The Glory of the Sun and Moon in the Peerless Tang Sect

Xu Zihuang and his group of four had been gone for a while, but Huo Yuhao was still sitting silently by his grilled fish stall. Even when customers came in, he just numbly took their money and handed them the grilled fish.

The surging negative emotions were not completely suppressed.

"Why is that, Senior Brother? I clearly followed your advice and made him my role model. But I can only watch helplessly as the gap between us widens, and I can't even keep up with other people my age. Senior Brother, were you just lying to me back then?"

“Since I entered Shrek Academy, I have devoted all my efforts to cultivation. While others were resting, I was cultivating; while others were being lazy, I was still cultivating. Why can they so easily trample on my efforts? Why?” A look of sorrow appeared in Huo Yuhao’s eyes.

He felt the cruelty of this world once again. When he raised his head again, there was a hint of self-mockery on his lips and a chill in his eyes.

"That's true. I'm just a commoner Soul Master with no background. But who can I blame? I can only blame myself for not being strong enough, and for only having innate level one Soul Power when I awakened my Martial Soul. How could you 'geniuses' who come from great Soul Master families and have been pampered since childhood possibly understand how I feel?"

As he murmured to himself, Huo Yuhao's mind became clearer as he recalled the figures of Xu Zihuang, Ning Tian, ​​Bei Bei, and Tang Ya.

His year of study at Shrek Academy greatly broadened his understanding of the Soul Master world. He knew that both Bei Bei's Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex Martial Soul and Ning Tian's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul were backed by top-tier Soul Master sects with tens of thousands of years of history.

Then there's Yu Tianhuang, who possesses a soul ring configuration far exceeding conventional understanding. In his view, his background is no weaker than that of Bei Bei and Ning Tian.

The only one who could be considered to come from a commoner background was Tang Ya, who cared about him a lot. But where did he rank in Tang Ya's heart?

Beibei is definitely no match for him, and Tang Ya is clearly closer to Yu Tianhuang than to him.

"Perhaps we were never from the same world from the beginning. Teacher Xiaoya, you only asked me to join the Tang Clan out of pity."

Huo Yuhao bit his lip tightly, his eyes filled with even more sorrow and desolation. He seemed to be trapped in a vicious cycle, with all sorts of negative emotions piling up on top of each other.

The more insecure a person is, the more sensitive they become.

But in reality, very few people care about him. Just like when he cheated in the Soul Arena, no one bothered to remember him. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to sell grilled fish here so peacefully.

However, Huo Yuhao's grilled fish tasted quite good, and in less than half an hour, all twenty fish he caught in the stream were sold out.

Looking at the bag full of silver and bronze soul coins, Huo Yuhao's mood eased slightly, and the pain in his eyes was replaced by determination.

While Shrek Academy was oppressive and painful for him, he had to endure it and stay in order to gain the power of revenge.

After putting away the grill and various utensils under the bright moonlight over the Twenty-Four Bridges, Huo Yuhao walked quickly towards the Soul Guidance Department dormitory, preparing to begin his training for the day.

Meanwhile, Xu Zihuang and his companions also embarked on the official road leading to the south gate of Shrek City. The wide and smooth road was large enough to accommodate more than ten carriages traveling side by side, and there was an exquisite soul-guided street lamp at intervals. The tall gate tower of the south gate of Shrek City could already be clearly seen in the distance.

Shrek City is situated on the largest plain on the Douluo Continent, the Lima Plain. Standing here and looking out, one sees an endless expanse of green fields, dotted with flowers of various colors. Forests and streams intertwine, and the view is extremely open.

The group deliberately slowed down to appreciate the surrounding scenery, which took them nearly half an hour.

Tang Ya has always been a lively and cheerful optimist, her emotions coming and going quickly. After Bei Bei's encouragement, she felt much more at ease about Huo Yuhao's situation. Having previously stayed at the academy diligently cultivating, she had finally managed to get out and was now completely carefree. Ning Tian, ​​on the other hand, wore a serene smile, quietly accompanying Tang Ya.

Xu Zihuang and Bei Bei followed behind the two.

The reason why Ning Tian was with Tang Ya instead of Bei Bei was because Ning Tian noticed that Bei Bei seemed to have something to say to Yu Tianhuang, so he took the initiative to go over.

Beibei withdrew her gaze from Luo Tangya and turned to look at Xu Zihuang beside her.

From the moment he first met Yu Tianhuang in the Star Dou Great Forest, although Yu Tianhuang's excellence put a lot of pressure on him, it also made him feel extremely fond of him.

After spending more than a year together, and fighting side by side against evil soul masters and in the continent-wide advanced soul master academy battle competition, his relationship with Yu Tianhuang was undoubtedly much deeper than that with Huo Yuhao.

To put it bluntly, aside from being fellow disciples of the Tang Sect, Huo Yuhao had absolutely no other connection with him. He had personally paid for a Xuan Shui Pill for Huo Yuhao and had also done his utmost to guide him; he had truly done everything he could.

