"Mm, as long as you understand. Shaozhe, in both life and work, you need to have a vision and a broad perspective. You can't be confined to the superficial things right before you. Do you understand?"
Mu En once again advised Yan Shaozhe. After all, Yan Shaozhe was his disciple, and even though Mu En didn't have great expectations for him, he still felt the need to say what needed to be said.
"Don't worry, teacher, I understand," Yan Shaozhe replied.
"How is Lexuan doing?"
Mu En asked casually. Currently, Zhang Lexuan is the fastest-growing and most outstanding student at Shrek Academy, and Mu En has high hopes for her.
"Lexuan's cultivation is going smoothly. She has already broken through to level 85 as a Spirit Douluo. At this rate, she has a good chance of reaching Title Douluo before 30," Yan Shaozhe said with a smile. When it came to such an exceptional student as Zhang Lexuan, he couldn't help but feel proud.
"In my opinion, Zhang Lexuan has an unlimited future," he added.
"Lexuan is a good child—calm, steady, and with a sense of the big picture. She's suited to lead a force. I hope these old bones of mine can hold on for a few more years, long enough to see Lexuan grow," Mu En sighed.
"Teacher, your health is still robust. You could easily live another hundred years. You'll continue to protect Shrek Academy," Yan Shaozhe said with a smile.
Mu En chuckled and shook his head.
"These old bones of mine are like a flickering candle in the wind. Whether I can live another ten years is uncertain, let alone a hundred. But even if I pass, I will protect the academy in another way. Shrek's heritage, spanning ten thousand years, cannot be shaken even slightly."
"Teacher!"
Yan Shaozhe exclaimed.
"Enough, Shaozhe. You're almost a hundred years old yourself and still can't see through these things? Everyone dies eventually; no one is an exception. Only the gods live eternally. As long as you run the academy well, I can rest in peace," Mu En said calmly.
"Also, pay more attention to Lexuan. Once she reaches level 90, help her hunt for a strong soul ring. That way, when she becomes a Title Douluo, she'll be a powerful one," Mu En said softly.
"Teacher, don't worry. When Lexuan reaches level 90, we will do everything we can to help her hunt a 100,000-year soul beast," Yan Shaozhe assured him.
"That's not enough!"
Mu En shook his head, his cloudy eyes flashing with a sharp light.
"A typical 100,000-year soul ring only provides limited amplification. I hope you can help Lexuan find a fierce beast over 200,000 years for her soul ring. That way, when she becomes a Title Douluo, she'll have the power of a Super Douluo right from the start."
"A fierce beast?"
Yan Shaozhe was shocked; he hadn't expected Mu En's ambitions to be so high.
"There are very few fierce beasts over 200,000 years old on the continent. Most of them live in the Star Dou Forest. If we secretly hunt one, we could incur the wrath of the Star Dou Forest. Shrek Academy cannot afford that kind of anger right now."
"There may be few on the continent, but the ocean is filled with countless sea soul beasts, many of which are over 200,000 years old," Mu En said lightly. Yan Shaozhe immediately understood the implication: they would have to hunt a fierce beast from the ocean.
"There are many evil sea soul beasts in the ocean, some of which have reached the level of fierce beasts. I don't think our Sea God ancestor would blame us for this," Mu En said casually.
Upon hearing this, Yan Shaozhe's eyes lit up. The Sea God protected the seas, and as descendants, they shouldn't hunt sea soul beasts. But among the sea soul beasts, there were indeed many evil ones. Hunting them would be a righteous act—a service to the world. According to records, even the Sea God had once hunted evil creatures like the Evil Spirit Orca and the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King.
Especially the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, which was said to be a fierce beast that had nearly reached a million years. Yet, in the end, it had still fallen to the Sea God. If they followed the Sea God's example and hunted these evil sea soul beasts, they would be helping the seas by eliminating a great scourge. The Sea God, if he knew, would likely be pleased.
