The Glory of the Sun and Moon in the Peerless Tang Sect

Zhang Lexuan's smile remained unchanged as she continued to press for answers.

"With your talent, you will definitely be able to enter the inner academy within the next year or two. If the academy is willing to fully support your development, would you be willing to stay at the academy afterward?"

Xu Zihuang glanced at Zhang Lexuan, pondered for a moment, and then deliberately put on a bitter expression.

"Senior Sister, actually, I've long since run out of places to go. This year of studying at Shrek Academy has been the happiest and most relaxing time of my twelve years of life. Through my interactions with you, Senior Sister Wu, Senior Brother Chu, and Senior Brother Ye, I can see that the atmosphere in the Inner Academy is great. If I ever get into the Inner Academy, I think I'll like it here too."

His words were utterly sincere, his expression resolute, deeply moving. But what he truly thought in his heart, only he himself knew.

Zhang Lexuan's gaze toward Xu Zihuang grew increasingly affectionate and approving, and she nodded emphatically.

"I believe you will really like it here."

"..."

The two talked all the way to the shore of Poseidon Lake.

"Senior Sister, you can leave here. I can leave on my own from here."

"Mm." Zhang Lexuan responded with a smile, watching Xu Zihuang gradually rise into the sky.

She stood there for a long time, until Xu Zihuang's figure disappeared into the distant night sky, before she took light steps and walked towards the direction of the Sea God Pavilion.

"Whoosh—", with a crisp, light tremor, a thin, dark red crystal mirror quickly condensed in mid-air. Xu Zihuang, who was above the Sea God Lake, used his right foot to push off the mirror, and his figure took off again.

From a distance, it looks as if it is flying through the air, graceful and elegant.

A cold wind blew in his face, causing a few strands of purple hair to flutter across his forehead and temples, but his face still wore a gentle smile. However, there was an unusual calm in the depths of his deep purple eyes.

The coldness deep in his eyes was the complete opposite of the passionate young man who had been deeply moved earlier. He stomped heavily on the solidified crystal mirror, his figure obscured by a thick layer of mist.

The area covered by Poseidon Lake is very vast. At his current speed, it would take him at least fifteen minutes to cross the wide lake and enter the area of ​​the Martial Soul System.

Taking advantage of this rare moment of free time, he recalled in his mind the battle he had fought with the ten-thousand-year-old human-faced demon spider that afternoon.

Although his soul power is only level 42, its quality is excellent, and its total amount has reached the Soul King level. Combined with his four powerful soul skills, his overall combat strength is among the best even at the Soul King level.

If the soul skill stored in the imprint of the fourth soul skill is powerful enough, it might even be enough to threaten a soul master at the Soul Emperor level.

That's how the ten-thousand-year-old human-faced demon spider suffered a great loss at his hands, ultimately meeting its demise.

However, if he were to encounter a ten-thousand-year-old human-faced demon spider in the Soul Beast Forest, he certainly wouldn't unleash his full power without reservation like he did this afternoon.

He wasn't the only one limited by the terrain; the millennium-old human-faced demon spider was in the same boat. It's fair to say that within a certain area, his third soul skill, Time Distortion, held a significant advantage.

If this were in the vast Soul Beast Forest, where the Human-Faced Demon Spider had been entangled at a distance and relied on its superior cultivation level, it would be difficult to predict who would emerge victorious.

Fifteen minutes later, Xu Zihuang landed steadily on the smooth floor of the lakeside path and went straight back to the dormitory. As soon as he entered, he saw Tuoba Yu, Cao Jinxuan, Zhou Sichen and the others huddled together on the chairs in the dormitory living room, chatting and laughing.

Upon seeing Xu Zihuang push open the door and enter, the conversation in the living room abruptly ceased.

The three of them looked at Xu Zihuang with increasingly strange expressions.

Under everyone's gaze, Xu Zihuang calmly found an empty seat, put his hands behind his neck, and joked.

"You guys keep talking, why did you all go silent as soon as I came in?"

While Yu Tianhuang was powerful before, he was still within their comprehension. However, in the afternoon, Yu Tianhuang single-handedly killed a human-faced demon spider with ten thousand years of cultivation. They both had considerable backgrounds, and they understood all too well what that meant.

