"Hehe, old poison, you sure are cunning! But you're thinking too far ahead. Even though Huo Yuhao has great talent, this competition isn't his time to shine yet! We, Shrek Academy, accept your conditions!"
Before Mu En could speak, Elder Xuan dismissed his lips and directly agreed to Du Busi's conditions.
After all, Mu En had never opposed the conditions that Du Busi had set before. Besides, he didn't think Huo Yuhao would have much of a chance to perform in this competition, so he agreed immediately.
However, there seemed to be a glint in Mu En's eyes at this moment. He slightly opened his mouth as if to say something, but then didn't.
Huo Yuhao, however, saw it clearly and could read some lip language. What Mu En wanted to say was plainly two words.
"Idiot!"
"To maintain Shrek's legacy, I, an old man, have spent my life struggling, yet I encounter such... teachers. Xuan Zi, if you could inherit even a tiny bit of your elder's wisdom and shrewdness, I could leave in peace," Mu En thought to himself.
But Xuan Zi had already agreed to Du Busi's terms. A gentleman's word is his bond; even he could not take it back. Seeing the jubilant expression on Huo Yuhao's face, he knew how happy the boy was!
"Dragon God Douluo, as I've said before, I trust your credibility, but Shrek Academy will not see another Mu En," Du Busi stood up and said, somewhat nostalgically.
As a sect master, he saw that Mu En was facing the same predicament as him: having no reliable successor.
Although Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe were strong enough, neither was suitable to be entrusted with a great responsibility.
Especially the position of Sea God Pavilion Master, originally the most important position in the three nations of the Douluo Continent, representing the continent's strongest military force.
This position must be filled by someone with enough wisdom and foresight. Though Yan Shaozhe had some scheming, and Xuan Zi's strength ranked among the top of the era, neither was qualified to be the Sea God Pavilion Master.
In contrast, Du Busi had already resolved this issue and needed only to wait for Huo Yuhao to grow.
"Du Busi, you don't need to leave for now. As I've said, Huo Yuhao's attack was Shrek Academy's mistake. Thus, I will offer compensation."
Struggling with his hunched body, Mu En stood up and waved at Huo Yuhao, signaling him to follow. Xuan Zi, not given instructions by Elder Mu, could only sit and wait.
Huo Yuhao exchanged a glance with Du Busi. Du Busi pondered for a moment and nodded slightly to him.
Huo Yuhao stood up and followed Mu En to a wall. Mu En raised his hand, and a golden light appeared. Everything around them became illusionary.
A dense golden halo enveloped Huo Yuhao, and he felt a dazzling brightness before losing his footing. The next moment, when he felt the ground beneath his feet again, the golden light had disappeared.
He was surprised to find himself in a spacious hall, about 100 meters long, square-shaped. There were several corridors on either side, leading to unknown destinations.
There were no windows, but the air was fresh. Inside the hall, statues of the academy's founders, the Golden Iron Triangle, and the first generation of Shrek's Seven Monsters stood. These statues were smaller than those at Shrek Academy's east gate and appeared to be made of wood.
"The Sea God Pavilion was originally a rare golden tree, imbued with light and life. Without harming the tree, the academy's predecessors carved the Sea God Pavilion from it. Thus, the Sea God Pavilion shows no signs of splicing."
"The furnishings and statues within the Sea God Pavilion were made from the wood carved out during its construction. This golden tree is our Shrek Academy's foundation and a precious heritage left by our ancestors."
Mu En smiled, "You should know my name; I am Mu En. You can call me Elder Mu."
"Greetings, Elder Mu," Huo Yuhao replied respectfully.
"Good, follow the first corridor on the right to the end. Open the door and start meditating inside. That's where I will compensate you."
"Understood, Elder Mu," Huo Yuhao answered, turning towards the indicated direction. Indeed, at the end of the right corridor, he saw a door.
The door was wooden, seemingly made of the golden tree's wood Mu En mentioned. He pushed the door, finding it ajar. It opened easily.
As he entered, the room was pitch black and silent.
Once inside, Huo Yuhao felt the space around him twist violently, as if wringing a towel. His mind became blurry.
Staggering a few steps forward, countless yellow dots of light appeared around him, like eyes staring at him, illuminating the room.
On the walls and ceiling hung a similar skeleton, clearly not human. It was a triangular skull with particularly large eye sockets, the yellow light emanating from these eye sockets, resembling burning flames.
"Hmm."
Huo Yuhao, who had just released his spiritual detection, groaned, almost collapsing. He felt an immense spiritual force forming a huge cage, pressing inwardly.
If it were the previous Huo Yuhao before absorbing the strange fire, he might have been in trouble, even risking the collapse of his spiritual sea.
But now, his strength had more than doubled compared to before the vacation. With the effect of the Burning Art, the spiritual power released by his Flame God Eyes also carried a trace of strange fire's energy.
His eyes flashed with multicolored light, then turned icy white. A wave of spiritual power, containing both extreme heat and cold, spread out, like a flame engulfing Huo Yuhao.
The spiritual cage surrounding him melted instantly before the strange fire-tinged spiritual flames, like spring snow under the sun.
Yet, more spiritual power surged to fill the gap, continuing to repair the spiritual cage.
This resulted in a stalemate, reducing the pressure on Huo Yuhao.
At this moment, Mu En's voice rang in Huo Yuhao's ears.
"Huo Yuhao, what do you think of Shrek Academy?"