Yan Shaozhe's eyes widened, and his voice cracked. "Are you insane?"
Xuan Xiao gave a cold, mocking laugh.
"I think you're the ones who've lost your minds. You say a few words, and suddenly I'm your disciple? Have you no shame?"
He turned to Xian Lin'er, his tone growing sharper.
"And the whole Soul Guidance Department will be mine someday? Do you have any idea how badly the Martial Soul Department has crushed it? If you sold everything the Soul Guidance Department owns, could you even afford the engraving knife in my hand?"
The words struck Xian Lin'er right where it hurt.
She opened her mouth to argue, but no words came out.
Because Xuan Xiao was telling the truth.
For years, the Martial Soul Department had kept the Soul Guidance Department down. Its resources were pitiful, and its funding was stretched to the limit.
Everything the department owned might genuinely be worth less than the Darkgold Nebula in Xuan Xiao's hand.
Mu En could no longer sit still. He stepped out of the shadows with a kindly smile, hoping to ease the tension.
"Now, now. No need to get so worked up, young man. Let's talk this through."
Xuan Xiao gave him no courtesy at all. He turned to Mu En, his eyes openly scornful.
"You're no better. Anyone who knows the academy's history knows these deans are all your disciples."
"The rot starts at the top. If I were you, I'd have slapped them all to death long ago."
The air in the room seemed to freeze.
The smile stiffened on Mu En's face.
He had lived for over two hundred years, and no one had ever spoken to him like that to his face.
Yet he did not grow angry. Instead, he fell silent.
Because Xuan Xiao was right.
Mu En knew Yan Shaozhe had flaws of character. Otherwise, with the potential of a formidable Martial Soul like the Light Phoenix, how could he still be only Level Ninety-Five?
If there had been nothing wrong with Yan Shaozhe's character, the Light Phoenix's potential should have carried him to the peak of Level Ninety-Six by now, perhaps even Level Ninety-Seven.
Instead, he had been stuck at Level Ninety-Five for decades. His heart was too narrow; he lacked the Light Phoenix's breadth of spirit.
Xian Lin'er had indeed married Qian Duoduo, but her heart still belonged to Yan Shaozhe.
Mu En had seen it all along, but he had never said a word.
And Qian Duoduo only ever smoothed things over. He never stood firm, preferring to let everything slide.
Shrek's leadership looked glorious from the outside, but inside, it had rotted through long ago.
Mu En sighed. He opened his mouth, but swallowed the words before they came out.
Seeing him hesitate, Xuan Xiao snorted and turned to leave again.
Mu En hurriedly called after him.
"Wait, young man. This old man has a few things he'd like to say to you."
Xuan Xiao stopped, but did not turn around.
"Go on. I'm listening."
Mu En was quiet for a moment before speaking slowly.
"You can go to the Sun Moon Empire, certainly. But what if they can't satisfy you either?"
Xuan Xiao turned back, an amused smile on his face.
"That's where you're wrong. What I want is resources. You don't think I did my research before enrolling at Shrek, do you?"
He began counting on his fingers.
"Look at the rewards for your freshman assessment. A spot as a core disciple? You call that a reward? Help hunting Soul Beasts? Isn't that something the academy should do anyway?"
Mu En said nothing.
Every word Xuan Xiao spoke pierced him like a needle.
Shrek Academy had grown too comfortable over the years—so comfortable it had forgotten why it existed.
To a true genius, those so-called rewards were things they could take or leave.
Xuan Xiao gave a cold laugh at Mu En's silence.
"I came to Shrek for what Shrek has built up over the years, not to work myself to the bone for you."
"If you can give me what I want, I'll stay. If you can't, I'll go somewhere else."
He paused, then dropped one last bombshell.
"I'll tell you something. The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Guidance Academy reached out to me a long time ago."
That last claim was pure nonsense, but Xuan Xiao said it without batting an eye, sounding utterly certain.
Mu En frowned.
He knew Xuan Xiao was probably lying, but he could not afford to gamble on it.
A twelve-year-old Level-Three Soul Engineer with an engraving knife worthy of being ranked.
If the Sun Moon Empire lured someone like that away, it would be a crushing humiliation for Shrek.
And with the boy's talent, if he really did go to the Sun Moon Empire...
In eight or ten years, he might create something extraordinary.
By then, Shrek would have no one to blame but itself.
Mu En drew a deep breath. "What do you want?"
Whatever the boy wanted, Mu En needed to keep him here first.
He could tell the boy did not want to leave either. At least, not yet.
Those were the words Xuan Xiao had been waiting for.
He had never intended to leave so easily. All this was to get something out of them.
"A Soul Beast for my Fourth Soul Ring."
Mu En breathed a sigh of relief.
That's all?
He had expected the boy to demand something outrageous.
"No problem. Shaozhe, go to the Beast Arena and find a—"
Xuan Xiao cut him off before he could finish.
"Don't try to fob me off with that rubbish."
His voice turned cold. He slowly raised a hand, and Soul Power surged within him.
A powerful aura burst from his body. The room seemed to grow several degrees colder.
The phantom of a five-meter-tall giant slowly appeared behind him.
It was his Martial Soul.
Six pure-white feathered wings spread open. Golden armor covered its azure body, with heavy golden gauntlets encasing fists three times the size of an ordinary person's.
It was the first time anyone present had seen Xuan Xiao's Martial Soul.
Then their gazes fell to his feet, and every one of them drew a sharp breath.
Two purple. One black.
Three Soul Rings hovered beneath Xuan Xiao, turning slowly.
The black ring in particular radiated a pressure that made their hearts seize.
Yan Shaozhe's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Two purple and one black?
Twelve years old, three rings, and two purple and one black?
What kind of monstrous lineup was this?
For an ordinary Soul Master, having a third Soul Ring from a beast more than fifteen hundred years old was already impressive.
Most people's third ring was a purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring. A ten-thousand-year ring was unheard of.
Even his teacher's first three Soul Rings had been of ordinary ages. Only his Fourth Soul Ring had been ten thousand years old.
But this boy's third ring was already ten thousand years old!
Mu En's pupils contracted slightly too.
But he had seen enough in his long life to keep his face composed.
Xuan Xiao felt a secret thrill at their shocked expressions.
Outwardly, though, he remained perfectly calm.
"My First Soul Ring came from a Pureblood Wind Dragon."
"My Second Soul Ring came from a Demon Emerald Bird, one of those ancient terrors."
"And my Third Soul Ring came from a twenty-five-thousand-year-old Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear."
His first two Soul Rings had come with him anyway. They could not tell what Soul Beasts they came from, so he could claim whatever he liked.
A Pureblood Wind Dragon was a creature of legend, rarer even than an ordinary dragon.
The Demon Emerald Bird was a fierce bird from ancient times, famed for its speed. Supposedly, at full flight, it could even catch up to light.
As for the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear, that needed no explanation. Even a run-of-the-mill Titled Douluo would steer clear of one that was twenty-five thousand years old.
Xuan Xiao had brought out those names to stun them.
Sure enough, Yan Shaozhe's expression had changed completely.
He stared at Xuan Xiao as though he were looking at a monster.
Xian Lin'er fell silent too. At last, she understood why the boy dared to be so arrogant.
With talent like that and the strength to back it up, who wouldn't be?
Mu En remained silent for a long time before letting out a deep sigh.
"Tell me. What kind of Soul Beast do you want?"
Before you continue