"Your junior, Jiang Yi, pays his respects to Senior! I must also thank you for what happened last time..."
Jiang Yi stepped forward and bowed respectfully to the old woman.
He was a little surprised, too. This old woman was actually Elder Song. He had thought she was the Pavilion Master Lin from the Treasure Gathering Pavilion.
"It's nothing. The academy's resources were always meant for gifted youngsters like you."
Elder Song waved her hand and smiled kindly.
Back then, she had merely helped Lin'er pick up a batch of rare metals from the Treasure Gathering Pavilion and happened to run into Jiang Yi.
She hadn't expected that the Pavilion Master would take a liking to the little fellow in the blink of an eye. After all these years, her eye for talent was still as sharp as ever.
"Lin'er~"
Elder Song turned to look at her daughter.
After all these decades, that girl still had no idea how to read the room.
Her senior brother, Yan Shaozhe, might be clueless, but how could she, the future senior sister, just sit there?
"No, Mom..."
The beautiful woman who had been watching the show widened her eyes and stared at her mother in disbelief.
She was the dignified dean of the Soul Tool Department. There was no way she was supposed to give up her seat to a student during a Sea God Pavilion Meeting... That made no sense!
Wasn't she the actual daughter here?
"Hmm?!"
Elder Song shot her a glare.
"Fine~"
Xian Lin'er pouted, but in the end she still gave in. She stood up and beckoned Jiang Yi over.
"Come here!"
"Ahem, there's no need! This junior can stand... Huh?"
Jiang Yi hurriedly waved his hands, but before he could finish, a slender hand reached out and grabbed him by the back of his collar.
"I told you to sit, so sit. Why are you making such a fuss?"
Xian Lin'er shoved Jiang Yi into the chair, then bent down, pinched his cheek, and threatened him softly.
"If you dare get up, I'll confiscate every last one of your academy bonuses for the next three years! I'm the vice dean, and I mean what I say."
"..."
Jiang Yi blinked and turned to look at Elder Song. When the old woman nodded kindly, he stopped resisting and sat obediently.
"That's more like it."
Seeing this, Xian Lin'er clapped her hands, then went to stand behind Elder Song and began massaging her mother's shoulders.
"Mom, how do you two know each other? You even went all the way to the Outer Academy..."
As Xian Lin'er chatted with Elder Song, she glanced at Yan Shaozhe across from them. She seemed to be starting to catch on.
She was more than happy to make things difficult for Yan Shaozhe.
Jiang Yi sat to the side, quietly minding his own business. He didn't force himself into the mother and daughter's conversation.
A moment later, a figure appeared without a sound.
"Everyone's here! Then let's discuss the next Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament. Who will lead the team..."
Mu En swept his gaze across the room, pausing briefly on Jiang Yi before proceeding with the meeting as usual.
"Martial Uncle, I'll go! I've been sitting around the academy with nothing to do. It's time I did something for it..."
"Ahem, why don't I go instead?"
"Hm? Old Lin, what do you mean by that? You don't think I'll make the same mistake as last time... and the time before that, do you?"
"..."
These Super Douluo, who held sway over their respective domains in the outside world, were no different from ordinary people now, arguing until their faces turned red.
They went from arguing over who would lead the team to the distribution of resources between the Soul Tool Department and the Martial Soul Department, and even to the purge of Evil Soul Masters...
The meeting grew more and more heated, but Mu En remained seated calmly at the head of the room, watching the elders of the pavilion argue below.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yi felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.
These people didn't treat him like an outsider at all. They were spilling all sorts of Shrek Academy secrets without a care.
He felt that if he showed even the slightest disloyalty right now, they might chop him into minced meat on the spot.
"Six hundred and sixty-six!"
Jiang Yi mused to himself.
He'd more or less guessed what this was about. Were they showing him goodwill? It was a pretty overwhelming amount of goodwill. Most people couldn't handle it.
But this was what he'd intended to do anyway. As long as he kept his distance from Xuan Zi, Shrek Academy was a much better place to be than Sun Moon, where he'd have to match wits with Grandma Xi Shui.
