Chapter 73: Wang Qiu'er

After Chen Qiye used his Soul Saint power to drive back Long Xiaoyao, and after Huo Yuhao's questioning, they all returned to Shileke Cheng.

In the distance, Shileke Cheng finally came into view, and Huo Yuhao also calmed his mind. He had finally returned. The feeling of home eased the anxiety in his heart. Gazing at the distant, towering city walls, Huo Yuhao unconsciously clenched his fists.

The road must be walked step by step; his path is still long. Turbulent undercurrents surge across the continent; all he can do is continually strengthen himself. In a few months, the next Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament will be held in the Sun Moon Empire. Undoubtedly, this will again be a clash of dragons and tigers. He and his companions must not only go to war with the main force, but also fight under the name of the Shrek Seven Monsters.

Under Xuan Lao's leadership, the group landed dozens of li outside Shileke Cheng. The defenses of Shileke Cheng are extremely formidable; even allies would not rashly fly into the air, lest a misunderstanding arise. The same is true for Shrek Academy. With the development of the Soul Tool Department, various defensive soul tools have been continuously installed in Shileke Cheng and Shrek Academy.

A distance of several dozen li is but a moment for these powerhouses. When Huo Yuhao once again saw the gate of Shrek Academy, he could not help but feel hot tears well up.

To him, this place is not merely an institution that educated and nurtured him; it is his home!

The day he left the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, he told himself that from then on he was an orphan. His mother was gone, and everything depended solely on himself. Later, it was Shrek Academy that gave him the warmth of home, educated him to become talented, bestowed him with strength, and allowed him to progress step by step from an orphan to an outstanding figure among his peers. Having completed his studies and returned, Huo Yuhao's heart now overflows with longing for Shrek Academy and for his companions.

"Everyone go rest. Chen Qiye, Huo Yuhao, you will temporarily stay in the Sea God Pavilion. I'll arrange your lodging after the event ends in a few days. Your dorm on Sea God Island has been assigned to someone else." Xuan Lao said.

"An event? What event?" Huo Yuhao wondered.

Yan Shaozhe saw through his thoughts and smiled: "Silly kid, forget it. Recently is the time for our academy's inner court examination."

Only then did Huo Yuhao suddenly understand.

Shrek Academy's inner court holds an admission examination each year. The primary candidates are senior students from the outer court, but also some outstanding students from other academies who wish to enter Shrek Academy's inner court can participate at this time with recommendation letters from their home institutions. Those who pass also become members of Shrek Academy's inner court.

However, because Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department is the best on the continent, it is extremely difficult for students from other academies to pass its rigorous inner court examination. Usually only one or two outsiders succeed each year, and often there are none at all.

Back when he first entered Shrek Academy, Huo Yuhao had once dreamed of when he could participate in the academy's inner court examination. Now, at only seventeen years old, he has already become a member of the Sea God Pavilion.

"Dean Yan, should I also participate in the inner court examination?" Huo Yuhao asked. He even felt an itchy eagerness.

Yan Shaozhe looked at him with a strange expression and chuckled: "What? Do you want to show off your strength in front of the participants of this year's examination? If you're willing, of course you can."

Upon saying that, Xuan Lao and the other elders also couldn't help but laugh. Huo Yuhao is someone they have watched grow up; he is Mu Lao's closed-door disciple and the soul of the new generation Shrek Seven Monsters. If he couldn't even pass the inner court examination, the Soul Tool Department's Extreme Single Soldier Plan would be a total failure.

Huo Yuhao's face flushed, and he weakly defended: "I, I'm just worried that not participating in the examination might make my classmates feel it's unfair."

Xuan Lao said with a half-smile: "Alright, what examination? Beating the Dragon Emperor Douluo in a bet is already the best examination. In my view, if that were the standard, aside from you, no one else in this year's candidates could pass the examination. However, you still have an examination, and it is far more difficult than the inner court one. When the time comes, you'll cause me trouble."

"My examination? What is it?" Huo Yuhao asked curiously.

Xuan Lao's smile deepened: "You'll find out then. Are you coming back to the Sea God Pavilion with us now?"

Huo Yuhao shook his head: "No. I haven't been back for so long; I want to look around the academy."

"That's fine." Xuan Lao nodded. "Your companions should know you've returned today. Bei Bei and the others are waiting for you at Tang Sect; after you walk around the academy, go find them."

"And Chen Qiye, you should also take a walk! When you disappeared back then, everyone was worried."

"Yes."

For the several years that Chen Qiye disappeared, no one knew where he went, and Chen Qiye never told them.

