Chapter 11: Both the Senior Sister and Tang Ya Are Lost

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Zhang Lexuan quietly stayed by Elder Mu’s side, watching as Beibei left the Sea God Pavilion with Ye Xixuan. The reason Elder Mu asked Zhang Lexuan to come here was not only to guide Ye Xixuan’s cultivation but more importantly to help resolve the emotional knot from his past.

“Lexuan, what do you think of Xixuan?” Elder Mu asked.

“His talent surpasses mine; he will surely become a pillar of the Guardian Academy in the future,” Zhang Lexuan replied calmly, a genuine smile flickering across her serene face, unaware of the deeper meaning behind Elder Mu’s question.

After a brief pause, Elder Mu sighed softly. “Back then, Beibei’s parents passed away one after another. My mindset then was far from peaceful as it is now. I’ve come to regret my actions from those days. Lexuan, you no longer need to abide by that vow. Live this life for yourself.”

“Elder Mu!” Zhang Lexuan’s voice suddenly grew emotional, even panicked, her tone stubborn. “I made that vow long ago. No matter what Beibei chooses in the future, I will only ever be his childhood bride. If he doesn’t love me, I will remain single forever, dedicating everything to Shrek Academy, to repay your kindness from all those years ago.”

“Oh, foolish child!” Elder Mu closed his eyes in pain, as if steeling himself for a difficult decision. “Do you know what I dread most? It’s that you treat these things as the very foundation of your life.”

With that, Zhang Lexuan stubbornly knelt before Elder Mu, tears streaming down her delicate cheeks. “Elder Mu, I can never repay your kindness in this lifetime! This is my own choice, not because of anyone else!”

“Very well!” Elder Mu gasped, his face flushing. “Since you want to repay my kindness, then I’ll have you tear apart and rewrite that vow from the past. I ask you to stay by Xixuan’s side until he grows strong enough to succeed as head of the Sea God Pavilion. And if you wish, you may become his childhood bride!”

At his level of cultivation and age, Elder Mu should not have been so emotionally unsettled. Yet his guilt toward Zhang Lexuan and his desire for her to find meaning in her life weighed heavily on him.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Lexuan took his impassioned words seriously.

“Yes, Elder Mu! I swear I will stay by Xixuan’s side and be his childhood bride.”

“That’s enough...” Elder Mu cut her off before she could speak further, his aura growing heavier with a somber dusk-like weight. He did not anticipate the extent of her stubbornness, and the more she resisted, the deeper his guilt grew.

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Only then did he belatedly realize how utterly shameless it was to have made ten-year-old Zhang Lexuan swear such a vow. He had ruined the child’s life.

Now almost twenty, Zhang Lexuan felt no romantic affection toward nine-year-old Beibei; her bond was rooted in responsibility and that ancient vow. She did not resist Elder Mu’s earlier words, rather, she yearned to find a new spiritual anchor and purpose. Naturally, that anchor became Ye Xixuan.

...

Elsewhere, Ye Xixuan and Beibei took a small boat to the lakeside trail near the outer campus of Shrek Academy.

The lakeside path led straight to Shrek Plaza. On the north and south sides of the plaza stood the Martial Soul and Soul Guidance teaching buildings, respectively.

Beibei introduced, “The teaching buildings here correspond to the colors of the uniforms. White is for freshmen, yellow for second and third years, purple for fourth and fifth years, and black for sixth year. The gray buildings north of Shrek Plaza are for the Soul Guidance Department.”

“Senior Beibei, are there any Soul Guidance students on Sea God Island?” Ye Xixuan asked.

“There are, but very few, and they have little presence even in the inner campus,” Beibei replied with surprise.

“Why? Are you interested in Soul Guidance Devices?” she teased.

“I think my first soul skill might be able to combine with a Soul Guidance Device,” Ye Xixuan said candidly.

In his past life’s memories, Xiao Hongchen possessed a similar soul skill. But Xiao Hongchen used his metal control ability to create ranged Soul Guidance Devices like Soul Cannons. Ye Xixuan’s first skill, Shadow Condensation, seemed better suited to close-combat devices.

Using close-combat Soul Guidance Devices aligns more with traditional soul masters’ fighting styles. The devices are just weapons; the soul and soul skills are fundamental—it’s not a case of putting the cart before the horse.

Hearing this, Beibei grew interested. “Can what you condense with your first skill conduct soul power?”

“It should only conduct dark attribute soul power,” Ye Xixuan answered after a moment’s thought.

As they spoke, they found themselves at the spacious Shrek Plaza, where a green sign hung nearby.

Beibei pointed beyond the plaza. “That path leads to the East Gate of Shrek City—the outer campus’s main entrance. Why do you want to go there?”

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“I have a friend there,” Ye Xixuan said, quickening his pace as he thought of the hardships Tang Ya might be facing.

Night had fully fallen. The main road inside Shrek Academy led directly to the city gate, lined with bright Soul Guidance lamps. At this hour, few people moved about; even the outer campus exams were strict, and everyone was focused on cultivation.

Beibei silently followed behind, hands clasped behind his head, a puzzled expression on his face. “A friend?”

A petite figure sat curled up on the base of a massive stone pillar outside the East Gate. Her jet-black hair fell over her face as she trembled softly.

“Senior Ya,” Ye Xixuan’s voice stirred her. Tang Ya instinctively looked up at his familiar face, then, unable to hold back her emotions, she sprang up and wrapped her arms around him, bursting into tears.

After absorbing his first millennium soul ring, Ye Xixuan’s stature had grown noticeably; now he was only half a head shorter than Tang Ya.

He embraced her slender frame, feeling the helplessness in her heart. He said nothing hollow to comfort her, knowing she needed more than empty words.

Tang Ya’s feelings were a mixture of helplessness, grievance, and bitterness—not only toward Shrek Academy but also toward herself.

Her fate stood in stark contrast to Ye Xixuan’s. If only she had his extraordinary talent, might things have been different?

Ultimately, it came down to her weakness.

Driven by this extreme emotion, the power hidden deep within Tang Ya’s Martial Soul was once again stirred.

Ye Xixuan’s own Martial Soul trembled in response; the pattern of the heart demon appeared uncontrollably, furrowing his brow. He placed his right hand on Tang Ya’s lower back, attentively sensing the source of the disturbance.

Watching from a distance, Beibei’s eyelid twitched for some unknown reason, but he failed to grasp the seriousness of the moment. Seeing Ye Xixuan’s subtle gesture, he only thought inwardly, “Xixuan’s way too precocious; no wonder he twisted Elder Xuan’s words earlier.”