The Future Pavilion Master

Shrek Academy, Sea God Pavilion.

The twelve senior students stood silently at the very back, not daring even to breathe loudly.

Xuan Zi sat dejectedly at the front. His usual slovenly arrogance had vanished completely, and he looked like a student caught skipping class by his teacher. He did not even dare pull out a chicken leg to gnaw on.

Meanwhile, Tang Wulin was sitting obediently in Mu En's arms.

His tiny body was nestled within the old man's thin yet powerful embrace. His little face was drawn tight, and he did not dare move.

To be honest, he really wanted to struggle free. But the moment he entered the Golden Ancient Tree, the life energy flooding the place surged toward him like madness. Countless green motes swirled around him, impossible to chase away.

With every breath he took, vast amounts of dense life energy poured into his body through his seven orifices. It was so warm and comfortable that he nearly fell asleep on the spot.

Most outrageous of all, faint specks of golden light had begun to glow on the trunk of the Golden Ancient Tree, as though the entire tree were leaning toward him.

That made him the center of everyone's attention!

Mu En's hand rested atop his head, his fingertips absently stroking his hair. A faint trace of excitement flashed deep within his eyes.

He hid it well, but sitting in his arms, Tang Wulin clearly felt the fingertips resting on his shoulder tremble slightly.

"Xuan Zi! What exactly are you doing?"

Mu En's voice carried a hint of anger as his gaze turned toward Xuan Zi, who was preparing to sneak a bite of the chicken leg in his hand.

The entire Sea God Pavilion fell silent, leaving only somewhat heavy breathing.

"Why weren't you staying by the students' side? Why were you running around? In the end, you actually made a six-year-old child clean up your mess!"

Xuan Zi shrank his neck and moved his lips as if he wanted to offer a few excuses. But when he met Mu En's seemingly cloudy yet blade-sharp eyes, he ultimately did not dare make a sound.

He could not exactly say that he thought the children needed some real experience, and that he had not gone far anyway, merely taken a stroll around the outskirts...

Even he felt guilty saying that. Besides, when that black Dragon appeared, he had indeed been on the other side of half a hill, gnawing on a chicken leg. If that black Dragon had not been suppressed by something, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Zhang Lexuan stood at the front of the students. She lightly bit her lip, hesitated, then stepped forward. "Elder Mu, it was Lexuan's..."

"That's enough, child. This isn't your fault." Mu En glanced at her. "I saw the injuries on your body. You are all good children."

Zhang Lexuan's ears reddened slightly. She quietly stepped back, though her gaze involuntarily fell upon Tang Wulin in Mu En's arms again.

The little fellow had his lips pressed together. Who could have imagined that the golden phantom, which had erupted from him in the Star Dou Great Forest with a dragon-like roar earlier, had come from this child?

Mu En lowered his eyes, his gaze returning to the child in his arms.

His palm gently brushed the back of Tang Wulin's head. His fingertips slid slowly along the soft strands of hair before stopping at the back of his neck, where a thread of extremely subtle Soul Power probed inward.

He had only intended to take a brief look at the child's physical condition, but he had not expected this!

In that instant, his entire body jolted.

Sea God power!

That vast and majestic aura was like a colossal beast lurking in the depths of the sea, calm and imposing.

Having once borrowed a thread of Sea God power as the master of Sea God Pavilion, he was incomparably familiar with it!

And now, that aura rested quietly within this child's body, as if it had always belonged there.

Mu En took a deep breath and suppressed the surging emotions in his chest.

Sea God...

Do You believe that Shrek has fallen into decline, so You deliberately sent this child to my side?

He silently asked himself, then smiled self-mockingly.

With that great one's temperament, He probably did not even care what Shrek had become now.

But regardless, this child had come. He possessed Twin Martial Souls of Blue Silver Grass and the Clear Sky Hammer, the golden Dragon might that even Xuan Zi could not suppress, and the aura of the Sea God...

How could there be so many coincidences in this world?

When Mu En raised his eyes again, most of the anger in them had faded, replaced by grave caution.

So many coincidences gathered together might not be coincidences at all!

He looked around at the solemnly standing crowd in Sea God Pavilion and spoke in a deep voice. "Enough. We won't waste time discussing blame today. Xuan Zi, go accept your punishment afterward. Not a single point of merit that should be deducted will be spared."

Xuan Zi let out a long breath of relief and raised his head to give Mu En a grateful look, but Mu En did not acknowledge him at all.

"Today, there is another piece of good news."

Mu En gently pressed his palm against Tang Wulin's shoulder. "I intend to take Tang Wulin as my disciple."

Tang Wulin abruptly looked up and met Mu En's aged yet smiling eyes. For a moment, he did not know what to say.

He had originally planned to find himself a backer after entering Shrek, and Mu En was undoubtedly the strongest backer in the entire academy. But he had never imagined that this old man would pull him into his arms and declare that he wanted to take him as a disciple the very first time they met.

Isn't this moving way too fast?

"In the future," Mu En paused, his gaze sweeping over every face present as his tone grew increasingly solemn, "when he becomes a Hyper Douluo, he will become the master of Sea God Pavilion!"

Those words were like a stone cast into a still lake. Astonishment flashed across everyone's faces in Sea God Pavilion, and even Xuan Zi abruptly raised his head.

But when they looked once more at the little fellow in Mu En's arms and sensed the dense life energy continuously pouring into the wooden hall, every doubt was swallowed back down.

A six-year-old child had just entered the academy, yet he could make the Golden Ancient Tree willingly draw close, make the life energy within Sea God Pavilion so dense it nearly solidified, and even make Zhuang Lao's ten-thousand-year-old tree-stump Martial Soul tremble softly, as though it wanted nothing more than to sprout legs and run over to cuddle this child.

With talent like that, it would not be an exaggeration to say heaven itself was chasing after him to feed him.

Zhuang Lao's expression was the most solemn. No emotion could be seen on his wrinkled old face, but everyone could sense it.

He could feel his Life Tree Martial Soul gently swaying behind him, its branches stretching desperately toward Tang Wulin, like a little dog that had spotted its master.

Mu En turned toward Tang Wulin, and his tone softened. "Tang Wulin, from today onward, you will live in the inner court. You are still young. When you turn twelve, go study in the outer court and make more friends your own age. You will need companions in the future. If you get the chance, compete for the title of the Shrek Seven Monsters."

After considering it, he added with a smile, "I'll introduce you to my great-grandson later. That boy may be a little foolish, but his character is not bad. I believe the two of you will become good friends in the future."