After hearing Zhou Yi's words, Lin Yun thought it over. Put simply, he'd be challenged during his usual rest time, while he could do whatever he wanted during his usual class hours.
He could attend the culture classes if he felt like it, and he'd be exempt from those repetitive running and stamina-draining classes. It didn't sound too bad.
After all, most of his free time was in the afternoon or evening, while he spent most of the day in class.
Now, he'd have most of his class hours free to do as he pleased, and his afternoons and evenings wouldn't disappear entirely, either.
But at the end of the day, Zhou Yi's order to have someone beat him half to death was still fresh. This was just a sweet date after the big stick.
Lin Yun chose to take the sweet date, but he didn't forget the grudge he was supposed to hold.
Zhou Yi had no idea what Lin Yun was thinking. At that moment, she was simply lost in her own supposedly brilliant "talent development plan."
Lin Yun said,
"Since that's what you've decided, Teacher Zhou, I'll agree for now. But according to what you said, I'm free to use my time as I wish, so I'll be going."
With that, Lin Yun waved over his shoulder at Zhou Yi and headed toward the dormitory area.
When he reached the dorms, Mu En was still lying there. He raised his eyelids at the sight of Lin Yun and asked in confusion,
"Why aren't you in class? Your aura's a bit scattered. Did you get into a fight?"
Lin Yun told Mu En what had just happened and repeated Zhou Yi's exact words. Mu En smiled and shook his head, then said calmly,
"Oh well. With your aptitude, whether you do those training exercises or not is debatable. Since you've got nothing else to do, help me with something."
Lin Yun instinctively wanted to refuse. Given Mu En's status, the jobs he wanted done were either suicidal missions or so-called tests meant to toy with fools.
Lin Yun didn't consider himself some immortal who'd come back with a resurrection buff, much less someone with nothing better to do than be played for a fool. He said,
"With my meager abilities, how could I possibly be of help to you?"
Before he could finish, a weapon that looked like a Persian scimitar appeared out of thin air in Mu En's hand. He rested it on Lin Yun's shoulder, and Lin Yun immediately changed his tune.
"Just tell me what to do! Whatever you need, I'll climb a mountain of blades or plunge into a sea of fire. I'll find a way to get the job done today."
Mu En smiled and casually tossed the scimitar in his hand to Lin Yun. Then he said,
"All right, look at you. Asking you to do a little favor for this old man is like making you eat two jin of fly droppings. Most students would jump at the chance."
Lin Yun promptly replied,
"I'm squandering a heaven-sent opportunity. I don't know what's good for me. So you should save it for those upperclassmen and upperclasswomen who keep their eyes fixed on this little patch of land beneath your feet, ready to lay down their bodies as stepping stones at any moment. You ought to draw close to the virtuous and keep your distance from petty people, right? Someone like me, who's neither here nor there—a weakling—should just be let off the hook."
Mu En waved a hand at Lin Yun and said,
"Cut the nonsense. The scimitar in your hand is a gift to mark our first meeting. It was made from a Swamp Forest Python that was accidentally killed when the Sun Moon Empire invaded Douluo Continent. It was over twenty years old."
"It was made from a single fang and fused with three kinds of rare metal. It can easily pierce the defenses of an ordinary Soul King. Go to Flying Star City, near Heaven Dou City, and investigate the students who've gone missing in the area."
Before Lin Yun could refuse, Mu En continued,
"You don't need to actually do anything. Just go there as an ordinary Soul Master, see if there are any Evil Soul Masters, and find out what happened to the student."
Lin Yun thought, You could dress it up however you like, but this is still a suicide mission! That upperclassman from the Inner Court had to be at least a Soul King. If even a Soul King got taken down, you want me, a Soul Grandmaster, to go? There can't be anyone else under heaven who'd do something this absurd.
Seeing that Lin Yun still looked unhappy, Mu En said,
"The elders at the academy haven't acted because they don't know what level their opponents are. They're afraid of alerting them and causing the Inner Court student's death in vain. You haven't officially enrolled yet, and you've ended up in the class with the highest expulsion rate."
"Your strength means you can blend in without attracting attention. Just keep an eye out for Evil Soul Masters while you're there. If you can find that student, even better."
Lin Yun looked at Mu En, then said,
"This knife is just what gives me the confidence to go. Give me an advance payment, so I have a reason to risk my life."
Mu En narrowed his eyes, then said,
"One Soul Ascension Pill."
Lin Yun scoffed.
"Are you trying to fob me off with beggar's scraps? I may be a Soul Master with Innate Full Soul Power, but a Soul Ascension Pill means very little to me."
Mu En frowned, a trace of impatience and disdain in his eyes, and said to Lin Yun,
"Then tell me. What do you want?"
Lin Yun said,
"At least two External Soul Bones."
"What are you talking about, asking for two External Soul Bones? What kind of pampered golden-branch-and-jade-leaf life do you think you deserve?"
"That's two lives on the line—mine and that upperclassman's. You don't need to fool me. If the Inner Court student weren't important, you wouldn't be going to all this trouble to find him."
"One."
"Deal!"
Once Mu En agreed, he acted quickly, taking a box from his Storage Soul Tool.
"Inside is the left leg bone of an Earth Wind Pseudo-Dragon, two thousand years old. It has a Soul Skill that lets you teleport. What you get out of fusing with it depends on you."
Lin Yun took the box. Looking at the leg bone inside, crystalline as glass and shimmering with a green glow, he nodded at Mu En and said,
"Now we're talking. You pay me, I solve your problem. I'm off."
Mu En shook his head helplessly. This kid. He'd just been pledging his loyalty and saying how he'd remember Shrek Academy's kindness, and now his true colors are showing.
Mu En lay back in his rocking chair, thinking, Maybe this is for the best. Once he's started fighting the Evil Soul Masters on their own turf and gotten some of their blood on his hands, they probably won't come calling on him.
Meanwhile, Lin Yun boarded a caravan heading for Flying Star City. He watched the scenery rush backward beside him and took a deep breath.
He'd thought about simply running away, but it wasn't very practical. He'd already accepted the reward. If he didn't go, Shrek might put out a bounty or something.
Then he'd be left with nowhere to run and no place to be buried.
After all, Shrek's name was renowned throughout the world, and its graduates were everywhere. And with the way those people were, there might well be someone following and keeping an eye on him all the way here.
Lin Yun's plan was still to raise his favorability with Shrek as high as possible, then head to the Holy Spirit Cult to learn some secret techniques suited to his undead attribute, and finally to wash his hands of the whole business by prettily whitewashing his reputation and siding with whoever won.
When God King Tang showed up, he'd see how things stood. If he could win, he'd fight. If he couldn't, he'd lie low and find another path to godhood.
After all, there were people on Douluo Continent who'd achieved eternal life and immortality—for example, Tang Hao, who'd become the Plane Master with God King Tang's help...
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