Taking the Dragon God Douluo as Master

Sea God Pavilion.

Huo Yuhao followed behind Yan Shaozhe, passing through layer after layer of restrictions before finally arriving at an ancient wooden door.

"Go in," Yan Shaozhe said. "The Pavilion Master is waiting for you inside."

Huo Yuhao nodded and pushed the door open.

Beyond it was a small meditation room, simply furnished with only a wooden couch, a low table, and several scrolls. A faint scent of sandalwood drifted through the air, unconsciously calming the mind.

An elderly man with a head of white hair sat upon the wooden couch.

He was the old man who had waved to him beside the arena stands.

Huo Yuhao halted, his pupils contracting slightly.

"You... you are..." His voice carried undisguised shock.

The old man raised his head and gave him a kindly smile. "What? Surprised?"

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and bowed. "This junior, Xuelian, greets the Pavilion Master."

Mu En waved a hand. "No need for such formality. Sit."

Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged beside the low table, his gaze resting on Mu En while stormy waves surged through his heart.

The memories of his life as an Earth transmigrator told him that this seemingly ordinary old man was Shrek Academy's stabilizing pillar—the Dragon God Douluo, Mu En, a level ninety-nine Ultimate Douluo and one of the strongest beings in the world.

Yet back at the arena, he had not detected the man's true identity at all.

Mu En looked at his unruffled eyes, and the smile in his own eyes deepened.

"Just where did you come from?" he slowly asked, his voice aged yet gentle. "This old man has lived for more than a hundred years and seen countless geniuses, yet never one like you. Sixteen years old, level sixty-two, Extreme Ice, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring... What I find even harder to see through is that faint, indistinct aura around you."

He paused, his gaze turning profound.

"Just who are you?"

Huo Yuhao fell silent for a moment before slowly speaking.

"This junior comes from the Far Northern Land."

"The Far Northern Land?" Mu En raised his brows slightly.

"Yes." Huo Yuhao's voice lowered, carrying a trace of grief that he could not conceal. "Ever since I could remember, I lived in a small village on the outskirts of the Far Northern Land. It was remote, desolate, and cut off from the world. The entire village had barely more than a hundred people. The Martial Souls passed down through our generations were all Xuelian."

Mu En listened quietly without interrupting.

"My father was a level seventy-six Soul Sage. My mother was a level fifty-four Soul Master. Like everyone else in the village, they lived peaceful lives, hunting Soul Beasts and gathering medicinal herbs for a living."

Huo Yuhao paused, then continued. "Our village had a secret art that could temper spiritual power. It could not make us strong, but it allowed our spiritual power to far surpass that of others at the same level. It was precisely because of this secret art that I survived until today."

A strange light flashed through Mu En's eyes.

"It happened when I was fifteen. To be precise, on the night before my sixteenth birthday..."

Huo Yuhao's voice sank even lower, as though he were suppressing something.

"A hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast broke into our village."

Mu En's brows stirred slightly.

"No one knew where that Soul Beast had come from, nor why it had appeared there. It madly attacked everything in sight. Wherever it passed, houses collapsed and villagers died miserably. My father and mother led the village's young and strong men in a desperate resistance."

"They used the Martial Soul fusion skill passed down through our generations—our village's final trump card. But the hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast was too terrifying. Even after giving everything they had, they only managed to wound it."

Huo Yuhao closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"In the end, my father, my mother, and everyone in the village traded their lives for that Soul Beast's severe injuries."

"And I had happened to break through level sixty at the time. I had originally planned to search for a suitable Spirit Ring the next day. But that night, I personally killed that dying hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast and absorbed its Spirit Ring."

He opened his eyes, his gaze as calm as still water.

"That is my origin."

The meditation room fell silent.

Yan Shaozhe stood to one side, his brows tightly furrowed.

This story... was far too absurd.

A small village on the outskirts of the Far Northern Land? A Xuelian Martial Soul passed down through generations? A secret art for tempering spiritual power? The entire village desperately resisting a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast, with only one youth left alive in the end?

He had lived for so many years, yet had never heard of such a place.

But when he looked into Huo Yuhao's calm eyes, the doubts in his heart wavered slightly.

This youth's spiritual power truly was unbelievably strong. He had thought it was merely exceptional talent, but if there really was some secret art to temper it...

And that Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring—if he had truly killed it himself...

Yan Shaozhe took a deep breath and suppressed his doubts. No matter what, this youth's talent was undeniable. A level sixty-two Soul Emperor, Extreme Ice, and a Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring—such a genius was worth Shrek taking a risk on, even if his origins were somewhat suspicious.

Mu En said nothing and merely watched Huo Yuhao quietly.

His gaze was calm and profound, as though it could see through every disguise. Yet when his spiritual power once again touched the space around Huo Yuhao, it was gently blocked by that invisible force.

He could not see through him.

He still could not see through him.

Mu En's heart stirred slightly.

During the first Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, he had damaged the source of his spiritual power in order to save Ma Xiaotao. Though he had recovered considerably over the years, lingering dangers remained. Yet this youth possessed spiritual power that even he could not see through...

If he could obtain his help, perhaps...

Mu En's gaze fell upon Huo Yuhao, and the more he looked, the more satisfied he became.

This youth possessed outstanding talent and a steady temperament. Though his origins were somewhat bizarre, that grief did not seem feigned. More importantly, Xiaotao seemed to have some interest in him.

He recalled the way Ma Xiaotao had looked at Huo Yuhao in the arena—there had been provocation, admiration, and something else that was difficult to explain.

If Xiaotao could be brought together with him, he could both suppress Xiaotao's evil fire and leave Shrek with a peerless genius...

Mu En had already made up his mind.

He looked toward Yan Shaozhe and slowly said, "Shaozhe, leave us for now."

Yan Shaozhe was slightly startled, then bowed. "Yes."

He withdrew from the meditation room and gently closed the door.

Only then did Mu En look at Huo Yuhao, his eyes full of a kindly smile.

"Xuelian, from today onward, you will remain by this old man's side and be personally taught by me."

Huo Yuhao's heart shook, but his expression remained unchanged as he bowed slightly. "Thank you, Pavilion Master."

Mu En waved a hand. "No need for formalities. This old man can tell that you are fine material. Cultivate well, and you will surely achieve great things in the future."

He looked at Huo Yuhao, a meaningful glint flashing through his eyes.

"This old man is getting old. Someone must inherit all these abilities of mine. I hope you will not disappoint me."

Huo Yuhao lowered his head and respectfully said, "This junior will certainly give his all."

Mu En nodded in satisfaction.

Outside the window, the sun slanted westward, and golden afterglow spilled into the meditation room, falling over the two of them.

Huo Yuhao lowered his head, but the corners of his lips curled into a faint, imperceptible smile.

Personal instruction from the Dragon God Douluo...

Dragon Core, Light Sacred Dragon Bloodline, Taotie Bloodline...

Everything was proceeding according to plan.