"Xuan Zi, is what you said true!?"
Although Xuan Zi could be rather unreliable despite his age, he would not joke about something like this.
Still, Mu En wanted to confirm it once more.
Seeing Mu En's expression change, Xuan Zi could not help grumbling inwardly.
Martial Uncle, you're far more impatient than I am right now...
But Xuan Zi did not dare say it aloud for fear of being scolded. He simply nodded obediently. "That child is in the Sea God Pavilion... Huh!? Martial Uncle, wait for me!"
Before he could finish, only an afterimage remained where he had stood.
Xuan Zi hurriedly gave chase.
Sea God Pavilion conference room.
The conference room was lively at the moment. Several elders had formed a circle around Su Ling, who sat there obediently while Cai Mei'er kneaded his cheeks to her heart's content.
It could not be helped. Su Ling had already been handsome and endearing to begin with, not to mention the added effect of the Charm Aura.
Once these elders learned that Xuan Zi had brought him here, every one of them looked as though they had discovered a priceless treasure.
They crowded around him, initially inspecting him with curiosity, before eventually reaching out to touch him directly.
"He doesn't look anything like Xuan Zi. Shao Zhe, you must have guessed wrong. How could such a handsome young man possibly be that old bastard's descendant?"
Elder Lin remained as dependable as ever. If there was someone to mock, she would mock them.
Listening to them make up stories about his origins, Su Ling's mouth twitched as he complained inwardly.
Seriously, that old Xuan Zi left without even saying a word!
He had waited outside for ages just now and suddenly felt the urge to relieve himself, but aside from this conference room, the Sea God Pavilion was completely empty.
So he had come in to ask Xuan Zi where the restroom was.
Yet the moment he opened the door, he did not find Xuan Zi. Instead, he found a bunch of strange uncles and aunties with gleaming eyes.
Just as Su Ling was beginning to despair,
Two figures abruptly appeared.
One was Xuan Zi. The other was an old man dressed in coarse gray robes, his eyes currently shining as he searched for something.
He noticed Su Ling.
Su Ling looked back and silently made a guess.
This old man should be the Dragon God Douluo, Mu En.
Shrek's true pillar!
"Elder Mu! Elder Xuan!" The elders hurriedly fell silent. After respectfully bowing, they swiftly returned to their seats.
Mu En ignored the other elders and walked straight over to Su Ling, looking him over from head to toe.
His voice trembled faintly, as though he were suppressing something. "Child, could you release your Martial Soul and let me see it?"
Su Ling nodded, just in time to notice Xuan Zi secretly winking and making faces at him.
It was the first time the other elders had seen Mu En this excited, so they all turned their attention to Su Ling.
Could this kid actually be some peerless genius!?
Under everyone's expectant gazes,
Su Ling's eyes abruptly turned sharp. Two purple Soul Rings slowly descended from above his head to his feet. Then, a phantom with a dragon's head and a beast's body, wrapped in pitch-black lightning, emerged.
"A first Soul Ring at a thousand years!?"
Several elders cried out in shock.
Xuan Zi secretly reveled in their reaction and smugly added, "I caught the soul beasts myself. Also, it took less than ten minutes for Su Ling to absorb those two Soul Rings."
"What!?"
Everyone's expressions changed once more. Even Mu En's face flushed red, making him look completely different from his previous half-dead state.
Innate Soul Power rank 20, a divine beast Qilin Martial Soul! Its attribute was Ultimate Thunder, and it even carried a dense aura of Destruction!
Mu En was immensely knowledgeable. With a single glance, he had seen through Su Ling's Martial Soul completely, and his heart pounded like a drum.
This was no ordinary genius. This was a peerless genius!!
What he did not know was that Su Ling's Martial Soul had another form...
"Child! Would you be willing to take me as your master!? So long as you agree, Shrek will devote all its strength to nurturing you. I guarantee that you will break through to Titled Douluo before the age of twenty, perhaps even become the next Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion!"
Mu En extended an olive branch. A heaven-blessed prodigy like this had to be tied to Shrek's warship!
He did not have much time left. In the academy's new era, someone had to be able to carry Shrek's banner.
