Old Place Revisited, Gongyang Mo's Overture

Outside the east gate, the crowd was roaring with noise.

As the premier academy on the entire continent, Shrek Academy attracted countless young soul masters to register every year on its enrollment day.

The long line stretched from the city gate, seemingly without end.

The requirements to enter Shrek Academy were extremely harsh.

First, one must hold a recommendation letter issued by the lord of a major city from the three Douluo nations.

Second, one must not be over twelve years of age.

Third, one's soul power must not be lower than level fifteen.

These three criteria alone were enough to turn away over ninety percent of young soul masters.

The line where Mu Tianyi stood moved forward slowly.

Soon, it was his turn.

The person responsible for assessing this line was a young man with a square face.

The youth was around twenty years old, and the purple uniform he wore signified his status as a fourth-year student. His aura was steady, and it was clear his strength was not weak.

He looked up at Mu Tianyi, initially appearing somewhat indifferent, but when his gaze fell upon that face which was handsome to an almost excessive degree, he was slightly taken aback.

"Extend your hand."

Mu Tianyi raised his hand as instructed.

The youth briefly checked his bone age, and after confirming it was correct, he took the recommendation letter and examined it carefully.

A moment later, he nodded and spoke in a formulaic tone:

"The recommendation letter is in order."

"Next, release your martial soul."

Mu Tianyi's expression remained calm.

The next moment—

Hum!

A faint ripple of soul power suddenly spread outward.

Four soul rings rose slowly from beneath his feet.

Purple! Purple! Black! Black!

At the same time, he raised his right hand slightly, and a brilliant golden light condensed in his palm, eventually transforming into a miniature Bright Sacred Dragon.

The air seemed to fall silent for an instant.

Immediately after...

"A thousand-year first soul ring?!"

"No way, is that for real? A ten-thousand-year soul ring?"

"And he's a Soul Ancestor, for heaven's sake?!"

Exclamations suddenly erupted from the crowd.

The new students who had been waiting in line turned to look, their eyes wide and faces filled with disbelief.

A Soul Elder around the age of twelve was already considered a monster.

Where did this big shot come from?

Furthermore, the other party's first soul ring was already at the thousand-year level. While most of them hadn't even reached the level of Soul Elder, Mu Tianyi already possessed two ten-thousand-year soul rings?

Come on, brother, even if the Sea God were reincarnated, he wouldn't be this outrageous.

Even the square-faced youth responsible for the assessment could no longer maintain his composure, his eyes filled with profound shock.

Not far away, several gazes shot over from all directions, staring blankly.

"This is just too perfect..."

"He's handsome, and his talent is so terrifying..."

Several young girls whispered to each other, their gazes toward Mu Tianyi filled with undisguised admiration.

Such a youth seemed like a character who had walked right out of a storybook.

If it were them, they would likely fall for him without hesitation.

After a long while.

The square-faced youth finally took a deep breath, forcing down the shock in his heart.

When he looked at Mu Tianyi again, there was a clear sense of respect in his eyes.

The strong, no matter where they are, will always receive respect.

The youth quickly pulled out a form and began filling in the information with rapid strokes.

"Mu Tianyi, age twelve, level forty-five Soul Ancestor..."

As he wrote this, his hand holding the pen even paused for a moment.

Afterward, he handed over the form along with the recommendation letter.

"After entering the academy, go directly to the white freshman teaching building to register."

"At that time, just hand this form and the recommendation letter to the teacher in charge of registration."

Mu Tianyi took the form and nodded slightly.

"Many thanks."

His tone remained calm, as if the person who had caused such a sensation just moments ago was not himself.

Then, under the gaze of countless shocked, envious, and awestruck eyes, Mu Tianyi stepped forward and walked into Shrek Academy.

As a "Celestial Dragon" of Shrek, Mu Tianyi could walk the path into the Outer Court with his eyes closed.

Upon entering the campus, the first things to catch the eye were ten towering statues.