After Xuan Lao gave Huo Yuhao a few instructions, he turned into a beam of light and vanished; the other elders and the two deans also departed one after another. Having returned to Shrek Academy's territory, they naturally no longer needed to worry about Huo Yuhao's and Chen Qiye's safety.

"The senior brothers are waiting for me at Tang Sect? Then I'll just go to Tang Sect first."

"Then I'll first take a turn around Shileke Cheng."

And so the two parted ways.

Just as Chen Qiye arrived in Shileke Cheng, he noticed a figure darting out from within Shrek Academy; moving very fast, by the time he turned around, the person was already before him.

She was a woman, tall and slender, dressed in white tight-fitting clothes with silver trim on the garments. Her hair was wrapped in a cloth, and her face was covered by a veil.

It is early spring now; the plains surrounding Shrek Academy are prone to wind and sand, so it is quite normal for girls to wear veils.

For some unknown reason, upon seeing this person, Chen Qiye suddenly felt a sense of familiarity. At that very moment, the cloth on the girl's head was blown away by a gust of wind from in front of her, flying straight toward Chen Qiye's side.

Chen Qiye instinctively reached out to catch the cloth, and at that instant his whole body shuddered, his eyes unable to stray from the girl.

The cloth fell away, and a head of pinkish-blue wavy long hair flew loose in the girl's gasp, covering her entire back.

In the blink of an eye, above the veil, a pair of slightly panicked pinkish-blue large eyes locked gazes with Huo Yuhao's steady stare.

That fleeting gaze! Chen Qiye felt as if his soul were about to leave his body; the sense of familiarity, the breathtaking gaze, and the exhilaration rising from the depths of his spirit left his emotions on the verge of overflowing.

The four words 'Goddess of Light' almost slipped from his lips.

Yes! Why is it so familiar? Everything this girl displayed before him was exactly like the Goddess of Light! Huo Yuhao almost wanted to go up and rip off her veil.

"You..." he uttered a single word, and Huo Yuhao embarrassedly discovered his voice was trembling.

The girl's panic lasted only a moment; she instinctively extended her slender jade hand to smooth her hair and reached out another hand toward Huo Yuhao.

Her hand was fair and slender, looking just as familiar—indeed, exactly like the Goddess of Light in Chen Qiye's sound of the Light's Rainbow Robe! Chen Qiye felt as if his very soul were groaning.

"Return it." The girl's melodious voice sounded like a lark singing softly.

Chen Qiye instinctively returned the cloth; before he could speak, the girl took it, turned, and ran, a faint golden light shimmering from her body. By the time Chen Qiye reacted, all that remained was a slender silhouette. Watching her depart, Chen Qiye murmured, "Imperial Auspicious Beast, you have appeared after all."

…

Elsewhere

More than two years have passed, and I don't know how they are now. Are the eldest senior brother and third senior brother still alright? What about the fourth and fifth senior sisters. Wang Dong doesn't know whether he's at the academy or Tang Sect. Let's go check Tang Sect first.

Thinking of this, he pulled out a map from his Twenty-Four Bridge Bright Moon Night. This was a map drawn for him by Bei Bei back then, showing the detailed location of Tang Sect within Shileke Cheng.

Tang Sect occupies a considerable area; although it is in a relatively remote part of the city, to possess such a plot of land in Shileke Cheng, where every inch of ground is precious, is already a special favor from the academy.

Striding forward, Huo Huo weaved through the city. It had been a long time since he'd returned, and Shileke Cheng still appeared prosperous, with dense crowds of people and shops lining the streets doing brisk business. As one of the important trade hubs of the Douluo Continent, the bustling Shileke Cheng has always been the primary source of income for Shrek Academy; otherwise, how could the academy support the research of the Soul Tool Department? Just as Huo Yuhao headed toward Tang Sect, not far away, a pair of lovely eyes in a shop kept following him, watching him disappear at the end of the street before the owner stepped out.

It was his first time coming to Tang Sect, and relying on the map he ended up wasting some time. It took a full half hour before he finally located Tang Sect.

From afar, he saw the outer wall of Tang Sect. The vermilion wall stood over two zhang high and stretched nearly a hundred meters along the street.

The main gate of Tang Sect is three zhang tall, bearing a huge plaque with the gilded characters "Tang Sect" high above. When Huo Yuhao saw the signature beneath the plaque, his emotions surged instantly.

Mu En!

These two characters "Tang Sect" were actually written by Mu Lao before his death! Seeing them, Huo Yuhao not only thought of Mu Lao, but also of another teacher who had recently passed away; a deep sorrow welled up in his eyes.

"Teacher." He softly called out those two words, and Huo Yuhao's body trembled slightly.

