Although Bai Yi and Nanmen Yun'er didn't understand how Mo Yuan knew Mu Jin would give them a Soul Bone later, they felt warmth in their hearts after hearing what he said.
What a wonderful captain! Not only had he led them to victory, but he'd also given the two Soul Bones they'd won to his teammates without a moment's hesitation,
and even given them two bottles of Xuan Water Pill, each worth a fortune, as an extra reward...
Bai Yi took the Xuan Water Pill with a solemn expression, then bowed deeply to Mo Yuan.
"Brother Moyuan, I don't know what to say. If you don't mind, I'd be honored to become your—"
"You brat, quit it." The more Mo Yuan listened, the more wrong it sounded. That was the sort of thing you shouldn't say lightly. It could bring bad luck.
"Sure thing, brother!"
Once the office door had closed and the sound of their footsteps had faded away, Mo Yuan suddenly felt a gentle breeze drift through the room.
"Long time no see, Dean Yan."
Mo Yuan turned to look at Yan Shaozhe, standing beside the window with his refined air, and spoke in a casual tone. He wasn't surprised in the slightest by Yan Shaozhe's appearance.
"Very perceptive," Yan Shaozhe said, his voice full of praise. But then he seemed to remember something and spoke with a strained smile.
"Still, Mo Yuan, that wasn't very fair of you."
Mo Yuan put on an innocent look. "Huh? Dean Yan, don't accuse me of anything. What did I do?"
Yan Shaozhe took one look at Mo Yuan's expression and laughed in exasperation. "You remember how I gave you a piece of Starry Sky Iron as payment and asked you to suppress Xiaotao's Evil Fire whenever it got out of control over the next two years, right?"
"I remember. She's been fine all this time, hasn't she? What's the problem?"
"Of course there's a problem! You never told me that the cold energy you infused into Xiaotao could suppress her Evil Fire for two whole years!"
Mo Yuan smiled, too. "Dean Yan, listen to what you're saying. I suppressed her Evil Fire for two years in one go, so Senior Sister Xiaotao wouldn't have to worry about it or let it distract her from cultivation. What's wrong with that?"
"Of course—" Yan Shaozhe suddenly faltered. The word "of" had barely left his mouth before he swallowed it.
No matter how you looked at it, Mo Yuan hadn't done anything wrong. He'd promised two years, and he'd delivered. He'd simply suppressed the Evil Fire all at once instead of in installments—and suppressing it for two years in one go was even better.
The problem was that Yan Shaozhe had wanted to use the Evil Fire suppression sessions to bring Ma Xiaotao and Mo Yuan closer! If Mo Yuan had suppressed it for two years all at once, what was the point of trying to bring them together?
Yan Shaozhe was deeply annoyed, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn't exactly tell Mo Yuan outright that he'd been trying to manipulate him.
"Of course there's no problem."
Yan Shaozhe looked at Mo Yuan's faint smile and gritted his teeth as he spoke. Then he sighed helplessly and waved a hand, moving on to another subject.
"You must have noticed something was off when you saw the Core Disciple and Class Assignment lists earlier. The Academy isn't deliberately suppressing you. It's because the Academy has decided..."
"You've decided to let me into the Inner Court, right?"
"That's right."
Yan Shaozhe wasn't surprised that Mo Yuan had guessed correctly. The Academy wasn't very big. If Mo Yuan's name wasn't on the Core Disciple list, one might assume the Academy was suppressing him. But if it wasn't on the class assignment list either, there were only two possibilities: expulsion or admission to the Inner Court.
Anyone with half a brain could figure out what the Academy had planned for Mo Yuan. He could only be headed to the Inner Court.
"After discussing it, the Inner Court's senior leadership has decided to admit you directly as an Inner Court disciple."
As he spoke, Yan Shaozhe took out a finely made Inner Court uniform and handed it over. Mo Yuan accepted it without hesitation. After all, hadn't he come to Shrek Academy to climb the ranks and gain access to its resources?
