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In the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest, the air was filled with the rhythmic sound of cracking seeds. Su Yan sat comfortably, enjoying the melon seeds that Ah Yin and the others had carefully shelled for him. He took a breath and continued his story, his voice steady as he picked up where he had left off.
Su Yan said, "Let's keep talking about Tang Ya. After she entered Shrek Academy, she didn't just focus on herself. She actually set up a grilled fish stall for Huo Yuhao. She did it to help him cover his living costs and tuition. It was her way of helping him earn money so he could stay in school."
Liu Erlong chimed in, sounding a bit skeptical. "Wait, it is just like Su Yan said last time. Does even the Child of Destiny have to sell grilled fish just to get by?"
Xiao Wu, using her handle Loves Eating Carrots, joined the conversation. "In your world, doesn't Spirit Hall hand out subsidies anymore? Back in my day, every low-level Spirit Master got help."
Bibi Dong responded sharply, her tone cold and regal. "Spirit Hall is gone in that era. If it doesn't exist, who exactly do you think is going to pay them? Are you going to volunteer?"
Dugu Yan, known as Yanzi is not a Swallow, let out a digital laugh. "Xiao Wu, you might as well kill us all with laughter. Thinking the empires would be as generous as Spirit Hall is a joke."
Ma Xiaotao, a student from the future Shrek Academy, felt a bit defensive. "Hey, we can collect wages too. The three Great Empires issue them to talented Spirit Masters."
Su Yan shook his head and replied, "Stop joking. Spirit Hall gave every Spirit Master on the continent a free stipend, regardless of where they came from. Spirit Hall trained Spirit Masters whose origins didn't matter at all. What you get in your time is called a salary. Those are different words with very different meanings. Besides, that money is only available in Shrek City. There is no comparison with the old Spirit Hall system, okay?"
In the era of Douluo Dalu 2, inside Shrek Academy, Ma Xiaotao felt a bit depressed after reading those words. She had grown up hearing that Spirit Hall was the villain of history, but the facts were starting to confuse her. She wondered if Spirit Hall was really as good as Su Yan claimed.
Ma Xiaotao asked, "Old Ancestor Xiao Wu, was Spirit Hall truly that great? Everyone talks about it like it was a place of evil."
Xiao Wu replied honestly, "It wasn't exactly great because they were very overbearing and liked to control everything. However, it's true that you could collect money anywhere and do absolutely nothing to earn it. It was all free for Spirit Masters."
Another group member added, "Exactly! Not only did you do nothing for the money, but you could even grow up and turn against Spirit Hall later. Tell me, what was so wrong with a place that fed its future enemies?"
Liu Erlong spoke up to support the claim. "Xiaotao, if you don't believe it, you should come see for yourself. Although the Pope is a bit crazy, everything Su Yan mentioned really did exist back then."
Ma Xiaotao looked at her screen and sent a message to the former Pope. "Bibi Dong, don't you still have one teleportation reward left? Give it to me so I can come study Spirit Hall's brand of justice for myself."
Deep within the Spirit Hall of the past, inside the Pope's Bedchamber, Bibi Dong smiled when she saw that message. She found the girl's boldness amusing. Next to her, Hu Liena looked at the screen and started laughing. "Her little plan is so obvious it is practically slapping me in the face. She just wants a free trip."
Hu Liena typed back, "It is a one-time reward. What if you come here and can't get back to your own time? You'd be stuck."
Ma Xiaotao didn't seem to mind. "If I can't return, how about I just stick with you guys? I'm sure I'd fit in."
Bibi Dong decided to shut that down with her usual pride. "Sorry, Xiaotao. This Supreme Pontiff has her eye on the Blue Silver Saintess right now. The Fire Phoenix Saintess isn't currently within my range for taking disciples."
Liu Erlong burst out laughing at the blunt rejection. "Hahaha! Better luck next time, Xiaotao!"
Meanwhile, back in the timeline of Douluo Dalu 2, Tang Ya was about to explode with anger. She glared at the messages, feeling insulted. She thought to herself, "Bibi Dong, you bastard, you're still thinking of taking me as your disciple? Am I insane? Why would I ever acknowledge you as my master?"
Tang Ya typed into the chat with frustration, "All of you, enough! Hurry up and tell me how I become an Evil Spirit Master in the future! Stop talking about disciples and money."
The ninth group member replied, "Wait, didn't you say you didn't believe any of this earlier?"
Wang Dong added a short comment. "It seems she has selective belief now."
Su Yan continued the narration. "Next in the story, Huo Yuhao starts his journey to power. He wins the freshman assessment final with Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao. Later, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and He Caitou all join the Tang Sect. At that point, the Tang Sect finally looks hopeful. It has more people, and they are all geniuses. However, that is when Tang Ya's heart begins to change. Because Huo Yuhao's group members are the new Shrek Seven Devils, their talent is so outstanding that Tang Ya starts feeling inferior. She starts to feel that the revival of the Tang Sect is an impossible dream for someone like her."
Su Yan sighed before typing more. "Later, while Huo Yuhao and the rest were away at the Continental High-Level Spirit Master Tournament, Tang Ya finally awakened the hidden gift of her spirit. Her Blue Silver Grass had the innate gift of devouring life. Every night after school, she would slip out of the academy and find dense forests. She would release her Blue Silver Grass, bind the plants, and absorb their vitality to boost her cultivation. With that devouring gift, her cultivation speed skyrocketed day by day."
