"This... that child, that child..."
Xian Lin'er's eyes shifted, her tone noticeably hesitant.
"I left that child in the Soul Tool Department. I'll go bring him over right now!"
With that, without waiting for anyone to react, Xian Lin'er hastily rose, her chair scraping across the floor with a somewhat piercing screech.
The people in the Sea God Pavilion were all among the continent's foremost experts, and most had known Xian Lin'er for a long time. They immediately noticed something was off.
Cai Mei'er narrowed her beautiful eyes. Having grown up with Xian Lin'er, she naturally noticed her guilty unease as well.
"Lin'er, you're the dean of the Soul Tool Department. You should stay here and continue discussing the student allocations with us."
Cai Mei'er chuckled and said unhurriedly:
"As for that child with the Ultimate Ice attribute, let Lexuan make the trip and bring him over for you."
Standing to the side as an observer, as though she were invisible, Zhang Lexuan froze briefly and instinctively looked toward Mu En and Xian Lin'er.
"That works too. We should discuss the important business first."
Somewhat unexpectedly, Qian Duoduo, who had remained silent all this time, also revealed an honest smile and spoke:
"Lin'er, just let Lexuan bring that child over."
Qian Duoduo was simple and earnest by nature. Whatever he did, he always put what he considered important business first.
Yet he had not a shred of perceptiveness or emotional intelligence!
As her husband, even if only in name, he had actually failed to notice Xian Lin'er's predicament!
In his view, fetching a child with an Ultimate Attribute hardly required Xian Lin'er, the dean of the Soul Tool Department, to go herself.
How to divide those third-year outer court students with the Martial Soul Department was the important business that he and Xian Lin'er, the Soul Tool Department's dean, ought to prioritize.
"You!"
Xian Lin'er choked, never having expected Qian Duoduo to take the initiative to help Cai Mei'er twist the knife.
"Lin'er, what's wrong?"
Cai Mei'er lifted her jade-like chin slightly and covered her mouth with a soft laugh.
"Could it be that you've hidden that child with the Ultimate Attribute... somewhere that can't bear the light of day?"
It could only be said that the person who understood you best was always your sworn enemy!
"Lin'er, what exactly is going on?"
Seeing the shifting expressions on Xian Lin'er's face, Mu En finally frowned and asked from the seat of honor.
"Elder Mu..."
Xian Lin'er bit her lip and hesitated for a moment, then waved her hand as though she had decided to smash an already cracked pot.
A flash of light swept over the Storage Soul Tool on her finger.
The next moment, Xue Chen's figure finally appeared in the Sea God Pavilion's meeting hall.
"Tsk, hiding someone inside a Storage Soul Tool... truly worthy of a Level 8 Soul Engineer!"
Cai Mei'er took a sarcastic jab at Xian Lin'er, then turned her gaze toward the utterly bewildered Xue Chen, her eyes immediately lighting up.
"What a handsome young fellow!"
Whatever else might be said, Xue Chen's looks really could hold their own.
Even these Sea God Pavilion Elders, who had seen countless people, were drawn to Xue Chen's peerlessly beautiful face.
"Chen'er, this is the Sea God Pavilion. Everyone seated here is a senior of Shrek Academy."
Xian Lin'er gave a dry cough, forcing herself to assume a teacher's bearing before Xue Chen and the many Sea God Pavilion Elders.
"Release your Martial Soul and let the seniors have a look!"
Xian Lin'er's Storage Soul Tool could hold living beings, but it was not advanced enough to let Xue Chen know what was happening outside.
Hearing that he had arrived at the Sea God Pavilion, Xue Chen still could not help a slight change in expression.
The Sea God Pavilion!
This was the most legendary place throughout the history of Shrek Academy, and even the Douluo Continent.
Since Tang San had transplanted the Ancient Golden Tree into Shrek Academy, who knew how many experts in the Douluo Continent's history had emerged from this Sea God Pavilion, fashioned from the Ancient Golden Tree?
Almost instinctively, Xue Chen glanced at the stooped old man in the seat of honor.
Dragon God Douluo Mu En, one of only three Level 99 Limit Douluos alive!
Naturally, Xian Lin'er had no idea what Xue Chen was thinking. She merely assumed he was momentarily bewildered and did not understand what had happened, so she prepared to speak again.
But before she could open her mouth, Cai Mei'er, who liked Xue Chen more the longer she looked at him, spoke first:
"Good child, don't be afraid. Release your Martial Soul and let us have a look!"
It could only be said that a beautiful face really did raise the opposite sex's initial favorability!
No matter how old that member of the opposite sex was!
Almost instantly, the system's notification rang in Xue Chen's ears again.
[Congratulations to the host for successfully cataloging and activating S-rank goddess: Cai Mei'er!] [Congratulations to the host for obtaining the activation reward: ten ten-thousand-year whale glue!] [Ten ten-thousand-year whale glue: a supreme treasure produced by a hundred-thousand-year Deep Sea Demonic Whale King. A refueling station for men, a beauty salon for women. Everyone who has used it says it's good!]
Whale rubber?
A fucking refueling station for men and beauty salon for women, too?
Was this stuff even legitimate?
Though Xue Chen, thoroughly snapped awake by the system's notifications, grumbled inwardly, he nodded toward Cai Mei'er.
"Yes!"
Seeing Xue Chen interact with Cai Mei'er, Xian Lin'er's expression immediately darkened.
Stealing her boyfriend was one thing, but now she actually wanted to steal her disciple too.
If this could be tolerated, what could not!
"Martial Soul Possession!"
With Xue Chen's low shout, the phantom of his Five Elements Qilin Martial Soul immediately appeared behind him.
It had a dragon's head, deer antlers, a lion's tail, and ox hooves. Five-colored light shimmered across the scales covering its body, and even beneath its feet, five-colored flames of light surged.
Dense power of the five elements, along with the extreme cold emanating from the Yellow Soul Ring beneath Xue Chen's feet, instantly spread throughout the Sea God Pavilion.
"This presence..."
In an instant, everyone, including Mu En, sensed a faint pressure from Xue Chen.
Yan Shaozhe in particular even felt that the fire attribute of his Bright Phoenix Martial Soul had been considerably weakened beneath the ice attribute of Xue Chen's Martial Soul.
He was a Level 95 Super Douluo, and the Bright Phoenix was a top-tier Martial Soul.
An ice attribute capable of suppressing his Martial Soul's fire attribute had to belong to the Ultimate Ice Martial Soul he had sought for so long.
"Child, what is your name?"
Just as Yan Shaozhe was considering how to pry Xue Chen away from the Soul Tool Department, Mu En spoke from the seat of honor.
"Senior, my name is Xue Chen."
Xue Chen bowed to Mu En.
"Xue Chen... your Martial Soul is of very high quality, and it is quite unusual."
Mu En carefully examined Xue Chen, lingering especially long on the Yellow Soul Ring beneath his feet. A sharp gleam flashed through his somewhat clouded eyes.
"If I'm not mistaken, your Martial Soul should be a qilin, and the legendary Five Elements Qilin, born with mastery over five attributes, at that!"
At these words, everyone's expression changed.
These Sea God Pavilion Elders were the people who understood Martial Souls best on the continent. Naturally, they had heard of the Five Elements Qilin, a Martial Soul that existed only in legends.
"Elder Mu, the Five Elements Qilin Martial Soul possesses the five attributes of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth... but ice doesn't seem to be among them, does it?"
After a moment of silence, Xian Lin'er could not help asking.