Chapter 82: Mu En and Bei Bei
At the same time, in a secluded corner of Shrek Academy's dormitory district, Bei Bei stood respectfully before an old man whose hair and beard were white as snow. The last rays of the setting sun filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow across the old man's deeply wrinkled face.
"Great-Grandfather," Bei Bei called softly, his voice carrying profound reverence.
Mu En slowly opened his eyes. The moment they fell upon Bei Bei, a flash of clarity cut through those clouded, rheumy pupils. "Bei Bei, you've come." Though his voice was hoarse, it could not conceal his deep, undisguised affection. "Have you already accompanied Tang Ya to obtain her soul ring?"
"Yes, Great-Grandfather." Bei Bei inclined his body slightly. "Xiao Ya successfully obtained her third soul ring. She's now acclimating to her new power." He paused, and his expression turned grave. "Beyond that, I have several important matters to report to you."
Mu En inclined his head gently, signaling for him to continue.
"The first matter," Bei Bei drew a deep breath, "is that Tang Ya and I—and the entire Tang Sect—have decided to join a newly risen sect in the Star Luo Empire: the Church of the Water God."
Mu En's brow lifted slightly. "The Church of the Water God? The organization that's been helping commoners awaken their martial souls among the populace lately? Did they invite you to join?"
"To be precise—she invited Tang Ya to join, and expressed the wish to bring the Tang Sect into the Church of the Water God's framework," Bei Bei answered, carefully choosing his words.
"She?" Mu En had caught the critical word with razor sharpness.
"Yes. A young Pope, around my age. Her name is Furina," Bei Bei replied, closely observing his great-grandfather's reaction.
Mu En repeated the name thoughtfully, as if tasting it. "Furina..." He seemed to search his memory for something, but ultimately shook his head. "Still—hasn't that girl Tang Ya always been determined to revive the Tang Sect? How could she so readily bring the entire Tang Sect under another organization?"
Bei Bei retrieved an ancient, simply bound manual from within his robes and presented it with both hands. "The most crucial reason—is this."
"The Mysterious Heaven Technique?" Mu En accepted the manual, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes. "Isn't this the closely guarded secret of the Tang Sect? Could it be that the Church of the Water God also..."
"Yes," Bei Bei nodded firmly. "And what's more—the version they possess is far more complete. The Mysterious Heaven Technique our Tang Sect has passed down is missing its most critical components." As he spoke, he produced the Tang Sect's original Mysterious Heaven Technique manual and handed it to Mu En as well.
Mu En carefully compared the two manuals, his aged fingers tracing slowly across the pages. As time passed, the expression on his face grew increasingly somber. "So it's true..." After a long, heavy silence, he let out a deep sigh. "No wonder Tang Ya made such a choice."
"That is only part of the reason," Bei Bei continued. "Pope Furina also bestowed upon Xiao Ya a cultivation technique far better suited to her martial soul, along with Profound Water Pills, a Soul Ascension Pill, and two hundred thousand gold soul coins. What was most astonishing was her demeanor when she produced these precious items—as if she were casually handing over the most ordinary of things."
"Jiang Nannan has also joined the Church of the Water God, and has likewise received cultivation techniques and resources," Bei Bei added.
Mu En slowly closed the manuals in his hands, his gaze distant and deep. "It seems the hidden reserves of this Church of the Water God run far deeper than we could have imagined. Joining them may well be a wise decision on your part. It could have profound implications—both for your own future development, and even for the future of Shrek."
Seeing his great-grandfather's open-minded, accepting attitude, Bei Bei pressed on. "The second matter is even more significant. That Pope Furina—she has now entered our Shrek Academy as a student. She's a young woman with white hair, dressed in a blue gown, accompanied by a boy of about eleven. Their soul power ranks are forty-seven and thirty-one respectively—but what's most staggering is their soul ring configurations."
"Furina has two purple and two black. And the young man, named Huo Yuhao—his configuration is one white, one purple, one black." The disbelief still lingered in Bei Bei's voice.
"What did you say?" Even with all of Mu En's vast life experience, he couldn't help but be visibly shaken. "Two purple, two black? And one white, one purple, one black? Bei Bei—are you absolutely certain you didn't see wrong?"
