On Sea God Island, after the battle, Mu En was resting in his usual recliner.
"Teacher, are you alright?" Yan Shaozhe and Xian Liner rushed back to Sea God Island to find Mu En lying back in his recliner, looking slightly older.
"I'm fine," Mu En replied nonchalantly, though his weariness was evident. "I didn't expect him to show up with Feng Ling."
"Yes, it's been years since we've heard from Feng Ling. She actually sought out this Senior. No wonder she dared to come to the Academy and demand an explanation from me."
"No." Mu En shook his head and then asked Xian Liner another question. "Have the Elders returned yet?"
"Not yet," Xian Liner responded. "The person who took the Disciple must also be a Titled Douluo. This is no mere breakthrough."
Only then did Yan Shaozhe realize something was off. "Teacher, Feng Ling wasn't coming for me?"
Mu En closed his eyes for a moment, deep in thought. Then, he spoke slowly, "Whether it's Feng Ling or him, coming here was just a pretense. Their true goal is that Disciple. Although it's hard to believe, if I'm not mistaken, they are intentionally cultivating Evil Soul Masters."
"Cultivating Evil Soul Masters?" Yan Shaozhe and Xian Liner exchanged shocked looks.
This revelation hit them hard. The creation of Evil Soul Masters was accompanied by countless lives lost. If they were really cultivating Evil Soul Masters, who knew how many innocent lives had already been consumed.
Moreover, Evil Soul Masters cultivated at an alarming rate. This rapid growth was precisely why many chose to take the dark path. If someone was truly cultivating Evil Soul Masters without concern for the consequences, they could quickly build a powerful force.
"Teacher, if someone is really cultivating Evil Soul Masters, then that..." Xian Liner started, but Mu En interrupted her with a wave of his hand.
"Don't worry for now. I severely injured him with the power of the Golden Tree. He won't be coming back to the Academy for at least ten years. I just hope that in the time I have left, I can see an heir emerge who can lead Shrek forward."
Mu En paused, then sighed deeply. "By the way, Shao Zhe, I need you to inform the Imperial families of the Great Empires about what happened tonight at Shrek Academy and share my suspicions. They should remain on high alert for Evil Soul Masters."
"Should we also notify the Sun Moon Empire?" Yan Shaozhe asked hesitantly.
"Yes, send it." Mu En sighed again. "No matter the conflicts between us, ordinary people are innocent. Evil Soul Masters should be our common enemy."
"Also, notify all members of the Shrek Supervisory Group to be extra vigilant when carrying out their missions and look for the strongholds of the Evil Soul Masters. If they are indeed cultivating Evil Soul Masters, they must have a fixed base. Have the Supervisory Group members search for it."
"Finally, expand the recruitment scope of the Supervisory Group. From now on, all Outer Courtyard Disciples with spirit power above Rank 40 and under the age of fifteen can apply for early entry into the Inner Courtyard. All Core Disciples with spirit power above Rank 30 will be recruited into the Supervisory Group reserve."
"Understood, Teacher."
---
Wang Nan had no idea about the urgency of the situation on Sea God Island. His biggest gain that night was personally witnessing the battle between two powerhouses. He had learned more from observing their clash than he had from any lesson.
It was rare to have someone teach him methods during the day and then demonstrate them in actual combat at night. If he didn't learn from that, it would have been inexcusable.
The next morning, Sun He gathered everyone for a simple class meeting, and it was then that Wang Nan finally learned about the events that transpired the previous night.
Interestingly, this matter had a connection to Wang Nan.
During last year's freshman assessment, there was a student named Ji Tongxuan who had reached the finals. His Spirit, originally the mutated Crying Blood Phoenix, went out of control in the final arena. Desperate to win, Ji Tongxuan absorbed Ji Hui's spirit power, causing Ji Hui to fall into a coma, thus turning Ji Tongxuan into an Evil Soul Master.
After Wang Nan defeated him, Ji Tongxuan disappeared. Shrek Academy had canceled his results and expelled him, but they didn't let him leave. Instead, they kept him under strict supervision on Sea God Island.
Not every Evil Soul Master is beyond redemption. Although Ji Tongxuan temporarily lost control, after receiving a few strikes from Wang Nan, he sobered up. As he hadn't caused any major consequences, the Academy tried to suppress his Spirit and guide him back to the right path.
However, just last night, a powerful Spirit Master broke into Shrek Academy. The Elders were immediately on high alert, and someone took advantage of the situation to take Ji Tongxuan away. When Yan Shaozhe led a team to the Outer Courtyard, he coincidentally encountered Feng Ling.
Although Sun He didn't mention who the powerhouse was, Wang Nan quickly realized that the only one capable of breaking into Sea God Island—where Mu En was—and making all the Elders stand on alert was Long Xiaoyao, the Dark Sacred Dragon, a figure as famous as Mu En.
It seemed that not only had Yan Shaozhe's creditor come to collect, but Mu En's creditor had arrived as well.
"Alright, for the remainder of the time, the other students will continue their promotion assessments. Wang Nan, come out with me."
Wang Nan was still pondering the strange connection between the Holy Spirit Cult, Evil Soul Masters, and Mu En's master and disciple, when Sun He called for him.
"Teacher Sun, are you looking for me?"
"Yes." Sun He led him to a secluded spot. Once they were alone, Sun He spoke, "I want to ask for your opinion on something."
Sun He paused to gather his thoughts. "Do you know what the biggest difference is between the Inner Courtyard and the Outer Courtyard at Shrek Academy?"
Without waiting for Wang Nan to answer, Sun He continued, "The biggest difference is not in teaching resources, but in the responsibilities you bear. At Shrek Academy, there is an organization called the Shrek Supervisory Group."
"As you know, Evil Soul Masters exist on the Douluo Continent. Some Spirit Masters, relying on their cultivation, act arrogantly among ordinary people and low-ranking Spirit Masters."
"The root cause is that Spirit Masters' abilities far exceed those of ordinary people, and there's a lack of supervision. Therefore, six thousand years ago, Shrek Academy was divided into the Inner and Outer Courtyards. Inner Courtyard Disciples, besides enjoying better resources, also bear the responsibility of supervision."
"This supervision is not for countries, but for Spirit Masters. Whenever a Spirit Master commits evil, or when there's no supervision or they are unsupervised, we send Inner Courtyard Disciples to intervene and impose sanctions. At this point, they take on another title: the Shrek Supervisory Group."
"In the Academy, all Inner Courtyard Disciples and active teachers are members of the Supervisory Group. The reason I called you here is to ask if you'd like to join. As a Core Disciple, you're a reserve for the Inner Courtyard Disciples, and similarly, you will also be a reserve for the Shrek Supervisory Group."