"How do we save him?!" Elder Song slammed the table, face tense. "Xiao Wen, stop keeping us in suspense!"
All the elders stared at Su Wen anxiously. Clearly, this wasn't just another jaw-dropping statement—he'd put their hearts on a roller coaster.
How important Mu En was to the Academy went without saying. For decades, the entire Sea God Pavilion had poured treasures into helping Mu En, hoping to cure the true pillar of Shrek Academy. But all means had been exhausted to no avail… And since Mu En didn't want to continue wasting Academy resources, everyone could only wait quietly for that day.
Back then, after suffering heavy injuries, Elder Mu shouldn't have ended up like this. But he made the wrong choice taking a Dragon Pill, overlooking the pill's ferocity, allowing that baleful aura to root into his spine and continually erode the source of his life.
A Limit Douluo's body is already extremely intricate. Moreover, Elder Mu forcibly suppressed and purified the Dragon Pill's ferocity, nurturing it to the point that even mid-stage Huo Yuhao could swallow it casually. That showed just how ruthless the old man was.
Reaching that point didn't mean Limit Douluo are weak—far from it. Even if Xuan Zi were at his peak, he'd still struggle to withstand the ferocity within a true dragon's pill.
It proves a Limit Douluo truly is the only existence on the continent that can decisively affect the course of a battle.
So if Mu En could recover, the morale boost to Shrek would be more than a little…
"Elder Song, don't rush it." Su Wen remained calm. "This concerns Elder Mu's life. I need to talk with him thoroughly and examine his injuries before giving a conclusion."
"Hahahaha."
Mu En smiled warmly. "Good, good. After this Sea God Pavilion meeting, I'll speak with Xiao Wen about my injuries. You lot can stop worrying; we'll update you afterward."
"Tsk…" Elder Song's face went dark, but he sat down helplessly.
"Forget it. If Elder Mu can be treated—even if it only extends his life by a year or two—that's already good."
Though curing Elder Mu sounded outrageous.
If anyone else had proposed it, they'd have been accused of spouting nonsense. But it was Su Wen who said it…
In fact, before heading to this tournament, Su Wen was already regarded by everyone as steady, leaderly—very much like Elder Mu. After all, he'd cut his way out from a siege by three peak Soul Douluo powerhouses; then in Star Dou Forest, with the Holy Spirit Cult coming out in force and even the Scarlet King trapped, he still protected the Auspicious Beast to safety. Such stunning feats left everyone present sincerely impressed.
After returning from the tournament, their fondness for Su Wen peaked.
Handsome, overwhelmingly strong among peers, steady in conduct—no wonder they chose him as the Sea God Pavilion's heir two generations down.
So no matter how shocking Su Wen's words were, the crowd inexplicably felt a sense of trust—as if everything from his mouth came with a 100% success rate.
"All right, the kids are here. Let's talk rewards. They won the championship under huge pressure; Shrek can't chill their hearts." Mu En waved a hand.
At that moment, Bei Bei and the others filed in behind Yan Shaozhe.
Wang Yan was promoted to Special-Class Teacher and Inner Court Teaching Assistant, with one year of unrestricted access to the Sea God Pavilion's library.
Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochen's merits and faults offset.
For the seven alternates, besides the three tournament soul bones, three more would be added—one compatible bone per person.
As for Su Wen, he waved his hand dismissively.
If he really wanted soul bones, Yan Shaozhe would personally deliver them the next day—too troublesome.
"Wang Dong'er, Gu Yuena, Su Wen."
"Dismissed!"
After Mu En named the three, only they were left.
The elders departed, their eyes full of satisfaction and expectation for Su Wen.
Xian Lin'er couldn't help it—she ran over, pinched Su Wen's cheek, then left still not quite satisfied.
Yan Shaozhe could only sigh.
"Wang Dong'er, take the first door down the corridor to the third room at the end. Go in and cultivate on the futon."
"Silver Dragon King, take the third door, first room at the end. You've just taken human form; the Golden Ancient Tree will benefit your human body quite a bit."
The two girls glanced at Su Wen, then departed.
Su Wen, familiar with the place, pushed Mu En through the second door.
A spacious, luxurious corridor.
First room at the end.
This was the room with the richest heaven-and-earth energy in the entire Golden Ancient Tree.
Su Wen pushed Elder Mu inside, opened the wooden window, and rolled Mu En to the window. Old and young together gazed down—the scenery of Sea God Island lay before them, and they could even see Bei Bei and the others departing by boat with Yan Shaozhe.
"Elder Mu, if you could fully recover and live out your later years in peace—but you could only remain at Shrek Academy, with your activity range limited to the Academy and Shrek City, unable to travel… could you accept that?"
After a long consideration, Su Wen spoke first.
"Oh?"
Mu En was intrigued.
"You've stated the good. What about the bad?"
Su Wen: "…"
"Hahaha. Spending the rest of my life guarding the Shrek I long for, quietly watching you all grow—that's a blessing, how is it a price?" Mu En laughed heartily, then smiled at Su Wen.