"I saw it with my own eyes. There is no doubt," Bei Bei assured him with the utmost gravity.
Mu En fell into a long, ponderous silence. At last, he let out a soft sigh. "Two little monsters indeed. The Church of the Water God... could it truly be connected to the Water God herself?" He shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh, then seemed to recall something. "That young woman you described—I did indeed meet her today. She also gave me a few things."
Mu En brought out the Longevity Gu and the Golden Doughnut Vanilla Cake that Furina had gifted him and placed them on the stone table before them.
Bei Bei studied the two items with keen curiosity. "A worm and a cake? I don't know what the worm is, but I'm certain it must be no ordinary thing. This cake should be a product of her soul skill—since her first martial soul is Cake. I suspect it's her fourth soul skill. I've seen her second and third, and her first surely couldn't produce an effect like this."
"A food-type soul master, so young, already at rank forty-seven..." Mu En murmured as if to himself. "In all these years, even here at Shrek Academy, which only accepts monsters, we've never seen a genius this heaven-defying. And that boy you mentioned—his first soul ring being white is truly a pity."
"Actually, I don't think it's a pity at all," Bei Bei explained. "His first soul skill possesses two effects—Spiritual Sharing and Spiritual Detection. Both of these auxiliary abilities are extraordinarily powerful."
"Now that is strange," Mu En's brow furrowed slightly. "I've never heard of a ten-year soul ring producing effects like that. There must be some secret behind it."
Bei Bei couldn't help a soft laugh. "Secrets there certainly are. The Church of the Water God's secrets, I'm afraid, run even deeper and more unfathomable than we can imagine."
The dusk deepened. The distant dormitory building had already begun to glow with scattered points of lamplight. Mu En gazed at the Longevity Gu and the cake on the table, sinking deep into thought. That crystalline, translucent gu worm shimmered with a strange, unearthly luster in the fading light of the setting sun, while the golden cake exuded an irresistibly enticing, sweet fragrance.
"Great-Grandfather, how do you think we should treat them?" Bei Bei asked quietly.
Mu En slowly raised his head, his gaze seeming to pierce through time and space itself. "Let things take their natural course. For geniuses of this caliber to descend upon Shrek—it is both an opportunity and a challenge. Since you have already joined the Church of the Water God, make the most of this chance. Perhaps..." He paused, and his voice dropped even lower. "Perhaps this will be a turning point that reshapes the very structure of the continent."
Bei Bei nodded solemnly. His curiosity toward that mysterious Pope blazed even brighter. He recalled Furina's eyes—those eyes that seemed capable of seeing through everything—and the effortless composure with which she had casually bestowed cultivation techniques and resources. All of it foretold that the Church of the Water God was no ordinary sect.
"Oh, that's right, Great-Grandfather," Bei Bei suddenly remembered something. "Furina also mentioned that during her time at Shrek, she intends to recruit students into the Church of the Water God. Additionally, she's been assigned to Teacher Zhou Yi's class—and she's openly declared that she intends to show Zhou Yi what a real teacher looks like. I'm afraid there may be some... conflict..."
The corner of Mu En's mouth curved into the faintest, almost imperceptible trace of a smile. "So long as she doesn't violate the academy's rules or coerce any students—let her be. Rest assured, with me here, she will not be expelled. Besides..." His eyes gleamed with quiet anticipation. "I, too, am very curious to see just what kind of waves this young Pope of the Church of the Water God can stir up at Shrek."
Night had fully fallen at last. A crescent moon climbed above the treetops. Bei Bei bowed in farewell to Mu En, then turned and melted into the darkness.
Mu En, however, remained where he was. He turned the Longevity Gu absently in his hand, a complex, unreadable light flickering in his eyes.
In all of Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year history, there had never been students quite like these. Mu En sensed, with a deep, premonitory certainty, that the arrival of Furina and Huo Yuhao would stir up storms unlike any this ancient academy had ever seen. And all of this—perhaps it was exactly the change that Shrek, and even the entire Douluo Continent, so desperately needed.