To Long Jinyu's surprise, the familiar gentle smile faded from Mu En's face, replaced by deep contemplation, even a trace of... solemnity?
He did not immediately answer Long Jinyu's retort. Instead, he slowly sat up straight, his aged body seeming to hold the weight of mountains.
"In such a hurry?"
Mu En's voice was low and even, as if stating a fact, or perhaps sorting through his thoughts.
"I took you as my disciple, naturally, because your talent is peerless, a rarity in ten thousand years. But 'knowing everything'?"
He shook his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the nine-colored radiance in Long Jinyu's palm.
"Little fellow, you think far too highly of these old, dim eyes of mine."
"Your Martial Soul... is unfathomably mysterious, far beyond what common sense can measure."
He paused, seeming to recall something.
"Just now, when you suppressed Xiaotao's Evil Fire, your methods were nothing short of miraculous. Though I couldn't see the whole picture, I did catch a glimpse of what was going on."
Mu En's gaze shifted to Ma Xiaotao, who was "unconscious" on the bed, as if he could see right through her.
"'Ultimate Ice' to suppress the restless source of her Evil Fire;"
"'Ultimate Light' to dispel the gloom and darkness entangled within the Evil Fire;"
"'Ultimate Fire' to actually nourish and refine her own Phoenix Fire. Such a method is truly inconceivable;"
"Most remarkable of all, the 'Ultimate Life' brimming with vitality protected and nurtured the meridians and organs damaged by the Evil Fire's corrosion."
With each Attribute Mu En named, the shock on Yan Shaozhe's face deepened. He looked at Long Jinyu as if he were a walking treasure trove of miracles.
Long Jinyu's heart stirred. The system really came through; even Mu En had only sensed four Ultimate Attributes.
The most central one, the "Ultimate Power" that stabilized and balanced them, had been perfectly concealed beneath the radiance of the other Attributes.
"Four Ultimate Attributes..."
Mu En's voice carried the weight of history.
"For them to appear together in one Martial Soul, coexist in such harmony, and even complement one another—that alone is a miracle."
He looked at Long Jinyu, his gaze sharp as a blade.
"Besides, what you displayed while flying was... a pair of colorful dragon wings? Neither gold nor silver, neither white nor black, shimmering with dazzling light and indescribably noble."
Mu En leaned back in his chair, his gaze turning toward the ancient wooden patterns of Sea God Pavilion's domed ceiling, as if reaching back into legends long buried by time.
"I have lived for more than two hundred years and read countless treasured ancient texts in Sea God Pavilion. I have heard that the ancient Dragon God was the progenitor of all dragons, whose might reached through heaven and earth."
"Legend says the Dragon God had two sons."
"One was the Golden Dragon, who inherited his father god's power and symbolized the ultimate strength and the pinnacle of physical prowess;"
"The other was the Silver Dragon, who inherited his father god's abilities and commanded every change among the elements of heaven and earth, the very embodiment of Ultimate Elements."
Yan Shaozhe held his breath. He had not seen his teacher so serious in years.
"When I was young, I was fortunate enough to sense a trace of the Golden Dragon's lingering aura. It was overbearing beyond compare, able to shatter all laws through sheer force."
Mu En's gaze returned to Long Jinyu, examining and scrutinizing him with unprecedented intensity.
"But your Martial Soul... possesses multiple Ultimate Attributes at once, and its form far surpasses that of ordinary dragons."
"Though the Silver Dragon commands Ultimate Elements, the surviving fragments of ancient texts say its Attributes were not so... numerous and pure? And those colorful wings are even harder to explain..."
He pondered for a moment. His aged voice echoed through Sea God Pavilion, carrying the wisdom of one who had seen through the world and the boldness of a daring hypothesis.
"Therefore, I venture to speculate—"
"Your Martial Soul is either some kind of 'Elemental Dragon King' whose Silver Dragon bloodline fused with another, producing an astonishing mutation that grants control over multiple Ultimate Attributes; or else..."
A brilliant light flashed in Mu En's eyes, and his tone turned firm as iron.
"It is the 'Seven-Colored Dragon King' of legend, closer to the Dragon God Origin and in command of seven-colored elemental power! Only a being of such stature could explain everything you displayed today!"
"The Seven-Colored Dragon King?!"
Yan Shaozhe could no longer hold back. He cried out in astonishment, staring at Long Jinyu in utter disbelief. This theory had already gone beyond the limits of his understanding!
