Chapter 32: A Win-Win Outcome
After Lin Yun left, Mu En sat solemnly in his wheelchair made from the Golden Tree, his aged face deeply serious.
"That feeling just now...?" Mu En's eyes were filled with shock, and waves surged in his heart.
When he made eye contact with Lin Yun moments ago, even his Holy Bright Dragon martial soul had trembled, giving him a profound urge to bow in reverence to Lin Yun!
How could that be possible?
Soul masters have limited tolerance for martial souls—the stronger the martial soul, the more powerful the body required to bear it. The clearest example was their ancestor, Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Xiaogang's body couldn't withstand his martial soul, which caused a backlash mutation when he awakened at six, degrading into the useless Luo Sanpao. Only by forming a martial soul fusion technique with the help of Flender and Liu Erlong could he unleash its true power.
Mu En's Holy Bright Dragon martial soul might not have reached the ultimate realm, but as a dragon-type soul, it already stood near the limit of what a human soul master could endure.
Yet in Mu En's perception, Lin Yun's martial soul far surpassed his own.
How could a martial soul like that belong to a human?
That terrifying pressure from the dragon bloodline—his Holy Bright Dragon martial soul had expressed genuine submission.
"It seems Shrek has finally welcomed a true little monster." After the shock passed, Mu En smiled with relief.
As the current Sea God Pavilion Master, he understood Shrek's crisis better than anyone.
Xuan Zi was utterly useless. Yan Shaozhe had deep character flaws that couldn't be overcome. The rest were unfit to inherit the Sea God Pavilion and shoulder Shrek's burden.
The only two with real potential—Zhang Lexuan and Bei Bei—had yet to fully mature. No one knew how anxious Mu En had been at the end of his life.
Lin Yun's appearance was undoubtedly a beam of radiant light for this elder who cared so deeply for Shrek.
A win-win situation indeed: Mu En found the talented successor he longed for, and Lin Yun had successfully infiltrated Shrek from within.
Now cultivating in his dorm, Lin Yun naturally had no idea that just one glance had already left Shrek's strongest individual slightly shaken by his "cheat-like" presence.
And Mu En wasn't wrong. Under normal circumstances, even the weakened Golden Dragon martial soul would be impossible for Lin Yun to endure, let alone the complete Golden Dragon King.
But he had someone behind him!
At present, he couldn't bear the full Golden Dragon King, but with the aid of its bloodline, he could fully handle the Golden Dragon martial soul.
He was never the same as ordinary humans.
In this encounter with Mu En, Lin Yun had successfully left a strong impression on the Pavilion Master. Barring accidents, this would become his entry point into Shrek's upper echelon.
With Mu En's fondness for talented youths, even Yan Shaozhe would have to think twice before attempting any schemes.
Like coercion, manipulation, or subtle indoctrination.
Not that Lin Yun feared any of that.
Elsewhere—
In the Star Dou Great Forest, Bei Bei and Tang Ya, who had originally set out to find Huo Yuhao and assist him, walked a long distance. Even after Tang Ya finished absorbing her soul ring, they still hadn't found him.
Without Huo Yuhao's spiritual detection sharing, Bei Bei didn't fight the Mandrake Snake as smoothly as in the original story, but he still managed to defeat it solo and unscathed.
He was, after all, a direct descendant of Mu En and a prodigy of Shrek Academy's outer courtyard. Dealing with a thousand-year soul beast wasn't a problem.
But even after Tang Ya absorbed her soul ring and they left the forest, they still hadn't found Huo Yuhao. Though Tang Ya was reluctant, they had no choice but to turn back.
The Star Dou Great Forest was simply too vast. Two Soul Grandmasters alone couldn't possibly explore it all. Trying to find a single Huo Yuhao in the massive outer region was no different from finding a needle in a haystack.
But just as the two were on their way back, Bei Bei, with his sharp eyes, happened to spot Huo Yuhao unconscious in the roadside grass.
After the Tianmeng Silkworm used its once-in-a-lifetime teleportation, whether by luck or fate, they had landed right along the path to Shrek Academy—precisely the same road Bei Bei and Tang Ya were using on their return.
After considering various factors, Bei Bei and Tang Ya decided to bring the unconscious Huo Yuhao with them, and he awakened that same night.
Recalling the words the Tianmeng Silkworm had said to him, Huo Yuhao was moved to tears. Unable to contain his excitement, he immediately released his martial soul. As he gazed at the gentle, jade-like white soul ring, an overwhelming surge of heroic spirit filled his chest.
I, Huo Yuhao, start with a million-year soul ring!
And Tianmeng said it himself—he possesses limitless potential and is destined to become a god-level genius in the future!
There was no denying it: the Tianmeng Silkworm's words had fed Huo Yuhao a hearty bowl of motivational broth. The young man was now filled with unshakable determination.
Having exhausted himself by integrating with Huo Yuhao and then using his final teleportation ability to leave the Star Dou Great Forest, the Tianmeng Silkworm had fallen into a deep sleep. No matter how Huo Yuhao called, there was no response.
If not for the white soul ring on his body, Huo Yuhao might have believed it had all been a dream.
Bei Bei and Tang Ya exchanged confused glances. They had no idea why Huo Yuhao was so emotional over what appeared to be a "ten-year soul ring," but simply assumed he was thrilled to have finally become a soul master.
They didn't dwell on whether the white soul ring was really just a ten-year one.
Later, Tang Ya enthusiastically invited Huo Yuhao to join the Tang Sect and described the 'great' and 'glorious deeds' of the Sea God, founder of the Tang Sect.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Huo Yuhao knelt and pledged himself, receiving a generous starter package from Tang Ya.
[Shrek Academy Tang Sect Special Admission Slot] ×1
[Technique · Xuan Tian Technique] ×1
[Manual · Mysterious Jade Hand] ×1
[Manual · Purple Demon Eyes] ×1
[Manual · Controlling Crane Catching Dragon] ×1
[Manual · Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track] ×1
Huo Yuhao gained admission to the academy and inherited the Tang Sect's secret techniques, while Tang Ya gained a promising young successor with the potential to revive the sect.
A win-win times two!
That very night, Bei Bei exhausted his soul power to help Huo Yuhao operate the Xuan Tian Technique for the first time, guiding him through the full meridian cycle.
As for Huo Yuhao's fragile and blocked meridians…
Bei Bei couldn't do much there—he could only hope for a future opportunity to help improve them slightly.
And so, Huo Yuhao followed Tang Ya and Bei Bei to Shrek Academy, entering through the Tang Sect's special admission quota.
Just as Bei Bei finished registering Huo Yuhao and was about to lead him into Shrek, the student responsible for freshman registration leaned over mysteriously and whispered, "Senior Brother Bei, did you hear? Yesterday, a terrifying new student arrived at the academy."
Bei Bei instinctively stopped and tilted his head in curiosity. "Terrifying?"
(End of Chapter)
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