"As for traveling the great lands of the continent—when I was young, my two friends and I toured them all. When a man grows old, he misses home; we aren't like you young ones who love to roam. Even after I die, I will guard the Academy in another form."
"…"
Su Wen was silent for a while, then nodded slightly.
He softly called out, "Elder Yi."
In Mu En's astonished gaze, gray mist surged forth, coalescing into a gray-robed elder within the golden wooden room. The instant he appeared, the entire Golden Ancient Tree boiled over; even Su Wen felt its unease and hostility.
"Ahem."
Mu En raised his hand; pure white light welled up, suppressing the Golden Tree's agitation.
Then he looked up at Electrolux and nodded, speaking humbly. "So you are the 'method' Xiao Wen mentioned?"
"Correct."
Electrolux glanced around. "The Star Dou Forest has the Lake of Life; Shrek has the Golden Tree. Your chance of recovery is higher."
"Allow me to introduce myself: Electrolux, from another world. A shard of my divine sense was attracted by this child Su Wen and lingered in his spiritual sea. Only after he went to the tournament and obtained a carving blade—actually Life-Gold—did I restore more of my divine sense."
"Divine sense…"
Shock flickered across Mu En's face.
To be called divine sense—wasn't that a god? No wonder the Golden Tree was unsettled; a primeval god had arrived.
But if he was a god, why was he reduced to this state? Did the God Realm—
"No, you misunderstand. I am from another world—more precisely, another star system. The universe is vast. Your so-called God Realm is merely the ruler of this star region, not the entire cosmos."
Seeing Mu En's misunderstanding, Electrolux shook his head and explained.
"Enough. Let me examine your condition first."
Electrolux stepped forward, opened his palm, and gray mist flowed into Mu En's body.
Half an hour later.
Under Su Wen's tense gaze, Electrolux spoke slowly. "Not bad. Not as bad as I feared."
He then held up two fingers.
"One: deal with the baleful aura. It originates from a true dragon—not something mortals can handle—and we must carefully avoid his cardiac meridian. Fortunately, I can handle it."
"Two: stop the continual loss of life force after infusion. His current body is like a sieve full of holes; no matter how much life force you pour in, it won't stay—it slowly leaks with time. That's also solvable: suture with Life-Gold and use the Golden Tree to cycle and lock the energy."
"This is also why he asked that earlier question. Once we use the Golden Tree, you'll be bound to live within a 100-kilometer radius around it. Leaving isn't impossible, but once you do, your life force will plummet, even faster than now, and it won't be reversible…"
"…"
The room fell silent.
Mu En's fingers trembled slightly.
Though he always claimed to be indifferent to life and death and refused to waste more resources on him, when a real chance to prolong his life appeared, how could he not be moved?
"Th-thank you…"
Mu En's eyes moistened.
In his view, perhaps Su Wen's method was still immature. After all, what countless people in Shrek had failed to accomplish, how could a child, however remarkable, achieve?
He had come here just to avoid dampening the boy's enthusiasm.
Who could have guessed Su Wen would present a plan even he found tempting?
A divine sense—this alone greatly increased the plan's feasibility.
"Actually, you could also leave the Academy."
"Dragon Pill."
Su Wen mused.
After purification, the Dragon Pill was a top-grade treasure. Having been nurtured by Mu En himself, it had subtly fused with his body and wouldn't be rejected—an innate draconic source.
The Golden Tree's purpose was to mend and lock. The Dragon Pill could do the same—provided it was "upgraded" by Electrolux.
With the Dragon Pill acting as a heart, there was hope to evolve it into a "Heart of Radiant Dragon."
Electrolux had experience here—he once used the Eternal Heart to resurrect Long Haochen. If he'd handled an even more complex life reconstruction, then with more of his divine sense restored now, this would be easier.
Electrolux really was all-round.
"This Dragon Pill was for…" Mu En shook his head, about to refuse.
Su Wen cut him off: "I don't need it."
Mu En fell silent.
"With my physique now, I can form my first soul core at Soul Sage. The Dragon Pill would help, but not much… If it could push your strength a level higher, that would be a huge win," Su Wen said.
The Dragon Pill's full power belonged in Mu En's hands.
In the original, the pill helped Hui Yuhao, but only so much.
"Very well!"
After a long hesitation, Mu En finally made up his mind and nodded heavily.
"In that case, let's begin." Electrolux clasped his hands behind his back, smiling leisurely.
He was Su Wen's teacher; the scene warmed him.
"Step one: purge the ferocity clinging to your bones and blood…"
A gray staff floated into his hand.
Gray mist enveloped the room as if it had become another space. Yet within the gloomy haze, a pillar of brilliant light shot skyward.
Electrolux bore light and darkness, standing proudly.
Around Mu En, pure white radiance surged, and then a white giant dragon with scarlet eyes and blood-like mist rose behind him, roaring at Electrolux.
