The heat in the Sea God Pavilion's hall slowly faded.
The once-frantic, murky black-and-red flames on Ma Xiaotao vanished without a trace, replaced by a layer of pure crimson firelight.
Seeing his disciple finally return from the gates of death and achieve Ultimate Fire, Yan Shaozhe was so overcome with emotion that he could barely contain himself.
He rushed forward in three long strides, holding both hands above Ma Xiaotao's shoulders for fear of hurting her. He repeatedly asked how her meridians and Soul Power were circulating, devoting all his attention to his precious disciple.
Meanwhile, with Xiao Xiao supporting him, Xiao Yan skirted around Yan Shaozhe and his disciple, who were still caught up in their joy, and walked slowly to Mu En, who stood in the middle of the hall.
"Elder Mu, the deal is done." Xiao Yan came to a stop, his tone courteous. "The Evil Fire has been completely purified. Now that the matter's settled, we should be on our way."
Mu En's stooped figure was framed by a deeply furrowed face that now wore a kindly smile.
"Heh heh, why are you in such a hurry to leave?" Mu En raised his head and glanced at the Golden Tree, which gave off a soft golden glow. His voice was warm.
"This place was built around the Golden Tree, so it's rich in life energy. You've just expended a great deal of mental energy. If you leave like this, you'll inevitably be left depleted."
He pointed to the Storage Ring on Xiao Yan's hand.
"Besides, the Taixu Sound-Suppressing Hou Right Arm Bone you have there is three hundred thousand years old. The remnant will of an ancient Ferocious Beast is no small matter. Absorbing it here in the Sea God Pavilion, nourished by abundant life force, will make the process twice as effective for half the effort. Absorb the Soul Bone before you go. With this old man here to protect you, I can step in at once if anything goes wrong."
Xiao Yan looked into Mu En's cloudy yet utterly sincere eyes.
This Limit Douluo, who stood at the peak of the continent, hadn't looked down on him in the least because of his youth. Instead, he had considered every detail on his behalf.
Xiao Yan turned his head and glanced at Yan Shaozhe, who was still fussing over Ma Xiaotao nearby and had completely left him out of the picture.
He shook his head inwardly. The difference in these two master and disciple's bearing and judgment was as clear as day.
Yan Shaozhe was a good teacher, but as a decision-maker for Shrek Academy, his favoritism and tendency to let emotions sway him made him unfit for greater responsibility.
By comparison, Mu En was the true stabilizing pillar of Shrek.
Since Mu En had warmly invited him, and his reasoning was impeccable, Xiao Yan didn't reject his offer.
"Then I'll have to thank you, Elder Mu."
Xiao Yan sat cross-legged not far from the Golden Tree's trunk. With a turn of his wrist, the Taixu Sound-Suppressing Hou Right Arm Bone appeared in his palm, its dark purple sheen covered in silver nebula patterns.
Mu En nodded with satisfaction and swept out a hand. A substantial golden Soul Power barrier rose from the ground, firmly enclosing Xiao Yan and shutting out all outside distractions.
When he was done, Mu En turned to Xiao Xiao, who stood outside the barrier with concern in her eyes, and beckoned her over.
"Little girl, don't worry. Your brother has a deep foundation. Come, keep an old man company and chat with me."
Xiao Xiao obediently went over, and the old man and young girl chatted quietly as they waited.
Nearby, Yan Shaozhe repeatedly confirmed that Ma Xiaotao's meridians were unharmed and the source of her Ultimate Fire had been completely stabilized. Only then did he remember the others.
He brought the newly awakened Ma Xiaotao, who still seemed a little dazed, over to Mu En.
"Teacher, Xiaotao, she..."
Yan Shaozhe was about to give a detailed report on Ma Xiaotao's condition, but Mu En raised a hand and cut him off.
"I'm right here in the hall. I felt Xiaotao's changes perfectly well. There's no need for you to waste your breath."
Mu En's kind expression from his conversation with Xiao Xiao faded, and a trace of sternness entered his aged eyes.
"Shaozhe, you still need to work on your composure and the way you handle things. You panic when trouble arises, let your emotions show, and nearly lose sight of the whole situation in your haste to save someone. Remember this well: when you're out there, you represent the reputation of all Shrek Academy!"
