Di Tian gazed at the young man before him, suspicion showing in his vertical pupils.
This boy was a student Mu En had brought to obtain a Soul Ring. Why did he carry the Auspicious Beast's aura—and why was it so similar?
At that thought, he asked, "Kid, what's your Martial Soul?"
Before Yu Daoyun could answer, Mu En snapped, "Beast God, you're sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."
Di Tian snorted and said disdainfully, "Mu En, even if you don't tell me, I've already guessed. You brought this old fellow all the way to Star Dou to obtain a Soul Ring in person. He must be someone special. Otherwise, you would've had Xuan Zi lead the group."
"If I'm not mistaken, this is Shrek's new genius. Let me guess... Innate Full Soul Power. He also has the aura of the Dragon Clan about him, and you need a Soul Ring from a Dragon Clan Soul Beast. It must be a Dragon Martial Soul—and one of the highest quality."
"Hmm... Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon? No, it must be the Light Holy Dragon. Is he the bastard son of you and that old hag?"
In just a few seconds of looking at him, Di Tian had practically stripped Yu Daoyun bare.
But he'd gotten one thing wrong: Yu Daoyun didn't have the Light Holy Dragon Martial Soul, nor was he the bastard son of Mu En and Ye Xishui.
Di Tian's last remark thoroughly enraged Mu En.
Mu En snapped, "Di Tian, if you want to die, you could've said so sooner. I may be old, but I'm not on my deathbed."
Di Tian burst into laughter. "You old geezer, you were just so cocky. Now you're losing your temper? If he's not your bastard son, why are you so invested? I know all about that time you and that old hag came to Star Dou for Soul Hunting."
"Ah... what a shame, though. That old hag is—"
Before he could finish, Mu En flew into a rage. Just as it looked like they were about to come to blows, Di Tian laughed loudly and said no more.
Before long, the Scarlet King hauled over a barely breathing Soul Beast and tossed it to Mu En. "This is a thousand-year-old Sacred Dragon Horn Beast. It has the Light attribute and the bloodline of a Light Dragon. It meets your requirements."
Mu En examined the barely breathing Soul Beast and nodded in satisfaction.
This was just right for Daoyun.
Yu Daoyun was also pleasantly surprised. He hadn't expected such a rare Soul Beast—it ranked among the top two in the Soul Beast hierarchy.
This was truly a rare find.
If they'd searched for one themselves, they might not have found this kind of Soul Beast even after scouring the Star Dou Great Forest. They might even have been hunted by a Ferocious Beast.
Di Tian spoke coldly. "Now that you've got the Soul Beast you wanted, get lost. Mu En, you'd better take your time dying. Once you're dead, the first thing I'll do is unleash a beast tide and wipe out your Shrek Academy."
"Let's see who outlasts whom. You'd better live a few more years!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Beast God Di Tian led a group of mighty Ferocious Beasts away.
Mu En paid no heed to the threat. Instead, he seized the Soul Beast and said to Yu Daoyun, "Let's return to the Academy."
To be safe, Mu En decided they should return to the Academy before absorbing the Soul Ring. What if the Soul Beast tried something funny?
Yu Daoyun nodded, and the two left Star Dou.
Two hours later, they returned to Shrek Academy.
As soon as they arrived at the Inner Court, several elders came hurrying over and saw Elder Mu and Yu Daoyun.
Yan Shaozhe stepped forward and asked, "Elder Mu, did everything go safely?"
Mu En replied with a chuckle, "I personally fought Beast God. Nothing serious happened."
The elders were immediately stunned.
Elder Mu had fought Di Tian again?
Xian Lin'er asked curiously, "Elder Mu, did you win?"
Mu En shook his head and said evenly, "Beast God's strength is unfathomable. He held back a great deal when he fought me, as if he had some reservations. If he'd truly gone all out, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been his match."
"I don't know why, but Beast God backed down. In the end, he gave us a thousand-year-old Sacred Dragon Horn Beast."
