Discerning the Solitary Dragon with a Keen Eye · Perilous Situation Locks Up Heroes

Several hours ago.

Shrek Academy, Sea God Pavilion, quiet room.

Xuan Zi's face remained pale. The feeling of being suppressed by that single glance from Long Jinyu had yet to fully dissipate. Still harboring lingering fear and irritation, he reported the events occurring outside the school—especially Long Jinyu's final, near-"rebellious" act—to Mu En, who lay on a recliner, adding his own biased embellishments.

"...Elder Mu, you tell me, isn't this brat becoming more and more lawless!" Xuan Zi said, his tone agitated. "Yesterday he defied his teacher in the outer courtyard, and today he dared to lay a hand on me! In a few more days, I fear he won't even hold the Sea God Pavilion in his eyes! Xiao Tao was ambushed by an Evil Soul Master and fainted; it was only natural for me to bring her back to the Sea God Pavilion for treatment, yet he forcibly took her away. Who knows what kind of intentions he harbors!"

Yan Shaozhe, standing to the side, wore an expression of urgency and worry upon hearing this. "Elder Mu, while Jinyu's talent and strength are indeed shocking, his origins are mysterious and his temperament is unfathomable. Xiao Tao's condition is currently unstable; what if he..."

Mu En, lying on the recliner, slowly opened his eyes. His murky gaze swept over the indignant Xuan Zi and the anxious Yan Shaozhe, yet his face remained perfectly calm.

"Are you finished?"

Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe were taken aback.

"Shaozhe, Xuan Zi," Mu En said faintly. "Put yourselves in his shoes. If you arrived at a strange place for the first time, only to be forcibly dragged into an apprenticeship by a white-haired old man, then chased and beaten by a girl who couldn't control her flames, and immediately after, arranged to live with that same girl... what would you do?"

Yan Shaozhe subconsciously replied, "This... that would be too unreasonable. I fear one would find this academy absurd and harbor thoughts of leaving."

"Exactly."

Mu En nodded slightly.

"But what about Jinyu? He said nothing and accepted it. Why? Is it because his family is gone, his heart is wounded, and he longs for a place to belong? Or is it because he truly had no other path and could only endure your and my demands for the time being? Regardless of the reason, he chose to stay, and he has never committed any true evil against you or Xiao Tao."

Yan Shaozhe fell silent, and Xuan Zi opened his mouth, but could not find the words to speak.

Mu En turned his gaze toward Yan Shaozhe, carrying a hint of admonition. "Shaozhe, put away those little schemes of yours from now on. Do not always think about using Xiao Tao to tie him down. He claims to be the young master of that 'Nine-Colored Dragon Valley.' With such status and talent, could he be lacking for stunning childhood sweethearts by his side? How much worse could those dragon maidens who accompany him be? Can the people of his past be forgotten in a mere moment?"

Mu En paused, his tone carrying a detachment that saw through the ways of the world. "Moreover, as you said, he is only at the Soul Ancestor level, yet he can easily defeat three inner courtyard elites. To speak bluntly, can such a heaven-gifted prodigy truly look up to Xiao Tao, who is still immature and relies on him to suppress her Evil Fire? It is nothing more than our own wishful thinking."

Yan Shaozhe's face revealed a sudden realization and a trace of shame. "The teacher's words are correct... it was this disciple who took things for granted. Removing the bias and looking at it objectively, Xiao Tao is indeed... far from being a match for him."

Mu En sighed softly, a flicker of guilt crossing his eyes. "Speaking of which, I also owe him a debt. That day when his soul power went berserk, my first thought was not to help him, but rather to be attracted by the bloodline within his body—a bloodline that far exceeds Di Tian's and may even surpass the legendary Dragon Kings. In a moment of excitement, I forcibly took him as my disciple. Afterward, I even intentionally guided Xiao Tao, whose Evil Fire was out of control, to approach him. Every step was a calculation."

He looked at Xuan Zi. "I worried that he might not honor the arrangement later, and I was even prepared to use my strength to force him to help Xiao Tao suppress her Evil Fire if he refused. And what was the result? Not only did he have no complaints, but he also maintained perfect etiquette toward me, his opportunistic master. Xuan Zi, such a child—even if he were bad, how bad could he really be?"

Xuan Zi opened his mouth, speechless for a moment, and could only mutter, "Elder Mu... then, are we really just going to ignore Xiao Tao? What if..."

"There is no 'what if'." Mu En waved his hand. "Jinyu is not that kind of person. If he harbored evil intentions, Xiao Tao would have already come crying to demand separate quarters. Furthermore, Xuan Zi, he truly has no need to take orders from you."

Xuan Zi was stunned. "Elder Mu, what do you mean by that?"

"When we first met and I took him as my disciple, I gave him the token that represents me personally." Mu En's tone was flat, yet he dropped a thunderbolt. "Xuan Zi, are you trying to give me orders?"