The more Yan Shaozhe thought about it, the more sense it made. They wouldn't just be hunting soul beasts; they would be doing justice and upholding righteousness.
"Teacher is wise. When the time comes, we can head to the ocean to eliminate some of the evil sea soul beasts," Yan Shaozhe said with admiration. His teacher truly had great foresight! When the time came, they could mobilize the senior members of Shrek Academy. Surely, they could hunt down a fierce beast over 200,000 years. Yan Shaozhe was already looking forward to it. With a fierce beast-level soul ring, Zhang Lexuan would become incredibly powerful. And not just Zhang Lexuan—his disciple, Ma Xiaotao, could benefit from this as well.
There were plenty of evil sea soul beasts, so they could help Ma Xiaotao find a fierce beast for her ninth soul ring too. By then, Ma Xiaotao would surely become a top-tier powerhouse. With both Zhang Lexuan and Ma Xiaotao, Shrek Academy would have two pillars of strength.
The more Yan Shaozhe thought about it, the more excited he became. Shrek Academy's future looked promising!
Seeing Yan Shaozhe's eager expression, Mu En smiled faintly. As expected of his disciple, Yan Shaozhe wasn't foolish. When it came to important matters, he had a clear understanding.
"Alright, don't get too excited. Lexuan still has a long way to go before reaching level 90. The key now is to take each step carefully. The damage to Xuan Zi is still a significant loss for Shrek Academy. Many powerful factions are eyeing us, and we are facing turbulent times. We cannot afford to be careless," Mu En said softly.
"Don't worry, teacher. We will unite and help Shrek Academy through this difficult period," Yan Shaozhe said firmly.
Mu En's old, withered face showed a faint smile, acknowledging Yan Shaozhe's determination.
"Good. Stay humble and cautious. You may go now. Start working on what we discussed. And send Xuan Zi to see me. He can't keep wallowing in despair forever," Mu En said, signaling for Yan Shaozhe to leave.
"Yes, teacher!"
Yan Shaozhe bowed and left. He first went to call for Xuan Zi and then attended to the inner academy's affairs.
The next day, he took Ma Xiaotao and left Shrek Academy, heading north to the Heaven Dou Empire.
...
Radiant City. Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.
It was the start of another school year, and enrollment numbers were higher than ever—over a thousand new first-year students. With so many incoming students, the first-year dormitories were beginning to feel cramped. As outliers in the first-year dorms, Su Yu and Wang Dong'er, who hadn't changed dorms despite advancing, finally gave up their room for the new students and moved to the third-year dormitory.
At Wang Dong'er's insistence, they were still assigned to the same dorm—Wang Dong'er had no desire to share a room with anyone else. The only person she acknowledged was Su Yu. Although Su Yu could have moved to the fifth-year dorms, having already passed the upgrade exams, he couldn't bear to leave Wang Dong'er behind after seeing her pitiful expression. Besides, there were perks to rooming with Wang Dong'er; Su Yu never had to worry about cleaning. A single shout from him, and Wang Dong'er would handle it. Why do it yourself when you have a free maid?
As for how Su Yu, a fifth-year student, could still live in the third-year dorms—well, Su Yu had his privileges. He was the youngest Level 4 Soul Engineer in history and the fastest to reach Level 4—both records held by him. The academy would have loved to put him on a pedestal, so letting him choose his dorm was a trivial matter.
Their dorm room, 308, wasn't much different from the first-year dorms—a two-person room with a bathroom—so the two quickly adapted. Su Yu could live anywhere, and Wang Dong'er was content as long as Su Yu was there; neither of them felt anything was amiss. The only difference was that Wang Dong'er occasionally ran into some classmates from the Real Combat Soul Engineering Department. However, she didn't seem to get along well with them—likely because she was too handsome. Normally, she went unnoticed by staying near Su Yu, but whenever she appeared alone, she was always the center of attention. A few girls in Wang Dong'er's class might even have feelings for her. With so much competition and little to go around, it was no surprise that the boys weren't very friendly toward her.
