"Thank you, Elder Mu!"
Jiang Yi smiled and respectfully bowed to Mu En.
As he approached the shelves, he got a clear look at the items displayed there. The first shelf held all kinds of books.
The other shelf held more than a dozen jade boxes. Through their translucent sides, he could see Soul Bones of every color.
"Soft Bone Rabbit right leg bone, Void Leopard left leg bone, Mirror Beast skull, Man Faced Demon Spider left arm bone..."
Jiang Yi's gaze swept over the Soul Bones, and his heart stirred.
There was something inexplicably familiar about them. They seemed to be the low-end versions of the Soul Bones used by Tang San's generation.
He glanced at Mu En beside him, thoughtful.
It seemed the Tang Sect wasn't the only one fond of cosplay. Shrek had done plenty of it too, just not to such an extreme.
Jiang Yi hesitated, then settled his gaze on three Soul Bones.
The three Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones were the oldest here: the Soft Bone Rabbit right leg bone, the Mirror Beast skull, and the Evil Spirit Orca left leg bone.
"Elder Mu, I'll take that Soft Bone Rabbit right leg bone!"
Jiang Yi turned to Mu En.
He wasn't particularly interested in Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones, but Soul Bones were the most valuable things here. Not choosing one felt like a bit of a loss.
"Good. You may choose one more thing."
Mu En waved his hand, and the jade box containing the Soft Bone Rabbit Soul Bone floated gently off the shelf and into Jiang Yi's arms.
A Soft Bone Rabbit?
Mu En watched Jiang Yi put away the Soul Bone, a hint of amusement glimmering in his eyes.
This boy seems to have an older sister with a Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul. She's at Shrek Academy too. He values family. Not bad!
His gaze grew even more approving.
Both siblings from the Jiang family are at Shrek Academy. Their roots are as sound as they come! They're worth cultivating.
As for the little grudge between Jiang Yi and Bei Bei, it was nothing worth mentioning. Breaking up Bei Bei and Tang Ya might even have been for the best.
Between taking Tang Ya in as a disciple and gaining a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Mu En would undoubtedly have Bei Bei choose the latter.
Jiang Yi didn't notice Mu En's gaze. He turned and walked to the other side.
This side held secret manuals. He gave them a cursory look, then his gaze landed on a book in the corner that looked relatively new.
Unlike the other books, which were worn with age, this one had barely any dust on it. Nor was its cover marked with the creator's name.
"Reign Over the World."
Jiang Yi picked up the secret manual and read its title softly.
"Oh? You're interested in this?"
Seeing him pick up Reign Over the World, Mu En couldn't help stepping forward to ask. A faint, hard-to-detect anticipation showed in his eyes.
"Yes. Reign Over the World is a skill that combines spiritual power and Soul Power. It suits me perfectly, and besides..."
Jiang Yi scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.
"For some reason, I feel a strong affinity with it... It's a shame I don't know which senior from Shrek created it."
"You truly don't know?"
Mu En stroked his beard and looked at Jiang Yi meaningfully, though he couldn't quite suppress the curve of his lips.
No one could resist the joy of seeing someone appreciate the work of a lifetime.
"I truly don't."
Jiang Yi shook his head, then looked at Mu En and asked tentatively,
"Could it... have been created by you, Senior?"
"Indeed! It was I."
Mu En gave a slight nod, his voice calm as still water, though he could no longer hold back the smile welling up inside him.
This boy and I are truly fated to meet!
Besides spending his twilight years in peace with Xi Shui, his lifelong dream was to take his place among Shrek's sages.
For Jiang Yi to choose Reign Over the World from among the legacies of so many predecessors gave him a rush of satisfaction almost as great as Xi Shui giving herself to him.
"This junior is in awe!"
Jiang Yi beamed and gave him a disciple's bow.
Mu En stroked his beard and accepted the bow without demur.
"You and I are fated. If you have questions in the future, bring this token to Sea God Island and seek me out."
Mu En smiled as an ancient-looking token flew from his hand. Before Jiang Yi could respond, he waved gently, and the space around them rippled once more.
