Mu En

Biodata

Appearance

• Everyday appearance: A white-haired, kindly-faced old man who sits in a rocking chair near the dormitories 4.
• Dragon transformation: A brilliant golden Radiant Sacred Dragon whose presence disperses the oppressive pressure over Shrek Academy 4.

Personality

Mu En places student safety above his own survival. During the Zodiac Temple attack, he waits until the dormitories are empty before intervening against Planetary Devastation. Chu Ye recognizes that he is prepared to sacrifice himself to protect the academy, despite his failing health 4.

He combines openness toward young talent with calculated caution. He admits Huo Yuhao despite the boy’s connection to Wu Horse, both recognizing his potential and intending to keep any Zodiac Temple influence under observation. Similarly, he admires Chu Ye’s ambition without excusing his misconduct 7 11 14.

Mu En is willing to set aside pride when confrontation would endanger others. He personally pleads for Yan Shaozhe’s release and offers a valuable ransom rather than attacking Wei Goat. He later rejects Xuan Zi’s demand to destroy the Spirit Pagoda, acknowledging that even he is wary of its master 22 23.

Abilities & Skills

Radiant Sacred Dragon

Mu En’s dragon power is the principal combat ability shown during Shrek’s defense 4 5.

• Dragon transformation: Assumes the form of a golden dragon and takes to the sky 4.
• Large-scale interception: Halts the falling Planetary Devastation Heart and pushes it upward 4.
• Protective power: Dissipates fragments falling toward Shrek after Zhulong shatters the meteor 5.
• Limit: His injuries and depleted life force prevent him from sustaining the exertion expected of a healthy level 99 expert. Electrolux warns that continued fighting could cause him to die soon 4.

Perception and Assessment

Mu En can recognize powerful presences and evaluate unfamiliar abilities, though he does not always uncover their full purpose 7 21 22.

• Detects traces of multiple powerful beings associated with Huo Yuhao 7.
• Recognizes Di Tian’s presence and identifies his distinctive Dragon God Claw mark from previous encounters 21 22.
• Determines that Wei Goat is level 98, while recognizing that his soul-manipulation abilities pose an exceptional threat 22.
• Questions how Tang Ya endured a ten-thousand-year Soul Spirit contract, focusing on the spiritual burden rather than accepting the result without scrutiny 21.

Soul Power Control

• Lifts Bei Bei, Tang Ya, and Huo Yuhao to his side while protecting the academy 7.
• Instantly carves life-filled golden ancient wood into an authorization token using his Radiant Sacred Dragon Soul Power 14.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Defense of Shrek Academy

When You Rooster’s Planetary Devastation threatens Shrek, Mu En initially remains at his dormitory post. Wang Dong urges him to flee, and her concern for an apparently ordinary old man reassures him about Shrek’s younger generation. Once the dormitories are evacuated, he reveals his identity and transforms into the Radiant Sacred Dragon to stop the falling attack 4.

His intervention conceals a serious weakness: his remaining life force cannot support prolonged combat. Zhulong takes over the offensive, allowing Mu En to protect the students and neutralize stray debris. Zhulong’s composed response leads Mu En to judge him more reliable than Xuan Zi 4 5.

During the same crisis, Mu En accepts Wu Horse’s recommendation letter for Huo Yuhao and authorizes his enrollment. He remains suspicious of the Zodiac Temple’s intentions, but sees value in keeping the boy nearby rather than rejecting him 7.

Mu En is moved to tears when Tang San’s statue appears to manifest divine power. The subsequent appearance of a second Tang San makes him question what has happened; unlike the elders who immediately attack the newcomer, he hesitates to trust his own judgment. He later discusses the incident with Zhulong and becomes more convinced that something is amiss 8 9.

Preparing Shrek’s Successors

After the attack, Mu En convenes an emergency Sea God Pavilion meeting. He condemns the academy’s inadequate defenses, rebukes Xuan Zi’s lack of responsibility, and tells the elders that he has little time left. He begins considering Zhulong as a successor, while privately finding Yan Shaozhe deficient in strength, judgment, and temperament 10.

