Lu Ran stood by the window, welcoming the gentle breeze,
Outside, flowers bloomed on the climbing vines along the branches. Pink butterflies fluttered past, and the wind stirred waves across Sea God Lake,
Every so often, birdsong could be heard,
The scene was peaceful and serene.
A soft knock sounded just then,
Lu Ran turned around,
And saw Zhang Lexuan pushing in a wheelchair. A withered old man sat in it, his face kind and his gaze profound, like that of a wise sage.
"Xiao Ran, this is Mu En, the Sea God Pavilion Master of Shrek Academy."
Lu Ran greeted him politely. "Elder Mu."
Mu En smiled. "Do you like the taste of the congee? It's a little bland, but it's nourishing.."
Lu Ran nodded firmly:
"It tastes wonderful. It warmed me right up."
Wonderful was an understatement. It was practically a delicacy fit for the gods. And why wouldn't it be? He didn't even want to think about what he'd been eating all these years, especially now, in spring, when the old harvest had run out and the new one wasn't ready. There was even less to eat.
Mu En smiled warmly and moved on to business:
"We've found a suitable Soul Beast. We can set out tomorrow..."
Lu Ran was a little surprised. "That fast?"
I only just asked, and they've already found one...
But then he thought about it. Shrek even had a Beast Fighting Zone, so they must have studied Soul Beasts extensively. They would surely have records on the habitats and habits of all kinds of Soul Beasts. They only needed to look through the archives to find a suitable one,
Instead of blindly trying their luck in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Speaking of Soul Beasts, Lu Ran suddenly remembered something:
"Elder Mu, I still don't know how to cultivate Soul Power. Could I ask Sister Lexuan to teach me?"
Mu En, of course, had no reason to refuse:
"Lexuan is an excellent teacher..."
As they spoke, Lu Ran noticed two people standing outside the door, smiling at him. One was Yan Shaozhe, and the other was a beautiful woman with her hair tied in a high ponytail.
When she saw Lu Ran looking at her, she walked into the room, conveniently blocking Yan Shaozhe from view:
"Hello, Xiao Ran. I'm Xian Lin'er, Dean of Shrek Academy. I'll be leading the team to obtain your Soul Ring this time. Dean Yan and Lexuan will be coming along, too."
Shrek Academy was divided into the Soul Guidance Department and the Martial Soul Department. Xian Lin'er was the dean of the Soul Guidance Department, while Yan Shaozhe was dean of the Martial Soul Department and the entire academy.
Her words made it sound as though she and Yan Shaozhe were equals,
But that was exactly what she wanted. It wasn't technically wrong, after all.
She really was Xian Lin'er, Dean of Shrek Academy's Soul Guidance Department.
Lu Ran thanked her:
"Thank you, Dean Xian, Sister Lexuan, and Dean Yan."
Yan Shaozhe walked in with a radiant smile. "Xiao Ran, Dean Xian was only joking with you. Actually, I'll be leading the team this time. And Dean Xian is the dean of the academy's Soul Guidance Department, while I'm the dean of all of Shrek Academy. Don't get the wrong idea."
As the two spoke, Xian Lin'er glanced at Yan Shaozhe and silently stepped aside,
She looked around the whole room, as though she'd suddenly remembered something. "By the way, Xiao Ran, where are you staying tonight?"
You're not staying here, are you?
Before Lu Ran could answer,
She shook her head. "You can't stay here. It's small and bare, with nothing in it."
Then she held out her hand,
A delicate metal sphere appeared out of thin air in her palm, its surface engraved with intricate patterns.
As Lu Ran watched,
The metal sphere began to split apart, extend, and fit together, transforming into a long shape. With its patterns, it looked especially like a snake.
Then it transformed again, taking the shape of a bull's head.
Xian Lin'er caught sight of Yan Shaozhe looking as though things were going badly. The corners of her mouth lifted uncontrollably:
"Do you like it, Xiao Ran? This is called a Soul Tool. Auntie has lots more, too."
She figured Lu Ran was still young and might not understand the value of cultivation resources, but he'd surely be interested in little toys like this. And the Soul Guidance Department had plenty of Soul Tools to spare,
If she could spark Lu Ran's interest in Soul Tools, or even the Soul Guidance Department, she could also outdo Yan Shaozhe,
Three birds with one stone,
Yan Shaozhe's eyebrows knitted together. He hadn't expected Xian Lin'er to pull this move at all.
Why would a Super Douluo carry something like that around?
Didn't she have anything better to do?
Xian Lin'er, meanwhile, shot Yan Shaozhe a smug glance. Seeing him stumped felt wonderful.
Yan Shaozhe was inwardly screaming that this was bad,
Realizing he'd miscalculated, he hurriedly looked at Lu Ran. When the boy showed no reaction, he breathed a sigh of relief and immediately considered his next move, trying to think of something in the Martial Soul Department that might appeal to Lu Ran,
Xian Lin'er hadn't expected Lu Ran to show only a trace of curiosity before losing interest altogether,
He'd seen something like this a very, very long time ago,
He'd only looked curious because he hadn't expected Douluo to have similar objects.
"Ahem,"
Yan Shaozhe cleared his throat and launched a fresh attack:
"It's not like the Martial Soul Department has nothing good." He looked at Lu Ran. "Xiao Ran, do you like treehouses? Secret tunnels? Do you want to ride a Soul Beast?"
Who hadn't dreamed as a child of living in a treehouse, crawling through secret tunnels, and rolling around in the mud?
The Martial Soul Department had all kinds of Soul Masters. They could build whatever they wanted, however they wanted, and make something new every day. Wasn't that more appealing than the Soul Guidance Department?
Xian Lin'er glared at him, and he didn't back down.
"That's enough..."
Mu En stopped them. "Will you two never stop arguing..."
Xian Lin'er and Yan Shaozhe immediately wiped the expressions from their faces.
"Still, this really isn't a suitable place to stay.."
The two turned to look at Mu En at the same time, wondering if he meant...
"Child, stay in Sea God Pavilion. The spiritual energy there is rich, it's suitable for cultivation and recuperation, and it's quieter..."
It went without saying who he was calling noisy.
Neither Yan Shaozhe nor Xian Lin'er was surprised. Lu Ran was far too important, so it made sense for him to stay in Sea God Pavilion,
But the two of them still glared at each other again.
After the commotion died down, Lu Ran went with Mu En to Sea God Pavilion. He discovered that the Inner Academy was an island in the middle of a lake, and Sea God Pavilion was an island within that island—
Sea God Island.
Even from there, the shores were nowhere in sight, showing just how vast Shrek Academy's grounds were.
At the center of the island stood the Golden Ancient Tree, towering hundreds of zhang into the sky. Its entire body gleamed like molten gold,
Its lush, leafy canopy nearly covered half the sky,
The whole tree radiated a rich aura of life. The island was full of all kinds of rare herbs and plants, throwing the seasons into disarray. Standing beneath the tree, one could feel an inexplicable sense of peace. It really was quiet, and perfect for cultivation.
As for Sea God Pavilion—Shrek's predecessors had painstakingly carved its chambers directly into the tree, blending the buildings with its trunk until they seemed to have grown there naturally. Everything inside was made from the Golden Ancient Tree,
Lu Ran chose a room with a sweeping view and beautiful scenery. Zhang Lexuan stayed behind to teach him how to cultivate Soul Power,
Six years after transmigrating, he finally felt Soul Power surging through his meridians.
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