The two arrived at the entrance of the Sea God Pavilion, where a white-haired elder, Yan Shaozhe, had been waiting for a long time.
Although Yan Shaozhe was Ye Chen's master, he didn't teach Ye Chen anything.
Because Yan Shaozhe wanted to bring Ye Chen and Ma Xiaotao together, he entrusted the heavy responsibility of teaching Ye Chen entirely to Ma Xiaotao, while he himself became a carefree, hands-off manager.
Of course, as Ye Chen's master, Yan Shaozhe was still very optimistic about his disciple; although he didn't personally instruct Ye Chen, he would still do his best to secure the necessary resources and rights for Ye Chen.
He was, after all, one of the elders of the Sea God Pavilion, so he still had some say.
"Teacher."
"Teacher~"
Upon seeing Yan Shaozhe, Ye Chen and Ma Xiaotao both respectfully called out to him.
Ye Chen didn't have any ill feelings towards Yan Shaozhe, as it was Yan Shaozhe who brought him to Shrek Academy.
"Xiaotao, Xiao Chen, you've arrived~"
Yan Shaozhe said with a chuckle, his gaze falling on Ye Chen, full of admiration.
He had read the mission report submitted by Zhang Lexuan; although Ye Chen was only responsible for the finishing touches, the strength he displayed was astonishing.
Especially that ultra-long-distance teleportation.
This single ability alone was enough to significantly raise Ye Chen's potential.
At the same time, he looked at Ma Xiaotao and found that the Evil Fire in her body had significantly decreased, almost to the point where it wouldn't affect her cultivation.
Indeed, taking Ye Chen as a disciple and having him follow Ma Xiaotao was the most correct choice he had ever made.
This was simply killing two birds with one stone, achieving two goals with one action, or having twins…
In any case, the future of both of them was bright.
"Teacher, why are you looking at me like that…?" Ma Xiaotao felt a bit unnerved by Yan Shaozhe's gaze and instinctively shrunk her neck.
She always felt like her master was thinking about something strange.
"Hehe, Xiaotao, you must take good care of your junior brother~" Yan Shaozhe said meaningfully, with an inscrutable look in his eyes.
Because he noticed that when Zhang Lexuan reported on Ye Chen's mission, her praise for Ye Chen was utterly undisguised.
He suspected that Zhang Lexuan also had feelings for Ye Chen.
Of course, this was just a guess.
However, Ye Chen was so handsome, just like he was when he was young, so he was bound to have countless admirers.
If Ma Xiaotao didn't keep a close eye on him, he might be "stolen" by other women…
"Don't worry, Teacher, I'll definitely take good care of junior brother~" Ma Xiaotao ruffled Ye Chen's head and chuckled.
She naturally didn't understand the deeper meaning behind Yan Shaozhe's words, only thinking that Yan Shaozhe just wanted to be lazy and not teach his disciple, which was why he said that.
…
…
The two followed Yan Shaozhe into the Sea God Pavilion.
Although many elders had come because of Ye Chen, it wasn't yet a formal Sea God Pavilion meeting, so both Ma Xiaotao and Ye Chen were qualified to enter.
Inside the Sea God Pavilion, there was no difference from an ordinary pavilion.
However, the decorations were very understated and luxurious; any single item taken out from within would be a sky-high price or even a priceless treasure outside.
Ye Chen followed Yan Shaozhe to a large conference hall.
Inside the conference hall, it was already filled with the elders of Shrek Academy, and Zhang Lexuan was among them.
At the head seat, an old man was lazily lying on a recliner, looking benevolent; it was Mu En, the old fellow Ye Chen had met before.
In the seat below him, a scruffy, dishevelled old man was eating a chicken leg and drinking wine, completely without regard for his image.
But everyone else was completely accustomed to it.
Although Ye Chen had never met the other party, he could guess the identity of the other party with his toes; it was undoubtedly Xuan Zi, the 'Grand Elder of the Holy Spirit Church'.
Around them sat various elders, most of whom were quite old, except for one seat on the right, where a beautiful young woman sat, looking to be in her thirties; it was Xian Lin'er.
Although Xian Lin'er was the same age as Yan Shaozhe, she had mastered the art of retaining her youthful appearance, standing out among the many elders, and exuding a natural hint of arrogance.
