Shrek's Ideological Guidance for Chen An (Major Revision)

Shrek Academy, the sixth floor of the Sea God Pavilion.

Inside a spacious, simply furnished bedroom, Dragon God Douluo Mu En lay in a recliner, his eyes closed as he quietly listened to Wang Tao's report.

"After investigating, I found that the girl named Ren Xue is an orphan... her background is clean.

I found no evidence that she is a pawn of another faction."

Wang Tao knelt on one knee, his gaze fixed on the floor. His voice was clear and respectful as he reported his findings at a measured pace.

After listening, Mu En merely nodded without opening his eyes. "Tao, thank you for your hard work."

"It is my honor to relieve your worries, Elder Mu!" Wang Tao's heart pounded with excitement.

Soon, Wang Tao vanished.

Mu En, still lying in his recliner, slowly opened his eyes.

"Was I worrying too much?"

Ever since he had suffered at Ye Xishui's hands in his youth, Mu En had become exceedingly cautious in certain matters.

He wanted to prevent his juniors and the students he valued from repeating his mistakes, having their feelings toyed with and deceived by wicked women.

So Mu En had begun investigating the women who approached his juniors and favored students.

Without investigating, he would never have known. Once he did, the results gave him quite a fright.

Mu En had never imagined that so many female soul masters were spies sent by other factions.

They were there either to steal intelligence or to steal seed, and some were even there to carry out assassinations. Female soul masters with innocent intentions were few and far between.

Mu En tapped his fingers against the recliner's armrests. "Since that young girl named Ren Xue has a clean background, she is worth nurturing. The sacred attribute of her sacred swan martial soul is exceptionally effective against Evil Soul Masters."

With that thought, Mu En decided to enroll the girl named Ren Xue in the Monster Class that would soon open on Sea God Island.

That would also give Chen An a familiar companion while he studied at Shrek Academy, helping him settle in and develop a sense of belonging.

Mu En placed the utmost importance on a peerless genius like Chen An, who had a very real chance of becoming a Limit Douluo.

He had even convened an emergency Sea God Pavilion Meeting because of Chen An.

The Sea God Pavilion Meeting was Shrek Academy's highest assembly, as well as its supreme center of authority.

There were two ways it could be convened: the regular annual meeting, or an emergency meeting.

The regular meetings were one thing, but every emergency meeting meant that something momentous had happened at Shrek Academy. Throughout history, several emergency Sea God Pavilion Meetings had even determined the continent's course.

That alone showed just how astonishingly much weight Chen An carried in Mu En's heart.

For a peerless genius like Chen An, Mu En believed that teaching him skills was not enough. He also needed ideological guidance.

He needed to see Shrek Academy as his second home, forming bonds and attachments with its people and places. He needed to embrace its ideals and its way of doing things.

Only then, once Chen An matured, would he be better able to protect Shrek Academy.

Thinking of Chen An, Mu En could not help rubbing his chin.

He had previously assigned his disciple Yan Shaozhe to handle this matter. He wondered how it was going.

Mu En knew his eldest disciple well. Though somewhat narrow-minded, he had plenty of ideas when it came to smaller matters.

Night, Shrek City.

Gentle moonlight, glittering stars, and the glow of soul tools illuminated every corner of the city.

Crowds bustled back and forth along the broad streets. Vendors displayed all manner of wares, catching the eyes of passersby.

There were exquisite soul tools, luxurious soul beast products, spices, and all kinds of delicacies. People dressed in a variety of styles eagerly picked out the things they liked.

Shrek City's grand buildings looked even more majestic beneath the Moonlight.

Fully armed members of the Shrek Army vigilantly patrolled their surroundings, safeguarding Shrek City's peace and maintaining order throughout the city.

Chen An strolled along Shrek City's streets, hearing the vendors' enthusiastic calls and the appeals for tips from spear performers, while the rich aroma of cooking oil wafted from the food.

The towering buildings and reflected light from the soul guidance lamps were almost dazzling.

The lively scene stirred memories that already felt rather distant.

At the same time, it stood in stark contrast to the poverty he had seen in Qinghe Village.

Beside Chen An stood a girl dressed in red.

She was tall and well-proportioned, though the first thing anyone would notice was her rather exaggeratedly full figure.

Beyond that fullness, she also had a slender waist that a hand could scarcely encircle.

Her slim waist widened sharply into the curve of her hips. Her rounded, lifted rear swayed slightly as she walked, and her legs were straight and shapely.

