The two of them were still agonizing over it.
Little did they know that Tang Ya's favorability was nearly maxed out.
While they hesitated, the music suddenly stopped, and everyone looked up at the dormitory.
Holding Xiao Xiao's Nine Phoenix Worshipping Flute, Zhang Yang stood gracefully by the window, a warm smile on his face.
He looked down at the open space below, where hundreds of young men and women had gathered. They weren't spectators here for the gossip; they were more like fans.
"Hey, hey, is he staring at me?"
"Zhang Yang is so charming from every angle!"
"It's a shame there are too many women around him. Why do I feel like... I just saw Teacher Zhou Yi?"
"What's so strange about that? I want to have Zhang Yang's monkey babies myself. What, don't you?"
The girls burst into cheers.
Their whispers grew more and more risqué.
Bei Bei's expression darkened. He was deeply worried that his girlfriend would become like this in the future too.
But... would he even have to wait until the future? Tang Ya had been sitting in a VIP seat for Zhang Yang's "music show" today. Heaven knew whether it had affected her.
"What an obnoxious guy."
Bei Bei muttered the complaint and glanced at his good bro.
Xu Sanshi understood what he meant and nodded in wholehearted agreement.
The system relayed the situation clearly to Zhang Yang, who finally noticed the two miserable men.
[Bei Bei favorability -20, current favorability -80 (cannot check in)] [Xu Sanshi favorability -20, current favorability -80 (cannot check in)]
Hilarious. It's falling faster than A-share stocks.
But Zhang Yang had already given up on the two of them anyway, so he wasn't affected.
After a pause, he saw that everyone was gradually quieting down and spoke up to announce his plan.
"Senior brothers and sisters, the Tang Sect will be expanding its recruitment at noon tomorrow. Anyone interested is welcome to come take a look."
How could he raise Tang Ya's favorability?
In fact, he had already found the standard answer last time.
Helping her promote the Tang Sect and expand its ranks was the best way to win her over.
Last night on Snack Street, Zhang Yang had merely made a passive effort, and the number had shot up.
Today, he took a more active approach to building momentum and promoting the sect. Using music as a medium, he let the Law of Music take effect, greatly increasing the interest of passersby.
Inside the dormitory, Tang Ya looked visibly stunned. Zhang Yang had come up with this on the spur of the moment and hadn't told her beforehand, so she knew nothing about it.
What do you call a surprise? This is a surprise!
Tang Ya trembled all over, a sign of just how excited she was.
She could faintly hear the exclamations and various discussions coming from downstairs.
Although the vast majority of students belonged to families or sects, some were commoners after all.
Under normal circumstances, those girls would have looked down on the declining Tang Sect, but with their idol in it, that was another matter.
At the very least, it had enjoyed glory ten thousand years ago and still had some fame today. It wasn't some no-name outfit that would swindle them to death.
And on top of that, there was Zhang Yang, a man of superlative charm.
Some girls without any background were beginning to feel tempted.
Tang Ya clearly noticed it. Her gaze softened like water as she looked at Zhang Yang, her heart racing wildly.
If there hadn't been several other people standing around, she would have rushed over to embrace him and given him a generous reward.
As for Bei Bei? The more Tang Ya thought about him, the angrier she became.
With Mu En backing him, he could practically be called Shrek's young master.
Yet he never helped promote the Tang Sect, and sometimes even held it back.
Admittedly, part of the reason was that she wanted to rely on her own efforts, but even purely as a boyfriend, he was hardly up to the mark.
It had been fine without Zhang Yang to compare him to, but the contrast exposed the problem. Look at Zhang Yang: he didn't even need to be told how to make her happy.
And Bei Bei? It was one thing not to use his backing to help.
But he himself wasn't particularly interested in the Tang Sect either.
He held a title in the sect, but it seemed more like he was just going through the motions. He hadn't taken any action at all.
Even when they had met Huo Yuhao not long ago, Tang Ya had been the one who fought hard to recruit him. Thinking back on it was infuriating!
Hmph! If Zhang Yang were my boyfriend instead of Bei Bei, after all this time, the Tang Sect might even have second-generation disciples by now.
[Tang Ya favorability +30! Current favorability 120 (second check-in available)]
Although Zhang Yang didn't know what she was thinking, the system's feedback couldn't be wrong.
They hadn't even officially started the recruitment drive yet. He'd merely mentioned it in public, and this girl had already won herself over?
It was unexpected, but not all that unexpected. He had thought he would have to wait until tomorrow to get a check-in reward, but to his surprise, he could get it on the spot.
"System, check in with Tang Ya!"
Naturally, Zhang Yang wasn't about to stand on ceremony.
The smile on his handsome face grew even more sincere.
Who could refuse a tangible benefit? Let alone such an outrageous reward!
[Check-in complete. Reward obtained: Law of Devouring] [Devour life and energy to nourish oneself. Nothing is absolutely powerful; all things can be digested!]
Zhang Yang's eyes flickered. It was another power of a law! Sure enough, the reward for a second check-in was far greater than the first.
But why was it the Law of Devouring? After several seconds of bewilderment, he recalled a detail: this was Tang Ya's hidden attribute.
Her Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul was classified as an orthodox royal bloodline, and its latent talent was Devouring, which the Holy Spirit Cult would awaken in the future.
How am I supposed to devour anything with my Body Martial Soul?
When I get the chance, I'll have to find some people to test it on.
Power was power; it was neither good nor evil in itself.
Unlike Shrek Academy, Zhang Yang had no time to debate whether it counted as "evil."
He was only puzzled about how to use it. Blue Silver Grass could extend tendrils, but he couldn't.
Was he supposed to get right up close to an enemy in battle, wrap them in a bear hug, and go slurp, slurp, slurp?
"Zhang Yang, thank you!"
Tang Ya's voice interrupted his thoughts.
Clearly, he couldn't solve this question by imagining it.
Zhang Yang came back to his senses. Thinking about finding an opportunity to try it, he turned to look at Tang Ya and gave her a friendly smile.
When it comes down to it, I should be thanking you. An attribute this awesome isn't one bit worse than Xiao Xiao's.
Everyone chatted briefly...
None of those present had any objection to strengthening the Tang Sect.
After all, in name, everyone except Zhou Yi belonged to the Tang Sect, so none of them thought much of it.
As for their homeroom teacher, Shrek had never forbidden the Tang Sect from recruiting students at the academy, out of regard for their old ties.
Naturally, she wouldn't speak up to stop them either.
They soon finished their discussion, and peace finally returned to the dormitory.
Zhou Yi was the first to take her leave. She planned to ask the higher-ups and, as long as the academy didn't object, she would be more than happy to lend a hand.
Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong'er, and Tang Ya followed her out. Only Xiao Xiao was a little reluctant to leave. She was the last to walk out of the room, and she didn't forget to sneak a kiss before she did.
"See you tomorrow!"
She made a face at Zhang Yang.
Someone had already taken the afternoon off from class.
He stayed in the dormitory by himself, continuing to study his rewards in depth. Now he had the Law of Devouring as well.
Flirting and getting intimate with girls was certainly fun, but he couldn't neglect his cultivation either. He carried on until curfew late that night.
Suddenly, extremely faint footsteps interrupted Zhang Yang. Judging by the Law of Music, the result was quite unexpected.
He had thought it was Xiao Xiao, that girl with a small chest and a big nerve, coming over to meet him for a date. But the person who had come was Tang Ya?
"Zhang Yang, are you asleep?"