Mu En understood. His disciple wouldn't mature. Yan Shaozhe didn't possess the mentality to become a top-tier powerhouse. Mu En had already given up on this disappointing disciple and decided to let things take their course.
Mu En didn't attempt to educate this useless disciple anymore. He turned his gaze to Ma Xiaotao. "The evil energy within Xiaotao is very active, on the verge of erupting at any moment. It's a miracle she's lasted until now. What intrigues me is that there seems to be a force that once helped Xiaotao dispel the evil energy. Xuan Zi, Xiaotao, tell me the whole story."
Xuan Zi was somewhat embarrassed upon hearing this. Could he say that he had only been eating and drinking and wasn't present? Of course not. "Xiaotao, why don't you start?"
Ma Xiaotao didn't overthink it. After recalling, she began to recount, "That day, during the competition, we drew against the Body Sect. The Body Sect is the Body Sect's recent..."
Following this, Ma Xiaotao detailed the events of the day's battle against the Body Sect, without exaggeration or embellishment. Afterward, Xuan Zi also provided some supplementary information.
"So, Xiaotao lost her sanity during the competition, and it was that little fellow from the Body Sect's methods that restored Xiaotao?" Mu En understood the gist of the situation after hearing their accounts.
Xuan Zi chimed in, "That's right. If I'm not mistaken, it should be a domain skill, a spiritual-type domain skill."
"A mental-type domain, no wonder it could affect Xiaotao's mind. That makes sense."
"Xuan Zi, what do you think of that child's attitude towards our academy?"
Xuan Zi was puzzled. Weren't they discussing how to solve the problem of the martial soul mutation? How did the conversation shift to Huo Yuhao? What that kid thought didn't seem important, and besides, that kid was now Du Busi's disciple, which was a done deal. Shrek Academy and the Ben Ti Sect had always been at odds.
"That kid was originally a student of our academy. I don't know why he was poached by that old geezer Du Busi. As for his attitude towards the academy, I happened to overhear a conversation between him and a student of the academy in Star Luo City yesterday…" Xuan Zi recounted Huo Yuhao's conversation with Jiang Nannan that he had overheard, word for word. There were no outsiders present, so Xuan Zi didn't have any reservations and told everything in detail.
After listening to Xuan Zi's account, Ma Xiaotao fell silent. Before she joined Shrek, Yan Shaozhe had already discovered her, and after being taken in as a disciple by her teacher, she had always lived in the inner courtyard, lacking understanding of the outer courtyard.
Now, suddenly knowing so much darkness and infighting within the academy, she was speechless for a moment.
Yan Shaozhe's old face completely darkened. He hadn't expected a child to see things so clearly. And that Zhou Yi, relying on the fact that the Soul Guidance Department had people supporting him, was becoming increasingly unbridled. It seemed necessary to rectify the situation. As the dean, he had an inescapable responsibility for such a thing happening.
Mu En, on the other hand, remained calm, showing no reaction at all. Having lived so long, he had seen everything. It was inevitable that a few bad apples would appear when a force grew strong. He took a more relaxed view of this.
Avoiding this topic, Mu En continued to ask, "Xuan Zi, you'll go to the Body Sect in a while. Invite that little fellow to the Sea God Pavilion. I've thought of some ways that might solve the drawbacks of Xiaotao's martial soul mutation, but I need that little fellow's help."
Xuan Zi gave a wry smile upon hearing this. "Old Mu, given that kid's hostility towards the academy, how could he possibly agree to help us?"
"Hostility? It's not that serious. If that child truly hated the academy, then Luo Chen and his group wouldn't have been able to leave the competition stage. And if that kid from the Xuanming Sect hadn't made a deadly move first, he wouldn't have ended up like that. So, that child isn't as bad as you imagine," Mu En said, his eyes half-open, his aged voice echoing in the room.
"Moreover, I don't think that child would want another Evil Soul Master on the continent."
"Well, alright, I'll give it a try then." Xuan Zi felt that the chances of getting Huo Yuhao to help were slim, but since Old Mu had already made the decision, he could only grit his teeth and do as he was told.
"Alright, if that child is willing to help, then these two Soul Bones can be considered as a reward." As he spoke, two balls of light suddenly appeared in front of Mu En. Under Mu En's control, these balls of light flew to Xuan Zi.
This is... Soul Bone!
Xuan Zi was shocked. After these two Soul Bones appeared, a vast life energy spread throughout the room. Xuan Zi took a closer look. Holy moly, one was fifty thousand years old, the other eighty thousand years old, and the other one was even close to a hundred thousand years old.
Xuan Zi's lips moved, wanting to say something but unable to get the words out. Ma Xiaotao's talent was indeed good, but was it really worth the academy paying such a high price?
Although the academy had a certain number of Soul Bones in its collection over the years, those that were ninety thousand years old were incredibly rare and were extremely important resources.
The main thing was that Xuan Zi felt it wasn't necessary. Even if Huo Yuhao asked for some reward for his help, he wouldn't be so greedy, right?
"Pavilion Master, this is absolutely not acceptable. Xiaotao hasn't contributed anything to the academy since she joined. I really feel unworthy. Please, Pavilion Master, take back your decision." Ma Xiaotao was panicked. Three Soul Bones, all over fifty thousand years old, with one of them even nearing the coveted hundred-thousand-year Soul Bone that countless Soul Masters dreamed of. How could she dare accept such a huge favor? Selling herself wouldn't even cover the cost!
Seeing Ma Xiaotao's flustered expression, Mu En smiled slightly. "Xiaotao, you should call me Grandmaster. Don't worry, these three Soul Bones are mine personally, they have nothing to do with the academy. Also, you don't need to belittle yourself. This time, the mutation of your martial soul isn't entirely a bad thing. The flames in your martial soul have now sublimated, reaching the level of Extreme Fire. As long as you eliminate the evil energy within it, with your current talent, your future is limitless."
"But..." Ma Xiaotao was still a little uneasy. Those were three Soul Bones, after all. They were too precious.
Mu En waved his hand, interrupting her. "Alright, there's no 'buts.' Do I need a reason to treat my disciples and their descendants? There's no need to discuss this further."
Ma Xiaotao hesitated for a moment, then silently nodded. She didn't offer any thanks, instead, she engraved this kindness in her heart.
"Alright, you'll stay here temporarily. The third room on the left as you go out. There's a Myriad Year Xuan Ice Bed inside. That thing has some effect on suppressing the evil energy in your body." Mu En waved his hand, signaling them to leave.
The three of them bowed slightly to Mu En and then retreated together, leaving the slightly lonely old man alone, leaning against the recliner.
The scene shifted. After a day and night of long-distance travel, Huo Yuhao and his master arrived at their destination: Qitian Town, north of Oak City in the Sun Moon Empire. Oak City was a key strategic location in the Sun Moon Empire, known as the "Northern Granary" due to its fertile land and abundant grain production.
Huo Yuhao had heard of this place. Before coming, he had imagined a picturesque rural landscape. However, the Qitian Town he saw now was a completely different scene. Everywhere he looked, there were ruins and broken walls, collapsed houses, and the occasional scattered white bones on the roads. The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder, as the flames of war had spread here.
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