A faint golden light quickly disappeared from Huo Yuhao's eyes. When he came to his senses, he jumped up excitedly and cheered, "I did it! I really did it! I'm a Soul Master now!"
Tang Ya couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Yuhao, is your martial soul spiritual in nature? When you released your martial soul, I seemed to feel a strong spiritual fluctuation."
Huo Yuhao returned to his senses after hearing Tang Ya's question. He replied a little shyly, "Yes! My martial soul is the Spirit Eye. It's a mutated martial soul with a spiritual attribute."
Tang Ya's eyes sparkled. "Spirit Eye? An original martial soul? That's amazing."
Even Bei Bei, who was usually calm, couldn't help but change his expression slightly and muttered to himself, "A martial soul with a spiritual attribute? And he got a Wind Baboon as his first spirit ring?"
"What a pity. If only I had helped you, you might've obtained a higher-level spirit ring," Wang Feng said regretfully.
"Hehe, it's fine. For me, this is already enough." Huo Yuhao smiled brightly, still feeling elated from obtaining his first spirit ring. It wasn't just any spirit ring, of course, but for now, Huo Yuhao decided to keep that a secret.
Tang Ya said angrily, "At first, we only suspected that you planned to enter the Great Star Dou Forest alone. I didn't expect it to be true. You're really bold. Don't you know the Great Star Dou Forest is known as a forbidden zone for humans? Even some high-level soul masters don't dare venture deep inside."
"A kid like you should be accompanied by a soul master when moving around in the Great Star Dou Forest. We chased after you to protect you. Bei Bei and I are also soul masters. Still, you're really lucky. Even though the first spirit ring you got isn't that strong, at least you weren't hurt."
After hearing her words, young Huo Yuhao suddenly felt a strong warmth in his heart. Though still a child, he had witnessed many of life's ups and downs. He could tell that the sincerity in Tang Ya's eyes wasn't fake at all.
Tang Ya giggled, "Look at that silly expression of yours. By the way, what do you two plan to do next?"
Huo Yuhao was stunned and began to seriously consider it, but Wang Feng immediately answered,
"After this, I'll be registering at Shrek Academy."
Both Tang Ya and Bei Bei were surprised to learn that Wang Feng planned to enter Shrek Academy. Then Bei Bei said, "Brother Wang, do you know the admission requirements for Shrek Academy?"
After hearing Bei Bei's words, Wang Feng was stunned too. He thought to himself, Who do you think you're talking to? Do I look like someone who isn't at level 15?
Then Tang Ya said frankly, "Let's be honest. There are two strict requirements to be admitted into Shrek. The first is that your soul power can't be lower than level 15. I think you probably meet that standard, but I'm afraid you might not meet the second one."
Wang Feng asked curiously, "Which one do I not meet?"
Tang Ya replied, "That's it. The other rule is that you have to be under twelve years old. You look about the same age as Bei Bei, right? You're probably a little over the age limit."
Bei Bei patted Wang Feng's shoulder comfortingly and said, "It's okay, Brother Wang. Shrek has never been rigid or stubborn. If you really have exceptional talent, then being slightly older isn't a big issue."
At this moment, Huo Yuhao also gave Ling Ge a reassuring look that said everything would be fine.
Wang Feng's expression now was basically: Meow meow meow? What the heck? Is it my fault I look more mature than my peers? Is that a crime?
He quickly explained to everyone, "You guys misunderstood. I'm only eleven years old. Maybe because I've trained my body regularly, my body developed faster than other kids. I'm not as old as Brother Bei!"
Everyone was stunned when they heard Wang Feng's explanation. Honestly, if Wang Feng hadn't said it himself, they would've definitely thought he was the same age as Bei Bei.
Seeing everyone's surprised expressions, Wang Feng couldn't help but ask, "Yuhao, how old are you?"
Suddenly called out, Huo Yuhao replied, "Oh, Brother Wang, I'm eleven years old this year."
