Mu En's Arrangements

Once everything had settled, Mu En did not linger. He took Lin Yi and Beibei straight back to Shrek Academy.

Though Mu En had confidence in his own strength, Lin Yi's standing in his heart had risen without limit. With his severe injuries, Mu En truly did not dare take Lin Yi wandering about outside, afraid something might happen to him.

Back at the academy, Mu En sent Beibei and Lin Yi off to play on their own. He had previously dismissed Yan Shaozhe's words, but now he felt Yan Shaozhe had made some sense. It could only be said that after catching a glimpse of Lin Yi's terrifying future, Mu En's state of mind had become somewhat unbalanced.

After returning to Sea God Pavilion, Mu En had intended to convene a Sea God Pavilion Meeting at once. However, the Spirit Gold he always wore against his chest abruptly calmed him down.

Realizing that his mindset was off, Mu En quickly composed himself. At this moment, the advantage of a Light Attribute soul master became fully apparent.

Once he had calmed his emotions, Mu En lay back in his reclining chair and quietly considered the matter. In truth, there was no longer much that needed to be done. Shrek and Lin Yi were already deeply bound together.

First, Lin Yi had already taken him, the Pavilion Master of Sea God Pavilion, as his master. Second, Lin Yi's parents, Lin Qingxuan and Ouyang Xi, had both been Inner Court students. They had originally been meant to remain at the academy as instructors, but an accident had occurred later.

But now, those matters had more or less been resolved. Lin Qingxuan and Ouyang Xi had respectively taken up the posts of vice dean of the Martial Soul Department and Soul Tool Department.

Within Sea God Pavilion, he, as Lin Yi's master, naturally supported Lin Yi. Elder Zhuang had always liked Lin Qingxuan and thus favored Lin Yi as well. Xiao Lin and Xiao Xu would have no objections as long as it benefited the academy. Shaozhe and Lin'er were in seclusion, while Duoduo and Mei'er had always listened to him, their teacher. By that reckoning, the only unstable factor in Sea God Pavilion was—Xuan Zi.

Thinking of Xuan Zi made Mu En feel troubled. Xuan Zi was naturally important to the academy. He possessed a Cultivation Level of Rank 98, a top-tier Martial Soul, the Godly Taotie Bull, and was his senior brother's disciple. Mu En had also personally guided him as he grew up. Whether for public or private reasons, Mu En thought highly of Xuan Zi.

All these years, Xuan Zi had also trusted Mu En completely. It was just that Xuan Zi's temperament...

Mu En's head began to ache as he thought about it. Xuan Zi was hot-tempered; in all of Sea God Pavilion, no one besides Mu En himself could keep him in check. Then there were the flaws in his Martial Soul, which made Xuan Zi's condition unstable as well.

Yet even with so many shortcomings, Xuan Zi was not particularly sharp-minded or farsighted. Just thinking about it gave Mu En a headache.

It was said that one need not fear a villain who exhausted himself plotting, but rather a fool struck by a sudden inspiration. Remembering how casually Xuan Zi had treated Lin Yi at Sea God Pavilion earlier, even wanting to discipline him, Mu En truly feared that Xuan Zi would make Lin Yi lose faith in the academy.

And Mu En did not have long to live, while Xuan Zi was the academy's greatest fighting force...

The more Mu En thought of these matters, the more his head hurt. For the moment, he could not think of a good solution. Fortunately, he could still hold on for some time. As long as he kept watch and restrained Xuan Zi, Xuan Zi should not be able to cause too much trouble.

The most important person was still Lin Yi. With that in mind, Mu En had an idea of what he should do next.

Four words: let nature take its course...

The next morning, Mu En called Lin Yi to his room early.

"Xiao Yi, your previous intensive reading in the Library Pavilion has given you sufficient foundations. Now that you have become a Soul Elder, your combat strength alone is in no way inferior to that of an official Inner Court student. It is time for you to formally begin your studies."

Lin Yi nodded. That was indeed true. He could no longer be considered a purely Support System soul master. With all his various methods, he was fully capable of taking on either control or direct assault roles.

However, having barely experienced any combat, it remained unknown how much strength he could truly display in a real battle. Learning combat techniques and improving his combat awareness truly needed to be put on the agenda.

"Do you have any plans of your own?"

Lin Yi thought for a moment. "I've delayed learning Soul Tools for too long. It is time to start. I also need to set aside time to research Master's injuries. Adding in the Inner Court curriculum, my schedule seems rather full."

Mu En smiled. "You don't realize it until you count it out. You little fellow are even busier than your master, the Pavilion Master."

Lin Yi smiled sheepishly.

"My injuries need not be rushed for now."

Seeing Lin Yi about to speak, Mu En raised a hand to stop him. "I am not saying I will not accept your treatment. It is simply that I can still hold on for now. Cultivate for a while first. When you are stronger, it will not be too late to treat me."

Lin Yi said nothing more.