"W-what?!" Xuan Zi felt a shiver run through his entire body. "Elder Mu! You... you gave the Sea God Pavilion Master Token to that brat?! This..."

Mu En lifted his eyelids slightly, his gaze resting calmly upon him. "What, do you have an objection?"

When Xuan Zi met Mu En's gaze, which was as deep as the sea, all his confusion and questioning were instantly suppressed. He hurriedly lowered his head. "I dare not! I dare not! Since it is your decision, Elder Mu, Xuan Zi has absolutely no complaints!"

Just then, a figure swept into the quiet room with a rush of wind—it was the Deputy Commander of the Shrek Inspection Team, Song Yunzhi.

Seeing her grave expression, Yan Shaozhe felt a tightening in his chest and hurriedly asked, "Elder Song, what is the matter that requires such haste?"

Song Yunzhi said urgently, "Elder Mu, it is a disaster! An urgent report from the outer courtyard: an Evil Soul Master has appeared at the main gate and publicly declared that he has planted several high-powered timed Soul Tool bombs in the areas surrounding the academy! He threatened that we must agree to his conditions before he will reveal the locations of the bombs, otherwise... otherwise he will turn Shrek City into a hell on earth!"

"What unmitigated gall!" Upon hearing this, Xuan Zi's rage instantly overwhelmed his previous shock. "How utterly arrogant! I think he's just a swindler bluffing! I haven't sensed any bombs at all! Elder Mu, I will go capture him right now and interrogate him thoroughly!"

"Xuan Zi, do not be reckless." Mu En's voice remained steady, though his brows were slightly furrowed. "My spiritual power has indeed detected several abnormal energy clusters that match the characteristics of high-explosive Soul Tools. Yunzhi, what are that person's conditions?"

Song Yunzhi quickly replied, "His demands are very strange. He only said... no matter what happens next, all the powerhouses of Shrek Academy, especially those at the Titled Douluo level, must not leave the academy by even a single step!"

Xuan Zi's face changed. "Are they trying to lure the tiger away from the mountain? Is the target inside the academy, or..."

Yan Shaozhe suddenly realized. "Could it be a feint? Are they trying to strike elsewhere in the city? Xiao Tao and Jinyu are still at the Medical Mansion!"

Mu En made a prompt decision. "Xuan Zi, Shaozhe, you must immediately follow the coordinates I provide, take people to search, and dismantle the bombs! Yunzhi, order all teachers on campus to initiate the emergency protocol, ensure all students enter safe zones, and strictly prevent any chaos!"

"Yes, Elder Mu!"

The group took their orders and immediately sprang into action.

But just as they had confirmed and begun to handle the several bomb locations pointed out by Mu En, a violent fluctuation of soul power and a faint, rumbling sound, accompanied by the piercing wail of alarms, erupted from the direction of the "Yanhuang Lingyun Medical Mansion"!

Mu En's expression turned grim, and Xuan Zi, Yan Shaozhe, and the others were burning with anxiety—something had indeed gone wrong over there!

"Quick! Increase your speed!"

The group cleared the already discovered bombs with maximum efficiency.

Finally, the tenth and last known bomb was successfully dismantled.

"Elder Mu, are there any more?" Yan Shaozhe looked anxiously toward the direction of the Sea God Pavilion.

As his spiritual power swept across the city once more, Mu En's voice came through: "All that were detected are here."

Xuan Zi grabbed the captured Evil Soul Master, pouring his soul power pressure down without reservation, and shouted sternly, "Speak! What other conspiracies do you have?!"

Although the Evil Soul Master's face was contorted in pain, a strange look of success flashed in his eyes. Sensing a remote signal and knowing the time had come, he suddenly burst into wild laughter. "Finished searching? Heh heh heh... just by relying on you lot, can you ever finish searching? If you dare to act rashly and leave the academy by even a single step..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a deafening explosion erupted near Shrek Academy! Flames and smoke soared into the sky in an instant!

Amidst the sound of falling bricks and tiles, the shrill, miserable wails of the wounded pierced the ears.

"...I will detonate the next one immediately!" the Evil Soul Master laughed wildly, blood foaming at the corners of his mouth. "If you don't want to see more civilians blown into the sky, then stay obediently inside the academy! If anyone dares to move, the next bomb might just be under one of your teaching buildings!"

Yan Shaozhe, Xuan Zi, and the others were shaking with rage. Held hostage by the situation, they were actually deterred and stood frozen in place.

Mu En lay on his recliner, his face appearing to have aged several more years.

He never imagined that a bomb he was completely unable to detect had been hidden right under his nose!

This one was only the beginning; how many more were hidden in the shadows? And how many innocent civilians would...

He slowly closed his eyes. Inside the quiet room, only the rampant yet weak laughter of the Evil Soul Master remained, along with the heart-wrenching rumbles echoing from the direction of the Medical Mansion in the distance.