At this moment, Yan Shaozhe's gaze was firm and resolute. He slowly walked over to Ma Xiaotao, and the origin of the Radiant Phoenix in his hand transformed into a tiny phoenix that flew into her body.
The next moment, a trace of golden light radiated from Ma Xiaotao's body. The glow flickered for several breaths before falling silent once more.
Elder Mu slowly nodded, revealing a gratified smile.
Yan Shaozhe walked before Elder Mu, clasped his fists, and bowed.
"Teacher, I wish to resign from my position as Dean of the Martial Soul Department. Let Mei'er take over as dean, and Lexuan can become vice dean. I need to enter seclusion for a period of time."
Elder Mu lightly patted Yan Shaozhe on the face.
"Well done. You didn't disgrace me. Shaozhe, maintain this state of mind."
"This disciple understands!"
After giving a few instructions to his wife, Yan Shaozhe left alone.
Elder Mu watched his departing figure and nodded in satisfaction.
Su Yunlin walked to Elder Mu's side.
"Looks like Senior Brother had a huge breakthrough in mentality. Tsk, I really didn't expect him to make such a great sacrifice. Stripping away so much of his Martial Soul origin isn't something just anyone can do."
Elder Mu nodded.
"Yes. Shaozhe's talent is extremely high. In truth, his talent is no less than your mother's. But the first half of his life was too smooth. Because of that, his mentality had flaws, preventing him from unleashing the true power of the Radiant Phoenix.
"Even his own Martial Soul didn't fully acknowledge him, which locked away his upper limit. What happened to Xiaotao this time can also be considered a trial for him. Once he restores his Martial Soul origin and maintains this mindset, he likely won't encounter any bottlenecks before Rank 98."
Su Yunlin nodded.
"Then it'll depend on Senior Brother's fortune. Senior Sister Xiaotao's nirvana will also require some time. We should still search for that immortal-grade herb, preferably one with a fire attribute.
"If we can help her be reborn through fire, her flames may very well reach the level of Ultimate Fire."
Elder Mu looked at Su Yunlin.
"Yunlin, didn't you dislike that girl Xiaotao? Why are you helping her so much? Could it be that on the surface you dislike her, but actually…"
The moment those words were spoken, Su Yunlin suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. A dangerously sharp gaze locked onto him.
Of course Su Yunlin knew who that gaze belonged to—his girl was jealous again.
He coughed awkwardly.
"Ahem, it's not like that. She's not my type. As for why I'm helping her, it's complicated. First of all, I've already decided to stay at Shrek Academy and eventually inherit your position.
"So naturally, I need to cultivate a group of my own people. Senior Sister Xiaotao will definitely stay at the academy even after graduation. With her talent, she's bound to become a Super Douluo in the future. Having a Phoenix Douluo as my enforcer would be pretty great.
"I'll also take care of other disciples who plan to remain at the academy. After all, if you're going to be the boss, you need to cultivate trusted subordinates in advance. I can't exactly become a commander with no followers, can I?"
That truly was Su Yunlin's reasoning for saving Ma Xiaotao. After all, once he became Pavilion Master, he couldn't personally handle every single matter himself.
He needed powerful people to back him up and maintain appearances.
And Ma Xiaotao was especially suitable. With her talent, she could quickly become a Titled Douluo and eventually a Super Douluo.
At that point, he could even get her a full set of three-word battle armor and simply point at whoever needed beating.
Besides, she was clearly not the commanding type anyway. Having her independently carry out missions would be perfect—a top-tier combat soldier.
Elder Mu looked somewhat surprised, then laughed.
"You little rascal really think far ahead. And you say it so directly too. Your personality truly doesn't match your dark and evil attribute at all.
"And Wutong, you can put away the Clear Sky Hammer now. Yunlin isn't lying."
Su Yunlin swallowed nervously.
No wonder his back had suddenly felt chilly.
Good grief… so it was a Clear Sky Hammer warning, huh?!
"Hmph!" Wang Dong snorted coldly before putting away the Clear Sky Hammer.
