Mu En: After I'm Gone, Who Knows What Shrek Will Become...

"Shao Zhe..." Mu En drew out his words, calling weakly to his personal eldest disciple.

"Yes, Teacher. Shao Zhe is here." Yan Shaozhe looked extremely respectful, nearly bending at a ninety-degree angle, afraid that Mu En might become angry.

"How have you recovered from the injuries you received at the Xuanming Sect?" Mu En asked leisurely.

"The external injuries were already healed by Old Zhuang. With your help breaking Old Monster Xu's seal, I have mostly recovered as well. However, Old Zhuang said I still need another ten days to half a month of recuperation."

Yan Shaozhe replied to Mu En in an even more respectful tone.

Having suffered humiliation unlike anything in his life, he had gained a clearer understanding of the strength of a Level 98 Super Douluo. That was a terrifying existence capable of easily killing him.

And his teacher, Dragon God Douluo Mu En, was unquestionably the strongest person on the Douluo Continent and the world's only Limit Douluo. His realm was as lofty as a mountain peak, its end impossible to see.

Even if Yan Shaozhe exhausted his entire life, he did not know whether he could ever touch his teacher's realm.

Mu En nodded lightly and said softly,

"That is good. After Xuan Zi, you are the person in the academy most likely to reach my realm. Your potential far exceeds that of the Elders. Do you understand my expectations of you?"

Yan Shaozhe lowered his head and nodded, cupping his hands as he replied, "This disciple understands. All these years, I have never slacked off in my cultivation. Before Elder Xuan steps down, I will certainly cultivate to the point where I can intimidate all petty villains! I will stand guard properly for Lexuan, Bei Bei, and the others."

Mu En nodded unhurriedly, but his tone suddenly became heavier. "However, Shao Zhe, since breaking through Level Ninety-Five, how many years has it been since you made further progress? With your talent, this should not have happened."

Yan Shaozhe immediately broke out in a cold sweat, his back soaked through. His mind raced for several moments before he hurriedly said,

"This disciple has devoted too much attention over the years to the Martial Soul Department's miscellaneous affairs and failed to settle down for secluded cultivation. But please rest assured, Teacher. This disciple will definitely make a breakthrough within ten years!"

"I do not doubt that..."

Mu En said leisurely. Then he looked helplessly at the disciple he valued most and spoke earnestly.

"But Shao Zhe, could the Martial Soul Department's mundane affairs truly consume so much of your energy? I once served as the dean of the Martial Soul Department as well, yet I never delayed my cultivation as you have.

"Have you instead devoted more of your energy to other matters? Such as openly and covertly competing with Lin'er and Duoduo from the Soul Tool Department? Hmm?"

"Th-this..."

Yan Shaozhe sweated profusely. His lips trembled several times, but in the end, he could not argue before his teacher. Beads of sweat the size of soybeans formed on his forehead and dripped to the ground with a "drip, drip," especially conspicuous in the silence.

Before this wise teacher, any lie was meaningless.

"Sigh, I am also to blame for being too negligent these years. I thought competition between your two departments would bring vitality, but only after something happened to Xuan Zi did I realize how severe the Sea God Pavilion's succession problem had become!"

Mu En shook his head painfully. Light Soul Power circulated within him as he forced himself to stand.

"Teacher, why must you do this? This disciple has been unfilial!" Yan Shaozhe's expression changed drastically as he hurriedly stepped forward to support Mu En.

He knew his teacher was truly serious. Although he did not believe he had done anything wrong over the years, how could he not panic when his teacher so deeply regretted his slow cultivation progress?

"It is not only that, Shao Zhe. You must understand that your Martial Soul is the Bright Phoenix. Light is vast and magnificent; only a person with an open and upright heart can fully unleash the power of that light.

"But your temperament lacks a certain breadth of mind, causing your understanding and use of Light Soul Power to always fall short.

"If not for that, your achievements would never have stopped here. Even if you could not break through to Old Song's realm, you should at least have reached the peak of Level Ninety-Six by now and certainly broken through Level Ninety-Seven within ten years.

"If that were the case, even against a powerhouse like Xuan Zi, you would be able to contend with him for a while.

"Do not forget that you were once the Number One Genius of the academy's Golden Generation. You cultivated under me for many years, possess Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings and Soul Bones, and are now over ninety years old. Yet your cultivation is merely comparable to Lin'er's, perhaps only slightly better.

"In terms of purity in cultivation, you may not even surpass Lin'er. At the very least, she, the Martial God Douluo, truly enjoys the process of battle and is willing to devote immense effort to it."

"Teacher, I..."

Yan Shaozhe lowered his head even further. His shoulders trembled uneasily as he no longer knew how to respond. He only felt immense pressure, even greater than the pressure of fighting a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

"Sigh... I am merely speaking some old words based on my experience. How much you take in is up to you."

Mu En shook his head and looked deeply at Yan Shaozhe, sighing.

He had not wanted to speak so bluntly, but time waited for no one. He could only forcefully point out Yan Shaozhe's problems as his teacher. As for how much Yan Shaozhe could comprehend and how much he could change, that depended solely on his own understanding.

At Yan Shaozhe's age, something like personality had long since taken shape. Even if he wished to change, it could not be achieved overnight.

With a shift in thought, Mu En's tone softened somewhat as he said,

"Shao Zhe, all these years, you have worked diligently and cultivated batch after batch of outstanding talents for the academy. The academy's current thriving state owes much to you as the dean of the Martial Soul Department."

"Shao Zhe is ashamed and does not deserve such praise from Teacher."

After receiving recognition for his years of effort, Yan Shaozhe finally relaxed somewhat, though he continued shaking his head.

