"Xiao Ya, this is my roommate. His name is Wang Dong, and he's a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster."
As he spoke, Su Ling turned to Wang Dong. "Wang Dong, this is Tang Ya, our senior."
At Su Ling's introduction, Tang Ya and Wang Dong smiled and nodded to each other.
Just then, Tang Ya suddenly seemed to remember something. She leaned close to Su Ling's ear and whispered, "Junior Su, have you decided whether to join the Tang Sect?"
"About eighty percent," Su Ling replied calmly.
He was definitely going to join the Tang Sect, but not now, and not as a disciple. He would join as its Pavilion Master.
He planned to establish a force of his own, and the Tang Sect was an excellent foundation.
Though it had fallen into decline, the Mysterious Heaven Skill and its many Hidden Weapons were still more than capable. He intended to take the sect over.
The rewards he unlocked through the system were, to some extent, tied to the goddess herself. As the Tang Sect's Pavilion Master, Tang Ya was sure to give rewards related to the sect.
To put it bluntly, God King Tang was only a half-baked expert. Through the system's rewards, he'd get the complete Tang Sect inheritance from Tang Ya...
Heh. When that day came, the Tang Sect could still take the Su surname!
Watching Tang Ya whisper in Su Ling's ear, Wang Dong clenched her teeth around the Thousand-Leaf Tofu even harder.
But when she heard the words "Tang Sect," her whole body jolted, and she exclaimed in surprise, "The Tang Sect?"
Seeing Wang Dong's curiosity, Tang Ya's eyes lit up. She nodded eagerly and launched into her sales pitch. "That's right! The Tang Sect was founded by Lord Sea God over ten thousand years ago!"
"And I'm the current Pavilion Master of the Tang Sect! What do you think? Surprised? Come on, the Tang Sect welcomes you~"
"Great! I've heard about the wonders of the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons for ages. Pavilion Master Tang, I want to join the Tang Sect. Please accept me!"
Wang Dong didn't hesitate for a second.
"Huh?" Tang Ya was dumbfounded. She hadn't expected Wang Dong to agree so readily.
And from what Wang Dong had said, she seemed to have admired the Tang Sect since childhood!?
Tang Ya had already noticed that Wang Dong was no ordinary student. Her strength was contained and refined, her Soul Power solid, and she was Su Ling's roommate, too!
This... was practically a Tang Sect disciple born for the job!!
But as happy as she was, Tang Ya still had to be honest about the sect's current situation.
"Actually... Junior Wang, there are only three people in the Tang Sect, including me. Are you sure you want to join?"
"Pavilion Master Tang, I'm sure!"
"Haha, good! I hereby declare that, starting now, you're the Tang Sect's third disciple!"
Seeing Wang Dong's unwavering resolve, Tang Ya beamed and smacked the armrest of her seat with all her strength.
With a sharp crack, the armrest broke off.
Just then, a bespectacled teacher suddenly appeared. He looked at Tang Ya and pointed at the broken armrest, his voice cold. "You've damaged school property. That'll be a hundred Gold Soul Coins."
Tang Ya's smile froze. Then she put on a smile that looked even more painful than crying.
"Um... Teacher, could you let me off a little cheaper?"
"Sorry, those are the academy's rules. If you can't pay, I'll have to take you to the cafeteria to wash dishes."
The bespectacled teacher pushed up his glasses, a cold glint flashing across them.
At the sight of this, Tang Ya panicked.
If only she hadn't hit the armrest! Now she was in trouble. She didn't have that many Gold Soul Coins on hand and couldn't afford the fine!
No! I don't want to get dragged off to wash dishes!
Huo Yuhao was even poorer than she was. As for Wang Dong, they'd only just met, so she couldn't very well ask her.
With that in mind, Tang Ya had no choice but to turn to Su Ling. She grabbed his shoulder and gave him a pitiful look.
"Junior Su, I'm in a bind! Help me out!"
Su Ling couldn't help but laugh. He took a hundred Gold Soul Coins from his Sumeru Ring, and even Huo Yuhao couldn't suppress a chuckle.