The teacher's merciless rebuke made Yan Shaozhe's heart jolt. Cold sweat broke out across his forehead.
He lowered his head in shame, his voice subdued. "You're right, Teacher. I was wrong."
"Go reflect on it. For now, stand quietly and protect that child while he cultivates." Mu En said no more, turning his gaze to Xiao Yan inside the golden barrier.
Yan Shaozhe and Ma Xiaotao didn't dare speak. They stepped aside and watched the barrier in breathless silence.
By then, Xiao Yan had already placed the dark purple right arm bone against his own arm.
The moment the three-hundred-thousand-year Ferocious Beast Soul Bone entered his body, a vast, primeval will, filled with resentment and a desire for destruction, surged through his meridians and straight into his Sea of Consciousness.
The Taixu Sound-Suppressing Hou's phantom roared in his mind, intent on tearing apart the human soul before it.
But just as the Ferocious Beast was about to rampage, the phantom of the Eastern Emperor Bell, floating above the Fuxi Bagua Formation Map, trembled of its own accord.
A supreme force of law from the ancient primordial era, capable of suppressing the myriad worlds, crashed down like the collapsing sky.
Before that power, the Taixu Sound-Suppressing Hou's arrogant, savage aura was no more than an ant. It was instantly crushed and refined into the purest spiritual nourishment.
With the hidden danger in the Soul Bone eliminated, all that remained was pure spatial and sound-wave energy.
Thanks to Xiao Yan's formidable body, tempered again and again by the Art of the Fuxi Emperor, the fusion went exceptionally smoothly.
The dark purple light gradually faded, seeping through his skin and into his bones.
The silver nebula patterns flickered across his right arm, then vanished.
Two and a half hours later.
Xiao Yan's long lashes trembled, and then his eyes opened.
The moment he opened them, the space around him warped ever so slightly.
Centered on him, ripples of spatial energy and invisible sound waves spread outward before he drew them back into his body with perfect control.
He had fully absorbed the Soul Bone.
Not only had he gained the two domain-type Soul Skills, "Void: Immeasurable" and "Suppression of Sound - Ten Thousand Laws," but his overall physical strength and bone density had also increased tremendously.
Xiao Yan stood and waved away the remaining Soul Power around him.
Mu En withdrew the golden barrier at just the right moment.
Seeing Xiao Yan emerge safely from his cultivation, Yan Shaozhe and Ma Xiaotao came forward with solemn expressions.
Ma Xiaotao looked at the young man before her, who was much younger than she was, her eyes filled with gratitude.
She knew that her return from the gates of death—and her gaining Ultimate Fire—were all thanks to him.
She said nothing. Instead, she followed her teacher, Yan Shaozhe, in bowing deeply to Xiao Yan.
"Xiao Yan, I can't thank you enough. I, Yan Shaozhe—and all of us, master and disciple—owe you a favor." Yan Shaozhe spoke sincerely and made his promise with utmost seriousness.
In response to a promise that would have overwhelmed an ordinary Soul Master, Xiao Yan merely waved his hand and shifted half a step to the side, refusing to accept the bow.
"Dean Yan, you're being too kind. I saved someone, and you paid me with a Soul Bone. We made an equal exchange." Xiao Yan brushed the hem of his moon-white robe, his tone calm as he drew a clear line between them.
"I got what I wanted, and you saved one of your own. So there's no need for this. No one owes anyone a favor."
Then Xiao Yan turned to Mu En and clasped his hands in a junior's salute.
"Elder Mu, thank you for protecting me. Now that everything's settled, my sister and I will head back to the Outer Court."
Mu En gave a slight nod and didn't try to stop them.
Xiao Yan called to Xiao Xiao, and the two of them left the Sea God Pavilion side by side. Their figures soon disappeared among the lush roads outside Sea God Island.
The hall fell quiet once more.
Mu En stood where he was, both hands clasped behind his back.
His cloudy gaze followed Xiao Yan through the open doorway long after he'd left. Countless complicated thoughts flickered in the depths of his eyes before he let out a silent sigh.
"Was it just a transaction?"