Zhang Lexuan

Shrek Academy

At the freshmen dormitory building, an old man lay there. His appearance was ordinary, and he was not particularly tall, but his voice carried a quality that seemed to cleanse the soul, making it impossible to discern his age.

He wore a gray cloth robe. The wrinkles on his face were deep enough to trap more than a double-digit number of flies at once. His eyes were cloudy, his lids drooped, and he looked like a man at the end of his life.

The old man was Mu En, the current Sea God Pavilion Master of Shrek Academy. A Level 99 Assault System Extreme Douluo, his title was "Dragon God," and his martial soul was the Bright Holy Dragon.

After battling Du Bisi, the sect master of the Body Sect, he had tried to absorb the Dragon Pill's power to heal his injuries and break through Level 99. However, the vicious aura hidden within the Dragon Pill had left him unable to straighten his back. When standing, his waist was bent nearly ninety degrees, and he needed a cane to support himself. Thus, he often lay in a reclining chair.

At this moment, he lay there, sensing the vitality brimming from the freshmen. Only in this way could he feel that he was still so young and full of life.

"Youth really is wonderful," Mu En sighed inwardly. Sensing someone approach, he slowly opened his cloudy eyes and looked over. When he saw that it was Zhang Lexuan, he asked with surprise and curiosity, "Lexuan, what happened for you to come looking for an old man like me?"

Zhang Lexuan came to Elder Mu's side and respectfully said, "Elder Mu!"

"You don't need to be so respectful outside. I'm just an old man who's about to retire."

Hearing Elder Mu's words, Zhang Lexuan looked at him, frail as a dying candle in the wind, her heart filled with worry and pain. She had never expected Elder Mu to grow old so quietly.

"Elder Mu, I met a young man on Shrek City's food street just now. The moment I saw him, my martial soul trembled—or perhaps it was excited." Zhang Lexuan told Elder Mu everything that had happened on the food street, along with her thoughts.

Elder Mu listened intently and quickly offered his opinion. "That child's martial soul may possess a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with yours. An excited reaction cannot be fear."

"Is that so?" Zhang Lexuan sank into thought.

Mu En watched the pensive Zhang Lexuan and fell silent. After hearing this news from her, he began to doubt whether what he had done back then had been right.

A young man who possesses a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Zhang Lexuan—if he joins Shrek Academy, could he help Zhang Lexuan increase her Soul Power? And if he can fuse martial souls with Lexuan, the quality of his martial soul certainly cannot be low. Mu En could not help thinking. He should have known to go out with Zhang Lexuan back then and bring that young man back to Shrek Academy.

He truly did not have much time left.

"Thank you for clearing up my doubts, Elder Mu. Lexuan will go cultivate now and prepare for the next Soul Master Competition," Zhang Lexuan said respectfully after quickly regaining her senses.

Mu En watched Zhang Lexuan leave, but he could not help calling out, "Lexuan, you actually don't have to abide by the agreement we made back then."

"Sorry, Elder Mu. I am someone who keeps her promises."

Leaving those words behind, Zhang Lexuan headed toward Sea God Lake. She had long since fallen in love with Beibei, and there was no room in her heart for anyone else.

"Alas..." Mu En stared at Zhang Lexuan's retreating figure and could only let out a sigh in the end. It seemed he truly could not persuade anyone.

Brother Xiaoyao was like that, Xuanzi was like that, Shaozhe was like that, and now Lexuan was the same.

Mu En: ε=(ο｀*))) Alas

He could only turn his gaze back to the freshmen. Only by sensing the vitality on them could he avoid feeling so tired and powerless.

Where were the people who would carry the banner in the future?--

Heavenly Soul Empire Hotel

Tian Mucheng had finally recovered all his strength and abilities. He sat up and opened the box beside him, but the moment he saw what was inside, his mind went blank.

A photograph???

The item in the box was actually a photograph. But why had those people all been searching for this photograph?

