Mu En

The old man's hair and beard were white, and he lay half-reclined in a lounge chair.

When Huo Yutong saw his face clearly, she froze.

She knew this old man!

He was the old man who lay outside the freshman dormitory every day, basking in the sun and chatting with them.

And now he sat in the seat of honor in the Sea God Pavilion!

The old man slowly opened his eyes and smiled at Huo Yutong.

"Little girl, I see you've been well."

"Mu... Mu En?"

Dragon God Douluo Mu En was a level 99 Limit Douluo, the Sea God Pavilion Master of Shrek Academy, and one of the strongest people in the world.

"That's enough. Stop arguing."

Mu En slowly sat up, his gaze settling on Huo Yutong.

With that one look, Huo Yutong felt as though all her secrets had been laid bare. Even what lay deepest in her Sea of Consciousness seemed to have nowhere to hide.

In her Sea of Consciousness, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and the Ice Empress both went rigid.

"What a formidable little old man."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice turned unusually grave.

Mu En's gaze lingered on Huo Yutong. Surprise flickered through his eyes, then he returned to his sleepy expression.

Mu En tapped the armrest of his chair and spoke slowly.

"The Martial Soul Department wants her because she has Twin Martial Souls and Ultimate Ice."

"The Soul Tool Department wants her because of her talent with Soul Tools."

"Since she has talent in both, why keep fighting over her?"

"I say we let her cultivate both Martial Souls and Soul Tools and make her a Core Disciple of both departments."

The hall erupted in astonishment.

Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo exchanged a glance. Both saw the other's surprise.

But on second thought, this seemed like the best outcome.

Cultivating both paths would be hard, but if the child succeeded, her future would know no bounds.

"I agree."

Mu En raised his hand first and spoke slowly.

With Mu En leading the way, the other elders nodded in turn.

Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo looked at each other, then smiled helplessly and raised their hands too.

At that, Mu En lay back down and waved a hand.

"Then it's settled. You can all go. Little girl, stay behind. I'd like a few words with you alone."

Everyone soon left the Sea God Pavilion, leaving only Mu En and Huo Yutong inside.

A trace of warmth showed in Mu En's clouded eyes as he looked at Huo Yutong.

A gentle thread of divine consciousness entered Huo Yutong's Sea of Consciousness, and Mu En's voice sounded softly in her mind.

"Little girl, I won't ask about your secrets. Those are your own opportunities."

"I'll only remind you of this: you must walk your own path and keep your heart true. When you're ready to talk, come find this old codger."

Huo Yutong stood rooted to the spot. Her eyes suddenly grew hot, and she nodded hard.

"Thank you, Mu En!!!"

Mu En closed his eyes again, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

"Go on, go on."

"That little sweetheart of yours is still waiting outside."

At his words, Huo Yutong's face flushed bright red. Even the tips of her ears burned.

After bowing, she fled the Sea God Pavilion in a fluster.

Downstairs, Ye Tianming was indeed waiting for her, moonlight falling across him.

Hearing her approach, Ye Tianming looked at her flushed face and smiled.

"What did Mu En say to you? Why is your face so red?"

Huo Yutong turned her face away, her voice no louder than a mosquito's buzz.

"N-nothing!!!"

"Brother Tianming, let's go."

Ye Tianming only smiled and shook his head, then reached out to rub Huo Yutong's head.

He let her tug on his sleeve as they walked step by step toward the dormitories.

After the Sea God Pavilion Meeting, Huo Yutong became the most unusual student in Shrek Academy's history.

Her days were split cleanly in two.

In the mornings, she attended the Martial Soul Department, where Wang Yan personally guided her Spiritual Power training while the Ice Empress taught her to control Ultimate Ice within her Sea of Consciousness.

In the afternoons, she went to the Soul Tool Department, where Qian Duoduo treasured both her and Ye Tianming.

Teacher Fan Yu guided them by hand through the assembly of their coursework and all kinds of troubleshooting.

The cold gleam of metal and the flow of Soul Power intertwined, filling most of her life.

But Ye Tianming was always by her side.

During morning sparring, Ye Tianming was the partner she could rely on most.

His Azure Dragon Cloud Soar movement technique was so fast that she had to push her Spiritual Detection to its limit just to barely keep up.

When they made Soul Tools in the afternoon, Ye Tianming would cover her hand with his whenever she carved a line incorrectly and guide her through the correction stroke by stroke.

"Put some strength into your wrist. Don't pour in too much Soul Power at once. Take it slowly."

Whenever that happened, Huo Yutong's face reddened, but the carving knife in her hand grew steadier and steadier.

Several months passed like that.

In the blink of an eye, the academy's liveliest time of year came around again.

That day, Wang Yan gathered everyone in Class One, wearing an unusually solemn expression.

"You've all heard of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament, haven't you?"

Discussion immediately rippled through the students below.

The Soul Fighting Tournament was the most prestigious and influential Soul Master competition on Douluo Continent, jointly hosted by the two great empires and the various kingdoms and duchies.

Held every five years, it brought together the most talented students from every top Soul Master Academy on the continent.

And Shrek Academy had won nearly every championship in the tournament's history.

"Ahem!"

Wang Yan coughed lightly a few times, drawing everyone's attention back to him.

"This year's Soul Fighting Tournament will be held in the Star Luo Empire."

"The academy has decided to send its strongest team. Alongside the official members from the Inner Court, it will select a reserve team from the Outer Court."

At that, Wang Dong's eyes lit up.

"A reserve team??!!!"

"That's right."

Wang Yan swept his gaze across the class before continuing.

"A few of the best among you will have the chance to join the reserve team and travel to the Star Luo Empire with them. It's an honor and a trial."

The selection soon began.

When the Official Shrek Seven Monsters from the Inner Court appeared on the Training Grounds, every Outer Court student held their breath.

Seven powerful auras, each as deep as an abyss. Any one of them was enough to leave the Outer Court students looking up in awe.

At their head stood a tall woman in red. She was strikingly beautiful, though a trace of pride marked her brow.

Six Soul Rings rose around her, glowing red like flames and instantly lighting up half the Training Grounds.

Ma Xiaotao possessed the Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul and was a level 67 Power Attack System Battle Soul Emperor. She was also the captain of this generation's Shrek Seven Devils.