Return Journey

"When you break through to level forty, I will offer myself as a sacrifice to become your unprecedented million-year wisdom spirit ring!"

Level forty? That would be such a waste!

Mu Guiyun frowned deeply and said in a low voice, "Must it be the fourth spirit ring? How about the seventh?"

Logically speaking, a million-year spirit ring like the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm should naturally be used for the most critical Avatar of the Martial Soul to maximize one's strength.

Just thinking about a million-year-level Avatar of the Martial Soul made Mu Guiyun uncontrollably excited.

As for the four spirit skills provided by the ring, he wouldn't be able to use them anyway, so he might as well discard them.

"Are you sure? My spirit ring can provide four top-tier spirit skills; that would be a total waste."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm twisted his body and said lazily, "It's all up to you anyway. I don't care."

Hearing this, Mu Guiyun nodded with satisfaction. This big worm actually had some self-awareness.

"Rest now. I'm leaving."

After speaking, Mu Guiyun focused his mind and vanished from the spot.

After Mu Guiyun left, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm leaned against that giant tree, adjusted into a comfortable position, and sighed with deep emotion, "After all these years, I can finally have a good sleep!"

Recalling his experiences in the Star Dou Great Forest over the years, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm felt his teeth itch with rage.

Star Dou Great Forest.

As his consciousness returned, Mu Guiyun felt as if he were resting on something elastic and soft, with a familiar fragrance lingering at the tip of his nose.

"Ugh..."

His consciousness gradually cleared. As soon as Mu Guiyun opened his eyes, a pair of large, firm mounds immediately came into view.

Good heavens, who could possibly be built so wickedly?

Ma Xiaotao, who had been full of resentment toward Xuan Zi, suddenly felt a slight movement on her leg. Looking down, she saw that Mu Guiyun had awakened at some point.

"Guiyun, you're awake?"

Seeing the person she had been longing for wake up, Ma Xiaotao felt immense joy in her heart: "You scared me to death! If Elder Mu hadn't said you were fine, I, I..."

As she spoke, Ma Xiaotao's voice gradually choked up, and finally, she hugged Mu Guiyun tightly and began to sob loudly.

"Sister Xiaotao, don't worry. I, Mu, am blessed with great fortune; this little setback isn't enough to take my life. Besides..."

Mu Guiyun gently patted Ma Xiaotao's jade-like back, whispering words of comfort.

Seeing that Ma Xiaotao showed no signs of stopping, Mu Guiyun simply leaned into her ear, his voice drilling into her like a devil's whisper.

As Mu Guiyun finished speaking, the crying stopped abruptly, and a blush climbed onto Ma Xiaotao's cheeks at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"What are you saying... there are people here!"

Ma Xiaotao first gave Mu Guiyun a charming, coquettish glare, then leaned her head against his shoulder with a silly smile on her face.

As expected, this trick still worked!

After comforting Ma Xiaotao, Mu Guiyun looked at the aged figure not far away and feigned surprise: "Teacher, why are you here?"

"Do you think this old man is interfering with your good time?"

Watching the two tightly embraced, a trace of imperceptible satisfaction flashed in the depths of Mu En's eyes.

He is indeed the successor of this Well-Fed Douluo; he has Ma Xiaotao completely wrapped around his finger.

Just as Mu Guiyun had guessed, from the moment the Soul Hunting Squad left Shrek Academy, Mu En had been protecting them in the shadows. It was only after Zhang Lexuan and the others were frozen into ice sculptures and Mu Guiyun fell into a coma that he was forced to reveal himself.

Mu En's gaze swept calmly over the White Emperor Star before landing on Mu Guiyun, and he chuckled: "Guiyun, the spirit ring of that Moon-Eroding Wolf Emperor was absorbed by Lexuan. You shouldn't blame this old man for acting on his own, right?"

In a good mood, Mu En even cracked a joke.

Hearing this, Mu Guiyun waved his hand dismissively: "How could I? That spirit ring was intended for the Senior Sister to absorb anyway."

It was just a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring, and he couldn't use it anyway. Besides, Mu Guiyun was certain that Mu En would never let him suffer a loss.

Seeing that Mu Guiyun had no objections, Mu En smiled with relief. He scanned the people present one by one, his tone filled with self-reproach: "I already know the ins and outs of this incident. This is the Academy's negligence."

Mentioning this again, even with Mu En's cultivation of temperament, he almost lost his composure.

Not only were these fourteen students all elites of the Inner Court, but people like Ma Xiaotao and Zhang Lexuan were the future pillars of Shrek. If not for Mu Guiyun, Mu En wouldn't even dare to imagine the consequences.

Thinking of this, Mu En shouted in a deep voice: "Xuan Zi! Get over here!"

As the voice fell, Xuan Zi, who had been hiding behind a tree, walked out reluctantly, his old face full of guilt.

When the crowd saw Xuan Zi, their expressions became incredibly colorful.

Especially Mu Guiyun, who really wanted to point at Xuan Zi's head and demand:

Where did you go! Where on earth did you go!

"Elder Mu, I..."

Xuan Zi lowered his head, not daring to meet anyone's eyes.

Mu En didn't give Xuan Zi a chance to speak, interrupting him directly: "Enough! After returning to the Academy, go to the Meditation Room and reflect for three years. Without my permission, you are not allowed to take a single step out of the Meditation Room!"

Mu En's tone was filled with disappointment, yet in his heart, he truly had no other choice.

His own time was running out, and before Zhang Lexuan and the others could fully mature, he still had to rely on Xuan Zi to guard Shrek Academy for him.

"Yes, Elder Mu."

Xuan Zi's eyes were bloodshot, and the guilt in his heart was beyond words, especially after seeing Mu En's increasingly frail figure.

"Sigh."

Mu En let out a sigh, his gaze then shifting away from Xuan Zi.

In terms of martial soul quality alone, Xuan Zi's Godly Taotie Bull martial soul was even superior to his own Bright Sacred Dragon; however, due to his own circumstances, Xuan Zi had long been unable to break through to the Limit Douluo level.

Such a lenient punishment naturally could not erase the rift in everyone's hearts, so Mu En spoke again to make a promise: "After everyone returns to the academy, each of you may go to the Treasure Pavilion to select one treasure as the academy's compensation for this incident."

Sure enough, as Mu En's words fell, the strange expressions on everyone's faces vanished instantly, replaced by expressions of pure excitement.

Everyone knew exactly what kind of place the Treasure Pavilion was; it was the venue for the Shrek Treasure Appraisal Fair!

Treasures that were rarely seen in the outside world were no different from common cabbage there.

"Once Lexuan finishes absorbing her soul ring, everyone shall set off to return to the academy."

After Mu En gave his instructions, he immediately looked toward Xuan Zi: "Xuan Zi, go and capture a plant-type soul beast of about twenty thousand years for Hua Yao."

"Yes, Elder Mu."

With Mu En present, Xuan Zi did not make any mistakes this time, and in less than half an hour, he returned with a Ghost King Vine that had a cultivation of just over twenty thousand years.

After Zhang Lexuan and Hua Yao finished absorbing their soul rings, the group set off to return to the academy.

"Finally back, I can finally take a comfortable bath!"

Having just returned home, Ma Xiaotao did not avoid Mu Guiyun's presence in the slightest; she tossed her clothes aside recklessly and hurried into the bathroom.