Becoming Mu En's Disciple

After seeing the two girls back to their dorm, Xiao Yi passed by the freshman dormitory as usual and greeted Mu En, who was sitting downstairs.

At Shrek, earning Yan Shaozhe's favor wasn't the most important thing. This old man was the key. Of course, it was possible he'd already caught Mu En's attention.

As Mu En watched Xiao Yi, he couldn't help feeling satisfied. At twelve years old, Xiao Yi had reached Soul Power Level 43, and his foundation was exceptionally solid. Even Mu En himself hadn't been at that level back then. Just as Xiao Yi walked up to him, Mu En sensed an aura that felt extremely familiar.

Mu En's gaze sharpened. He called out to Xiao Yi, who was about to leave.

"Child, come here for a moment." Mu En beckoned him closer.

Xiao Yi stepped forward. He already had a guess as to what was going on: Mu En had probably noticed the Bright Sacred Dragon within him. Xiao Yi had always kept his ability to evolve Soul Beasts a secret.

But this time, the evolution had been too dramatic. He probably couldn't hide it. Xiao Yi thought to himself.

"Senior, did you need something from me?"

Mu En smiled kindly, growing even more curious about the boy.

"Child, your name is Xiao Yi, right? Do you happen to know who I am?"

"I don't, Senior. But my Martial Soul is special, and I have a unique sensitivity to dragon-type Martial Souls." Xiao Yi answered truthfully enough. It was just that he already knew who Mu En was.

"That's no surprise, then. My Martial Soul is indeed dragon-type." Mu En smiled and stroked his beard.

"I've heard that your Martial Soul can form contracts with snake-type Soul Beasts. Would you mind showing me your fourth Soul Ring?" Mu En was intensely curious about Xiao Yi's fourth Soul Ring. When Xiao Yi had passed by just now, the familiar aura of light around him had even led Mu En to a daring guess.

Xiao Yi hesitated, but eventually nodded. Mu En gave a slight nod, and Xiao Yi felt the space before his eyes shift. The two of them had been transported to an open area beside Sea God Lake.

Four profound Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings rose beneath Xiao Yi's feet. Mu En had already known that this was an innate ability of Xiao Yi's Martial Soul, but he was still astonished. Then Xiao Yi's Soul Rings flashed, and the moment the Soul Beast appeared, a look of utter disbelief blazed in the eyes of the Limit Douluo.

Xiao Yi's Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils turned slowly as his fourth Soul Ring flickered. Ripples spread through the space behind him, and a colossal creature flew out. It circled behind Xiao Yi in a protective stance, lowering its enormous head beside him.

Zhao Lan could no longer rub its head against Xiao Yi like before. Its head alone was taller than he was.

Now that its bloodline had completely stabilized after its transformation into a dragon, Zhao Lan was more than three times larger than it had been as a Radiant Flood Dragon. Though it was only a juvenile Bright Sacred Dragon by age, it was still dozens of meters long.

At the sight of the familiar giant dragon before him, the usually unflappable Limit Douluo felt waves of emotion stirring inside him. His lips trembled, but he didn't know what to say. He soon regained control of himself, though, and asked in a voice tinged with excitement,

"Child, your Martial Soul doesn't merely increase a Soul Beast's age, does it?"

"That's right, Senior. To be precise, my Martial Soul increases a Soul Beast's age and improves its bloodline according to the age of the Soul Ring I can withstand, ultimately allowing it to become a dragon."

"Are there any limitations?" Mu En could barely contain his emotions.

"There aren't many limitations. As long as the Soul Beast is already close to becoming a dragon, or its bloodline is sufficiently high, my Martial Soul can help it transform into one."

"Good, good!" Mu En slowly rose from his rocking chair. A light called hope shone in his cloudy old eyes. Looking at the Bright Sacred Dragon before him, he felt as if he were seeing his younger self.

A new Sacred Dragon had come to Shrek, ready to take over from this old dragon.