Mu En continued, "Arrange your time as you see fit. Learn whatever you wish to learn. There is only one requirement: every day, you must set aside four hours for me to personally instruct you."

Seeing Lin Yi's confusion, Mu En smiled. "Since you became my disciple, I have not truly taught you anything. Now that you have three soul rings, soul masters with Extreme Attributes experience a substantial drop in cultivation speed after becoming Soul Elders due to the quality of their Soul Power. You now have the time to receive my instruction."

"Besides, didn't you say before that you wanted to cultivate your Martial Soul Origin? That is training meant for Super Douluo. Naturally, I, your master, must teach you personally."

Lin Yi immediately revealed a delighted expression. Martial Soul Origin had always interested him greatly. Having a Limit Douluo like Mu En teach him personally was naturally the best possible outcome.

"Alright, go make your arrangements. Just remember to leave four hours free."

"Yes."

Lin Yi turned and left. Once outside Sea God Pavilion, he saw the half-mu plot of land that had been cleared earlier and decided he should prepare for it as soon as possible. The method he had thought of was Food Therapy, and since that was Food Therapy, it would be a long-term endeavor. The sooner he began, the better.

Rather than seeking Elder Xu or Elder Zhuang as Mu En and the others had expected, Lin Yi first went to the Inner Court cafeteria and asked the cafeteria supervisor to find him some Spirit Pattern Rice seeds.

That was right. What Lin Yi planned to plant in front of Sea God Pavilion was Spirit Pattern Rice.

Spirit Pattern Rice contained the vital energy of heaven and earth, and long-term consumption benefited a soul master's cultivation. It had always been an everyday food for major powers and experts across Douluo Continent. To ordinary people, it was still precious, but to Shrek Academy, it was nothing special. The fact that the Inner Court cafeteria supplied this rice for free said it all.

The supervisor did not understand why Lin Yi wanted seeds, but he had heard of the youngest Inner Court Disciple. Whether because of his talent or his background, the supervisor had no desire to offend him lightly, much less over something as trivial as a few seeds.

The supervisor immediately pounded his chest in assurance that he would deliver them to Lin Yi within a few days. After receiving Lin Yi's thanks, he personally escorted Lin Yi out of the cafeteria.

With that settled, Lin Yi went straight to find Lin Qingxuan and began studying Soul Tools. He had planned to learn them ever since his Martial Soul Awakening, but more than a year had passed. Lin Yi was helpless about it as well.

Before long, Lin Yi found Lin Qingxuan in the vice dean's office of the Soul Tool Department, intently engraving a Core Array.

Lin Yi did not disturb him. He simply found a chair and quietly waited for Lin Qingxuan to finish.

Half an hour later, Lin Qingxuan completed the final stroke. He injected Soul Power into it, and a streak of spiritual light rose up. The engraving had succeeded. Judging by the complexity of the array, it was likely an advanced Core Array for a Rank 7 Soul Tool. Clearly, Lin Qingxuan had already been engraving for quite some time before Lin Yi arrived.

Lin Qingxuan stretched his body, which had grown stiff from remaining in one position for too long. Only then did he notice that someone had appeared in the room at some point.

"Xiao Yi, why are you here?"

"To learn about Soul Tools. I need to finish quickly, so a certain someone does not disappear again."

"Hahaha, isn't that all in the past? Let's not bring it up, alright? Don't bring it up."

Lin Yi did not press the matter. He simply followed his father and formally began learning about Soul Tools.

Since he had already mastered the theoretical knowledge for Rank 1 and Rank 2 Soul Tools, Lin Yi progressed quickly.

Two hours later, Lin Yi completed the engraving of the first Rank 1 Core Array of his life.

His Spiritual Power, comparable to that of a Soul Saint, could not yet be wielded as easily as his own limbs due to his age. Yet when engraving Core Arrays, it gave Lin Yi an unimaginable advantage.

Lin Yi's rate of progress left Lin Qingxuan utterly dumbfounded. How could someone possibly complete a Rank 1 Core Array within two hours of first learning Soul Tools?!

Oh, right, he was my son. Then it was fine. My son was amazing!

According to Lin Qingxuan, even Spirit Department soul masters could not learn Soul Tools as quickly as Lin Yi.

But Lin Yi was not complacent because of this. He knew that this was merely the effect of his past opportunities and accumulated foundations beginning to show.

For such a simple Core Array, all he needed to do was examine it with his Spiritual Power, then use his powerful Spiritual Power to control his body and replicate it perfectly. It did not even count as copying a cat while drawing a tiger. There was truly nothing worth praising.

Because he still needed to set aside four hours to receive Mu En's instruction, Lin Yi spent the rest of his time generally familiarizing himself with the Soul Tool crafting process and learning several more Core Arrays before leaving.

Lin Qingxuan was left staring at the several Core Arrays Lin Yi had engraved, his face full of doubt about life. Back when he had first successfully engraved a Core Array, it had taken him an entire week. But looking at the Core Arrays before him, Lin Qingxuan shut down...