Generous Spending

"Ha ha ha, you little rascal, are you trying to extort me?"

Mu En had not expected Chen Yuan to try and shake him down.

Yet Mu En was not angry in the slightest. Instead, he was rather pleased. A kid like this was interesting, and besides, he had already intended to teach Chen Yuan something.

A streak of light entered Chen Yuan's forehead at a speed too fast for the naked eye to perceive, flowing into his mind. The information it contained appeared in his thoughts, and he could review it whenever he wished.

"Reign Over the World?!"

"This is a Self-Created Soul Skill I created in my youth. It suits you very well, so I'm passing it on to you as payment."

"How about it? Is this payment enough?"

"It is!"

A Self-Created Soul Skill!

Getting a Self-Created Soul Skill just for beating up Bei Bei—may more good things like this come his way!

"Alright, this old man won't disturb you anymore. Cultivate well, and strive to use this move in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament."

Before the dormitory building, Mu En lay comfortably in a rocking chair beneath the sun, a faint smile on his lips.

By accepting Reign Over the World, whether Chen Yuan wanted it or not, those in the know would see him as carrying Mu En's mark.

What was the language of flowers for geniuses? First come, first served!

As a Limit Douluo, Mu En understood that perfectly well.

After finally finding such a genius—one who also met his requirements—he naturally had to establish ties with him as soon as possible.

Was he supposed to just leave him unattended?

What if Yan Shaozhe and Xuan Zi discovered him? What if some other elder took him away? Could they teach him properly?

In Mu En's eyes, Chen Yuan was guaranteed to become a Super Douluo, with a chance of reaching the Limit. Once his Martial Soul evolved, he would have at least a thirty percent chance of becoming a Limit Douluo and a guaranteed chance of reaching Rank 98.

What if those two led such a genius astray by accident?

Mu En did not even dare imagine such a scene. Having Yan Shaozhe and Xuan Zi in Shrek already gave him enough headaches.

If Chen Yuan was ruined by them too, Mu En swore he might just croak on the spot.

So, it was better to put his mark on him early. Mu En did not believe anyone in this world would dare steal a disciple from him.

Once this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament ended, Mu En felt that his lifespan would likely be nearing its end.

Before then, Mu En had to take Chen Yuan in as his disciple and do everything he could to arrange suitable Soul Bones for him.

Perhaps he would even get to see Ultimate Fire before he died.

Mu En felt that he had already devoted himself heart and soul to Shrek. Looking toward Chen Yuan's dormitory, he silently sighed.

He hoped this warning would wake Bei Bei up.

After Bei Bei's parents died, Mu En had not asked much of his great-grandson. He had only hoped Bei Bei could live well.

But the current Bei Bei truly left him unable to rest easy.

Whenever Mu En thought of Zhang Lexuan and Bei Bei, his head began to ache.

Back then, because of Bei Bei's parents' deaths, he had made a child swear a Martial Soul Oath. Yet now Bei Bei had fallen for Tang Ya.

Zhang Lexuan was still stubbornly devoted to Bei Bei, which gave Mu En quite a headache.

At the time, he had merely wanted Bei Bei to help the Tang Sect a little. Yet Tang Ya had somehow lured away his great-grandson.

Well, being lured away was one thing. Bei Bei liked that kind of life, and as long as he did not neglect cultivation, it was fine.

But Tang Ya kept talking about reviving the Tang Sect while showing no growth whatsoever. Bei Bei cared more about reviving the Tang Sect than Tang Ya herself did.

It would have been fine if the two were simply dating. As long as Mu En wished it, his personal wealth alone could support at least a small or medium-sized sect.

But the two of them could not even distinguish their priorities and spent their days neglecting cultivation at this age!

As a result, Bei Bei, that rich brat who lacked for nothing, was only Rank 37 now.

Mu En hoped Bei Bei's cultivation could be as high as possible before he left, so he could depart with a little more peace of mind.

That was why he had asked Chen Yuan to give Bei Bei a warning.

Back in the dormitory, Chen Yuan's grin was practically stretching to his ears.

Ultimate Fire? He had possessed it from the moment his Martial Soul Awakened.

If Mu En truly intended to cultivate him, then those resources would certainly increase Chen Yuan's cultivation speed.

He only needed to reveal his Ultimate Fire at the right time.