This means that Yu Tianhuang and they are from completely different worlds.

Seeing that Yu Tianhuang's attitude towards them was still the same as before, Tuoba Yu, Zhou Sichen, and Cao Jinxuan finally felt relieved.

A young person's mind is simple, but also very sensitive.

"You can't blame us for this. It's all because your feat of killing the Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Human-Faced Demon Spider this afternoon was too shocking. I was almost scared to death by you before," Zhou Sichen shouted from the side.

Upon hearing Zhou Sichen's words, Cao Jinxuan, his good brother and also his frenemy, immediately patted his chest and chuckled.

"Indeed, class monitor, I can vouch for you, Si Chen really peed himself."

Tuoba Yu readily agreed, "Really? I don't believe it. How about you give me another performance right now, Si Chen?"

"Get out, get out, get out—" Zhou Sichen cursed, making a move to fight with the two of them.

Zhou Sichen's interruption eased the atmosphere considerably. However, it would still take some time for them to adjust and get along as naturally as before.

Through subsequent conversations with the three, Xu Zihuang learned that nearly half of the students in Class 1 and Class 2 of the second year had passed the promotion assessment. Tuoba Yu, Zhou Sichen, and Cao Jinxuan were among them.

It's worth mentioning that all three of them successfully passed the academy's assessment for core disciples and officially became core disciples of the Martial Soul Department.

Tomorrow morning will be used for the remaining trainees to undergo an upgrade assessment. With over a hundred trainees across two classes, assessing each one individually is impossible to complete in just one afternoon. Trainees who have already passed the assessment are free to allocate their time tomorrow morning.

The next morning, Xu Zihuang and Tuoba Yu were happy to have some free time and spent the morning cultivating together in their dormitory.

They moved to a more spacious second-year dormitory, where everyone had their own single room. Xu Zihuang no longer had the same concerns when cultivating.

However, with his current cultivation level, a morning's cultivation was merely a drop in the ocean. This made him even more eager to break through his spiritual power to the realm of tangible yet intangible, using spiritual power to envelop his soul power during cultivation, thereby isolating himself from the effects of the ultimate lightning.

He and Tuoba Yu ate a top-tier dish specially provided for core disciples of the Martial Soul Department in the cafeteria. Before the afternoon class bell rang, the two arrived at the classroom of Class 1, Grade 2.

Because everyone arrived at class almost right on time, all the students in Class 1 of the second year have now arrived.

After the upgraded assessment, the original group of more than sixty trainees has been reduced to less than fifty.

But when Xu Zihuang entered the classroom, everyone's eyes were drawn to him without exception. Especially Dai Huabin and Wang Dong. However, Dai Huabin's gaze towards Xu Zihuang was very complicated, while Wang Dong's hostility towards Xu Zihuang remained undiminished.

Possessing twin martial souls, he harbored a deep-seated sense of superiority. Even after Yu Tianhuang displayed astonishing strength yesterday, he stubbornly believed that his future achievements must surpass Yu Tianhuang's.

This afternoon's lesson is a theoretical class on identifying the types and ages of soul beasts, and it will still be taught by Wang Yan.

Wang Yan stood behind the podium, looking at everyone with a serious expression.

"Personally, I really hope that everyone in Class 1 of the second year can stay, but unfortunately, that's the rule of the academy. The requirements for each subsequent promotion assessment will be stricter than the last, so don't slack off and encourage each other. I dare say that as long as you can get through these years smoothly, when you graduate from the outer academy of Shrek Academy, you will definitely be outstanding among your peers."

"Don't lose confidence just because some students are too outstanding. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, do your best to catch up."

After saying this, he looked around at everyone in the class and smiled gently again.

"Alright, let's begin the lesson."

During this class, many students seemed lost in thought and absent-minded, and Wang Yan knowingly refrained from pointing them out.

And just like that, it was time for get out of class to end.

Before class this afternoon, Ning Tian asked a student from Class 1 of the second year to tell him that Teacher Fan Yu wanted him to go to the Soul Guidance Department this afternoon.

Xu Zihuang simply walked out of the classroom alone and quietly came to the shore of Poseidon Lake.

Because the second-grade class ended early, most of the students had already left the classroom.

