Tang San was in a good mood and immediately began painting a tempting picture for Huo Yuhao. "Cultivate diligently. Once you've made something of your cultivation, I'll teach you divine skills."
"But wouldn't I be unable to learn divine skills unless I became a god?" Huo Yuhao blinked, thoroughly puzzled.
"Ahem! I'll adapt them into versions you can learn."
Tang San felt embarrassed. He had nearly slapped his own face on the spot.
He hurriedly changed the subject. "Besides that, find a way to obtain these dozens of medicinal herbs. Combined, they'll be enough to deal with the poisonous miasma in Sunset Forest. When the time comes, follow my guidance to that treasured land in Sunset Forest and obtain Immortal Herbs."
"Once you've learned the Tang Sect Secret Arts, with the help of Immortal Herbs, you'll have the makings of a god!"
Tang San spoke proudly.
Look! Follow me, and becoming a god is just that simple!
Look at this pie I've painted for you, so round and fragrant! Hurry up and eat it!
Once you enter the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the day of my escape will come!
Huo Yuhao knew there was something sinister in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. How could he agree so easily?
He immediately spread his hands. "I don't have the money to buy these herbs. Gathering them all would probably take several years."
Tang San forcibly suppressed his anger. "Don't the great empires provide Soul Master stipends? You're a Soul Grandmaster now, so you can collect ten Gold Soul Coins a month. Once you become a Soul Elder, you can collect a hundred."
Huo Yuhao's tone turned strange. "After you destroyed Spirit Hall all those years ago, the great empires cut the Soul Master stipends. Even now, no matter their cultivation, Soul Masters only receive one Gold Soul Coin. It's not even enough to eat on."
A bunch of vermin!
Anger surged in Tang San.
"If you don't have money, go earn some!"
Huo Yuhao answered with perfect confidence, "If I could earn money, would I still be broke?"
Tang San was out of ideas.
Because he thought Huo Yuhao made a great deal of sense.
So that he could escape sooner, Tang San had no choice but to rack his brains for a way to help Huo Yuhao earn money.
A moment later, his world-shaking intellect went to work again.
Tang San said, "Your roommate at Shrek Academy is someone named Wang Dong."
So I've already enrolled? And my roommate is Wang Dong too?
Huo Yuhao fell into thought.
Tang San continued, "Wang Dong is the young master of the Clear Sky Sect. The Clear Sky Sect is rich. Go make a bet with her. She's proud and arrogant, so she definitely won't refuse. Then you'll have money!"
Huo Yuhao really was having a hard time keeping a straight face.
Why does Tang San love setting his daughter up for a fall so much?
Huo Yuhao hurriedly restrained the expression he could barely contain, composed his face, and solemnly promised, "Lord Sea God! I'll buy these herbs as soon as possible and live up to your expectations by suppressing that naturally evil Angel God, Qian Renxue!"
Tang San's Divine Sense was very satisfied.
A thought suddenly occurred to him.
Perhaps, without my daughter having to intervene, I can bring the child of destiny into my grasp?
Shrek Academy.
Early that morning, Ma Xiaotao went looking for Freshman Class One. Her Evil Fire was nearly beyond suppression and could erupt at any moment.
Dark red color flowed through her long, narrow phoenix eyes. They were cold and restrained, yet the contrast only made her seem all the more enchantingly seductive, captivating to the bone.
After sweeping a cold gaze around the classroom, Ma Xiaotao looked at Zhou Yi on the lectern.
"I'm looking for a student in your class named Huo Yuhao. Have him come out with me."
Zhou Yi frowned and replied, her usually stern tone considerably softer:
"Class is in session. Come back when it's over."
Dangerous flames seemed to flicker in Ma Xiaotao's eyes as she said coldly, "I said, I'm looking for Huo Yuhao. Now!"
Being scolded like that by an inner court student in front of all her students left Zhou Yi unable to save face. She said coldly:
"You've come to the wrong place! I've already expelled Huo Yuhao!"
"What did you say?"
Ma Xiaotao's ample chest heaved violently.
Zhou Yi met her gaze without giving an inch. "I said, you've come to the wrong place. I've already expelled Huo Yuhao!"
The Evil Fire in Ma Xiaotao's heart blazed fiercely at that moment. Dark red flames flickered in her captivating eyes, sinister and dangerous.