Were they sick in the head to search for this?

Or was there something else?

Tian Mucheng turned it over. "Zhang?" There was only one character, Zhang, on the back of the photograph.

"No!" Tian Mucheng immediately realized something and looked at the front. It showed an old man and a young girl. The old man was an elderly man, while the girl was a young maiden who looked extremely familiar.

Zhang? A girl? Could she be Zhang Lexuan?

Holy shit!

Could it really be such a coincidence?

Could he actually be the chosen son of fate?

Then why was he so sickly and frail?!

Jin Tianming also leaned over. Looking at the girl in the photograph, he could not help sighing. "The world really is small. What are you going to do, main body?" After speaking, he stared curiously at Tian Mucheng, greatly anticipating what the main body planned to do next.

There was another sheet of paper at the bottom of the box. Tian Mucheng picked it up curiously and examined it.

[A Cheng, when you obtain this photograph, this old man will know that you survived. I have no sons or daughters, and I treated you like my own grandson, keeping you by my side. But when I learned of your martial soul and your body's defects, I initially intended to send you to Shrek Academy.

But when I considered that your Soul Power aptitude would likely make it difficult for you to cultivate beyond Level 15, I could only keep you by my side.

This old man was once a member of the Zhang Family, a noble family of the Heaven Dou Empire. When I returned from one trip outside, I discovered that the Zhang Family had been exterminated. I hated it bitterly and wanted revenge, but when I arrived at that family's estate, I learned that the family had already been wiped out by the Shrek Supervisory Team.

My elder brother's granddaughter was accepted as a disciple by Shrek Academy. When the imperial family learned that I was still alive, they wanted to silence me. They feared that I would find that girl Lexuan and tell her the truth. At that moment, I understood that the noble family capable of destroying the Zhang Family must have had the imperial family's shadow behind it.

From that day onward, I began fleeing everywhere. Along the way, I found you.

A Cheng! If you encounter danger in the future, take the paper I left behind and the paper slip created by a Soul Master's soul skill. You can take them to Shrek Academy and find that girl Lexuan. If you give her my name, she will still take care of you.]

"Main body, that old man already paved the way for you." Jin Tianming immediately saw what the old man had intended—to leave the main body with a backup plan and pave the road for his future.

This grandfather of the main body was not related to him by blood, yet he treated him as though he were.

He was jealous. Truly jealous.

Tian Mucheng took out the final item from the box. It was a Spatial Soul Tool ring. He put it on his thumb, returned everything to the box, and stored it inside the ring. Shaking his head, he said, "I have my own path to walk now. Since the old man is gone, I'll just consider myself to owe Zhang Lexuan a favor."

"So decisive?"

"In the future, I cannot let the main body enter Shrek Academy." Tian Mucheng had already made up his mind. This sickly body of his could not possibly enter Shrek Academy in the future. Otherwise, something would definitely go wrong.

Thinking of something, Tian Mucheng looked at this arrogant clone and said, "Tianming, focus on cultivating. We still need to make arrangements at the Sun Moon Royal Academy. If possible, win Meng Hongchen over."

"Sorry, main body. My pride will not allow me to rise through a woman!"

This time, Jin Tianming rejected the main body's request. To him, conquering everything through his own strength was what he wanted.

Tian Mucheng did not get angry at Jin Tianming's response. This clone behaved obediently only in front of him; before outsiders, arrogance was written all over him. He merely said, "As you wish."

He began contemplating again. Jin Tianming's presence at the Sun Moon Royal Academy was enough, but at least two or three clones needed to go to Shrek Academy, especially for the Golden Tree and the Plane Seed within it.

During the era of Dou San, Ah Yin had devoured the Life Core and become the new Life Core. Could he use the dragon soul to devour it instead?

He summoned the incomparably transparent dragon soul and vaguely sensed that the dragon soul's abilities were merely the tip of the iceberg.