Though he was already over a hundred, Yan Shaozhe had excellent self-control. After silently lamenting how lacking in manners young people were these days, he waved his hand and took two jade bottles from his Soul Tool. With a smile that didn't reach his eyes, he said,
"These are a Recover Essence Pill and a Soul Ascension Pill. They can help you quickly recover your Soul Power and injuries, and raise your Soul Power by one level."
Yan Shaozhe emphasized the word "injuries," making his meaning perfectly clear. At the same time, he tossed the jade bottles to Mo Yuan.
Unfortunately, Mo Yuan didn't care about his tone in the slightest. He wrapped an arm around Ma Xiaotao's waist, then freed one hand to catch the bottles.
Pulling out the stoppers, Mo Yuan saw five thumb-sized black pills lying at the bottom of one bottle, giving off a steady, pleasant fragrance.
They were no different from the Recover Essence Pill Ning Tian had given him in the Star Dou Great Forest. It was probably one of the most widely circulated healing pills among the continent's upper-level powers.
Though it wasn't much use to Mo Yuan, it was better than nothing.
The Soul Ascension Pill was what could actually help him. At the bottom of the other bottle lay a pill the size of a longan. The fragrance of herbs filled the air, and the pill's translucent surface shimmered faintly.
"Headmaster, you're generous." Mo Yuan put the jade bottles into his Soul Tool, then handed the still-sleeping Ma Xiaotao to Yan Shaozhe.
"Now that everything's settled, I'll leave Senior Xiaotao in your care, Headmaster."
After Yan Shaozhe took Ma Xiaotao, Mo Yuan turned and immediately walked away, silently shouting to himself the whole time.
Don't ask me to help suppress her Evil Fire. Don't ask me to help suppress her Evil Fire...
Unfortunately, life was just that messed up. The more you didn't want something to happen, the more likely it was to happen.
"Wait, student!"
Oh, no!
Mo Yuan knew something was wrong, but pretended he hadn't heard. He quickened his pace and silently recited the Dragon Language, stirring the Wind Element around him.
Just as Mo Yuan was about to take flight, Yan Shaozhe appeared in front of him, supporting Ma Xiaotao as he blocked his way.
"Student, I haven't finished speaking. There's no need to rush off."
Looking at Mo Yuan's helpless expression, Yan Shaozhe felt a great deal better. Let's see how you like it after giving me a hard time just now.
"Headmaster, is there something else?" Mo Yuan stared at him with dead-fish eyes, utterly speechless.
"As I said, my personal disciple has been troubled by Evil Fire for a long time. It's caused her great pain, and aside from Extreme Ice, there's no good way to deal with it. But how easy is it to find a talented Soul Master with Extreme Ice?"
Yan Shaozhe sighed, appearing genuinely worried about his disciple's future.
Mo Yuan wasn't buying it at all. His tone was flat as he said,
"Headmaster, just get to the point."
"Straightforward. I like that."
Yan Shaozhe immediately changed his tune.
"I saw you use your Fourth Soul Skill earlier. It may not quite reach the level of Extreme Ice, but it comes very close, and it's the best way to suppress Xiaotao's Evil Fire. So I'd like you to come to the Inner Court and suppress her Evil Fire from time to time."
"Of course, I won't take up your time for nothing. I'll give you a reward each time you suppress her Evil Fire."
Having said all that, Yan Shaozhe stared at Mo Yuan expectantly.
He had made the request for several reasons. First, Mo Yuan really could suppress his disciple Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire, sparing her the pain and preventing it from interfering with her cultivation.
Second, it would give Mo Yuan a legitimate reason to enter the Inner Court and grant him treatment different from that of ordinary Outer Court students. It would make him feel special, and show him that the Academy valued him.
Boys of this age often fell for that sort of thing.
Third, it would give Ma Xiaotao and Mo Yuan opportunities to be alone together. Given his disciple Ma Xiaotao's indisputable beauty and figure, he refused to believe Mo Yuan wouldn't be tempted!
With both approaches working together, he'd eventually bind Mo Yuan to Shrek Academy at the lowest possible cost!
