Rejecting the Tang Sect

"No way, your weights are way too heavy."

Bei Bei and Mu Xuanheng had decided on a whim to swap their training weights.

The crushing pressure made it impossible for Bei Bei to keep up with Mu Xuanheng's speed.

The two had no choice but to swap them back.

"Look at that, you're even older than me. This intensity just won't cut it."

Bei Bei was thoroughly annoyed: "You're just being inhuman. Who else your age could handle this kind of intensity?"

A year of training had greatly strengthened both of their bodies.

Mu Xuanheng, in particular, had developed in every aspect under the guidance of numerous teachers.

Once the day's training was finished, it was time to rest.

The course on understanding Soul Beasts had already concluded.

According to Gong Changlong, there were too many types of Soul Beasts to cover, and getting a general idea was enough. Further knowledge required slow accumulation rather than simple study.

Mu Xuanheng felt that this was just an excuse because his own knowledge of Soul Beasts was incomplete, and the Beast Fighting Arena had too few varieties.

After all, based on his battle royale approach, they would need thousands of different Soul Beasts to play with.

Shrek didn't have that many Soul Beast resources to provide for the two of them, so the class had to be stopped.

In the end, Yan Shaozhe took over to teach the course on understanding Martial Souls.

Compared to the Soul Beast course, there were many more Martial Souls to learn about.

As for the Soul Tool course, Fan Yu had formulated a strict plan; it wasn't time to learn how to engrave arrays yet.

Mu Xuanheng was too young, and his mental power couldn't keep up, so for now, it was more about cultivating a mindset for Soul Tools.

The sparring sessions, which should have been halted, resumed after Bei Bei obtained his second soul ring.

The two began a new round of combat.

"Xuanheng, I'm a two-ring Soul Grand Master now, so you'd better be careful."

"Pfft, isn't it just one extra soul ring? Why would I be afraid of you?"

Under Mu Xuanheng's motivation and the cultivation of the Sea God Pavilion, Bei Bei's strength was much greater than it would have been normally.

The two clashed fiercely, trading claw for claw.

"Xuanheng, after watching your Phantom Dragon Claw so many times, I've found a new way to use my Thunder Dragon Claw."

Mu Xuanheng had hidden the name of his Chaofeng Dragon Claw, calling it the Phantom Dragon Claw instead.

Bei Bei had learned from the long-range and melee versatility of the Chaofeng Dragon Claw and improved the usage of his own soul skill.

Originally, the Thunder Dragon Claw formed a dragon claw imprint that shot straight out.

Now, however, he condensed the lightning in his hand to form a physical dragon claw.

Unlike the defense-ignoring effect of the Chaofeng Dragon Claw, the Thunder Dragon Claw had a chance to paralyze the target. This was Bei Bei's path to victory.

Xuan Zi couldn't help but exclaim: "Holding the lightning in his hand to change how the soul skill is used. Bei Bei is a genius too."

Mu En shook his head: "He borrowed the effect of Xuanheng's soul skill. But he has also broken through the limitations of the skill itself. To be able to do this at his age is already quite impressive."

Looking at Mu Xuanheng, the two didn't quite know what to say.

They wanted a genius who was excellent in every aspect.

Seeing Bei Bei improve his soul skill, they wanted Mu Xuanheng to do the same.

The problem was that Mu Xuanheng didn't need to.

"Xuanheng is a child who is invincible among his peers; he feels no pressure at all. That's both a good thing and a bad thing. His talent cannot be fully realized," Mu En said with some worry.

Xuan Zi was doing fine; he didn't have any Self-Created Soul Skills, so he wasn't as sensitive to this: "In one year, he has increased his soul power by 8 levels. And that's while trying his best to solidify his foundation. By the time he turns 12, he might be close to becoming a Soul Ancestor.

I just wonder what his next two soul skills will be? Since his Chaofeng skill is fixed, I hope they aren't too weak."

The mock battle on the field continued, but Bei Bei was still suppressed by Mu Xuanheng whenever he relied only on his first soul skill.

The defense-ignoring effect was no joke.

"Xuanheng, watch out." Bei Bei called out a warning; his serpentine lightning had already sealed off the area around Mu Xuanheng, waiting for him to fall into the trap.

"I see it. You'd better be careful too." Mu Xuanheng knew the effect of Bei Bei's second soul skill, so he was naturally on guard.

He shifted his feet backward, stepping into the gap left by the lightning.

The perfect opportunity.

Bei Bei seized the chance and attacked rapidly, lunging at Mu Xuanheng with his Thunder Dragon Claw in melee mode.

In an instant, Mu Xuanheng broke free from the restraints, turned, and attacked Bei Bei with a claw.

Another victory.

