Mu En Seeks a Disciple

Mu En did not know when he had already slightly opened his eyes.

"Yan Shaozhe is not a man who speaks lightly or recklessly." Mu En's voice was as steady and calm as an ancient, waveless well.

"However, what you just said is truly inconceivable.

Yan Shaozhe, are you certain about everything you just described regarding that child? Did you verify it yourself, without any exaggeration?"

Facing his teacher's inquiry, Yan Shaozhe's expression was incomparably solemn as he bowed deeply once more.

"Teacher, this student is certain.

This student personally withstood a punch from him and felt it clearly.

When his Innate Domain activates, the boost to his combat power is terrifying, and there are no signs of any side effects.

This student judges that the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff must be a Super Martial Soul, combined with his Innate Full Soul Power aptitude.

This child's talent is truly the greatest Shrek Academy has seen in ten thousand years!"

"Innate Domain... Super Martial Soul... the greatest in ten thousand years..."

Mu En repeated these words softly, and beneath his half-closed eyelids, a glimmer of indescribable light seemed to flow.

The moment of contemplation felt incomparably long to everyone present.

Finally, Mu En spoke again; his voice remained gentle, yet it carried a definitive, unquestionable power.

"In that case..."

He slowly, and seemingly with some effort, sat up slightly from his reclining chair.

This simple movement caused the atmosphere in the entire Sea God Pavilion to turn solemn, and all the elder residents straightened their backs involuntarily.

Mu En's gaze swept calmly across every face in the room as he said slowly:

"Then let this child stay on Sea God Island."

He paused, then stated clearly:

"I shall teach him personally. Does anyone here..."

His gaze finally settled, and though it did not press, it felt as heavy as Thousand Jun:

"Have any objections?"

"..."

A brief silence followed.

To be personally cultivated by Elder Mu—no one present was unaware of what that signified.

This was the highest-level commitment Shrek Academy could offer, almost equivalent to being designated as the core successor.

Xian Lin'er's lips moved.

But looking at Mu En's calm face, remembering Yan Shaozhe's ironclad words, and the terrifying potential represented by the description of him rivaling a Soul Ancestor.

She ultimately swallowed her doubts, slowly sat back in her seat, and shook her head.

Qian Duoduo looked at Xian Lin'er and also remained silent.

Xuan Zi stared at the tabletop for a few seconds, grabbed his wine gourd to take a large gulp, wiped his mouth, and muttered:

"If Elder Mu takes action personally, that is naturally for the best. I have no objections."

The remaining elder residents exchanged glances, all seeing the same judgment in each other's eyes.

If this matter were true, then the responsibility and significance of cultivating this child.

Indeed, only Elder Mu taking charge personally was the most secure path, and the one that could convince everyone.

His experience, realm, and vision were the greatest guarantees that this piece of unpolished jade would not be carved incorrectly.

"No objections."

"Seconded."

"It should be so."

Scattered voices of agreement arose, eventually converging into a unanimous tacit consent.

Mu En waited for a few breaths, and seeing no further opposition, he nodded slightly.

"Since no one objects, this matter is settled."

He leaned back into his reclining chair, resuming his lazy posture as if he were not the one who had just made such a major decision.

"Let today's meeting end here. Everyone may take their leave."

"Yes." The group responded in unison and stood up one after another.

The heavy stone in Yan Shaozhe's heart fell, and an indescribable surge of excitement and joy welled up within him.

"Yan Shaozhe." Mu En's gentle voice called out to him once more.

"Teacher." Yan Shaozhe immediately responded respectfully.

"Go and bring that child here."

"Let me see him."

"Yes! This disciple will go at once!" Yan Shaozhe suppressed his excitement and bowed once more.

He turned immediately and strode out of the pavilion, his very silhouette radiating high spirits.

Inside the Sea God Pavilion, light and shadow shifted as the various elders departed in silence.

Only the old man on the recliner in the main seat remained, eyes closed, as if he had become one with this ancient structure.

Yet, if someone with extraordinary soul power perception were present, they might have faintly sensed it.

The vast, star-sea-like aura that enveloped the entire island seemed to ripple ever so slightly.

When Yan Shaozhe rushed back to Xia Ming's side at top speed, the scene before him made him pause in surprise.

Immediately, an indescribable sense of gratification and admiration welled up from the bottom of his heart.

It turned out that Xia Ming was not looking around with the curiosity typical of a child, nor did he show the slightest impatience or restlessness while waiting.

He sat there quietly, his eyes lightly closed.

His small chest rose and fell with long, steady breaths.

A faint, pale golden halo shimmered around his body, resonating subtly with the thin, free-roaming energy between heaven and earth.

He was attempting to meditate.

Despite having just awakened and not yet having received any formal meditation techniques.

This child was actually relying on instinct and his initial perception of his own soul power to attempt to guide and refine it!

This hunger for power and the initiative to calm down in an unfamiliar environment, seizing every moment to improve himself...

"Outstanding talent, coupled with an exceptional temperament... This child is truly a gift from the heavens to Shrek!"

Yan Shaozhe sighed silently in his heart.

He had seen too many brilliant geniuses, many of whom became arrogant and lazy due to their superior talent, or fell by the wayside due to a lack of character.

Talent determines the starting point, but character determines how far one can go.

And Xia Ming possessed both, each to an astonishing degree.

Watching the small, quietly meditating figure before him, a more grandiose thought uncontrollably intruded into Yan Shaozhe's mind.

Given the terrifying potential this child had displayed, provided he did not perish prematurely, his future growth into a peak powerhouse who would shake the continent was almost a certainty.

He even felt a faint intuition that the next person at Shrek Academy to reach the level of Limit Doulu.

Perhaps it would not be Xuan Zi, who was currently struggling to break through that chasm, but rather this child who had just awakened his martial soul.

The reason was straightforward: the absolute superiority of his martial soul.

The Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff, a top-tier martial soul that existed only in ancient legends, had a growth ceiling that was almost immeasurable.

Based on the deduction from Yan Shaozhe's own experience, Xia Ming might be able to fight a Soul King while still a Soul Master, and perhaps fear no Soul Doulu when he himself became a Soul King...

Then, when he had just stepped into the ranks of Title Doulu.

His true combat power would likely be enough to rival Xuan Zi, who had been immersed at level ninety-eight for many years and was even touching the threshold of level ninety-nine!

When one further considered the terrifying cultivation speed brought about by his Innate Full Soul Power.

And the fact that this speed would soar even further under the accumulation of Shrek's top-tier resources.

From awakening to Title Doulu, it would truly only take a few decades.

For high-level soul masters with lifespans of several hundred years, a few decades was a wait they could afford.

"Hoo..."

Yan Shaozhe exhaled softly and shook his head, temporarily suppressing these overly distant thoughts.

It was too early to think about such things now.

The most important thing at present was to take this child to see the person who could truly decide his future path.

He restrained his aura and stepped forward slowly, stopping a few meters in front of Xia Ming so as not to disturb his meditation.