Xuan Zi, You Go...

"But as a God Realm Enforcer, I cannot interfere at will with the changes in a plane."

"However, I have discovered that a rising star seems to have emerged on Douluo Continent recently, one who will have countless ties to the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy. I tried to see his fate clearly, but it was shrouded in layers of mist."

Mu En kept his head bowed, the picture of respect and obedience.

One day in heaven, one year in the Divine Realm.

To put it plainly, Tang San had only lived a little over twenty years in the Divine Realm. Adding the twenty-odd years on Douluo Continent and another twenty-odd in his previous life, he had lived sixty years at the absolute most.

Mu En meant to keep up the act, and with his head bowed and eyes lowered, Tang San could not detect what he was thinking at all.

Of course, if Tang San truly wanted to "read his mind," it was not impossible with some careful preparation.

But he had no guard up against Mu En whatsoever.

Who could have imagined that a die-hard Shrek man would "betray" him, an ancestor of Shrek?

He was Shrek's backer, after all...

"Ancestor, do you mean for Shrek Academy to step in and bring him to the academy?"

"Yes!" Tang San nodded. Though his expression was indistinct, his tone was full of the gratification of seeing a young pupil learn. "According to his predetermined fate, the rising star should have joined Shrek Academy and shared a bond of destiny with it. But the Body Sect barged in and snatched him away."

Snatched him away?

Mu En sneered inwardly. Huo Yuhao was thriving in the Body Sect.

After that inward sneer, a wave of worry rose in his heart.

Just as he thought, the Sea God was watching developments on Douluo Continent every moment. The moment fate's course shifted even slightly, he would personally send down a divine decree.

He would have to be even more careful from now on!

"As you command, Ancestor. I'll make the arrangements at once."

"Mm!" The figure smiled and dissolved into a ball of light, vanishing from sight.

Sending down a divine decree himself was already a violation of the rules. Fortunately, compared with the Tang Sect, Shrek Academy really did give him far less to worry about...

After confirming that Sea God Tang San had completely vanished, Mu En breathed a sigh of relief and raised a hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

Divine might was as oppressive as a prison. He finally understood the gap between a Limit Douluo and a god!

And that had only been an avatar of Sea God Tang San.

What should he do? Follow Tang San's instructions to the letter?

Mu En moved his feet and walked over to the recliner he often lay in.

He sat down and closed his eyes.

All sorts of thoughts raced through his mind!

Bring Huo Yuhao back to Shrek?

No, that wouldn't do. Once Huo Yuhao entered Shrek, Sea God Tang San's gaze would follow him right in.

The more attention Tang San paid, the more easily Shen Yichen would be exposed.

But he could not leave Tang San's assigned task undone, either.

At this point, he could only stall!

But he could not simply go through the motions; he needed sound reasons and evidence.

Hmm...

Mu En suddenly opened his eyes. His spiritual power burst out of his body and instantly locked onto Xuan Zi, who was eating skewers by Sea God Lake.

"Xuan Zi, come here a moment."

Hearing his granduncle's summons, Xuan Zi hurriedly put the skewers and his gear into his Storage Soul Tool and rushed into the Sea God Pavilion in the blink of an eye.

"Mu En, you called me... gah?" Before he could finish, he saw Mu En's youthful appearance, and the pitch of his voice changed.

"Granduncle, you've recovered?!"

"Mm, I had a little stroke of fortune." Mu En left out Sea God Tang San's contribution. He certainly did not want the Sea God Pavilion Elders to see Tang San through even more rose-colored glasses!

Only now did he begin to understand the situation Shen Yichen would face in the future.

It would only be harder for him than it was for Mu En now!

"That's wonderful! I'll go spread the good news right away, so Elder Lin and the others can be happy too!"

"There's no need." Mu En stopped Xuan Zi. "Let's keep my recovery a secret for now. I called you here today because I have a task for you..."

"A task?!" Xuan Zi perked up at once. A task was just the thing. Having just been beaten up by Du Busi at Shrek Academy, he was desperate to do something to prove himself.

Seeing Xuan Zi so fired up, Mu En felt a pang of reluctance. "This task is very dangerous. But aside from me, you're the only one capable of taking it on..."

"Leave it to me, Mu En!"

"Good..." Mu En set aside his misgivings and said, "Some time ago, the Body Sect took a child from the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. Your task is to snatch that child back to Shrek Academy!"

Xuan Zi: "..."

I'm going to fight Du Busi?

Xuan Zi's mouth twitched. Having been soundly beaten by Du Busi, he was clearly not willing to accept it, but... unwilling as he was, that beating had also knocked him wide awake.

He could still talk tough when it was called for, but if he really went up against Du Busi, he probably still couldn't beat him...

"I'm not asking you to fight Du Busi. I'm asking you to bring the child to Shrek."

Only after Mu En explained it again did understanding dawn on Xuan Zi. Maybe it wasn't impossible after all?

"Good! Leave this task to me!"

Mu En nodded gently and watched Xuan Zi leave.

The task had been assigned, and the person sent to carry it out was Shrek's strongest fighter apart from himself. If it failed, Sea God Tang San would have no grounds to say he had handled it poorly.

If it succeeded...

Mu En's expression stiffened and turned strange.

Could it succeed?

Du Busi was not like Xuan Zi. Take the Child of Luck away from right under Du Busi's nose? Xuan Zi did not have that kind of ability!

After some thought, Mu En decided to inform Zhang Lexuan and quietly follow behind Xuan Zi himself.

Though there was a ninety-nine percent chance Du Busi would only beat Xuan Zi up, as Xuan Zi's granduncle, Mu En also had to guard against the one percent chance of them destroying each other like fish dying and the net breaking.

With the trip there and back... stalling for a year or two shouldn't be a problem, right?

The Body Sect

Du Busi's eyelid twitched several times as though it had cramped.

Damn it, who's stirring up trouble again?!

Rubbing the armrest of his stone chair and watching Huo Yuhao train hard before him, Du Busi found that the unease in his heart had not faded; instead, it had grown worse.

"Sect master, please have some tea!" Huo Yun'er respectfully placed a cup of tea before Du Busi. "Sect master, Yuhao really is working very hard..."

"You don't need to put in a good word for the boy!" Du Busi said, his tone neither soft nor harsh.

After spending the past few days with Huo Yuhao, Du Busi believed he had a pretty good grasp of the boy's character.

The boy truly valued affection and loyalty. Perhaps because he had known so few good days growing up, even a small kindness could leave him grateful for ages.

Or perhaps Huo Yun'er, his mother, had raised him well.

If he were not the Child of Luck, Du Busi would have truly wanted Huo Yuhao to take up the mantle of the Body Sect and carry it to greater heights.

After all, the boy really could endure hardship.

No matter how grueling the training was, he somehow managed to finish it without a word of complaint. It was as if he had maxed out his ability to withstand pressure...

With an ability to withstand pressure so far beyond that of ordinary people, how had Sea God Tang San tormented this boy into a mental breakdown?