Refusing to Join the Tang Sect

Beibei returned Huo Yuhao's friendly gesture with equal politeness. "My name is Huo Yuhao, and beside me is Xue Ningbing."

"You said you're from Shrek Academy. Is that true?" Xue Ningbing found it a little hard to believe what Beibei had just said.

Hearing Xue Ningbing's question, Beibei answered somewhat puzzledly, "Yes. Xiao Ya and I are both students of Shrek Academy. Once school starts, we'll be third-year students."

Huo Yuhao said smugly, "See, Sister Bing? I told you the two of them were Shrek Academy students, but you didn't believe me."

Xue Ningbing said helplessly, "I have to admit, your luck is absurdly good. You picked two people at random, and they happened to be Shrek Academy students."

Huo Yuhao declared confidently, "When it comes to luck, if I call myself second, no one would dare call themselves first." (The pile of trash in his backpack agreed wholeheartedly.)

Of course, Xue Ningbing knew about Huo Yuhao's fortune. "Yes, yes, you're the best."

Just then, Beibei asked, "May I ask, are you two planning to go to Shrek Academy?"

Xue Ningbing replied, "Yes. Isn't that obvious?"

Hearing her answer, Beibei said, "Then that works out nicely. Once Xiao Ya finishes absorbing her soul ring, we can travel together."

About ten minutes later, Tang Ya successfully finished absorbing her soul ring. For some reason, she felt that this absorption had gone exceptionally smoothly, without the slightest pain.

"Who are these two?" Tang Ya looked at the young man and woman before her with a puzzled expression, unaware of the situation.

After Beibei explained, Tang Ya understood everything.

Beibei asked Huo Yuhao, "By the way, Huo Yuhao, Xue Ningbing, you two have a recommendation letter from a city lord, right? The first rule for Shrek Academy admissions is that you must have a recommendation letter from someone at the level of a city lord."

Hearing Beibei's question, Tang Ya could not help rolling her eyes at him. "Beibei, are you stupid? Since they're going to register at Shrek Academy, they must have prepared everything."

But Huo Yuhao's next sentence slapped Tang Ya in the face.

Huo Yuhao answered, "A recommendation letter from a city lord? We don't have one of those."

Realizing she had been proven wrong, Tang Ya said in shock, "Huh? Are you crazy? Without a city lord-level recommendation letter, you still want to enter Shrek Academy?"

Beibei looked at Huo Yuhao in disbelief. "That's right. Without a city lord-level recommendation letter, you won't even be qualified to register."

"Eleven years old, rank thirty-seven, a strong assault-type Soul Elder, with ultimate ice as my attribute. Most importantly, I'm an orphan. Do you think Shrek Academy's leaders would give up a genius like me? Sister Bing is the same." After speaking, Huo Yuhao did not forget to look at Beibei.

If Huo Yuhao remembered correctly, Beibei's true identity was Mu En's descendant. At this point in time, neither Tang Ya nor Xu Sanshi knew Beibei's true identity.

"Two orphans?" Tang Ya's eyes lit up at the word "orphans." A sect was a sect, and an academy was an academy. Joining a sect would not interfere with joining an academy. Didn't that mean there was hope of getting them to join the Tang Sect?

For some reason, Xue Ningbing felt very displeased when she saw Tang Ya's expression.

"Ahem, Xiao Ya, watch your wording. Be careful what you should and shouldn't say." Realizing Tang Ya had misspoken, Beibei immediately stepped in to remind her.

Realizing her mistake, Tang Ya stuck out her tongue and apologized to Huo Yuhao and Xue Ningbing.

Tang Ya asked with some understanding, "So, you plan to rely on your own true strength to enter Shrek Academy?"

"With Huo Yuhao's strength, he really could enter Shrek Academy as an exception. He might even catch Dean Yan's attention." If Beibei remembered correctly, Dean Yan had a disciple named Ma Xiaotao, who, like the ancestor Ma Hongjun from ten thousand years ago, suffered from evil fire. Once Yan Shaozhe learned that Huo Yuhao possessed ultimate ice, it would not be excessive for him to take Huo Yuhao as his final and foremost disciple.

Furthermore, judging by how close Xue Ningbing and Huo Yuhao were, Huo Yuhao would certainly make Xue Ningbing's admission a condition as well.

Tang Ya interjected, "Um, can I ask something? Huo Yuhao, are you and Xue Ningbing siblings?"

Huo Yuhao answered, "You only need to know that we aren't related by blood. Besides, why are you asking that?"

Tang Ya replied, "I was just curious."

For some reason, when Xue Ningbing heard Huo Yuhao say that, she felt there was something strange about it, but she could not put her finger on it.

Not long after, Tang Ya said, "Um, Huo Yuhao and Xue Ningbing, would you be interested in joining our Tang Sect? That way, you could also enjoy a chance to enter Shrek Academy directly."

"I'm sorry, but I refuse. I still prefer to enter Shrek Academy through my own strength."

"Me too."

Tang Ya was somewhat upset by Huo Yuhao and Xue Ningbing's refusal to join the Tang Sect, but there was nothing she could do about it.

She could not force Huo Yuhao and Xue Ningbing to join the sect, after all. They had just helped her obtain her soul ring.

In truth, if it had been the former naive and ignorant Huo Yuhao, he would certainly have joined the Tang Sect without hesitation. But things were different now. Huo Yuhao's dislike for Tang San had become entangled with the Tang Sect itself.

No matter what, Huo Yuhao would never join the Tang Sect now.

As for Xue Ningbing, one reason she did not join the Tang Sect was that Huo Yuhao had not joined it either. Another was that Tang Ya's attitude upon hearing they were orphans had left her deeply displeased.

That was why Xue Ningbing could not stand Tang Ya.

Led by Beibei and Tang Ya, Huo Yuhao and Xue Ningbing followed them westward all the way.

Shrek Academy and Shrek City lay northwest of the Star Dou Great Forest, not too far from it.

After several days of travel, with Beibei and Tang Ya leading the way, Huo Yuhao and Xue Ningbing finally caught sight of Shrek City, which belonged to Shrek Academy.

Meanwhile, at the Lake of Life in the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest.

"You said you sensed the aura of the Ice-and-Snow Auspicious Beast, Huo Yuhao?" Di Tian listened to the news Bi Ji had brought with an expression of utter disbelief.

Bi Ji said with great confidence, "Yes. There is no way I could mistake the unique aura of the Ice-and-Snow Auspicious Beast, Huo Yuhao. I simply never expected him to appear in our Star Dou Great Forest."

"Moreover, the Emperor Beast sensed Huo Yuhao's aura as well. She insisted on going to see Huo Yuhao, but Zi Ji and I stopped her."

"I truly don't know what Snow Empress and Ice Empress are thinking. They actually let the Ice-and-Snow Auspicious Beast leave the Far North without caring for him."

Because Bi Ji could not sense Ice Empress's aura, she did not know that Ice Empress was currently by Huo Yuhao's side.