The Sea God Pavilion.
It stood on Sea God Island, at the very center of Shrek Academy's Sea God Lake.
At the center of the island rose the towering Golden Ancient Tree.
Inside the Golden Ancient Tree, a huge oval wooden table stood in the middle of the hall. Broad wooden chairs lined both sides, where the Sea God Pavilion Elders sat to discuss matters.
The usually quiet Sea God Pavilion had grown noisy once more.
At the innermost end of the oval table, Mu En lay in a reclining chair with his eyes closed. Nothing in his calm expression betrayed his thoughts.
To the left sat Xuan Zi, Elder Song, and Elder Zhuang, with Yan Shaozhe and Cai Mei'er at the far end.
To the right sat Elder Lin, with Qian Duoduo and Xian Lin'er at the far end.
Neither side was full, but the arguments had not stopped.
Looking almost eager to stir up trouble, Qian Duoduo said, "What if we keep that boy at Shrek and he turns into an Evil Soul Master one day?"
"What do you suggest we do?" Yan Shaozhe asked in a low voice, holding back his temper. A trace of guilt still showed on his face.
Qian Duoduo leaned back in his chair. After a moment's thought, he said gruffly, "Better to cripple his Soul Power now than let him become an Evil Soul Master later. Why raise a threat we can't control?"
Yan Shaozhe could take no more. He slapped the table and stood. "Bullshit! He has Innate Full Soul Power and Twin Martial Souls, plus two innate domains. His Second Martial Soul even has a hundred-thousand-year addition. And you're telling me to cripple him?"
Qian Duoduo scoffed. "So what if he's a genius? Wasn't Ma Xiaotao a once-in-a-thousand-years phoenix talent?"
"You swore you could suppress the Evil Fire inside her. How did that turn out? How many times has she injured Shrek students?"
Yan Shaozhe's face darkened. Having only just dealt with the matter of Feng Ling, he raised his voice. "Bullshit! You can't lump them together. Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire comes from her Martial Soul. Yue Ling had the Remnant Soul of a Titled Douluo planted in him at some unknown point. They're fundamentally different!"
"Different causes, same risk!"
Qian Duoduo leaned forward, refusing to yield. "Luckily, this happened at Shrek Academy, right in front of Xuan Zi and you!"
"But what about next time? If the Remnant Soul comes back, stopping it may cost us far more than one student!"
Yan Shaozhe folded his arms, his gaze sharp.
"We're Shrek's guardians. We can't abandon Yue Ling just because we've encountered an unknown danger. Besides, he's Xuan Zi's disciple—and a gifted Spirit Master!"
"If we condemn him without even trying to save him, what right do we have to call ourselves an academy that protects Spirit Masters?"
Qian Duoduo was about to argue again.
From the reclining chair,
Mu En gave a soft cough. Both men fell silent at once and sat obediently in their seats, ending the dispute.
"I understand your concerns. But this child is one of Shrek's own. We cannot abandon him either." A note of resolve ran through Mu En's aged voice.
Xuan Zi breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly asked,
"Pavilion Master, what should we do now?"
"We can't simply erase the Remnant Soul." Mu En paused before continuing slowly. "That Evil Soul Master's fragment of soul essence has already become forcibly entangled with Yue Ling's Spirit Sea."
"If we tear it away by force, he could suffer permanent damage to his Spirit Sea and lose his mind. At worst, his soul would shatter and he would die."
Xuan Zi's expression dimmed. It would have been a lie to say he felt no pain.
For four years, he had eaten Yue Ling's cooking and listened to Yue Ling chatter. He had watched the boy grow from eight to twelve, and long since accepted this well-behaved disciple as his own.
The child had always had no one to rely on and had learned to stand on his own.
Yet as his teacher, Xuan Zi had been careless enough to let this happen.
Ah...
Xuan Zi sighed. At a loss, he could only look toward Mu En, whose eyes remained closed.
"Then... what should we do?"
Mu En slowly opened his eyes. "I can borrow the Golden Ancient Tree's power to erect a barrier around his Spirit Sea, then use my spiritual power to create a seal and confine the Titled Douluo's Remnant Soul to a corner of it."
"But what can truly hold it in check is his own Second Martial Soul, the Lovesick Heartbreak Red." Mu En paused. "If his Second Martial Soul and the Remnant Soul restrain each other, the problem can be contained for now."
"Of course, that's only a temporary measure, not a cure. If his state of mind falls into turmoil, cracks will appear in the seal."
Xuan Zi grew anxious.
"How can we remove the Remnant Soul completely?"
Mu En looked at him and sighed. "Xuan Zi, we can only place our hopes in the boy himself. Once his cultivation and spiritual power are strong enough, he'll have to wear down that lingering evil soul bit by bit."
"All right..."
Xian Lin'er hesitated, then said gravely, "The risk is too great. This child's talent is exceptional. If the evil within his soul ever slips entirely out of control, he'll become the most terrifying Evil Soul Master of all!"
"If that happens, we'll have no way to keep him in check."
Mu En smiled gently, without a trace of worry on his face.
"Xuan Zi will be watching him." His tone was calm. "He's the boy's teacher. Teaching him personally and keeping him in line are his responsibilities."
Xuan Zi froze. Something about that felt wrong, though he could not put his finger on it. He could only ask in confusion, "Mu En, what do you mean by that?"
At those words, Mu En slowly rose from his wooden reclining chair. A rare, intense seriousness filled his usually languid, peaceful eyes.
"The evil soul's intrusion into Yue Ling's soul is, in truth, a minor matter."
"After all, he has elders like us." Mu En pursed his lips, suddenly remembering the fish Yue Ling made. It was his favorite dish.
Mu En narrowed his eyes and said slowly, "Yue Ling is a good child. He'll be one of Shrek's own for life. He even swore it on his Twin Martial Souls."
Mu En paused. "We cannot abandon this child over a few uncertainties. If we did, how could we, Shrek's guardians, answer to our predecessors?"
"I see..." Qian Duoduo sighed in understanding and let the matter drop.
Mu En clasped his hands behind his back and paced slowly. His deep voice filled the now-silent Sea God Pavilion.
"Besides, I called you all here today to tell you something far more important."
Every elder and academy leader present set aside all thought of casual talk. They sat upright and listened intently, sensing that something was wrong.
Mu En's next words struck them like a thunderclap.
"We have always believed that the Evil Soul Masters on the continent committed their crimes independently. We were wrong."
"Behind them lies a vast, secret organization. Xuan Zi and Zhang Lexuan learned this when they encountered the Evil Soul Masters and rescued Yue Ling. It is the crucial intelligence they brought back."
Mu En walked slowly to the doors of the Sea God Pavilion and looked out over the lush grounds of Shrek Academy. Deep weariness and regret filled his eyes.
"And my time... is almost up."
Before you continue