"Child, allow me to introduce myself. I'm the current Sea God Pavilion Master of Shrek Academy. Would you be willing to take me as your teacher?" Mu En turned his eyes back to Xiao Yi, unable to conceal his admiration.

With death approaching, the thing he couldn't let go of most was Shrek Academy. Now, in the final stretch of his life, he'd met the perfect heir to carry on his legacy. How could he hold back his emotions?

Xiao Yi first put on a look of shock, just as anyone would upon learning that the old dormitory attendant they'd thought was merely guarding the entrance was actually the highest authority in the academy. That part was pure acting.

Next came excitement—and that part was genuine. Becoming Mu En's disciple had always been the ideal choice.

It wouldn't be wrong to say that Shrek would belong to him in the future. Becoming Mu En's disciple meant he'd already entered Shrek's innermost circle.

Xiao Yi smoothly dropped to his knees and performed the formal rites of apprenticeship.

"Your disciple, Xiao Yi, pays his respects to Master."

"Good... Good child. Rise." A gentle wave of Soul Power lifted Xiao Yi to his feet. The old man's fondness for him was plain in his eyes.

"To be honest, I'd already been planning to find the right opportunity to take you as my disciple. I never expected you to have such an astonishing ability, you little rascal." Mu En stroked his beard and sighed.

After giving Xiao Yi a small booklet, Mu En said he still had some matters to attend to, then vanished through his spatial ability. Xiao Yi couldn't help envying this power, which only Limit Douluo could use.

At least I can use it once I reach Soul Douluo.

There was still plenty to do.

Xiao Yi opened the little booklet Mu En had given him. Four large characters met his eyes: Mu En's signature battle technique, Dominating the World.

It was a battle technique that combined physical attacks, Mental Shock, and overwhelming pressure into one. Using attribute-based Soul Power as its foundation, it poured immense spiritual power into physical attacks to inflict both grievous bodily harm and crushing mental pressure. It was a rare, all-purpose technique that combined offense and defense and could be adapted to any physical attack.

Its derivatives, Dragon Emperor Evil-Breaking Slash and Dragon Emperor Domain-Shaking Realm, were both perfectly suited to Xiao Yi, whether in terms of attribute compatibility or anything else. The insights and experience recorded alongside them were just as useful.

Xiao Yi was thrilled. These were Self-Created Soul Skills and experience, handed to him for free—priceless treasures. Compared with developing Soul Skills himself, getting them for free was simply unbeatable. What's more, the principles behind Dominating the World could be applied to Soul Skills using most attributes, making it a perfect foundation for synthesis.

Xiao Yi immediately summoned the Bright Sacred Dragon and began practicing Dominating the World. After all, practicing Self-Created Soul Skills wouldn't slow down his cultivation in the slightest. That was just how unreasonable a cultivation cheat could be.

Meanwhile, Mu En once again summoned the Sea God Pavilion elders.

Not much time had passed since the previous Sea God Pavilion Meeting, so the elders looked at the old man in the seat of honor with some confusion.

"Everyone, I've taken Xiao Yi as my disciple. Lin'er, Shaozhe, that child is now your junior brother. After the meeting, you can all come with me to meet him."

Yan Shaozhe felt a little regretful, but he was still genuinely happy. He just didn't know why his teacher had suddenly become so eager.

"There's one more thing. That child's Martial Soul can do more than form contracts with snake-type Soul Beasts. His Soul Beasts can also evolve alongside him." Mu En paused here.

"His fourth Soul Ring used to be a Radiant Flood Dragon. Now, it has become a Bright Sacred Dragon." Mu En stroked his beard and said with a smile.

The elders were dumbfounded at first. Then Mu En's words landed like a bomb in still water, and the room erupted. A group of Titled Douluo revered by everyone outside squabbled noisily like a bunch of old men and women haggling over vegetables. The room felt just like a marketplace.

Yan Shaozhe was also a little stunned. Well, no wonder Teacher was in such a hurry.

He weighed it over in his mind. Looks like I'll have to get that girl Xiaotao to hurry up. Aside from the master-disciple bond, they need another tie between them too.