Long Jinyu was also slightly shaken inside. The Seven-Colored Dragon King? No wonder he's the Sea God Pavilion Master. His knowledge and powers of deduction are truly astounding!
System, he actually guessed as far as 'seven-colored.' He's only a 'nine' and a 'god' away from the truth.
[As expected. Mu En's knowledge is at the pinnacle of humanity during the Douluo II era. Deducing the Seven-Colored Dragon King is already the limit. The concept of the 'Nine-Colored Dragon God' lies beyond this world's frame of reference.]
[Host, proceed according to plan.]
Long Jinyu let a hint of surprise and admiration show on his face, then let it turn to profound sorrow and loneliness.
The nine-colored radiance in his palm slowly faded. His voice sank, carrying the weathered weight of a wanderer.
"Elder Mu truly is a man of vast experience and profound knowledge. I'm deeply impressed."
"Your theory... is already very close."
He raised his head, his gaze seeming to pass through the walls of Sea God Pavilion and reach toward the distant north. "My Martial Soul is not the Seven-Colored Dragon King, but... the Nine-Colored Dragon Emperor."
The system had deliberately made him replace "God" with "Emperor," both to lower his rank and to fit the identity of the valley master's son.
"I am not from this land. I came from the far north of the continent, from a secluded sect called the 'Nine-Colored Dragon Valley.'"
"Everyone in the valley carried dragon blood in their veins. Generation after generation, they guarded the dragon clan's ancient secrets, living apart from the world."
Long Jinyu spoke slowly, but his words carried a heavy force.
"Yet... fate is fickle. A terrifying calamity suddenly descended upon the valley. The sky split open, space collapsed, as if some supreme will were erasing our existence... The entire valley, my people... were annihilated without a trace. Not a bone remained."
Just then, the system's urgent voice suddenly rang out in Long Jinyu's mind again.
[Host! Add more! There are also the Nine Dragon God Guards! Tell them that besides you, ten 'people' might still be alive!]
Long Jinyu was instantly dumbfounded inside. The Nine Dragon God Guards? What are those? Besides, shouldn't there be nine guards? Where did ten come from?
[The system huffed indignantly: You idiot! There are nine 'people' among the guards! Add this system and that makes ten, doesn't it?!]
Long Jinyu was even more shocked. You?! You count as a person?!
[The system was so angry it nearly glitched: #￥%...\u0026amp;*]
[This system is a higher life-form with intelligence! How does that not count?! Hurry up and say it! This is an important part of the backstory!]
The system's sudden "claim to personhood" left Long Jinyu utterly flabbergasted, but he still had to maintain his sorrowful expression.
After finishing his somber account of his clan's destruction, he could only grit his teeth and add, with a faintly peculiar note in his voice:
"However... amid that devastating disaster, there may have been a sliver of hope. According to the oldest traditions of my clan, there were nine peerless guardians who swore to follow the Dragon Emperor to their deaths and protect the Dragon Emperor's bloodline. They were known as the 'Nine Dragon God Guards.'"
"They possessed a unique secret art that shielded them through space. At the instant the calamity struck, I seemed to sense ten faint but distinct spatial fluctuations forcibly breaking through the blockade... Perhaps..."
"Besides me, the Nine Dragon God Guards... and... another extremely special being may have survived by sheer luck, only to be cast into an unknown land, their whereabouts unknown."
Mu En and Yan Shaozhe were once again hit by this astonishing turn of events.
"The Nine Dragon God Guards?!" Yan Shaozhe felt as though he had received more information today than in the past several decades combined.
Mu En's pupils contracted slightly, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the armrest. "The Nine Guards...? A special being...?"
Long Jinyu tried to make his expression seem mysterious, with a hint of uncertain hope.
"The tenth... wasn't a 'person' in the traditional sense. It was... the 'Spirit of Dragon Valley,' worshipped by my Dragon Valley for generations and possessed of supreme wisdom."
"Its form of existence was beyond the ordinary, but its wisdom and power were among the cornerstones of my clan's survival."
"If it escaped as well... perhaps..." He left just the right amount unsaid, dressing the system's existence in the concept of the "Spirit of Dragon Valley."
A gleam flashed in Mu En's eyes. He keenly caught the keywords "form of existence beyond the ordinary" and "cornerstone of wisdom and power," and automatically imagined some powerful spirit or guardian spirit, perhaps one approaching the level of a deity.
He slowly nodded and said in a deep voice, "I see... the Nine Dragon God Guards, the Spirit of Dragon Valley... Jinyu, your origins are even more... vast than I imagined."
