Standing where he was, Yan Shaozhe watched Xian Lin'er leave, a faint smile curling his lips.
By the time Lin'er got back, he would have already taken Yu Daoyun as his disciple. What would the Soul Tool Department have to do with it?
The Soul Tool Department spent all day tinkering with useless junk. Traditional Soul Masters were far better.
How could a genius like Yu Daoyun possibly be left to the Soul Tool Department?
Then Yan Shaozhe turned to Yu Daoyun and said with a genial smile, "Little fellow, have you decided? Are you willing to become my disciple?"
Yu Daoyun rolled his eyes around before replying, "Well... Dean, you're certainly very powerful, but how do you compare with our Mu En?"
"This..."
Yan Shaozhe was at a loss for words, unsure how to answer.
Comparing him with Mu En was like comparing the heavens and the earth.
In his youth, Mu En had been held in the highest hopes by the previous Sea God Pavilion Master and hailed as the greatest genius in centuries.
Yan Shaozhe was only Mu En's disciple. There was no way he could compare.
With no choice, Yan Shaozhe could only tell the truth. "Mu En is the Sea God Pavilion Master, a Level 99 Dragon God Douluo. I'm merely his disciple, so naturally I can't compare to him."
Yu Daoyun clasped his hands and said, "Thank you for thinking so highly of me, Dean. I'll listen to Mu En, then."
Compared to Yan Shaozhe, he would much rather work under Mu En.
With Innate Full Soul Power and a Golden Dragon Martial Soul, as long as he performed well, he could claim more than the position of Martial Soul Department Dean. He could even take over Shrek.
Mu En was injured and had only a few years left to live. Xuan Zi was unreliable, and Yan Shaozhe was too petty.
In such a vast academy, there wasn't a suitable successor to the Sea God Pavilion Master. Yu Daoyun thought this was an opportunity.
His bloodline was pure, his origins clean, and his family lineage unimpeachable.
As long as he was good enough, he had a chance in the future.
Yan Shaozhe let out a heavy sigh, silently took a sip of tea, and sat down to wait for Mu En.
At this point, he knew Yu Daoyun had no interest in joining him.
It seemed the boy wanted to train under Mu En. He was a clever one.
Not far away, Zhang Lexuan laughed like a honking goose.
Yan Shaozhe's face darkened. He waved her away. "Shoo, shoo! Go play somewhere else. I'm in a terrible mood."
Outside the Shrek dormitories,
Mu En lay beneath a large tree, enjoying the breeze and the view of the academy as he pondered Shrek Academy's future.
He didn't have many years left, yet he still worried about Shrek's future.
Evil Soul Masters were rampant these days. If Shrek didn't have someone truly reliable, it would vanish into the currents of history.
And he, the mighty Dragon God Douluo, would become a sinner.
Lin'er and Shaozhe weren't fit to reach the Limit Douluo realm, and the others were even less capable. Xuan Zi was always neglecting his duties. Even if Mu En handed Shrek over to him, he might not be able to manage it.
What was he supposed to do...
As Mu En pondered, he began to feel drowsy.
Just then, Xian Lin'er flew in from the horizon and called out, "Mu En! Mu En, I have good news!"
Her sudden shout startled Mu En so badly that he broke into a cold sweat.
He calmly said, "Lin'er, what's got you in such a panic? You're the dean of the Soul Tool Department. Why are you always like this?"
Xian Lin'er picked up Mu En's tea and took a sip, beaming as she said, "Mu En, you know how you sent Yan Shaozhe and me to help a child from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan undergo Martial Soul Awakening today?"
"Hey, guess what happened?"
Mu En opened his eyes and asked, "Did someone awaken the Holy Dragon of Light Martial Soul?"
"No."
Xian Lin'er smiled and continued, "It was a Golden Dragon Martial Soul with Innate Full Soul Power—the Ancestor of Strength!"
