Chapter 55: A Lion Hiding in the Eyes

Although the Golden-Eyed White Lion was not an exceptionally powerful soul beast, it took a considerable amount of time for Huo Yuhao to absorb its soul ring.

Ye Xixuan leaned back against the trunk of a large tree to rest, while Tang Ya lay lazily across his lap, shifting restlessly. With playful excitement, she stretched out the slender, delicate fingers of her right hand, letting the warm sunlight stream through her fingertips and fall upon her fair, exquisite face.

"Xixuan, which soul beast do you think I should choose for my third soul ring?"

"Elder Sister Ya, since your martial soul is Blue Silver Grass, your target soul beasts should prioritize plant-type ones." Ye Xixuan had already mapped out Tang Ya's cultivation path long ago.

Tang Ya sat up, looking somewhat puzzled as she asked, "My first two soul rings came from a century-old Cyan Vine and a century-old Ghost Vine. Should my third soul ring continue to be a plant-type beast? I remember our Tang Sect's ancestor, Tang San, hunted poison-attribute soul beasts like the Datura Snake and the Face Spider early on."

The Binding skill was a natural ability inherent to almost all plant-type soul beasts. Back when the Tang Sect was in decline, Tang Ya's parents lacked the capability to help her hunt a century-old Datura Snake, so they had settled for the second-best option: a century-old Cyan Vine.

Her soul ring combination happened to coincide precisely with Ye Xixuan's vision.

"But your Tang Sect ancestor Tang San's martial soul was not ordinary Blue Silver Grass; it was the Blue Silver Emperor, the supreme martial soul among plants. He didn't reach that realm because he absorbed soul rings from poison-attribute beasts; rather, his Blue Silver Emperor martial soul was simply powerful enough on its own." Ye Xixuan explained patiently to Tang Ya, though inwardly he thought that the so-called Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang was simply misleading his disciples.

Given the pure Blue Silver Emperor bloodline within Tang San, if he hadn't absorbed soul rings from creatures like the Datura Snake and the Face Spider in the beginning, his martial soul likely would have evolved into the true Blue Silver Emperor much sooner.

Although Tang Ya possessed a trace of the Blue Silver Emperor's bloodline within her, the purity of her bloodline certainly could not compare to Tang San's, who was a second-generation descendant born from the union of a human and a soul beast. If she were to absorb soul rings from poison-attribute beasts like the Face Spider, it would only make the probability of her Blue Silver Emperor bloodline awakening lower and lower.

Tang Ya held absolute trust in Ye Xixuan, and her carefree personality naturally loathed overthinking things. She immediately emptied her mind and decided to simply enjoy a happy life.

"What you're saying makes sense, anyway, I'll listen to you on everything."

Ye Xixuan rested his hand on Tang Ya's delicate shoulders, feigning a look of anticipation as he asked, "Do you really listen to me about everything?"

"Hmph! You've really learned bad habits from Beibei and Xu Sanshi, actually learning how to trick your Sister Ya into a trap!" Tang Ya realized it instantly, sitting up abruptly with a slightly flushed face as she glared at Ye Xixuan. Then, striving to salvage her reputation for keeping her word, she couldn't help but add a supplementary remark.

"Except for *that*, everything else is fine."

"Except for which one?" Ye Xixuan played dumb, continuing to tease Tang Ya. Just as Tang Ya had mentioned, he had indeed learned a great deal from Beibei and Xu Sanshi over the years. Coupled with the fact that he had shared genuinely intimate moments with Tang Ya recently, he had matured significantly when it came to matters between men and women.

"Hateful!"

Just at that moment, triggered by a subtle shift in spiritual energy, Ye Xixuan and Tang Ya simultaneously turned their gazes toward Huo Yuhao.

A faint yellow soul ring rose from beneath Huo Yuhao's feet, then slowly descended, ultimately settling around his chest. Sitting cross-legged, he opened his eyes, his bright golden pupils radiating an ancient and majestic aura, much like a golden lion king surveying its domain.

