A Reasonable Suspicion, a Quarrel Between Two Beasts

What kind of man was Mu En?

Huang Jinxu had judged him long ago.

An elder with his own logic and his own principles.

In many people's eyes, he was a good man. To some, though, he was a schemer who acted with ruthless decisiveness. Others saw him as the Sea God's staunchest supporter, the guardian of Shrek Academy's ten thousand years of glory.

Yet every judgment had one thing in common.

Mu En was no simple man.

Put him and Tang San on equal footing in the same era, and Huang Jinxu did not believe Tang San would win outright.

Tang San was strong and resourceful, certainly, but he had benefited more from the advantages of his era and the favor of Deities.

Huang Jinxu suspected that Tang San had very likely left something on Mu En.

But what about Mu En himself?

Had he never suspected anything?

Perhaps he had. But his faith allowed no doubt, and with only days left to live, he would not have tried to dig deeper even if he had noticed a few clues.

All he had done was try to secure the benefits and inheritance his descendants deserved.

Of course, all this was only Huang Jinxu's speculation. What had actually happened remained unknown.

One thing was certain, though: if he accepted this Dragon Core, Huo Yuhao, the Child of Fortune, would miss out on yet another opportunity.

Huo Yuhao really had suffered rather badly at his hands.

He wondered whether the Plane Will would grant Huo Yuhao another opportunity to make up for it.

"Mu En, you trust me?"

Huang Jinxu did not take the Dragon Core right away. Instead, he looked at Mu En with a hint of teasing in his voice.

In truth, the Dragon Core would be of great use to him too.

With it, he could form his Second Soul Core.

He might even have a chance to attempt a Blood Qi Core, something that belonged neither to this era nor to his Martial Soul.

At his level of cultivation, Huang Jinxu could have formed his Second Soul Core long ago if he had wanted to. He could even have attempted Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Cores.

He had held back because his ambitions were greater.

The Blood Qi Core, Soul Power Core, and Spiritual Soul Core corresponded to the body's essence, qi, and spirit. He wanted to form all three, then unite the Triple Soul Cores to comprehend and master the Laws and try to break through the barrier of Rank 100.

The path was harder than he had imagined, but his research suggested it was theoretically possible.

It was another road to godhood, one reached through cultivation alone. He would have no Divine Seat, just like the Demon Empress, but he would still be a god.

"If I can't trust even you, I truly don't know who else in this world this old man could trust."

Mu En merely smiled at Huang Jinxu's question, then drew the Dragon Core over to him.

"Don't worry, Mu En. I'll make sure Bei Bei's Martial Soul Awakening succeeds."

This time, Huang Jinxu did not stand on ceremony. He put the Dragon Core away.

Now that it was in his hands, he had no intention of giving it back.

As for Bei Bei's Martial Soul Awakening, he could find time to talk Di Tian into a deal, or persuade the Auspicious Beast to help him find a Heavenly Dragon Horse in the Star Dou Great Forest.

That had been Bei Bei's destined path all along. The only difference was that Huang Jinxu, rather than Huo Yuhao, would benefit from it.

Besides, it might even be a good thing for Bei Bei.

He would only find Bei Bei a Heavenly Dragon Horse to serve as a Soul Ring, not a Soul Spirit. Bei Bei would still have a chance to obtain Soul Rings of greater age in the future. If he was fortunate enough to gain a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, his achievements would no longer be limited to a Rank 97 Titled Douluo.

Having made his promise to Mu En, Huang Jinxu planned to stay at the academy a while longer.

But he soon realized he might not have to wait that long.

Before he and Mu En had even parted, he sensed two powerful presences in the distant sky, approaching Shrek Academy at astonishing speed.

One was a Rank 99 Limit Douluo whose oppressive aura was second only to Di Tian's.

The other was a Rank 98 Super Douluo, yet his formidable aura was in no way inferior to a Rank 99's.

In this era, only those two fellows from the Clear Sky Sect fit that description.

Niu Tian and Tai Tan.

"We've barely been gone, and Xiao Qi is in trouble again. Damn Shrek Academy. They didn't take my words seriously at all."

Tai Tan looked at Shrek Academy, now close at hand, and spoke in a low voice thick with anger.

"Er Ming, I've already learned what happened from that person. Shrek Academy had nothing to do with Xiao Qi's trouble this time."

"The problem lies with Xiao Qi himself."

Niu Tian knew his younger brother's temperament. If he let Tai Tan talk recklessly now, there was no telling what kind of uproar he would cause once they reached Shrek Academy.

They did not fear Shrek Academy, but both sides were working for that person. It was better to avoid a clash if they could.

Besides, from what Niu Tian knew, that person had plans and arrangements within Shrek Academy.

"Xiao Qi's problem, Xiao Qi's problem. Tang San can use that to fool Sister Xiao Wu, but how can even you—"

"Shut up!"

At Niu Tian's words, Tai Tan had started complaining without thinking. Before he could finish, Niu Tian stopped abruptly. A mighty force surged from his body, pinning Tai Tan down and cutting off the rest of his words.

"Big brother, I was wrong. I was wrong..."

Tai Tan realized he had been rash and hurried to apologize.

When it came to Tang San, even though the two of them were in the same plane, they never dared speak his name outright during such conversations, especially when they harbored grievances.

The reason was simple: Tang San had left something in their souls.

He had said it would let them communicate at any time and protect their lives at critical moments. But beyond those functions, it served one crucial purpose: it allowed him to watch them at all times.

That was why they could mention Tang San by name without hesitation when discussing ordinary matters. Whenever they were dissatisfied or wanted to complain, though, they called him "that person" instead.

Only after descending from the Divine Realm to the Douluo Plane had Niu Tian truly seen another side of Tang San.

In the Divine Realm, with Sister Xiao Wu around, Tang San had always treated them with respect, even though they had no Divine Seats and occupied the lowest rung there.

It had seemed as if he had never forgotten how they had sacrificed themselves to help him grow stronger.

But after they arrived on the Douluo Continent, Tang San contacted them several times. His commanding tone made the more perceptive Niu Tian sense that something was wrong.

Only then had Niu Tian truly come to understand Tang San.

Or rather, the Tang San who had become a God King.