Mu En’s trust in Zhulong rests partly on a mistaken conclusion: he believes Zhulong’s apparent determination to kill the attackers disproves the possibility that he is an infiltrator. In reality, Zhulong is Chu Ye’s Chen Dragon clone, and the battle helps establish his standing within Shrek 8 10 11.

Mu En also endorses rewarding Chu Ye for apparently confronting Si Snake and Wu Horse to protect Wang Dong. After Chu Ye replaces Tang San’s statue with his own, however, Mu En formally revokes his Inner Court admission. Instead of expelling him, he appoints him a specially authorized teaching assistant with jurisdiction over students throughout the Outer Court 11 13 14.

The appointment is intended both to develop Chu Ye and to make him understand the difficulties faced by teachers. Mu En grants him a wooden token bearing the character “Mu” and agrees to compensation twice that of a standard Inner Court disciple. He regards Chu Ye and Zhulong as potential pillars of Shrek’s future 14.

Encounter with the Spirit Pagoda

While investigating Tang Ya’s abduction, Mu En finds her unharmed and learns about the Soul Spirit Method. Her ten-thousand-year third Soul Ring and the prospect of receiving multiple rings from one Soul Spirit convince him that the method could substantially ease conflict between humans and Soul Beasts 21.

Mu En and Yan Shaozhe then visit the Spirit Pagoda. When Wei Goat extracts Yan Shaozhe’s soul, Mu En catches his disciple’s body, intervenes, and offers a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone for his release. Wei Goat returns the soul and privately reveals that Yan Shaozhe descends from Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao. The revelation unsettles Mu En, but he reaffirms the ransom promise and continues the discussion on Shrek’s behalf 22.

After learning the pagoda’s stated purpose, Mu En accepts its invitation to a founding ceremony in thirty days. Back at Shrek, he blocks Xuan Zi’s proposed assault and prioritizes studying Soul Spirit technology over obtaining the largest possible number of contracts. He predicts that Soul Spirits will change the continent’s balance of power 23.

Supporting Chu Ye’s Development

Mu En selects Chu Ye to lead Shrek’s delegation to the Spirit Pagoda because his ringless second Martial Soul meets the ceremony’s requirements. He orders promising Outer and Inner Court disciples to accompany him and broaden their experience 24.

When Chu Ye successfully suppresses Ma Xiaotao’s Evil Fire, Mu En approves a cultivation session in the Golden Ancient Tree as payment. He also teases Yan Shaozhe for criticizing Chu Ye’s romantic conduct, recalling how often he had cleaned up Yan Shaozhe’s own romantic troubles. He remains hopeful that Chu Ye and Zhulong can secure Shrek’s future 30.

Relationships

• Bei Bei — Great-great-grandson. Bei Bei reveres him as his foremost role model; Mu En comforts him during Tang Ya’s disappearance and urges him to remain calm 4 21.
• Yan Shaozhe — Eldest disciple. Mu En protects and ransoms him, but doubts his suitability to lead Shrek. Learning his ancestry does not erase their years of attachment 10 22.
• Zhulong / Torch Dragon Douluo — Trusted elder and prospective successor. Mu En values his competence without knowing that he is Chu Ye’s clone 10 11.
• Chu Ye — Talented but troublesome student whom Mu En appoints as a teaching assistant and cultivates as a future pillar of the academy 13 14 30.
• Huo Yuhao — Student admitted under Mu En’s protection and observation. Mu En believes he may possess the potential to change Shrek 7 11.
• Xuan Zi — Senior elder repeatedly reprimanded for impulsiveness, personal grievances, and failure to shoulder responsibility 10 23.
• Wei Goat — Spirit Pagoda Master whom Mu En approaches cautiously after witnessing his soul-seizing power. Their encounter results in Yan Shaozhe’s release and an invitation for Shrek to attend the pagoda’s founding ceremony 22 23.
• Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui — Old friends. Discovering that they are Yan Shaozhe’s ancestors leaves Mu En feeling that they never fully trusted him 21 22.

Notable Quotes

“Those who trespass against my Shrek shall die!” 4

“I’m old. The future belongs to you young people.” 11

“What matters most isn’t how many Soul Spirits our students can obtain, but that we must step up our research into the technology behind Soul Spirits.” 23