Mu En looked at Xuan Zi, at Yan Shaozhe, and at the many elders present, his golden eyes filled with disappointment and regret for Chen An.
Chen An-what a genius, what a heaven-defying prodigy.
An unparalleled genius who could have shouldered Shrek Academy after his death was now missing, with neither a living person nor a corpse to be found, all because of Xuan Zi's negligence. How could his heart not ache?
For Chen An, he had fought a great battle with the Body Sect. Now, everything had burst like a bubble, vanishing like smoke and clouds.
What worried him even more was that Shrek Academy had no worthy successor.
Among the older and middle generations, Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe were already the best. Yet Xuan Zi lacked wisdom, and Yan Shaozhe lacked spirit. The others were even less fit for great responsibilities, falling short of those two.
Without Chen An, whom could he choose to inherit his mantle and shoulder Shrek Academy in the future?
Should he choose his great-great-grandson Bei Bei? Or Zhang Lexuan, or someone else?
But would they be enough? Were their talent and breadth of spirit truly enough to uphold the vast institution that was Shrek? Could they bear this mountain of responsibility?
As these thoughts turned in his mind, Mu En turned toward the sunset clouds beyond the window, looking at the buildings and towering trees on Sea God Island, bathed in the dusky gold of the setting sun.
Suddenly, he felt tired...
Mu En waved a hand, his gaze dimming. "Enough, enough. Perhaps Shrek Academy simply wasn't destined to have that child."
With that, Mu En hunched over and wheeled himself slowly toward the secret chamber.
"Mu En..."
"Teacher..."
Xuan Zi, Yan Shaozhe, and the others watched Mu En's forlorn figure. They