Reign Over the World?!

"Hey, Little Mu, Xiaotao!"

The two returned beneath Shrek City and looked up to see a middle-aged man of around fifty waving at them.

Shi Xing, the Time Douluo and lord of Shrek City, stood beside several other figures... quietly smiling at them. Mu Baobao and Ma Xiaotao looked surprised, because seeing even one of these four normally would have been extraordinary, yet they had all come together.

"Elder Shi, Elder Xuan!"

They did not dare be neglectful. They immediately climbed the city wall, bowed, and greeted them. Sea God Pavilion had ten members... every one of them was a stabilizing pillar of Shrek Academy, yet nearly half of them had come at once.

And they were the most esteemed among them. When Mu Baobao looked at the last person, his gaze became slightly complicated, and his form of address was completely different from Ma Xiaotao's.

"Teacher."

"Dean Yan."

After greeting the elder first, it was Yan Shaozhe's turn. He was the lowest in seniority and Ma Xiaotao's instructor, so Mu Baobao addressed him by his position.

"Elder Mu." The old man did the same. After hesitating, he helplessly said, "Ancestor Xuan."

This was an elderly man seated in a wheelchair, dressed in plain cloth and looking deeply weathered. A handsome middle-aged man pushed his chair, while beside him stood another filthy old man... with messy hair, gnawing on a chicken leg and drinking wine. This was Mu En, one of the three greatest peak powerhouses of the age, the Dragon God Douluo.

Yan Shaozhe possessed the Bright Phoenix martial soul, while Mu En's was the Radiant Sacred Dragon, and Yan Shaozhe was his disciple. Elder Xuan was Mu En's grand-nephew... Mu En was extremely old, and likely only a few of his peers were still alive. So who was Elder Xuan's teacher, Yan Shaozhe's martial uncle?

He had to be some peerless powerhouse. Yan Shaozhe smiled and nodded at him and Ma Xiaotao, while Elder Xuan took a swig from his wine gourd and began teasing him.

"Oh my, that 'Ancestor Xuan' sounded rather unwilling!" Elder Xuan said in a mocking tone. "For the three great Limit Douluo of the continent and the current master of Sea God Pavilion to wait here for you—this is an honor even I have never received. Why are you so unappreciative, kid?"

Mu Baobao frowned slightly, making no effort to hide his emotions. This was a fantasy world where strength ruled supreme.

Forget dissatisfaction—showing the slightest emotional fluctuation could invite death. He did not think much of Elder Xuan as a person. Yan Shaozhe was a womanizer.

Xuan Zi, the ninety-eighth-ranked Gluttony Douluo, had caused several members of Ma Xiaotao's generation of the Shrek Seven Devils to be severely injured or killed through his own carelessness. The team he had led in his youth... had even been wiped out once.

He had learned nothing from it, but Mu Baobao quickly let it go... What could he do? This was a fantasy world. Either emotions were deeply valued, or they were worthless crap.

Huo Yuhao's father, Dai Hao, the White Tiger Marshal of the Star Luo Empire, and even his two older brothers had not known he existed. Only one younger brother remembered him... Mu Baobao and Mu Beibei had likewise been left to fend for themselves by Mu En. At Mu En's age, it was understandable that he did not take care of them.

Yet Mu En had raised Beibei as his heir. Still, because of the Dragon God Douluo's prestige, Beibei had received care from every direction... Mu Baobao did not mind. After all, he had been alone in his previous life. What more could he ask for?

Then there was Zhang Lexuan. She had been made Beibei's child bride in exchange for resources to train her... ruining her entire life. That was truly something else.

And now Xuan Zi was directly using this matter to needle him. Ma Xiaotao wisely kept silent!

Other than Zhang Lexuan and Beibei, she understood Mu Baobao better than anyone. Having no family was one thing... but having family that treated you differently was another. Was waiting here for one day after he had made such enormous contributions supposed to make up for the rest of his life?