"Mother, have you seen this from heaven? Your Yuhao has finally become a great soul master!" Huo Yuhao could not conceal the excitement and elation in his heart, crying out inwardly. Clenching his fists tightly, his eyes welled up with hot tears.

His gaze was so humble, so sorrowful, yet it concealed the soul of a 'lion'.

"This is only the beginning of my revenge. One day, one day, I will raze the Duke of White Tiger's Mansion to the ground and make all of you pay with blood!"

"Little Yuhao, you succeeded?!" To cover up the shyness she had just felt in front of Ye Xixuan, Tang Ya stood up and walked quickly to Huo Yuhao's side.

Huo Yuhao hurriedly rubbed his eyes, unwilling to let outsiders see him looking this way. Yet, he felt heartfelt gratitude toward Tang Ya and Ye Xixuan.

"Elder Sister Tang, Brother Ye, thank you!"

"If you really want to thank us, then treat us to another meal of roasted fish. I just wonder if we'll ever have the chance again in the future?" Tang Ya burst into a bright smile, her foodie persona taking over once more as she completely dropped any pretense.

Mentioning this, she seemed to recall something, her eyes lighting up as she exclaimed, "Right! Little Yuhao, you're now a first-ring soul master. You can completely use our Tang Sect's quota to enter Shrek Academy and study! When the time comes, you can simply set up a stall outside the academy so I can eat the roasted fish you make every single day."

"Shrek Academy? The Tang Sect?" Although Huo Yuhao had not experienced much of the world, he had often heard stories about Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect from his mother when he was a child.

"Is that Shrek Academy, known as the continent's number one academy? And the Tang Sect... could it be the Tang Sect founded by the Thousand Hand Douluo, Tang San?"

"So you actually know about our Tang Sect and the academy?!" The smile on Tang Ya's face grew even brighter.

"That makes it even better! Here's the situation: the academy gives the Tang Sect one tuition-free admission quota every year, and this year that quota is vacant just like in past years, which happens to be perfect for you. You don't actually need to join the Tang Sect; you just need to use our Tang Sect disciple title when you register for admission at the academy. What do you think?"

"Can I really do that?" Huo Yuhao was nearly overwhelmed by such unexpected good fortune. Once he entered Shrek Academy, the continent's premier institution, if he completed his studies and returned, wouldn't he be that much closer to his goal of revenge?

Acting with brisk efficiency, Tang Ya retrieved a piece of stationery bearing the Tang Sect emblem from her spatial soul tool and handed it directly to Huo Yuhao.

"Here. This is our Tang Sect token. Take it to Shrek City, and you'll be admitted without an examination."

"Thank you both, Elder Sister Tang, Brother Ye." Huo Yuhao once again bowed sincerely to the two of them.

"Elder Sister Ya, just to eat this bite of roasted fish, you really are full of drive." Ye Xixuan sighed helplessly. Seeing that Tang Ya had pushed matters to this point, he decided to let nature take its course. As he spoke, he reminded Huo Yuhao, "You can skin that Golden-Eyed White Lion. After selling it in Shrek City, the money should be enough for your first-semester tuition fees."

"Heehee, Xixuan, you're always the thoughtful one." Tang Ya smiled sweetly as she leaned into Ye Xixuan's arms, then turned to Huo Yuhao with a look of mild regret. "After this, we still need to head to the Star Great Forest to hunt soul beasts and obtain soul rings, so unfortunately we won't be able to personally take you to Shrek City. But since you're now a soul master, and we aren't within the boundaries of the Star Great Forest right now, heading away from here in the opposite direction shouldn't bring you into any danger."

"Yes, Elder Sister Tang, Brother Ye. You've already taken such good care of me this time; I won't trouble you any further." Huo Yuhao nodded firmly.

Tang Ya said with a beaming smile, "Then let's meet again in Shrek City!"