What Does It Mean to Nurture Talent? Mu En's Reward

Chi Hong and Yan Shaozhe stared at each other.

After a moment, Xuan Zi appeared. His gaze sharpened as he fixed it on Chi Hong.

"Boy, don't be so greedy. Do you know how many people in the world would jump at the chance to join Shrek? You have no idea how deep the foundations of the continent's finest academy run."

Chi Hong pressed on.

"Old man, I just want to know what reward I'm getting."

Xuan Zi shook his head in disappointment.

"You care only about immediate gains and ignore your long-term development. You really do think like a Soul Beast."

What was he even babbling about?

Chi Hong was exasperated. Was it really that hard to get them to cough up a reward?

Yan Shaozhe stepped forward.

"Chi Hong, I know how badly you want to grow stronger. That's a good thing. Ordinarily, we'd reward you with a Soul Bone for winning the championship. But your Martial Soul summons Soul Beasts, so absorbing a Soul Bone might not be good for you."

"Everyone knows a Soul Bone can only fulfill its potential in the right hands."

Xuan Zi said flatly:

"Boy, you need to understand that the academy only gives you a platform. Soul Masters who truly want to grow strong rely on themselves. Besides, the academy's resources are limited. We can only prioritize a select few."

Chi Hong looked at Yan Shaozhe.

"Dean, isn't it the academy's duty to nurture talent?"

Yan Shaozhe nodded. "Of course. Shrek is the best academy on the continent when it comes to nurturing talent."

Chi Hong asked calmly:

"Is that so? Then why has the academy done nothing but pit students against each other and weed them out since I enrolled? You gather the most talented students, give them resources, then make them fight until only the strongest remain. That's a pretty easy way to 'nurture' talent. I could do it too."

"If you really knew how to nurture talent, wouldn't you choose a student like Huo Yuhao as a core disciple? His first Soul Ring may be only ten years old, but he's performed brilliantly in battle. Help him overcome the disadvantage he was born with and become a powerful Soul Master. That would be nurturing talent."

"Or are you going to wait for him to work hard on his own and somehow reveal extraordinary talent, then rush over to 'nurture' him?"

Nearby, Huo Yuhao's eyes filled with tears. He quietly wiped them away, deeply moved by Chi Hong's words.

Brother Chi Hong, you really are a good person. You're even willing to speak up for me.

I'll follow in your footsteps. I promise.

In Huo Yuhao's sea of consciousness, Tian Meng nodded furiously. "Exactly, Yuhao! I didn't think anyone else was as smart as me—smart enough to see your potential. These Shrek teachers are all useless. Just wait. I'll make sure you prove them wrong!"

Yan Shaozhe frowned. He suddenly felt that Chi Hong had a point.

Xuan Zi merely snorted.

"Nice speech, but you're just after a reward, aren't you? Go on, tell me what you want. It's not as if I can't spare something for a little Soul Master like you."

Chi Hong glanced toward Sea God Lake.

"I want permission to train in Sea God Lake. After all, my Soul Beast needs water to train."

Yan Shaozhe looked troubled and was about to refuse, but Xuan Zi immediately waved a hand.

"That's all? It's not Sea God Island. Go whenever you like."

Yan Shaozhe's eyes widened.

"Xuan Zi, this won't do. Training in Sea God Lake would be deeply disrespectful to the Sea God!"

Xuan Zi waved him off.

"What the hell do I care about the Sea God? He ascended ten thousand years ago. Can he still control what happens here? Besides, doesn't your disciple often wander around on Sea God Lake? You never stop him."

Yan Shaozhe looked embarrassed and said no more.

Listening to their conversation, Chi Hong couldn't help thinking, Xuan Zi, you never disappoint. Mu En, you can't stop me this time. Your own deputy Pavilion Master agreed to it.

After the match ended.

Chi Hong hurried to the edge of Sea God Lake, just about to dive in with Greninja and investigate.

"Now, now. Don't be in such a hurry, child."

Mu En appeared again in his wheelchair.

Chi Hong turned around, on guard.

"Old dorm supervisor, Xuan Zi gave me permission. Are you, a mere dorm supervisor, going to stop me?"

Mu En's mouth twitched. How does this child always manage to cause trouble?

Xuan Zi really will agree to anything, won't he?

He coughed. "All right. Aren't you curious about what reward I have for you?"

Chi Hong's eyes lit up, and he hurried over to Mu En.

"Very curious."

Mu En helplessly opened his palm. A spark flared above it, growing until it formed a small vortex of flame. Slowly, a dark-red Plate about the size of a palm emerged.

Firelight flickered across the Plate and reflected in Chi Hong's eyes. His heart beat in time with it. He could feel the Plate calling to him.

Excitement surged through him. The Flame Plate! I finally found you!

Seeing Chi Hong's reaction, Mu En formed a suspicion.

"So you really are the one this Plate was destined for."

Chi Hong smiled.

"Old dorm supervisor, is this my reward?"

Mu En smiled kindly.

"Let an old man ramble for a moment. A hundred years ago, a meteor fell from the sky above this continent and landed in the ocean. The force it released was astonishing. Seventeen Plates of different colors scattered across the world."

"At the time, only the world's strongest could sense even a trace of power from those seventeen Plates. To everyone else, they looked like ordinary stones."

"I was fortunate enough to obtain two Plates. One is the Plate in my hand. It contains the primordial Fire Law—a power only Gods should be able to touch. I studied it for decades, yet I couldn't master even a fraction of it."

"But you were different..." Mu En glanced at Chi Hong.

"The moment you came near me, this Plate stirred faintly. I had never encountered anything like it."

"To test my suspicion, I drew on the Plate's power when I helped strengthen Charizard last time. It responded with ease, and I grasped the Solar Fire I'd spent decades trying to comprehend. It was as though the Plate had belonged to you all along."

Mu En's eyes gleamed.

"Then..." Chi Hong swallowed.

Mu En smiled.

"Don't worry. It's no use to me anymore, and I do intend to give it to you. After all, you're its owner."

Chi Hong blinked and couldn't help asking:

"Then where did the others end up?"

Mu En fell silent for a moment, as though recalling something unpleasant.

"I don't know where all of them are. But as far as I know, there are at least three in the heart of Star Dou Forest. There's one in the Far North and another in the ocean where the meteor fell. The rest seem to be in the hands of various Empires and sects, but I don't know the details."

Chi Hong went numb at the news.

So the Plates have all ended up in the hands of the strongest people around?

How am I supposed to collect them without getting myself killed?

How many powerful people would hand one over like Mu En? I'd be lucky if they didn't capture me for experiments.