She wanted to say a few words for him, but these were all people she could not afford to offend, so she could only remain silent.

"Xuan Zi, stop talking!"

Mu En chuckled. He looked every bit like a gentle old grandfather, and Xuan Zi could only sensibly shut his mouth. The position of Sea God Pavilion Master was practically equal to that of the monarchs of the great empires and had to be treated with due gravity.

But before his own family, that status seemed rather powerless. Shi Xing and Yan Shaozhe were smart enough not to act as the so-called vanguards.

"All members of Sea God Pavilion have unanimously approved it. Tie Wuji has become the eleventh member... In the future, he may enter the Enshrinement Hall and enjoy the treatment of an elder." Elder Mu spoke. Mu Baobao remained silent, waiting.

Ten thousand years ago, blacksmiths were not valued because there were no Soul Tools. Even now that there were, it was still the same... A fifth- or sixth-level Spirit Refinement blacksmith could forge a level-ninety Soul Tool.

So even if they could improve further, people did not consider it all that remarkable... Battle Armor had now been developed, and only then did they realize how important blacksmiths were. They immediately arranged a member's seat for him.

Before Huo Yuhao revealed his Twin Martial Souls, even his highly important Body Martial Soul—the Spirit Eye—had not earned him core disciple status. Wang Dong's ultimate Light Goddess Butterfly... had likewise simply continued studying as usual.

The Body Sect, Mingde Hall, and Sea God Pavilion were all among the three great powers of the Douluo Continent. The eyes were the windows to the soul, linked to the brain, and held an incomparably important position even among Body Martial Souls. Yet they still waited until the Body Martial Soul and ultimate martial soul appeared.

Only then did everyone scramble to recruit them. Neither the Soul Guidance Department nor the Spirit Department would let go, and they even convened a Sea God Pavilion meeting.

"Would you be interested in becoming the twelfth member of Sea God Pavilion?" Seeing Mu Baobao remain silent for so long, apparently voicing a silent protest over Tie Wuji's matter, Mu En suddenly asked this.

Xuan Zi, Shi Xing, and Yan Shaozhe... had known already. Ma Xiaotao's eyes widened in shock.

"Huh? An eighteen-year-old Sea God Pavilion member!"

"Every member must be a top powerhouse of renown within the academy, someone who has made outstanding contributions. You... actually seem qualified."

Battle Armor was a creation meant to replace Soul Bones. It would surely spread across the entire continent in the future. Huo Yuhao had become a Sea God Pavilion member only after secretly bringing over a thousand blueprints from the Sun Moon Empire to Shrek Academy over two or three years, and after emptying their treasury and pinning the blame on the Body Sect.

He had been seventeen when he returned from the Sun Moon Empire, a year younger than Mu Baobao.

"Hurry up and agree! Elder Mu personally asked you—how is that any different from announcing it outright?" Ma Xiaotao was nearly frantic, utterly dazed.

If someone got into Shrek Academy, their family would brag about it for a lifetime. Sea God Pavilion could directly determine Shrek Academy's future direction. Among the Inner Court students who remained until the end, would there even be one in every dozen classes?

It took decades for one to appear, and even the youngest were in their thirties or forties. She desperately shook Mu Baobao.

"Xiaotao!" Yan Shaozhe reprimanded.

"Oh!"

Mu Baobao remained silent. The others thought he had not recovered from the shock yet, but why did his expression not look excited... instead, he looked conflicted and troubled?

"Ancestor Xuan, please allow me to refuse!"

He cupped his fists as he spoke.

Ma Xiaotao was one of this generation's Shrek Seven Devils. Huo Yuhao had earned the championship of the Soul Master Tournament by leading the heavily injured team as a reserve member.

He had received the lifelong title of Shrek Seven Devil. Xu Sanshi, Mu Beibei, and He Caitou... setting them aside for now, one was a direct disciple of the Black Tortoise Sect, one the great-grandson of the Dragon God Douluo, and one the former crown prince of the Sun Moon Empire... all were remarkable. Jiang Nannan and Xiao Xiao... were quite ordinary.