Lined up on both sides of the main path, each one stood three zhang tall, exquisitely carved and lifelike.

Those were the Golden Iron Triangle and the Original Shrek Seven Devils from the time of Shrek Academy's founding.

Mu Tianyi swept his gaze over them without making any further comment.

Reasonably and sentimentally speaking, his own ancestor of this lifetime was standing among them.

Pointing fingers in front of one's ancestor would be somewhat disrespectful.

He did not stop his pace and was just about to turn toward the white freshman teaching building when a clear voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Young brother, wait a moment."

Mu Tianyi paused his steps and turned around.

The person approaching was a youth, appearing to be eleven or twelve years old.

He was half an inch shorter than him, with long black hair tied up with a silver crown and draped over his shoulders, giving his fair face a scholarly air.

Dressed in brocade robes with a jade belt and a high-quality green jade pendant hanging at his waist, he carried a natural composure in his movements, clearly indicating a high-born background.

But what was most eye-catching was not these things.

It was his eyes.

The pupils of those eyes actually shimmered with seven colors.

Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet, layered upon one another as if a rainbow had been crushed and melted into them; they were iridescent and indescribably beautiful.

Mu Tianyi narrowed his eyes slightly.

He vaguely sensed that some kind of dragon aura was hidden within this youth's body.

However, the grade of that martial soul was not low, though it seemed to be... below his own.

PS: I don't want to see anyone arguing with me that the quality of the Rainbow Dragon is higher than Mu's. The setting that the Rainbow Dragon is the wife of the Dragon God is a fan-made invention, not from the original text; in the original work, the Rainbow Dragon is obscure.

Interesting.

Mu Tianyi simply stopped walking, turned around, and waited for the other party to approach.

Seeing him stop, the youth's face showed obvious delight. He walked up quickly, cupped his hands in a salute, and smiled brightly and warmly.

"I am Gongyang Mo, greetings, brother."

Gongyang Mo?

Mu Tianyi's eyebrows twitched slightly, his interest piqued.

He remembered this name.

A Rainbow Dragon martial soul user, a top-tier support-type from the Inner Court, hailed as the continent's number one support-type soul master.

The strength of the Rainbow Dragon martial soul was countless times greater than some Glazed Pagoda that could only maintain seven levels even after being passed down for ten thousand years.

"Just now at the registration desk, I saw your assessment, brother." Gongyang Mo straightened up, his seven-colored eyes reflecting Mu Tianyi's image, his tone sincere and eager.

"A thousand-year first soul ring, a ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring, a level 45 Soul Ancestor at twelve years old... to be honest, in all my years, I have never seen such astonishing talent."

Mu Tianyi's expression remained unchanged, waiting for him to continue.

Gongyang Mo did not beat around the bush, shifting the topic with a frank tone:

"I am a support-type martial soul. I have no advantage in solo combat, but in team battles, I can increase a teammate's strength by at least forty percent."

"A person like you, brother, will surely be extraordinary in the future. I would like to..."

He looked up, his gaze fixed directly on Mu Tianyi.

"Make a friend."

Mu Tianyi looked at him for two seconds, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

This little scheme was quite well-calculated.

Gongyang Mo's intention was very clear.

I have high hopes for you, and I want to get on your good side early.

A level forty-five Soul Ancestor with a dual ten-thousand-year soul ring configuration—your future prospects are limitless.

Establishing a connection while you have yet to make a name for yourself is far better than fighting tooth and nail to cling to you later.

A smart man.

Mu Tianyi felt no aversion.

Although Gongyang Mo's intentions were nakedly transparent, his strength justified his schemes.

The Rainbow Dragon martial soul was the makings of the continent's number one support-type soul master, and it seemingly possessed an additional bonus when supporting dragon-type soul masters.

With someone like this actively offering their friendship, he had no reason to refuse, neither in sentiment nor in logic.

"Mu Tianyi." He extended his hand, his tone indifferent yet not distant. "I accept your friendship."