"This time..."
"Our Shrek really struck gold!"
Yan Shaozhe could barely hide his excitement. The more he looked at Lu Heqiu, the more he liked the boy. His future achievements aside, just the ability to help Soul Masters suppress the flaws in their bodies was enough for Shrek to protect him for the rest of his life!
Xuan Zi, however, wasn't nearly as pleased. His voice was calm as he poured cold water over Yan Shaozhe's excitement.
"He's certainly a treasure."
"But this boy may well end up without a Martial Soul!"
"Think about it. His suppression of other people is already this severe. What about inside his own body?"
"Could he reach Soul Saint at just six years old?"
"Without a Martial Soul, he naturally can't give birth to Soul Power. This little fellow... hmph! He's all light for others, burning himself up!"
The joy on Yan Shaozhe's face faded considerably when he heard Xuan Zi's words. Xuan Zi was right. There really was a chance that this boy would never awaken a Martial Soul!
After all, Yan Shaozhe could sense an incredibly powerful force inside Lu Heqiu. Even that force had been sealed. Could a newly budding Martial Soul possess such immense power?
Impossible!
If it really possessed such immense power, a child's body couldn't possibly withstand it!
"Let's wait and see."
"Perhaps this boy has a fortuitous opportunity we don't know about. Maybe this so-called seal will weaken as he grows older?"
Yan Shaozhe sighed, still unwilling to extinguish all the hope in his heart. More than anything, he had seen how the boy fought. If he could cultivate normally, then even with only average talent, that suppressive power would make fighting opponents above his rank a breeze for him—as long as they were below Soul Saint.
Xuan Zi was just about to say something more when his brows suddenly lifted slightly. An old man sat quietly in a reclining chair in Shrek Outer Court, as if he had never left. The chair rocked gently, as though proclaiming his return.
"Mu En is back."
"Let him take a look."
There was less casualness in Xuan Zi's voice. It was full of respect, and not a trace of it was feigned; it seemed to come from the heart.
At his words, Yan Shaozhe looked at Ma Xiaotao and gestured for her to carry Lu Heqiu as they flew toward the Outer Academy.
But they had only just started moving when the figure lying in the rocking chair spoke softly.
"Let's talk in Sea God Pavilion. I already know the general situation."
Yan Shaozhe wasn't surprised in the slightest. He bowed slightly toward the Outer Academy, and the four of them flew toward Sea God Pavilion.
According to the academy's rules, Ma Xiaotao wasn't actually qualified to enter Sea God Pavilion. But this situation was special, and it wasn't an official Sea God Pavilion meeting, so she was allowed to carry Lu Heqiu there.
As soon as the four of them arrived inside Sea God Pavilion, they saw a gaunt figure already seated in the usually empty reclining chair at the table. He looked exceedingly old. The hand resting on the armrest had grown withered; it was hard to imagine that this old man was the Sea God Pavilion Master, one of the most powerful people in the world.
Mu En!
"Teacher, we're here."
Yan Shaozhe looked at the old man with respect and heartache in his eyes. Though Mu En's injuries were old, he looked even more aged than before—as if even the smallest movement would drain all his strength.
Mu En raised his withered hand and beckoned gently to Ma Xiaotao, asking her to bring Lu Heqiu over.
As soon as Lu Heqiu was placed in his arms, Mu En didn't examine him carefully like the other Titled Douluo would have. Instead, he held him gently, and the light of the Golden Tree descended of its own accord, nourishing the boy's body.
"This little fellow isn't like ordinary people."
"He possesses a divinity none of us have. If I'd met him fifty years earlier, I could have used that divinity to peer into the Divine Realm and search for a suitable divine position. I might even have had the chance to completely resolve the problems within my body and ascend to godhood."
Mu En's words made the three listeners' spirits lift. Yan Shaozhe hurriedly pressed him for more.
"What about now, Teacher?"
"Can he still be of some use to you?"
"Or perhaps..."
Yan Shaozhe glanced toward Xuan Zi. Compared to Mu En, Xuan Zi was clearly much younger. If Mu En could use the boy to peer into the Divine Realm and search for a divine position, could Xuan Zi do the same?
Even if he couldn't, could he use the boy to take another step forward and make Shrek Academy home to a second Limit Douluo?
"It's a little too late for that."
"As for Xuan Zi... this little fellow can't give him what he needs."
Mu En's voice remained gentle. He even remembered to look at Ma Xiaotao and explain, "When I speak of divinity, I don't mean taking something from his body. I'd only use that divinity to draw the attention of the Divine Realm and give myself a slightly better chance."
"Shrek Academy isn't the Holy Spirit Cult. We would never use someone else's life to improve our own cultivation."
At Mu En's words, Yan Shaozhe lowered his eyes. He had thought the boy might help the academy strengthen its top-tier combat power, but Mu En's words hadn't changed the situation.
Mu En was old. Very old.
No one knew how much longer he could protect Shrek Academy.
If Xuan Zi could be raised to the level of a Limit Douluo, Shrek would have another force capable of suppressing the continent for two hundred years!
They could maintain their lofty position.
But all of that...
Teacher had said it was impossible.
Lu Heqiu lay in Mu En's arms, studying the old man. Mu En was undoubtedly the human closest to godhood in this world, yet the aura around him was incomparably bright and holy.
Though his words showed that he longed for a divine position, he wasn't consumed by a feverish desire to become a god. He seemed curious rather than ambitious.
"As for what you said..."
"You think this little fellow may not have a Martial Soul. My view is a little different."
Mu En saw the disappointment in their eyes but didn't explain. Instead, he returned to the other matter. He knew what Yan Shaozhe was thinking, but fate had its own order, beyond the power of man to change. Even if they followed the same path as the Holy Spirit Cult, this little fellow still couldn't help Xuan Zi become a Limit Douluo.
Those things belonged to him alone. No one could take them away.
"Teacher, do you mean there's still a chance this little fellow can awaken a Martial Soul?"
"But the power of the seal inside him is so strong..."
Yan Shaozhe looked at Mu En and voiced his doubts. The little fellow had immense energy inside him, but he was also bound by an immensely powerful seal. How could a Martial Soul possibly break through it?
And even if he could awaken a Martial Soul, could a child's body endure one powerful enough to break through the seal?
Mu En gently stroked the child in his arms, his voice utterly tender.
"The strength of his body is nothing like that of an ordinary child."
"All we need to do..."
"Is help him break through the seal."
Before you continue