Huo Yuhao just showed jealousy towards Yu Tianhuang, which is extremely distasteful. Yu Tianhuang may not care, but it would be unfair of him not to bring it up. After all, Huo Yuhao was recruited into the Tang Sect by him and Tang Ya.

It's essentially that he and Tang Ya failed to manage their own people properly.

Xu Zihuang met Bei Bei's gaze and, understanding her meaning, chuckled softly, "Let's go, Senior Brother Bei. Senior Sister Xiaoya and Ning Tian have already entered the city. Let's hurry over too. Otherwise, Senior Sister Xiaoya will start urging us again later."

Beibei and Xu Zihuang exchanged glances, then smiled knowingly at each other. Everything was understood without a word.

As he walked into the south gate of Shrek City with Xu Zihuang, he subconsciously compared Yu Tianhuang and Huo Yuhao, then shook his head inwardly.

Compared to Yu Tianhuang, Huo Yuhao is far inferior, not only in terms of talent and strength, but also in terms of temperament and personality.

He had no doubt that Yu Tianhuang would become a major iconic figure in the Soul Master world in the future, while Huo Yuhao's future achievements would be limited to Soul Master.

"Beibei, Tianhuang, what are you dawdling for? Hurry up!" Just then, Tang Ya's voice rang out as expected. Xu Zihuang and Beibei had no choice but to quicken their pace.

Tang Ya stood inside the east gate tower of Shrek City, hands on her hips, scrutinizing Xu Zihuang and Bei Bei.

"You two are always so secretive, are you hiding something between me and Ning Tian?"

At the same time, she looked the two of them up and down suspiciously.

Beibei stepped forward and flicked Tang Ya's smooth forehead in an annoyed manner, her lips twitching slightly.

"Don't overthink it, I'm just talking to Tianhuang about some things."

He was genuinely afraid that Tang Ya, who was usually quite eccentric, would say something even more outrageous.

"Ouch, you little rascal, how dare you flick my forehead?" Tang Ya stretched out her delicate hand to cover her forehead, her fair cheeks blushing with a charming red from her anger.

Ning Tian watched Bei Bei and Tang Ya's interaction closely and teased them with a smile.

"Senior Brother Bei, Senior Sister Xiaoya, you two have such a good relationship."

"Who's in a good relationship with him?" Tang Ya blushed, pouted insincerely, and deliberately turned her face away, ignoring Bei Bei. Then she took Ning Tian's arm and pulled him towards the city.

Xu Zihuang and Bei Bei, who had been watching the two with smiles on their faces, followed Ning Tian and Tang Ya respectively. All four of them were wearing Shrek Academy uniforms, and their appearance and temperament were quite outstanding, instantly making them the focus of everyone's attention.

However, all four of them were quite used to being looked at and did not feel uncomfortable about it.

The embarrassment in her heart dissipated, and Tang Ya realized that she hadn't eaten anything since last night. Being a natural foodie, she immediately began her search.

Tang Ya, who had been scanning her surroundings, suddenly raised her smooth-skinned right hand, pointed her slender index finger forward, and said with a grin.

"Junior Ning Tian, ​​how about we have bamboo rice for breakfast this morning?"

As for Xu Zihuang and Bei Bei's opinions, she naturally ignored them.

“Okay.” Ning Tian followed Tang Ya’s gaze with interest. One reason was that she didn’t want to refuse Tang Ya’s suggestion; another was that her meals from childhood had always been meticulously prepared by the sect’s chefs according to her nutritional needs. Bamboo rice, such a common food, was something new and exciting to her.

Not far in the direction Tang Ya pointed, an old man was pushing a cart and hawking his wares by the roadside. Several large pots were on the cart, each covered with a layer of bamboo steamers. Beside him were two simple wooden tables and a few wooden chairs.

Tang Ya stepped forward and asked, "Boss, how much is your bamboo rice?"

The old man, who was busy with his work, paused for a moment when he saw the four. It wasn't just their appearance, but the aura they possessed that set them apart from other Soul Masters that made him realize they were different. Then, when he noticed the green Shrek Monster symbol on their school uniforms, he understood.

A sincere and particularly honored smile appeared on his deeply wrinkled old face.

The students of Shrek Academy are people beyond the reach of ordinary people like them. Having tasted his bamboo rice is something he can boast about for a lifetime. On the Douluo Continent, the gap between Soul Masters and ordinary people is greater than imagined.

"My bamboo rice is absolutely delicious, three copper soul coins a serving. You're the first customers today, so if you buy four servings, I'll only charge you ten copper soul coins. How about it?"

"Really? Thank you, sir." Tang Ya's eyes lit up immediately.

"Then give us four servings."

Xu Zihuang was closest to the old man, so he casually took out a gold soul coin from his storage soul tool and handed it to him.

Anyway, it wasn't much money, and given the close relationship among everyone, Tang Ya and Bei Bei certainly wouldn't fight over who would pay, let alone Ning Tian.

