Sea God Pavilion, Mu En

"Wait, how long was I out?!"

Su Wen instinctively touched his head. His hair had grown noticeably longer than before he lost consciousness. At the very least... it had to have been over a month!

"Chirp chirp~"

A nimble white baboon suddenly darted in through the wooden window. Seeing that Su Wen was awake, he cried out in delight.

"Shh..."

Su Wen hurriedly gestured for him to keep it down.

From the looks of it, Ma Xiaotao had probably not slept peacefully in a long time. She had stayed by his bedside throughout the days he had been unconscious, and he did not want to wake her so soon.

But things did not go as he wished.

Ma Xiaotao opened her sleepy eyes. Her striking red hair hung messily over her shoulders. Seeing Su Wen sitting up, she froze for a moment, then rubbed her eyes and cried out in surprise.

"Xiao Wen, you're awake!"

She pulled Su Wen into her arms and hugged him tightly.

"Mm..."

Feeling the two already well-developed headlights swaying against him, Su Wen nearly drowned in the waves and struggled a little.

"Right, I need to find Elder Mu!"

Ma Xiaotao released Su Wen and rushed out in a flurry.

"I still haven't asked how long I was asleep..."

Su Wen sighed helplessly.

"Chirp chirp~"

Hurricane excitedly shared something with Su Wen, gesturing wildly as he spoke.

"You mean the environment outside is wonderful? There are many ancient trees that are centuries old, all kinds of rare and exotic plants, and this place makes you feel very comfortable?" Su Wen paused, got out of bed, and looked out the window.

Moist air washed over him, followed by a bird's-eye view of an entire "academy." From such a lofty vantage point, he could take in the whole massive academy at a glance, showing just how high up—and how central—his location was.

"This couldn't be..."

Su Wen froze.

Sea God Pavilion!

"That's right. This is the core of Shrek Academy, Sea God Pavilion. From now on, it will also be your home."

A gentle voice came from behind him.

Su Wen turned around in surprise.

Ma Xiaotao was pushing a wheelchair and winked at him. The old man seated in it was thin and hunched, but his eyes were deep and kind.

"Elder Mu."

Su Wen nodded slightly, his expression calming somewhat.

This truly was a secret and vital location of Sea God Pavilion. Even Huo Gua had only come here once before the tournament in the early days. The Golden Ancient Wood was also one of Shrek Academy's most closely guarded secrets.

And now, he was inside this Golden Ancient Wood.

No wonder his Soul Power had risen so quickly.

The Spiritual Energy around him was absurdly dense.

Even lying down, he had been cultivating.

"Child, since you have joined Shrek Academy, treat this place as your home. The failure of this operation lies entirely with Xuan Zi. I will punish him severely. I hope this will not make you disappointed in the academy..." Mu En said sincerely.

Judging by his manner, if his body had allowed it, he would have wanted to stand and bow to Su Wen. His sincerity was unmistakable.

After all, he had investigated Su Wen and found no clues whatsoever. It was as if he had appeared out of thin air in the Star Dou Great Forest. But that was unimportant. As long as he was not from the Sun Moon Empire—and even if he was—Mu En was confident he could make Su Wen grow fond of Shrek Academy...

So the most urgent matter was not to let this child become disheartened.

Moreover, Su Wen had risked the shattering of his own Martial Soul to buy a precious minute for those Inner Courtyard Disciples trapped in danger. That alone showed his kind heart. His talent was exceptional, he cultivated diligently, and he had tremendous courage. He was practically a Sea God Pavilion Master bestowed by heaven!

Ma Xiaotao had said that, in those final moments, the determination in the child's eyes had been absolute. He had persisted until the Pokeball shattered, refusing to give up until the very end. Even an adult might not have possessed such immense perseverance, right? (In truth, Su Wen had been in so much pain that he passed out and had no awareness of releasing it.)

At the mention of Xuan Zi, Mu En's expression grew more solemn.

"Xiaotao, notify Shao Zhe. Convene a Sea God Pavilion Meeting..."

"Yes!"

Ma Xiaotao left.

"Is your Martial Soul all right..." With no one pushing it, the wheelchair slowly moved forward. Mu En looked Su Wen over kindly, unable to hide the smile in his eyes. He gently grasped Su Wen's arm, sensing the meridians and orderly Soul Power within his body. His expression softened further.

"It's fine now, Elder Mu."

Su Wen spread open his palm.

The white sphere vanished from the Sea of Consciousness and appeared in his hand.

"Good, good. As long as you're all right."

Mu En smiled as he wrapped Su Wen's hand in his dry palm, slowly closing it around the small white sphere before patting him on the shoulder.

"Good child, push me to the meeting room. I'll show you the way."

"Alright..."

Su Wen took a deep breath.

Things were finally getting back on track.

In the empty corridor, Su Wen pushed Mu En forward. The two chatted along the way, and the atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant.

However...

Su Wen knew that even if Xuan Zi had made a mistake, he would never be expelled or stripped of his position. Mu En would play the stern-faced villain and give Xuan Zi a scare, while Yan Shaozhe and the others would naturally offer excuses and a way out to Xuan Zi. In the end, after a minor punishment and a stern warning, the matter would be over.

After all, in the Original Work, even when only four out of fifteen people had survived, nothing had happened to Xuan Zi. This time, with Su Wen present, no one had died and everyone had returned safely. Naturally, they would be even less likely to do anything to Xuan Zi.

Su Wen understood this perfectly well.

If they truly punished Xuan Zi severely, he would be the one left dumbfounded, wondering whether the upper ranks of Shrek Academy had water in their brains and whether it was worth staying here.

The strongest among them, second only to the current heavily injured Mu En—a Rank 98 super powerhouse, the Vice Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion, and the first in line to inherit the position of Sea God Pavilion Master after Mu En passed away—and they wanted to expel him over a single dereliction of duty?

If Mu En were still in good health, that might barely be understandable.

But Old Mu was now like a withered leaf in the autumn wind, liable to depart at any moment. Cutting off one's own arm at a time like this—how was that any different from being an idiot?

Xuan Zi could not leave.

Though the little old man was unreliable, his combat power was the real deal.

What Su Wen valued was Shrek's overall strength and resources. The former could provide him with a stable cultivation environment in his early days, something exceedingly hard to come by in the Douluo World.

If Xuan Zi left, all of Shrek could be thrown into turmoil. When the Holy Spirit Cult set its sights on Ma Xiaotao and came to Shrek for a few more rounds of "recruitment," Su Wen himself might get swept away in the process.

In the blink of an eye, the two had reached the end of the corridor, where an ancient door blocked their path.

"Push it open."

Mu En said with a smile.

"Alright."

Su Wen stepped forward. Without exerting any force, he gently pushed the door open. Inside was a meeting room, currently packed with people. At least twenty or thirty elderly men turned their gazes toward him, their eyes filled with expectation, kindness, warmth, fondness, and... guilt.

When Xuan Zi saw Su Wen, he opened his mouth, then lowered his head again.

Su Wen raised an eyebrow, signaling that it was fine.

At a time like this, berating Elder Xuan would bring him no benefit beyond letting off some steam. On the contrary, it might wash away the guilt in Xuan Zi's heart, making it more trouble than it was worth.

Pretending nothing had happened and allowing Yan Shaozhe and the others to offer Xuan Zi a way out was the true way to maximize his interests.

Of course, in the end, it was still because he was too weak, forced to worry about this and that. Once he grew strong enough... he would definitely make Shrek take his shape.

In his view, Shrek had flourished for ten thousand years, yet its roots buried underground and hidden from sunlight already seemed to carry a faint stench of rot...