Only after Bei Bei obtained his second soul ring and modified his Thunder Dragon Claw did they finally have a real contest.

But Mu Xuanheng still won more often.

"I've fought him so many times, yet I still can't resist this martial soul suppression," Bei Bei complained helplessly.

Even though his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was already a top-tier martial soul, being suppressed like this made him feel incredibly frustrated.

Mu Xuanheng patted Bei Bei on the shoulder: "Sigh, once you evolve into a Bright Holy Dragon, the suppression won't be so intense."

This was merely a consolation; could Chaofeng really fail to suppress a Bright Holy Dragon? Even Mu En was suppressed, let alone Bei Bei.

"The two of you, come over here. I have something to discuss with you."

The two followed Mu En forward.

Mu Xuanheng was somewhat puzzled. What kind of issue could there be at this point in time? He couldn't figure it out.

But as soon as Mu En spoke, Mu Xuanheng understood.

"Do you know about the Tang Sect?"

It would be unrealistic to say they didn't; how could one stay at Shrek and not hear the legends of Tang San?

Both of them nodded.

Mu En continued: "Ten thousand years ago, our ancestor Tang San founded the Tang Sect, bringing it to an incredibly glorious era. Hidden weapons were the Tang Sect's proudest achievement.

However, four thousand years ago, the collision with the Sun Moon Continent brought Soul Tools into their golden age. The Tang Sect declined from that point on. I want you both to join the Tang Sect and continue its legacy. What do you think?"

Bei Bei looked toward Mu Xuanheng. Although he was older, Mu Xuanheng had shown more assertiveness throughout their time together.

Having lived three lifetimes, if not for the different hormone levels and the fact that his martial soul, Chaofeng, was a master at messing with people's minds, Mu Xuanheng wouldn't have been able to play the part of a child at all.

In their daily interactions, he would also intentionally or unintentionally guide Bei Bei.

This moment was when those previous efforts at guidance came into play.

Mu Xuanheng stepped forward to answer: "Since it was the rise of Soul Tools that caused the decline, then we should just focus on developing Soul Tools. Joining shouldn't have any impact on that, right?"

Neither of them were soul tool masters; Mu Xuanheng was still limited by his spiritual power to the stage of observing from the sidelines, unable to practice it himself.

"The Tang Sect is now down to only one person; it exists in name only. Since it is a force founded by our ancestor Tang San, we cannot simply watch it disappear." Mu En felt that if the lips were gone, the teeth would be cold.

But Mu Xuanheng didn't think so. This was the reason Mu En wanted to maintain the Tang Sect, and also the reason he wanted it to disappear.

"They clung to tradition, which led to their decay. Is it really fair for us to pay the price for that now?" He tilted his head to look at Mu En, showing no signs of a child's innocence: "I don't believe that our joining will allow it to continue its legacy.

If it were truly a sect with a deep foundation, it would naturally be able to linger on. Take the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, for example.

If the era has discarded it, that is the choice of the era."

Mu En changed his mind, but still wanted to pose a question: "What if one day, Shrek is also discarded by the era?"

Mu Xuanheng: "Just as I said before, that would mean we at Shrek can no longer meet the requirements of soul masters. It would be our own problem, and if we are eliminated, then so be it. But this era will absolutely never do that."

"Oh?" Mu En couldn't help but ask.

"Because I am here. Either we change to catch the sails of the new era, or we reach the summit of the old era to become the peak of that time. But there is no possibility of being eliminated."

Confidence, incomparable confidence.

Bei Bei also nodded from the side: "Great-grandfather, I think the same. I don't see the need to join the Tang Sect."

"To have your own thoughts at such a young age. This is a good thing. I couldn't think of these things when I was your age."

After Mu Xuanheng spoke, Mu En stopped mentioning joining the Tang Sect. He could see the firmness in Mu Xuanheng's resolve.

Bei Bei not joining the Tang Sect didn't have much of an impact on the sect. What Tang San wanted was never Bei Bei, but the destiny carried by Huo Yuhao.

Without Bei Bei, it would simply be more difficult for Tang Ya to maintain the Tang Sect alone.

The spark of affection between Bei Bei and Tang Ya had been extinguished by Mu Xuanheng before it could even ignite; without seeing Tang Ya's persistence, Bei Bei would not fall for her.

Consequently, there would be no Mystic Water Pill later on. Huo Yuhao's starting point had been weakened.

"The Child of Destiny has had a sliver of his destiny shaved away? No matter, as long as he joins my Tang Sect, everything will return." Tang San could not suppress his joy. Suddenly, his expression changed as he sensed a fluctuation of divine power. "Is there still a god on the Douluo Continent who dares to act recklessly?"

At this very moment, the Star Dou Forest ushered in an unprecedented carnival.