This Child Possesses the Bearing of the Sea God!

"Do not panic, let this old man take a look."

Mu En's voice was gentle as he reached out to grab Jiang Yi's arm, his fingertips tracing the boy's bones and meridians to investigate.

Yet, the more he pressed, the deeper the astonishment in his eyes grew.

This boy's physical constitution was not the slightest bit inferior to a Soul King! No wonder he could withstand this ten-thousand-year Soul Ring.

As for mental shock—the Soul Beast wasn't even dead yet, so where would any mental shock come from? Hiss, thinking about it this way, this kid was truly terrifying!

Did this not mean that as long as his physical strength kept pace, subduing a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, or even a Great Beast, would be a simple matter?

After a few breaths, Mu En withdrew his hand and looked at Jiang Yi, lost in thought.

"Does your Martial Soul have the ability to share a portion of your Soul Beast's strength?"

Yan Shaozhe had already investigated Jiang Yi thoroughly; given his family background, these changes in his physical body could only stem from his Martial Soul.

Back under the dormitory building, he had observed similar fluctuations in aura.

"That is correct. When these companions of mine improve, they provide me with feedback in strength, including blood-qi and soul power."

Jiang Yi nodded candidly, hiding nothing.

"This peculiar Martial Soul of yours is something even this old man is seeing for the first time."

Mu En stroked his beard and sighed, his eyes filled with wonder.

If this were truly the case, then wouldn't it mean the more Soul Beasts he had, the faster he would cultivate... and the faster he cultivated, the more Soul Beasts he could acquire?

This child truly possessed the bearing of the Sea God!

"However, this Ice Jade Scorpion of yours... seems somewhat different."

Mu En focused his gaze on the small emerald scorpion, a look of contemplation in his eyes. He reached out, intending to touch it.

But the next moment, the little scorpion perched on Jiang Yi's shoulder suddenly raised its tail hook and viciously stung toward him.

"Quite fierce, aren't you."

Mu En withdrew his hand with a light chuckle, unbothered.

The little thing wouldn't even let him touch it; it was quite spiritual, far smarter than an ordinary ten-thousand-year Soul Beast.

"Bingbing, don't be naughty!"

Jiang Yi reached out to pick up the little scorpion, flicking her forehead gently with his fingertip.

"Roar~"

The little scorpion looked aggrieved, covering her forehead with her pincers and letting out a low growl before obediently curling back into Jiang Yi's palm.

Watching the interaction between the boy and the beast, Mu En narrowed his eyes, the smile at the corners of his mouth deepening.

"As far as this old man knows, the Ice Jade Scorpion clan has always been arrogant. I wonder how you managed to subdue this little one, young friend?"

He paused, then added kindly.

"Of course, if it is inconvenient, there is no need to say more."

Though he spoke thus, his gaze remained fixed on Jiang Yi, carrying both scrutiny and curiosity.

Shrek City was located in the southeastern part of the Heaven Dou Empire, a considerable distance from the Far North where the Ice Jade Scorpions resided.

Jiang Yi had not chosen the closer Star Dou Great Forest, but had gone to the Far North instead; there was likely more to this Ice Jade Scorpion than met the eye.

"This..."

A hint of hesitation appeared on Jiang Yi's face, but inwardly, he was laughing.

I was just waiting for you to ask.

After a moment of deliberation, he gritted his teeth as if having made a major decision.

"Elder Mu, please look."

He reached to his waist and wiped his hand, causing several deep blue crystals to appear in his palm.

The moment the Ice Pole Divine Crystal appeared, the temperature in the entire pavilion plummeted by several degrees, and wisps of cold air began to rise.

This change in temperature was negligible to Mu En, but the boundless cold contained within the crystals piqued his full interest.

This was the first time he had seen such a metal. Moreover, the purity of the cold was almost on par with Ultimate Ice.

"This is a rare mineral specialty of the Far North, known as the Ice Pole Divine Crystal. Each piece contains enough cold energy to freeze tens of miles..."

Seeing Mu En's confusion, Jiang Yi explained softly.

"Half a year ago, this humble one accidentally fell off a cliff in the Star Dou Great Forest, but turned a misfortune into a blessing by obtaining a treasure map. It recorded the location of an Ice Pole Divine Crystal vein."

"I thought I would go and claim the vein first to trade for resources to improve my strength—but I didn't expect that someone had already arrived first."

At this point, Jiang Yi scratched his head, picked up the emerald scorpion from his shoulder, and toyed with her in his palm.

"Oh? Could it be that it was her?"

Mu En smiled, his gaze falling upon the little scorpion.

If that were the case, it would seem to make sense; had this Ice Jade Scorpion mutated after consuming a heavenly treasure?

"That's right! It's Bingbing."

Jiang Yi nodded with emotion and began to recount his "adventure."

"When I first encountered her, she was in the middle of devouring an Ice Pole Divine Crystal, but back then, she was only at the thousand-year level."

"We fought over the mineral vein. Because the battle was so intense, we accidentally triggered an explosion in the mine and were both buried a hundred meters underground..."

A look of reminiscence appeared in his eyes, his tone tinged with lingering fear as he vividly described the adventure of a young man.

"To survive, we had no choice but to cooperate, and it took us several days of digging to carve out a tunnel."

The Ice Empress, resting in his palm, quietly rolled her eyes. This guy really didn't even need to draft his lies.

"So that's how it is. You little fellow, you certainly have good fortune!"

Mu En glanced at him, the confusion in his heart dissipating somewhat.

Although there were many coincidences, reality was often illogical; he himself had experienced such bizarre opportunities in the past.

"Just lucky."

Jiang Yi rubbed his nose.

In the original work, Mu En was a meticulous person; rather than letting him investigate in secret, it was better to reveal things proactively.

As for whether he believed it or not, he had already provided the justification.

Compared to the Ice Empress, one of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North, becoming a soul ring, this story sounded much more reasonable.

"Luck is also a part of strength."

Mu En waved his hand, his gaze falling upon the few Ice Pole Divine Crystals, a flicker of interest crossing his eyes.

These ores, containing the Ultimate Ice, would be of great benefit in suppressing the evil fire of that girl, Xiao Tao.

"Most of the Ice Pole Divine Crystals were consumed by Bingbing when she advanced to the ten-thousand-year level; this is all the kid has left. They are useless in my hands, so I might as well offer them to you, Elder Mu."

Jiang Yi blinked, catching the hint, and pushed the Ice Pole Divine Crystals in his hand directly toward Mu En.

These Ice Pole Divine Crystals were defective pieces without Ice Spirits, perfect for use as a favor.

"Hahaha!"

Seeing Jiang Yi's cautious appearance, Mu En couldn't help but laugh out loud. What did this kid take him for?

Still, this kid had a sharp eye!

"I do indeed have a need for these Ice Pole Divine Crystals of yours. However, the academy cannot take them from you for nothing."

With a wave of his hand, he collected the Ice Pole Divine Crystals and then looked at Jiang Yi with a smile.

"Come with me!"

After speaking, Mu En waved his hand again, causing the surrounding space to ripple, and a sense of vertigo washed over them.

When Jiang Yi's vision cleared, the two of them had already appeared in a dim, secret chamber.

Candlelight flickered, dim and uncertain.

The secret chamber was vast, the size of a football field, with hundreds of wooden shelves neatly arranged inside.

Mu En led him past the first few rows and arrived in front of two shelves in the center.

Under the candlelight, the items placed on the shelves shimmered with various faint lights, including ancient texts and sealed jade boxes...

"This is where the academy keeps its secret treasures and techniques collected over ten thousand years. You may choose any two items from these two shelves to take with you."