Wang Feng asked again, "Since we're the same age, why do you keep calling me 'Brother'?" Wang Feng stared at Huo Yuhao with sharp eyes, as if he would pounce on him if he didn't get a satisfying answer.
Huo Yuhao let out a few panicked sounds before finally resigning himself to his fate, "Because at first I thought you were a few years older than me, so…"
Wang Feng couldn't help but twitch his lips when he heard Huo Yuhao's explanation. He had thought Huo Yuhao was simply being polite toward him, but it turned out it was just out of respect for his perceived seniority.
Unfortunately, it was all a misunderstanding~~~
"So Yuhao, what about you? What do you want to do next?" Tang Ya continued asking.
She immediately blinked at Bei Bei, who was standing beside her.
Bei Bei noticed the small gesture from Tang Ya and nodded helplessly, then asked, "Brother Yuhao, do you have any family?"
Upon hearing Bei Bei's question, Huo Yuhao's eyes froze for a moment. He then lowered his gaze, before lifting his head again and shaking it firmly. "There's no one left, just me."
After saying that, he couldn't suppress the sadness in his heart. His eyes turned slightly red, and he lowered his head slowly.
Seeing this, Tang Ya quickly realized she had touched a sore spot and hurriedly said, "Xiao Yuhao, if you don't have any family, why don't you join our sect?"
Upon hearing her words, Huo Yuhao raised his head and murmured, "A sect?"
Huo Yuhao had heard people talk about sects back when he was at the Duke's Mansion.
In the history of the Douluo Continent, the strength of various sects was immense, especially some of the ancient soul master sects with long-standing histories.
Like the legendary Three Great Sects he'd heard about from others—he had always been envious whenever people mentioned them when he was little.
Tang Ya nodded and said, "Yes, a sect. Our sect used to be the strongest on the continent! If you join us, you'll never be taken advantage of. And besides, the sect's unique skills are very compatible with your talents. You're all alone now, and still so young."
"If you join the sect, we'll definitely take good care of you. It's better than wandering around recklessly. After all, luck won't always be on your side. What if something goes wrong?"
Huo Yuhao subconsciously asked, "Sister Xiaoya, what's the name of your sect?"
Tang Ya said proudly, "The Tang Sect—once the number one sect on the entire continent."
Huo Yuhao's body trembled slightly when he heard "Tang Sect." You see, he grew up hearing legends about the heroes of the Tang Sect. He had once dreamed of joining it, but after awakening his martial soul, he had long since given up hope…
Tang Ya then began to tell Huo Yuhao about the glorious history of the Tang Sect, as well as its current weakened state.
Just as he was hesitating on whether or not to join, he looked at Wang Feng, who had been silent this whole time, and asked, "Brother Wang, have you joined any sect?"
"Not at the moment," Wang Feng replied. "I don't have plans to join a sect just yet." He then advised, "But Yuhao, I think it's better for you to join one. I might not need it now, but for you, it's important to have a sect that can dedicate itself to training you. After all… you don't have many options."
Hearing Wang Feng's words, Huo Yuhao was stunned again. Yes, with his current abilities and level, there weren't many good options for him to find a sect or organization that would accept him.
Now that a better option was right in front of him, what was there to hesitate about?
Then, Huo Yuhao looked seriously at Tang Ya and said, "Sister Xiaoya, I promise you—I'm willing to join the Tang Sect."
After Huo Yuhao agreed, both Bei Bei and Tang Ya were overjoyed. After giving him a few reminders and precautions, Huo Yuhao officially became Tang Ya's disciple.
Wang Feng, who had been silently watching this whole time, just observed calmly from the sidelines, waiting for them to wrap things up.
Huo Yuhao and the group revealed their final destination: Shrek Academy. They also invited Wang Feng to come along, and of course, he agreed.
However, before heading to Shrek, they needed to help Tang Ya obtain her third spirit ring. Wang Feng didn't mind. He had nothing else going on, so he was happy to explore Star Dou Great Forest with them.