Trust in the Golden Ancient Tree

Mu En's heart grew heavier and heavier.

He watched as Xuan Zi returned alone in the distance, flying towards the Sea God Pavilion, and his eyes gradually reddened.

If it were just Xuan Zi returning alone from the gates of Shrek City, that would be one thing.

But the more closely Mu En observed, the more he could sense the self-blame, regret, and urgency in Xuan Zi.

Grass!

Xuan Zi made another mistake.

In the past, it would have been fine, but this time Xuan Zi took out all the elites of the Inner Court, including the Mu En truly pinned his hopes on!

Has Xuan Zi calmed down?

How many years of dedicated practice can one break through their Limit?

Mu En was just trying to fool Yan Shaozhe, reassure the current Pavilion Elder, and put their minds at ease.

He truly placed high hopes on Zhang Lexuan, who could break through his Limit after him.

Is Zhang Lexuan less reliable than Xuan Zi?

However, this most reliable Grandmaster of the Inner Court, after accompanying Xuan Zi to hunt for the Eighth Soul Ring, waited for Mu En for a full three months, only to have Xuan Zi Returns.

"Mu En."

When Xuan Zi saw Mu En and Yan Shaozhe greeting him at the entrance of the Sea God Pavilion, he felt a lump in his throat.

He felt incredibly guilty thinking about the losses his carelessness had caused the academy, and he hadn't even noticed Mu En's unusual behavior immediately.

"Xuan Zi, where are Lexuan and the others?"

Although he had guessed the outcome, Mu En still asked one more question, unwilling to give up.

Xuan Zi felt even more guilty upon hearing this, lowered his head, and his voice trembled as he spoke.

"I'm sorry, Mu En. I was too careless this time. I got separated from Lexuan and her group. The twelve of them were attacked by Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. When I arrived at the scene..."

At this point, Xuan Zi broke down in tears and began to repent.

Suppressing the taste of blood welling up in his throat, Mu En asked, word by word, "Are there any remains?"

"Including Lexuan, eight of the twelve trainees died on the spot, while Lexuan and three other trainees survived by sheer luck."

Survived?

Mu En's breathing quickened, and the fury in his eyes subsided slightly.

Where are they?

"Lexuan survived by sheer luck and even killed the 100,000- Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast -old Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, absorbing its Soul Ring and Soul Bone. However, she was also severely injured."

Xuan Zi sensed that Mu En's tone had relaxed a bit, so he quickly reported what had happened next.

Finally, he paused and added, "Lexuan obtained Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone, but she suffered a severe injury and will likely need a year and a half to recover."

Mu En felt a surge of joy upon hearing that Zhang Lexuan had obtained Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone.

Although it was tragic that eight of the twelve Inner Court students died on the spot, given the current situation at Shrek, the most crucial factor is still Zhang Lexuan, who possesses the Limit Form.

Zhang Lexuan survived and even benefited from the misfortune, directly offsetting the impact of the deaths of the other eight students on him.

As for the severe damage to her vital energy that Xuan Zi mentioned, the Sea God Pavilion can help Zhang Lexuan resolve these issues and restore her to full strength as much as possible.

It's important to understand that each time Soul Ring is fused, it's a chance for Soul Master to undergo a complete transformation. As long as she can fuse Soul Ring and Soul Bone, she's basically safe from damage to her Origin.

Originally, Mu En thought that Xuan Zi had a 10% chance of breaking through his Limit, and Zhang Lexuan had a 15% chance. Now he thinks that Zhang Lexuan's chance of breaking through his Limit may have increased to 20% or even close to 30%!

This can be seen as Mu En's trust in the Golden Ancient Tree.

Even if the Golden Ancient Tree is unwilling to sacrifice some of its power to help the two break through and provide assistance at crucial moments, after Mu En's power merges into the Golden Ancient Tree after his death, he will definitely take the tree hostage to do so!

Of course, even so, the chances of the two breaking through are extremely low, not even a 50% chance.

Under these circumstances, with the Inner Court losing eight more key students, Mu En's joy vanished.

"What about the other three?"

"He's practically crippled; even if he's cured, he won't be able to cultivate or fight."

Upon hearing this, Mu En's vision went black.

Puff!

None of the twelve people were good.

"Teacher!"

Yan Shaozhe hurriedly went to help Mu En up, glaring angrily at Xuan Zi.

"Xuan Zi, you've gotten yourself into a huge mess this time!"

Xuan Zi also panicked, never expecting that the news he brought back would make Mu En so angry that he vomited blood and fainted.

He sensed Mu En's Life force, which was as fragile as a candle flickering in the wind, and his face instantly turned pale, his lips trembling.

Seriously? Did you really anger Mu En to death?

Xuan Zi trembled, realizing he had made a grave mistake.

After a while.

Mu En opened his eyes, feeling weak and powerless.

He looked around and saw many old friends, as well as Xuan Zi, who had infuriated him.

"Mu En, Lexuan and the others are not in serious condition. Elder Zhuang has already checked them; her Origin is fine. She just overexerted herself to fight back against that Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. She will recover after replenishing her Life Essence. Recently, the Golden Ancient Tree revived, and the rain of light that fell contained a large amount of Life energy. We also collected some of it, which is perfect for Lexuan's healing. She should be fully recovered in six months at most."

"What about the others?"

"Others"

Lin HuiQun, who was in charge of the report, stammered and couldn't get the words out.

Mu En sighed.

"Are you settled in?"

He was also inquiring about the settlement situation.

"It's all arranged. They will all stay at the academy, and the academy has given each of them an unconditional spot to join the Inner Court, which can be given to their family or friends."

Mu En let out a breath, and his breathing calmed down.

Where is Xuan Zi?

He is confessing his crimes outside the Sea God Pavilion.

Upon hearing this, anger flashed in Mu En's eyes, which then turned into helplessness.

The anger stemmed from Xuan Zi's lack of ambition, and his subconscious attempt to get away with things in this way.

Unfortunately, Xuan Zi is currently Shrek's strongest fighter, so he really has no way to punish him.

The other Pavilion Elder all noticed the change in Mu En's eyes, and they exchanged glances, but didn't know what to say.

Xuan Zi has indeed made a grave mistake this time.

However, the situation at the academy is somewhat critical, and it seems that Xuan Zi is unable to carry out any punishments.

And so, the room remained silent for a long time.

It was Mu En who broke the silence.

"Xuan Zi is to be confined to the academy for ten years, focusing on cultivation, and only provided with simple meals. He may unleash his Martial Soul's instincts only when he has subdued them."

Elder Lin and the others exchanged glances.

Good punishment!

For Xuan Zi, the biggest punishment might be not being able to eat chicken legs.

Eating simple meals every day for ten years was the greatest torment for Xuan Zi, second only to death.

In particular, this method can also help Xuan Zi overcome the drawbacks of his Martial Soul, forcing him to temper his will.

"Teacher, let me tell Xuan Zi these things later. You should focus on recovering."

Seeing that Yan Shaozhe seemed intent on resting alone and not wanting anyone else to disturb him, Mu En Yan Shaozhe raised his hand to stop him.

"No rush."

He coughed twice, his voice becoming a little hoarse.

"I have some ideas that I'd like to share with you all first."

"Please speak, Mu En."