Chapter 21: Giving In

Qin Sheng and Mu En landed on the ground and found a place to sit down.

The Dragon God Douluo was quite old. Most importantly, he had once swallowed a Dragon Core, and the backlash of baleful aura had caused issues with his body, damaging his origin.

By his estimation, provided he did not engage in full-scale combat, this Limit Douluo had about ten more years to live.

"I apologize to you, and to the Chiling Academy, for the indiscretion of those seven children," Mu En spoke sincerely.

Qin Sheng said, "Matters between students are resolved on the battlefield; there is no need for this."

Mu En understood Qin Sheng's meaning and let out a soft sigh.

"Xuan Zi was wrong this time. It was only right that you crippled one of his arms. I will compensate the Chiling Academy: one high-quality ten-thousand-year soul bone for each of those seven children, as well as one hundred-thousand-year soul bone. What do you think?"

"Additionally, I will place Xuan Zi under house arrest for ten years. He shall not step foot off Sea God Island for a decade."

Qin Sheng looked at the old man; he was very candid and showed great sincerity.

These words were, in truth, a complete surrender to Qin Sheng, placing himself in a subordinate position.

"I suspect the Sea God Pavilion would not be willing to pay such a high price. In fact, most people might hold a different attitude?"

For example, mobilizing the strength of Shrek to expedition against Chiling to reclaim the glory of being the undisputed number one for ten thousand years.

"When one is wrong, one must admit it," Mu En said. "They have been immersed in past glories for too long, thinking that Shrek is truly invincible and eternal."

"This is also a good thing for Shrek."

"Considering that the Taotie Douluo has killed many evil soul masters in the past, you may take them back with you later," Qin Sheng said. "However, if something similar happens again in the future, there will be no need for you to come."

To be honest, since arriving in this world six years ago, Qin Sheng had never cared about Shrek Academy—it was merely a mortal power.

Whether the academy was good or bad, whether it deserved praise or criticism, had nothing to do with him. If it weren't for Xuan Zi's madness, Qin Sheng wouldn't have bothered with him at all.

"Thank you."

Mu En looked toward the direction of Heaven Dou City and asked, "Is there another Limit Douluo in the city?"

"Yes, a friend of mine."

Mu En sighed with emotion. "It seems I was looking at the sky from the bottom of a well. The Douluo Continent is vast, and there are many hidden experts."

"If I may ask, how will the Chiling Academy develop in the future?"

"It is merely an academy," Qin Sheng replied without hesitation.

"Yes, it should be so."

Mu En continued, "Shrek is already somewhat lost."

Shrek had replaced the former Spirit Hall and showed tendencies toward becoming a new "Spirit Hall."

It was manageable now, but the Shrek and Tang Sect of the Douluo Dalu III era were even more extreme—confronting the Federation, trampling laws, trafficking arms, and colluding with enemy nations...

The latter was the worst.

"I wonder what your view is on Soul Tools?"

Soul Tools were the technological products of soul power developed on the Douluo Continent. Currently, they were mostly applied to combat and had not yet become integrated into daily life.

"They are the trend of the era and cannot be stopped. Although pure Soul Masters still dominate for now, the future of the continent will undoubtedly be a combination of Soul Masters and Soul Tools."

Qin Sheng said, "A powerful Soul Master equipped with powerful Soul Tools is the future of the Soul Master world."

Mu En felt as if he had found a kindred spirit; he believed the same.

"However, Soul Tools in our era still have limitations. Let those with talent research and manufacture them; there is no need to force everyone to study them in depth."

Qin Sheng continued, "Most Soul Masters only need to learn how to use them, and that will be enough."

In the Douluo Dalu II era, were Soul Tools the "meta"?

That was pure nonsense.

Ho Yuhao spent so much time on Soul Tools in the early stages and even participated in the incredibly impressive Limit Single Soldier Project, yet in the end, he still relied on his raw strength as a Soul Master to sweep through everything.

Only after a few thousand years, once mechas and Battle Armor emerged, would Soul Tools become the definitive answer and a mandatory subject for everyone.