Wang Dong looked mortified, curling her toes inside her shoes. After all, this had happened because of her...
"Teacher, I'll pay for her. Please count these." Su Ling handed over a small pouch of Gold Soul Coins.
The bespectacled teacher took it and swiftly glanced through the coins before nodding. He was clearly a professional.
"Be more careful next time. These are important Shrek facilities, and you mustn't damage them again!"
"Yes, yes, of course," Tang Ya said, nodding repeatedly.
Only after the teacher left did Tang Ya let out a sigh of relief. Then she rubbed her cheek against Su Ling's arm.
"Hehe, thanks, Junior Su! Don't worry, I'll pay you back bit by bit."
Wang Dong's eyes widened when she saw this. A strange feeling rose in her heart, and she looked at Su Ling suspiciously.
That close, and she was really just his senior?
Tang Ya was clinging to him like a friendly kitten. Su Ling helplessly shook his arm and said, "It was nothing, Xiao Ya. Anyway, Senior Bei Bei and the others are coming out."
He admitted that his heart had stirred a little. Tang Ya had a faint, sweet fragrance, much like Zhang Lexuan.
But unfortunately, Bei Bei had his eye on Tang Ya, and Su Ling had no desire to go looking for trouble.
Wouldn't he be better off spending that time pursuing other goddesses?
The group followed Su Ling's gaze toward the arena.
Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi had already taken their positions, and the spectator stands erupted in enthusiastic cheers.
"Thunder Beibei! Thunder Beibei!"
"Wow, Bei Bei! We love you, Thunder Beibei!!"
"Sanshi! Lord Sanshi is the best and strongest!!"
"Immovable as a fortress, the Mysterious Black Tortoise!!"
Listening to the crowd's fervent cheers, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but marvel. Was Senior Brother Bei Bei really this popular?
Just then, Tang Ya's beautiful eyes shifted as if she'd thought of something. She was about to say something to Huo Yuhao.
Then she noticed Su Ling watching the arena with a serious expression, and began musing to herself.
Was Junior Su watching closely to learn from the fight?
Tang Ya immediately changed her mind.
Never mind. Soul Fighting should be fair and impartial. She couldn't let Junior Su get the wrong idea by seeing them resort to tricks!
While Tang Ya was criticizing herself,
Su Ling looked away. He'd confirmed that the Dragon Whisker Needle Tang Ya had slipped in earlier had already been removed.
It looked like Bei Bei had successfully tricked Xu Sanshi into handing over a Mysterious Water Pill.
Unless something unexpected happened, Huo Yuhao would secretly help Bei Bei in a moment. Xu Sanshi would be defeated in an instant, and then another Mysterious Water Pill would be swindled out of him.
But strangely, Huo Yuhao hadn't activated his Spirit Eye, and Tang Ya was sitting upright without signaling Bei Bei.
Su Ling was puzzled and turned his attention back to the arena.
Inside the Soul Fighting Arena,
At the referee's command,
Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, who had been pretending to glare coldly at each other, instantly activated Martial Soul Possession. Two yellow Soul Rings and one purple Soul Ring rose around each of them, the ideal configuration.
The whole Soul Fighting Arena fell silent, and everyone fixed their eyes on the two contestants.
Blue lightning flashed around Bei Bei. His right arm rapidly swelled, the gentle look on his face replaced by a sharp intensity. The phantom of a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon coiled behind him.
Xu Sanshi was no less imposing. His body suddenly bulged, stretching his uniform taut.
His carefree air shifted to solemnity, and the enormous turtle-shell shield appeared in his hands once more.
The two moved slowly, keeping their eyes fixed on each other as their powerful Soul Power surged. Blue and black Soul Power stood in stark contrast across the arena.
Seeing that Tang Ya and Huo Yuhao still hadn't made a move, Su Ling grew interested and focused intently on the arena.
Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi had roughly the same level of Soul Power, and both possessed top-tier Beast Martial Souls. One specialized in offense, the other in defense.
When they fought, without Huo Yuhao's secret help, there was no telling whether Bei Bei would win or lose.