Yan Shaozhe: You Have a Good Idea?

"Dean, Dean! Are you all right?"

Du Wilun hurriedly asked with great care.

"Cough, I'm fine."

Yan Shaozhe let out a long breath before finally smoothing out his disrupted breathing, then his brows furrowed tightly.

He could not understand it. Why would anyone steal those broken statues that had stood there for thousands of years? What could they possibly want?

Just as Yan Shaozhe was deeply puzzled, Du Wilun spoke, his tone solemn and grave.

"Dean, I don't think this was an ordinary theft. There must be a conspiracy behind it! We must investigate it thoroughly."

"Oh? What insight do you have?"

Yan Shaozhe turned to Du Wilun, appreciation in his eyes.

Sure enough, this Dean of Studies had not been cultivated in vain. At critical moments, he could help ease Yan Shaozhe's worries.

Du Wilun pushed up his glasses, his gaze sharp.

"Dean, when something is abnormal, there must be a reason. Though Shrek Academy cannot claim to notice every minute detail, we can still keep track of unfamiliar powerful individuals appearing within Shrek City. Yet that thief managed to infiltrate the academy without our noticing anything. They cannot be simple."

Yan Shaozhe nodded. Anyone who could infiltrate Shrek Academy like that without being discovered was naturally no ordinary person.

Du Wilun continued, "And would someone like that really risk offending Shrek by stealing several completely useless statues?"

Yan Shaozhe heavily rapped the table, cutting Du Wilun off. "Those are not useless statues. They record our ancestors and Shrek's glory."

Du Wilun hurriedly nodded and admitted his mistake before continuing, "I believe there are two possibilities."

"The first is that Shrek has offended quite a few forces in recent years. Those people have long harbored resentment toward Shrek Academy, so they wish to steal the ancestral statues in order to humiliate our academy's glory. Just imagine it: if one day, those statues appeared somewhere on the continent covered in vile insults and blasphemous words, wouldn't that be a direct slap in Shrek Academy's face?"

Yan Shaozhe nodded solemnly. "Indeed. The academy's glory cannot be defiled, even if it is only a possibility."

Du Wilun continued, "The second possibility is that this theft of the statues was merely a probe, meant to test Shrek Academy's true strength."

Yan Shaozhe nodded solemnly once more. "That is possible!"

Moreover, he felt that this was the likeliest possibility. Whether it was to prevent the academy's glory from being defiled or to guard against the enemy's ulterior motives, he had to investigate this matter to the end without delay.

He immediately made the decision. "Go. Order the Surveillance Team in Shrek City, as well as the academy's inspection squad, to investigate this matter thoroughly."

Du Wilun left to carry out the order. Soon, half a day passed, yet neither soul masters skilled in tracking nor those with other special soul skills managed to find even the slightest clue.

Yan Shaozhe realized that the matter was far from simple. He headed for the Sea God Pavilion, intending to seek his teacher's help.

On Sea God Island, before the Sea God Pavilion, Mu En was still reclining in his lounge chair, lazily basking in the sun. His eyelids drooped, and he looked every bit the old man.

Behind him, Zhang Lexuan silently kneaded his shoulders.

Before him, Bei Bei stood with his hands at his sides.

"...You mean that little girl from the Tang Sect refused to let you join the Tang Sect?" Mu En's voice sounded somewhat weak.

Bei Bei nodded. "I have disappointed you, Elder Xuan."

Mu En's eyes opened slightly. He smiled calmly, shook his head, and said kindly, "It's all right. That little girl has suffered a sudden upheaval. It is only natural that she bears resentment in her heart. You cannot be blamed."

"Since that is the case, wait for now. When that little girl has been battered badly enough and comes to her senses, go find her again and join the Tang Sect."

"...Yes."

Bei Bei seemed as though he wanted to say something but held it back. He recalled that youth who was so close to Tang Ya. He seemed quite extraordinary. With that youth's help, would everything truly go as Elder Xuan wished?

"Lexuan."

After a moment of silence, Mu En's gentle voice sounded again. "You've already reached Rank 70, haven't you?"

"Yes. Cultivating inside the Golden Ancient Tree this time has benefited me greatly."

"Then have Elder Xuan take you to obtain a soul ring. Xiaotao has happened to break through as well."

"All right."

At that moment, Yan Shaozhe descended.

"Teacher." Yan Shaozhe respectfully bowed.

Mu En gave a slight nod. "What is it this time?"

"Teacher, the statues of the academy's ancestors have been stolen. We cannot find the culprit, so I have come to ask for your help," Yan Shaozhe said.

Mu En's murky eyes immediately brightened as he looked at Yan Shaozhe.

Zhang Lexuan blinked in confusion, while Bei Bei wore a strange expression.

Yan Shaozhe then explained the entire matter, including Du Wilun's speculations.

"Teacher, that thief was not merely stealing the ancestors' statues. This was practically a slap in the faces of Ancestor Tang San and the others!"

Yan Shaozhe said indignantly.

Mu En's mouth twitched.

Having lived for so many years, there was little he had not seen. Yet this was something he truly had never encountered.

Whether it was the person with nothing better to do than steal statues, or his disciple who linked the statues to the ancestors' glory and made a mountain out of a molehill, both left him particularly helpless.

Youyou sighed. Mu En suddenly felt exhausted and said listlessly, "Alright, it's not a big deal. They're only a few statues. It's better than losing something—or someone—more important. Since you want to investigate, this old man will help you look into it."

He was already someone with one foot in the grave, yet he was being disturbed by something this bizarre.

The group arrived at the square of Shrek Academy's outer courtyard. Mu En released his Mental Power from his body, and a faint golden glow spread outward from him.

Mu En was now somewhat intrigued as well.

He was actually a little curious about who had done this.

If it was an Evil Soul Master, Mu En felt those Evil Soul Masters would not do something so embarrassing.

But if it was an upright Soul Master, no normal Soul Master would do something so immoral.

Before long, he furrowed his deeply wrinkled brow.

He found a few traces, but they were extremely scarce. There was no way to determine who the other party was or where they had gone.

Someone capable of such control was no simple person.

After pondering for a moment, Mu En expanded his mental domain once more, enveloping the entirety of Shrek City.

"Du Busi?!"

Mu En was taken aback, then smiled in understanding.

Although he did not understand why Du Busi would do such a thing, it also did not seem strange at all for Du Busi to do it.

At that moment, Lin Ran and Tang Ya were preparing to leave the city for the Star Dou Great Forest.

Suddenly, Du Busi appeared before them.

"Teacher?"

Du Busi nodded slightly. "Good disciple, our deed has been exposed. Come, I'll take you to meet an old friend."

As he spoke, he used Soul Power to lift Lin Ran and Tang Ya, flying toward the outskirts of the city. His face carried hints of nostalgia and excitement as he let out a strange chuckle. "I never expected that old bastard to still be alive. I'm no longer who I used to be—I'll definitely show that old bastard what I'm capable of!"

Beside Lin Ran, Tang Ya was still stunned and shocked. Lin Ran quietly introduced him, "This is my teacher, Du Busi, the Sect Master of the Body Sect."

"Y-you're from the Body Sect?"

Tang Ya was dazed. Having grown up in the Heaven Dou Empire, she had naturally heard of the Body Sect's great reputation. She simply had not expected that Lin Ran, who had always been alone, would actually be the disciple of the Body Douluo.

Lin Ran took Tang Ya's hand and said softly, "I'll explain it to you afterward."