Yan Shaozhe's plan was clever, and he'd painted a lovely picture for himself. Unfortunately, Mo Yuan wasn't really an eleven-year-old boy. His soul belonged to an adult, and he wasn't falling for any of it.
He'd seen plenty of people make grand promises, but this was the first time he'd seen someone offer him sesame seeds.
Without anything substantial in return, who would work for free?
"Headmaster, don't you know that boys my age are like the sun at eight or nine in the morning? Every minute and every second is precious."
Yan Shaozhe's expression grew darker as he listened. How much time could it possibly take to use his Fourth Soul Skill and suppress her Evil Fire now and then? And there was a beautiful girl involved, too. Why wouldn't the boy agree? Did young geniuses these days have no interest in that sort of thing?
"So you refuse?"
"No."
"Then pay up. For every time I suppress the Evil Fire, you'll give me a piece of Precious Minerals."
Yan Shaozhe was caught off guard by Mo Yuan's sudden demand for more money. The corner of his eye twitched. He waved his hand with a smile that didn't reach his eyes and said,
"No problem! If you help suppress Xiaotao's Evil Fire, I'll add a piece of Precious Minerals to the original reward."
After speaking, Yan Shaozhe reluctantly took a fist-sized, translucent, bronze-colored ore from his Soul Tool and tossed it to Mo Yuan.
"This is Starry Sky Iron, an extremely rare Precious Minerals on the continent. It's renowned for its hardness and sharpness, and it's nearly as valuable as Cold Heart Iron. What do you think?"
Mo Yuan caught the bronze-colored ore called Starry Sky Iron, examined it, and weighed it in his hand before immediately putting it into his Soul Tool.
He wanted Precious Minerals to prepare for forging the Seven Deadly Sins in the future. After all, in the Worldview of the Dragon Race, a sword, a blade, and blood were the best ways to fight.
"That's enough for now. For the next year, whenever Senior Xiaotao can't keep her Evil Fire under control, you can come to me for help."
Yan Shaozhe's expression darkened. "Why only a year?"
"Then a year and a month?" Mo Yuan smiled, his tone teasing. "Unless you plan to use just one piece of ore to keep me by Senior Xiaotao's side for the rest of my life?"
"That's not what I have in mind. It's just that a year is too short, and doesn't match the value of Starry Sky Iron. At least five years."
Yan Shaozhe began to haggle. Starry Sky Iron was valuable, and this was the only piece he had. The Soul Guidance Department had been asking him for it for ages, and he still hadn't agreed to give it to them.
If he hadn't wanted to recruit Mo Yuan, he wouldn't have given it away so easily.
Mo Yuan shook his head. "No. A year and two months at most."
"You're just robbing me!"
"You figured that out?"
"You!" Yan Shaozhe was so angry he laughed. But for the sake of his disciple's Evil Fire and Mo Yuan's peerless talent, he could only grit his teeth and give ground.
"Fine, fine, fine! I'll give a little. But at least two years!"
"Deal! It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Headmaster."
Mo Yuan knew the value of Starry Sky Iron perfectly well. He'd haggled for so long simply to get as much as he could. Two years of suppressing Evil Fire in exchange for a piece of Starry Sky Iron was a great deal for him.
With that, Mo Yuan stopped looking at Yan Shaozhe, whose expression was as if he'd eaten shit. He silently recited the Dragon Language, and the surging Wind Element lifted him into the air and carried him toward the Outer Court.
"Young people these days..." Yan Shaozhe stroked the sparse whiskers on his chin and shook his head as he watched the figure disappear into the night.
His first encounter with Mo Yuan had given him a general idea of the boy. He hated trouble, had extraordinary talent and great strength, and, most importantly, knew exactly how talented he was.
Otherwise, a student who had only just entered the Outer Court would never have acted this way in front of him—the headmaster of the continent's number-one academy, a Titled Douluo standing at the pinnacle of power. Nor would he have dared to haggle with him.
That mattered, but it also made things troublesome. Geniuses like him rarely joined a faction on impulse. They knew how to wait for the best offer.
Some of the less scrupulous ones even played both sides, which was truly detestable!
That would make it difficult to recruit Mo Yuan at the lowest possible cost.
As he thought about it, Yan Shaozhe seemed to sense something.
"Hmm? Awake?"
Before you continue