Xiao Xiao at least had Twin Martial Souls, while Jiang Nannan's talent was not particularly good, and she had coasted through the entire journey.

Mu Baobao had not competed for the title of Shrek Seven Devil, so naturally they could not give him that lifelong honorary title and then have him lead the other six Devils of his generation to ascend.

Making him a specially approved Sea God Pavilion member was undoubtedly the best choice. It was going to happen sooner or later anyway.

"Yes, yes, just like that... Wait, what? You refused?" Ma Xiaotao had been nodding along with the other four. This was the highest honor—who would not be moved?

But after she processed it, this guy had not agreed. He had refused... She touched Mu Baobao's forehead. His temperature was normal. He had not gone crazy.

But this still made no sense!

It was like a beggar or poor man suddenly being handed a mountain of gold by a rich man. Who the hell could resist that?!

"Little Mu, did you lose your mind?"

Shi Xing asked. He had waited decades to become a Sea God Pavilion member, and he believed the others had all been ecstatic beyond measure. Becoming one at eighteen was even more unbelievable.

Yet he had refused. Yan Shaozhe was forcing himself to stay calm, trying his best to maintain a refined demeanor.

"Is it because I developed Battle Armor?"

"That is not necessary. Given time, you would have received it sooner or later. I have never been attached to honor. In the end, you cannot take it out of this world with you... Even if you become a god, you will only be praised by mortals."

He knew full well that this was entirely because he was the great-grandson of the Dragon God Douluo. They were merely showing him some favor!

The members of this generation were either disciples, grand-nephews, classmates, or spouses... Even without much ability, given enough time, they could probably work their way in.

Mu En was the current master of Sea God Pavilion. Even if he said nothing, someone would likely have proposed this suggestion.

Though it had been brief, he had already lived through one life. Forget living again... even if he entered the God Realm, he could not take this world's fame with him. There, everyone would be some notable figure anyway.

Only at the end of their lives did people reflect on their past, regretting the unfulfilled wishes and dreams they had left behind. He had tried pursuing them too... but had been powerless. Now that they were placed before him again, he no longer wanted them. They would become responsibilities that lasted until death.

Being powerless was actually not so bad. If he could not obtain something, he could turn back and enjoy what he had... Without fame, there was no pressure.

"Maybe in the future, I'll leave Shrek and travel the continent. I can't manage such a massive academy, and you can all see that I'm simply not suited for this sort of thing. Battle Armor was completely an accident... I did not even have confidence that I would obtain any Soul Bones. I just wanted to find a substitute."

"I never even thought about the impact it would have. Eating whenever I want, playing whenever I want... that is my goal. I do not want to reach your age and only then regret never having enjoyed myself!" He spread his hands. Everyone exchanged glances and suddenly understood Mu Baobao very well.

The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility... A single mistake from them could determine the lives and deaths of many people... So they did not dare slack off. They often cursed at how stupid they had been when young, now that they were so exhausted.

"Drifting clouds and wild cranes? That is the life we all hope for. Choosing not to step into this is truly wise."

"Haha!" Everyone laughed. Ma Xiaotao was still somewhat unwilling to accept it. "But that is a fame countless people can only dream of. You can obtain it now, yet you are unwilling to give up your freedom. Such a difficult choice..."

Mu Baobao spread his hands. "You cannot have both fish and bear's paw. If you gain something, you must lose something. To avoid being cursed as incompetent in the future, I simply will not choose it!"

"What a slippery little fellow!" Mu En smiled.

"So, Ancestor Xuan, I am actually quite grateful that you did not raise me as the Dragon God Douluo's successor... I do not need to work so hard to live up to that title."

Mu En fell silent. "So you did care about this after all. After all, you are both my great-grandsons!"

"You cannot favor one over the other!"