The chat was silent as they read. Su Yan continued, "And here comes the most ridiculous part. When Huo Yuhao won the championship and came back as a lifelong member of the Shrek Seven Devils, Tang Ya actually left alone. She went back to Heaven Dou City to rebuild the Tang Sect and take revenge by herself. I honestly felt like prying her skull open to take a look at her brain. Her strongest members were still at Shrek Academy. What kind of Tang Sect are you reviving without your team? If you're going back for revenge, why wouldn't you call the other members to help you? You had a chance to win, and you still blew it!"
The group was filled with question marks. Ma Xiaotao asked, "Why did Xiaoya leave all alone? That doesn't make any sense."
The member named I Am an Orphan commented, "She probably left because of her inferiority complex. She felt too weak compared to them and thought she didn't belong with such strong partners."
Dugu Yan added, "Oh, I think I get it. Is it kind of like how Bai Xiangxiang could never really blend into the original Shrek Seven Devils because of the gap in their power?"
Su Yan clarified, "It feels similar, but it is actually completely different. The Tang Sect was founded by Tang Ya in that era. She was the leader and the core. She shouldn't have felt like an outsider in her own sect."
Liu Erlong asked, "What was Xiaotao doing at that time? Why didn't she stop her?"
Su Yan chuckled. "Hah, your girl Xiaotao was busy being eroded by her own evil fire. She was just waiting to join her own version of a dark evolution to become the Fire Phoenix Saintess."
Ma Xiaotao sent a series of dots, unable to argue with the truth of her own struggles.
In the world of Douluo Dalu 2, Tang Ya's mood was very complicated. She wondered if everything Su Yan said would truly happen. Would she really feel so inferior that she would abandon her friends and head toward a dark path? She sighed inwardly, feeling a heavy weight on her chest.
Su Yan didn't stop. "Back in Heaven Dou City, Tang Ya tried to find old friends of the Tang Sect and her parents. But within a month, she realized everyone avoided her like the plague. She tasted the coldness of the world. The hatred she had suppressed finally broke free. She headed for the Iron Blood Sect to take her revenge. The first time she used her Dark Blue Silver Grass to kill and devour the life force of a disciple, she officially became an Evil Spirit Master. As they say, turning good cuts your power, but turning evil boosts it tenfold. Tang Ya almost wiped out the Iron Blood Sect alone. She nearly died fighting their leader, Tie Li, but a black-robed elder from the Holy Spirit Cult appeared. He wounded Tie Li, helped Tang Ya finish her revenge, and then took her away."
Su Yan added more details. "From then on, the Sect Leader of the Tang Sect was dead. Instead, the Blue Silver Saintess made her debut. In just a few years, she leveled up even faster than Huo Yuhao. By the next tournament, she had already soared to seven rings, reaching the level of a Spirit Saint. I will skip the boring parts, but in the end, after Huo Yuhao had become strong enough, he rescued her from the Holy Spirit Cult. He even found a 190,000-year-old Blue Silver Emperor to save her life."
The chat erupted. "Six-six-six!" several members typed in admiration of the power jump.
The orphan member joked, "Tang Ya's life is way more exciting than Ma Xiaotao's."
Dugu Yan agreed. "The Dark Avenger path is indeed terrifying. Just like Su Yan said, you were born with the perfect body to be an Evil Spirit Master."
Tang Yuehua, usually quiet, asked curiously, "I wonder if I can turn dark and get a power boost too?"
Liu Erlong was amazed. "That cultivation speed is just insane. Seven rings in such a short time?"
Bibi Dong nodded to herself. "Sure enough, you have to embrace the darkness if you want to become stronger quickly."
Xiao Wu added, "Luckily Aunt Ah Yin didn't turn dark. If she did, she would be terrifying. She would probably catch up to Bibi Dong's level in just a few years."
The ninth member guessed, "Let me guess the ending. After Tang Ya was rescued and turned back to normal, her talent became mediocre again, right?"
Su Yan confirmed it. "Exactly. That is why I said joining the Holy Spirit Cult makes you take off instantly. But remember, an Evil Spirit Master is still an Evil Spirit Master. Once you cross that line, you are marked forever. Don't give me that 'driven by circumstance' excuse. You either stay evil or you die."
Bibi Dong suddenly typed a long message, disagreeing. "Wrong! You are dead wrong! Who says Tang Ya can only soar by joining the Holy Spirit Cult? Dark Avenger, I think highly of you. Why don't you come to Spirit Hall and acknowledge me as your master right now? If you follow me, you will still be the Blue Silver Saintess, but you will be one respected by all. You can be a saintess who roots out evil and promotes good. I guarantee you won't turn into a murderous monster under my guidance."
Everyone in the chat was shocked by the offer.
Su Yan thought about it and typed, "I actually think that sounds pretty good. What is the point of reviving some random Tang Sect anyway? If you are going to revive something, why not revive Spirit Hall? You could be someone who contributes to the people of the continent. You could be a pioneer of great ideals, wipe out all the Evil Spirit Masters, and make the world of Douluo Dalu 2 a better place."
Far away in the Divine Realm, God King Tang San watched the screen with a look of pure confusion and anger. "???" was all he could think as he saw his sect being dismissed so easily.