Xiao Xiao, who hadn't gotten up from her seat for a long time, kept staring at Xu Zihuang's back. As if she had mustered up her courage, she got up and walked out of the classroom. Before she could take a few steps, a tall blonde girl passed by her and walked towards Xu Zihuang first.

Xiao Xiao stopped walking as if deflated, not wanting others to notice her unusual behavior. She then changed direction and left Shrek Square in front of the teaching building as if it were normal.

The blonde girl was Ning Tian from Class 3, Grade 2. She had a gentle smile on her pretty face, but she glanced at Xiao Xiao out of the corner of her eye.

She must have paid attention to Xiao Xiao, this genius with twin martial souls.

She was already mentally prepared for the fact that outstanding young geniuses are never short of admirers.

But a sense of urgency still welled up inside her. Yu Tianhuang was simply too outstanding, so outstanding that she, as the next successor to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School, lacked absolute confidence.

Composing herself, she approached Xu Zihuang with a radiant smile.

"Tianhuang".

"Let's go." Xu Zihuang nodded, said nothing more, and walked side by side with Ning Tian toward the area where the Soul Guidance Department was located.

Last semester, they often went to the Soul Guidance Department together to study, as naturally as if they had practiced it countless times.

Strolling along the lakeside path, Ning Tian suddenly turned to Xu Zihuang and asked, "By the way, isn't Xiao Xiao, that twin martial soul genius, from your class?"

As he spoke, he carefully observed Xu Zihuang's facial expression.

"There is such a person," Xu Zihuang replied calmly, meeting Ning Tian's gaze.

"what happened?"

Whether it was out of shyness or guilt, although Ning Tian concealed it well, Xu Zihuang still noticed her fleeting glance.

However, Ning Tian quickly regained his composed demeanor and casually shook his head.

"Yeah. I just happened to see her when I came over."

The two, each with their own thoughts, chatted idly along the way. About fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the Soul Guidance System experimental area.

The lab wasn't as quiet as usual today. There were about twenty students inside, and most of them looked to be over fourteen years old, with a few even appearing to be eighteen or nineteen.

Inside the combat zone of the experimental area, two students were currently exchanging blows. Several teachers were nearby taking notes, presumably also completing their own upgrade assessments for the Soul Guidance Department.

At this moment, the competition between the two students had reached its final stage, with beams of light intertwining in the air, outlining dazzling brilliance.

Xu Zihuang subconsciously used the martial soul instinct of his golden eyes to capture the trajectory of these soul-guided beams, and with a slight thought, he looked at the students on his left.

As if responding to his gaze, the battle was decided.

"Bang—" The soul guide shield on the student on the left exploded, turning into countless points of light. Immediately afterward, a level four mobile soul guide shield controlled by the proctor appeared in front of him, blocking the opponent's remaining attacks.

"Tang Suifeng surpasses Lingxue. One point added." A teacher standing next to the testing area said this, then lowered his head to record it.

Standing next to the testing area were Fan Yu, a top-level teacher from the Soul Guidance Department, and He Caitou, a burly man with dark skin.

Fan Yu and He Caitou also noticed Xu Zihuang and Ning Tian entering the experimental area, but they were mainly concerned about Xu Zihuang.

Ning Tian was already used to this. He bowed slightly to Fan Yu with proper etiquette and then went to other areas to try out some soul tools on his own.

Each area here has instructors from the Soul Guidance Department to provide guidance, so safety is relatively guaranteed.

Xu Zihuang strode forward.

"Teacher Fanyu".

Then he smiled at He Caitou again.

"With Senior Brother."

He Caitou gave a simple, honest smile.

"Junior Brother Yu, I heard you really shone in the advancement assessment for the Martial Soul Department this time. Impressive, truly impressive." As he spoke, He Caitou gave Xu Zihuang a thumbs up.

Fan Yu also looked at Xu Zihuang.

"Tianhuang, I called you here today to ask if you have time during this week's public holiday. I have recently developed a batch of special fixed-mount soul-guided cannons, and I need you and Caitou to leave the academy to test their effectiveness in the field."

"Teacher Fanyu, is it just me and Senior Brother He?" Xu Zihuang was startled at first, looking directly into Fanyu's eyes.

Fan Yu nodded.