This was the White Dragon's savage side.
Mu En looked worried.
Electrolux merely smiled, flicked his staff, and an extremely pure aura of light burst forth, shrouding the white dragon. A shrill scream followed. With the Golden Tree and Life-Gold assisting—divine sense against divine sense—Electrolux crushed it with ease.
"What pure light…" Mu En was stunned.
He was a Holy Light Dragon; this aura was familiar. At Electrolux's level, he'd thought a God of Light had come… Well, he was a god, after all…
…
Sun-Moon Empire.
Mingdu, in the Mingde Hall.
Towering, ornate metal structures formed the foundation of the empire's foremost soul tool academy.
Deep within Mingde Hall, in a spacious hall—
On the main seat sat a short, pudgy middle-aged man. He sipped tea, small eyes narrowed, staring at the white-haired elder below.
"Elder Jiang, the empire hasn't treated you poorly, has it?"
"…"
The white-haired elder toyed with his teacup, face indifferent.
"Elder Jiang, treason is not a charge a mere ninth-rank soul engineer can bear. If His Majesty truly presses the matter, I fear your entire Jiang clan wouldn't suffice to atone," Jing Hongchen snorted, voice tinged with threat.
The other party, after all, was a ninth-rank soul engineer.
Even as the Head of Mingde Hall, he had no right to arrest him.
Bluntly put, unless his own teacher—the pillar of the Sun-Moon Empire—came to judge him personally, only then could the verdict be rendered. Jing Hongchen could only bring him over to intimidate him.
Sure enough, the white-haired elder finally spoke lazily. "Hall Master Jing, I don't know what you're talking about. Treason is a big cap to place at random. Besides, it's not your place to judge, is it? Where would that leave His Majesty? Or… are you saying you cover the sky with one hand in this empire?"
"Jiang An! Don't twist words! You know I'm not that kind of person!" Jing Hongchen frowned.
"You started it!"
The white-haired elder snorted and rose to leave.
Jing Hongchen called out to stop him.
"What, will you detain me by force?" Jiang An turned back, brow raised.
"I wouldn't dare."
Jing Hongchen narrowed his eyes.
"But I intercepted intelligence from a Star Luo spy: a ninth-rank soul engineer from our empire sold a Seagod Platform containing a hundred-thousand-year soul beast embryo to a Star Luo auction. This matches the earlier leak from Star Luo's royal house. And a few days ago, I secretly audited the metals missing from your lab—the materials line up perfectly with a Seagod Platform…"
The elder's face twitched; he shot Jing Hongchen a cold look—Why didn't you say you had that proof earlier?
If the evidence was ironclad, even with backers, he'd still suffer.
"I only have one question. Did the Seagod Platform end up with the Star Luo royal family—was it Xu Jiawei's trap to toy with us—or was it bought midstream by someone else?" Jing Hongchen stared, searching for a tell.
"I don't believe you didn't install some tracking soul tool inside it."
"Heh, just that?" Jiang An arched a brow.
"Just that. Tell me the truth, and I'll make the dossier from Military Intelligence disappear. I'll erase every trace and this ends here," Jing Hongchen said solemnly.
"…"
After a long pause, Jiang An exhaled a few words.
"Shrek."
"Shrek Academy?!" Jing Hongchen's pupils shrank.
"I was at that auction, just curious about the embryo's price. But it never showed up. I probed its location: the top floor suite of a Star Luo hotel—Shrek Academy's rooms. Soon after, I lost the signal entirely. A powerful Shrek expert was on guard, and I didn't dare get close," Jiang An said.
"Whew…"
Jing Hongchen let out a long breath.
So Shrek!
It fit his guess.
"It's over," he waved, then strode deeper into the hall.
Jiang An raised a brow. He'd already bagged the money; the rest could be someone else's headache.
Deeper inside Mingde Hall.
In a dark, empty chamber.
Jing Hongchen clasped his hands behind his back, eyes narrowed.
A figure stood at his side. "Hall Master, are we truly going to rob Shrek? They're swarming with powerhouses. His Majesty won't grant us a pretext for war against the three nations right now, so no extra support. With just our people, I fear…"
"Hmph. Who said we'd strike first?" Jing Hongchen snorted.
"Leak the news—especially to the Body Sect and the Holy Spirit Cult. Make sure they get it."
"They're more interested than we are."
"Warn the Body Sect first," he decided after a beat, eyes slit.
"If both parties join in, the Holy Spirit monsters might leave us with nothing. Better let the Body Sect test the waters; we'll slip in amid the chaos and see if we can find the prize."
"Brilliant, Hall Master!"
The subordinate bowed.
"Heh. I hear Shrek had an interesting kid this year—charmed my granddaughter senseless." Jing Hongchen huffed.
"That Su Wen… his strength truly outstrips his generation, and more importantly, his talent. He joined as a reserve this year and is even younger than Young Master Xiao."
"…Intriguing." Jing Hongchen chuckled.
"Hope I can meet him next time."