Sea God Pavilion, Xian Lin'er's Surprise

(Image: Xian Lin'er)

The two arrived at the entrance to Sea God Pavilion, where a white-haired old man had been waiting for some time. It was Yan Shaozhe.

Although Yan Shaozhe was Ye Chen's master, he had not actually taught Ye Chen much.

Because Yan Shaozhe wanted to bring Ye Chen and Ma Xiaotao together, he had handed the entire responsibility of teaching Ye Chen over to Ma Xiaotao. He himself simply became a hands-off shopkeeper and lived quite leisurely.

Of course, as Ye Chen's master, Yan Shaozhe still thought highly of this disciple. Though he did not personally teach Ye Chen, he would still do his utmost to secure whatever resources and authority Ye Chen should have.

After all, he was one of the Elders of Sea God Pavilion and still had some say.

"Teacher."

"Teacher~"

When Ye Chen and Ma Xiaotao saw Yan Shaozhe, they both respectfully greeted him.

Ye Chen did not hold any ill feelings toward Yan Shaozhe. After all, Yan Shaozhe had been the one to bring him to Shrek Academy.

"Xiaotao, Xiao Chen, you're here~"

Yan Shaozhe chuckled, his gaze falling on Ye Chen with undisguised admiration.

He had read the mission report Zhang Lexuan submitted. Although Ye Chen had only been responsible for wrapping things up, the strength he had displayed was still astonishing.

Especially that ultra-long-range Teleportation.

That ability alone was enough to greatly raise Ye Chen's potential ceiling.

Then he looked at Ma Xiaotao and discovered that the Evil Fire within her had visibly diminished, to the point where it would barely affect her cultivation.

Sure enough, taking Ye Chen as his disciple and having him stay by Ma Xiaotao's side had been the most correct decision he had ever made.

It was simply killing two birds with one stone, getting two benefits at once, two babies from one pregnancy...

In any case, both of their futures were bright.

"Teacher, why are you looking at me like that..." Ma Xiaotao felt a little unnerved under Yan Shaozhe's gaze and instinctively shrank her neck.

She always felt that her master seemed to be thinking about something strange.

"Hehe, Xiaotao, make sure you keep a close eye on your junior brother~" Yan Shaozhe said meaningfully, an inscrutable look in his eyes.

That was because he had noticed that when Zhang Lexuan reported on Ye Chen's mission, she had spared no praise for him.

He suspected that Zhang Lexuan might be interested in Ye Chen as well.

Of course, that was only a guess.

But Ye Chen was so handsome, just like Yan Shaozhe had been in his youth. He would surely have countless admirers.

If Ma Xiaotao did not keep a close watch on him, some other woman might steal him away...

"Don't worry, Teacher. I'll definitely take good care of my junior brother~" Ma Xiaotao rubbed Ye Chen's head and giggled.

Naturally, she had not caught the deeper meaning in Yan Shaozhe's words. She merely thought that Yan Shaozhe wanted to slack off and avoid teaching his disciple himself, which was why he said that.

The two followed Yan Shaozhe into Sea God Pavilion.

Although many Elders had come because of Ye Chen, this was not yet a Sea God Pavilion meeting, so Ma Xiaotao and Ye Chen were both qualified to enter.

The interior of Sea God Pavilion was not much different from an ordinary pavilion.

However, its decor was understated yet luxurious. Any random item within it would be worth an astronomical sum outside, if not be priceless.

Ye Chen followed Yan Shaozhe into a massive conference hall.

At that moment, the hall was already filled with Shrek Academy's Elders, and Zhang Lexuan was among them.

At the head of the room, an old man reclined lazily in a lounge chair, his expression kind and benevolent. It was that old geezer Mu En whom Ye Chen had met before.

Below him, a scruffy old man with an unkempt beard and disheveled clothes was eating a chicken leg and drinking wine without the slightest regard for appearances.

Yet everyone else was clearly accustomed to it.

Though Ye Chen had never met the man, he could have guessed his identity with his toes. He was undoubtedly Xuan Zi, the "Holy Spirit Cult's Grand Elder."

The other Elders sat around them, most of them quite advanced in age. Only one seat on the right was occupied by a beautiful married woman who appeared to be in her thirties. She was Xian Lin'er.

