They stood barely three meters apart.
One was an old man so frail that he looked ready to drop dead at any moment; the other was a young man radiating golden light, standing with his hands behind his back as if he were always prepared to ascend to the Divine Realm.
Beibei stood off to the side, his heart in his throat. He was worried that Radiant Mu En would be like Righteous Qi Xuan Zi and start a fight at the slightest provocation.
Mu En was already at the end of his strength. He absolutely wouldn't be a match for this man.
Especially since Beibei already knew the rules: of the three, the one who appeared first was the most terrifyingly powerful.
Beibei had personally felt the aura that Mu Xuan had just unleashed. But what about this Radiant Mu En, who had appeared before Mu Xuan?
Radiant Mu En was definitely stronger than Mu Xuan! He might even be closer to godhood than Mu En!
"You... What's your name?"
Mu En finally spoke. His voice was hoarse, yet unusually clear.
Radiant Mu En slowly opened his eyes. Golden light swirled in them, and even though his gaze wasn't on Beibei, Beibei couldn't help feeling an urge to bow down and worship him.
"Mu En."
The same name.
Mu En chuckled and nodded.
"Would you be willing to join Shrek Academy?"
Radiant Mu En didn't answer. He simply looked at Mu En in silence, seemingly waiting for him to give a reason.
"Douluo Continent is anything but peaceful these days. The Sun Moon Empire is watching us like a hawk, and Soul Tools are advancing by leaps and bounds. The three original kingdoms of Douluo Continent have fallen far behind in technology. War could break out at any moment."
"And war isn't all we have to worry about."
A deep worry flashed through Mu En's eyes.
"There are also the Evil Soul Masters lurking in the shadows. They're everywhere, and they commit every manner of atrocity. You saw that Mu Xuan who just escaped. If he leads them, all of Douluo Continent will suffer a catastrophe beyond imagining."
As he spoke, Mu En coughed violently several times, and a thread of black blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Beibei hurried to step forward, but Mu En stopped him with a wave of his hand.
"I don't have much time left."
Mu En looked straight into Radiant Mu En's golden eyes, his voice tinged with a plea. For the proud Dragon God Douluo, it was almost unthinkable.
"Shrek Academy is the continent's guardian, the cornerstone of peace. If Shrek falls, this world will be plunged into chaos and darkness."
"After I die, Xuan Zi..." Mu En paused. He didn't look back at the cripple, but merely sighed. "Xuan Zi is impulsive, and now that both his legs are crippled, he can't shoulder this responsibility. Beibei is clever, but he's still young, and his strength is limited."
"This world needs the strong."
"It needs someone like you, someone with absolute power, strong enough to suppress all evil."
"Join Shrek Academy."
Mu En made his final request.
"As Sea God Pavilion Master, I invite you to become the Pillar of the Sea for Shrek Academy."
Radiant Mu En listened to Mu En's words, his expression unchanged.
He didn't even show the slightest interest in saving the world.
After a long while, he finally spoke in a calm voice.
"I awakened my Martial Soul at six. It was a god-level Martial Soul, the Blazing Heaven Divine Dragon, and my Innate Soul Power was level twenty."
Beibei's pupils contracted sharply at those words.
Innate Level Twenty?!
"I don't need to cultivate. My Soul Power grows on its own. I don't even need to hunt Soul Beasts. Whenever I reach a bottleneck, the laws of the world condense the perfect Soul Ring for me."
"At twelve, I was a Soul Emperor."
"At sixteen, I became a Titled Douluo, with the title Radiance."
"At twenty, I broke through level ninety-nine, became a Limit Douluo, and stood undefeated beneath the heavens."
Beibei: "..."
Xuan Zi: "..."
Mu En: "..."
What the hell kind of thing was that to say?!
Beibei felt as if his whole worldview had shattered. A Titled Douluo at sixteen? A Limit Douluo at twenty? Was anyone else supposed to have a chance at life?