The instant Jiang Yi vanished from the Treasure Pavilion, the smile on Mu En's face finally burst forth.
"Hahaha! Good lad! You've got a fine eye..."
He stroked his beard and laughed for quite a while. Only then did his aged figure slowly fade from the candlelit secret chamber.
A crack in space appeared silently above Sea God Island.
Jiang Yi tumbled out of it and landed on the beach by Sea God Lake with a soft thud.
"So this is what a Limit Douluo can do..."
He gazed up at the slowly closing spatial rift and couldn't help sighing.
This mysterious spatial power was practically a Limit Douluo's specialty. It was just a shame that Mu En was getting old.
Otherwise, he really wanted to throw a ball at the old man and capture him too.
"Time to head back."
Jiang Yi stretched his arms overhead, got up, and brushed the sand off himself.
Sweet-talking an old man was hard work.
From the moment Mu En took him away until now, it had seemed like very little time had passed, but in reality, most of the day was gone.
It was almost dark.
He still hadn't collected his three Mystic Water Pills.
On the only bridge connecting Sea God Island to the outside world, a young man and woman were arguing incessantly.
"Elder Sister Xiaotao, please let me go!"
Xu Sanshi clung to the stone lion on the bridge and wailed, but he refused to let go no matter what.
He'd just been beaten up, and his injuries hadn't even healed yet.
If Ma Xiaotao dragged him back, she'd probably suck him dry until he was nothing but a desiccated corpse.
"What? I'm letting you take advantage of me, and you still don't want to? Tempering your Evil Fire is good for you too."
Ma Xiaotao rolled up her sleeves and glared at Xu Sanshi in exasperation.
He was carrying on like his life depended on it, making her look like she was forcing herself on some innocent man.
"But you won't even let me look..."
Xu Sanshi glanced at Ma Xiaotao, his eyes full of resentment.
When Ma Xiaotao had first said she wanted to "cultivate together" with him, he'd been overjoyed. But who could've guessed she wouldn't let him look or touch?
She treated him as nothing more than a pressure valve for her Evil Fire. The scorching Evil Fire she poured into him had nearly burned him dry.
"Hey! You really want to look?"
Ma Xiaotao gave a sharp huff and raised her little fist, brandishing it threateningly. Xu Sanshi hurriedly shook his head.
"No, no! I don't want to at all!"
Xu Sanshi quickly looked away.
Ma Xiaotao was pretty, and she had a great figure, but she didn't have an ounce of feminine charm. She was nothing like his...
His gaze turned dreamy as he thought of Jiang Nannan, but the very next second, another figure somehow squeezed into his thoughts.
"Pah! Pah! Pah!"
Xu Sanshi's heart jolted, and he hurriedly chased that thought away.
This damn Martial Soul Fusion Skill. It's left me with aftereffects—I keep thinking of Bei Bei for no reason.
"Still not coming?"
Ma Xiaotao narrowed her eyes.
"I'm not going."
Xu Sanshi looked like he'd rather die than comply.
"Fine, then. You can go!"
Ma Xiaotao's eyes suddenly lit up. She looked into the distance and waved Xu Sanshi away casually.
As soon as the words left her mouth, she hurried after the figure up ahead.
Isn't that my Ultimate Ice?
"Hm?"
Xu Sanshi watched Ma Xiaotao leave, a look of bewilderment on his face.
"What's going on?"
He looked up, but a moment later, anger surged across his face.
"Why is it him again?!"
Xu Sanshi stared at Jiang Yi approaching from afar, his eyes bloodshot as he growled through clenched teeth.
Jiang Nannan had acted the same way, and even Ma Xiaotao had abandoned him without hesitation the moment she saw Jiang Yi. But... he still couldn't beat him.
"Ha..."
He sighed and angrily swallowed his resentment. Yet that figure appeared in his mind once more.
"Fortunately, there's still Bei Bei..."
Xu Sanshi murmured to himself, his gaze drifting unconsciously toward the far end of the bridge.
The sun sank in the west, and dusk deepened.
Amid the yellow glow of the setting sun, a handsome, familiar face gradually came into view.
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