The Tang Sect? You want me to join the Tang Sect?

"Yudie, show me your Soul Skills."

Chu Ge came back to his senses and turned his attention to Huo Yudie. Although he already knew what they would be, he still had to ask.

"Okay, Master."

Huo Yudie nodded earnestly and immediately demonstrated her Soul Skills one by one.

Since she had absorbed the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, her Soul Skills did not differ much from Huo Yuhao's in the original story.

They were still skills such as Spiritual Detection, Spiritual Sharing, and Simulation.

These Soul Skills might be enormously helpful to others, but they clearly offered little to Chu Ge, who was already a Titled Douluo. After all, his spiritual power far surpassed hers...

Besides, the terrifying Soul Power consumption required for a Soul Master to support a Titled Douluo across such a gulf in cultivation was more than little Yudie could bear.

Still, the thought that she had another four whole Soul Rings ahead of her stirred Chu Ge's curiosity.

He wondered what effects her future Soul Skills would have.

"Yudie, use Simulation to make your Soul Rings look like two yellow ones. Two white ones would draw too much attention."

Chu Ge spoke earnestly, a smile on his face.

Although he did not want her attracting too much attention once she arrived at Shrek, two white Soul Rings would look too contrived. Ordinary yellow ones would do.

"Yes, Master."

"Brother Chu, there you are."

Just then, Tang Ya and Bei Bei happened to pass by. Her gaze was immediately drawn to him, and she exclaimed in delight.

Unlike Tang Ya's delight, Bei Bei's smiling face instantly fell into silence, perfectly illustrating the difference between being all smiles and not smiling at all.

This man. This man again! The moment he appeared, he practically stole Xiao Ya's soul away.

"And this is...?"

Tang Ya looked at Huo Yudie with curiosity, a reaction Chu Ge noticed.

Apparently, the two groups had not met this time, nor had the famous "That's wonderful" scene taken place.

"This is my disciple, Yudie."

"So you're little sister Yudie. I'm Tang Ya, and this is Bei Bei. We're students at Shrek Academy, and we've met Brother Chu before."

Tang Ya greeted her with a smile, but soon turned her gaze back to Chu Ge. She really would never have guessed that Brother Chu already had a student at such a young age.

"Brother Chu, could you tell me... what your Martial Soul is? I keep sensing something about you that draws me closer."

Tang Ya could not help raising her head and asking the question that had been troubling her most.

"You mean this, right?"

Chu Ge smiled faintly, making no attempt to hide it.

As he spoke, a strand of Blue Silver Emperor brimming with life force appeared in his hand. The sight made Tang Ya's breathing quicken, and even Bei Bei behind her froze in stunned disbelief.

"This aura, this appearance... there's no mistaking it. The Blue Silver Emperor..."

"Brother Chu, your Martial Soul is actually the Blue Silver Emperor!"

Tang Ya's voice overflowed with irrepressible excitement. She hurriedly released her own Martial Soul, the Blue Silver Grass found everywhere, which now displayed complete submission before his Blue Silver Emperor.

No wonder...

No wonder she always felt unable to control her feelings.

No wonder Xiao Ya felt an inexplicable fondness for this man. It was because their Martial Souls were drawn to each other...

Bei Bei was all smiles again, a pleased expression spreading across his face. If that was the reason, he probably would not have to worry about someone poaching his girl.

"Yes, there's no need to be surprised."

"I just happened upon a few opportunities."

Chu Ge was not lying.

Hadn't his Martial Soul come from the system?

"Brother Chu, would you be willing to join the Tang Sect?"

Tang Ya looked at him nervously as she asked.

Her proposal was certainly not without basis. A thousand years ago, the Tang Sect had established an unwritten rule: only someone with a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul could inherit the position of sect master.

Brother Chu had the Blue Silver Emperor. He was a perfect fit...

"No."

Yet Chu Ge refused without a moment's thought.

He only planned to join Shrek because of the system's generous milestone quest rewards. But the Tang Sect?

Its sect master was a Soul Grandmaster, its strongest member a Soul Elder, and those were its only two members. Joining a faction like that...

Did he have bubbles in his brain? Or had transmigrating somehow infected him with that bald-headed Grandmaster's supposedly brilliant mind? How could he possibly do something like that?

"Brother Chu, I'm asking you to become the master of our Tang Sect. I won't put you in a difficult position..."

Tang Ya was clearly still trying, but how could she possibly talk Chu Ge into changing his mind?

"I'm used to living freely."

"I don't want a faction tying me down, and I have no intention of leading one either, so I won't be joining."

