Yu Tong, Close the Door, I'll Teach You the Details of Cultivation

Within Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness, on a meadow shimmering with silver light, a stunning young woman draped in sheer gauze lay on her side.

Her long, silvery-white hair half-covered the full curves of her chest, while the thin fabric clung to the undulating lines of her body, revealing a slender waist and the faint, alluring silhouette of her shapely thighs.

A pair of narrow, fox-like eyes swirled with soul-captivating charm; she was none other than the Nine-Tailed Silver Fox, now transformed into a sentient soul ring.

The Nine-Tailed Silver Fox let out a playful, amused chuckle: "Don't you like your Brother Tang An? Isn't it a good thing to live together?"

"But... but Brother Tang An doesn't know I'm a girl!"

"Are you sure?" The silver fox's tone carried a clear sense of mischief.

Huo Yuhao froze, her heart skipping a beat: "Sister Silver Fox, what do you mean by that? Could it be... that Brother Tang An already knows I'm a girl?"

The silver fox smiled lightly, her voice drifting: "Guess for yourself."

Huo Yuhao's heart hammered like a drum. She stole a glance at Tang An, only to see him bidding farewell to Tang Ya, completely oblivious to her inner turmoil.

Does Brother Tang An... really know? If he does, why has he never called me out? If he doesn't, why did Sister Silver Fox use that tone?

The more she thought, the more chaotic her mind became, to the point where she didn't even notice when Tang Ya walked up to her.

"Yuhao, what are you spacing out for? Follow the Sect Leader properly and don't bring shame to the Tang Sect."

Tang Ya patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder, snuck a peek at Tang An, felt her ears grow slightly warm, and hurriedly looked away before turning to leave.

Tang An, cradling the still-slumbering Xiao Wu rabbit, led Huo Yuhao toward the dormitory area, thinking to himself, "I wonder if I'll run into that niece of mine, Wang Dong'er."

The entrance to the dormitory area was right before them. The guard was a white-haired old man sitting on a bamboo chair, basking in the sun with his eyes half-closed, looking drowsy.

Tang An walked up to the old man and stopped.

Huo Yuhao stopped as well. Although her mind was still filled with the Nine-Tailed Silver Fox's words, she never neglected her manners and bowed respectfully to the old man: "Hello, Grandfather."

The old man lifted his eyelids, his gaze murky, gave a casual "Hmm," and lowered his head again.

Tang An turned to Huo Yuhao and smiled: "Yuhao, you go upstairs first. I'll chat with this guard grandfather for a bit to learn more about the academy."

Huo Yuhao, already distracted, gave a soft "Hmm" and obediently headed upstairs.

Once her figure disappeared at the stairwell, Tang An turned around, looked at the "guard grandfather" before him, and curled his lips into a smirk, thinking, Let's see if I can give you a shock.

"Greetings, Mu En."

Mu En's half-closed eyes snapped open. The murkiness vanished, replaced by a piercing brilliance as an invisible pressure silently permeated the air.

"How do you know who this old man is?" Mu En slowly straightened his back, his voice hoarse and deep, his gaze sharp as a blade: "Who are you?"

Tang An thought to himself: Haha, once this is out, Shrek will be mine.

Tang An stood with his hands behind his back, speaking with pride: "Young Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect, Tang An."

Tang An raised both hands. A translucent, emerald-green image of the Immortal Scythe emerged in his left palm, while a dark red image of the Crimson Annihilation Hammer rose in his right.

Although he suppressed the aura of the two God King-level martial souls to an extremely low level, Mu En was no ordinary person; that mere wisp of energy was enough for him to judge the grade of these martial souls.

Mu En's murky eyes suddenly erupted with light: "Twin Martial Souls! And the origin aura of these two martial souls... they are God-level!"

"Mu En has a sharp eye." Tang An retracted his martial souls and changed the subject: "This junior has come to Shrek under the guidance and inheritance of the Sea God Tang San to restore the glory of the Tang Sect and prepare for the coming war between the two continents."

Mu En's expression changed drastically. The aura radiating from his aged body in that instant caused the very air to freeze: "You speak of the Sea God Tang San? That ancestor of the Tang Sect from ten thousand years ago? Do you have proof?"