His only concern about entering the Inner Court was that his true Martial Soul, Black King's Blood, might be discovered. But as long as he was careful, there shouldn't be a problem.
After putting away the uniform, Mo Yuan noticed that Yan Shaozhe hadn't left and seemed to have more to say, so he asked, "Is there something else, Dean Yan?"
Yan Shaozhe nodded slightly, his expression turning serious as he spoke in a solemn tone.
"Second, after several days of discussion among the Senior Elders of the Sea God Pavilion, my teacher made the final decision. We've decided to reward you with a Soul Bone to show how highly the Academy regards you."
A Soul Bone?
And one granted at Mu En's personal decision?
Mo Yuan raised an eyebrow, a little surprised. He'd thought that, given Shrek's usual stinginess, getting into the Inner Court would be the only thing they offered him. Yet they were planning to give him a Soul Bone, too?
After speaking, Yan Shaozhe reluctantly brushed his hand over the ring-shaped Soul Tool on his left hand. A golden sphere of light, roughly the size of a human head and radiating a warm, gentle Light Attribute aura, appeared in the office.
The instant the sphere appeared, Mo Yuan's brows almost furrowed in displeasure. But after glancing at Yan Shaozhe standing before him, he quickly restored his neutral expression.
Seeing no change in Mo Yuan's expression, Yan Shaozhe nodded to himself. Then he pointed at the golden sphere, bursting it to reveal a translucent, golden right arm bone shaped like a short sword.
"This is a seventy-thousand-year-old Right Arm Bone, taken from a seventy-thousand-year-old Light Attribute Soul Beast—the Sacred Feather Golden Eagle. It's called the Light Rain Sword Right Arm Bone, and it's one of my teacher's treasures."
"This Soul Bone has never been absorbed by anyone. It still contains an immense amount of Soul Power, and absorbing it should increase your Soul Power by at least three ranks."
Whoa, had something happened to Shrek Academy's ancestors' graves today? Why were they being so generous?
No, wait. A Light Attribute Soul Bone... was this a test?
Mo Yuan suddenly understood. Shrek Academy had given him the Light Rain Sword Right Arm Bone not only to win him over, but also to find out whether there was something wrong with his Martial Soul.
After all, an Evil Soul Master absorbing a Light Attribute Soul Bone would be no different from asking for death.
It was just a shame for them that Mo Yuan really did dislike Light Attribute and Holy Attribute powers, but the root of the problem was that he still didn't have enough Black King's Blood within him.
A true Pure-blooded Dragon wasn't restrained by Light or Holy powers. The only things that could hurt them were blades, swords, and brute force.
In the Dragon Race's worldview, dragons were gods. What god in this world could be restrained by Light and Holy powers?
Having understood this, Mo Yuan accepted the Soul Bone without hesitation and sat cross-legged on the floor.
"Thank you, Academy, for recognizing my efforts. Since this Soul Bone is so precious, I'd better absorb it right here to be safe. I hope you'll keep watch over me, Dean Yan."
Yan Shaozhe was caught off guard by Mo Yuan's impulsive behavior, but then he smiled. Mo Yuan's actions had put their minds completely at ease.
"Good! Go ahead and absorb it. With me here, no one will disturb you!"
Mo Yuan took a moment to steady himself. Once he was sure everything was in order, he carefully pressed the Light Rain Sword Right Arm Bone against his right arm. As Soul Power circulated within him,
he began absorbing the Light Rain Sword Right Arm Bone...
I've finally finished the New Student Assessment arc. Writing it really gave me a headache. It was both boring and difficult, and I couldn't think of much for the protagonist to do besides crush people with a few moves.
Next, we'll head straight into the Inner Court, followed by a short side story. I've laid the groundwork for it earlier, so readers who've been paying close attention might be able to guess what it is.
After that, I'll speed things up and move on to one of the other storylines, such as the Body Sect, the Holy Spirit Cult, or the Sun Moon Empire. Take a guess at which one it'll be!
And once again, happy Chinese New Year's Eve to all my readers!
Before you continue