Chapter 41: Let’s Go Hunt a Soul Together

“Mm! This tastes pretty good! Here, Ning Tian, you should try some too!”

The moment Wufeng received the grilled fish, she opened her mouth wide and tore off nearly half of it in a single bite, showing not the slightest trace of feminine delicacy as she chewed noisily.

The bones did not hurt her mouth in the slightest. After savoring the fish carefully, she nodded in satisfaction, swallowed it, and eagerly shared it with Ning Tian beside her.

Ning Wuqian turned his head and stared straight at Wufeng without saying a word, but his expression seemed to ask:

Where is mine?

“If you want some, buy it yourself. This is all mine! I’ll give it to whoever I want!”

Wufeng replied without backing down.

Seeing this, Ning Wuqian helplessly shrugged. If she would not give him any, then so be it. He turned to the somewhat awkward Huo Yuhao and continued,

“If you want to go to the Body Sect, I can send someone to the Heavenly Soul Empire to help you look for it. Your potential is quite good, and I happen to have the ability to lend you a hand. What do you say? Would you like to give it a try?”

“Yuhao, let me introduce myself again. I am Tang Ya, the current sect master of the Tang Sect. Joining my Tang Sect is no worse than joining the Body Sect. Besides, my Tang Sect has always possessed a recommendation slot that allows its holder to enter Shrek Academy without an examination. You understand, right?”

Tang Ya was unwilling to be outdone and began trying to recruit him as well, even putting on a rather flattering display for her Tang Sect. Ning Tian, who was also eating grilled fish, could not help covering her mouth and laughing softly at the sight.

The Tang Sect? It seemed to have faded from prominence several centuries ago. The Body Sect, on the other hand, had carried the reputation of being a top-tier sect ever since its reappearance.

Beside Tang Ya, Bei Bei was also feeling somewhat awkward. He knew all too well the true state of affairs within his own sect, but as a disciple of the Tang Sect, he naturally could not undermine its prestige. All he could do was hope that Tang Ya would succeed.

As for persuading Huo Yuhao to join the Tang Sect… Well, he did not want to go against his conscience. If Ning Wuqian had not been there, it might have been another matter, but now it was obvious that Ning Wuqian intended to offer the younger boy a bright future.

It was better not to interfere.

“I… I’m sorry, I…”

Huo Yuhao looked at Ning Wuqian and Tang Ya. He wanted to refuse, but did not know how to put it into words. After all, he was still only a child, and he naturally maintained a measure of wariness toward strangers trying to recruit him.

All he wanted now was to become a soul master as soon as possible. If he had nowhere better to go afterward, perhaps he could seek out the Body Sect Ning Wuqian had mentioned, gather some information, and then make his decision.

He still had to avenge his mother. He could not place his trust in others so casually.

“It’s all right. Young Master, you don’t mind if I lend him a hand, do you? Yuhao, did you come to the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest to hunt for a soul ring? I can help you. As for where you choose to go afterward, that decision will be yours.”

“Of course I don’t mind. Our Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has always treated people with kindness, believing that harmony brings prosperity. Whenever we encounter a talented person in difficulty, we naturally choose to lend a hand.”

Ning Tian cooperated smoothly, revealing some information about their sect to Huo Yuhao.

At this point, if Tang Ya did not object, Huo Yuhao would most likely choose to believe them. It would be even better if Tang Ya were willing to help.

A top-grade Body Martial Soul—if they delivered someone like that to the people of the Body Sect, then regardless of anything else, their personalities guaranteed that they would offer a more than generous reward.

Ning Tian knew that Ning Wuqian had never had the time to develop any offensive soul skills. Perhaps the Body Sect’s battle techniques could make up for that deficiency.

She was Ning Wuqian’s girlfriend now, after all. Naturally, she had to think on his behalf.

“You!”

Tang Ya grew anxious. This was an open conspiracy! How hateful!

