remember to save me two grilled fish! I'm heading off for a bit!"

Huo Yuhao froze briefly at the sight, but said nothing and returned to his hard work.

Naturally, Tang Ya had hurried away because she had spotted Aoyao in the crowd.

Ever since she had followed the diary's advice, changed her target for her third Soul Ring, and obtained one with the life attribute, her craving to devour all living creatures to cultivate had immediately been suppressed.

Moreover, her cultivation seemed to have been going increasingly smoothly lately.

This convinced Tang Ya that Aoyao was right.

That ancestor Yu Xiaogang's supposed title of Grandmaster really was a sham!

He was nothing but a fame-grubbing fraud!

Had Ancestor Tang San not been so capable himself, that Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang would probably have led his student astray!

Precisely because of this, she wanted even more to get close to Aoyao and gain more rewards and benefits.

But halfway there, she remembered both the punishment for letting Aoyao discover something amiss and Bei Bei.

Without that punishment hanging over her, getting her name mentioned more often in the diary would inevitably require her to become closer to Aoyao. Bei Bei would surely feel uncomfortable seeing her so close to another man, wouldn't he?

Tang Ya's steps faltered, and a trace of hesitation flickered in her eyes.

But soon, the little devil in her heart poked its head out and began whispering in her mind.

Bei Bei even hid the fact that he had a bride raised for him since childhood... the Inner Court's senior sister, Zhang Lexuan, had appeared before us so many times, yet he never told me about their relationship. Wasn't that a kind of betrayal, too?

Since Bei Bei hadn't told me something so important, then if I got a little closer to Aoyao...

That should be fine, shouldn't it?

I just had to keep Bei Bei from finding out.

Yes, that was exactly it.

That would make us even!

I only wanted to spend more time with Aoyao and earn some rewards so I could enter the Inner Court. Only by entering the Inner Court could I stay with Bei Bei longer.

That was right.

I only wanted to be with Bei Bei for longer.

Tang Ya finally convinced herself.

The problem now was how to strike the right balance-a balance that would get her name into the diary without letting Aoyao discover anything amiss.

Just as Tang Ya wrestled with this, a figure emerged from Shrek Academy, surrounded by the people beside her.

That beautiful figure immediately drew the eyes of the vast majority of the students.

She looked only fourteen or fifteen, with a slender, well-proportioned figure and long golden hair cascading down her back in broad waves. Her skin surpassed snow, and her eyes were like pools of clear water. Every glance carried an air of refined, lofty elegance, her complexion as lovely as jade. Soft and graceful, she was beautiful beyond compare; her city-toppling, kingdom-overthrowing beauty seemed to drain the color from everything around her.

This figure was none other than Jiang Nannan, known as the Outer Court's greatest beauty!

[That figure... those looks. Unless I'm mistaken, that should be Jiang Nannan, right?]

[Tsk, she really is pretty. Too bad she's just an extra, too.]

Reading the diary's contents, Jiang Nannan faltered slightly. With a quick sweep of her peripheral vision, she immediately picked Aoyao out of the crowd.

Aoyao's appearance stood out so much among the crowd that it would have been difficult for Jiang Nannan not to notice him.

Besides, Aoyao had described his own looks in the diary, allowing Jiang Nannan to identify him so quickly.

Jiang Nannan had actually remained skeptical of the miraculous diary that had appeared in her mind.

Although the diary had already demonstrated its wonders, none of them had actually happened to her, so she still found it difficult to believe in it completely.

Now... perhaps this was a good opportunity to put it to the test.

But Aoyao had called her an extra... what did that mean?

A trace of confusion showed in Jiang Nannan's eyes.