Lin Yaoyang Recommends the Body Sect

"Huo Yuhao."

Lin Yaoyang's voice came from above, neither loud nor soft, carrying a presence that was impossible to ignore.

Huo Yuhao looked up and saw Lin Yaoyang standing in front of his desk.

"Class monitor?" he asked in surprise.

He had not had much interaction with Lin Yaoyang. The last time Lin Yaoyang had stopped him from using Spirit Detection to help Bei Bei cheat, he had never forgotten those words: "Don't do such lowly things."

He had not exposed him in public or looked down on him. He had only patted his shoulder.

And every now and then, Lin Yaoyang would come by his grilled fish stall to buy a few fish. He never asked for change after paying. They did not talk much, but Huo Yuhao sincerely respected this class monitor.

"Have you found teammates?" Lin Yaoyang asked.

Huo Yuhao shook his head, the corners of his lips pulling into a bitter curve. "Not yet."

He lowered his head and added, "Teacher Mu Jin asked me to consider joining the Soul Tool Department. She said... she could recommend me directly, and I wouldn't need to take the freshmen assessment."

"The Soul Tool Department?" Lin Yaoyang's tone was mild, as if he were discussing something ordinary. "The mainstream on the continent is still Martial Soul combat. As for Soul Tools, it is enough to understand their principles and know how to use them. There's no need to make them your main profession."

Huo Yuhao fell silent.

He knew Lin Yaoyang had a point.

The Soul Tool Department was an emerging field. Although it was developing quickly, in this era at least, Martial Souls remained the core of a Soul Master's combat ability.

Once a Soul Engineer left behind all that intricate equipment, his combat strength would be greatly reduced.

But... he craved power.

He wanted to grow stronger. He wanted revenge against that man and justice for his mother.

His Martial Soul was the Spirit Eye, and his innate Soul Power had only been Rank One. His cultivation speed was far slower than most people's.

The Soul Tool Department was at a disadvantage... but if he did not remain at Shrek, how else could he become stronger?

"Your Martial Soul is a Body Martial Soul." Lin Yaoyang's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Have you heard of the Body Sect?"

Huo Yuhao froze. "The Body Sect?"

He did not know much about the powers on the continent. Aside from the Four Great Empires and Shrek Academy, he only knew of the Tang Sect.

"The Body Sect is a reclusive sect," Lin Yaoyang said. "They have always been dedicated to gathering and training Soul Masters with Body Martial Souls."

"Generally speaking, the more important the corresponding body part is, the stronger the Martial Soul. Your Martial Soul is your eyes, and for humans, the eyes are undoubtedly among the most important organs."

Huo Yuhao unconsciously touched his eyes.

"And the Body Sect is the place on the continent most familiar with Body Martial Souls." Lin Yaoyang's gaze settled on him. "They know how to awaken the potential of a Body Martial Soul and how to let your Martial Soul undergo a second awakening."

"A second awakening?"

Huo Yuhao's voice rose involuntarily. He had never heard of such a concept.

A Martial Soul could undergo a second awakening?

"Mm." Lin Yaoyang nodded. "Since you have a Body Martial Soul, you won't learn much at Shrek that can help your Martial Soul. Shrek excels in tactics and teamwork, but when it comes to researching Body Martial Souls, they cannot compare to the Body Sect, which specializes in that."

"My suggestion is that after the freshmen assessment, you take this opportunity to go to the Body Sect."

Huo Yuhao remained silent for a long time.

His heart churned violently.

Every word Lin Yaoyang said was like a Mu Jin cast into the once-calm lake of his heart, stirring ripple after ripple.

If he stayed at Shrek, he could only cultivate step by step and follow the same path as everyone else. His Martial Soul was special, but Shrek's teachers might not know how to teach him.

If he went to the Body Sect, there might be a path there that truly suited him.

But...

"I've already joined the Tang Sect." Huo Yuhao's voice was soft, as though he were confirming it to himself. "Teacher Xiao Ya and Senior Brother Bei Bei have both been very good to me. They have shown me kindness... I can't betray the Tang Sect."