But then she wilted. There was no other reason—she simply could not compete with them. What else could she do? Nothing but accept it!

Huo Yuhao looked at Ning Wuqian, then at Tang Ya, and spoke uncertainly.

“C-can I?”

He knew of the Tang Sect. If Tang Ya truly was its current sect master—or even merely a member of the Tang Sect—she would surely have contradicted Ning Wuqian if he had been lying, would she not?

But she had not. That could only prove that this sect called the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect really was benevolent. Furthermore, apart from Wufeng, Huo Yuhao could genuinely feel that both Ning Wuqian and Ning Tian were good people.

Though Ning Wuqian had seemed rather fierce at first.

“It’s hardly any trouble. Don’t let the fact that I’m only a little older than you fool you. Even an ordinary soul beast that has just crossed the thousand-year mark would be no match for me. I can move freely through the outer region of the Star Dou Forest without any problem.”

“That’s right, that’s right! Chef Huo, your grilled fish is pretty good. Wuqian is very strong. I’m a twenty-fourth-level Great Soul Master, but that guy can defeat me even without using his Martial Soul.”

Wufeng nodded in agreement as well. She could tell that Ning Tian intended to recruit Huo Yuhao, so she naturally could not let them lose face at this moment.

As soon as she finished speaking, Ning Wuqian decided to show Huo Yuhao a little of what he could do. He turned toward a small tree beside him and punched it.

Boom!

A muffled sound rang out, followed by a light crack that echoed in everyone’s ears.

Ning Wuqian’s single punch had snapped a small tree more than ten meters tall in half! Aside from a few wood splinters clinging to his fist, his hand was completely unharmed.

The sight made young Huo Yuhao’s eyes shine as he gazed at Ning Wuqian with admiration.

If only he could possess such strength as well. Then Mother would not have…

As that thought crossed his mind, a trace of hatred flickered through his eyes, so faint that it was almost impossible to notice.

At the same time, he believed Ning Wuqian’s words even more. With such strength, why would he bother lying to an insignificant nobody like himself?

That could only mean that everything he had said just now might be true.

He was not a good-for-nothing!

“So strong!”

Beside Tang Ya, Bei Bei frowned slightly. He could have accomplished the same feat just now, but only while his Martial Soul was possessed.

What about Ning Wuqian? He had looked as though he had barely exerted himself at all.

What an astonishingly powerful body! What could this man’s Martial Soul be?

Could it be one of the most powerful dragon-type Martial Souls? But Bei Bei had not sensed even the slightest trace of draconic aura from him.

By contrast, the fiery-haired, hot-tempered girl beside him possessed a fierce dragon aura. She should have a fire-attribute dragon-type Martial Soul, and its quality was certainly not low.

Beyond that, however, Bei Bei’s knowledge was completely insufficient to guess what Ning Wuqian’s Martial Soul might be.

“Then… thank you, Big Brother Wuqian. Thank you for being willing to help me!”

Soon, Huo Yuhao gave Ning Wuqian a deep bow and agreed to let him help hunt for his soul ring.

After all, considering everything that had happened, accepting was clearly the best choice, was it not?

“We were also planning to hunt for soul rings. May we come along? Since you’ll be heading to the academy to register afterward, how about we travel back together when the time comes?”

Seeing that Huo Yuhao had been completely won over by Ning Wuqian, Bei Bei offered an invitation to hunt for soul rings together even as he silently wished the boy well.

More people meant greater security. He hoped that Xiao Ya’s third soul ring would come from a suitable soul beast, and with Ning Wuqian and the others helping them, they might not even need to use their healing medicine.

Across from him, Ning Wuqian did not answer. Instead, he turned to Ning Tian and asked for her opinion.

“All right. Then let’s go together.”

Ning Tian held a grilled fish in one hand, a gentle smile appearing on her face.

She had always been a good judge of character. This Bei Bei fellow seemed to come from a respectable background and was worth spending a little insignificant time getting to know.