Tang Ya opened her mouth, momentarily at a loss for words.
"Besides-"
Xu Jingyao tilted his head slightly. His tone remained gentle, but his words carried a little more weight. "Dean Yan and Pavilion Master Qian are hosting today. As an outside guest, I can hardly decide whom to invite on their behalf."
"If you have any questions, Sect Master Tang, you might as well ask Dean Yan and Pavilion Master Qian."
Tang Ya's face reddened further.
How could she possibly ask Yan Shaozhe?
Yan Shaozhe was the dean of the Outer Court, and Qian Duoduo was the Pavilion Master of the Treasure Pavilion. As the Tang Sect Master, she could not even enter the Inner Court of Shrek Academy. What right did she have to question those two?
"I..."
Tang Ya bit her lip. "I just thought there might still be a possibility of cooperation between the Tang Sect and the Carefree Pavilion."
"There is."
Xu Jingyao nodded. "But first, the Tang Sect needs to offer something that interests the Carefree Pavilion. Tang Sect Hidden Weapons have their unique strengths, but the Carefree Pavilion produces Soul Tools on a mass scale. The two follow different paths. If you truly wish to cooperate, Sect Master Tang, you could have the Tang Sect make a few Hidden Weapon prototypes suitable for mass production and send them to a Carefree Pavilion branch. I'll have someone take a look."
Tang Ya pressed her lips together even more tightly.
Mass production.
Those words were like a basin of cold water, drenching all the defiance filling her chest.
Tang Sect Hidden Weapons emphasized intricate craftsmanship, uniqueness, and victory through surprise. "Mass production" had never been part of that.
When Tang San founded the Tang Sect, he had relied on exclusive techniques and exclusive Hidden Weapons. Rarity made things precious.
Mass production?
Would that still be the Tang Sect?
"I understand."
Tang Ya lowered her head, her voice much quieter.
"Don't be discouraged, Sect Master Tang."
Xu Jingyao chuckled, opening his fan again to half conceal his face. "The Tang Sect has its strengths, and the Carefree Pavilion has its own path. There may yet be opportunities to cooperate in the future. Today's occasion simply isn't suitable."
With that, he inclined his head slightly, turned, and left.
Shadow Douluo followed him, glancing back at Tang Ya, who still stood there in a daze, and silently sighed to himself.
This Tang Sect Master probably still had not figured out why she had been excluded.
Shrek Academy, the Treasure Pavilion, and the Carefree Pavilion-the three parties were discussing interests, resources, and plans for the future.
What did the Tang Sect have?
An empty shell held up by a handful of people, a few Hidden Weapons they could not bear to mass-produce, and a sect master who had no say whatsoever before Mu En.
Yan Shaozhe had not invited her, and Qian Duoduo had not mentioned her, because in the eyes of those who truly made the decisions, the Tang Sect did not yet deserve a seat at that table.
Reality was that cruel.
Xu Jingyao did not return to the branch pavilion. Instead, he went straight to Yan Shaozhe.
"Dean Yan, I'd like to stay at Shrek Academy a while longer."
He stood outside the Outer Court's office building, his tone casual. "There's no rush concerning matters at the Carefree Pavilion. I'd like to experience the atmosphere among your Outer Court students. Would that be convenient?"
Yan Shaozhe had only just sat down, the smile still on his face. Hearing this, his smile became even more sincere. "Of course! Absolutely!"
The Pavilion Master can stay as long as he likes!
As long as he leaves the Inner Court alone, he can wander around the Outer Court all he wants.
Yan Shaozhe was only too eager for the Pavilion Master of the Carefree Pavilion to stay a few more days. Perhaps they could even negotiate some other cooperation.
"The student dormitories have limited accommodations, though. You might not find them comfortable, Pavilion Master."
Yan Shaozhe considered it. "The academy has a small guesthouse beside Sea God Lake. It isn't used much. If you don't mind, Pavilion Master, you can stay there."
"Thank you, Dean Yan."
Xu Jingyao followed Yan Shaozhe to see the small building. It had two stories and stood beside the lake, with water visible as soon as the windows were opened. There was even a small bamboo grove in the backyard. It was wonderfully quiet and secluded.
He nodded in satisfaction and had Shadow Douluo move his luggage in that very evening.
Sea God Lake was quiet at night. Mist rose from its surface in a white expanse, obscuring the distant Inner Court.
Xu Jingyao sat cross-legged before a second-floor window, his eyes closed as he regulated his breathing.
Then he sensed it.
An extremely faint, extremely distant call came from the depths of Sea God Lake.
The call was soft, as though someone were calling his name across a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers. It carried an indescribable devotion and closeness, like a child seeing its mother, or a believer beholding a god.
Xu Jingyao opened his eyes, his gaze passing through the mist over the lake to settle deep within the Inner Court.
There was a tree there.
The Golden Tree!
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
Before long, a warm yellow light spread silently from the direction of the Inner Court. Neither glaring nor ostentatious, it was like a thin veil, soundlessly covering the whole of Sea God Lake.
Then an aged yet gentle consciousness appeared within Xu Jingyao's Sea of Consciousness.
It was a tree.
Golden all over, with luxuriant branches and leaves, its roots plunged deep into the void. Countless tiny points of light hung in its crown, each like a miniature world.
The Golden Tree, Elder Jin.
The moment the Golden Tree entered Xu Jingyao's Sea of Consciousness, it abruptly froze.
Deep within the Sea of Consciousness, those two enormous figures floated quietly.
The Goddess of Life's Remnant Soul, emerald green as spring, and the God of Destruction's Remnant Soul, dark purple as an abyss-their two auras intertwined into a vast nebula, supporting the vault of the entire mental world.
Before those two figures, the Golden Tree's immense consciousness was like a blade of grass facing two towering trees.
Its branches and leaves began to tremble violently. Its roots curled inward, its crown drooped, and its entire body shook.
"M-my... lord..."
The Golden Tree's voice came in broken fragments, carrying submission and reverence that arose from its very Source of Life.
It was the Tree of Life of the Douluo Continent, a part of the Spirit of the Plane. Yet before these two God Kings' Remnant Souls, its meager Source of Life was like a drop of water meeting the ocean.
"My lord, I, the Golden Tree, am willing to accept you as my master."
Its voice gradually steadied, its branches and leaves unfurled, and its roots took hold again. Yet its reverence only deepened. "Please take me in, my lord."
Xu Jingyao opened his eyes and looked at the enormous golden tree within his Sea of Consciousness. Slowly, he said, "Elder Jin."
"Just call me Little Jin, my lord."
Xu Jingyao chuckled. "All right, Little Jin."
"Did you come to me because you sensed something?"
"My lord, you carry the aura of life and light."
The Golden Tree's voice held an excitement it could not suppress. "Great Life Overlord! Little Jin is willing to accept you as my master and serve you. I have been waiting for you to notice me, so that one day I might break free of the Sea God."
The master-servant contract was forged.
The instant the contract was completed, the Golden Tree's spiritual form voluntarily separated out a strand of its essence and merged it into Xu Jingyao's Soul Ring.
That strand of essence was slender, yet extraordinarily pure, like the tenderest twig broken from a ten-thousand-year-old tree and placed in Xu Jingyao's hand.
Xu Jingyao felt his Soul Power rise another notch. He was now only a single step away from level 50.
"My lord."
The Golden Tree's voice gradually receded. "Little Jin is here at Shrek. Should you have any orders, my lord, summon me at any time."
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