The Chance I Give Them

The atmosphere at the dinner was incredibly lively.

With the sincere invitations from Beibei and Tang Ya, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, and Xiao Xiao all readily agreed to join the Tang Sect.

With these new companions, everyone felt genuinely happy; the long-declining Tang Sect finally seemed to be seeing the dawn of a revival.

Laughter and chatter filled the table, but Tang Ya, after the initial joy, felt a touch of melancholy quietly stain the depths of her eyes.

Watching these gifted companions with such promising futures, she felt both happy for the growth of the Tang Sect and a recurring sense of loss for her own stagnant strength.

As the Sect Master of the Tang Sect, she had become the one left furthest behind.

"You all keep chatting, I'll go to the kitchen and get you some freshly baked cakes!"

Tang Ya pulled herself together, forced a smile, found an excuse to stand up, and turned toward the kitchen.

The moment she turned, Ji Jing raised his eyes to look at her slightly fragile back.

He clearly captured the sadness and unwillingness hidden beneath her smile.

He knew that Tang Ya was grieving alone because she was being left further and further behind by her companions.

Ji Jing did not speak, continuing to eat calmly, but he had already made up his mind.

Regardless of anything else, Tang Ya was now one of their own.

He would absolutely not let her fall into the fate originally intended for her—being exploited by the Holy Spirit Cult, taken away, brainwashed, and ultimately becoming that tragic Saintess.

Deep in the night, the bustling Shrek Academy finally fell silent.

In the outer courtyard dormitory area, everyone had returned to their rooms, either drifting into sweet dreams or beginning their diligent cultivation.

Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan had also long since turned off their lights to rest.

However, in the dormitory shared by Ji Jing and Wang Dong, Ji Jing felt no sleepiness at all.

He walked to the window, the moonlight spilling onto his handsome profile and casting a faint shadow.

With a flip of his hand, the Best Wine Cup in the Village appeared in his palm.

As his thoughts stirred, a liquid blending black and white colors emerged from thin air into the cup.

This was the divine brew transformed from his parents' divine power.

It was the most powerful trump card his parents had left him when he descended into this world, capable of temporarily awakening his sealed divine power, divine sense, and divine body for a short period.

And this first time using this power was not for killing enemies, nor for self-preservation.

Ji Jing glanced back at Wang Dong, who was already fast asleep on the bed, and after confirming she would not be disturbed, he drank the divine wine in one gulp.

In an instant, a terrifying and indescribable power awakened within his body!

Black, white, red, and blue lights flowed rapidly beneath his skin; that was his own divine power.

In the depths of his eyes, it was as if universes were being born and dying, and stars were rotating.

However, the phenomenon lasted for less than an instant before he extinguished it entirely with absolute control, not letting a single shred leak out.

Standing in this Shrek Academy now was no longer a top-tier genius, but a congenital deity in his youth, possessing combat power rivaling a peak second-tier god.

From the perspective of a deity, everything mortal was as small as dust.

Ji Jing's divine soul instantly located Tang Ya, who was currently meditating on her dormitory bed.

Without the slightest hesitation, his divine soul transformed into a stream of light and instantly entered Tang Ya's spiritual sea.

Just as Ji Jing's form transformed into a hundred-meter-tall humanoid light shadow woven of four colors, preparing to appear in this spiritual space, a towering black figure a thousand meters tall stepped in first, appearing silently within Tang Ya's spiritual sea.

Ji Jing's figure stalled, and he looked up in shock at that familiar and majestic back:

"Dad?"

That black figure was none other than the God King of Evil, Ji Dong.

He glanced back at his son's divine soul light shadow, gave a calm, slight nod as a greeting.

Then, he cast his gaze toward the center of the spiritual sea, at the soul projection of Tang Ya, who sat cross-legged with her eyes closed in meditation. His majestic yet gentle voice resonated throughout the entire space:

"Awaken, child."

Tang Ya's soul trembled violently. She slowly opened her eyes, looked around in confusion at this strange, dim space, and asked doubtfully:

"Where is this?"

Ji Dong's grand voice sounded once more:

"This is your spiritual sea. And I am one of the five God Kings of the God Realm, the God of Evil."

"A... a deity?"

Tang Ya was completely stunned, her face filled with disbelief.

She never imagined that she would meet a true deity during her meditation.

But...

She had only heard of the Tang Sect ancestor, the Sea God Tang San, from ancient texts. What kind of deity was this God of Evil?

Ji Dong seemed to see right through her thoughts and said indifferently:

"Your martial soul possesses evil attributes. Now, I can offer you two choices."

"First, become an Evil Soul Master; you will rapidly gain immense power and take revenge on your enemies."

Hearing the words "Evil Soul Master," Tang Ya's face turned deathly pale in an instant. She shook her head vigorously, her expression filled with struggle and fear, and said resolutely:

"No! I will absolutely not become an Evil Soul Master!"

Ji Dong was not surprised by her reaction and continued in a steady tone to state the second choice:

"Second, accept my trial and explore the true potential of your martial soul. If you perform well enough, in the future, there is even the possibility of becoming a god."

Standing to the side, constantly enveloped by Ji Dong's immense divine aura, Ji Jing looked at his father with some surprise.

He had originally only intended to quietly help Tang Ya resolve the backlash from her martial soul and incidentally improve her potential, but he never imagined that his old man would descend in person and directly propose something as earth-shattering as becoming a god.

Faced with these two vastly different choices, Tang Ya did not hesitate at all and immediately chose the latter.

Having received her affirmative answer, Ji Dong said no more. With a slight movement of his divine sense, he took Ji Jing's divine soul and departed from Tang Ya's spiritual sea.

Throughout the entire process, Tang Ya's focus was entirely captivated by Ji Dong's towering divine manifestation, and she did not notice the light figure in the corner that was several times smaller than Ji Dong's.

Ten thousand meters above the ground, at the peak of the clouds, Ji Jing returned to his youthful appearance and stood opposite his father, Ji Dong.

"I was originally just planning to improve her martial soul directly."

Ji Jing looked at his father and voiced his question:

"Old man, why did you have to step in personally and even give her a chance to undergo a trial?"

Ji Dong stood with his hands behind his back, his deep gaze seemingly capable of piercing through time and space. He calmly explained:

"Among the mortals around you, aside from Huo Yuhao, who is blessed with the fortune of destiny, none of the others possess the potential to inherit the throne of a God King."

"Even for Huo Yuhao, I personally believe that under Tang San's interference, becoming a Main God is the limit for him at the start of his divinity."

"But if they can develop their talents to the maximum and put in the effort, the others might not necessarily fail to inherit the throne of a Second-Class God, or even a First-Class God."

He turned his gaze toward Ji Jing and continued:

"Since you were going to help her anyway, I simply wanted to see where her limits truly lie."

Then, Ji Dong changed the subject:

"This girl named Tang Ya is only the first."

"The others around you have more potential than her, even more potential than the likes of Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun."

"I thought I would give them a chance; perhaps in the future, they could also become gods under your command."