"Let's give this Soul Bone to Yun'er."
After Nezha spoke, Ning Tian nodded almost without hesitation. "I agree."
As they spoke, both turned their gazes toward Nanmen Yun'er. Nezha had already held the leather pouch out to her. The brown leather gleamed softly in the sunlight, completely concealing the Soul Power fluctuations within.
But Nanmen Yun'er shook her head firmly.
She took half a step back, clasped both hands behind her, and pressed her lips together. A stubborn earnestness filled her lively eyes. "No, I can't accept this Soul Bone."
"Class monitor, I was just along for the ride throughout this tournament. You were the one who cracked every tough nut. I'm already more than satisfied to have earned a core disciple spot."
As she spoke, she lifted her head to look at Nezha, her short ponytail swaying gently. Her sincerity left no room for argument.
Nezha glanced at Ning Tian and tilted his head slightly, signaling for her to help persuade Yun'er. He wasn't particularly good at this sort of thing. Nanmen Yun'er might look soft and sweet, but once she dug her heels in, he really might not know what to do with her.
Ning Tian understood. She stepped forward and stood before Nanmen Yun'er, her platinum-blond hair falling over her shoulders and her azure eyes calm and gentle.
She reached out and lightly rested a hand on Nanmen Yun'er's shoulder. Her tone was unhurried, yet carried a reassuring weight.
"Yun'er, hear me out first."
Nanmen Yun'er raised her eyes to meet Ning Tian's gaze.
"This Soul Bone's age is rather low-only a thousand years. Neither Nezha nor I can use it." Ning Tian's voice was clear and crisp, her delivery matter-of-fact, as though she were stating something utterly simple. "It won't do much in our hands, but you're different."
She paused, letting her gaze linger on Nanmen Yun'er's delicate little face.
"You're an Agility Attack System Soul Master. Speed is the heart of your fighting strength. This Voidlight Demon Leopard Left Leg Bone can increase your speed and give you an offensive Soul Skill activated through your left leg. For us, it's a chicken rib—little meat, but a shame to throw away. For you, it's charcoal delivered in the snow."
Nanmen Yun'er parted her lips, wanting to say something more, but Ning Tian stopped her with a slight increase in the pressure of her hand on her shoulder.
"Besides-"
The corners of Ning Tian's lips curved slightly, and a faint trace of amusement entered her voice. "If you really feel bad about accepting it, would you consider joining my Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect after graduation?"
Nanmen Yun'er froze.
She looked up at Ning Tian's fair, lovely face, then turned to glance at Nezha, who stood beside them with his hands in his pockets and an expression that said, Whatever you like. Her lips moved, and her eyes suddenly began to sting.
The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect—the foremost sect of the Support System, with a legacy spanning ten thousand years. Countless Soul Masters across the continent would fight tooth and nail to get in.
She was an ordinary Agility Attack System Soul Master from a small family. Under normal circumstances, she would never have had any connection to the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect in her entire life. Yet Ning Tian had asked so casually, as though she were simply handing her a cup of water.
"I..." Nanmen Yun'er lowered her head, brought her hands out from behind her back, and wrung them in front of her. Her voice was muffled. "Can I really join?"
"Yes." Ning Tian's answer was crisp and decisive.
Nezha yawned beside them and glanced toward the distant classroom building. His tone was utterly casual. "All right, take it. The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect happens to need Agility Attack System Soul Masters. You won't be sitting idle if you join."
Nanmen Yun'er lifted her head, looked at Ning Tian, then at Nezha, and finally nodded firmly. She reached out with both hands and accepted the brown leather pouch from Nezha. It lay heavy in her palms.
The Soul Bone's warm, rich Soul Power fluctuations seeped through the leather pouch in fine threads, like a tiny heart beating softly against her palms.
"Thank you, class monitor. Thank you, Sister Ning Tian." Her voice was slightly muffled and the tip of her nose was red, but the corners of her mouth lifted, revealing two small dimples.
Ning Tian withdrew her hand and nodded slightly, a smile lingering on her lips.
