The boxing routine moved at an unhurried pace, each motion smooth and flowing. There were no fierce attacks, no surging Soul Power fluctuations. It looked soft and powerless.
Yet it held a unique rhythm. His whole being seemed to blend with the natural world. Every turn, every lift of his hand, carried the flavor of overcoming force with softness and remaining calm and composed.
What astonished Mu En most was how well he knew Su Ming's ways. Su Ming usually studied Soul Tools, and his fighting style relied on overwhelming force. He was aggressive in his thinking and utterly decisive by nature.
Mu En could never have imagined that someone like him would persist every day in practicing such a peaceful, unhurried boxing routine.
His curiosity grew ever stronger. When Su Ming finished the routine and slowly settled into a final stance, Mu En opened his eyes and looked at him. A note of curiosity and surprise entered his voice as he asked:
"Young man, I've watched you practice this boxing routine here every day. I'm an old man who's seen plenty and spent many years roaming the continent."
"Yet I've never seen this kind of martial art anywhere on Douluo Continent. I imagine you came up with it yourself. What's it called?"
Su Ming slowly steadied his breathing and lightly wiped the thin sheen of sweat from his brow. His whole body felt relaxed and clear, and his mind was especially calm.
He walked over and sat on the stone steps beside Mu En. After resting briefly, he answered in an even tone:
"It's a boxing style I came up with through my own study and understanding. It's called Taiji Fist. There's nothing especially unusual about how it's used. Its essence is to overcome hardness with softness and stillness with movement, to nourish the body through slow practice, and to temper the mind."
As he spoke, Su Ming thought to himself: Taiji Fist was a martial art from Earth, completely unknown on Douluo Continent.
Even if Su Ming claimed that he had come up with it himself through his own study, there would be no flaw in the story. It would spare him a great deal of unnecessary explaining, so he might as well admit it openly.
After all, he was currently in Shrek, where it was unwise to reveal too much. Claiming Taiji Fist as his own creation was the safest choice.
"Oh, Taiji Fist. Overcoming hardness with softness, and stillness with movement." Mu En sat in a wicker chair in Sea God Pavilion, his gaze fixed on Su Ming as he practiced the boxing routine nearby. His fingertips tapped lightly against the armrest.
He turned the intricacies of the routine over in his mind again and again. The more he considered it, the more he felt that it contained profound principles of the martial path, far beyond what ordinary punches and kicks could offer.
His eyes remained on Su Ming, and his admiration only grew.
After spending these past few years together day and night, Mu En had long since come to understand the boy thoroughly. Su Ming's talent far surpassed that of his peers, and he cultivated Soul Power at astonishing speed. Deep down, he was also fiercely opposed to evil.
Whenever he encountered a wicked Evil Soul Master, he never showed the slightest mercy. His only shortcoming was that he fought too fiercely and recklessly, relying solely on offense and never adapting.
It was this very admiration that had quietly given Mu En the desire to take him as a disciple.
He understood his own condition better than anyone. In that life-or-death battle with Du Bisou all those years ago, he had managed to win, but only barely.
The poison had invaded his meridians and utterly damaged the foundation of his cultivation. His life force was rapidly ebbing away, and he had only a few years left.
Yet no one had inherited the three ultimate techniques he had spent his life mastering. That was his greatest regret.
It wasn't that he hadn't considered Bei Bei. Bei Bei was kindhearted, and Mu En had always held him in high regard as a younger generation he had personally nurtured. But in the end, his talent fell short.
His Martial Soul was still the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. It had not completed its evolution and transformed into a true Bright Sacred Dragon, so it could not bear the burden of Mu En's ultimate Light techniques.
He had originally intended to pass the position of Sea God Pavilion Master to Bei Bei in the future. But Bei Bei had become involved with Tang Ya of the Tang Sect, and after falling in love,
his determination to cultivate was no longer as firm as before. He was distracted and slackened off day after day, making slow progress. He could barely even devote himself to studying his own cultivation method, so mastering Mu En's three ultimate techniques was all the more impossible.
At the thought that his life's work might be lost forever, Mu En was consumed by worry and spent his days in low spirits. Then Su Ming appeared, just in time to lift the burden from his heart.
Mu En had seen everything Su Ming did. He was upright and just, and he dealt with Evil Soul Masters decisively, without the slightest trace of misplaced mercy.
In temperament, character, and talent, he met every requirement Mu En had for an heir. At a glance, Mu En had decided he was the most suitable candidate.
After turning it over in his mind, Mu En finally felt the urge to take him as a disciple. But he had lived for several centuries and was clear-sighted.
He didn't want to force the matter, and wasn't sure whether Su Ming would be willing to join his lineage, so he decided to test the waters first.
He shifted slightly and lounged back in the soft recliner, looking relaxed. His tone seemed casual, though there was a deliberate ease to it, as he spoke to Su Ming:
"Young man, you're exceptionally gifted and have excellent aptitude. Do you have a teacher? I roamed the continent when I was young and picked up quite a few insights into cultivation. Would you like me to teach you?"
At those words, Su Ming abruptly froze, surprise flashing across his face as a storm surged in his heart.
How could he fail to understand what Mu En meant? This wasn't simply an offer to share cultivation insights. Mu En clearly wanted to take him as a disciple.
After all, Mu En was a Level 99 Limit Douluo, the Dragon God Douluo, one of the continent's strongest experts, and the Sea God Pavilion Master of Shrek Academy. Becoming his disciple was an opportunity countless Soul Masters dreamed of—a chance to soar to the heavens in a single step.
A powerful desire stirred within Su Ming, but he quickly forced it down.
He knew full well that Mu En was too deeply tied to Shrek Academy. He was Shrek's anchor, and if Su Ming became his disciple, he would be branded as one of Shrek's core disciples, with no way to break free.
But he had already made his plans. One day, he would leave Shrek, establish a power of his own, and carve out a place for himself.
If he carried the title of a core Shrek disciple, then when he established his own power, the academy's higher-ups would undoubtedly use their ties as teacher and student, and the academy's principles, to interfere, take control of his development, and turn him into the academy's vassal.
As long as Mu En was alive, his standing as a Limit Douluo would naturally be enough to protect Su Ming, and the academy's higher-ups wouldn't dare go too far.
But Mu En was now at the end of his strength, with little time left. By the time Su Ming truly established his own power, Mu En would already be dead. Then Su Ming would have no way to resist Shrek's control.
After weighing the pros and cons, Su Ming had already made up his mind. No matter what, he could not become Mu En's disciple.
He suppressed his regret and excitement, forcing a cheeky, carefree smile onto his face. With the easygoing air of a young man, he replied:
"When you were young, old man, you roamed the continent, so your experience must be extraordinary. I'd be more than happy to receive your guidance and learn from your cultivation insights.
"It's just that I've always been unattached to any sect, used to my freedom. I'm a wild sort and don't like being controlled, nor can I stand being bound by sect rules."
At his words, Mu En immediately understood what Su Ming meant. He was openly willing to learn Mu En's skills, but was quietly refusing to join his lineage. He didn't want to be bound by the teacher-student relationship.
Hearing Su Ming's slippery answer, Mu En was both annoyed and amused. He grumbled inwardly.