"Shaozhe…" Mu En stretched the tone, calling out weakly to his prized disciple.
"Eh~ Teacher, Shaozhe is right here." Yan Shaozhe's expression was extremely respectful, bowing nearly ninety degrees, as if afraid to anger Mu En.
"How is your injury from the Xu Ming Sect recovering?" Mu En asked slowly.
"The external wounds have been treated by Elder Zhuang. As for the seal from that old Xu monster, with your help breaking it, I have mostly recovered. But Elder Zhuang said I still need about ten days to half a month to recuperate," Yan Shaozhe replied with even greater respect.
Having suffered an unprecedented humiliation, he had gained a clearer understanding of the terrifying strength of a ninety-eight level Dragon Spirit Douluo — an existence that could easily kill him.
His teacher, Dragon Spirit Douluo Mu En, was undoubtedly the strongest on Douluo Continent, the only Limit Douluo in the world, whose realm was as lofty as a towering mountain, endless and unreachable.
Even if he devoted his entire life, he did not know if he could ever touch his teacher's level.
Mu En lightly nodded and said softly,
"That's good. You are second only to Xuanzi in the academy, the most promising to reach my level. Your potential surpasses that of the elder masters by far. Do you understand the expectations I have for you?"
Yan Shaozhe lowered his head and nodded, cupping his hands and replying,
"I understand, Teacher. Over the years, I have never slackened in cultivation. Before Elder Xuan steps down, I will definitely reach a level that can intimidate all evildoers! I will guard the post well for Lexuan and Beibei."
Mu En nodded calmly, then his tone suddenly grew heavier,
"But Shaozhe, how many years has it been since you broke through to level ninety-five and failed to advance further? With your talent, it shouldn't be like this."
Immediately, Yan Shaozhe broke out in a cold sweat, his back soaked through. His mind raced as he hurriedly said,
"I have spent too much effort over the years on mundane affairs of the Spirit Martial Department and have not settled down to secluded cultivation. But please rest assured, Teacher, I will definitely make a breakthrough within ten years!"
"I have no doubt about that…"
Mu En spoke slowly, then cast a helpless glance at his most valued disciple, speaking earnestly:
"But Shaozhe, can the mundane affairs of the Spirit Martial Department really consume so much of your energy? I have also served as the head of the Spirit Martial Department, yet I never delayed my cultivation like you have.
Could it be that you've been focusing more on other matters—like the open and covert conflicts with Lin'er and Duoduo from the Spirit Guidance Department? Hmm?"
"This…"
Yan Shaozhe broke out in a cold sweat, his lips trembling as he struggled to respond, but ultimately could not bring himself to argue in front of his wise teacher. Beads of sweat as large as soybeans dripped from his forehead, falling to the ground with sharp, clear "drip drip" sounds.
In front of such a perceptive teacher, any lie was meaningless.
"Sigh, it's also my fault for being too negligent over the years. I thought that competition between your two departments would bring vitality, but after Xuanzi had problems, I realized just how severe the transmission issues within the Sea God Pavilion have become!"
Mu En shook his head in pain, circulating bright spirit power within him as he forced himself to stand.
"Teacher, there's no need for this! I've been so unfilial!" Yan Shaozhe was alarmed, scrambling forward to support Mu En.
He knew his teacher was genuinely serious. Although he did not think he had done anything wrong these years, since his teacher lamented the slow progress of his cultivation, how could he not be flustered?
"It's not just that, Shaozhe. You must understand, your Spirit Martial Soul is the Radiant Phoenix—radiance vast and magnificent. Only someone with a broad and open heart can fully unleash this radiant power."
"But your character lacks a certain grandeur, which causes your comprehension and use of the radiant spirit power to always fall short."
"If it were otherwise, your achievements today would never have stopped here. Even if you couldn't reach Elder Song's level, you should at least be at the peak of level ninety-six now, and within ten years you would surely break through to ninety-seven."
"In that case, even when facing a powerhouse like Xuanzi, you would be able to hold your own for a while."
"Don't forget, you were once the top genius of the Academy's Golden Generation, and you have trained under me for many years. You possess a hundred thousand-year spirit ring and spirit bone, and you're now over ninety years old; yet your cultivation level is only on par with Lin'er, at best slightly superior."
"In terms of pure cultivation, you may not even surpass Lin'er. At least, that Spirit God Douluo truly enjoys the process of battle and invests tremendous effort into it."
"Teacher, I…"
Yan Shaozhe lowered his head even further, his shoulders trembling uneasily. He no longer knew how to respond and felt a pressure greater than even facing a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast in battle.
"Sigh… I'm just speaking from my experience, some old advice. How much you take to heart is up to you."
Mu En shook his head, his gaze deep as he sighed while looking at Yan Shaozhe.
He hadn't wanted to be so blunt, but time was pressing. As a teacher, he had to forcefully point out Yan Shaozhe's problems. How much Yan Shaozhe could understand and change would depend on his own insight.
Personality is something that, at Yan Shaozhe's age, is already set; even if he wanted to change, it wouldn't happen overnight.
With a shift in thought, Mu En's tone softened somewhat, saying:
"Shaozhe, over the years you have been diligent and conscientious, cultivating batch after batch of outstanding talents for the Academy. The Academy's current thriving state owes much to your work as head of the Spirit Martial Department."
"Shaozhe feels unworthy of such praise from Teacher."
After years of hard work being recognized, Yan Shaozhe finally relaxed, though he still shook his head repeatedly.
"But Shaozhe, part of the Spirit Martial Department's success is built on your relentless suppression of the Spirit Guidance Department's status. Perhaps, as head of the Spirit Martial Department, this was not wrong."