He looked up at Lin Yaoyang, gratitude and hesitation both in his eyes.

Lin Yaoyang smiled.

The smile was faint, but sincere.

"You don't have to leave the Tang Sect. I don't think the Body Sect would reject you. When you joined the Tang Sect, didn't Tang Ya introduce the Body Sect to you?"

Huo Yuhao fell silent.

Tang Ya truly had not.

"Compared to the Tang Sect, the Body Sect is clearly more suitable for you." Lin Yaoyang's tone remained calm. He was not forcing him or persuading him, merely stating a fact.

"Of course, this is only my personal opinion, for your reference. The decision is yours."

He turned to leave, then paused.

"I'll be going first."

Huo Yuhao watched his back. His lips moved as he wanted to say thank you, but his throat felt as though something had blocked it.

He sat there without moving for a long time.

Lin Yaoyang's suggestion warmed his heart.

Among the hundred people in this class, most looked down on him—a poor boy with weak Soul Power, an ordinary Martial Soul, and a life so impoverished that he had to run a grilled fish stall to make ends meet.

No one had taken the initiative to team up with him. Aside from Lin Yaoyang and Mu Jin, no one cared whether he could pass the assessment.

But Lin Yaoyang was different.

The class monitor had never looked down on him because he was weak, nor distanced himself because of his poor family background.

When he said, "Don't do such lowly things," he had been teaching him how to conduct himself.

When he said, "Go to the Body Sect," he had been showing him a path.

Huo Yuhao's eyes turned slightly red.

But...

He had only joined the Tang Sect not long ago, and now he was supposed to go to the Body Sect. Wouldn't that be too abrupt?

What would Teacher Xiao Ya and Senior Brother Bei Bei think of him?

He lowered his head and clenched the pen in his hand.

At the classroom entrance.

Wang Dong leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, one foot idly kicking at the base of the wall.

When she saw Lin Yaoyang come out, she immediately straightened up. The bored expression on her face became thirty percent curious, thirty percent suspicious, and forty percent inexplicably displeased.

"Finished talking?" she asked. "Other than making decent grilled fish, what's so special about him that he deserves your attention?"

Lin Yaoyang glanced at her but did not answer.

"Come on. Let's eat."

"What about Xiao Xiao? Aren't you inviting her?" Wang Dong asked, her tone dripping with jealousy.

Lin Yaoyang stopped and turned back, looking at her with an expression that said, Are you sure?

"I'd forgotten if you hadn't mentioned her." The corners of his lips rose slightly. "Wait here. I'll go get her."

With that, he turned and walked back into the classroom.

"Ah?!"

Wang Dong stood there with her mouth slightly open, frozen as though someone had cast a paralysis spell on her.

She wanted nothing more than to slap herself.

Why did she have to say that?!

The cafeteria.

The three of them bought their meals and, as usual, stored them in their storage Soul Tools before heading to a bench by Sea God Lake.

The water of Sea God Lake was crystal clear, reflecting the blue sky, white clouds, and shadows of the trees along the shore.

A gentle breeze passed by, sending fine ripples across the lake.

Xiao Xiao sat to Lin Yaoyang's right, while Wang Dong sat to his left.

Lin Yaoyang opened his lunchbox and ate with great focus. From time to time, Xiao Xiao turned her head to say a few words to him. Her voice was soft, and when she smiled, her eyes curved into crescents.

Lin Yaoyang occasionally replied or nodded.

Wang Dong sat on the other side, shoveling rice into her mouth one bite at a time. Her cheeks were puffed out, but her eyes kept darting to the right.

Watching Xiao Xiao and Lin Yaoyang chatting and laughing, she felt as though a whole bottle of mixed emotions had been overturned inside her.

That Xiao Xiao...

During class, she would turn around to sneak peeks at Lin Yaoyang. After class, she would look for chances to talk to him. Whenever it came to forming teams, she was always the first to run over and ask...

Wang Dong bit her chopsticks, growing angrier the more she thought about it.

She finally understood. This Xiao Xiao was nothing but a lovestruck fool!