Jing Hongchen collected himself, took a deep breath, and said to Mu En:
"Shrek Academy's heritage spans ten thousand years; it is the number one academy on the continent. If we could engage in exchanges with your esteemed institution, it would be our honor as well."
He didn't know what would happen if he refused Mu En's proposal, but before such a powerhouse, it was best not to test the outcome.
If his guess was right, the man before him — one who could make even Xuanzi bow and speak humbly — must be an Ultimate Douluo of Shrek Academy! Facing an Ultimate Douluo, even his own teacher, Kong Deming, might not necessarily hold the upper hand.
Without being a Rank 10 Soul Engineer, there was simply no advantage when facing an Ultimate Douluo.
Hearing Jing Hongchen's agreement, Mu En's gaze swept downward toward Jiang Shengyu and the others. He smiled and said:
"Children, this old man looks forward to seeing your faces at Shrek Academy!"
It was almost a direct invitation for Jiang Shengyu's group to come to Shrek Academy.
Jing Hongchen remained silent, offering no objection.
Jiang Shengyu, watching how even a mere external projection of Mu En could make Jing Hongchen — whose strength was comparable to a Level 98 superpower — hold his tongue, and recalling all that Ye Xishui had done before, felt for the first time an overwhelming thirst for strength.
In the past, most of his attention had been devoted to research on methods for adding non–soul beast–origin soul rings and evolving the quality of soul rings. His cultivation had been focused mainly on injecting his soul power into his rings to promote their evolution.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken seven or eight years just to advance from one ring to four — and that fourth ring had only been gained because Snow Empress had directly poured soul power into him to elevate it.
After addressing the others, Mu En's eyes fell upon Tang Ya. He continued:
"Xiao Ya, this old man has already had the Tang Sect's ancestral grounds in Heaven Dou City reclaimed. Shrek Academy and the Heavenly Soul Empire will always welcome the Tang Sect — and you."
Hearing this, Tang Ya fell silent. Mu En's words rang in her ears as unbearably sharp and mocking. If reclaiming the Tang Sect's ancestral home was so easy, then why hadn't they done it earlier? Wasn't it only because she had gone to the Sun Moon Empire that they decided to use the ancestral grounds as leverage?
After a long pause, Tang Ya said quietly:
"Thank you, Elder Mu."
Mu En nodded, then turned to Xuanzi:
"Xuanzi, let's go."
Xuanzi glanced once at Jing Hongchen and at Jiang Shengyu's group below, but said nothing, simply inclining his head and following Mu En away.
Only after confirming that Mu En and Xuanzi had departed did Jing Hongchen exhale in relief and look downward — causing the soldiers stationed there to tense even further.
That Mu En and Xuanzi could disregard Jing Hongchen did not mean they could disregard them. To the soldiers, there was no difference in threat between an Ultimate Douluo and Level 90 Titled Douluo.
Fortunately, Jing Hongchen did not say much, merely waving his hand:
"Let's go. Time to head back."
"Yes, Dean."
The leading teacher bowed slightly, taking Jiang Shengyu's group through Yuming Pass and toward the Sun Moon Empire's own border checkpoint.
Once they had crossed fully back into Sun Moon territory, everyone finally breathed easier.
"So that was the Ultimate Douluo from Shrek Academy that Qingtong mentioned!"
Xiao Hongchen turned his head to look back in the direction of Yuming Pass, letting out a sigh:
"Truly powerful. One day, I'll become that strong! No — I'll become even stronger!"
Hearing Xiao Hongchen's confident words, Jing Hongchen looked back and said:
"Then work for it, brat."
"Don't worry, Grandpa!" Xiao Hongchen grinned.
Jing Hongchen addressed the whole team:
"Teacher Yi has already told me about your performance in the tournament! When we return to the academy, you'll each be rewarded accordingly. Welcome home — you are all little heroes of the Sun Moon Empire."
As a leader, Jing Hongchen knew the importance of conduct as well as strength. This short speech instantly closed the distance between himself and the young members of the delegation.
"Thank you, Dean!"
Everyone beamed, bowing in thanks.
After a brief rest at the checkpoint, they boarded the newly designed soul train bound for Mingdu.
Sure, a Titled Douluo could fly, and they had enough flying-type soul tools, but who would choose to freeze in the air when they could ride comfortably? Besides, the train's traction engine was a rank 7 soul tool — speed guaranteed.
Meanwhile, Mu En and Xuanzi were returning from Yuming Pass. Midway, Xuanzi couldn't suppress his question any longer:
"Elder Mu… Xiao Tao, she…"
Mu En shook his head.
"Xiao Tao was taken by Long Xiaoyao — perhaps under Ye Xishui's orders."
Hearing this, Xuanzi's eyes widened in shock.
"Ye Xishui? That Death God Douluo Ye Xishui? She's still alive? Isn't she an evil soul master?"
Evil soul masters, because of their methods' overwhelming baleful aura and their harm to the natural order, could indeed gain great power — but most had much shorter lifespans than ordinary soul masters. Ye Xishui had been a paragon among evil soul masters; how could she still be alive?
Then a chilling thought struck him.
"If Ye Xishui is scheming in the shadows, then with Xiao Tao in her hands, won't she become…"
Mu En nodded.
"Yes. An evil soul master."
"Then all the more reason we should rescue her! If Xiao Tao becomes an evil soul master, with her talent, it would be a disaster for the continent!"
But Mu En only shook his head.
"It's impossible. Even if you and I joined forces, we could not take Xiao Tao from Ye Xishui."
This wasn't even considering that Mu En was only here in projection — even if he came in person, so what? At best, Long Xiaoyao might remain neutral, but more likely he would side with Ye Xishui. And with the many powerful subordinates of the Holy Spirit Cult backing her, rescuing Ma Xiaotao was simply not feasible.
Xuanzi realized the truth in this and fell silent.
"However," Mu En continued, "as long as the Jiang siblings are with us, Shrek Academy's future still holds hope. That's why we must keep them."
It was precisely because of Jiang Shengyu and Jiang Qingtong's existence that Mu En was not overly anxious about Ma Xiaotao's fate.
Everything Mu En did was for the continuity of Shrek Academy. Originally, he had planned for Xuanzi to succeed him, then pass leadership to Yan Shaozhe, and from Yan Shaozhe to Ma Xiaotao — ensuring that Shrek's leaders would always possess overwhelming strength to deter enemies.
But now that Jiang Qingtong had appeared, Ma Xiaotao's place in Mu En's mind had diminished.
"As for Xiao Tao," Mu En said, "I will try to reach Long Xiaoyao. As for Shaozhe, I'll leave the explanation to you."
"Understood, Elder Mu."
Xuanzi had already guessed much of Mu En's thinking, but he could not say that Mu En's approach was wrong — he knew it was for Shrek's sake.
And the reality was, they truly had little chance of bringing Ma Xiaotao back.
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