Entering the Sea God Pavilion

Lu Ran stood by the window, facing the gentle breeze.

Outside the window, the climbing vines were in full bloom, and pink butterflies fluttered their wings as they flew past. The wind stirred the Sea God Lake into ripples.

Occasionally, the chirping of birds could be heard.

It was a scene of complete tranquility.

A soft knock on the door sounded at this moment.

Lu Ran turned his head.

He saw Zhang Lexuan pushing a wheelchair into the room. Sitting in the wheelchair was a withered old man with a kind face and eyes as deep as a sage's.

"Xiao Ran, this is Elder Mu, the Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion at Shrek Academy."

Lu Ran addressed him politely, "Elder Mu."

Mu En smiled, "Did you like the taste of the porridge? It's a bit bland, but it's good for your health."

Lu Ran nodded affirmatively.

"The taste was excellent; it felt warm after drinking it."

It was more than just good—it was a delicacy. One didn't need to wonder what he had been eating all these years, especially now in the lean spring season when food was even scarcer.

Mu En smiled gently and brought up the main business.

"We have already found a suitable Soul Beast. We can set off tomorrow..."

Lu Ran was somewhat surprised, "So fast?"

I only just mentioned it, and they've already found one...

But on second thought, Shrek even had a Beast-Fighting Zone; they must have conducted extensive research on Soul Beasts. They surely had records of the habitats and habits of various species. By flipping through the archives, they would know exactly where to find a suitable one.

There was no need to wander into the Star Dou Great Forest and rely on blind luck.

Speaking of Soul Beasts, Lu Ran suddenly remembered.

"Elder Mu, I don't know how to cultivate soul power yet. Could I ask Sister Lexuan to teach me?"

Mu En naturally would not refuse.

"Lexuan is a fine teacher..."

As they spoke, Lu Ran noticed two more people standing outside the door, looking at him with smiles on their faces. One was Yan Shaozhe, and the other was a beautiful woman with her hair tied in a high ponytail.

Seeing Lu Ran look at her, she walked into the room, conveniently blocking Yan Shaozhe.

"Hello, Xiao Ran. I am Dean Xian Lin'er of Shrek. I will be leading the team to obtain your Soul Ring this time, and Dean Yan and Lexuan will be coming along as well."

Shrek Academy was divided into the Soul Guidance Department and the Martial Soul Department. The Dean of the Soul Guidance Department was Xian Lin'er, while the Dean of the Martial Soul Department—and the entire academy—was Yan Shaozhe.

Her words made it sound as if she and Yan Shaozhe were of equal rank.

But that was exactly what she wanted; after all, her statement wasn't technically incorrect.

She was indeed Dean Xian Lin'er of the Shrek Academy (Soul Guidance Department).

Lu Ran expressed his gratitude.

"Many thanks to Dean Xian Lin'er, Sister Lexuan, and Dean Yan."

Yan Shaozhe walked in with a bright smile, "Xiao Ran, Dean Xian Lin'er is just joking with you. In truth, Dean Yan is leading the team this time. Furthermore, Dean Xian is the Dean of the Soul Guidance Department, while Dean Yan is the Dean of the entire Shrek Academy. Don't have any misunderstandings."

As the two spoke, Xian Lin'er glanced at Yan Shaozhe and walked away silently.

She observed the room intentionally or otherwise, then seemed to suddenly remember something. "By the way, Xiao Ran, where are you staying tonight?"

It wouldn't be here, would it?

Before Lu Ran could answer, She shook her head, "You can't stay here; it's too small and empty. There's nothing here."

Then, she reached out her hand.

In her palm, out of thin air, appeared an exquisite little metal ball with patterns engraved on its surface.

Under Lu Ran's gaze, The metal ball began to split, extend, and reassemble, transforming into a long, thin shape. With the added patterns, it looked remarkably like a snake.

Then, it shifted again, turning into the shape of an ox head.

Xian Lin'er caught sight of Yan Shaozhe's "this is bad" expression, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl upward.

"Do you like it, Xiao Ran? This is a Soul Tool. Your auntie has plenty more where this came from."

She figured that since Lu Ran wasn't very old, he might not yet understand the value of cultivation resources, but he would certainly be interested in little gadgets like this. And if the Soul Guidance Department had nothing else, it certainly had plenty of Soul Tools.

She could pique Lu Ran's interest in Soul Tools, perhaps even in the Soul Guidance Department itself, all while one-upping Yan Shaozhe.

Three birds with one stone.

Yan Shaozhe's brows knit together; he never expected Xian Lin'er to pull a move like this.

You're a Super Douluo—why on earth are you carrying something like this around with you?

Nothing better to do?

Xian Lin'er shot a triumphant glance at Yan Shaozhe; seeing him suffer a setback was simply too satisfying.

Yan Shaozhe cried out in alarm internally.

Realizing he had miscalculated, he hurriedly looked toward Lu Ran. Seeing the latter remained unresponsive, he let out a sigh of relief and immediately began brainstorming countermeasures, pondering what the Martial Soul Department could offer to entice Lu Ran.

Xian Lin'er had not expected that Lu Ran would only show a flicker of curiosity before losing interest entirely.

He had seen such things a very, very long time ago.

His display of curiosity had merely been because he hadn't expected to find similar items here in Douluo.

"Ahem."

Yan Shaozhe cleared his throat and launched a fresh offensive:

"It's not as if our Martial Soul Department lacks good things," he said, looking at Lu Ran. "Little Ran, do you like treehouses? Do you like tunnels? Do you want to ride soul beasts?"

Who didn't fantasize about living in a treehouse, crawling through tunnels, or rolling in the mud when they were a child?

The Martial Soul Department might lack other things, but it had a vast variety of soul masters. They could build anything on a whim, changing the scenery every single day—was that not more attractive than the Soul Guidance Department?

Xian Lin'er glared at him, and he didn't back down in the slightest.

"Alright..."

Mu En stopped the two of them. "Enough with the bickering..."

Xian Lin'er and Yan Shaozhe immediately composed their expressions.

"However, staying here is indeed not appropriate..."

The two turned their heads simultaneously to look at Mu En, thinking to themselves, could it be...

"Child, stay at the Sea God Pavilion. The spiritual energy there is abundant, suitable for cultivation and recuperation, and it is much quieter..."

There was no need to say who the word "quieter" was aimed at.

Yan Shaozhe and Xian Lin'er were not surprised; Lu Ran was far too important, and it was only natural for him to stay at the Sea God Pavilion.

Even so, the two still exchanged one last glare.

After the commotion subsided, Lu Ran accompanied Mu En toward the Sea God Pavilion and discovered that the Inner Court was an island in the center of a lake, and the Sea God Pavilion was an island within the island—Sea God Island.

Even from there, the boundaries were nowhere in sight, which showed just how vast the entire Shrek Academy was.

At the center of the island stood the Golden Ancient Tree, towering hundreds of meters high, its entire body a brilliant gold as if cast from molten metal.

The dense, lush canopy of the tree obscured nearly half the sky.

The entire tree radiated a rich aura of life, and all sorts of rare and exotic herbs grew on the island, defying the seasons. Standing beneath the tree, one could feel an inexplicable sense of peace; it was indeed quiet and suitable for cultivation.

As for the Sea God Pavilion—the predecessors of Shrek had carved the pavilion directly into the tree trunk, integrating it so perfectly that it seemed to have grown naturally. Everything inside was part of the Golden Ancient Tree.

Lu Ran chose a room with a wide view and excellent scenery, after which Zhang Lexuan stayed behind to guide him in cultivating his soul power.

Six years after crossing over, he finally felt soul power surging through his meridians.