At that, Mu En merely smiled and shook his head.
"Don't worry about him. He can't get away."
What could a mere Soul Sage possibly understand about the power of a Limit Douluo, who stood among the strongest beneath godhood in the Peerless Tang Sect era?
It was one thing if they couldn't find Demon Bear. But once they did, what difference would it make if Mu En gave him a three-day head start?
If Mu En wanted to, he could catch him again the very next second!
Compared to Demon Bear, Mu En was actually more interested in this boy, Xue Mingqing.
Originally, Mu En had heard that Demon Bear was around and had come specifically to deal with him.
But why would a Limit Douluo go after an Evil Soul Master Soul Sage?
Well, remember the Shrek team that Demon Bear had chewed up like takeout?
One of them had been his grandson: a twenty-six-year-old Soul Emperor, Bei Bei's father.
As for how a Soul King team led by a Soul Emperor had been wiped out and eaten like takeout by Demon Bear, who had only been a Soul King at the time—
Mu En didn't know, and he didn't want to know. It was too embarrassing.
In any case, after that incident, Mu En had kept an eye on Demon Bear's movements.
And now, on the very first day after Demon Bear had resurfaced, Mu En had tracked him down.
But just like Xue Mingqing, Mu En had arrived too late. By the time he got there, Demon Bear had already caught Zhang Lexuan and was about to compose a song of life.
Mu En had been about to swoop down and slap Demon Bear to death, but he hadn't even made a move yet.
Then the boy, Xue Mingqing, let out a shout, raised his sword, and came speeding over as if he'd floored the accelerator.
Seeing that, Mu En grew curious and simply hung in the sky to watch.
He'd only meant to enjoy the spectacle. After all, everyone was curious by nature.
But the longer he watched, the more impressed he became with Xue Mingqing's courage and character!
Of all Xue Mingqing's qualities, his talent was the least worth mentioning.
With Mu En's discerning eye, he could tell Xue Mingqing's strength and age at a glance.
Six years old, a Soul Master at level 14—in an age when most children didn't even have Soul Rings.
Yet Xue Mingqing had drawn his sword against a seven-ring Evil Soul Master for the sake of justice in his heart!
Courage and righteousness were one thing, but even more impressive was how calmly the little fellow had decided not to pursue Demon Bear when he saw him flee. Mu En truly hadn't expected that.
For a moment, this peerless powerhouse of the era found himself wanting to take Xue Mingqing on as a disciple.
Truth be told, Xue Mingqing wasn't exactly outstanding, nor was he a saint.
But compared to those two clowns—Xuan Zi, who spent his days eating and drinking without end, and Yan Shaozhe, who was narrow-minded—didn't Xue Mingqing suddenly look like a brave, resourceful, broad-minded young man of justice?
Right? It wasn't that he was exceptionally good; it was just that he was so normal.
In the Douluo Continent, where everyone seemed to be an outrageous oddball, Xue Mingqing's normal personality made him look like a natural-born prodigy to Mu En, who was normal himself!
(Aside from the melodramatic love triangle between him, Long Xiaoyao, and Ye Xishui, Mu En really was a fairly normal character.)
So, by comparison, Mu En found Xue Mingqing more and more agreeable.
More reliable than Xuan Zi, more magnanimous than Yan Shaozhe—if he didn't take such a promising young man on as his disciple, Mu En would think there was something wrong with himself!
He gave a cough and casually flicked his hand. A vast, surging wave of Soul Power burst forth, striking Demon Bear, who was fleeing frantically a hundred meters away.
The next moment—
There was no roar, no scream.
The Seven-Ring Soul Sage froze in place. A moment later, a breeze swept past, and his body—
In an instant, it scattered with the wind, turning into a sky full of dust.
At the sight, the six members of Wang Chao's group went deathly pale, cold sweat soaking through their clothes.
The enemy they had been unable to match even together had been snuffed out before this old man like a candle in the wind.
Had Mu En meant them harm, they would already be dead.
Ignoring the mercenaries' unease, Mu En smiled warmly at Xue Mingqing and asked in a gentle voice,
"Young fellow, what is your Martial Soul? Would you tell this old man?"
At that, Xue Mingqing raised his hand without hesitation.
A glimmer of snow flashed in his palm, and a three-foot Snow Sword wreathed in Green Flowing Wind appeared in his hand.
"Dual Ice and Wind attributes...?"
Mu En's eyes lit up. He continued,
"Then, would you be willing to become this old man's student?"
Mu En wore a gentle, calm smile as he asked Xue Mingqing.
Xue Mingqing froze, then fell silent.
It wasn't that he didn't want to. As one of the strongest in the Peerless Tang Sect era, having Mu En as his teacher could only be a good thing.
And Mu En's character was quite decent, too. Xue Mingqing's silence wasn't because he was unwilling; he was asking Feng Qingyang in his mind what he thought.
After all, by every measure, Feng Qingyang was his true teacher.
"Teacher, what do you think? Should I accept Mu En as my master?"
In the Spirit Sea, Feng Qingyang was still sitting cross-legged with his chin resting on one hand.
He opened his eyes. His green eyes held a trace of languor and weariness, lending him a hint of unusual, almost wicked charm.
"Do as you like. Having a few more people backing you won't hurt."
"All right."
With that one-word reply, and Feng Qingyang's approval, Xue Mingqing's consciousness returned to his body in the real world. He immediately dropped to one knee before Mu En!
"Your disciple, Xue Mingqing, pays his respects to Teacher!"
At this, Mu En narrowed his eyes and smiled with satisfaction. He raised a hand from afar, and Xue Mingqing's entire body lifted off the ground.
"Good. This old man made the right choice taking you on."
With a chuckle, he turned to Zhang Lexuan behind Xue Mingqing.
"What about you, little girl? Would you like to become this old man's disciple too, just like him?"
With one glance, Mu En could tell Zhang Lexuan's talent.
She was only thirteen, yet already a level-33 Soul Elder.
Her talent wasn't monstrous, but it was certainly excellent.
At that, Zhang Lexuan froze, looking a little at a loss.
But—
When her gaze fell on Xue Mingqing in front of her, she instinctively paused.
Her jade fingers tightened around the plain white cloak covering her, the one Xue Mingqing had draped over her.
Feeling the faint warmth Xue Mingqing had left behind, Zhang Lexuan pressed her lips together, as though she'd made up her mind.
"I'm willing to become your disciple too, Teacher..."
After hearing Zhang Lexuan's answer, Mu En's smile grew even warmer.
"To go out once and come back with two disciples—this old man really made the trip worthwhile."
He smiled, then turned to Wang Chao.
"Then I'll take these two youngsters back to Shrek. You have no objections, do you?"
Wang Chao shook his head. He had no objections. The young master had agreed, hadn't he? How could he possibly object?
Besides, even if he did, what could he do about it? Was he going to stop Mu En?
"Heh, all right. This old man knows mercenaries have it tough. Take this back. Your master should recognize it."
As he spoke, Mu En casually tossed an object to Wang Chao, not caring whether Wang Chao could catch it.
After throwing it, he swept his wide sleeve, and vanished from the spot with Xue Mingqing and Zhang Lexuan!
At the sight, Wang Chao closed his eyes for a moment, then lowered his head to look at the object Mu En had tossed him.
In his palm lay a red Shrek Monster Badge, gleaming with a metallic sheen...
It was a badge unique to Shrek, one that represented the inner court.
Before you continue