Just then, the main gate of Tang Sect opened, and a person stepped out, coming face to face with Huo Yuhao.

"Nana?" Upon seeing her, Huo Yuhao exclaimed in delight. The girl before him was none other than Nana, whom he had rescued from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy, possessing a Ghost Martial Soul. Seeing him, Nana was equally overjoyed; she hurried forward two steps, knelt on one knee, and cried, "Master."

Huo Yuhao was startled by her, quickly sidestepped to avoid her gesture, and said, "Nana, what are you doing? Get up quickly."

Nana, however, refused to get up, and she vigorously shook her head, her eye sockets also turning red.

Huo Yuhao stepped forward, grabbed her arm and helped her up: "What's wrong, Nana? Don't cry!"

Nana wiped away the tears in her eyes, stared deeply at Huo Yuhao, and said: "Master, your kindness in giving me a second life is something I will never forget. Since coming to the Tang Sect, I have finally known what happiness and joy are. Master, you not only liberated my parents' souls, but also gave me a brand‑new life. In this life and the next, as a servant or maid, I will surely repay your grace."

Compared with before, Nana's complexion is much better—her delicate face is white with a hint of red, her whole body brims with youthful vigor and vitality, and her mental state is incomparable to what it was before.

Huo Yuhao then relaxed, gave a hehe laugh, and said: "When I saw you crying, I thought you weren't happy in the Tang Sect. Forget about all this talk of gratitude or not. In terms of age, you're a bit older than me. From now on, just call me by my name, and I'll call you by yours. You're already a member of the Tang Sect, so we're just friends."

"How could that be?" Nana firmly refused, "Master and servant are distinct; how could I directly call your master's name? I keep my word, Master—you're not testing me, are you?"

Huo Yuhao gave a wry smile and said: "You're overthinking it. Nana, listen to me: if you insist on acknowledging me as your master, you will never be able to forget the past, and if that's the case, you cannot truly be happy and joyful. Do you understand? When I helped you before, it wasn't to make you my servant, but because I sincerely wanted to help someone who shares a similar experience to mine. My childhood ordeal was somewhat like yours—I also lost my most beloved mother. We are bound by the same fate; how could I be your master? Forget the past; since we're starting anew, let bygones be bygones. By joining the Tang Sect and contributing to its reconstruction, you've already given me the best help possible."

Nana still wanted to say something, but seeing Huo Yuhao's determined gaze, the words on her lips were ultimately swallowed back.

"Master..."

"Huh? You're still calling me that?" Huo Yuhao straightened his face.

Nana said embarrassedly: "Huo Yuhao."

Huo Yuhao laughed: "That's right. Nana, do you have something to attend to outside? Then go ahead quickly. Are my senior brothers there?"

Nana nodded and said: "Mr. Bei is in. Please go in."

"Use 'you', not 'you (formal)'." After reminding Nana again, Huo Yuhao waved goodbye and hurried into the Tang Sect. He really wanted to see his companions as soon as possible.

Watching him slip through the gate, Nana's mouth curved into a sweet smile as she murmured to herself: "If you won't let me call you aloud, then I'll call you in my heart. Anyway, I've acknowledged you as my master, so you are my master—this will never change. You can't control me on this."

Saying that, she cheerfully turned and left.

Having entered the Tang Sect, Huo Yuhao did not see a spacious courtyard; the front yard was small, with side rooms on both sides and little decoration, which really contrasted with the imposing appearance seen from outside. More of the space had been built into rooms.

As soon as he was seen entering, two youths in white robes stepped forward and blocked his path.

"What business do you have?" asked one of the youths, about twenty years old.

Huo Yuhao gave a hehe laugh and said: "Going home."

"Going home?" The youth blinked in surprise.

Huo Yuhao said: "My name is Huo Yuhao, and I'm also a member of the Tang Sect. Bei Bei is my senior brother. Is he here?"

Upon hearing that, both white‑clad youths showed delight. The one who had spoken earlier said: "So you're the sixth senior brother. The eldest senior brother is here; I'll lead you in."

Huo Yuhao modestly said: "I might not be older than you, so there's no need to call me senior brother; just call me by my name."

The youth gave a hehe laugh and said: "Sixth senior brother, that's not how it works. The eldest senior brother said that upon entering the sect, ranks are determined by order of arrival. Moreover, we are only nominal disciples for now; only after passing the sect's examination can we become official disciples."

Huo Yuhao felt a stir in his heart; it seemed the eldest senior brother had already set rules in the sect—this is a good thing. He then said nothing more and, following the youth, entered the second courtyard.

(End of chapter)