She was also beautiful, with exquisite, flawless features. Though she did not look old, she radiated a soul-stealing allure, like a fire that could burn someone alive.

She was none other than Ma Xiaotao, the personal disciple of Shrek Academy's dean, Yan Shaozhe.

Ma Xiaotao was twelve that year, yet she was already nearly 1.7 meters tall and physically well developed. At such a young age, her soul power had already reached the Soul Elder level. She was undeniably a genius.

Her only flaw was the problem with her martial soul, the evil fire phoenix.

Though the evil fire phoenix martial soul was powerful and burned at an extremely high temperature, it continuously generated evil fire that eroded her reason.

To resist that erosion, she either needed extraordinary willpower or the help of a soul master with a high-quality ice- or water-attribute martial soul to suppress the evil fire.

Naturally, Ma Xiaotao was accompanying Chen An on Yan Shaozhe's orders.

Yan Shaozhe had told Ma Xiaotao to look after Chen An and give him a proper tour of Shrek Academy and Shrek City, helping him learn more about the academy.

Ma Xiaotao had lost both parents in childhood and had been raised by her master, Yan Shaozhe, and his wife, Cai Mei'er. With no children of their own, they treated their disciple as their daughter. Rather than master and disciple, they were more like family.

Naturally, Ma Xiaotao listened to Yan Shaozhe. Otherwise, with her fiery temper, she would never have had the patience to look after a child.

Wouldn't that time be better spent cultivating and improving her strength?

Ma Xiaotao was in fairly good condition just then. Not long ago, a female soul master named Ling Luochеn, whose martial soul was the Ice Element, had joined Shrek Academy.

The two had clashed at the academy after an argument. Not only had Ma Xiaotao defeated Ling Luochеn, but during the fight, she had also used her opponent's Ice Element soul power to stabilize the evil fire raging inside her.

Although the Ice Element martial soul was inferior in quality to the evil fire phoenix, and this method treated only the symptoms rather than the root cause, even temporary relief was welcome.

Ma Xiaotao's captivating pink phoenix eyes studied Chen An. For some inexplicable reason, she felt that this six-year-old boy had a powerful presence, one that even gave her a faint sense of danger.

That left her rather puzzled. The boy before her was only six, and merely a One-Ring Soul Master. How could he possibly make a three-ring Soul Elder like her feel threatened?

Ma Xiaotao shook her head, clearing away those stray thoughts. She decided to finish the task her master had assigned her first.

She patted Chen An's shoulder and spoke lazily, with a hint of boredom in her voice.

"Little Chen An, come on. Let me introduce Shrek City to you first.

Shrek City is one of the largest cities on the entire continent, with a population of over a million.

Geographically, it lies in the southeastern part of the Heaven Dou Empire. The Star Dou Great Forest is to the southeast, the Dou Ling Empire to the east, and the Star Luo Empire to the south. You could say it sits right at the heart of the three empires' borders.

Since we're at the junction of all three empires, and our Shrek Academy is powerful enough to ensure excellent security, trade here is not only fair but also much more reassuring.

That's why most merchants from the three empires choose to conduct their international trade in Shrek City.

The taxes Shrek Academy collects each year alone amount to an astronomical sum.

Also, anyone can enter or leave through Shrek City's southern, western, and northern gates. Only the eastern gate is reserved exclusively for Shrek Academy.

Shrek Academy has absolute authority over this city, and it even has its own army, a full ten thousand strong. Three thousand of them are soul masters. They're called the Shrek Army."

As she spoke, Ma Xiaotao pointed at the fully armed soldiers patrolling the streets, pride written all over her face.

She was so proud because the Shrek Army enjoyed an illustrious reputation across the Douluo Continent.

During the Holy War between the Sun Moon Continent and the Douluo Continent four thousand years earlier, the armies of the Douluo Continent's nations had suffered defeat after defeat against the Sun Moon Empire's soul engineer legions. They had been on the brink of total collapse.

At that critical moment, Shrek Academy had deployed three thousand soldiers from the Shrek Army, who forcibly held back the Sun Moon Empire's army for fifteen days. That bought the Douluo Continent's nations enough time to mobilize their forces, making victory possible.

After listening to Ma Xiaotao's lecture, Chen An could barely keep the corners of his mouth from twitching.

Shrek Academy's power had swollen to a truly absurd degree.

How was this still an academy? It was clearly a small nation, with its own territory, army, and civilian population.