Although Xian Lin'er was roughly the same age as Yan Shaozhe, she had maintained her youthful appearance. She stood out among the many Elders, carrying an innate trace of pride.

This must be Xian Lin'er. Worthy of being the War Goddess—her presence is truly formidable... Ye Chen inwardly marveled as he guessed her identity.

A married woman, yet still a virgin. Who could withstand that...

Ye Chen definitely did not dare pursue Xian Lin'er on his own initiative. That would be no different from courting death.

But if Xian Lin'er took a liking to him, then he could only be forced to "accept"...

As Ye Chen's gaze swept over Xian Lin'er, Xian Lin'er was also sizing him up.

This little fellow is rather handsome. How wonderful would it be if he were my disciple... Xian Lin'er inwardly lamented.

Such an outstanding disciple—even if she could not "use" him, she could still use him as a figurehead to lure... no, attract more female disciples into the Soul Tool Department.

That bastard Yan Shaozhe really was lucky.

Having Ma Xiaotao was one thing, but now he had Ye Chen too.

Moreover, Ye Chen was so outstanding and complemented Ma Xiaotao perfectly, helping her resolve her Evil Fire.

With the two complementing each other, once they matured in the future, the Outer Court would definitely gain two more Super Douluo. It was even said that Ye Chen had the potential to become a Limit Douluo, though no one knew whether that was true...

Everyone else also fixed their gazes on Ye Chen, each of them curious.

"Alright, everyone is here. Shaozhe, make the announcement." Mu En slowly spoke. Everyone's expressions turned solemn as they shifted their attention to Yan Shaozhe.

Yan Shaozhe smiled slightly before looking at Ye Chen. "Ye Chen, after the unanimous decision of Sea God Pavilion's Elders, you are exceptionally permitted to join the Inner Court. You will receive five times the resource treatment of an ordinary Inner Court disciple. At the same time, you are appointed as a candidate for dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department. Once you advance to Title Douluo, you may directly succeed to the position of dean of the Martial Soul Department..."

"At the same time, you also have the obligation to help develop the Academy..."

Yan Shaozhe said a great deal, but most of it was beneficial to Ye Chen, with very few restrictions placed upon him.

"Ye Chen, this is the Academy's reward for your previous mission assessment. Are you satisfied?"

Only after finishing did Yan Shaozhe look at Ye Chen with a smile.

"Thank you, teachers. Thank you, Dean. I am very satisfied with the Academy's arrangements."

Ye Chen slightly cupped his hands toward everyone. Naturally, he had no objections.

Although his talent was excellent, the Academy did not trust him enough.

Even so, Ye Chen had not expected to obtain the status of a candidate for dean. That was a little absurd.

However, with his intelligence, he quickly understood what had happened.

Zhang Lexuan must have helped him behind the scenes.

After all, without him, Zhang Lexuan would have become the next dean of the Martial Soul Department. Yet now, it had become him...

Subconsciously, Ye Chen raised his head and looked toward Zhang Lexuan, who sat in the corner.

At that moment, Zhang Lexuan happened to be looking at Ye Chen as well.

Seeing him look at her, Zhang Lexuan gave him a gentle, faint smile.

She really had helped Ye Chen fight for the position of candidate for dean of the Martial Soul Department.

Because in her view, Ye Chen had been qualified to inherit that position from the start. It was only that he was a new student, and they lacked trust in him.

However, after her persuasion, the Elders had ultimately chosen to trust her and grant Ye Chen such a position.

The fivefold cultivation resources were also a benefit that came with this status.

Although she had not spent much time with Ye Chen, since she had acknowledged him as her sworn younger brother, she would take responsibility for him to the end.

At the same time, she had absolute faith in Ye Chen.

She believed that Ye Chen would definitely not disappoint her or Shrek Academy in the future!

PS: Writing Peerless Tang Sect inevitably involves Soul Tools, which offer more room for development and plot. Aside from Xian Lin'er's side, everything else will be written more briefly and will not be padded out.

PS: Don't mind the ages. Fantasy novels start at hundreds or thousands of years old, and there are even ancient relics tens of thousands or millions of years old. As long as they look good, it's all the same c~