"Ah... So many years have passed, and Beast God's strength keeps growing stronger. Meanwhile, Shrek has been going downhill. This old man is deeply worried about Shrek's future."
"Lin'er, Shaozhe, the two of you must work harder at your cultivation."
Yan Shaozhe and Xian Lin'er exchanged glances, then bowed solemnly and agreed, afraid Elder Mu would blame them.
At that moment, Mu En glanced around and asked, "Where's Xuan Zi?"
No one answered. Silence fell.
Mu En bristled with anger. "That Xuan Zi! He's one of Shrek's elders, yet all he does all day is drink and stuff himself. He's going to be the death of me!"
Then he urged Yu Daoyun to kill the Soul Beast and absorb its Soul Ring so he could advance.
Yu Daoyun slowly withdrew his gaze, spread his hands, and raised the Golden Dragon Spear.
Crack—!
The thousand-year-old Sacred Dragon Horn Beast sprayed blood and died on the spot.
A purple thousand-year Soul Ring rose from the corpse. Yu Daoyun immediately sat cross-legged and began absorbing it.
After being tempered by the Black Tortoise Divine Pill, his body had grown far stronger and could easily withstand the impact of a thousand-year Soul Ring. It was only a little painful.
But to Yu Daoyun, who possessed the Golden Dragon Martial Soul, that little pain was nothing.
He subdued it and refined it in an instant!
Several hours later, Yu Daoyun was drenched in sweat, and a purple thousand-year Soul Ring rose beneath his feet.
He'd succeeded!
He was now a Soul Master, and his Soul Power had reached the astonishing level of Rank 17.
The elders present all drew in a sharp breath.
He'd absorbed a thousand-year Soul Ring!
Who could say Shrek had no way to absorb Soul Rings beyond their rank now? They had a living example right before their eyes.
The boy Elder Mu had personally trained truly was exceptional.
Mu En wore a satisfied smile and asked, "What's your First Soul Skill? Let this old man see."
"Ancestor, watch this!"
Yu Daoyun glanced at a boulder nearby, raised his fist, and his First Soul Ring lit up. "First Soul Skill: Golden Dragon Fist!"
His fist, as big as a sandbag, transformed into a dragon claw in the blink of an eye, and a dragon-head phantom erupted from it.
Boom—!
The boulder exploded into dust in an instant, and the sonic boom rang out in wave after wave.
Yan Shaozhe cried out, "Excellent! What a Soul Skill!"
Xian Lin'er chimed in, "He really is a genius of the Martial Soul Department. What incredible explosive power!"
Mu En, however, wasn't entirely satisfied. He asked, "Does it merely turn your power into a punch? If that's all it does, then this Soul Beast seems a little weak."
He intended to train Yu Daoyun to become Sea God Pavilion Master. If all he'd gained was a Soul Skill that changed how he released his Soul Power, it would be far too useless.
Yu Daoyun explained, "Ancestor, I'm not simply releasing Soul Power with this punch. In an instant, it raises my fist's defensive power to an incredible level, allowing it to ignore armor and punch straight through."
"In other words, even a Defensive Soul Tool can't stop its penetration. Its power depends on how much explosive force I can unleash."
Only then did Mu En nod in satisfaction. "What an excellent Soul Skill! You must cultivate diligently from now on. Once you reach a Soul Power bottleneck, I'll arrange for a team to take you to obtain a Soul Ring."
"Your priority now is to grow stronger. Starting tomorrow, you'll train alongside the Inner Court students. I'll personally guide your cultivation another day."
"All right, go eat!"
With that, Elder Mu waved his hand, signaling that Yu Daoyun could leave.
It was nearly dinnertime, and he didn't want the boy to miss the Inner Court's nutritious meal. There was no use rushing things; they had to take it one step at a time.
Without another word, Yu Daoyun hurried off to the cafeteria to chow down.
He'd been craving the Inner Court's free nutritious meals for ages. He had to eat until he was stuffed.
Before you continue