"However, Shao Zhe, part of the Martial Soul Department's success has been built upon your persistent suppression of the Soul Tool Department's status. Perhaps, as the dean of the Martial Soul Department, you did nothing wrong.

"But in the future, you are to serve as Sea God Pavilion Master for decades, perhaps even a century. At that time, your perspective cannot remain confined to gains and losses in a single city or place.

"And during these years, just as Lin'er said, you like to haggle over every little thing. You care too much about trivial matters. If you inherit the position of Sea God Pavilion Master in the future, might you not suppress the Soul Tool Department until it becomes an appendage of the Martial Soul Department?"

"Setting everything else aside, there have been almost no disciples from the Soul Tool Department among the Shrek Seven Monsters these years. Every one of them has been an elite of the Martial Soul Department. If this continues, will Shrek still have a place for the Soul Tool Department?"

Under Mu En's scrutinizing gaze, Yan Shaozhe could not bring himself to argue. He merely nodded, then immediately made a promise.

"Please rest assured, Teacher. I understand. From now on, I will no longer harbor such thoughts. I will also ease up on the struggle with the Soul Tool Department and display the breadth of mind of our Martial Soul Department."

"...I hope so..."

Mu En stared at Yan Shaozhe, who still looked down upon the Soul Tool Department with pity, and a deep sense of helplessness rose within him.

He had originally wanted to use the tragedy involving the twelve Inner Courtyard disciples to make the Martial Soul Department consider yielding to the Soul Tool Department. But he hesitated because the Soul Tool Department could not produce advanced Soul Tools suitable for those Inner Courtyard disciples.

Asking the Soul Tool Department to produce Soul Tools capable of hunting Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts was indeed asking too much of them.

Was Qian Duoduo, vice dean of the Soul Tool Department, a Level 8.5 Soul Engineer? That was merely self-consolation for being unable to create a Ninth Level Soul Guided Device. Compared with the Level 8 Soul Engineers of the three empires, his actual ability might not hold much of an advantage.

As for Xian Liner, dean of the Soul Tool Department? Her title was Martial God. In essence, she was still a genuine Soul Master.

And seeing Yan Shaozhe's attitude now, what more could Mu En say?

"You may go. Think carefully about what I have said. Conduct yourself well. Your teacher looks forward to seeing your progress..."

Mu En waved his hand tiredly, closed his eyes wearily, and lay back down on the lounge chair.

"Yes." Yan Shaozhe backed away in small steps. Only when he neared the entrance of the Sea God Pavilion did he turn around, raise his head, and leave.

"After I'm gone, who knows what Shrek will become... Bei Bei, if only you had been born several decades earlier..."

Within the Sea God Pavilion, the aged Mu En let out a deep sigh.

After leaving the Sea God Pavilion, Yan Shaozhe spread his radiant phoenix wings. Amid a high, clear phoenix cry, he flapped into the air and streaked over Sea God Lake like a meteor.

After landing on the riverbank, Yan Shaozhe's expression shifted several times. In the end, he made up his mind, took a voice transmission Soul Tool from his robes, pressed a button, and poured Soul Power into it.

"Wei Lun? This is Yan Shaozhe," Yan Shaozhe said in a low voice.

The voice of Du Weilun, the Martial Soul Department's Dean of Students, soon came from the other end. "Dean Yan, it is me. What are your instructions?"

"There is a small matter I need you to handle."

Yan Shaozhe's eyes darkened slightly as he said in a low tone, "Mobilize our Martial Soul Department's informants in Xuanming City and investigate the Martial Soul awakening and Innate Soul Power of Xu Tianxi, the Third Young Master and sect master of the Xuanming Sect."

"Understood, Dean. What should we do after confirming it? Should we follow precedent and send students to bring this Genius back to the academy?" Du Weilun was not surprised and answered Yan Shaozhe's request with practiced ease.

"No! If he successfully awakens the Profound Tortoise Martial Soul and has high Innate Soul Power, then forget it. There is no need to concern ourselves with him.

"But if he fails to awaken the Profound Tortoise and his Innate Soul Power is not high, then contact the Sect Master's Wife of the Xuanming Sect on my behalf. That is, the Dou Ling Empire's eldest Princess, Xue Lingxun. Tell her that I, the dean, have a deal I wish to make with her..."

The other end remained silent for a long time before Du Weilun's hesitant voice sounded again. "Dean, would that not be against the rules? Shrek is supposed to remain neutral."

Yan Shaozhe snorted disdainfully. "What are you afraid of? I am merely asking her, the principal wife, to fulfill some of her responsibility to supervise a concubine-born son. What is wrong with finding fault over a few matters? It is not as if I am asking her to kill anyone!

"Does she think Shrek's benefits are so easy to take? Her son has become one of the predetermined Seven Monsters. What an honor is that? This is merely a few insignificant little matters.

"Besides, I heard that the atmosphere within the Xuanming Sect is Not Good as well. Xu Sanshi is not even favored within the sect! Could Xu Tianxi possibly be more talented than Xu Sanshi?"

Du Weilun fell silent for a moment. "...Understood, Dean."

"Handle it quickly. I await your news."

After saying that, Yan Shaozhe abruptly ended the call. He let out a deep breath and immediately felt much of the pressure weighing on him finally vent.

Turning to look toward the Sea God Pavilion, the confusion in Yan Shaozhe's eyes gradually hardened into resolve. He muttered, "Teacher, perhaps you are right. Perhaps my cultivation has stagnated because I lack a certain breadth of mind."

"But I have always believed that anything belonging to me, to the Martial Soul Department, or even to Shrek, must be firmly held in our own hands. If I do not vent this resentment, my heart will not be at peace."

"As long as I, Yan Shaozhe, still draw breath, I will never allow anyone to harm Shrek's honor and interests. No one!"