Do You Want to Become My Disciple?

Hearing this, Mu En merely smiled and shook his head.

"Do not concern yourself with him; he cannot escape."

In the era of the Peerless Tang Sect, how could a mere Soul Saint possibly comprehend the might of a Limit Douluo, the pinnacle of power beneath the god-level?

It would be one thing if he hadn't found the Demon Bear, but once he had, what did it matter if Mu En gave him a three-day head start?

If Mu En so desired, he could drag him back in the very next second!

Compared to that Demon Bear, Mu En was actually more interested in this lad, Xue Mingqing, at this moment.

Originally, Mu En had received word of the Demon Bear's movements and had come specifically to cause him trouble.

As for why a Limit Douluo would bother with an Evil Soul Master Soul Saint?

Well, do you remember the Shrek squad that was previously treated like takeout by the Demon Bear?

Among them was his grandson, a twenty-six-year-old Soul Emperor—the father of Bei Bei.

As for how a squad of Soul Kings led by a Soul Emperor was wiped out and eaten as takeout by the Demon Bear, who was only a Soul King at the time?

Mu En didn't know, and he didn't want to know; it was too humiliating.

In short, after that incident, Mu En had been keeping a close eye on the Demon Bear's movements.

And so, the very first day he emerged, he was tracked down by Mu En.

However, just like Xue Mingqing, Mu En had arrived late. When he reached the scene, it was exactly when the Demon Bear had seized Zhang Lexuan and intended to compose his "symphony of life."

At the time, he had intended to strike directly and crush the Demon Bear, but before he could even act, he saw this lad, Xue Mingqing, let out a roar, brandish his sword, and charge in like a bolt of lightning.

Seeing this, Mu En grew curious and simply hung in the air to observe.

He had originally intended to just watch the show; after all, everyone has a sense of curiosity.

But who would have thought that the more he watched, the more moved he became—moved by Xue Mingqing's courage and character!

In Xue Mingqing, talent was the least noteworthy thing.

With Mu En's discernment, he could see Xue Mingqing's strength and age at a glance.

At six years old, a level 14 Spirit Master—an age when most children didn't even have their first spirit ring—Xue Mingqing had dared to draw his sword against a seven-ringed Evil Soul Master for the sake of justice!

Being both righteous and brave was one thing, but what was even rarer was that when faced with the Demon Bear's escape, the little guy could rationally decide not to pursue. This was something Mu En truly hadn't expected.

For a moment, this contemporary peerless powerhouse actually harbored the thought of taking Xue Mingqing as his disciple.

Truth be told, Xue Mingqing wasn't exactly exceptional, nor was he a saint.

But if you compared him to those two—Xuan Zi, who did nothing but eat and drink, and Yan Shaozhe, who was petty and narrow-minded—didn't Xue Mingqing instantly transform into a promising, courageous, and broad-minded seed of justice?

It wasn't that he was too outstanding; it was just that he was too normal.

In a Douluo Continent filled with heaven-defying freaks, Xue Mingqing's normal personality, in the eyes of the equally normal Mu En, was simply a natural-born talent!

(Aside from the rather melodramatic love triangle with Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui, Mu En's character design was actually quite normal.)

Thus, by comparison, the more Mu En looked at Xue Mingqing, the more he liked him.

More reliable than Xuan Zi, more magnanimous than Yan Shaozhe—if he didn't take such a good seed as his disciple, Mu En would feel that he himself wasn't normal!

Coughing lightly, Mu En flicked his hand, and a vast, surging wave of spirit power erupted, instantly striking the Demon Bear as he fled frantically a hundred meters away.

The next moment—

No roar, no scream.

The seven-ringed Soul Saint froze in place. A moment later, a breeze blew past, and his body scattered into the wind, turning into a cloud of dust.

Seeing this, Wang Chao and the others turned deathly pale, cold sweat soaking their backs.

The formidable enemy that the six of them couldn't defeat together had been extinguished like a candle in the wind before this old man.

