The golden-red sunrise rose from the east, casting a golden-red hue over Sea God Lake.
With the intricately designed reel spinning rapidly, Xu Zihuang casually picked up the fishing rod, pulling a silver-white, crystal-clear fish from the lake water.
This silver fish was about half a meter long, its translucent body revealing its internal organs clearly. This type of silver fish only lived in extremely clear waters and, having been nurtured for a long time by the life and light aura of the Golden Tree, had undergone some peculiar changes. Consuming it was beneficial to both soul masters and ordinary people.
Suddenly, Xu Zihuang's pant leg was tugged at forcefully. Biting tightly onto his pant leg was a turtle with a diameter of over two meters. Its head was dark green, while its eyes and sturdy shell were black, adorned with some magnificent green patterns.
This was a soul beast called the Mysterious Turtle. Thousands of years ago, it was raised by an inner court disciple of Shrek Academy. That disciple had exceptional talent and later became a member of the Sea God Pavilion.
In recognition of his contributions to the academy, the Mysterious Turtle was kept on Sea God Island and carefully tended to for thousands of years. Now, it had a cultivation of several thousand years, a genuine thousand-year soul beast.
The Mysterious Turtle had a relatively gentle temperament and had long been accustomed to human interaction. Over thousands of years, it had grown very friendly with the inner court students and teachers.
Xu Zihuang casually tossed the caught silver fish to the Mysterious Turtle. As he was about to leave, a teasing voice with a hint of mockery sounded behind him.
"Tianhuang, so you're hiding out here. A few days ago, Junior Sister Ning Tian asked Beibei and me to pass on a message: one of her family elders has arrived in Shrek City and wants to meet you. You're not chickening out, scared to meet Ning Tian's family, and deliberately hiding, are you?"
With those words, two young men, appearing to be around seventeen or eighteen years old, approached Xu Zihuang.
The one who spoke was over 1.9 meters tall, broad-shouldered and muscular, with a dignified appearance and short, red hair as stiff as steel needles. His imposing physique gave off a sense of unshakable stability, though this steady aura was somewhat undermined by the slightly sleazy smile on his face.
The other, a slender young man dressed in a deep blue robe, had a refined and gentle face with a faint smile.
Weren't these two Xu Sanshi and Beibei, who had entered the inner court?
"Senior Brother Bei, Senior Brother Xu," Xu Zihuang greeted them with a light smile before responding.
"For the past few days, I was actually fusing my fifth soul ring. I only succeeded this morning."
At just fourteen years old, his stature wasn't noticeably different from the nearly seventeen-year-old Beibei and Xu Sanshi. In fact, his aura and temperament even surpassed theirs, though his face still carried a hint of youthfulness.
Beibei's smile remained, but his gaze instinctively grew serious.
"Tianhuang, your soul power cultivation isn't just at level 51 anymore, is it?"
"The age of my fifth soul ring is quite high, and combined with the soul power I accumulated from training over the past few months, I broke through to level 53 after the fusion," Xu Zihuang said calmly, neither exaggerating nor downplaying, as if stating a fact in a composed manner.
Beibei's expression froze briefly before he recovered.
When Yu Tianhuang began training under Elder Mu, he too had entered a period of rapid cultivation and strength improvement. He had thought that, after inheriting a powerful soul skill from his ancestor, he might close the gap with Yu Tianhuang. But the truth was, starting ahead meant staying ahead. With Yu Tianhuang's astonishing talent, catching up to him seemed nearly impossible.
Still, Beibei took it in stride, his mindset entirely different from Huo Yuhao's.
In contrast, Xu Sanshi's reaction was far more dramatic. He gave an exasperated roll of his eyes. "Tianhuang, were you sent by the heavens just to crush our confidence?"
Beibei chimed in with a grin, "The only one whose confidence is crushed is you. I'm doing just fine."
"You're all smug because you're doing well in your love life lately. I don't know what Xiao Ya sees in you," Xu Sanshi retorted, rolling his eyes again at Beibei's comment.
"Unlike me, I can't compete with Tianhuang in cultivation, and I'm getting nowhere with Nannan. Life's tough."
As he spoke, he seemed to think of something and looked at Xu Zihuang with a pleading expression.
"Tianhuang, how about teaching me a few tricks? I'm really out of ideas."
When it came to Yu Tianhuang, Xu Sanshi admired him in every way, but what impressed him most was his prowess in romance. It hadn't been long since he got together with Ning Tian, and now he was already meeting her family.
If Xu Sanshi had even half of Yu Tianhuang's charm, he wouldn't be in such a sorry state.
"Senior Brother Xu, I really can't help you with this. I can tell that Senior Sister Jiang still holds a deep grudge against you. If you can't resolve that, it'll be hard for her to accept you," Xu Zihuang said helplessly, shaking his head.
Xu Sanshi knew Yu Tianhuang was right, but that matter was something he couldn't easily bring himself to talk about. He could only let out a dejected sigh.
Though Beibei often teased Xu Sanshi, his high emotional intelligence meant he knew when to stop. Seeing Xu Sanshi like this, he naturally wouldn't push further. He reached out, patting both Xu Zihuang and Xu Sanshi on the shoulders.
"Come on, let's go eat."
Xu Sanshi, with his straightforward personality, was quick to feel emotions and quick to let them go. In the cafeteria exclusive to inner court disciples, he channeled his frustration into his appetite, eating and drinking voraciously.
During the meal, Xu Zihuang asked Beibei about Tang Ya's cultivation progress.
Beibei said that Tang Ya shouldn't have much trouble breaking through the level 40 bottleneck, but time was tight. With less than a month until the semester ended, Tang Ya, who hadn't entered the inner court like Beibei and Xu Sanshi, had naturally advanced to the sixth year of the outer court.
