Mu Tianyi's Vacation Plans: Obtaining Life Gold and Hunting a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring

Yan Shaozhe picked up his teacup again, his tone casual. "This badge is specially made by the academy. It is only issued to those preselected as Shrek Seven Devils."

"With it, you can enjoy treatment within the academy no worse than that of Inner Court disciples in advance."

"If you need any resources in the future, just tell Tianyi. As long as the request is not too outrageous, the academy can provide it."

"Preselected... Shrek Seven Devils?"

A trace of confusion appeared on Gongyang Mo and Ling Luochen's faces at the same time, as though they suspected they had misheard.

Yan Shaozhe nodded, his tone still casual. "That's right. You didn't hear wrong. This is indeed a rare situation."

"Among the Outer Court's core disciples, if there are exceptionally outstanding ones, the academy will select them in advance and designate them as Shrek Seven Devils." He glanced at the two of them and smiled. "This belongs only to those with strength. Your talents are worthy of it."

Gongyang Mo opened his mouth, then closed it again. He lowered his head to look at the red badge in his hand, his thumb repeatedly brushing over its pattern.

Ling Luochen said nothing, her actions much the same as Gongyang Mo's.

Mu Tianyi sat beside them, glanced at the red badge, and showed little reaction.

His family had these things too, and two more besides. It was hardly anything new to him.

Gongyang Mo took a deep breath, raised his head, and some of the excitement faded from his face.

"Um, Dean Yan, such a valuable gift... what price do we have to pay?"

Ling Luochen nodded as well, her gaze fixed directly on Yan Shaozhe.

They were both intelligent people. There was no such thing as a free lunch, and the academy was not a charity.

With such an enormous benefit dropped into their laps, who would believe there were no attached conditions?

Yan Shaozhe and Mu Tianyi exchanged a look and smiled at the same time.

Yan Shaozhe put down his teacup and lightly tapped the table twice with his fingers.

"The price... Hmm, let me think..."

"Oh, got it. After graduating from the Outer Court, you must enter the Inner Court. Then, after graduating from the Inner Court, serve in the Shrek Supervisory Corps for five years. Mm, that'll do."

Gongyang Mo froze. Ling Luochen froze as well.

The two looked at each other and saw the same thought in one another's eyes.

That was it?

Entering the Inner Court had already been their goal, and serving for five years was hardly a harsh condition.

The Supervisory Corps was Shrek's core institution. Countless people fought desperately for a chance to join it. How was this a price? It was clearly another benefit.

Gongyang Mo took a deep breath, tucked the badge into his clothes, and nodded firmly.

"Understood. Dean Yan, Brother Tianyi, I won't let you down."

Ling Luochen put away her badge as well, gave Yan Shaozhe a slight bow, then glanced at Mu Tianyi.

She did not say much, but what lay in her gaze was more genuine than any words.

Only after taking care of all this did Mu Tianyi truly begin his vacation.

His vacation schedule had long been packed full.

His foremost task was to go to the Star Luo Empire and find the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife.

He had been thinking about that opportunity for months, and now he had finally made time for it.

Before that, however, there was one more thing he needed to do.

He had broken through Rank 50 some time ago, yet he still had not attached his fifth soul ring.

He did not want an ordinary soul ring, and he no longer thought much of a ten-thousand-year soul ring. What he wanted to challenge was the legendary hundred-thousand-year soul ring.

Mu Tianyi had the confidence for it.

The Bright Dragon Core within his Sea of Spirit was no decoration. He had felt it firsthand when he absorbed his third and fourth soul rings.

Before the Dragon Core, the soul tremors of ten-thousand-year soul beasts could not even raise a ripple.

He could even sense that, before the Dragon Core, the soul impact of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast would be no trouble at all.

Moreover, ever since he had finished cultivating at the Golden Ancient Tree that day,

Mu Tianyi had discovered that some kind of change seemed to have occurred within his Sea of Spirit.

The feeling brought about by that change was exceptionally strange.

At times, it was vibrant, flourishing life; at others, it was glimmering dark-purple Destruction.

The origins of these two powers were far too symbolic.

Mu Tianyi had vaguely formed a guess in his heart, and this was also one of the sources of his confidence.

As for the rest,

Yan Shaozhe had sent over a ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber not long ago.

After consuming it, his physique had risen another level. Combined with the all-around enhancement to his physical qualities from the Yin-Yang Divine Dragon Transformation, the strength of his body now far surpassed that of soul masters at the same rank. He could even rival some physically weaker Titled Douluo.

Whale Rubber enhanced not only physical strength, but also the resilience of one's meridians and the maximum Soul Power load one could bear. These were all crucial requirements for absorbing high-year soul rings.

Mu En naturally did not approve of Mu Tianyi's plan.

Absorbing a soul ring beyond one's level always carried risks, especially when it was a hundred-thousand-year soul ring.

It was something many Titled Douluo could never even hope to touch in their lifetimes, yet his great-grandson was only thirteen years old, at five rings, and already dared to set his sights on it.

If it had been anyone else, the old man would have slapped them away long ago.

But Mu Tianyi merely stood there, his gaze steady and his tone certain, without a trace of a youth's recklessness or hot-blooded impulse.

When he said he could do it, he was not thumping his chest to declare his resolve. He was stating a fact he had already accepted as true.

For some inexplicable reason, Mu En even developed the illusion that he really could do it.

In the end, Mu En compromised.

However, because Shrek and the Star Dou Great Forest had an agreement, they could not go to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt a hundred-thousand-year soul beast.

If they were going anywhere, it would be the Sun Moon Empire.

Mu Tianyi had no objections. The Sun Moon Empire was fine. He was not picky about the location, as long as there were soul beasts.

Mu Tianyi did not dare tell Zhang Lexuan that he was going to absorb a hundred-thousand-year soul ring.

He knew her far too well.

His sister was normally gentle and accommodating, always going along with his wishes. But once it concerned his safety, those gentle eyes would instantly turn colder than ice.

She would never agree to him taking such a reckless risk, no matter how many reasons or how much confidence he had.

So he chose not to tell her.

For this reason, he had specifically sent Zhang Lexuan away, having Yan Shaozhe take her to the Star Dou Great Forest yesterday to hunt a soul ring.

By his calculations, she should be about done absorbing her fifth ring.

By the time she returned, he would already have set off for the Sun Moon Empire.

By then, the deed would be done. Even if she wanted to lose her temper, she would have nowhere to direct it.

Mu Tianyi silently apologized in his heart.

"Lexuan, I'm sorry. There are some things I have to do. When I come back, you can hit me or scold me as you please."

As for whether the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife was still in the Star Luo Empire, Mu Tianyi was not certain either.

Before Huo Yuhao obtained that carving knife in the original story, it had already passed through the hands of an unknown number of people.

Every transfer had been accompanied by blood and death. Its vicious reputation was well known, yet people still flocked to it.

Mu Tianyi planned to try his luck. Finding it would be ideal, but failing to do so would not be surprising.

He had never been someone to put all his eggs in one basket.

If he truly came away empty-handed, then he would use Shrek's power to search for it.

As the Sea God Pavilion's alternate-generation successor, he had to use that identity when the time came.

Once a net was cast, as long as the item remained somewhere on the continent, word would eventually come back.

He was determined to obtain Life Gold.

The path to godhood was long and elusive. Countless geniuses spent their entire lives without even touching its threshold, but Life Gold was a genuine shortcut.

As long as he fused with it, even if he could not enter the God Realm in the near future, he would have no need to worry about his lifespan.

Given the size of the piece on the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife, once it merged into his body, even if he never became a god, he could still possess a long lifespan of nearly ten thousand years.