There was no need to overthink it.
It must have been Mu En who had taken action.
The tactic of "striking with a stick and then offering a sweet date" never goes out of style.
Huo Yuhao did not resist. He began to cultivate, drawing upon the rich energy of heaven and earth, and the soul power within his body started to flow smoothly.
Under the enveloping golden light, Huo Yuhao cleared his mind and entered a state of deep meditation.
The soul power within him circulated continuously, and he could feel that, under the influence of this radiant aura, his cultivation level was rapidly improving. He was subtly inching closer to level 29.
It was indeed Teacher Mu En who had intervened.
After realizing this, Yan Shaozhe turned toward the Sea God Pavilion and bowed respectfully.
Then, he gestured to Ma Xiaotao and said, "Xiaotao, you may leave first. Don't follow us anymore."
Ma Xiaotao pouted but left reluctantly, not wanting to disturb Huo Yuhao's thoughts any further.
Now, only Yan Shaozhe remained, silently standing guard over Huo Yuhao.
---
On the other side, in the Ceremony Hall of the Sea God Pavilion.
Xuan Zi's figure appeared before the long table in the conference hall. Despite his usual wild demeanor in front of outsiders, he seemed somewhat restrained at this moment.
"Elder Mu," he greeted respectfully.
Mu En, who had been half-reclining on a chair, slowly sat up straight. His eyes carried a hint of reproach as he spoke, "Xuan Zi, you're over two hundred years old. Why are you still so impulsive?"
Xuan Zi had left earlier precisely because he had received Mu En's message.
Now, scratching his head, he quickly explained, "Isn't it because I suspected Huo Yuhao might be a spy from the Body Sect? You know how that old guy who just won't die has always had his eyes on us."
Xuan Zi's concerns weren't unfounded. The previous leader of the Body Sect, Du Bidi, had died from severe injuries after a battle with Mu En.
As Du Bidi's younger brother, Du Busi naturally harbored resentment.
"You..." Mu En shook his head. "After such a test, you should know by now that the Body Sect would never allow such a genius to come to our academy."
He continued calmly, "There's no issue with the child's identity. As long as he wasn't born in the Sun Moon Empire or affiliated with the Body Sect, we can safely train him."
Since the fall of the Spirit Hall, no one had registered civilian soul masters. Additionally, Huo Yuhao had misled Shrek Academy from the start, making it difficult to gather information about him.
"Then the academy has truly struck gold this time!" Xuan Zi laughed.
Mu En did not respond further.
At this moment, Mu En had a premonition that his time was running short. He wanted to nurture the next generation of Shrek's leaders while he was still alive.
Whether it was Zhang Lexuan, Ma Xiaotao, or his direct descendant Bei Bei, or even Huo Yuhao, who had recently caught his attention, Mu En planned to choose a suitable heir among them to inherit his Dragon Pill after his passing.
This Dragon Pill had been discovered by Mu En in an ancient ruin during his travels across the continent in his youth. It was condensed from the corpse of a light-attribute white dragon.
The Dragon Pill contained the essence of a giant dragon's body, making it an incredibly precious treasure.
However, the power within the Dragon Pill was too overwhelming for humans to absorb directly.
Because Mu En possessed the Bright Holy Dragon Spirit, he was able to temper the Dragon Pill within his body, continuously refining it.
With the help of the Dragon Pill, Mu En had successfully become an Ultimate Douluo.
After his battle with Du Bidi, although Mu En had emerged victorious, he had also suffered severe injuries that required over a decade to recover from.
He had originally intended to use the Dragon Pill's power to heal his injuries and advance further, but the lingering hostility within the Dragon Pill had backfired, severely damaging his foundation and leaving him unable to stand straight again.
Coupled with Xuan Zi's unreliable nature—just asking him to lead had resulted in such a stunt—what would happen if he were to take over as the master of the Sea God Pavilion?
In this time of internal and external troubles, Shrek Academy urgently needed someone capable of carrying the banner and taking over Mu En's protective mantle.
Although, deep down, Mu En was more inclined to pass the Dragon Pill to Bei Bei, Bei Bei's spirit had only inherited a portion of the Bright Holy Dragon's bloodline and had not reached its peak potential.
While it wouldn't be difficult for Bei Bei to become a Titled Douluo, it would be challenging for him to support the entire Shrek Academy.
Even with the Dragon Pill's assistance, he would at most become a second Xuan Zi—capable of maintaining the status quo but not advancing it.
The same applied to the other two candidates.
Although Zhang Lexuan was talented, her Moon Spirit was still somewhat lacking compared to the top-tier spirits.
As for Ma Xiaotao, her cultivation was plagued by the evil fire within her, making even normal cultivation a struggle...
Fortunately, with Huo Yuhao's appearance, all these problems seemed to have been resolved.
As for Huo Yuhao's character, Mu En wasn't too concerned.
During their first contact through soul power, Mu En had sensed the boy's sunny and cheerful heart, free of any deceitful intentions.
Moreover, he had observed Huo Yuhao's performance since he entered the academy.
Talented, kind-hearted, neither arrogant nor impatient, respectful of his teachers, willing to help others, and united with his peers...
Most importantly, he knew how to be grateful.
He was the perfect candidate to inherit Mu En's legacy!
Although there might be some minor flaws, Mu En felt they were inconsequential.
Matters of the heart were trivial in the grand scheme of things.
After all, they were all part of Shrek's family.
He was even pleased to see Huo Yuhao and Ma Xiaotao quickly forming a close bond.
As for the rest, time would tell.
His old bones could still hold on for a while longer, so there was no need to rush.
Unaware of all this, Huo Yuhao remained immersed in his meditative state.
Only when the warm, radiant aura gradually faded did he awaken.
Upon opening his eyes, Huo Yuhao realized that his soul power had broken through to level 29 in one go.
For an ordinary soul master, this radiant aura would have only purified their soul power, making it purer.
But because Huo Yuhao's talent was exceptional and his soul power quality was already extremely high, the light energy had instead helped him increase the upper limit of his soul power.
"Senior Sister?"
Noticing that Yan Shaozhe had left, Huo Yuhao saw Zhang Lexuan standing beside him. They had met once before.
Her long black hair cascaded down to her waist, and her tall, well-proportioned figure was accentuated by her purple-black attire.
Seeing Huo Yuhao awaken, she offered a gentle smile.
"Dean Yan asked me to inform you that you may leave on your own after completing your training."
Huo Yuhao asked in confusion, "Thank you for the reminder, Senior Sister. Don't I need to meet Dean Yan's teacher?"
He hadn't forgotten that this was the original purpose of his visit.
Zhang Lexuan explained softly, "After Elder Xuan's test, it's no longer necessary. If you wish to meet that person, Yuhao, you'll need to find your own will first."
"My will?"
"Yes. To find your will, you should focus on improving your soul power level first, Junior Brother."
Zhang Lexuan smiled and nodded.
"Yuhao, although you're now an inner courtyard disciple, Elder Xuan and the others have unanimously decided to let you continue attending classes in the outer courtyard."
Huo Yuhao nodded in understanding.
'So, they think my soul power level is too low,' he thought.
"If you have any questions about cultivation, you can come to the inner courtyard to find me. If you need help hunting for spirit rings, you can also ask me for assistance."
"Thank You, I'll seek you out if needed, Senior Sister."
[Zhang Lexuan]
[Relationship: Friends]
[Achievement Mission: Protect Junior Brother]
…
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