His great-grandfather, one of the famed Shrek Twins, and Long Xiaoyao had spent how many years cultivating before they reached the Limit Douluo realm?
This was practically a life with cheat codes!
A faint curve appeared at the corner of Radiant Mu En's mouth—a smile of utter confidence, so arrogant it was almost disdainful.
"To me, the power and status of this world, its wars, even the so-called struggle between good and evil, are all meaningless. Those are things only ants care about."
"I have only one goal."
Radiant Mu En lifted his head, his gaze seeming to pierce the heavens and look toward some unknowable dimension.
"Godhood."
"I'm just one step away from shattering the void and ascending to the Divine Realm."
Beibei's heart sank at that.
It was over.
He didn't care about Shrek Academy's troubles at all.
That made sense. A twenty-year-old Limit Douluo was thinking about ascending to the heavens. Who would care about the muddy battles down here?
Mu En's eyes dimmed as well. It seemed even his last breath was about to fade with his disappointment.
And yet—
Just when everyone thought there was no hope, Radiant Mu En changed tack.
"However..."
Those two words made Beibei's heart leap back into his throat.
Radiant Mu En lowered his head to look at his dying counterpart. The golden light in his eyes flickered faintly.
"Since I'm also Mu En, and since I was once a member of Shrek Academy... I'll accept this karmic tie."
"I can join Shrek Academy."
Radiant Mu En spoke calmly.
"Really?!"
Beibei was so delighted he almost jumped for joy. Even Xuan Zi, sprawled on the ground, suddenly opened his eyes wide, a flash of ecstasy in them.
"But I have one condition."
Radiant Mu En raised a finger, his expression indifferent.
"I'll only step in when Shrek Academy faces annihilation. Don't bother me with ordinary teaching, management, the continent's petty power struggles, or trivial matters."
That works!
That works damn well!
Beibei was nodding furiously in his heart.
How was this unreliable? This was perfect!
Radiant Mu En might be arrogant, and he might refuse to get involved in daily affairs, but he was powerful! He knew exactly what his role was!
He was the perfect deterrent!
It was like having a living deity enshrined in Shrek Academy! As long as he was alive, who would dare lay a hand on Shrek?
And so what if he wouldn't manage things?
Was Shrek Academy short on administrators? What it needed now was an unparalleled powerhouse who could keep everyone in line!
"Good... Good..."
A smile finally appeared on Mu En's face.
With a twenty-year-old Limit Douluo stationed there, Shrek Academy could preserve its glory for at least another hundred years.
As for Mu Xuan...
Mu En believed that evil could never triumph over good. With Radiant Mu En there, that monster couldn't cause too much trouble.
"Beibei..."
Mu En turned his head with difficulty to look at the great-grandson he loved most.
"Great-grandfather! I'm here!"
Beibei hurried to kneel beside the wheelchair and clasped Mu En's withered hand tightly. As if sensing what was coming, he could no longer hold back his tears. They spilled from his eyes.
"From now on... Shrek... is in your hands..."
Mu En's voice grew fainter, like a candle guttering in the wind.
"Don't worry, Great-grandfather..."
Beibei sobbed uncontrollably and nodded as hard as he could.
Mu En looked at Beibei with satisfaction, then glanced at his young self standing nearby, gleaming with golden light.
How wonderful.
How wonderful it was to be young.
If only he hadn't been injured back then. If only he could have been like him...
No. None of that mattered anymore.
Shrek was safe.
Mu En slowly closed his eyes.
The hand clasping Beibei's fell limp.
Mu En, Dragon God Douluo of his generation and Sea God Pavilion Master of Shrek Academy,
passed away.
"Great-grandfather—!!!"
"Elder Mu—!!!"
The two of them were overcome with grief at Mu En's passing.
Only Radiant Mu En continued to stand with his hands behind his back, watching the scene with an impassive face.
Before you continue