Flames exploded around her, and Zhou Yi bore the brunt of them.
Blazing fire swallowed her, erupting with astonishing heat. A single blast sent her flying.
The surrounding students scattered with a clamor, fleeing in panic.
Fortunately, Ma Xiaotao seemed to have singled out Zhou Yi and did not attack anyone else.
Flames burst from her feet, and amid a series of explosions, she reached Zhou Yi's side in an instant.
A clear phoenix cry rang out. Ma Xiaotao's first, second, and fifth Soul Rings flashed in succession beneath her feet, and three Soul Skills activated almost simultaneously, merging into one.
A fire phoenix pierced Zhou Yi's body.
"Ah!" Zhou Yi let out a wretched shriek and shot backward through the doorway. Flames still flickered over her charred body, and she looked utterly pitiful.
Although she too was a Soul Emperor and had immediately used Martial Soul Possession to defend herself, she was still far too weak against a prodigiously talented battle maniac like Ma Xiaotao.
In a single exchange, she was defeated instantly.
By then, people nearby had finally heard the commotion and emerged from their classrooms. Several teachers hurriedly joined forces against the out-of-control Ma Xiaotao and finally held out until Yan Shaozhe arrived.
Yan Shaozhe temporarily suppressed Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire. Looking at the wrecked teaching building and the miserable Zhou Yi, he knitted his brows tightly.
"Xiaotao, what happened? Didn't I tell you to find Huo Yuhao? Why did you lose control and cause a mess like this?"
Ma Xiaotao glanced at Zhou Yi, then lowered her head and muttered, "I didn't want to either, but Teacher Zhou Yi said she'd expelled Huo Yuhao and deliberately provoked me. Was I supposed to put up with that? So then I lost control at just the right moment."
"Just the right moment?" Yan Shaozhe laughed in anger. "Fortunately, you didn't cause any casualties this time. Otherwise, even I would have had no grounds to protect you!"
He glanced at the charred Zhou Yi, whose breath was as faint as a thread, and promptly disregarded her. Turning to the year director, Du Weilun, he frowned deeply and demanded, "Why did Zhou Yi expel Huo Yuhao?"
This was a genius with an Ultimate Martial Soul. Once he grew up, he could ensure Shrek's safety for over a hundred years, yet he had been expelled just like that?
He had only told them to suppress him, not expel him!
If the people of the Sun Moon Empire learned of this, they would probably laugh themselves to death. If the Body Sect learned of it, they would probably ring bells and beat drums in a thunderous celebration.
Yan Shaozhe felt he was angry enough to have a brain hemorrhage.
Du Weilun felt aggrieved too. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said quietly, "Dean, I don't know either! Homeroom teachers have been allowed to expel students directly since time immemorial. There's no need to tell me at all."
"So Zhou Yi acted entirely on her own initiative?"
The force of Yan Shaozhe's presence surged.
Du Weilun hurriedly nodded. "Yes! Zhou Yi acted on her own initiative!"
Yan Shaozhe nodded in satisfaction, looked around, and announced loudly, "You all saw it. Zhou Yi expelled a genius student from the academy without authorization, acting on her own initiative for her own selfish desires. I sent Xiaotao to investigate, but she refused to cooperate, so Xiaotao had no choice but to attack her."
"Zhou Yi has no discipline whatsoever. Strip her of her authority as Class One's homeroom teacher and place her on probation at the academy."
Ma Xiaotao was his student, after all, and he still had to protect her somewhat. So he could only make Zhou Yi, the victim, take the blame.
As everyone knew, making the victim take the blame was a tradition at Shrek.
Yet when Zhou Yi took the blame, the students of Freshman Class One were not angry. Instead, they began to cheer, showing just how popular Zhou Yi was.
After dealing with the matter, Yan Shaozhe took Ma Xiaotao and Du Weilun back to the dean's office and slapped the desk, his face grim.
"Has Zhou Yi had it easy for so long that her brain has gone bad? She even dared expel a student as talented as Huo Yuhao! I'd say her guts have grown really fat!"
"Investigate! Investigate this for me! You must find out where Huo Yuhao went! Invite him back to the academy. Even if you have to tie him up, bring him back to me!"