Douluo:Peerless Tang Sect: Douluo of Peaceful Heaven

The day after Jiang Nannan returned with her soul ring, she and Zhu Ziyang made their way to the Outer Court to meet with Tang Ya, Bei Bei, and the others for a reunion meal.

"Nannan!"

"Xiaoya!"

At the entrance of Shrek Academy, Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya embraced each other tightly, their faces glowing with joy. They had been separated for a long time—one in the Inner Court, the other in the Outer Court—and the last time they had met was three months ago. Now, seeing each other again, their happiness was unmistakable.

"It's been so long, Ziyang," Bei Bei said, looking at Zhu Ziyang with a warm smile.

"It has indeed been a long time," Zhu Ziyang replied. "So, any thoughts of entering the Inner Court this year?"

"Hehe, hard to say," Bei Bei scratched the back of his head. "You know, Xiaoya has been a little slow to start, so I want to wait for her."

"Hey! I've been working hard, you know!" Tang Ya suddenly piped up, clearly unhappy at Bei Bei's words. "And besides, I'm already at Rank 36, you're only at Rank 39, so I'll catch up soon!"

"Okay, okay, I get it. I won't say anything again," Bei Bei laughed and moved to take Tang Ya's hand. "I said we'll both enter the Inner Court together."

"Hmph! You don't need to wait for me. I'll make it on my own," Tang Ya said with a proud glance, her face turned away, but she didn't pull her hand back.

Both Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan couldn't help but laugh at the sight. It was well-known in the Outer Court that Bei Bei was intentionally waiting for Tang Ya. If it hadn't been for that, Bei Bei would have already reached Soul King by now. This wasn't just speculation—Xu Sanshi, who had been called Bei Bei's rival, had already become a Soul King, and Bei Bei, had he not been waiting for Tang Ya, would likely have already reached that level as well.

"Xiaoya, you've got to catch up!" Jiang Nannan teased with a laugh. "Both my brother and I are already Soul Kings!"

"What?"

Tang Ya and Bei Bei exclaimed in shock, their gazes fixed on Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan.

"Who's a Soul King?" A voice filled with similar surprise and confusion came from behind. Xu Sanshi walked in, pulling Xue Weiwei behind him. His face mirrored the stunned expressions of Tang Ya and Bei Bei. "Ziyang, you're already a Soul King? Good grief, how are Bei Bei and I supposed to survive with you around?"

"Really?" Bei Bei managed to recover from his shock and his handsome face filled with admiration. "Looks like it's going to be hard to beat you now, Ziyang! You sure are putting a lot of pressure on us!"

"It's just luck," Zhu Ziyang said with a casual smile.

"Nannan, if Zhu Ziyang is already a Soul King, what about you?" Tang Ya asked, her voice full of disbelief.

"Weren't we supposed to be sisters making progress together? How did you become a Soul King so quickly?"

"Yeah, that's true," Xue Weiwei chimed in with a smile.

"I didn't ditch you guys!" Jiang Nannan feigned surprise, acting a bit heartbroken. "I love you both so much, and now you're giving me a hard time!"

With that, Jiang Nannan lunged toward Tang Ya, trying to wrestle with her. Tang Ya quickly ducked behind Xue Weiwei, the two laughing as they went back and forth, while Ziyang and Bei Bei stood to the side, laughing at the playful scene.

"Alright, alright! I give up! You win!" Tang Ya declared with a smile, immediately surrendering as Jiang Nannan grabbed her.

"You're bullying me, using your speed-type advantage against my control-type!" Tang Ya grumbled.

"Hey, I didn't even use my martial soul!" Jiang Nannan retorted innocently, holding Tang Ya and playfully pinching her face.

"Hmph! You don't need your martial soul with that ridiculous physical strength!" Tang Ya shot back, her face scrunched in mock indignation. "Once I reach Soul King, I'm going to tie you up and give you a good spanking!"

"Sure, you threaten me like that?" Jiang Nannan said, raising her hand with a mischievous grin. "I'll take action right now!"

"No! I'm sorry, Nannan!" Tang Ya instantly surrendered, raising her hands in defeat.

"Hmph! Fine, I'll spare you this time," Jiang Nannan said, laughing. She turned to the group and asked, "We're all here—what are we waiting for?"

"Oh, right, we're just waiting for one more person," Tang Ya said, brushing her hair and adjusting her outfit. "Let's take this opportunity to introduce him to both you and Ziyang."

"Who's this person?" Ziyang and Nannan asked, curious. From the expressions of Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Xue Weiwei, it seemed like they all knew who Tang Ya was talking about.

"Hehe, it's our Tang Sect's newest member!" Tang Ya beamed with excitement.

"Tang Sect's new member?" Ziyang and Nannan stared in disbelief. They had no idea that one of Shrek Academy's students had been convinced by Tang Ya to join the Tang Sect.

"Xiaoya, how did you manage to do that?" Jiang Nannan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hehe, well, I kind of persuaded him to join," Tang Ya said, suddenly a little bashful. "But I didn't just talk him into it, you know—I offered him direct access to Shrek Academy without any entrance exams!"

"So, it's a new student this year?" Ziyang guessed. He quickly pieced together that Tang Ya must have used the Tang Sect's special qualification for an exempted entry to recruit a student who couldn't pass the regular Shrek admissions test.

"Mm!" Tang Ya nodded eagerly, then looked toward the academy. "Yuhou should be done with class by now… Why isn't he here yet?"

As Tang Ya glanced around, Ziyang and Nannan grew more curious about the new member, but Xu Sanshi and Xue Weiwei exchanged uneasy glances. Xu Sanshi had an expression that suggested unresolved tension.

"Xu Sanshi, what's with that look?" Ziyang asked, noticing the strange look on his face. "Does this new student have something to do with you?"

"Ask Bei Bei!" Xu Sanshi said, pointing at him with a hint of bitterness.

"Uhh~"

Bei Bei laughed awkwardly when Xu Sanshi pointed at him. "This isn't really my fault. You know, Xu Sanshi caused the trouble by attracting Xiaoya's attention. I did what I had to do—I won the battle fair and square, and just gave him a 玄水丹. That's more than enough, right?"

"Hmph!" Xu Sanshi's face darkened as he grumbled, "What's so great about a single 玄水丹? Do you think they're some cheap, easy-to-get medicine?"

The back-and-forth between the two clarified the situation for Ziyang: the new student must have had some trouble with his talent, which led to Bei Bei's involvement. He seemed to care about this student more than Ziyang expected, which made him even more curious.

Suddenly, Tang Ya's voice broke through his thoughts.

"Ah! He's here!"

She waved toward two students walking toward them from a distance.

"Yuhou, over here!"

Ziyang and Nannan turned to look, spotting two figures approaching. The first was a slender boy, dressed in a Shrek Academy uniform. His appearance was unremarkable—thin and average—but his eyes were remarkable, full of clarity and determination, with a touch of wariness. His gaze immediately reminded Ziyang of Tang Ya—a look of uncertainty mixed with anxiety, yet the boy carried a quiet strength.

Behind him, the second figure was strikingly different: a handsome, proud-looking young man with blue hair and a noble air about him. His arrogant gaze softened as it landed on the first boy, showing a gentler side of him.

A strange pairing, one that deepened Ziyang's curiosity. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of individual would join the Tang Sect, a fallen sect with so much baggage. The boy had to be special in some way.

The slender boy smiled brightly when he saw Tang Ya.

"Teacher Xiaoya!" he greeted her, waving his hand energetically.