The day after Jiang Nannan returned from hunting for her spirit ring, the two of them went to the Outer Courtyard for a dinner gathering with Tang Ya, Bei Bei, and others.
"Nannan!"
"Xiaoya!"
At the entrance of Shrek Academy, Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya excitedly embraced. Because one was in the Outer Courtyard and the other in the Inner Courtyard, their opportunities to meet were very limited. Their last meeting had been three months ago, so both girls were very happy to see each other again.
"Long time no see, Ziyang." Bei Bei looked at Zhu Ziyang and said with a smile.
"It has been a long time." Zhu Ziyang replied, "How about it? Any thoughts of entering the Inner Courtyard this year?"
"Hehe, hard to say." Bei Bei scratched the back of his head and said, "You know, Xiaoya started a bit late, and I want to wait for her."
"Hey, I'm working very hard, you know!" Tang Ya heard Bei Bei's words and immediately said with some dissatisfaction, "Besides, I'm already at level 36, and you're only at level 39! I'll catch up to you very soon!"
"Yes, yes, yes, is it not enough that I said the wrong thing?" Bei Bei said with a smile, walked in front of Tang Ya, and held her hand, "I told you, we will definitely enter the Inner Courtyard together!"
"Hmph!" Tang Ya pouted her head away haughtily and said, "I can enter the Inner Courtyard even without you waiting for me." But the hand held by Bei Bei was not withdrawn.
Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan couldn't help but laugh at this scene. It was almost common knowledge in the Outer Courtyard that Bei Bei was intentionally waiting for Tang Ya. Otherwise, with Bei Bei's talent, he would have already reached the Spirit Ancestor realm by now. This was not mere speculation, but had a practical reference point. Xu Sanshi, who was called one of the 'Twin Stars of the Outer Courtyard' along with Bei Bei, was already a Spirit Ancestor. If Bei Bei hadn't been waiting for Tang Ya, he would surely be a Spirit Ancestor by now.
"Xiaoya, you need to work harder!" Jiang Nannan said with a sweet laugh, "My brother and I are both Spirit Kings now!"
"What?!" Tang Ya and Bei Bei were shocked upon hearing this, staring blankly at Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan.
"Who is a Spirit King?" A voice, equally filled with shock and confusion, came from behind. Xu Sanshi walked over, pulling Xue Weiwei along. Xu Sanshi's expression was highly similar to Tang Ya's and Bei Bei's. He said, "Ziyang, you're already a Spirit King?! Oh my goodness, how are Bei Bei and I supposed to live?"
"Indeed!" Bei Bei recovered from his shock, a deep admiration appearing on his handsome face. He said, "It seems I'm unlikely to ever defeat you now, Ziyang! You really put a lot of pressure on people!"
"Just luck." Zhu Ziyang said with a faint smile.
"Nannan, it's one thing for Zhu Ziyang to become a Spirit King, but how did you become a Spirit King too? We said we'd be good sisters together, how did you advance so quickly?" Tang Ya said, her face full of helplessness and a wry smile, "Right, Weiwei, now we're not worthy of being best friends with Nannan anymore!"
"Mhm, mhm!" Xue Weiwei smiled sweetly and agreed.
"Oh, you're good! I haven't even looked down on you, and you're already trying to push me away!" Jiang Nannan feigned surprise and said heartbrokenly, "To think I liked you two so much!"
After speaking, Jiang Nannan pounced towards Tang Ya, preparing to teach her a lesson, while Tang Ya hurriedly dodged behind Xue Weiwei. Xue Weiwei laughed continuously, caught between the two girls, playing favorites. The three girls laughed and chased each other for a while.
"Alright, no more running, I surrender." Tang Ya stopped, caught by Jiang Nannan, and immediately announced her surrender, saying, "Nannan, you're too much of a bully! An agility-attack system Spirit King bullying a control system Spirit Elder like me is not fair play!"
"Not at all, I didn't even use my Spirit!" Jiang Nannan argued, hugging Tang Ya, and gently pinching Tang Ya's cheek with her hand, saying with a light laugh.
"Hmph! Your physical quality is already so high, where do you even need to use your Spirit?!" Tang Ya wouldn't listen to Jiang Nannan's excuses and said directly, "Once I reach Spirit King, I'm going to tie you up and spank your bottom hard!"
"Oh, you're threatening me!" Jiang Nannan immediately raised her jade hand, preparing to strike first, and said, "Then I'm going to make my move right now!"
