"Exactly one hundred, no more, no less!" Zhu Ziyang replied proudly and triumphantly.
"Good heavens!" Xia Yu exclaimed in shock. "You've truly opened my eyes. I thought I already held you in high regard, but I still underestimated you!"
"How about it? Yu-ge, it's still not too late to back out now," Zhu Ziyang said, a bit smugly.
"How could I! No matter how down on my luck I am, I, Xia Yu, can still come up with five million gold coins!" Xia Yu immediately shouted upon hearing Zhu Ziyang's words. "Are you kidding? I'm the Young Master of the Flowing Cloud Merchant Association; would I be short on money?"
As Xia Yu spoke, he pulled out a metal card and handed it to Zhu Ziyang, saying, "Take this card to the Flowing Cloud Merchant Association in Shrek City, give it to any steward there, and tell them my name. They will give you the money!"
"Alright!" Zhu Ziyang didn't stand on ceremony, directly taking the card and saying, "Then I'll be off."
Zhu Ziyang left the office.
"Brother, how was it?" Jiang Nannan came up to him and asked.
"Hahahaha!" Zhu Ziyang finally couldn't hold back his joy and burst into laughter. This inexplicable laughter made Jiang Nannan very confused. Just as she was about to ask, Zhu Ziyang scooped her up, spun her around in the air, and then set her down, saying, "Nannan, we're rich!"
"Really?!" Jiang Nannan didn't understand, but her eyes lit up when she heard Zhu Ziyang's words. If Zhu Ziyang said they were rich, then they must truly be rich.
"Mm!" Zhu Ziyang then told Jiang Nannan about Xia Yu's acquisition of the Juyuan Pills.
"Tsk~ Teacher Xia Yu is truly generous!" Jiang Nannan's eyes were almost in the shape of gold coins as she exclaimed.
"Hehe, let's go! Let's go get the money!" Zhu Zi Yang said, pulling Jiang Nannan's small hand.
Immediately, the two headed towards Shrek City.
---
Zhu Zi Yang successfully retrieved five million gold coins. Xia Yu's name and the card were very effective, and no dramatic events occurred.
After getting the money, the two immediately enjoyed a good meal in Shrek City.
After finishing their meal, Zhu Ziyang went to the inn in Shrek City, established by Shrek Academy specifically for its students, and sent the prepared Juyuan Pills, a family letter, and two million gold coins to Zhu Changhe and Liang Ying.
Afterward, the two returned to Shrek Academy, and coincidentally, they met Tang Ya, who had gone to obtain a spirit ring, and Yu Beibei, who had helped Tang Ya obtain a spirit ring—both of whom they hadn't seen in a week.
"Ah! Zhu Ziyang! Thank you!" As soon as Tang Ya saw Zhu Ziyang, she immediately rushed over, her expression excited, and hugged Zhu Ziyang directly, leaving both Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan stunned.
Jiang Nannan no longer cared about the joy of receiving a huge sum of money or reuniting with Tang Ya. Her small face immediately changed, and she grabbed Tang Ya's hand, saying, "Xiaoya, what are you doing? Let go of Ziyang-ge quickly!"
"Hehe! I'm sorry, I was too excited." Tang Ya heard Jiang Nannan's cry and immediately let go of Zhu Ziyang. She took Jiang Nannan's hand, a little embarrassed, and explained, "I am now filled with gratitude and admiration for Zhu Ziyang. His advice was excellent!"
"Hmph! Of course it was!" Jiang Nannan said proudly upon hearing Tang Ya's words, then smiled and asked, "Xiaoya, have you already obtained your second spirit ring?"
"Mm-hm! And more!" Tang Ya was very excited, her pretty face flushed with emotion.
"Ziyang, I truly have to thank you this time!" Yu Beibei also walked over, looking at Zhu Ziyang and speaking sincerely.
"It seems Tang Ya's gains must be significant!" Zhu Ziyang smiled and said, "Is it convenient to share?"
"Of course it's convenient!" Tang Ya now trusted Zhu Ziyang immensely and unhesitatingly recounted everything that had happened to Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan.
It turned out that after hearing Zhu Ziyang's words that day, Tang Ya thought about it alone for a long time. In her confusion, she thought of her parents and the successive sect masters of the Tang Sect, which finally made her determined to try.
So, when Yu Beibei found her, she told him her idea. Yu Beibei supported her idea and then took her to the elders of their clan. They went directly to the Cloud River Grand Canyon, as Mu En had mentioned, to find a Sky Star Vine of a suitable age for Tang Ya's second spirit ring.
Regarding Tang Ya asking him why he chose Sky Star Vine instead of Black Jade Bamboo, Yu Beibei directly told her it was guidance from the elders of their family. He also said he believed that Sky Star Vine and Ghost Vine both belonged to the vine-type Spirit Beasts, and Sky Star Vine was even more powerful. It not only fulfilled Zhu Ziyang's suggestion but also possessed the characteristics of Ghost Vine, making it very suitable as Tang Ya's second spirit ring.
Tang Ya strongly agreed with Yu Beibei's words and immediately decided to go to the Cloud River Grand Canyon to search for a Sky Star Vine.
From Tang Ya's narration, Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan both knew that Tang Ya's second spirit ring came from a Sky Star Vine.
Sky Star Vine, a top-tier plant-type Spirit Beast with vigorous vitality and extreme toughness. It is said to be a cosmic life form that fell from the starry sky onto the Douluo Continent, thus capable of absorbing starlight for cultivation and using starlight for attacks. As one of the few top-tier plant Spirit Beasts, Sky Star Vine is not only rare but also powerful. A hundred-year-cultivation Sky Star Vine can rival an ordinary thousand-year plant Spirit Beast.
For Blue Silver Grass Spirit Masters, Sky Star Vine is definitely one of the most suitable Spirit Beasts for their spirit rings. Not to mention the immense enhancement to the life level of Blue Silver Grass that Sky Star Vine, as a top-tier Spirit Beast, provides, just the toughness and vigorous vitality of Sky Star Vine can greatly benefit Spirit Masters with the Blue Silver Grass Spirit!
Tang Ya's gains precisely proved this point.
After Tang Ya absorbed the spirit ring from a six-hundred-year-old Sky Star Vine, her Spirit's origin was repaired and strengthened, which not only directly raised her spirit power to level 22 but also caused her first Spirit Ability to mutate, evolving into the more powerful Blue Silver Net. After absorbing the second spirit ring from the Sky Star Vine, Tang Ya's Blue Silver Grass Spirit was enhanced in all aspects. The Blue Silver Grass became tougher and more vital, and even her physique improved by several points.
As for the most important part, her second Spirit Ability, Blue Silver Star Chain, came from the Sky Star Vine's power. It releases a Blue Silver Grass vine with starlight that binds any target. It can both reduce the opponent's defense and enhance teammates' defense and spirit power recovery speed. It is a very practical control-support type skill, which is very suitable for Tang Ya, who plans to be a control system Spirit Master.
In short, Tang Ya after obtaining her second spirit ring could be described as a transformation, with all-round enhancements from talent to strength.
Therefore, Tang Ya, who deeply realized this, was so excited when she saw Zhu Ziyang, because she knew that if Zhu Ziyang hadn't reminded her, she would probably have followed her original path. In that case, she could already imagine that she might repeat her parents' fate.
Therefore, Tang Ya was filled with gratitude and trust for Zhu Ziyang.