To graduate from Shrek Academy's outer court, Tang Ya needed to break through to level 40 and acquire a suitable soul ring before the sixth-year graduation assessment, proving she had reached the Soul Ancestor rank.
A four-ring Soul Ancestor was the minimum requirement for graduating from Shrek Academy's outer court. Graduates from the outer court were eligible to participate in the inner court assessment that year. If they failed, there would be no second chance.
Given the strength of Tang Ya's Blue Silver Grass martial soul and her current soul power cultivation, entering the inner court would be extremely difficult.
Beibei was sparing no effort for her sake, not only preparing a Soul Ascension Pill for Tang Ya but also searching for a suitable soul bone recently. If she could acquire a fitting soul bone to bolster her foundation, entering the inner court would be much easier.
Shrek Academy's inner court assessment focused on two aspects: potential for future development and combat ability. Tang Ya's potential for future growth was lacking, so she could only focus on improving her combat ability.
To boost Tang Ya's strength in the short term, fusing a suitable soul bone was indeed the only way.
Of course, Beibei knew Tang Ya's personality well and was certain she wouldn't easily accept such help. So, over breakfast, he discussed the matter with Xu Zihuang.
Though it was framed as a discussion, Beibei's real intention was to have Ning Tian persuade Tang Ya. Ning Tian and Tang Ya were very close, and as both were girls, she was the perfect person to convince Tang Ya, who would likely listen to her.
After finishing the various dishes on his tray and drinking a large bowl of Thousand-Year Jade Ginseng Soup, Xu Zihuang bid farewell to Beibei and Xu Sanshi.
"Senior Brother Bei, Senior Brother Xu, take your time eating. I'll head out first."
"Tianhuang, go find Junior Sister Ning Tian soon. It's a public holiday at the outer court today," Beibei said with a slight nod.
Still devouring his food, Xu Sanshi waved at Xu Zihuang, mumbling something indistinctly through a mouthful of food.
In a fit of frustration, Xu Sanshi nearly splattered oil from his tray onto Beibei's pristine robe. Beibei, somewhat disgusted, put some distance between them.
"Can you watch your manners? If I were Nannan, I'd be nauseated seeing you like this."
"Mind your own business," Xu Sanshi shot back, glaring.
"Don't flatter yourself. In my eyes, you're not even worth one of Nannan's hairs."
As luck would have it, a slender girl entered the inner court disciples' cafeteria from another direction just after Xu Zihuang left.
The girl, around seventeen or eighteen, had long, wavy golden hair cascading down her back. Her skin was as fair as snow, her eyes like clear pools of water. Her jade-like beauty, glowing softly like the crescent moon, exuded an air of refined elegance.
Seeing her, Xu Sanshi's expression froze instantly.
"Nan—Nannan…"
The girl was Jiang Nannan. Now nearly an adult, her figure was even more developed, her graceful form nearly perfect. But her beautiful eyes held only coldness and disdain.
As a soul master with considerable cultivation, how could she not have heard Xu Sanshi's crude remark earlier?
After packing her meal in the cafeteria, she left quickly without looking back.
Xu Sanshi was utterly deflated, especially seeing Beibei's innocent expression beside him, nearly driven to madness.
"Beibei, I'm gonna fight you!"
…
Martial Soul Department, Girls' Dormitory Building.
Xu Zihuang stood quietly under a towering tree in front of the girls' dormitory.
In the outer court, years one through three were considered lower grades, while years four through six were higher grades. The teaching buildings and classrooms were assigned accordingly.
Ning Tian resided in the dormitory for lower-grade female students. Since it was a public holiday, students frequently passed by him.
The third-year students in his grade were familiar with his relationship with Ning Tian and would, at most, greet him amicably.
However, having trained with Elder Mu at the Sea God Pavilion, Xu Zihuang rarely visited the Martial Soul Department's outer court. The newly enrolled first- and second-year female students were less familiar with him.
Many of these first- and second-year girls looked at him with shy yet intrigued gazes. Some bolder ones are even prepared to approach and strike up a conversation.
"Tianhuang."
At that moment, Ning Tian emerged from the dormitory building. Crossing through the crowd, she linked her arm with Xu Zihuang's under everyone's gaze. Raising her fair, delicate neck, she wore a fresh, sweet smile, her dignified and graceful aura instantly making the less experienced female students feel inferior and freeze in place.
Only after the two walked away did the crowd start buzzing with discussion.
"Is that Senior Sister Ning Tian from the third year?"
"I heard Senior Sister Ning Tian is incredibly talented and will likely qualify for the inner court assessment by her fourth year. They say she's from the ancient Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect."
"Who was that senior with her? Why were they so close? Could it be…"
"Do you even need to ask? It's obviously what you're thinking."
The conversation gradually veered toward gossip. Ning Tian, overhearing it all, paid it no mind. Her earlier actions weren't deliberate or meant to prove anything. That was simply how she and Yu Tianhuang usually interacted.
Though Yu Tianhuang's excellence put pressure on her, she didn't feel inferior to any female student in the outer court. These first- and second-year girls posed even less of a threat.
The two walked closely along the lakeside path by Sea God Lake, their skin touching, feeling each other's warmth.
Gazing at the azure Sea God Lake ahead, Xu Zihuang spoke first. "For the past few days, I was fusing my fifth soul ring and only succeeded this morning. I ran into Senior Brother Bei and Senior Brother Xu this morning, and they passed on your message."
"Since that senior has already arrived in Shrek City, we shouldn't keep them waiting. Let's go visit today."
"Okay."
Ning Tian's water-blue eyes flashed with surprise, but she quickly nodded in agreement.
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