Mu En had somehow slightly opened his eyes.
"Shao Zhe is not one to speak frivolously or recklessly." Mu En's voice was as steady as an ancient well, without a ripple.
"However, what you said just now is indeed inconceivable.
"Shao Zhe, are you certain of everything you just described about that child? Did you verify it personally, without any exaggeration?"
Faced with his teacher's question, Yan Shaozhe's expression became incomparably solemn, and he bowed deeply once more.
"Teacher, I am certain.
"I personally took one of his punches. I felt it clearly.
"When his Innate Domain activated, the boost to his combat strength was terrifying, and there were no signs of any side effects.
"I judge that the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff is unquestionably a Super Martial Soul. Combined with his Innate Full Soul Power...
"This child's talent is truly the greatest Shrek Academy has seen in ten thousand years!"
"Innate Domain... Super Martial Soul... greatest in ten thousand years..."
Mu En softly repeated those words. Beneath his half-closed eyelids, an indescribable gleam seemed to flow.
A brief moment of contemplation felt incomparably long to everyone present.
At last, Mu En spoke again. His voice remained gentle, yet carried an unquestionable force that settled the matter with a single word.
"If that is the case..."
He slowly, seemingly with some effort, straightened up slightly from his reclining chair.
That simple movement caused the atmosphere throughout the Sea God Pavilion to turn solemn. Every elder unconsciously straightened their back.
Mu En's gaze calmly swept across every face in the room as he said slowly,
"Then let this child remain on Sea God Island."
He paused, then said clearly,
"I will personally teach him. Everyone..."
His gaze finally settled, not forceful, yet as heavy as Qian Jun.
"Do any of you object?"
"..."
A brief silence followed.
What did it mean for Elder Mu to personally nurture someone? No one present failed to understand.
This was already the highest-level promise Shrek Academy could offer, nearly equivalent to designating him as a core inheritor.
Xian Lin'er's lips moved.
But as she looked at Mu En's calm face, recalled Yan Shaozhe's resolute words, and considered the terrifying potential represented by strength comparable to a Soul Ancestor...
In the end, she swallowed her doubts, slowly sat back down, and shook her head.
Qian Duoduo looked at Xian Lin'er and remained silent as well.
Xuan Zi stared at the tabletop for several seconds, then grabbed his wine gourd and took a huge swig. Wiping his mouth, he muttered,
"If Elder Mu is personally stepping in, then that's naturally the best option. I have no objections."
The remaining elders exchanged several glances, each seeing the same judgment in the others' eyes.
If this matter was true, then the responsibility and significance of nurturing this child...
Could indeed only be most securely borne by Elder Mu himself, and only that would convince everyone.
His experience, cultivation, and insight were the greatest assurance that this uncut jade would not be shaped incorrectly.
"No objections."
"I second it."
"It should be so."
Scattered voices of agreement sounded, eventually converging into unanimous assent.
Mu En waited for several breaths. Seeing no further opposition, he nodded faintly.
"Since no one objects, then this matter is settled."
He leaned back into his reclining chair, returning to that languid posture, as though he had not just made a momentous decision.
"Today's meeting shall end here. Everyone may do as they please."
"Yes." Everyone answered in unison and rose to leave.
The huge weight in Yan Shaozhe's heart finally lifted, replaced by indescribable excitement and joy.
"Shao Zhe." Mu En's gentle voice stopped him again.
"Teacher." Yan Shaozhe immediately responded respectfully.
"Go bring that child here.
"Let me meet him."
"Yes! This disciple will go at once!" Yan Shaozhe suppressed his excitement and bowed again.
Then he turned and strode toward the pavilion's exit, his very back radiating high spirits.
Within the Sea God Pavilion, light and shadows shifted as the elders silently departed one after another.
Only the old man in the reclining chair at the head of the room remained, his eyes quietly closed, as though he had merged with the ancient building itself.
Yet if someone with extraordinary Soul Power perception had been present, they might have faintly sensed it.
That vast aura covering the entire island, as boundless as a sea of stars, seemed to stir ever so slightly.
When Yan Shaozhe returned to Xia Ming's side at top speed, the sight before him gave him a slight pause.
Then, an indescribable sense of gratification and admiration rose from the depths of his heart.
Xia Ming had not been looking around curiously like an ordinary child, nor had he shown the slightest impatience or restlessness from waiting.
He simply sat there quietly, his eyes lightly closed.
His small chest rose and fell faintly with long, steady breaths.
A layer of extremely faint pale golden radiance seemed to circulate around him, producing a subtle resonance with the thin energy drifting between heaven and earth.
He was attempting to meditate and cultivate.
Although he had only just awakened and had not yet obtained any meditation method...
This child was actually relying on instinct and his initial perception of his own Soul Power to try to guide and condense it!
This desire for power and initiative, this ability to quickly settle down in an unfamiliar environment and seize every moment to strengthen himself...
"Exceptional talent, and an even more extraordinary temperament... This child truly is a gift from heaven to Shrek!"
Yan Shaozhe praised him silently in his heart.
He had seen far too many brilliant geniuses. Among them were many who became arrogant and complacent because of their talent, or who fell midway due to insufficient temperament.
Talent determined one's starting point; temperament determined how far one could go.
Xia Ming possessed both, and each had reached an astonishing level.
As he looked at the small, tranquil figure cultivating before him, an even grander thought uncontrollably entered Yan Shaozhe's mind.
With the terrifying potential this child had displayed, as long as he did not die prematurely, becoming a peak expert who shook the continent was almost inevitable.
Yan Shaozhe even vaguely felt that Shrek Academy's next person to reach the level of a Limit Douluo...
Might not necessarily be Elder Xuan, who was striving to break through that immense barrier. Instead, it was highly possible that it would be this child who had only just awakened his Martial Soul.
The reason was straightforward: the absolute advantage of his Martial Soul.
The Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff, a top-tier Martial Soul existing only in ancient legends, had an almost immeasurable upper limit for growth.
Based on Yan Shaozhe's personal experience and deductions, Xia Ming might be able to fight Soul Kings while still a Soul Master, and perhaps fear no Soul Douluo once he became a Soul King...
Then, once he had just stepped into the rank of Title Douluo...
His true combat strength would likely be sufficient to contend against Elder Xuan, who had spent years at level ninety-eight and had even touched the threshold of level ninety-nine!
Then there was the terrifying cultivation speed granted by his Innate Full Soul Power.
And with Shrek's top-tier resources piled upon him, that speed would rise even further.
From awakening to Title Douluo, he would truly need only several decades.
For high-level Soul Masters with lifespans of several centuries, several decades were still worth waiting for.
"Phew..."
Yan Shaozhe softly exhaled, shook his head, and temporarily suppressed those overly distant thoughts.
It was still too early to think about such things.
What mattered most now was taking this child to meet the person who could truly decide the path of his future.
He restrained his aura, walked forward slowly, and stopped several meters before Xia Ming so as not to disturb his meditation.
Before you continue