As his thoughts gradually settled, Jiang Yi grew calmer. He watched the elders bicker and occasionally teased the Ice Empress in his mind.
Two hours later.
The Sea God Pavilion Meeting finally came to an end.
"That's settled! The Soul Tool Department will continue to receive increased investment this year."
"We'll also select a few more core disciples from the new students, but we must respect the students' wishes. No forcing them!"
Mu En spoke, making the final decision. The elders, who had been arguing with flushed faces, immediately fell silent.
"Yes, Pavilion Master!"
Xian Lin'er gave Yan Shaozhe a smug glance, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.
She'd said all along that the Soul Tool Department was Shrek's future. The Sun Moon Empire was close to producing a flood of Ninth-Level Soul Engineers. They couldn't afford to fall behind.
Fall behind, and you'll get beaten!!!
The Sun Moon Empire hadn't forgotten the crushing defeat from several thousand years ago.
"..."
Yan Shaozhe sighed softly and didn't continue arguing with Xian Lin'er.
These were debts he'd incurred in his youth. He'd always felt guilty toward Xian Lin'er, even though she was now married.
The meeting was over, but no one left. They remained in their seats, all looking toward Mu En at the head of the room.
"How is it? Does Shrek Academy... suit your wishes?"
Mu En turned and looked at Jiang Yi with a smile.
Today's Sea God Pavilion Meeting had two purposes: to take Jiang Yi as a disciple and to let him see the real Shrek.
He was confident.
Under his leadership, Shrek might not measure up to its founders, but it still deserved to be called the continent's number-one academy.
"The leader of the righteous path! It is this junior's honor to study at Shrek Academy..."
Jiang Yi said sincerely, his voice full of emotion.
In a setting like this, he naturally didn't dare say anything reckless. He could only pick out a few nice things to say.
Though Shrek was arrogant and overbearing, it had at least inherited part of Spirit Hall's responsibility and actively purged Evil Soul Masters.
Though the purges did cause a teensy-weensy bit of collateral damage, Douluo Continent was a world where the strong preyed on the weak.
Jiang Yi had nothing to say about that.
In his view, Shrek was actually too soft. It had inherited Tang San's hypocritical ways: wanting both a good reputation and a share of the spoils.
If he'd been in charge, Shrek would've used the opportunity to unite the continent and swallow Sun Moon whole several thousand years ago.
Instead, it had built Shrek City and then sat awkwardly between progress and retreat, neither knowing when to hold back nor striving to move forward. That was why it got blown up ten thousand years later.
"In that case! Are you willing to join the true Shrek Academy?"
Mu En chuckled and gazed at Jiang Yi warmly.
Shrek Academy was the life's work he'd devoted himself to. Hearing another person praise it was a testament to his efforts.
"Since you've learned Reign Over the World, this old man will swallow his pride and ask you—are you willing to become my disciple?"
As Mu En's words fell, everyone turned to look at Jiang Yi, their expressions varying.
The Pavilion Master's personal disciple was destined to become one of the Sea God Pavilion's future leaders.
Jiang Yi fell silent at first.
Then he abruptly stood up, dropped to one knee, and bowed solemnly before Mu En.
"This disciple is willing. Master, please accept this disciple's bow!"
An angel investor, secured!
An instant upgrade in seniority!
He wasn't that picky. Forget Mu En—even if Tang San had offered to take him as a disciple, he would've bowed without hesitation.
Ah Yin gave him grass, so he'd call her father; Xiao Wu gave him grass, so he'd call her brother; Miss Tang gave him grass, so he'd become her son-in-law...
The Tang Sect rules: Tang Sect disciples must never start trouble, but if the other party has already taken the "oh-ho-ho-ho" path, then they must repay them with thunder!!!
We are all of the Grass Sect, born in an unparalleled age!
(The above are all abbreviations for Blue Silver Grass. Auditors, don't make wild associations. The Tang Sect reveres Blue Silver Grass; it is commonly known as the Grass Sect.)
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