Mu En sprang up from his chair and grabbed Xian Lin'er's hand. "Let's go see."
As he spoke, he vanished from outside the dormitories.
If a child had truly awakened a Golden Dragon Martial Soul, then all the worries weighing on him could be resolved.
After he died, Shrek would have a worthy successor, one who could be raised into another Limit Douluo.
A dozen breaths later, Mu En and Xian Lin'er arrived at the Martial Soul Awakening plaza in Shrek City, where they saw the child from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Yu Daoyun was surrounded by a group of Shrek's female students, who were examining him curiously.
When Yan Shaozhe saw Mu En arrive, he immediately shooed them away. "Shoo, shoo! Mu En's here. Go play somewhere else."
Zhang Lexuan and the other female students sensibly stepped aside to clear a path.
Yu Daoyun looked up and saw the renowned Sea God Pavilion Master, the Level 99 Dragon God Douluo—and the ancestor of his clan.
He clasped his hands and bowed. "Greetings, ancestor."
Mu En smiled kindly as he studied the boy, who came from the same Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan as he did. A look of approval crossed his face.
The boy seemed quite good. Mu En liked him at first sight.
Mu En then reached out, slowly closed his eyes, and sensed Yu Daoyun's Martial Soul and Innate Soul Power.
The moment he sensed them, Mu En was stunned.
It was a pure Golden Dragon Martial Soul, one that had undergone a complete mutation.
The last person to surprise him this much had been Beibei, but Beibei's Martial Soul wasn't pure.
He hadn't expected to find another such person at his age.
If this boy were properly trained, his achievements would be no less than Mu En's.
Yan Shaozhe asked from the side, "Mu En, what do you think?"
Mu En nodded and said with a smile, "There's no problem. It really is a pure Golden Dragon Martial Soul, and it comes from my clan, too. Hahaha..."
At that moment, the old man, already halfway into the grave, could speak only of his joy.
No one knew how he had endured these years. He had always wanted to find a future for Shrek, but he had never found a suitable candidate.
Yan Shaozhe was overjoyed, too. He felt as if the Martial Soul Department were about to welcome a new genius.
Then Mu En turned around, his face suddenly falling, and asked, "Shaozhe, Lin'er just told me you wanted to take Daoyun as your disciple. Is that true?"
Yan Shaozhe broke into a cold sweat and glanced at Xian Lin'er, who was snickering nearby.
He knew she had tattled.
So he openly admitted what he had done.
Mu En looked displeased. "Shaozhe, stop doing things that hold back the academy's development. You lack generosity. Daoyun hasn't even joined the academy yet, and you're already trying to take him as your disciple. That violates academy rules."
"This child is from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, so it's more appropriate for me to teach him personally. There's no need for you to teach him. Go to the library later and read for a few days to calm down."
Yan Shaozhe nodded and replied respectfully, "Yes!"
Facing Mu En, he didn't dare say a word more, because Mu En was his teacher.
Only then did Mu En nod. He turned to Yu Daoyun and said, "Child, I'll teach you from now on. You'll study Soul Master knowledge under me."
"Thank you, great ancestor."
Without a second thought, Yu Daoyun dropped to his knees and kowtowed.
What else was there to say? The food was practically at his lips. How could he possibly refuse?
Although Shrek had a terrible reputation and seemed like a madhouse to everyone, Mu En was one of the few clearheaded people there.
With his great ancestor Mu En as his backer, Yu Daoyun's future was bright.
That same day, Yan Shaozhe personally handled Yu Daoyun's enrollment. He arranged a new dormitory for him on his own, away from Shrek's co-ed communal dormitory.
Mu En was doing this to raise the next Sea God Pavilion Master, because he didn't have much time left.
Before he died, he had to train Yu Daoyun into a Titled Douluo, so he could deter Evil Soul Masters and other petty villains.
And so, Yu Daoyun settled into the Inner Court with the academy's full approval.
Before you continue