Mu En

Yan Shaozhe said, "You're right, but is Jiang Hai's talent for cultivating soul power really that much worse than Wang Dong's? Give him another two years, and even if his soul power hasn't reached rank twenty, he'll be close. Add his talent for actual combat and his innate divine strength, and even a Soul Elder might not be able to beat him. Besides, what makes you think his second soul ring won't be a Thousand-Year Soul Ring? His first soul ring was already eight hundred years old, and it came from an eight-hundred-year-old Diamond Tiger with a royal bloodline. The age of his second soul ring will only be higher. Lexuan really brought the academy a treasure this time!"

Ma Xiaotao asked, "Teacher, you're saying Senior Sister found Jiang Hai? But what do you mean by giving him another two years?"

Yan Shaozhe nodded and said with a smile, "Lexuan did bring him back. As for why I said to give him another two years, the reason is simple. He only awakened his martial soul at eight, and he's only cultivated for three years so far. That's why he was allowed to take this assessment as an exception! Otherwise, even if Lexuan recommended him, your teacher isn't someone who breaks the rules at a whim!"

"He awakened his martial soul at eight? So that's it. In that case, his talent really isn't any worse than Wang Dong's! But I didn't know all that before. Teacher, how can you say my eye for talent is worse than Senior Sister's?" Ma Xiaotao protested in a sweet voice.

"Haha, you little rascal, you really are..." Yan Shaozhe shook his head with a smile, then paused before asking, "Xiaotao, what would you think of having him as your junior brother?"

"Teacher, you want to take Jiang Hai as your disciple?" Ma Xiaotao asked in surprise.

Yan Shaozhe nodded. "I've considered it, but I haven't decided yet. Let's wait and see. If he performs well later, I wouldn't be opposed to taking him as my disciple!"

The first-year dormitory building.

It was a white building, its style bearing some resemblance to the high-rises of his previous life. There were four teaching buildings in all, colored white, yellow, purple, and black. Most buildings at Shrek Academy followed this pattern, with different colors indicating the year groups they belonged to.

White represented the first years and also corresponded to the color of ten-year soul beasts and ten-year soul rings.

When they reached the white first-year dormitory building, they found a very elderly man sitting by the entrance.

The old man wore gray cloth robes, hardly better than Jiang Hai's hemp clothing. His face was covered in wrinkles, his eyes yellowed and dim, his gaze lowered. He looked like a guttering candle in the wind, his remaining years dwindling away. Jiang Hai could also sense the heavy aura of approaching death around him. His martial soul, the Bronze Coffin, trembled incessantly, though he could not tell whether it was excited, afraid, or both.

Sunlight threaded between the buildings and fell directly on the old man, who looked utterly at ease as he reclined.

Jiang Hai stopped a short distance in front of him, his gaze complicated, but still bowed deeply. "Junior Jiang Hai pays his respects, Senior!"

Dragon God Douluo Mu En, the strongest man on the Douluo Continent-a peerless powerhouse who held more than half the world in check single-handedly, and whose strength alone kept the ferocious beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest from setting even half a step beyond its borders.

"Are you talking to me?" Mu En kept his eyelids lowered, showing not a trace of a peerless expert's bearing. He shook his head with a smile. "I'm no senior. Just an old gatekeeper whose candle is flickering out!"

Nothing in Mu En's words or manner carried the air of a powerhouse. Instead, being around him felt like basking in a spring breeze.

Wang Dong and Le Qianqian also gave Jiang Hai puzzled looks. This was clearly just an elderly grandfather. What a strange fellow.

Only Chen Yong looked thoughtful. He copied Jiang Hai and bowed to Mu En as well. His father had told him that being stupid was fine, as long as he followed the example of clever people.

In Chen Yong's eyes, Jiang Hai was the cleverest person he had ever met.

Mu En smiled. What interesting little fellows.

Jiang Hai's expression grew solemn. He bowed again and said respectfully, "I have come to study at Shrek Academy. For the next six years, I will not harm a single blade of grass or tree belonging to the academy. Please grant me your permission, Senior!"

Chen Yong glanced at Jiang Hai. He did not repeat those words, but bowed along with him.

Mu En raised his head and looked into Jiang Hai's eyes, then shook his head in puzzlement. "You carry yourself far too gravely, little fellow. You hardly seem like a youth in the spring of life, with grass growing tall and orioles soaring. If you've come to study at Shrek Academy, just focus on your studies. Even if you leave Shrek Academy one day, that will only mean the academy itself hasn't done well enough. What fault would that be of yours? You should live with a little more vitality, unlike an old man like me who's already halfway into the grave. By the way, what is your martial soul?"

"The Tenfold Heavenly Coffin!" Jiang Hai answered honestly. Before the strongest man of the age, honesty was the wisest choice. He did not know whether he could fool Mu En, so he might as well be frank.

"The Tenfold Heavenly Coffin?" Mu En glanced at Jiang Hai, who instantly felt as though that single look had seen through him from head to toe.