Ma Xiaotao's matter had finally come to an end.
Everyone left the room, while Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao waited outside.
After all, the fewer people who knew about the special soul skill Su Yunlin and Xu Yunyue had used, the better.
The moment Huo Yuhao saw Su Yunlin come out, he immediately ran over.
"Class Monitor, how's Sister Xiaotao?"
"She's entered a nirvana state. It'll probably take some time—at least a few months, maybe several years."
Huo Yuhao's heart trembled. He had only just gained someone he considered family, and now something had already happened to her.
Su Yunlin patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder.
"As for you, focus on cultivating properly. Senior Sister Xiaotao may need your help in the future. Oh right, in two years, Shrek Academy and the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy will hold an academic exchange program.
"As one of the Soul Tool Department's outstanding disciples, you and Fan Yu's disciple will be sent to study soul tools at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. Shrek's future soul tool technology will depend on you guys."
Huo Yuhao looked puzzled.
"Class Monitor, but your talent should be even better than mine. Aren't you going?"
Su Yunlin immediately grabbed Huo Yuhao's ear.
"If I go to the Sun Moon Empire, the day I step into that place will be the day I die. You want me dead that badly?"
Huo Yuhao winced in pain. Then, after thinking about it, he realized that with Su Yunlin's monstrous talent, he would definitely become the enemy faction's number one assassination target.
After all, once Su Yunlin fully matured, he would become a terrifying enemy of the Sun Moon Empire.
"Alright, hurry up and improve yourself. Reach Spirit Elder rank soon and obtain your Spirit Ring. Learn properly from the powerful beings inside you—the Iceworm, the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, and that unknown divine consciousness. Learning from them will benefit you for life!"
Su Yunlin patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder again before leaving.
Huo Yuhao was nearly scared out of his mind.
The beings within him—Skydream Iceworm and Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion—were equally shocked.
Skydream Iceworm cried out:
"How is that possible?! He's only a mere Spirit King! How did he discover us?!"
Ice Empress frowned.
"What a mysterious human. Elder Yi, can you see through him?"
Both Skydream Iceworm and the Ice Empress looked toward the illusory figure nearby—the Necromancer Holy Mage, Calamity of the Undead, Electrolux.
Electrolux gazed at Su Yunlin's departing figure.
"That youth named Su Yunlin also possesses a divine consciousness within him. He may very well be someone chosen by a powerful god of this world.
"Do you remember that scythe Martial Soul of his? That scythe contains an extremely dense divine aura."
Skydream Iceworm recalled it for a moment before exclaiming:
"Could it be that strange eye?!"
Electrolux nodded.
"Correct. That eye likely belongs to an immensely powerful deity. The hidden power within that single eyeball may even surpass ordinary divine artifacts.
"What a frightening young man. Darkness, evil, holiness… in some ways, he resembles me."
Huo Yuhao looked toward Electrolux.
"Then Elder Yi, since Class Monitor discovered you all, what should we do?"
Electrolux shook his head.
"Didn't you understand what he meant? He told you to cultivate properly and stop overthinking things. This world is very interesting. You have resources like the big worm and little scorpion, while he possesses things that may be even stronger than yours.
"The tone he used just now clearly showed that he thinks highly of you. And that expert named Elder Mu is truly extraordinary. In my world, he would also rank among the top-tier powerhouses. His intent is incredibly powerful, and he carries a type of dragon aura I have never seen before.
"That Elder Mu has also probed you with his spiritual power before. He likely already understands the relationship between you and the little scorpion. There's no need for you to panic. None of them intend to harm you. Instead, they are trying to nurture you, which means they bear no ill will toward you."
Huo Yuhao nodded firmly.
"I understand now. Elder Mu, Class Monitor… I'll definitely cultivate properly, become a powerful expert someday, and help all of you!"
Huo Yuhao encouraged himself like this.
If Su Yunlin knew what Huo Yuhao was thinking, he would definitely complain:
"I was just being polite to you, and you actually took it seriously? You really know how to brainwash yourself."
...
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