At Shrek Academy, Beibei and Tang Ya returned after hunting for a soul ring and walked up to the student dormitory.
A seemingly ordinary old man was reclining in a chair, looking utterly at ease. Though he gave off no particularly terrifying aura, just mentioning his name would astonish the entire Douluo Continent. He was Dragon God Douluo Mu En.
Beside Mu En, an unkempt old man was gnawing on a chicken leg, grease all over his mouth. He was none other than Taotie Douluo Xuan Zi.
"Great-grandfather, Elder Xuan, we're back."
Beibei bowed respectfully.
Mu En slowly opened his slightly cloudy eyes. His gentle gaze fell on the two young juniors, and a faint, pleased smile touched his lips.
"Good, you're back. Did everything go smoothly? Xiao Ya must have obtained her third soul ring."
"Yes, Elder Mu."
Tang Ya nodded obediently, then a hard-to-describe, strange expression appeared on her face.
"But... we encountered some... very strange things on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. And... some strange people."
"Oh?"
A flicker of interest crossed Mu En's eyes.
Beibei took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts. He recounted in detail how they had met the three Huo Yuhaos by the river, along with the bizarre incident of "one becoming three" that had happened at That River. He guessed that Lin Feng was the deity of that river—the River God.
When Mu En heard that one Huo Yuhao had become three, and that there was a River God, even his usually placid eyes rippled.
"Hmph!"
A disdainful snort suddenly interrupted Beibei.
Xuan Zi tossed aside the chicken bone he had picked clean, wiped his greasy mouth, and scoffed.
"What River God? What one becoming three? I say those three brats were just putting on an act to attract attention. They probably lack talent but still want to join Shrek Academy."
His tone was full of contempt for such behavior.
Mu En paid no heed to Xuan Zi. He lightly tapped the armrest of his chair with his aged fingers, keeping his gaze fixed on Beibei as he asked evenly, "Beibei, go on. Tell me more about those three children, especially their Martial Souls."
"Yes."
Beibei steadied himself and continued.
"The three of them really did look identical. Apart from their hair and eye color, their temperaments were completely different, too. I didn't learn about the Martial Souls of the other two. I only found out about the eldest brother's. His Martial Soul is called the Eye of Sanction. Even without a soul ring, he can restrict an opponent's movements for 0.5 seconds."
At that, Xuan Zi, who had seemed so absent-minded, abruptly stopped chewing.
Mu En's fingers, which had been tapping lightly on the armrest, also fell still.
"Are you sure that's true?"
Xuan Zi stared at Beibei in disbelief.
"That's right. Thanks to his help, Tang Ya and I were able to hunt for a soul ring so smoothly."
Beibei nodded. Even now, thinking back on it filled him with emotion. The boy was already so strong without a soul ring; once he had one, he would become even stronger. If he grew to his full potential, he would undoubtedly become one of the top fighters on the Douluo Continent.
"That really is an exceptionally powerful Martial Soul."
Mu En closed his eyes. The Soul Beast Beibei had helped Tang Ya hunt was a thousand-year Mandala Snake. If the boy had no soul ring, he must not have reached level ten yet. To restrict a Mandala Snake for 0.5 seconds without even reaching level ten—what a terrifying Martial Soul.
"Wait!"
Xuan Zi suddenly spoke. His usually drowsy eyes were now wide open, and his brows knitted together.
"Kid, you said that Huo Hao has such an incredible Martial Soul. Why didn't you invite him to join Shrek?!"
His tone was accusatory, as though Beibei had committed some terrible offense.
To miss a talent so exceptionally gifted would be a tremendous loss for Shrek Academy!
Beibei gave a helpless, wry smile.
"Elder Xuan, I... I did invite him."
Well, Tang Ya had been the one to invite him, not Beibei, and she had invited him to join the Tang Sect, not Shrek Academy. But they had made their intentions quite clear: they wanted to travel the Douluo Continent.
"Then why didn't he come?!"
Xuan Zi pressed, raising his voice. In his eyes, no talented Soul Master on the Douluo Continent could refuse an invitation from Shrek Academy. No one would dare.
Beibei simply repeated Huo Hao's exact words: they planned to gain experience and didn't want to be bound by anything.
"What?! He doesn't understand, but you should! Without Shrek's guidance, even the greatest genius will end up mediocre! You...!"
Xuan Zi raised his voice again, making Beibei and Tang Ya's ears ache.
His protectiveness and his love of talent were instantly roused.
He had to get Huo Hao into Shrek Academy. As for the other two, they could join as well if they had talent. If they didn't, then never mind.
Without another word, Xuan Zi turned and strode out, his burly frame stirring up a gust of wind.
"Elder Mu, I'll go meet this kid myself! I refuse to believe there's a student on this continent I can't persuade!"
Mu En watched Xuan Zi hurry away but made no move to stop him.
He slowly opened his eyes, a flash of light glinting in their clouded depths. He had tacitly approved Xuan Zi's actions.
Whether the story was true or not, Shrek could not afford to miss out on a genius like this.
On the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, beside the unnamed little river.
Xuan Zi appeared like a specter. Thanks to his speed as a Super Douluo, he reached the spot in no time. Not much time had passed since Beibei had met the three boys, and since they wanted to obtain a soul ring, they probably hadn't left yet.
Thinking of this, Xuan Zi couldn't help frowning. Beibei should at least have helped the promising boy obtain a Hundred Year Soul Ring. How could he just leave him to fend for himself?
What a fool!
Now that he was here, he hoped he hadn't come too late. He had to help that promising boy obtain a Four Hundred Year Soul Ring before the boy absorbed one!
Once he helped the boy obtain a soul ring, the boy would surely be deeply grateful. Then Xuan Zi could invite him on the spot, and he would definitely join Shrek Academy.
Shrek Academy was the number one Soul Master Academy on the Douluo Continent. The boys must have refused because they didn't know anything about it. Given their circumstances, they had probably only heard of it in passing. After all, despite having a Martial Soul like that, the boy didn't even have a single guard with him. He clearly wasn't from some great clan.
Before long, Xuan Zi spotted the three boys sparring on the grass.
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