"No! Sister Nannan, I was wrong!" Tang Ya decisively conceded, saying.
"Hmph! I'm magnanimous, so I'll let you off." Jiang Nannan hadn't really intended to act. Seeing Tang Ya concede, she went along with it and let her go. Then she asked, "We're all here, what are we still waiting for?"
"Oh, right, there's still a junior who hasn't arrived yet." Tang Ya tidied her hair and clothes, which had become messy from their playful scuffle, and explained, "This is a good opportunity to introduce him to you and Zhu Ziyang."
"Who is it?" Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan were both curious, because judging by the expressions of Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Xue Weiwei, they all seemed to know the person Tang Ya was talking about.
"Hehe, he's a new member of our Tang Sect!" Tang Ya was very excited and said with a giggle.
"A new member of the Tang Sect?!" This time it was Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan's turn to be shocked. They hadn't expected that a student from Shrek Academy would actually be persuaded by Tang Ya to join the Tang Sect.
"Xiaoya, how did you manage that?" Jiang Nannan immediately inquired.
"Hehehe, actually, I tricked that kid into joining the Tang Sect." Tang Ya looked at Jiang Nannan's eager and curious gaze, then suddenly smiled somewhat awkwardly, saying, "No, it's not exactly tricking, after all, I did give him the qualification to enter Shrek Academy without needing to pass the assessment!"
"So, he's a freshman this year?" Zhu Ziyang understood. It was very likely that Tang Ya had used the Tang Sect's quota for Shrek Academy's exemption from entrance exams to entice a student who couldn't pass the enrollment assessment to join the Tang Sect.
"Mhm!" Tang Ya nodded, then looked towards the academy, wondering, "At this time, Yu Hao should be out of class, right? Why isn't he here yet?"
Watching Tang Ya's actions, Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan couldn't help but become more curious about this new Tang Sect member. However, Xu Sanshi and Xue Weiwei's expressions were a bit strange, especially Xu Sanshi, who had a hint of resentment on his face.
"Xu Sanshi, why do you have that expression? Is that freshman related to you?" Zhu Ziyang asked in confusion.
"Ask Bei Bei!" Xu Sanshi pointed at Bei Bei and said, full of resentment.
"Uh~" Bei Bei, singled out by Xu Sanshi, couldn't help but feel a little awkward. He said with a smile, "You can't blame me for this. Who told you to provoke Xiaoya? Besides, I won an over-level challenge. One mystic water pill from you is already very generous!"
"Hmph!" Xu Sanshi's face darkened as he said, "What do you mean 'just' one mystic water pill? Do you think mystic water pills are some kind of common street medicine?"
The conversation between the two made Zhu Ziyang understand the reason. The freshman's talent was not good, so Bei Bei had conned Xu Sanshi out of a mystic water pill. It seemed Bei Bei cared a lot about that new Tang Sect member. In that case, that person might not have joined the Tang Sect solely for the Shrek Academy exemption.
This made Zhu Ziyang even more curious. What kind of fool would have the guts to join a declining Sect like the Tang Sect, which was involved in such significant matters?
"Ah, they're here!" Tang Ya exclaimed in surprise, waving at two freshmen not far away, "Yu Hao, over here!"
Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan both followed Tang Ya's gaze, only to see the two freshmen walking towards them. As they approached, their appearances became clear to Zhu Ziyang. Walking in front was a somewhat thin young man. He wore a freshman uniform, had a slender build, and a rather ordinary appearance, but he possessed a pair of memorable eyes—clear, bright, emanating determination and vigilance. At first glance, Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan immediately confirmed one thing: he was the new member of the Tang Sect!
Because his eyes were so similar to Tang Ya's back then, like a fawn venturing into a night-time wilderness, filled with the panic, unease, loss, doubt, and fear of facing the unknown night. The only difference was that Tang Ya had a bit more optimism, which was not seen in this young man's eyes. Perhaps Tang Ya was also like this before she met Bei Bei.
The young man walking behind presented a stark contrast to the first. With short blue hair, a handsome face, arrogant eyes, and an air of nobility, he was clearly from an aristocratic background. His eyes held an air of looking down on everything, only softening to a gentle expression when they fell upon the young man in front.
It was a very strange combination, which only intensified Zhu Ziyang's curiosity.
"Teacher Xiaoya!" The thin young man's face broke into a simple smile when he saw Tang Ya, and he immediately waved back in response.