Whoosh—
Like a gust of wind, Elder Xuan vanished from the fighting arena.
"Little brother Chen, you've got guts," Beibei walked over with a grin.
Chen Junting chuckled, glancing at Ning Tian, whose smile matched his own. "Honestly, it was worth the shot. Worst case? Elder Xuan yells at me. Best case? Wu Feng and Senior He get to fight in the Soul Master Competition. Seems like a win to me."
"Not wrong," Xu Sanshi nodded smugly, arms crossed. "You've got to learn from me—thick skin solves everything. Look at Nan Nan, she's already halfway won over."
Hah—
Everyone twitched. Chen Junting couldn't tell if Xu Sanshi was trying to brag or just roasting himself.
"Xu Sanshi!" Jiang Nannan's face flushed deep red. Her foot lashed out—bam—slamming into his chest with a sweeping kick.
"Argh!"
Xu Sanshi flew five meters, flipped midair, and rolled before landing on his feet. Dusting himself off, he gave her a thumbs up.
"Nannan, you're amazing."
Jiang Nannan's jaw clenched so tight it looked like her teeth might crack. If not for the fact that they were among friends, she would've buried herself in the floor.
The others just sighed.
"Why is Sanshi always like this?" Beibei muttered.
"I actually think pairing Senior Xu with Senior Nannan was a mistake," Chen Junting added, pointing at the grinning idiot. "Now he's completely shameless."
"Senior brother," Wang Dong interrupted quickly, as if trying to escape the awkwardness. "Shouldn't we celebrate becoming reserve team members today?"
Wu Feng smirked, "Oh? Is our Young Master Wang treating?"
"No problem," Wang Dong puffed his chest. "Even after that treasure fair, I've got enough for dinner."
"No need to eat out." Beibei smiled. "Xiaoya's already cooked something for us. Come over to my place."
Xu Sanshi raised a skeptical brow. "She didn't buy it from a restaurant again and just heat it up, did she?"
Beibei's expression turned pitch black.
A wicked glint flashed in his eyes.
"Nannan, remember what Sanshi said to me last time—"
Another thud echoed across the arena as Jiang Nannan chased him down.
---
Meanwhile, inside the Sea God Pavilion...
"Old Mu, that's what happened."
Elder Xuan reported everything to Mu En, who lay reclined, listening with eyes half-closed. He even mentioned Chen Junting's request to allow nine instead of seven students into the tournament.
"Haha… loyal little brats," Mu En chuckled softly.
He didn't say yes or no.
"Make a call, Mu Lao," Xuanzi prompted.
"Why would I disagree?" Mu En asked back, eyes still shut. "Let me ask you this—are there any hard limits on how many students can attend the tournament?"
"No," Xuanzi replied. "No official limit."
Other than Shrek and a few elite academies, most schools can barely gather ten strong students under twenty. Even if they brought more, they'd be cannon fodder under the tournament's strict format.
"Exactly."
Mu En nodded. "So as Chen Junting said—they weren't eliminated, they deserve to go. Let them get experience."
He paused.
"…Besides."
Xuanzi perked up. "Besides what?"
Mu En's expression turned distant.
"They're from the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect. Who knows if they'll even be with us for the next tournament?"
Xuanzi froze. "What do you mean?"
"There's a rumor from the Sun Moon Empire," Mu En said calmly. "Apparently they're suggesting that sect forces be allowed into the next Soul Master Tournament."
Xuanzi's face darkened. "The next one's in Mingdu, the Sun Moon capital. They can't be serious…"
"Serious enough," Mu En said. "Based on intel from the empire, the sects, and our own sources, the Sun Moon Empire is preparing. If things escalate, we might be looking at war within twenty years."
"You think the next tournament is a trap?" Xuanzi asked. "A way to test our strength before launching a war?"
Mu En didn't answer directly.
He didn't have to.
His silence said it all.
"Then let's stop them," Xuanzi growled. "Cut them off before they start."
"We can't," Mu En said flatly.
He stood up, slowly, like the weight of the world was pressing on his shoulders.
"You underestimate human nature. Just like you treasure Shrek's glory, those sects treasure any shot at fame. You think they'd give that up over a 'maybe'?"
Xuanzi fell quiet. He understood the warning beneath the words.
"Alright," he said after a moment, backing off. "You deal with the big-picture stuff. I'll prep the kids."
And just like that, he vanished again.
Mu En stood alone, gazing out the window.
How long could his body last?
He didn't know.
But he had one wish left:
Let Le Xuan be ready before I'm gone.
---
(End of Chapter)
---