I, the Tang Sect, am willing to swear my life to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect

The object lying there still was all too familiar to her.

A simple black hair tie.

It was the very one she had used to tie up her single ponytail that morning, the one that had been firmly secured in her hair just moments ago!

Her hair now fell loosely over her shoulders, the restraint long gone from her empty hair, yet from beginning to end, she had not noticed a thing!

From their hundred-meter race comparing movement techniques to Ning An using the Nine Treasures' speed boost to utterly overwhelm her.

Even though she had lost and was on the verge of breaking down, she had remained wary of Ning An.

She had never expected that, under such circumstances, Ning An could silently remove the hair tie from her hair!

What did that mean?

It meant that throughout the entire match, he had never once gone all out!

It meant that his crushing speed had merely been the tip of the iceberg—that he had been completely toying with her.

If Tang Ya knew that Ning An had only begun practicing Ghost Shadow Track today, she would probably break down even harder—perhaps shatter completely.

At that moment, every self-deceiving consolation vanished without a trace!

Tang Ya's body trembled faintly, her fingertips turned icy, and it felt as though all strength had been drained from her in an instant. The stubbornness in her eyes completely faded, leaving behind only endless desolation.

She had lost.

Lost utterly and completely.

Beside her, Bei Bei's pupils contracted sharply, his face turning deathly pale as monstrous waves surged through his heart.

The implications of that move were far too profound.

It was a complete suppression in both movement technique and talent. Otherwise, there was no way he could have removed Tang Ya's hair tie without her noticing at all.

In that case, the Tang Sect's secret arts, passed down for ten thousand years, truly were nothing more than stolen, incomplete scraps from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!

The glory their generations had upheld, the secret arts passed down through generations—everything had, from the very beginning, been a joke rooted in theft!

The history they knew was false!

"I... I lost."

After a long while, Tang Ya lowered her head slightly. Her voice was hoarse and dry, carrying an irrepressible sob. None of her former sharpness remained; there was only utter dejection.

Her shoulders slumped slightly, as though she had lost her soul, all spirit draining from her body.

"On behalf of the Tang Sect, I solemnly apologize to you, and to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, for the despicable act of our ancestors stealing the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's inheritance."

Every word was incomparably heavy, striking the ground—and shattering the faith in her sect that she had upheld for years.

She raised her reddened eyes and looked at the white-clad youth before her, gentle yet innately imposing.

"I said before that if I lost, you could deal with me however you wished."

Bei Bei's heart sank as he clenched his fists tightly.

It was over.

Completely over.

The Tang Sect was already on the brink of destruction, its inheritance dwindling. Now that the charge of stealing a great sect's inheritance had been confirmed, it was an even worse blow.

With the foundation of a ten-thousand-year great sect like the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, if they pursued the matter to the end, the Tang Sect's fate could only be complete erasure and destruction. From then on, there would be no Tang Sect left on the Douluo Continent!

Watching the pair look as if their parents had died, as though they would sink into despair the next moment.

Ning An shook his head and spoke calmly.

"Don't put on such pitiful expressions."

"I'm not a bad person. I have no intention of making your Tang Sect disappear."

Those two sentences made Tang Ya and Bei Bei shudder all over. They abruptly looked up, disbelief and astonishment flashing in their eyes.

He would not make the Tang Sect disappear?

Even after they had stolen a great sect's inheritance, a crime for which they ought to atone through destruction, he was actually choosing to show mercy?

Before they could recover, Ning An's voice continued.

"I can let today's matter slide."

"You may continue practicing the Tang Sect's incomplete secret arts as usual."

"However, from this day forward, the Tang Sect will belong to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and become an affiliated sect of my sect."

Tang Ya and Bei Bei's breathing suddenly stopped. They stared blankly at Ning An, their eyes filled with shock.

An affiliated sect?

It was already one thing that he would not make the Tang Sect disappear, but he was even allowing the Tang Sect to become an affiliated sect of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?

The Tang Sect, scorned by everyone, could actually attach itself to a sect like the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?