As for how many resources he consumed in the meantime, as long as he did not cross Shrek's bottom line, the more the better.

And he had even gotten a Self-Created Soul Skill out of this. What an incredible profit!

Of course Chen Yuan knew that accepting this Soul Skill meant becoming tied to Mu En.

But Mu En would soon pass away. Once Chen Yuan had Mu En's banner behind him, as long as he did not do anything too outrageous, no one in Shrek would be able to touch him.

By evening, the avenue outside Shrek Academy's gates had become a small commercial street on its own due to the academy's presence.

All kinds of stalls lined the street, with a dazzling variety of goods. The majority, however, were snacks. Delicacies from every corner of the Douluo Continent could be found here, so calling it a food street would not be an exaggeration.

It was just that the prices were utterly unworthy of street food.

Chen Yuan, now wearing the purple fourth-year uniform, arrived there as well.

Chen Yuan usually ate all three meals in the cafeteria. In over three years, he had come here fewer than thirty times.

There was no other reason. Shrek Academy's Core Disciples had free, exclusive meals that were incredibly valuable. The food on this street tasted worse than Shrek's cafeteria food and still cost money.

Today was the first day that the Little Huo Grilled Fish, famous for ten thousand years, went on sale.

A few days ago outside the Star Dou Great Forest, Chen Yuan had tasted Huo Yuhao's grilled fish. At the time, he had thought Huo Yuhao must have drugged it.

Now that Huo Yuhao had begun selling grilled fish, Chen Yuan naturally had to show his support.

One fish only cost five Copper Soul Coins, and it tasted far better than the cafeteria food. Chen Yuan also needed to find Bei Bei and complete Mu En's assignment, so supporting him along the way was not a bad idea.

Huo Yuhao's grilled fish stall was not far from the gates. By the time Chen Yuan arrived, several people were already waiting in line.

Off to the side, a student in a yellow uniform stared longingly at the skewer in his hand, intending to buy another two or three for dinner.

But the people ahead drove him to the back of the line.

With the help of his Spirit Eye, Huo Yuhao's control over the heat had become exquisite. Before long, the air around them was filled with the aroma of grilled fish.

Soon, the person ahead of Chen Yuan took his grilled fish and left.

"Little Huo, how many grilled fish do you have left?"

"Hm? Brother Chen! Other than the ones reserved for Teacher Xiao Ya, there are five left."

Huo Yuhao looked pleasantly surprised upon seeing Chen Yuan.

"Brother Chen, it's my first day doing business, so I didn't prepare much. The grilled fish is five Copper Soul Coins each. How about I treat you to one?"

Bei Bei had previously told Huo Yuhao that although Brother Chen's cultivation was high and his strength formidable, he came from a commoner background.

Moreover, in Huo Yuhao's eyes, he only knew a handful of people at Shrek Academy. It was only one grilled fish, not some valuable item, so treating him was no big deal.

Chen Yuan shook his head and said, "Little Huo, I'll take all five remaining grilled fish."

As he spoke, Chen Yuan flicked a Gold Soul Coin into the small plate on the table beside Huo Yuhao.

"Consider it deposited with you. Whenever I come to buy some later, just deduct the cost from this Gold Soul Coin. Tell me when it runs out, and I'll add more."

"Alright, thank you, Brother Chen."

As Huo Yuhao focused on grilling the fish, the crowd that had gathered behind them because of the fragrance suddenly parted to make way.

However, neither Chen Yuan nor Huo Yuhao paid attention to the scene until a girl wearing the same purple fourth-year uniform as Chen Yuan stepped up to Huo Yuhao's stall.

The girl was Jiang Nannan. Even though Chen Yuan had already known the outcome, he could not help sighing that Xu Sanshi had lost so thoroughly.

"Junior, how much is your grilled fish?"

"Five Copper Soul Coins each."

"That's a little expensive. Considering the cost and preparation, three Copper Soul Coins at most. You'd still make a profit at that price."

"I'm sorry, Senior Sister, but my grilled fish has a fixed price. Besides, today's grilled fish is already sold out."

He absolutely could not open that door. Otherwise, once Huo Yuhao continued this business, there would definitely be plenty more people like her.

Moreover, Huo Yuhao was currently a nobody in the Outer Court. He could only barely survive at Shrek Academy by earning money from selling grilled fish.