However, when the old man saw the gleaming gold soul coin, he smiled wryly and said with some difficulty, "Young man, I've only just opened for business today, and I don't have many copper and silver soul coins on hand. I can't make change for such a large denomination."

"Then keep the change, sir." Xu Zihuang smiled and placed the gold soul coin on the stall.

From childhood to adulthood, he really didn't have a concrete concept of money, nor did he care about this amount of money.

But the old man stubbornly refused to accept it and handed the gold soul coin back to Xu Zihuang.

"Young man, I can't accept this. Although I don't earn much every day, I only take what I deserve."

Xu Zihuang could only helplessly withdraw his gaze and look at Ning Tian beside him.

“I don’t have any change either.” Ning Tian shook his head, his red lips slightly parted. Like Xu Zihuang, he never carried silver or copper soul coins with him.

Tang Ya, who was helping Bei Bei select bamboo rice from the steamer, was speechless when she heard the conversation over there.

"Tianhuang, you and Ningtian are really like a pampered young master and lady who don't know the ways of the world. How are you going to live like this in the future?"

After handing the four selected bamboo tube rice to Beibei, she took out a silver soul coin from her soul tool and gave it to the old man.

"It's still early, Senior Xiaoya." Tang Ya's unintentional remark made Ning Tian blush.

At this moment, Beibei walked over carrying four trays in both hands. In each tray was a bright green bamboo tube, about the thickness of her forearm and the same length.

The aroma of bamboo and glutinous rice blends together, making one's appetite increase.

"Please sit down over there."

The bamboo rice in Beibei's hand immediately caught Tang Ya's attention, and she forgot all about teasing Ning Tian. She followed Beibei to the wooden table and sat down, her eyes never leaving the bamboo tube.

Xu Zihuang and Ning Tian sat down one after the other.

The old man originally wanted to split the bamboo tubes for everyone himself, but Tang Ya, who was eager to try, refused. Tang Ya even helped split the bamboo tubes for Xu Zihuang and the other two as well.

Breaking open the bamboo tube reveals distinct, glistening grains of rice, interspersed with red dates, dried fruits, and beans of various colors. It looks incredibly tempting. A semi-transparent bamboo membrane covers the surface.

After taking a bite, Tang Ya's eyes narrowed.

"Uncle, your bamboo rice tastes really good." She mumbled a compliment and then continued to eat heartily.

In contrast, Xu Zihuang, Ning Tian, ​​and Bei Bei ate much more elegantly.

Beibei looked at Tang Ya with unusual tenderness, while Xu Zihuang and Ning Tian whispered and chatted intimately. The atmosphere among them was quite harmonious, and their relationships gradually grew closer.

The four of them spent the rest of the day exploring almost the entire southern part of Shrek City. After having dinner at a barbecue restaurant that evening, they returned to Shrek Academy and went their separate ways.

Ning Tian, ​​Tang Ya, and Bei Bei all returned to their dormitories, while Xu Zihuang, under Elder Mu's instructions, began residing in the Sea God Pavilion starting today.

The following morning, Xu Zihuang, who was meditating cross-legged in his room on the first floor of the Sea God Pavilion, opened his eyes, which gleamed with a sharp light. The silver hexagonal pattern in the center of his brow slowly receded. The concentration of the spiritual energy in the Golden Tree was already several times that of the outside world, and under the influence of the silver scale that was attached to his soul bone, the spiritual energy in his room was so solid that it was almost tangible.

Since Elder Mu saw through his disguise, his external soul bone, the silver scale, must have been exposed. There was no need for him to hide it anymore.

"My soul power has broken through to level 45. At this point, my cultivation speed will no longer be affected by my ultimate attribute."

Xu Zihuang carefully observed the progress of his cultivation that night, and even with his composure, a hint of joy swept through his heart.

If things continue like this, he's confident he can reach level 50 in about a year and a half. And at that time, he'll only be fourteen years old.

A fourteen-year-old Soul King, and one with the ultimate attribute at that. He will likely rewrite Shrek Academy's history once again.

After washing up and getting dressed, Xu Zihuang bowed once more at the entrance of the Sea God Pavilion before leaving.

Not long after he left, specks of golden light gathered in the main hall of the Sea God Pavilion, and Old Master Mu's figure appeared out of thin air, lying on a wooden chair, his expression gentle and gratified.

"As expected, it is an external soul bone capable of gathering the power of heaven and earth. It seems my guess was correct. Child, you are indeed a person who has inherited great fortune. I really can't see through your future. But in any case, it is a blessing for the three great Douluo Empires."

In a secluded chamber on Poseidon Island, Ma Xiaotao sat cross-legged on a stone bed, her entire body flushed crimson and trembling. The scorching heat emanating from her body distorted the surrounding air.

But even in such an environment, an elderly man dressed in white remained unmoved, his face showing concern.

The old man was none other than Yan Shaozhe, the dean of the Martial Soul Department of Shrek Academy.