You Want to Become a Disciple Too?

Dirt!!!?

Ma Xiaotao's big eyes flew open.

No one had ever said her red outfits looked tacky. Besides, what did this brat know about having a whole wardrobe full of the same clothes?

Wasn't a person allowed to buy lots of identical things?

And what the heck did he mean by saying she didn't like bathing? Hadn't he smelled the fragrance from her face wash just now?

Besides, why leave her face out of the discussion?

Her face was absolutely an important factor that couldn't be left out.

Ma Xiaotao rubbed her brow. Who didn't want to be called beautiful? But this brat's judgment was entirely subjective, with not a single objective assessment.

She looked down at the red clothes she was wearing. Since she was here to see Xuanyuan Sheng today, she hadn't put on her mysterious red veil.

Was it really that old-fashioned?

The red uniform was what every Inner Courtyard disciple had to wear.

As for her other red clothes, she had carefully picked each one herself. With her curvy figure, even the prettiest outfit could only serve as an accompaniment.

Mm, still as beautiful as ever!

Xuanyuan Sheng watched Ma Xiaotao lightly tap her cheek with a finger. Her expression was extremely self-satisfied.

"Xiaotao, what are you here for?"

Surely she hadn't come to compete in a beauty contest with a young man like him.

That was what Xuanyuan Sheng thought. A man as masculine as him was willing to concede defeat.

Hearing Xuanyuan Sheng change the way he addressed her, Ma Xiaotao puffed out her chest. "Call me Sister, or else..."

The threat was unmistakable.

"Sister Xiaotao, do you remember what you came here for?" Xuanyuan Sheng replied helplessly.

It didn't matter. It was just a form of address.

It was just that this woman was hanging around and getting in his way. He still hadn't caught up on his sleep. With Sister Lexuan gone, he didn't need to cultivate, either.

There wasn't much Humanity's Luck to cultivate while he was around her.

Ma Xiaotao did have a little Humanity's Luck, but cultivating Soul Power in fits and starts would clearly make him uncomfortable. He'd be better off catching up on sleep.

What had she come for?

Wasn't it to look after Zhang Lexuan's younger brother while she was away?

Now there was a younger brother who was in need of his big sister's care.

Ma Xiaotao looked kindly at Xuanyuan Sheng beside her.

System, do you have any information about my dear little brother? I want to prepare a big surprise for him.

The moment the system heard Ma Xiaotao's thoughts, it immediately listed all the information it could find.

[Name: Xuanyuan Sheng]

[Martial Soul: Holy Sword of Humanity, Xuanyuan Sword]

[Affection: 21]

Ma Xiaotao looked at it in surprise. She hadn't expected it to be able to scan other people's information.

If she could scan someone's information during a fight, she'd have a much easier time turning the tables.

And then?

Just two pieces of information? She could ask him those things herself. Why waste time having it scan him?

[The target is protected by the Holy Sword of Humanity. You can only detect what you can see.]

Seeing this message, Ma Xiaotao was a little taken aback.

She had suffered from the effects of Evil Fire for years, and even Shrek, a place where gods had once been born, hadn't been able to cure her.

Yet this system, which seemed almost omnipotent to her, couldn't see through Xuanyuan Sheng's information.

You really are something, little brother.

Having a little brother like that seemed pretty nice, actually.

But there was one thing she disagreed with: his affection. Why was Xuanyuan Sheng's affection for her only 21?

A stranger was at zero.

Going up meant familiarity.

Only at 50 did someone count as a friend.

Going down meant dislike.

Each point meant a different degree of dislike.

It ended only when they hated each other enough to fight to the death.

Did that mean she was still a stranger to Xuanyuan Sheng, albeit one he was somewhat familiar with?

Forget it, Ma Xiaotao thought, taking it in stride.

They'd only met that morning. It would be more worrying if his affection for her were already high. At least this meant he didn't treat her like a stranger he wanted nothing to do with.

She draped an arm over Xuanyuan Sheng's shoulder.

"As your neighbor and big sister, I heard about what's going on with the Outer Courtyard students. Because of a few things, cultivation is all the rage right now."

Xuanyuan Sheng looked at her curiously.

Had Zhou Yi's apprenticeship event really gotten so popular?

Seeing his confusion, Ma Xiaotao helpfully explained.

"You don't have to pass an examination with nearly a thousand other people. You only need to show the teachers from both courtyards what you can do, and you'll have a chance of becoming an Inner Courtyard Core Disciple. Any student would want to give it a shot."

Xuanyuan Sheng nodded.

He really hadn't expected Zhou Yi to come up with something like this. Could studying Yu Xiaogang's rare manuscript really have taught her how to think?

Though entering Shrek required a recommendation from a city lord, true geniuses were always few and far between.

Being born into nobility only guaranteed a wealthy life; it didn't guarantee an excellent Martial Soul or talent. They could only rely on the large pool of commoner Soul Masters.

If a Soul Master entered Shrek with a city lord's recommendation, the first person they'd thank would be the city lord, and Shrek would come second.

After all, without the city lord, they wouldn't even have been able to reach the gates of this lofty academy.

That was what they called an investment.

Everyone started from a different place. Some students might have taken the wrong path through their first three rings because they lacked information. But getting into Shrek proved they were talented. Once a good teacher discovered that hidden gem, they wouldn't go astray again.

"The old hag has finally done something good for once." Ma Xiaotao couldn't help feeling happy for those students, but then she changed the subject. "Xiao Sheng, do you have a teacher in mind?"

"A teacher?"

Xuanyuan Sheng remembered that Sister Lexuan had said the day before that she wanted to be his teacher. He nodded. "Of course. We already agreed on it."

Already agreed?

Ma Xiaotao suddenly understood and ruffled his hair.

"You should've said so, junior brother. Your big sister will prepare an apprenticeship gift for you."

She hadn't expected that old man to have secretly pulled off something so big.

Looking at Ma Xiaotao, whose smile wouldn't leave her face, Xuanyuan Sheng scratched his head in confusion. He was apprenticing under his own sister, so what was she giving him an apprenticeship gift for? Was she planning to become her disciple too?

"You want to become a disciple too, Sister Xiaotao?" Xuanyuan Sheng asked uncertainly.

Ma Xiaotao immediately felt that the system's affection rating was fake. Little Sheng had even thought of her when it came to choosing a teacher. How could it possibly be only 21?

Sure enough, this thing had its flaws when it came to reading people's hearts.

She answered quickly. "Since my junior brother wants his big sister to come along, how could I refuse? I, Ma Xiaotao, will become a disciple all over again!"

Teacher Yan, you old geezer, you were quick to snap him up. It's just that your eyes aren't as sharp as mine—you should've kept such a promising student close and raised him yourself.

Ma Xiaotao was only a Soul Emperor, while Sister Lexuan was only two levels away from becoming a Titled Douluo. Surely it wouldn't be a problem for her to take on another disciple? Becoming a Titled Douluo would be a piece of cake for Zhang Lexuan, who was practically cheating.

"In that case, I'll take you somewhere wonderful. It's exactly what you need right now." She winked at him mysteriously.

Ma Xiaotao had already taken on the responsibility of a senior disciple. Before their teacher met his new student again, she'd give him a huge surprise.