A moment later, Mu En withdrew his gaze and nodded. "A coffin hidden within a coffin, ten coffins in all. You intend to evolve it each time you absorb a soul ring? One ring, one layer of coffin. When all ten emerge, it will indeed deserve the name Tenfold Heavenly Coffin. I hope you can truly fulfill that dream someday. It is an excellent martial soul indeed. If this worn-out body of mine weren't still useful, I'd truly like to be buried in your Tenfold Heavenly Coffin. Never mind, never mind. Go on, stay at Shrek Academy and study hard. That goes for the rest of you little fellows too. Stop disturbing this old man's sleep."

With that, Mu En closed his eyes and began to doze.

Jiang Hai breathed a sigh of relief. With Mu En's acknowledgment, he could finally relax. Clearly, Mu En had already seen through the true nature of his martial soul. If Mu En had chosen to act against him, he would undoubtedly have died.

Fortunately, his gamble had paid off. To a powerhouse like Mu En, a martial soul used for good was righteous, and one used for evil was wicked!

Wang Dong looked thoughtful, and a gleam flashed through Le Qianqian's eyes as well. Only Chen Yong's eyes held delighted surprise. This old geezer... no, this old grandfather really was one of Shrek's hidden experts!?

The four bowed once more and entered the dormitory building.

As soon as they entered, Chen Yong eagerly asked, "Jiang Hai, is that old senior outside really a peerless expert hidden in Shrek Academy?"

Jiang Hai nodded.

Wang Dong could not help asking either, "Jiang Hai, how did you know the old man at the entrance was a hidden expert? He looked exactly like an ordinary person, without the slightest trace of a martial soul or soul power about him. Anyone who could achieve that, unless they really were an ordinary person, would have to be at least a Titled Douluo-and not a weak one, either."

Jiang Hai gave Wang Dong and the equally curious Le Qianqian and Chen Yong a puzzled look. "Haven't any of you read novels or storybooks? In stories, gatekeepers, sweepers, and old men watching over libraries are usually peerless experts!"

"I know, I know! When my mother told me bedtime stories, she also said that when you travel the world, the most inconspicuous people are often the most powerful. An old grandfather like that gatekeeper must have had plenty of stories when he was young. Those are my favorite stories!" Le Qianqian said excitedly.

Once they got to know her, they discovered that she was a lively girl. Still, she remained a little timid and stayed close to Wang Dong.

Wang Dong's face darkened. She glared at Le Qianqian, then asked through gritted teeth, "So you didn't know he was a peerless expert either? You were just guessing?"

"That's right!" Jiang Hai replied as though it were perfectly natural.

Grinding her teeth, Wang Dong continued, "Then what about your martial soul being the Tenfold Heavenly Coffin? How do you explain that 'one ring, one layer of coffin' business?"

"What 'one ring, one layer of coffin'? Did you hear wrong? I'm sleepy, so I'm going to bed. Bye, everyone!" Spotting a dormitory marked 109, Jiang Hai dragged Chen Yong straight inside, leaving Wang Dong facing a door that shut with a bang.

Wang Dong clenched her fists, her teeth grinding. Jiang Hai, is it? One day, I'll dig out every last one of your secrets!

Naturally, nothing that happened in the corridor escaped Mu En at the entrance. He shook his head and murmured leisurely, "It's wonderful to be young, so full of life. Seeing these youngsters makes me feel younger myself! What an interesting bunch of children. And that precociously solemn boy-just how did he see through my identity? Surely he didn't really guess?"

"The young may not see clearly, but how could an old fellow on death's doorstep like me fail to see through it? What makes a coffin an evil object? When I die, I'd rather like a coffin in which to bury myself. In that case, since I brought none of this worn-out body's power into the world and cannot take it away in death, why shouldn't I give it to that little fellow? Unfortunately, I still can't let go..."

Mu En shook his head and resumed his dozing.

Jiang Hai had no way of knowing Mu En's thoughts, nor did he harbor any covetous intentions toward him. This was a respectable old man who continued using his power to protect Shrek Academy even after death.

"Cough, cough! What an awful smell. Jiang Hai, wait here a moment. I'll fetch some water and clean the room. We'll be roommates from now on, so leave all the cleaning to me!" Chen Yong declared, patting his chest.

One glance made it clear that no one had lived in this room for several months. A moldy smell lingered in the air, and dust covered the floor. The room was not particularly large, but fortunately, it housed only two people, so it was not cramped.

Jiang Hai smiled. "How could I let you do that? We're roommates. You're not the only one living here, so of course we should clean it together."

Jiang Hai paused, then continued, "But Chen Yong, since we'll be roommates from now on, there's something I should probably tell you in advance. Do coffins bother you? If they do, I can apply to change rooms. Because of my martial soul's characteristics, cultivating inside it is much faster than cultivating outside, so I'll probably cultivate in my martial soul quite often!"

Chen Yong scratched his head with an honest, simple smile. "You mean that Bronze Coffin of yours? Martial souls can be that amazing? I don't mind. Cultivation is what matters most, after all. Besides, Jiang Hai, your martial soul is different from other coffin martial souls. It doesn't feel gloomy or sinister at all. At first, I thought your martial soul was just a big lump of iron!"

"Thank you. Let's get the room cleaned up!" Jiang Hai said.