"However, you will be the head of the Sea God Pavilion for decades, perhaps even a century. By then, your perspective cannot be limited to the gains and losses of a single city or region."
"And over the years, just as Lin'er said, you tend to be petty and overly concerned with trivial matters. If you inherit the position of Sea God Pavilion Master in the future, I'm afraid the Spirit Guidance Department might end up being suppressed into a mere subsidiary of the Spirit Martial Department."
"Putting other things aside, almost none of the current Shrek Seven Devils are from the Spirit Guidance Department—each one is an elite from the Spirit Martial Department. If this continues, will the Spirit Guidance Department even have a place at Shrek?"
Under Mu En's scrutinizing gaze, Yan Shaozhe could not argue and simply nodded, then immediately gave his promise:
"Teacher, please rest assured. I understand now. In the future, I will no longer entertain such thoughts and will ease the conflicts with the Spirit Guidance Department, showing the magnanimity befitting the Spirit Martial Department."
"...I hope so..."
Mu En stared at Yan Shaozhe, who still looked down on the Spirit Guidance Department with a pitying attitude, feeling a deep sense of helplessness rise within him.
He had once considered using the tragedy of the twelve inner academy disciples' incident to urge the Spirit Martial Department to yield to the Spirit Guidance Department. But he hesitated because the Spirit Guidance Department couldn't produce advanced spirit devices suitable for these inner disciples.
Getting the Spirit Guidance Department to produce spirit devices capable of hunting hundred-thousand-year spirit beasts was indeed a tall order for them.
The Spirit Guidance Department's deputy dean, Qian Duoduo, was only an 8th-level half-spirit tutor—merely comforting herself by saying she couldn't produce 9th-level spirit devices. In reality, compared to 8th-level spirit tutors from the three countries, she might not even have much advantage.
The dean, Xian Lin'er? Although her title was Spirit God, she was essentially still a spirit master without a doubt.
And now, seeing Yan Shaozhe's attitude, what else could he say?
"You may go now. Think carefully about what I said and take good care of yourself. I look forward to seeing your progress..."
Weary, Mu En waved his hand and closed his eyes, lying back down on the long chair.
"Yes." Yan Shaozhe took small steps backward and, upon nearing the Sea God Pavilion's entrance, turned his body, lifted his head, and walked out.
"After I leave, I wonder what Shrek will become... Beibei, if only you had been born a few decades earlier, how wonderful that would be..."
Within the Sea God Pavilion, the aged Mu En sighed deeply.
...
Stepping out of the Sea God Pavilion, Yan Shaozhe spread his radiant phoenix wings. With a high-pitched phoenix cry, he soared, streaking like a meteor across the sky above Sea God Lake.
Landing by the riverside, Yan Shaozhe's eyes flickered several times before he finally made up his mind. He took out a spirit communication device from his bosom, pressed a button, and infused it with spirit energy.
"Vilun? This is Yan Shaozhe," Yan Shaozhe said in a low voice.
On the other end of the line, the voice of Du Vilun, the head instructor of the Spirit Martial Department, quickly came through. "Dean Yan, it's me. Do you have any instructions?"
"There's a small matter I need you to handle."
Yan Shaozhe's eyes darkened slightly, his tone deepening as he said, "Use our Spirit Martial Department's spies in Xuanming City to investigate the Awakening of the Spirit Martial Soul and the innate spirit power of Xu Tianxi, the third son of the Xuanming Sect's Sect Master."
"Understood, Dean. And what should I do after the investigation? Should I send students to bring this genius back to the academy as usual?" Du Vilun replied calmly, familiar with Yan Shaozhe's request.
"No! If he successfully awakens the Xuanming Turtle Spirit Martial Soul and his innate spirit power is high, then forget it—we don't need to bother with him further.
If he fails to awaken the Xuanming Turtle Spirit Martial Soul and his innate spirit power is low, then you are to contact the Sect Master's wife of Xuanming Sect—Xue Lingxun, the Elder Princess of the Douling Empire—and tell her that Dean Yan has a business proposal for her…"
There was a long silence on the other end before Du Vilun's hesitant voice returned, "Dean, wouldn't this be against regulations? Shrek is supposed to be neutral."
Yan Shaozhe snorted lightly, disdainful. "What are you afraid of? I'm just asking the Lady to fulfill her duty of supervising her illegitimate sons. What's wrong with picking some faults? It's not like I'm asking her to kill anyone!"
"Is it really so easy to take advantage of Shrek?" Yan Shaozhe said. "Her son has already been pre-appointed as one of the Seven Devils—that's an incredible honor! These are just trivial matters.
Besides, I've heard the atmosphere inside Xuanming Sect isn't very good; even Xu Sanshi isn't well regarded within the sect! How could Xu Tianxi possibly be more talented than Xu Sanshi?"
Du Vilun fell silent for a moment, then said, "…Understood, Dean."
"Handle it quickly. I'm waiting for your report."
After speaking, Yan Shaozhe hung up abruptly, exhaling deeply, feeling a significant amount of pressure finally released.
Turning to look toward the Sea God Pavilion, Yan Shaozhe's previously confused eyes gradually hardened with resolve as he murmured to himself, "Teacher, maybe what you said is right—my lack of generosity is what caused my cultivation to stagnate.
But I've always believed that whatever benefits me, the Spirit Martial Department, or even Shrek itself, must be firmly held in my own hands. If I don't vent this grudge, my heart won't find peace.
As long as I, Yan Shaozhe, have even one breath left, I will never allow anyone to harm the honor and interests of Shrek—no one!"