"You are right, but among the original three kingdoms of Douluo, many people are unwilling to even use Soul Tools, let alone manufacture them. The ideological resistance is too severe."

Mu En shook his head. "Pushing the development of Soul Tools is as difficult as ascending to heaven."

The current Douluo Continent was quite peculiar; Soul Tools were resisted by most Soul Masters, who felt that a true Soul Master should not use such tools.

"Ideological resistance? At the end of the day, it's all about interests," Qin Sheng sneered.

"Take your Shrek, for example. If the Soul Tool system wants to develop, it must take resources from the Martial Soul system. How would the Martial Soul system be willing to do that?"

"It is the same for other academies. Old-fashioned Soul Masters occupy the majority of resources; who would be willing to let them go?"

The younger generation was influenced by the older generation, being indoctrinated from childhood with the idea that Soul Tools were bad; that couldn't be helped.

But the current high-ranking figures of the continent spoke of the unchangeable laws of their ancestors, while their hearts were entirely focused on business.

If they truly rejected Soul Tool technology, why did they still use storage-type Soul Tools?

"Including you. You say you want to support the development of Soul Tools, but you yourself come from the Martial Soul system. Once your disciples and descendants complain, won't you just compromise again?"

"I have learned much; I have lived two hundred years in vain," Mu En said with shame.

"Fine, how Shrek Academy develops is your business."

Qin Sheng said, "After the Continental Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament ends, I will go to deal with the Holy Spirit Cult. At that time, I will invite people from the three kingdoms to witness it. Your academy may also send representatives."

"The Holy Spirit Cult?" Mu En's expression tightened.

"Don't tell me you don't know," Qin Sheng said. "The evil soul masters have become a significant force, no weaker than any other power on the continent. I have a blood feud with them, and I will kill them. When the time comes, you won't need to act; I can handle it alone."

As he spoke, his figure vanished from the spot. There was nothing left to discuss with this Dragon God Douluo.

Setting aside his absurdities from his youth, Mu En's vision and breadth of mind were indeed incomparable to the others in Shrek.

He had long seen the hidden dangers beneath Shrek's current prosperity: obsession with glory, arrogance, madness, paranoia, and a sense of superiority...

He also understood the impact Soul Tools would have on Soul Masters.

Mu En had always wanted to change Shrek and push for the development of Soul Tools within the academy, but he lacked the ability.

To be precise, he lacked the decisiveness.

The ship of Shrek was too large. Mu En was the helmsman, but he could not change its direction; he could only drift with the tide.

That academy could not be completely controlled by any single person; its true masters were the so-called Shrek Spirit and its glory.

Mu En's thought was to trust in the wisdom of future generations and leave the problems for them to solve.

But if Shrek hadn't encountered a child of destiny, they wouldn't have had to wait ten thousand years—they would have been blown up right now.

Inside the room, the Snow Empress smiled slightly.

"I thought you would make a move."

"He is not that stupid ox; he is very clever, and he wouldn't dare," Qin Sheng shook his head. "If he were to move against me, he would surely die."

To knock Xuan Zi unconscious in a single move, Mu En simply did not have that kind of strength.

"To deal with the Holy Spirit Cult, do you need me to go with you?" the Snow Empress asked.

"Return to the Far North first and begin preparing the matters of faith. I will notify you when it is time to strike the Holy Spirit Cult."

The Snow Empress drifted away.

"After the destruction of the Holy Spirit Cult, I will use the momentum to make the Sun Moon Empire proclaim my name as well. This way, the human faith on the continent can be basically established; it will only require the accumulation of time."

Qin Sheng pondered, "Should I make contact with the soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest? There is a significant number of them there."

"And beyond the Douluo Continent, there are two other continents located in the deep sea. There are living beings there as well. As long as I find their locations, they too can provide me with faith."

As he thought, Qin Sheng looked up at the sky.

Normally, with his strength to sweep across the continent, collecting faith would not be difficult. The only uncertain factor was the Divine Realm, or rather, Tang San.

"Will you make a move?"

(End of Chapter)