From Zichuan's sharply defined brows and eyes, already taking on the contours of handsome maturity, to his high nose bridge, then to his clean-cut jawline... Tang Ya's gaze grew brighter and brighter, her excitement mounting until it carried a trace of incredulous ecstasy.
Then, under the stunned gaze of Beibei, the bewildered gaze of Huo Yuhao, Xuan Zi's gaze as he continued gnawing on a chicken leg and watched the show, and even Zichuan's own baffled gaze—
Tang Ya suddenly spread her arms and threw them around Zichuan, who was still sitting on the rock, embracing him tightly!
"Xiaochuan!!!"
The girl's tearful yet infinitely delighted cry rang through the forest.
"It really is you! It's you! You've changed, grown taller, become... become even better-looking, but I'd recognize you! Your eyes, the feeling you give off—I can't be wrong! It's me! Your Big Sister Xiaoya!!!"
Tang Ya clung tightly to Zichuan, her strength astonishing, as though she wanted to knead all five years of longing and worry into this embrace.
She buried her face against Zichuan's shoulder, and her warm tears instantly soaked his collar.
Her body trembled slightly with excitement. Her voice choked with sobs, yet it carried unmistakable ecstasy and intimacy.
Zichuan was a little dazed by the sudden embrace. His nose filled with the familiar scent unique to the girl, a blend of faint grassy fragrance and sunshine.
Lowering his head, he looked at the girl in his arms, her tear-streaked face still breathtakingly beautiful. His memories were instantly pulled back five years, to the blue-haired girl at the edge of Sunset Forest—stubborn, despairing, yet restored to life beneath the nourishment of his life aura.
It was Xiaoya. Tang Ya. Five years apart, and she had truly grown up. She had changed greatly as well.
The immaturity and despair of the past had faded, replaced by confidence and competence. Her features had fully blossomed, making her slender and graceful, peerlessly beautiful.
Yet the liveliness and stubbornness in her eyes, as well as the undisguised dependence and closeness she showed while holding him now, had not changed in the slightest.
"Big Sister Xiaoya?" Zichuan asked uncertainly. His arms hesitated for a moment before he finally patted Tang Ya's trembling back gently. "It really is you? How did you..."
"It's me! Of course it's me!" Tang Ya raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears, yet her smile was incomparably radiant. She wiped her face haphazardly and nodded hard.
"I'll be advancing to the inner court soon! I'm already Rank 50! This time, I came to the Star Dou Great Forest so Xuan Zi could accompany me in obtaining my fifth Soul Ring!"
As she spoke, pride and gratitude filled her face. She stared at Zichuan with blazing eyes.
"All of this is because of you! Xiaochuan, if it hadn't been for you back then, I might have died long ago, let alone awakened my true martial soul and cultivated this far! I... I've been looking for you all these years! I asked everywhere for news about you and even went to Heaven Dou City, but I couldn't find you at all! Where have you been all these years?!"
Her tone was thick with grievance and longing. Her arms around Zichuan tightened again, as though she feared that the moment she let go, the person before her would vanish once more.
Zichuan felt Tang Ya's undisguised closeness and dependence, and his heart was stirred as well.
Looking at Tang Ya, who was crying excitedly and refusing to let go of him, and listening to her proud words through her sobs, Zichuan instantly understood.
So that was it. The butterfly effect.
Five years ago, he had not only saved Tang Ya's life, but had also nourished her Blue Silver Grass martial soul with the aura of the Heart of Life, allowing it to awaken early and embark upon the path of evolving into a Blue Silver Emperor.
This had not only greatly increased the speed of her Soul Power cultivation, but would inevitably have made her talent shine even more brilliantly after entering Shrek Academy, drawing the attention of its upper ranks.
Otherwise, given Tang Ya's talent and background in the early stages of the original story, there was no way an elder of the Sea God Pavilion like Xuan Zi would personally accompany her deep into the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for her fifth Soul Ring.
That also explained why Xuan Zi had appeared at a time and place where he should not have been.
Tang Ya's talent had likely been regarded by Shrek Academy as that of a top-tier prospect, no less gifted than Ma Xiaotao had been back then. That was why they had troubled Xuan Zi to personally protect her and ensure nothing went wrong.
It seems the wind stirred up by my little butterfly isn't small at all.
Zichuan thought to himself, his gaze sweeping over Beibei, whose expression kept shifting and whose eyes were filled with complicated emotions, as well as Xuan Zi, who looked slovenly but possessed unfathomable aura.
Beibei's feelings at that moment were indescribably mixed. He had entered Shrek Academy a year before Tang Ya, and his talent was equally outstanding. His Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul had always made him a prominent figure in the outer court and a preselected core disciple of the inner court.
The first time he saw Tang Ya, he had been deeply drawn to this pure and refined girl with a trace of stubborn melancholy. For years, he had pursued her painstakingly, cared for her in every possible way, and exhausted his efforts. Yet although Tang Ya had always been friendly to him, she had maintained a certain distance, never once displaying any intimacy beyond friendship.
But this black-haired boy before him—this fellow who looked younger than Tang Ya, dressed plainly, and had an unknown background—could actually make Tang Ya lose control so thoroughly, take the initiative to throw herself into his arms, and repeatedly call him her "life-saving benefactor" and "best friend"?
Looking at the undisguised dependence and closeness Tang Ya showed while holding him, even carrying a faint hint of... coquettishness?
Beibei felt as if someone had overturned a jar of vinegar in his heart. The sourness was unbearable, accompanied by resentment and anger at being ignored and surpassed.
He was a genius of Shrek Academy. In what way was he inferior to this wild brat?
Xuan Zi's seemingly cloudy old eyes examined Zichuan for a moment. In particular, when he sensed the composed aura Zichuan had deliberately restrained, yet which still allowed a powerhouse like him to detect a trace of extraordinariness—
As well as the faint yet exceptionally high-quality spiritual power fluctuations and destructive aura lingering in the air around them, a glint of surprise flashed through his eyes.
After finishing his chicken leg, he casually wiped his hands on his robe and slowly spoke. His voice was hoarse, yet it carried unquestionable authority.
"Oh? You're the lad Tang Ya talks about every day, the one who saved her back then? Zichuan?"
He paused, then asked with interest, "Kid, you've got decent talent. It seems Tang Ya wasn't exaggerating when she said you were impressive. So, are you interested in joining Shrek Academy?
"With Tang Ya's talent, plus yours, this old man can make the decision and directly grant you places at Shrek Academy, along with the best allocation of resources. Shrek is the continent's number one academy, the place where geniuses belong."
Although Xuan Zi's words carried an intent to recruit him, the arrogance belonging to an elder of Shrek and a peak expert of the continent was also fully on display.
In his view, being personally recruited by him was already an enormous honor and opportunity for a young soul master.
Yet Zichuan's answer instantly froze the smile on his face.
"I'm from the Body Sect." Zichuan's tone was calm, without the slightest hint of boasting or smugness. He was merely stating a fact.
The moment the words "Body Sect" were spoken, the atmosphere at the scene seemed to freeze solid.
The complicated expression on Beibei's face was instantly replaced by surprise and a trace of hostility. The relationship between Shrek Academy and the Body Sect had never been good!
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