Yan Shaozhe was so stunned that he could not utter a word. This background was more astonishing than any legendary tale!
Just then—
"Cough..."
A faint cough sounded.
On the bed, Ma Xiaotao, who had been "unconscious" all along, could no longer keep up the act.
She sat up abruptly. Her exquisite face was utterly pale, but her phoenix eyes were wide with shock, disbelief, and a hint of... heartache and curiosity?
She had heard everything!
Four Ultimate Attributes!
The Nine-Colored Dragon Emperor!
And especially the so-called "Nine Dragon God Guards" and "Spirit of Dragon Valley"—it all sounded like something out of a fairy tale!
"Xiaotao?"
Yan Shaozhe froze.
Mu En furrowed his brows slightly. "Xiaotao, this matter is of great importance. You should—"
"I'm not leaving!"
Ma Xiaotao's voice was weak, but unyielding.
She stared fixedly at Long Jinyu. "He... he saved me! Why shouldn't I hear about him? Besides... all this stuff about nine guards and ten guards..."
She had always been fierce and forthright by nature. Now Long Jinyu's extraordinary background and the possibility that survivors might still be out there had stirred her curiosity, and she stubbornly refused to leave.
She wanted to learn more about this mysterious "junior fellow."
Mu En and Yan Shaozhe exchanged glances, both seeing a knowing look and... a tacit, unspoken "plan accomplished" in each other's eyes.
Yan Shaozhe even shot Mu En a discreet look: Teacher, see? It worked, didn't it? That bond is already forged. She even heard such a core secret!
Mu En pondered for a moment. Looking at Ma Xiaotao's stubborn expression, then at Long Jinyu's complicated expression and lonely air, he finally nodded slowly.
"Very well. Since Xiaotao has already learned part of it, and this matter concerns her as well... she may stay. But..."
His tone turned stern as his gaze swept over the three of them.
"Not a word of what was said in Sea God Pavilion today may ever be revealed! This is Shrek Academy's highest-level secret! Especially anything concerning the 'Nine Dragon God Guards' and the 'Spirit of Dragon Valley'!"
His gaze finally settled on Long Jinyu, as if he were looking at the pillar that would support Shrek's future—or even a ray of hope capable of changing the course of the continent.
"Jinyu."
Mu En's voice had never been so gentle, yet it carried a heavy weight.
"From this day onward, Shrek Academy and Sea God Pavilion will be your home. Your vengeance, your hatred, your past—I will shoulder them with you."
"As long as I draw breath, I will never let that 'calamity' strike you again! As for finding the Nine Dragon God Guards and the Spirit of Dragon Valley, Sea God Pavilion will spare no effort!"
As Mu En finished speaking, all of Sea God Pavilion seemed to tremble faintly. A trace of golden light, almost too subtle to notice, seemed to flow through the ancient veins of the Golden Tree in the dome, faintly resonating with the wisp of Nine-Colored Dragon God aura inside Long Jinyu that had yet to fully settle.
The light in Sea God Pavilion seemed to brighten a little.
Long Jinyu looked at Mu En, who had just made such a solemn promise.
Then he glanced at Ma Xiaotao, who stood beside him with her lips pressed tight and a complicated gaze full of stubbornness, concern, and intense curiosity.
And at Yan Shaozhe, who looked like a man who had stumbled upon an unparalleled treasure, thrilled but doing his best to restrain himself.
He silently said to the system:
Sigh... This old fox talks a better game than a song...
System, now even your "household registration" has been taken care of, and you've become the Spirit of Dragon Valley... Satisfied?
[The system huffed. It still seemed a little offended: Hmph, at least you know your place! This system is of exalted status. How could I be lumped together with mortals?!]
...Fine, fine, you're the most exalted...
Ma Xiaotao looked at the "Dragon Pattern Contract" in her hand and felt the pure, powerful Soul Power left behind by Long Jinyu flowing slowly through her body, unlike anything she had ever felt before.
Then she looked at his profile, lonely yet seemingly less weighed down by the thought that his "companions might still be alive." A strange stirring and desire to learn more rose in her heart toward this "junior fellow"—something beyond mere curiosity, though even she could not explain it.
She clenched her fingers.
"The Nine Dragon God Guards... sound impressive. And that spirit thing... This guy sure has a lot of secrets..."
High above Sea God Pavilion, the ancient patterns of the Golden Tree seemed to silently record this moment...
Before you continue