In room 308, Wang Dong'er stood in front of the mirror in her school uniform, adjusting her appearance. It was the first day of class, and Wang Dong'er wanted to look her best. Wherever she went, her appearance had to be flawless. Su Yu, on the other hand, was far less concerned with his looks. Laid-back and lazy, he never fussed over his appearance, yet his natural good looks meant that even with messy hair, he exuded a kind of disheveled charm. Neatly dressed and without uttering a word, he radiated a cold, aloof beauty, drawing even more attention than Wang Dong'er around campus. After all, do you even understand the value of a white-haired man?
"Su Yu, how do I look? Handsome?"
Wang Dong'er fussed with her hair as she sought Su Yu's opinion.
Su Yu rolled his eyes and replied without looking up, "Handsome, handsome, too handsome!"
"You didn't even look! You're just brushing me off!"
Wang Dong'er pouted, feeling a little deflated. After fiddling with her hair a bit more, she gave up, walking over to stand behind Su Yu and resting her hands on his shoulders.
"Why are you always reading about soul tools? Don't you find it boring?" Wang Dong'er leaned closer, bringing with her a fresh, sunny scent.
Turning a page, Su Yu replied, "Do you think I'm as lazy as you? Work hard while you're young, or you'll regret it when you're old. Understand?"
He lifted a finger and tapped Wang Dong'er on the forehead, which Wang Dong'er easily dodged.
"Who says I'm lazy? I'm learning fast. The teachers all praise me for doing well. Just you wait! I'll be in the fourth year in no time," Wang Dong'er replied, holding her head high with pride.
Su Yu smiled slightly but said nothing. After absorbing the 50,000-year-old Golden Earth Dragon King's soul bone, Wang Dong'er's strength had increased significantly. The soul bone seemed exceptionally compatible with her, allowing Wang Dong'er to advance three levels, reaching Level 34, Soul Elder. Even Su Yu was surprised by this, as he had expected only a two-level advancement at most. After all, a soul bone's primary function wasn't to increase soul power. Wang Dong'er's advancement by three levels showed just how compatible she was with it.
Su Yu couldn't help feeling a bit envious of Wang Dong'er's luck. His Ultimate Martial Soul made things more challenging for him. With the same soul bone, Su Yu would have been lucky to gain even one level due to his high soul power quality. Otherwise, he'd have sought out more high-quality soul bones to boost his power. But with an Ultimate Martial Soul, shortcuts were just wishful thinking—unless he could find a way to cheat! Still, high soul power quality had its benefits, making him stronger in battle, more stable in his foundation, and providing greater nourishment to his body.
All things considered, Wang Dong'er's current strength was impressive, even stronger than in the original timeline. At Level 34, equipped with a soul bone, Wang Dong'er was virtually unmatched among Soul Elders. Her earlier claim that she'd soon reach the fourth year was no exaggeration; Wang Dong'er could back it up and could probably wield a third-grade soul tool with ease. Advancing to the fourth year was just a matter of time.
"Hey, why aren't you saying anything? Is it because my progress speaks for itself, and you have nothing to say?"
Wang Dong'er pressed on, eager to keep the upper hand—a rare feat with Su Yu.
Su Yu smiled lightly and replied dismissively, "When you reach the fifth year, come talk to me. Your fourth year is nothing to brag about. I advanced from the first year to the fifth in eight months. Did I say a word?"
Su Yu glanced at Wang Dong'er, his lips curving in a faint smile, his gaze slightly arrogant, like a king looking down on his subjects.
How infuriating!
Wang Dong'er was speechless, her earlier pride vanishing without a trace. Compared to Su Yu's absurd record, she still had a long way to go. What a monster!
"Hahaha, Wang Dong, my little brother, why aren't you smiling? Or were you born not knowing how to smile?"
Su Yu laughed softly.
Wang Dong'er: "..."
Wang Dong'er's smile didn't disappear—it was just transferred.