Tang Ya's Support

"Class monitor," Xiao Xiao said after finishing the last bite of her meal. She wiped her mouth and brought up the main matter. "The assessment is about to officially begin. Should we work out some tactics?"

"What's there to work out?" Wang Dong cut in carelessly. "The two of us are Soul Grandmasters, and Yao Yang is a Soul Ancestor. We can crush them easily!"

Xiao Xiao opened her mouth, wanting to say that every class had outstanding students forming elite teams, all aiming for the championship, and that they would not be easy to handle.

But she glanced at Lin Yaoyang.

Lin Yaoyang was leaning against the bench, sunlight filtering through the leaves and falling across his face.

He looked relaxed and casual, as though the Freshman Assessment was nothing worth mentioning to him.

Xiao Xiao recalled the scene from their first day of school, when Lin Yaoyang had directly confronted Zhou Yi.

Three purple and one black Soul Rings, forty-second-rank Soul Power, and he had even dared to make a move against a Soul Emperor.

With such strength, he truly was on an entirely different level from the first-years of the Outer Court.

"Fine, then." Xiao Xiao smiled and said nothing more.

Wang Dong gave a soft snort, closed her lunchbox, and put it into her storage Soul Tool.

"Let's go. We should head back and get ready." Lin Yaoyang rose to his feet and stretched lazily.

The three of them followed the Lakeside Path toward the dormitory area.

Meanwhile.

On the tree-lined road outside Shrek Academy's cafeteria, Huo Yuhao had just finished lunch and was slowly making his way toward the freshman dormitories.

His steps were slow, but his mind was entirely detached from the scenery around him.

"Little Yuhao!"

A familiar voice came from behind him. Huo Yuhao abruptly came back to himself, turned around, and saw Tang Ya and Bei Bei walking toward him side by side.

Tang Ya still looked as lively as ever. She stepped up to him in a few strides, tilted her head as she looked him over, and asked, "You look completely distracted. Why are you standing here spacing out by yourself after lunch?"

Bei Bei smiled gently as well and patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder. "Is the Freshman Assessment putting too much pressure on you?"

Huo Yuhao shook his head, his expression carrying a trace of conflict he could not hide.

"What's going on?" Tang Ya tugged at his sleeve, her face full of concern. "Did someone bully you? Or did you run into some trouble? Tell us. Your senior brother and I will stand up for you."

Seeing their sincere expressions, Huo Yuhao hesitated for a moment before finally telling them about Mu Jin speaking with him and suggesting that he be directly admitted into the Soul Tool Department.

"The Soul Tool Department?"

Huo Yuhao fell silent for a while, then explained what Mu Jin had discussed with him.

"The Soul Tool Department?!"

The smile on Tang Ya's face instantly faded, and her brows furrowed deeply.

"Teacher Mu Jin wants you to go to the Soul Tool Department?"

"Mm."

Tang Ya fell silent, her fingertips curling slightly into her palm.

"What do you think?" Tang Ya's voice lowered several degrees.

"I don't know." Huo Yuhao lowered his head. "Teacher Xiao Ya, do you think... I should go?"

She took a deep breath and looked up at Huo Yuhao. Though her eyes still held some reluctance toward Soul Tools, they now carried a resolute clarity.

"I won't lie to you, Little Yuhao. I hate Soul Tools from the bottom of my heart. They ruined the Tang Sect's foundation and turned our ancestors' painstaking efforts to dust. But blindly rejecting and avoiding them won't restore the Tang Sect's glory. Soul Tools have become the trend of the continent's development. If the Tang Sect wants to rise again, we absolutely cannot keep shutting ourselves away."

"You are one of the Tang Sect. A direct admission spot in the Soul Tool Department will ensure that you remain at Shrek Academy. Only once you have a foothold can we talk about what comes next. Go to the Soul Tool Department and study the workings of Soul Tools properly. If you can combine the essence of Tang Sect hidden weapons with Soul Tools in the future, this may well be the breakthrough that lets our Tang Sect regain its former glory."