Chu Ge remained unmoved. Only a fool would join the Tang Sect.

[Main quest: The Tang Sect's Recommendation Letter]

[Rookie host, your talent and background are not yet enough to secure a Recommendation Letter from a dignitary. Please establish a good friendship with the Tang Sect member and obtain her Recommendation Letter.]

Chu Ge: "..."

You could have said that sooner!

"Brother Chu, I understand..."

Beside him, Tang Ya's eyes dimmed at his refusal, and she could only obediently close her mouth.

She did not know whether she was imagining it, but she kept sensing an unquestionable dominance about him. It was strangely...

Strangely attractive.

Still, the Tang Sect really was in decline. His refusal was no big deal; it was how any normal person should react.

"Then we won't bother you any longer, Brother Chu."

"I hope we'll have another chance to meet you both."

Tang Ya waved to him, then sighed softly and left with Bei Bei.

On this trip, she had not only failed to find a Mandala Snake for her third Soul Ring, but Brother Chu had rejected her too. It hurt...

"Don't go."

But the very next moment, Chu Ge's words instantly transformed Tang Ya's downcast little face into one of delighted surprise.

Could Brother Chu have changed his mind?

"Xiao Ya, I plan to take little Yudie to Shrek Academy in a few days. Do you have any way to obtain a Recommendation Letter?"

When she turned around, brimming with delight, those were the words she heard instead, immediately plunging her into thought.

"Brother Chu, that's very easy."

"Although our Tang Sect has declined, we can still recommend students to Shrek. We only have one place each year, but we do still have it."

"Here, Brother Chu. This is for you."

Tang Ya quickly came back to her senses, took a Recommendation Letter from her Soul Tool, swiftly filled it out, and handed it to him.

"Good."

"Keep this as my thanks."

Chu Ge nodded with a smile as he spoke.

"Hm?"

"What do you mean... ah!"

Tang Ya blinked in confusion. Then, as waves of Blue Silver Grass surged past, a green Soul Beast trussed up tightly appeared before them.

"Brother Chu, you..."

Tang Ya was already too excited to speak.

By sheer coincidence, wasn't this precisely the thousand-year Mandala Snake she and Bei Bei had searched so long for without finding?

"Since you still haven't broken through your bottleneck, I assume you haven't found a suitable Soul Beast. This one is more than enough for your third Soul Ring."

"I can't take your Recommendation Letter for nothing. That's settled, then. Until our paths cross again."

Chu Ge chuckled softly. With that, he waved goodbye to Tang Ya and Bei Bei, took Huo Yudie's hand, and prepared to leave.

"Brother Chu, are you really not going to join the Tang Sect...?"

Tang Ya asked, still unwilling to give up.

Hearing this, Chu Ge nearly stumbled. He had kindly hunted down a Soul Beast for her, and she still wanted to push him into a pit of fire!

He immediately ignored Tang Ya's pleading gaze, quickened his pace, and vanished from her sight.

"Master, aren't we joining the Tang Sect?"

"Older Brother said the Tang Sect and Shrek were both incredibly powerful factions."

After they said goodbye to Tang Ya and Bei Bei, Huo Yudie blinked and voiced her slight confusion.

For a long time, the Tang Sect and Shrek had clearly been synonymous with strength and justice in her mind.

"The Tang Sect isn't as wonderful as you think, Yudie. As for Shrek Academy, although it's somewhere I intend to visit, we won't be staying long..."

Huo Yudie clearly did not quite understand his words yet.

When she was little, her mother had told her and her Older Brother stories about Shrek and the Tang Sect. Her Older Brother Yuhao had wanted to join both factions and become an incredibly powerful expert...

But of course she trusted her master.

Did that mean the real Shrek and Tang Sect were not as wonderful as she had imagined?

"Despite being an academy, Shrek has frequently interfered in the affairs of the major empires over the years. In particular, it has very close ties to the Duke's Mansion in the Star Luo Empire."

"Yudie, if we stood against the Duke's Mansion, would Shrek help us, the ones who suffered injustice, or the Dai Family?"

At those words, little Huo Yudie fell silent, the confusion in her eyes instantly giving way to resolve. She might not understand the other matters, but when it came to the Dai Family, she should understand what was going on.

If she attacked the Duke's Mansion in the future, Shrek would certainly step in to help them, even if she was avenging her mother.

More importantly, what if Shrek led her astray? What if she forgot her hatred and, because her heart belonged to Shrek, failed to avenge her mother's murder...

"Master."

"I understand now."

The girl raised her head and revealed a radiant smile.

(End of chapter)