"Pfft!"
Seeing the boy's first Soul Ring was white, the girl couldn't help laughing. The contempt on her face grew even more obvious, and she lost what little interest she'd had.
The girl in white shook her head. She was already thinking of taking her maid and leaving, rather than wasting any more time here.
"Huh?"
As the boy's gaze suddenly flashed, the leather-clad girl's expression froze. A dazed look flickered through her fiery eyes.
Then, under the white-clad girl's astonished gaze, the boy charged forward at an astonishing speed. In an instant, his right hand was covered in icy, crystal-like scales, and he struck the leather-clad girl squarely in her springy chest.
"Ah!"
Caught off guard, the leather-clad girl flew backward like a cannonball and crashed heavily to the ground. The entire scene fell utterly silent!
"What kind of Martial Soul is that?"
The white-clad girl's eyes widened. She looked at the boy before her as if she'd just found a priceless treasure.
"Wait, his Soul Ring!"
The white-clad girl suddenly noticed that the Soul Ring beneath the boy's feet had changed color!
"Ah! You bastard! I'll kill you! I'll tear your arm off!"
The leather-clad girl sprang to her feet and let out a shriek. Blazing flames burst from her body, and her eyes were filled with nothing but fury and murderous intent!
"Bang!"
Just as the girl charged forward, about to seize the boy's shoulder with a dragon claw, the white-clad girl suddenly stepped between them. The leather-clad girl's attack stopped dead in its tracks, and she stared in shock.
"Miss?"
The white-clad girl turned around and looked seriously at the boy with Spirit Eyes.
"Congratulations. You're now one of us in the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
"Aha! I knew it. Gold always shines!"
A Soul Master from the common folk watched the scene on the Sky Screen and spoke with unconcealed envy.
"The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has been passed down for all these years for good reason! As long as they find truly talented people, they can bring them in quickly and strengthen the sect's foundations. How could they fail to prosper, no matter how many years go by? And then there's us..."
Inside the Sky Dragon Gate, a Soul Master from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect watched the Sky Screen and sighed.
"Hahahaha! Ning Tian, my dear daughter! After seeing how our Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect treats its people on the Sky Screen, I bet the Huo Yuhao in the real world will come join our sect of his own accord before long!"
Inside the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, a refined-looking middle-aged man slapped his thigh, elated.
At that moment, his heart burned with excitement. Perhaps in this life, he would be recorded in the sect's annals just like Sect Master Ning Fengzhi had been ten thousand years ago!
The scene on the Sky Screen continued. The girl named Ning Tian brought the boy into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and the people of the sect soon discovered his true talent.
"Twin Martial Souls, a spiritual-type Martial Soul... an Ultimate Martial Soul?!"
"No, you've missed something. That's a Body Martial Soul! Have you forgotten about the Body Sect?"
"A genius, an absolute super genius! We actually found a treasure like this! It must be the blessing of our ancestor Rongrong!"
"It's just a pity. His First Soul Ring was white, and his other Soul Rings probably won't have perfect age limits either. Sigh!"
The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect immediately invoked its highest-level secrecy order and sealed away all key information about Huo Yuhao. Outsiders could learn only that the sect had taken in another gifted commoner.
The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect took in plenty of ordinary geniuses like this every year, making them "retainers" or "household guards" like Wu Feng, who stayed by Ning Tian's side. It was an old tradition of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
But who could have imagined that this time, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had truly struck gold in the slums?
"Ning Tian!"
The scene shifted to a hidden study in the deepest part of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. The man sat behind an expensive wooden desk, his expression grave, while the white-clad girl, Ning Tian, stood respectfully before her father.
"We must hold on to this boy and bind him firmly to our Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. I'm entrusting this matter to you. Can I trust you with it?"
The man's solemn gaze settled on the girl's shoulders as he asked.
"Ning Tian understands. No matter what, I'll make sure he can never leave our Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Not even Shrek Academy, not even the mysterious Body Sect... will be able to take him away from us."
Ning Tian's gaze flickered for a moment, then hardened into a resolve and coldness far beyond her years.
"Good. From today onward, neither you nor Wu Feng needs to go to Shrek Academy anymore."
The middle-aged man lightly tapped his fingers on the wooden desk and spoke calmly.
The girl's delicate frame trembled slightly.
"...Yes. Ning Tian understands."
Hearing a trace of hurt in his daughter's voice, the middle-aged man let out a quiet sigh.
"Tian'er, don't blame your father. I'm doing this for the sect."
"If Yuhao went to Shrek Academy with you and Wu Feng, our sect could certainly arrange it. But if a super freak like him really went there, could Shrek Academy possibly resist taking him for themselves?"
As he spoke, a look of worldly wariness and disdain flickered in the middle-aged man's eyes toward this Holy Land of Soul Masters across the continent.
"From now on, we'll make this child the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Ultimate Martial Soul, Twin Martial Souls. Not Shrek Academy's, or the Sea God Pavilion's."
"You might not fully believe me yet, but let me tell you this: if Yuhao goes there, it'll be like tossing a meat bun to a dog. He'll never come back."
The man leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, seeming somewhat weary.
"Tian'er, with your talent, even if you don't attend Shrek Academy, our sect will give you the best resources and won't shortchange you. Back then, Shrek Academy only grew to what it is today with the help of our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
The man looked at the portrait hanging in the study: the refined, profound likeness of Ning Fengzhi, the most outstanding sect master from ten thousand years ago. He spoke with quiet feeling.
"Father, I understand. You want to be remembered throughout history and accomplish something of lasting importance, just like our ancestor Ning Fengzhi. Perhaps our Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has a chance to reverse its decline and find a new path to prosperity in our generation."
After a brief moment of sadness, Ning Tian's gaze hardened again, even gleaming with a hint of fervor.
"Don't worry. I'll use every method and every means, everything you've taught me, to make sure Yuhao stays with us for good. Not just my care, my love, my body, but also..."