Before long, all the team members except Xia Ming had gathered in the meeting room.
They did not see Yan Shaozhe. Instead, an elderly man in the twilight of his years sat calmly in the seat of honor, with Zhang Lexuan standing respectfully at his side.
Several sharp-eyed students found the old man somewhat familiar. After taking a closer look, they could not help but stare in shock.
Wasn't this the old grandpa who lay basking in the sun outside the dormitory building all year round?
Questions naturally arose in their hearts.
However, out of trust in Zhang Lexuan, they did not say anything.
Mu En swept his gaze over them and smiled warmly.
"My name is Mu En. Shaozhe has returned to the academy due to an urgent matter, so I will lead the team in his place for now."
Hearing his name, everyone else looked confused.
Only Ning Feng, who came from the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and had read extensively since childhood, reacted upon hearing the old man introduce himself.
He froze at first, then suddenly widened his eyes and cried out in disbelief.
"Are you Senior Mu En, the Dragon God Douluo?!"
Mu En looked at Ning Feng with some surprise.
He had not expected a young junior present to recognize him, so he nodded gently. "That is correct."
"Dragon God Douluo?!"
Some of the Inner Court disciples, along with Dai Yueheng, changed expression at the same time.
He was a Title Douluo who had roamed the continent two hundred years ago, leaving behind countless legends!
He was hailed as one of the strongest beings of the era, closest to godhood! He was actually still alive—and standing right before them?
Those who did not know quickly learned from their companions' excited whispers what weight that title carried.
For a time, the atmosphere in the meeting room became incomparably solemn.
Everyone unconsciously straightened their backs, their eyes filled with reverence and excitement.
"No need to be so restrained." Mu En waved a hand, his smile gentle.
"I am only filling in for Shaozhe for a few days. Just think of me as an old man who has come along for a stroll."
His gaze turned toward Ning Feng, who was still stunned, and he spoke slowly.
"Child, send word to your sect. I happen to have an Aromatic Silk Beauty in my possession."
"An Aromatic... Silk Beauty?!"
Ning Feng was struck as if by lightning. He froze in place, only snapping back to his senses after a long while, so excited that he could barely form coherent words.
"R-Really?! Senior, please wait! I... I'll notify the sect immediately!"
He did not even spare a thought for etiquette as he turned to rush from the meeting room, only for Mu En to stop him with a smile.
"Do not rush." Mu En said warmly. "Since it is already in my hands, it will not run away."
Ning Feng forcibly suppressed the raging waves in his heart. He took several deep breaths before barely calming down, but the excitement and fervor in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.
He knew all too well what this immortal herb meant to the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
Ten thousand years ago, their ancestor Ning Rongrong had consumed an Aromatic Silk Beauty, allowing her Martial Soul to evolve into the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda and ushering in an entirely new era for the sect.
Yet that miracle had not continued through the bloodline.
For ten thousand years, the innate flaw of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda had remained like a sword hanging over their heads.
And the Aromatic Silk Beauty had become a sacred object the sect had yearned for over ten thousand years, yet never managed to obtain!
If the person before him had not been someone like Mu En—
Ning Feng had no doubt that his sect would exhaust everything and pay any price to acquire it.
To the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, this immortal herb was their only possible means of breaking the innate flaw of their Martial Soul!
Outside the meeting room, the morning light gradually brightened as a new day arrived in Heaven Dou City.
Inside the room, however, the Soul Power fluctuations around Xia Ming gradually steadied, while his aura climbed steadily higher.
After a long time, he finally slowly opened his eyes from meditation.
The Soul Power around him surged and ebbed like the tide, and his aura was far more substantial than before.
Clearly, he had successfully broken through the Level 30 bottleneck.
If he could obtain a suitable Soul Ring now, his Soul Power might rise several more levels.
However, Xia Ming's gains from this seclusion extended far beyond an increase in Soul Power Level.
The Vajra Indestructible Body had already silently taken shape within him. That went without saying.
What truly startled Xia Ming was that the medicinal power of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum had widened the meridians throughout his body by nearly thirty percent.
Meridians were originally the channels through which Soul Power circulated. The wider and tougher those channels were—
the more smoothly Soul Power would surge through them during future cultivation, and the more efficiently he would absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
"By that logic, my cultivation speed during the Soul Elder stage might truly maintain the astonishing pace of six levels a year from my Soul Grandmaster days—or even surpass it."
Xia Ming's heart stirred, but he did not become blindly optimistic.
He slowly raised his right hand, and the phantom of a Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff flickered in and out of view above his palm.
Golden light flowed around it, carrying a heavy, powerful presence that made one's heart tremble.
"But will my Martial Soul be an ultimate Martial Soul?"
He recalled the descriptions of ultimate attributes from the original work.
They were existences that stood above ordinary attributes, with nearly overwhelming advantages over their peers at the same rank.
Among them, Wang Qiu'er's Golden Dragon Martial Soul was the ultimate of strength.
Yet the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff Martial Soul's performance in battle—especially that peerless strength—
seemed to have already surpassed the scope of ordinary ultimate Martial Souls. It even appeared far more formidable than Huo Yuhao's Ice Jade Empress Scorpion.
Of course, even among ultimate attributes, there were differences.
"If it truly is an ultimate attribute, then my cultivation speed will inevitably slow greatly."
Xia Ming frowned slightly, but quickly relaxed.
"Forget it. The slow cultivation speed of ultimate attributes between Level 30 and Level 70 is not entirely a bad thing.
My Soul Power is already far ahead. Going a little slower will not be a problem."
He was only seven years old, yet his Soul Power had already broken through Level 30. Such cultivation speed would be considered shocking by anyone.
If his cultivation pace truly slowed because of an ultimate attribute, it would instead give him more time to consolidate his foundation and prevent it from becoming unstable due to advancing too quickly.
Having thought it through, the last trace of doubt in Xia Ming's heart dissipated.
He restrained his Soul Power, rose to straighten his clothes, and pushed open the door.
A gentle figure stood quietly in the corridor outside.
"Lexuan?" Xia Ming paused in slight surprise.
Zhang Lexuan turned at his voice, relief flashing through her eyes as she smiled. "Xia Ming, you've finally come out of seclusion."
She stepped closer and carefully examined the boy. Sensing the Soul Power fluctuations that had yet to completely settle, she nodded in satisfaction. "It seems you gained quite a lot."
"Yes, I was fortunate enough to break through." Xia Ming responded before asking,
"Where is Senior Brother? Why are you here, Lexuan?"
"Dean Yan had urgent business and returned to the academy two days ago."
Zhang Lexuan explained gently. "Mu En is leading the team now."
"Teacher?" Surprise flashed through Xia Ming's eyes before understanding followed.
Mu En had secluded himself for many years entirely because the hidden injuries left by that great battle had been too severe.
If not for the cultivation of a Limit Douluo forcibly sustaining his life, an ordinary person would have perished long ago.
Now that he had personally gone to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well and found immortal herbs to treat his injuries, even if he had not fully recovered, he must have improved by more than half.
With his injuries eased, how could Mu En, given his temperament in his youth, be willing to remain confined in Sea God Pavilion for long?
Having regained some of the ease with which he had once roamed the continent, it was only natural for him to come out and take a look around.
"I see." Xia Ming nodded and looked toward the end of the corridor. "Where is Teacher now?"
"In the meeting room." Zhang Lexuan turned slightly to lead the way, her tone carrying several traces of respect.
"Mu En instructed that once you emerged from seclusion, you could go see him."
"Alright." Xia Ming answered and followed her.
Before you continue