If Mu En had harbored any malice, they would already be dead.

Ignoring the internal turmoil of the mercenaries, Mu En looked at Xue Mingqing with a smile, his tone gentle.

"Little one, what is your martial soul? Can you tell this old man?"

Hearing this, Xue Mingqing raised his hand candidly.

A flash of snow-white light shimmered in his palm, and a three-foot Snow Sword wreathed in green, flowing wind manifested in his hand.

"Ice and wind dual attributes...?"

Mu En's eyes lit up, and he continued, "Then, would you be willing to become this old man's student?"

Maintaining a gentle and indifferent smile on his face, Mu En asked Xue Mingqing with a twinkle in his eye.

Hearing this, Xue Mingqing froze, and then fell silent.

It was not that he was unwilling; as one of the strongest figures during the Peerless Tang Sect era, taking Mu En as a teacher would certainly not be a loss.

In fact, given his character, it could even be called a good deal. Xue Mingqing's silence was not due to reluctance, but because he was consulting Feng Qingyang within his mind.

After all, both emotionally and logically, he was his true teacher.

"Teacher, what is your opinion? Should I take Mu En as my master?"

In the sea of consciousness, Feng Qingyang remained in his usual posture, sitting cross-legged with his chin resting on his hand.

He opened his eyes, his emerald-green pupils carrying a hint of laziness and weariness, yet possessing a unique, devilish charm.

"Suit yourself. For you, having a few more backers does no harm."

"Understood."

Responding with only one word, Xue Mingqing received Feng Qingyang's permission. His consciousness returned to his physical body, and he immediately knelt on one knee before Mu En!

"Disciple Xue Mingqing greets Teacher!"

Seeing this, Mu En narrowed his eyes and smiled with gratification. He gestured through the air, and Xue Mingqing's entire body was lifted up by an invisible force.

"Good. This old man finds taking you as a disciple to be well worth it."

With a light chuckle, he turned his head to look at Zhang Lexuan, who stood behind Xue Mingqing.

"What about you, little girl? Would you like to follow his lead and take this old man as your master?"

With just a glance, Mu En could discern Zhang Lexuan's talent.

She was only thirteen years old, yet her strength had already reached that of a level 33 Soul Elder.

While her talent could not be called monstrous, it was certainly worthy of being called excellent.

Hearing this, Zhang Lexuan froze for a moment, appearing somewhat at a loss.

However—

When her gaze touched Xue Mingqing standing before her, she instinctively paused.

Her jade fingers lightly gripped the plain white cloak she wore for modesty; it was the one Xue Mingqing had draped over her.

Feeling the lingering warmth of Xue Mingqing's body on the cloak, Zhang Lexuan pursed her lips, as if she had made a decision.

"I am also willing to take you as my master, Teacher..."

Receiving Zhang Lexuan's reply, the smile on Mu En's face became even more serene.

"To come out once and gain two disciples like you two—this trip was truly worth it for this old man."

With a faint smile, Mu En turned to look at Wang Chao.

"Then, you have no objections to me taking these two little ones back to Shrek, do you?"

Wang Chao shook his head. He had no objections; he had seen that the young master had already agreed, so how could he dare to have any?

Besides, even if he did have objections, what could he do? Could he possibly stop Mu En?

"Hehe, alright. This old man knows that you mercenaries have it tough. Take this back; your master should be able to recognize it."

As he spoke, Mu En casually tossed an object to Wang Chao, not even bothering to see if he could catch it.

After dropping the item, he flicked his large sleeve, and with that, he vanished from the spot, taking Xue Mingqing and Zhang Lexuan with him!

Witnessing this scene, Wang Chao closed his eyes for a moment before looking down at the object Mu En had thrown into his hand.

There, resting in his palm, lay a red Shrek Monster Badge, shimmering with a metallic luster...

It was the unique badge of Shrek, representing the Inner Court.