"Since you've invited me so devoutly, I'll be merciful and accept."
"Yay!"
Tang Ya cheered, waving both hands wildly in the air, so excited she nearly jumped on the spot.
"But I want to be the Tang Sect Leader," Tang Qi said seriously.
"Huh?"
Tang Ya froze and tilted her head. "Well, that's true... you're so much stronger than me, so you really should be the Sect Leader. All right, I'll graciously step down and let someone more capable take over!"
Tang Qi smiled faintly and turned his gaze to Huo Yutong. "Heh heh heh, Little Huo, I can see that your bones are extraordinary. You're a one-in-ten-thousand genius in the Mysterious Heaven Skill. Why not join my All Under Heaven Are One Family, Great Love Tang Sect today?"
"Oh? Oh, okay, big brother Sect Leader."
Huo Yutong nodded obediently and reverently accepted the Mysterious Heaven Skill Tang Qi handed her with both hands.
Bei Bei stood to one side with a gentle smile on his face, a thousand emotions stirring in his heart.
The Tang Sect has gained two more geniuses. Xiaoya is another step closer to her goal of reviving it. I'm so happy for her.
He composed himself and cleared his throat twice. "Tang Qi, I imagine the two of you aren't all that young anymore. Aren't you about old enough to apply to an academy?"
As everyone looked his way, Bei Bei smiled slightly. "My name is Bei Bei, and I'm a fourth-year student in Shrek Academy's Outer Court. If you haven't chosen an academy yet, I sincerely recommend Shrek Academy."
"Shrek Academy..."
Huo Yutong repeated the name softly, then turned to Tang Ya. "Then are you a Shrek student too, Sister Xiaoya?"
Tang Ya nodded and winked playfully. "Of course! I'm a third-year student at Shrek. Once I've hunted down my third Soul Ring, I should be able to advance to the fourth year without a hitch."
Then, suddenly intrigued, she leaned forward with a grin. "Come to think of it, we still don't know your exact ages or Soul Power levels."
Tang Qi smiled slightly and said casually, "Eleven years old, level thirty-seven, Omni-Type Battle Soul Elder."
"Hiss-"
Tang Ya sucked in a sharp breath, her beautiful eyes widening as she stared at Tang Qi in utter disbelief.
The tiny bit of confidence Huo Yutong had just managed to build up vanished like smoke at his words.
She lowered her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "I'm eleven too... but my Soul Power is only level fourteen."
Inside the Sea of Consciousness, the girl looked at Tian Meng with tearful eyes and a pout. "Sister Tian Meng, am I really that useless...?"
"Feeling inferior because Tang Qi is too outstanding?" Tian Meng saw straight through the girl's thoughts.
She sighed helplessly, floated over to Huo Yutong, and reached out with both little hands to knead the girl's soft cheeks again.
"Haki Tong, sure, you're pretty lousy right now, but with my help, that million years of energy will gradually be unsealed. Haven't you noticed? You were only level eleven when I first sacrificed myself. After Tang Qi put you through all that training and left a little something inside your body, you're already level fourteen!"
"And with that strange second martial soul, you'll definitely surpass Tang Qi one day. Then you can trample that bastard underfoot!"
"Sister Tian Meng..."
Tian Meng planted her hands on her hips, looking proud. "No need to be moved by my words. I'm just that amazing~"
"That's not it, Sister Tian Meng." Huo Yutong shook her head, her expression earnest. "I won't let you call Brother Tang Qi a bastard."
The two girls stared at each other, wide eyes meeting wider ones.
Huo Yutong blinked her big, watery eyes, then suddenly put on a pleading smile.
"..."
"Haki Tong, you're itching for a beating, aren't you?!" Tian Meng flew into a rage and lunged at her, hands clawing wildly.
Outside, Bei Bei noticed the awkward atmosphere and hurriedly smoothed things over with a smile. "I'm sure young brother Tang Qi has put in sweat and effort beyond what most people could imagine to get where he is today."