This was simply an immense blessing!

Ignoring their shock, Ning An continued.

"All hidden weapons forged by the Tang Sect in the future, and all Soul Master resources it acquires—eighty percent will be handed over to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

"The remaining twenty percent will be kept for the Tang Sect's daily operations and the cultivation of its members."

"Develop with peace of mind, and perform well."

"There may yet be an opportunity for you to learn the authentic ultimate arts."

As soon as his words fell—

Boom!

Tang Ya and Bei Bei's minds exploded. They stood rooted to the spot, completely stunned!

He would not hold them accountable for stealing the inheritance!

He would not make the Tang Sect disappear!

He would allow them to continue cultivating!

He would even give the Tang Sect a chance to attach itself to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

He was even... willing to teach them the complete versions of those ultimate arts.

As for handing over eighty percent of their resources, in the eyes of the two of them, that was not harsh at all!

Compared to the sect's destruction, such a price was utterly insignificant!

How was the youth before them an enemy who had come to crush the Tang Sect?

He was clearly a benefactor who had saved the Tang Sect from annihilation!

Wasn't he far too kind?

He was practically a saint!

Overwhelming surprise and profound gratitude instantly shattered all their restraint. Bitterness and emotion swept through them, and their eyes reddened at once.

Unable to hold themselves back any longer, they both bent ninety degrees at the waist and bowed deeply. Their voices choked and trembled, filled with reverence:

"Thank you!!"

"Everyone in the Tang Sect is willing to swear fealty unto death to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, never to betray it!"

Uh!

There were only two people in the entire sect, actually!

Seeing the two of them so deeply grateful, Ning An silently sighed inwardly.

Handing over eighty percent of their resources was enough to make these two completely submit?

This was an absurdly profitable deal.

Looking at the two weeping in gratitude, he said calmly, "Get up."

Tang Ya and Bei Bei hurriedly straightened. The hostility and resentment in their eyes had long vanished, replaced only by utmost respect and conviction.

After the group briefly got to know one another, Bei Bei asked, "Young Sect Master, are you here to enroll at Shrek Academy?"

These few days happened to be Shrek Academy's enrollment period. Combined with Ning An's exceptional talent, Bei Bei guessed that they might have come to study at Shrek.

So he asked.

If that was true, he would be able to spend more time with Ning An and repay his kindness more properly!

Ning An answered casually, "Yes."

Shrek Academy!

The number one Soul Master academy on the continent!

Upon hearing Ning An's answer, Huo Yuhao, who had been standing quietly nearby, suddenly stiffened.

The light in his eyes instantly dimmed. He subconsciously lowered his head slightly and clenched the frayed hem of his clothes, endless inferiority and loneliness welling up within him.

Shrek was the highest holy ground that every Soul Master on the Douluo Continent dreamed of.

It was a sacred land where geniuses gathered.

With his innate Rank One soul power talent, he did not even have the right to look up at it.

The Young Sect Master possessed peerless aptitude and monstrous talent. Entering Shrek was only natural.

Miss Ning Tian was remarkably gifted as well, so enrolling there was equally natural.

Only he had nothing.

Being able to leave the mire alongside the Young Sect Master and cultivate ultimate arts was already an immense stroke of fortune. How could he dare hope to enter such a top-tier academy?

This trip to Shrek meant that... he would soon have to part ways with the Young Sect Master.

The ray of light that had just illuminated his darkness was about to drift away from him in an instant.

All kinds of negative emotions tangled around the youth's heart, making his body tense slightly as a thin mist of tears clouded his eyes.

He silently lowered his head without speaking, burying all his emotions deep within his heart.

Ning An noticed every bit of this subtle change.

Looking at the youth's bowed head and lonely, desolate back, Ning An saw through the unease and inferiority in his heart at a glance.

He slowly walked up to Huo Yuhao, raised a hand, and gently ruffled the youth's somewhat messy black hair. His voice was warm and soothing:

"Huo Yuhao."

"Do you want to attend Shrek Academy?"