"This should be Xian Lin'er; as expected of the Valkyrie, her aura is truly strong…" Ye Chen secretly sighed in his heart, also guessing her identity as Xian Lin'er.
A married woman, yet still a virgin, who could resist that…
Ye Chen certainly wouldn't dare to actively pursue Xian Lin'er; that would be no different from seeking death.
But if Xian Lin'er took a liking to him, then he could only be forced to "accept"…
As Ye Chen's gaze swept over Xian Lin'er, Xian Lin'er was also sizing up Ye Chen.
"This little fellow is quite handsome; how great would it be if he were my disciple…" Xian Lin'er secretly lamented in her heart.
Such a good disciple, even if she couldn't "use" him, she could use him as a facade to entice… no, to attract more female disciples to join the Soul Guidance Department.
Yan Shaozhe, that guy, truly had good luck.
Having Ma Xiaotao was one thing, and now there was another Ye Chen.
Moreover, Ye Chen was so outstanding and complemented Ma Xiaotao, helping her resolve her Evil Fire.
With their mutual complementarity, when they grew up in the future, the Outer Courtyard would definitely gain two more Super Douluo, and it was even rumored that Ye Chen had the potential of a Limit Douluo, though whether it was true or not was unknown…
Everyone else also focused their attention on Ye Chen, each filled with curiosity.
"Alright, everyone is here, Shaozhe, please make the announcement." Mu En slowly spoke, and everyone's expression turned serious, their gazes falling on Yan Shaozhe.
Yan Shaozhe smiled slightly, then looked at Ye Chen and said, "Ye Chen, after the unanimous decision of the Sea God Pavilion elders, you are granted exceptional admission to the Inner Courtyard, enjoying five times the resources of ordinary Inner Courtyard disciples, and you are also appointed as the candidate for the Dean of the Martial Soul Department of Shrek Academy; you can directly assume the position of Dean of the Martial Soul Department upon reaching Titled Douluo…"
"At the same time, you also have the obligation to help the academy develop…"
Yan Shaozhe said a lot, but most of it was benefits, with very few restrictions on Ye Chen.
"Ye Chen, this is the academy's reward for your last mission assessment. Are you satisfied?"
After Yan Shaozhe finished speaking, he looked at Ye Chen with a smile.
"Thank you, esteemed teachers, thank you, Dean, I am very satisfied with the academy's arrangement."
Ye Chen slightly cupped his hands towards everyone, naturally having no objections.
Although his talent was excellent, the academy's trust in him was not yet sufficient.
But even so, Ye Chen hadn't expected to be able to secure the position of a Dean candidate; this was a bit extraordinary.
However, with his intelligence, he quickly understood what was going on.
Zhang Lexuan must have helped him in this matter.
After all, if it weren't for him, the next Dean of the Martial Soul Department would have been Zhang Lexuan, but now it was him…
Subconsciously, Ye Chen looked up at Zhang Lexuan, who was sitting in the corner.
At this moment, Zhang Lexuan happened to be looking at Ye Chen as well.
Seeing Ye Chen look at her, Zhang Lexuan also gave Ye Chen a gentle, faint smile.
The position of candidate for the Martial Soul Department Dean was indeed something she had helped Ye Chen strive for .
Because in her opinion, Ye Chen was already qualified to inherit this position; it was just that he was a newcomer, and they lacked trust in Ye Chen.
However, under her persuasion, the elders still chose to trust her and gave Ye Chen such an identity.
And the five times cultivation resources were also a benefit brought by this identity.
Although she hadn't spent much time with Ye Chen, since she recognized him as her sworn younger brother, she had to be responsible for him to the end.
At the same time, she also had absolute trust in Ye Chen.
She believed that Ye Chen would definitely not disappoint her and Shrek in the future!
PS: Writing Douluo Dalu 2 will definitely involve spirit tool, which provides more room for operation and plot. Besides Xian Lin'er, other aspects will be written briefly and not be too drawn out.
PS: Don't mind the age. In fantasy novels, characters often start at thousands of years old, and there are even old antiques from hundreds of thousands or millions of years ago. Good-looking ones are all the same.