Tang An flipped his hand, produced the pitch-black First Generation Tang Sect Leader Token, and handed it to Mu En.

As Mu En took the token, the moment his fingertips touched it, a vast and majestic Sea God aura surged from its surface. That boundless, all-encompassing presence was something no one could forge.

Mu En's hands began to tremble slightly.

"This aura... it is the Sea God, without a doubt..." He looked up abruptly, his eyes blazing with light, his excitement plain to see.

"Heaven bless Shrek! The Sea God has manifested and guided you here; this is the will of Heaven!"

Mu En grabbed Tang An's wrist, his voice urgent: "Come, I will take you to the Sea God Pavilion meeting right now to inform the elders."

Tang An's thoughts shifted. In the original story, the elders of the Sea God Pavilion were all eccentric characters. It would be better to let them argue it out first and make his entrance once they had reached a consensus; the effect would be much better.

Tang An smiled slightly and waved his hand: "Mu En, you go ahead and notify the elders to discuss this. Come find me once there is a result; I'll go settle into the dormitory first."

Mu En was stunned, then let out a dry laugh, a hint of admiration flashing in his murky eyes: "You're young, but you've got plenty of schemes. Fine, this old man will run this errand for you."

Tang An watched Mu En depart, turned, and entered the dormitory building. He pushed open the door, looked inside, and froze.

The young girl by the window was wearing a silver-white dress, her silver-blue hair draped over her shoulders. The curves usually tightly bound by her chest wrap were now released; though not overly voluptuous, they possessed the unique, youthful firmness of a girl. Her skin was fair, her neck slender, and a pair of bright eyes were looking at him timidly.

She twisted her hands in front of her, her ten fingers pinching each other until her knuckles turned white.

"Brother Tang An... I have something important to tell you. I am actually a girl, and my real name is Huo Yutong."

After saying this, Huo Yutong's courage seemed to vanish in an instant. She lowered her head quickly, her voice growing smaller and smaller, as thin as a mosquito's hum.

"Brother Tang An... are you still willing to live with me?"

Tang An looked at her, his heart stirred slightly. He knew he hadn't been wrong—she was indeed a beauty in the making.

But why was this girl suddenly so bold? It didn't seem like her personality at all.

The answer, in fact, lay with the Nine-Tailed Silver Fox.

Just moments ago, Huo Yutong had arrived at the dormitory first and, seeing the single double bed, felt her heart pounding as if it were about to leap out of her throat.

Just as she was at a loss, Silver Fox spoke slowly within the Sea of Consciousness: "Little girl, how much longer do you intend to keep this a secret?"

Huo Yutong twisted her fingers: "I... I don't know how to bring it up..."

"If you don't speak up soon, your Brother Tang An is going to be snatched away by that little girl named Tang Ya."

Silver Fox rolled over, her thin gauze slipping off her shoulder, her tone carrying the weary wisdom of someone who had seen it all.

"You saw the way she looked at Tang An, too. That girl is no pushover. Have you forgotten what she looked like when she came out of Tang An's room this morning?"

Huo Yutong froze.

"I don't need to tell you how outstanding your Brother Tang An is, do I?" Silver Fox narrowed her foxy eyes, a playful smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"A man like that—never mind a little girl like you, even I am tempted. If you don't make a move now, you'll be the one crying later."

"But... but I don't know if Brother Tang An will hate me for lying to him..."

"Your Brother Tang An might have known all along. Trust me, he won't be angry."

Huo Yutong bit her lip, finally making up her mind.

Time returned to the present.

Tang An looked at the young girl before him, who was so nervous she was practically smoking, and chuckled.

"I knew it all along."

"Sister Yutong is so strong and so cute; of course I'm willing to live with you."

Huo Yutong's brain was buzzing, with only one thought looping frantically.

Hehe, Brother An said I'm cute, he said I'm cute! She giggled foolishly in her heart, not even hearing what else Tang An had said.

Tang An ruffled her hair: "Alright, close the door. I'll teach you some details about cultivating your techniques."