Tang Qi raised an eyebrow and nodded in wholehearted agreement. "Exactly. I've gotten this far entirely through 'persistence and hard work.'"
Haki Qi, so you're actually this humble?
Tang Ya nodded thoughtfully.
"But... with my talent, wouldn't it be hard to apply to Shrek Academy?" Huo Yutong suddenly asked in a small voice, a lingering dejection in her tone.
"It's all right, Yutong."
Tang Ya hurried to reassure her. "Shrek's application requirements are actually very low. You have to be no older than twelve and have at least level fifteen Soul Power. You're only one level short. That's no problem at all."
"But... doesn't Shrek require a recommendation letter from at least a major city? I don't have one..."
"A recommendation letter?"
Tang Ya paused, then broke into a smile. "That's fine too. Aren't you part of the Tang Sect now? Shrek has a special admission quota for the Tang Sect."
"But you'll have to rely on yourself for the entrance assessment three months from now."
Tang Qi had been listening the whole time, and his expression couldn't help turning a little strange.
Aside from the Inner Court, which belongs to Shrek itself, the Outer Court is basically just a social platform built for the empires' noble families.
Twelve years old, level fifteen-the application threshold really is low.
But that 'recommendation letter from at least a major city' bars most commoners' children from entering.
A major city of that rank isn't remotely comparable to some little frontier town like Nuoding City in the Douluo I era.
And that means the Shrek Outer Court is filled almost entirely with students who have some sort of backing.
Of course, talented commoners who want to apply have to pay a price too.
At best, they owe someone a favor. At worst... heh, that's harder to say.
Of course, commoners without backing have no reason to go there anyway. Never mind the poor accommodations-the main issue is the high prices. Although the empires still distribute Soul Master subsidies through the academies, they're just a cup of water against a blazing cartload of firewood.
A few years earlier, when Jiang Nannan went to Shrek Academy, that girl had also considered applying on her own, only for Tang Qi to veto the idea on the spot.
You have backing and resources but refuse to use them, insisting on going in as a commoner to get bullied? What a joke.
The unruly villagers of Konoha made flesh, that's what this is.
"One level short? No big deal."
Tang Qi took two pills, blue as water all over, from his Storage Ring.
Bei Bei's gaze sharpened, and he blurted out, "Mystic Water Pills?"
Tang Qi ignored his surprise and turned to Tang Ya, his tone relaxed. "Do you have a change of clothes with you?"
"What?!"
Huo Yutong's beautiful eyes suddenly widened at his words.
Raise my innate Soul Power by one level? She instinctively shook her head repeatedly and hurried to push the pill back. "No, no, this is too precious. I can't take it..."
But Tang Qi suddenly caught the little hands clutching the pill in a firm grip.
The girl's delicate body trembled, her heart pounding as a blush spread across her pretty face.
"Take it."
He leaned down slightly, wearing a teasing half-smile. "You already owe me plenty. Rather than turning this down, why not think about how you'll repay me in the future?"
Huo Yutong stared blankly at his face, so close to hers, and felt her mind go buzz.
Blushing, she obediently nodded.
"Mmm-hmm~"
Tang Ya clasped her hands, her almond-shaped eyes fluttering and sparkling as she swayed over to Tang Qi, her voice sugary sweet. "Sect Leader Little Qi~ Could you give Xiaoya a chance to repay you too?"
Tang Qi glanced at her and tossed a Mystic Water Pill.
Tang Ya's eyes instantly lit up. Like a little greedy kitten, she darted forward with a whoosh and caught the pill securely in her palm.
"Thank you, Lord Sect Leader~"
She winked and pulled a cute face at Tang Qi, then turned, grabbed Huo Yutong, who was still standing there in a daze, and eagerly ran toward the Small Pond in the forest.
"Come on, come on! Let's take the pills!"
"Ah, Sister Xiaoya, slow down..."
Before you continue