And Su Ling was the best candidate!
As Mu En made his offer to accept a disciple,
The surrounding elders' gazes toward Su Ling changed. Their eyes met, and then they all looked toward Xuan Zi.
After all, aside from Elder Mu, Xuan Zi was the person in all of Shrek most qualified to assume the position of Pavilion Master.
Naturally, they were delighted that Shrek had gained such a peerless genius.
But Elder Mu had directly bypassed Xuan Zi and promised Su Ling the position of Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion—not for some distant future generation, but the very next one!
Was that not a little too hasty?
At that moment, Xuan Zi became anxious.
But what worried him was not the position of Pavilion Master. It was Mu En wanting to take Su Ling as his disciple!
In his heart, the position of Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion should belong to Su Ling anyway. He supported that with both hands.
But letting Su Ling take Mu En as his master? Absolutely not!
Su Ling was the one Xuan Zi had taken a liking to. He had only brought Su Ling to the Sea God Pavilion to show off and satisfy his own sense of accomplishment.
He did not want Su Ling to take anyone else as his master, even if that person was his own martial uncle!
Just as Xuan Zi was about to say something, Su Ling, who had withdrawn his Martial Soul, spoke first and refused.
"Sorry, Elder Mu, but I do not wish to take a master at present."
Mu En was somewhat surprised, but he was not angered.
Xuan Zi, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Su Ling with anticipation flickering in his eyes, eager to make a move.
Su Ling noticed Xuan Zi's restless expression. After gathering his thoughts for a moment, he continued.
"Elder Mu, I know that my talent is decent, but I come from humble origins and my resolve has not yet been tempered. If I agreed to become your disciple and rose in a single step to join the Sea God Pavilion, I fear I might develop an arrogant and impatient heart."
Mu En's expression revealed neither joy nor anger, but his gaze softened as he motioned for Su Ling to continue.
"I wish to begin in the Outer Court and rely on my own efforts, advancing step by step until I enter the Inner Court, or even the Sea God Pavilion. I want to prove that it is not this talent that made me, but that I am worthy of this talent!"
The entire conference room fell deathly silent.
Su Ling stood tall, his chest and back straight, radiating righteousness as his eyes shone with absolute determination.
The elders stared blankly at him, forgetting even to breathe as his words replayed over and over in their minds.
"Good, good, good! What a statement—talent did not make me; I am worthy of this talent!"
Mu En was overjoyed and said "good" three times in a row.
It had been a long time since he had been this happy. Even the gloom from the old injuries accumulated within his body over countless years seemed to disperse after hearing Su Ling's words.
He looked at Su Ling with burning eyes.
If Su Ling had merely been a piece of gold before, then now that gold had burst forth with dazzling radiance!
The elders also came to acknowledge him.
A genius like Su Ling, possessing both extraordinary talent and outstanding character, was truly unprecedented and likely never to be seen again!
Su Ling's words even gave Lin Huiqun a trace of enlightenment. Her Soul Power, stagnant for many years, unexpectedly showed signs of loosening at this moment.
Xuan Zi's entire body trembled, bloodshot veins creeping across the whites of his eyes as his throat began to itch.
At that moment, his desire to take Su Ling as a disciple had reached its peak!
A child with such exceptional talent and such fine character.
He should become my, Xuan Zi's, final disciple!!
But immediately afterward, Xuan Zi thought of something, and another trace of bitterness rose within him.
Was he worthy of being Su Ling's teacher?
He was a rank 98 Super Douluo, but his Martial Soul had always been flawed. Because of that flaw, he had indirectly caused the deaths of the previous generation of the Shrek Seven Devils, leaving only one survivor.
It was a thorn embedded in his heart, one he could never let go of.
For such an outstanding child as Su Ling, perhaps only Martial Uncle Mu En was qualified to teach him?
...No!
Martial Uncle would not do either! Su Ling could only be mine!!
Xuan Zi remained silent at the side, but a flash of obsession passed through his eyes.
At that moment, Mu En waved a hand, and a token with a crimson-gold exterior and an exquisite white-jade core floated before Su Ling.