Nezha slipped his hand back into his pocket and turned toward the classroom building, tossing a remark over his shoulder without looking back. "Come on, let's get back to class. Mu Jin's probably getting impatient."
Behind him, Ning Tian and Nanmen Yun'er exchanged a glance and followed, one after the other. Nanmen Yun'er carefully tucked the leather pouch inside her clothes and held both hands over her chest, her steps as light as though she were walking on clouds.
They had only just reached the foot of the classroom building.
An elderly man dressed in white, with a gentle bearing, was watching him with a warm smile.
It was none other than Yan Shaozhe, dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department.
"Nezha," Yan Shaozhe began. His voice was gentle, yet carried a weight that could not be ignored. "Could I take a little of your time? I'd like to speak with you alone."
As he spoke, his gaze rested solely on Nezha, naturally passing over Ning Tian and Nanmen Yun'er.
Ning Tian frowned slightly and glanced at Nezha. He tilted his head and gave her a reassuring look.
Ning Tian understood and tugged at Nanmen Yun'er's sleeve. Though somewhat curious, Nanmen Yun'er asked no questions. She bowed respectfully to Yan Shaozhe, then followed Ning Tian into the classroom building.
Nezha followed Yan Shaozhe down the path beside the classroom building, around a neatly tended flower bed of spirit plants, and arrived at the shore of Sea God Lake.
Classes were in session, so the lakeshore was nearly deserted. There were only the tiny ripples stirred by the breeze passing over the water and the white silhouettes of a few unidentified waterbirds occasionally skimming past in the distance.
The lake was clear and blue, reflecting the light of the sky and the shadows of clouds, as still as a spread of silk. Yan Shaozhe stopped beside the lake and gazed out over it with his hands behind his back. After a moment of silence, he turned around.
"Nezha, do you know why I came to see you?"
Nezha stood three paces away with his hands in his pockets, his black hair buns swaying slightly in the breeze off the lake. His tone was casual. "No. Just say what's on your mind, Dean Yan."
Yan Shaozhe smiled faintly, his gaze lingering on Nezha's face for a moment. He slowly nodded, undisguised admiration in his voice.
"I watched all your performances in the Freshman Assessment. You crushed your way through the Round-Robin Tournament, defeated two Martial Soul Fusion Skills head-on in the knockout rounds, and faced the Hell White Tiger in the final. That sight of your spear piercing its Soul Power body would have turned heads even in the inner court."
He paused, his voice deepening slightly and becoming all the more solemn.
"Ultimate Fire, Twin Martial Souls, spear intent, and rank thirty-seven Soul Power at only twelve years old. Nezha, your talent is among the very best I have seen in all my years of teaching. I came to ask you one question-"
He looked Nezha straight in the eyes, his tone earnest.
"Would you be willing to take me as your master and remain at Shrek Academy, with me personally guiding your cultivation?"
The breeze swept across the lake, lifting a few fallen leaves and sending them spiraling between the two.
Without waiting for Nezha's answer, Yan Shaozhe raised his right hand. The ruby ring flashed, and a white jade box appeared in his palm.
He opened the lid, revealing a crystalline bone lying quietly within. The Soul Bone was about a foot long, its entire surface a translucent crimson, with intricate golden patterns flowing inside like blood vessels. It radiated dense, scorching Soul Power fluctuations, more than a hundred times stronger than those of the Voidlight Demon Leopard Left Leg Bone from earlier. As those fluctuations spread, even the mist above the lake shimmered and warped from the heat.
"This is a ten-thousand-year Crimson Flame Demon Tiger Right Arm Bone, something I have kept in my personal collection for many years. A Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone with a fire attribute, perfectly suited to your Ultimate Fire Martial Soul. If you are willing to take me as your master, this Soul Bone will be my welcoming gift."
Yan Shaozhe's tone was even, but unmistakable anticipation shone in his deep eyes.
A Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone-and one with a perfectly matching attribute at that. Such an extravagant gesture would have shaken the entire continent.
He was certain that no twelve-year-old child could hold out for even three breaths before this Soul Bone.
Before you continue