He turned around and looked at Yan Shaozhe.
"Level 30 in at most half a year."
"Level 40 in a year."
"Level 50 in two years."
"Level 60 in four years."
He paused, his gaze growing profound.
"Ten years."
"At most ten years, and he'll reach Titled Douluo."
Yan Shaozhe drew in a sharp breath.
A Titled Douluo in ten years?
Could anyone really advance that fast?
"But, Teacher, his Soul Power growth depends on his Contract Beasts evolving, and they can't evolve until he reaches the required level..."
"I know." Mu En nodded. "That's why we shouldn't force his growth. We need to pave the way for him."
"Besides, his Contract Beasts can cultivate alongside him and replenish one another. That's the most terrifying part."
"His growth rate could soar as his Soul Beasts evolve to higher ages and he forms contracts with more of them!"
He returned to his desk and picked up a pen and paper.
"Starting tomorrow, we'll revise Bai Lan's training plan."
"He's far too important."
"I'm adding him to the list of candidates receiving the academy's sole Super Sequence-level training."
"In the ten thousand years since Shrek Academy was founded, he'll be the first."
"We'll divert all our resources to him, with no limits on what we provide."
"We'll step up his combat training, replacing the Simulated Soul Beast Forest with real Soul Beast hunts."
"He'll receive one-on-one guidance once a month, personally from me."
Yan Shaozhe was stunned.
"The sole Super Sequence..."
"Teacher, you'll personally..."
Mu En nodded, his pen still moving.
"You brought him his second Contract Beast. I'll bring him his third."
He set down his pen and looked up at Yan Shaozhe.
"Didn't you say you wanted him to contract a Soul Beast that could conceal its presence? I know where to find one."
Yan Shaozhe's eyes lit up. "Where?"
The corner of Mu En's mouth lifted in a faint, mysterious smile.
"Shadow Valley, in the Star Luo Empire."
"There's a... Void Shadow Beast there."
Yan Shaozhe's pupils contracted.
A Void Shadow Beast?
A rare dual-attribute Soul Beast with shadow and a trace of space?
"Teacher, does something like that really exist?"
Mu En nodded. "It does. And I know exactly where it is."
He paused, his gaze growing profound.
"It's three thousand years old, and it recently evolved. It's in a weakened state."
"Perfect for Bai Lan to contract."
Yan Shaozhe drew a deep breath.
A three-thousand-year-old Void Shadow Beast, after two evolutions...
Would it reach thirty thousand years?
Or... a hundred thousand?
"Teacher, when should we go?"
Mu En didn't answer right away. Instead, he turned to look out the window.
It was deep into the night.
The Outer Courtyard lake lay still.
In the distance, a figure could just be made out, seated cross-legged by the lake and cultivating.
It was Bai Lan.
Even this late at night, he hadn't stopped to rest.
Mu En watched him for a while, then suddenly smiled.
"When he reaches level 30."
"I'll take him then."
He turned and looked at Yan Shaozhe.
"In the meantime, you're responsible for strengthening his foundation."
"Until he reaches level 30, nothing must go wrong."
Yan Shaozhe bowed solemnly. "Yes, Teacher."
Mu En waved a hand and sat back down by the window.
Moonlight spilled over his aged face.
Looking at his profile, Yan Shaozhe felt something he couldn't quite put into words.
His teacher was taking a gamble.
Gambling that Bai Lan would grow strong.
Gambling that he could pave the way for him before he died.
"Go," Mu En said calmly. "Let him focus on his cultivation. When he reaches level 30, I'll go to him myself."
Yan Shaozhe nodded and turned to leave.
At the door, he suddenly stopped and glanced back.
Mu En was still sitting by the window, gazing out into the night.
In the moonlight, his shadow stretched long.
Yan Shaozhe suddenly remembered when he had first enrolled, many years ago. His teacher had sat by the window just like this, looking in the same direction.
Back then, his teacher's figure had been much straighter.
He looked away and stepped out.
Behind him, Mu En's voice drifted softly through the room.
"Kid, don't let me down."
In the darkness, the paper crane flew out the window once more and vanished above the lake.
The next morning.
Bai Lan awoke from his cultivation and opened his eyes.
Sunlight streamed in through the window.
He stood, opened it, and breathed in the fresh air.
Suddenly, a paper crane flew in through the window and landed in his palm.
It unfolded by itself, revealing several lines of writing.
"When you reach level 30, come find me at the Sea God Pavilion."
"I'll take you to contract your third Contract Beast."
The note was signed with a single character:
Mu.
Bai Lan looked at the note, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
A third Contract Beast...
He raised his head and looked out the window.
The sunlight was warm.
The road ahead was long.
But he knew that from this day on, someone would always be waiting for him up ahead.
That person was Mu En.
The Dragon God Douluo.
The Sea God Pavilion Master of Shrek.
And Bai Lan's greatest backer in this world.
He also knew what made him unique.
If outsiders found out, or even if other people within the academy learned of it, word might get back to the sect.
Then the academy would be the only safe place for him. Everywhere else would mean certain death.
And if Mu En died...
Without a Peerless Douluo to guard Shrek Academy, the Holy Spirit Cult and those imperial powers itching to make a move would surely return, bringing disaster upon the academy that it couldn't recover from.
At that point, his only safe option would be to run and hide completely.
Time flowed by like water.
Three months had passed since Mu En sent that message.
In the Outer Courtyard dormitory for the Junior Class at Shrek Academy.
Bai Lan sat cross-legged on his bed, his eyes half-closed and his breathing long and steady.
A faint pulse of Soul Power surrounded him, subtle but unceasing.
The Contract Book floated before him, its pages turning slowly in the still air.
On the first page, the imprint of Arrow Bamboo glowed with a soft green light.
On the second, the silver butterfly shadow of the Void Butterfly King fluttered gently, as if it could emerge from the page at any moment.
The third page was still blank.
It was reserved for a future Contract Beast.
Bai Lan opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.
"I'm at the peak of level 29."
He murmured, looking down at his hands.
Three months to go from level 26 to the peak of level 29: three levels.
Compared to his frenzied sprint of nine levels in half a year, this was much slower.
But Bai Lan knew this was the normal pace of cultivation.
The higher a Soul Master's level, the more energy they needed to advance.
The step from the peak of level 29 to level 30 was a major hurdle.
It was the threshold between Soul Grandmaster and Soul Elder.
Many people got stuck there for months, or even years.
If he hadn't had two Soul Beasts cultivating alongside him and replenishing one another, he couldn't have progressed this quickly.
"There's no need to rush," he told himself.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Bai Lan! Are you there?"
It was Bei Bei's voice.
Bai Lan put away the Contract Book and got up to open the door.
Bei Bei stood outside in a fitted outfit, smiling brightly.
Tang Ya and Xu Sanshi were behind him.
"Come on, let's go! We've got an Outer Courtyard mission!"
"Dean Yan gave us special permission. The four of us are going to the Soul Beast forest to gather medicinal herbs!"
Tang Ya leaned closer, her eyes sparkling.
Bai Lan was slightly taken aback. "Special permission from Dean Yan?"
"Yeah."
"He said it was to give you more practical experience and, while we're at it... help you break through."
Bei Bei nodded.
Before you continue