No wonder the Douluo Three Kingdoms were so wary of Shrek Academy. Ten thousand years later, it had even been blasted to rubble with the Federation Government's tacit approval.

It was hard to blame the federation for being ruthless. Shrek Academy was simply too powerful and influential, yet it followed only its own rules and completely ignored national law.

To any ruler, a faction as powerful as Shrek Academy that refused to obey orders would undoubtedly be a thorn in the eye and a spike in the flesh.

Chen An felt that if he were an emperor, he would certainly find a way to suppress and subjugate Shrek Academy. Otherwise, he probably wouldn't even sleep soundly.

Ma Xiaotao led Chen An around, eating, drinking, enjoying the scenery, and introducing Shrek City's customs and culture as they toured the whole city.

That gave Chen An a clear, concrete understanding of Shrek City, rather than the few scattered descriptions in the original novel.

By the end of their outing, Chen An was perfectly fine, while Ma Xiaotao was thoroughly exhausted.

After all, Chen An's body was already strong enough to withstand a two-thousand-year soul ring. His physique was no weaker than that of many Soul Elders.

On top of that, his True Self Martial Soul possessed tremendous recuperative ability, allowing his stamina to recover rapidly. Thus, even though Ma Xiaotao was a Soul Elder, Chen An still surpassed her in endurance.

Ma Xiaotao had worked up a sweat, and her breathing had quickened slightly. Damp patches appeared on her red dress, making it cling to her and accentuate her curves.

Looking at Chen An, whose face was not flushed and who was not even out of breath, Ma Xiaotao could not help showing her surprise.

Wait, she was a Soul Elder. Even she was tired, yet this six-year-old was completely fine?

Which one of them was the Soul Elder, her or this little brat Chen An?

Recalling that earlier faint sense of danger, Ma Xiaotao suddenly felt her hands itching for a fight.

She wanted to test just how strong the little brat before her really was.

Ma Xiaotao reached out and rested a hand on Chen An's seemingly slender shoulder, a spark of fighting spirit in her eyes.

"Little Chen An, I didn't expect you to have such good stamina. I really underestimated you, little brother.

I've taken you on an eating tour tonight. How about we find somewhere to work off that food?"

Just as Ma Xiaotao issued her challenge to Chen An...

An old man in white robes and a beautiful middle-aged woman quietly watched Chen An and Ma Xiaotao from among the clouds.

They were Ma Xiaotao's master and his wife, Yan Shaozhe and Cai Mei'er.

Yan Shaozhe said, "As expected of a True Self Martial Soul Soul Master. His stamina really is incredible."

Xiaotao is an evil fire phoenix Soul Elder, and her physique is quite strong even among Soul Elders. Yet she still couldn't match Chen An, whose soul power is only at rank fifteen."

Cai Mei'er said approvingly, "Xiaotao and Chen An do seem well matched, though. Xiaotao's evil fire phoenix martial soul already gives her considerable needs. An ordinary soul master really wouldn't be able to withstand her demands in the future."

Yan Shaozhe stroked his beard. "Yes, they certainly seem well matched. It's just that Xiaotao is six years older than Chen An. The age gap is a little large."

Cai Mei'er gave a haughty snort. "They're both soul masters. What does a six-year gap matter? Once they're fifty or sixty, eighty or ninety, that little difference won't even be worth mentioning.

I think we could try bringing them together. Once Xiaotao and Chen An become husband and wife, Chen An will not only develop deep ties to Shrek Academy but also strengthen the Martial Soul Department.

While those two shameless elders, Yan Shaozhe and Cai Mei'er, discussed pairing their disciple Ma Xiaotao with Chen An...

On a street in Shrek City.

Chen An looked at Ma Xiaotao's somewhat fervent eyes and asked, "Senior Ma Xiaotao, you said we'd work off the food? How exactly?"

Ma Xiaotao curled her lips into a smile. "By fighting, of course!"

With that, Ma Xiaotao grabbed Chen An and hurried toward Shrek Academy's Soul Fighting Zone.

Just then, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm spoke from within Chen An's Sea of Consciousness. "Little Chen An, be careful. Two extremely powerful experts are watching you from high above. Keep yourself in check, and don't expose anything."

After warning Chen An, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm immediately concealed his spiritual fluctuations, no longer emitting even the slightest unusual trace.

Once Chen An learned that someone was watching him, an imperceptible glimmer of deep, shadowy light flashed through his black eyes.