Playing the Pig and Eating Feed?

[Wuhu!!!]

[My Martial Soul has awakened. Control Tower, Control Tower, I have taken off!]

After a day of silence, words appeared in the Diary once more.

In the small building on Sea God Island, Shen Yichen sat cross-legged. Though he appeared to be meditating, he was actually composing his diary entry in his mind.

His Martial Soul alone had already secured him the seat of the strongest on the Douluo Continent, but some things were hard to shake even with absolute power.

Shrek's "Glory Gu" and the Douluo Continent's "Love Gu," for example.

Against those two, no matter how powerful the Golden Cudgel was, there was nothing it could do.

If he wanted to turn Shrek into his own Shrek, he would have to lay his plans slowly and dismantle Sea God Tang San's Ten-Thousand-Year Grand Plan bit by bit!

Rationally speaking, he should not have disclosed every last one of the Golden Cudgel's abilities to the senior elders, especially when the unreliable Xuan Zi was among them.

Playing the pig to eat the tiger was the proper path for those focused on growing stronger.

But...

Sitting on his little bed, Shen Yichen's lips curled upward.

This little rat is a pure demon pill!

It was like playing Fight the Landlord: if you held all four aces, all four twos, and both jokers, could you resist showing your hand?

After all, he had plenty of cards to play. As long as he did not expose the Diary, nothing else mattered.

Transmigrators were supposed to show off and display their greatness before others. Playing the pig to eat the tiger could very well turn into playing the pig and eating feed. If he did nothing but hide, people would just think he was stingy and lacked ambition.

Because this was the first time an overpowered Martial Soul like the Ruyi Jingu Bang had appeared on the Douluo Continent, Grandma and Mu En believed the Soul Ring plans they had prepared were no longer worthy of the Golden Cudgel.

So they shelved the plan to add a Soul Ring and gathered to discuss it.

That happened to give him time to write in his diary.

[Martial Soul Evolution really is formidable.]

[Martial Soul Emperor Flame looks like nothing more than an ordinary flame, but it can absorb other types of flames and continuously improve the quality of the Martial Soul!]

[Unfortunately, Su Yuntao, my Brother Tao, didn't certify mine as a Trash Martial Soul. You should know that the last person Brother Tao certified as having the Trash Martial Soul Blue Silver Grass, Third Brother, became the Sea God!]

[Emperor Flame in its initial form might not count as a Trash Martial Soul, but it definitely isn't a high-grade Martial Soul either. At most, it's a mid-grade Martial Soul.]

[But in any case, Innate Full Soul Power can't be faked. Brother Tao invited me to join Spirit Hall without another word. How would I dare go? Tang Hao was still working as a blacksmith in the village. I'd probably have been killed to silence me the moment I agreed to join Spirit Hall!]

[Brother Tao was a decent guy too. When he saw I wouldn't agree, he didn't press me. That's how it is for a small fry. How much does he make a month? There's no need to risk his life for it.]

[As long as I don't join Spirit Hall, Tang Hao probably won't care about someone like me with a mid-grade Martial Soul and Innate Full Soul Power, right? Probably... not, right?]

[After all, as the Sea God's dad, Tang Hao is a Titled Douluo too. His pride probably wouldn't let him make a move against a little nobody like me, right?]

—Illustrious Virtue Hall—

Jing Hongchen took a gentle sip of tea. He could tell that the person writing the diary was on tenterhooks.

It made sense. No matter what he chose, he was staking his life and everything he had on a possibility.

But on closer thought, aside from gambling on the other party's morals, the Recorder had few other options.

He seemed calm, but in reality, he was out of moves.

Still... Jing Hongchen looked forward to seeing Tang Hao and the Recorder cross paths. He wanted to see whether this mysterious Recorder had any other trump cards.

[It's been more than half an hour since the Martial Soul awakening. Tang Hao should be holding Tang San and weeping his eyes out by now, telling him to use the hammer in his left hand to protect the grass in his right, right?]

[Poor Third Brother felt Tang Hao's fatherly love at that very moment.]

[But on this point, I'm on Tang Hao's side. Leaving aside all the schemes and conspiracy theories...]

[What normal person could accept a child like Tang San as their own? He's so strange and mysterious, came with a mysterious cultivation technique, and practiced day and night from the age of three.]

[I don't know whether the Douluo Continent has a concept of possession and rebirth, but Tang Hao definitely had his suspicions.]

[That said, he was right to be suspicious. Third Brother really is an Otherworldly Demon, just like me.]

As he began to expose Tang San, Shen Yichen's thoughts grew quicker, and he wrote with considerably more vigor in his mind.

[Tang San came from a Martial Arts World. In his previous life, he was an abandoned orphan. A Tang Sect Elder found him when he was young and brought him back to the sect to raise him. After growing up, he secretly learned the sect's secret manual, the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record. When he was discovered, he jumped off a cliff in shame and died.]

[As it happened, the Asura God, who was bent on stepping down, discovered him and ferried his soul to the Douluo Continent, where he became Tang Hao's son.]

[Under those circumstances, whether Tang San is still Ah Yin and Tang Hao's son is a matter on which the benevolent see benevolence and the wise see wisdom.]

[But judging by Tang Hao's behavior, Tang San, who awakened the Clear Sky Hammer and Blue Silver Grass, was undoubtedly his child by blood. So no matter how strange he was normally, he was still his son.]

—Sea God Pavilion—

"Lexuan?" Seeing Zhang Lexuan lost in thought, Lin Huiqun called softly to her.

Zhang Lexuan came back to herself. "Elder Lin? I was thinking about little Yichen's Soul Ring."

Mu En's gaze darkened for a moment. Presumably... Lexuan's distraction just now was because of the diary that had appeared in her mind yesterday?

"Then it's decided. Yichen's First Soul Ring will come from a top-tier, strength-type Soul Beast like a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear or a Titan Giant Ape," Mu En said, making the decision on the spot. "Xuan Zi, make a trip to the Star Dou Great Forest. Try not to let the Ferocious Beasts discover you, and capture one to bring back to the academy."

Even though little Yichen had the Indestructible Diamond Body ability, Mu En did not intend to let him go Soul Hunting in the Star Dou Great Forest himself.

Little Yichen was Shrek's hope...

"All right!" Xuan Zi agreed without another word, then turned and left in one swift motion.

"Elder Lin, you must be eager to go spend some time with your grandson too, aren't you?"

Elder Lin smiled gently, her expression kindly.

"How about leaving little Yichen's training to me?"

Mu En knew Elder Lin was swimming in wealth, but when it came to Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, more was not always better.

"You mean..."

In response to Elder Lin's question, Mu En nodded gently. "When the time is right, I would like to take the little fellow as my disciple and teach him personally."

"That would be wonderful!"

With both her and Mu En as his backing, her grandson's path would be much smoother from then on...

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries before taking their leave of each other.

Now only Mu En and Zhang Lexuan remained in the Sea God Pavilion's conference room.

"Lexuan, tell me about it."

Zhang Lexuan bit her lip lightly and glanced around. "Elder Mu, should we talk here?" she asked softly.

Mu En was old and shrewd. "Let's go somewhere else. I haven't walked around Shrek City in a long time. Girl, give me a hand. Let's go for a stroll."