"So, I support you going to the Soul Tool Department."

Huo Yuhao was silent for a moment before speaking softly. "Teacher Xiao Ya, Senior Brother Bei Bei, have you heard of... the Body Sect?"

Tang Ya's expression suddenly tightened. Even the usually gentle Bei Bei lost his smile, his eyes gaining a trace of gravity.

"The Body Sect? How do you know about that place?" Tang Ya's voice rose slightly, full of vigilance.

"The class monitor told me." Huo Yuhao did not hide anything. "He said my Martial Soul is a Body Martial Soul, and that it would be difficult to receive specialized guidance if I stayed at Shrek. He suggested that I go to the Body Sect."

Tang Ya and Bei Bei exchanged a glance, each seeing complicated emotions in the other's eyes.

After a long while, Tang Ya finally said in a low voice, "The Body Sect... they're a bunch of lunatics. Their cultivation methods may suit your Body Martial Soul better, but they are also extremely dangerous. Calling it a nine-in-ten chance of death would not be an exaggeration."

She planted her hands on her hips, looking completely justified.

"Besides, you are one of the Tang Sect, and you always will be!" Tang Ya said, hands on her hips, utterly resolute.

"Whoever dares set their sights on you and tries to lure you away from the Tang Sect and Shrek, I won't allow it! The Tang Sect may be struggling right now, but we will never mistreat you. Stay at Shrek and enter the Soul Tool Department with peace of mind."

Tang Ya flicked him on the forehead, her tone softening, though it was full of expectation. "Study hard. We'll be counting on you to help the Tang Sect rise again someday."

Huo Yuhao covered his forehead and stared at her blankly.

"Teacher Xiao Ya..."

"Stop looking so worried. We're leaving now, so you should head back and rest early too." Tang Ya waved her hand, then pulled Bei Bei away.

Watching their figures gradually recede, Huo Yuhao stood alone on the tree-lined road for a long time without moving.

The evening breeze brushed past him as Mu Jin's proposal, the class monitor's words, and Tang Ya and Bei Bei's support echoed over and over in his mind.

The Body Sect, the Tang Sect, Shrek, the Soul Tool Department...

Countless thoughts tangled together, leaving him even more lost.

After hesitating again and again, he sank into his Spirit Sea and tried asking the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.

Within the Spirit Sea, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's lazy voice rang out, carrying a hint of seriousness. "The Body Sect? Hmm... I actually want you to go."

Huo Yuhao froze. "Brother Sky Dream, you also think I should go to the Body Sect?"

"Of course." The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's tone was firm beyond doubt. "I went to great lengths to coexist with you because I want to nurture you into a god. If the ultimate potential of a Body Martial Soul can only be fully unearthed in the Body Sect, then the Body Sect is the path best suited for you."

Listening to the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, Huo Yuhao remained silent for a long time.

The temptation of becoming a god was indeed enormous, but there was also the danger of the Body Sect, Tang Ya's support, and his most immediate problem: the Freshman Assessment was just ahead, and he had no confidence that he could pass it smoothly. Even staying at Shrek Academy had become a distant hope.

After weighing everything again and again, Huo Yuhao finally made his decision.

The path of the Body Sect was too uncertain and dangerous. For now, he could not afford to gamble on it. The direct admission spot in the Soul Tool Department was his only chance to remain securely at Shrek Academy.

As long as he could stay, there would still be hope for everything.

That afternoon.

Huo Yuhao stood outside Mu Jin's office and took a deep breath.

He had thought about it for a long time.

Lin Yaoyang's words and Tang Ya's words kept circling through his mind.

Going to the Body Sect, staying with the Tang Sect, entering the Soul Tool Department—two paths lay before him, each leading in a different direction.

In the end, he made a decision.

It was not the best decision, but at least it was the safest one for now.