Bei Bei's figure paused slightly upon hearing Mu En's question, and a trace of surprise flashed through his gentle eyes.
He had not expected that at this moment, having just experienced a brutal "cleansing" and "education," with the faint scent of blood still lingering in the air...
That Progenitor Xuan had kept him behind alone, it was actually for the sake of Liu Yuan?
"Yes..." Bei Bei was silent for a moment before answering in a low voice.
"Liu Yuan and I... we did indeed have a good personal relationship. When he was still at Shrek, we got along very well."
Speaking of this, Bei Bei gave a bitter smile, "It is just a pity, fate plays tricks on people."
Mu En lay on his recliner, and in those eyes that seemed to have seen through the vicissitudes of the Mortal World, a rare trace of deep regret and desolation emerged.
"Indeed, fate plays tricks on people... but this fate is something we brought upon ourselves."
Mu En let out a long sigh, his voice sounding as if he had aged ten years.
"Bei Bei, do you remember? Not long after Xuan Zi expelled Liu Yuan... you ran to the Sea Gods Pavilion to find me in the middle of the night."
"I remember." Bei Bei lowered his head, his voice somewhat dry.
"At that time, for the sake of the big picture, I stood on Xuan Zi's side."
Mu En looked at the ceiling and muttered to himself, "But looking back now, the one who was truly muddle-headed and failed to see the situation clearly was me..."
"I was wrong."
These four simple words, spoken from the mouth of the Dragon God Douluo, who had shaken the continent for over two hundred years and was hailed as the number one person in the world, seemed so heavy.
Bei Bei suddenly looked up, staring at Mu En in shock. He had never seen Progenitor Xuan admit fault, nor had he ever seen him so dejected.
"Progenitor Xuan, you..."
"There is no need to comfort me." Mu En waved his hand, interrupting Bei Bei, "Wrong is wrong. If I had been able to send someone to bring him back in advance after receiving your message, perhaps things might have taken a different turn..."
"But now, it is all too late."
Mu En closed his eyes, hiding the pain in his gaze.
The hall fell into a brief silence.
After a long while, Mu En opened his eyes again, looking at Bei Bei with a burning gaze.
"Bei Bei, I kept you here this time because there is something I would like to ask of you."
Bei Bei's expression became solemn, and he bowed, "Progenitor Xuan, please speak. Bei Bei will not hesitate to do whatever it takes."
"It is not that serious." Mu En shook his head, his tone becoming earnest.
"I hope that in the future, if you have the chance to see Liu Yuan... you can try to repair the relationship between Shrek and him."
Bei Bei was stunned, "Repair the relationship? But Liu Yuan, he has already..."
"I know, a broken mirror is hard to make whole again."
Mu En sighed, "Having experienced such things, whoever it was, there would be resentment in their heart."
"Wanting him to return to Shrek, or to have him forgive Shrek, that is impossible, and it is merely my own wishful thinking."
"What I mean is... at least, do not let him become a mortal enemy of Shrek."
Mu En's gaze became profound.
"Liu Yuan's growth speed is too fast, so fast that it makes me feel fear."
"If this hatred is allowed to ferment, one day in the future, when he truly grows into a Titled Douluo, or even a Limit Douluo... Shrek, I fear, will face a catastrophic disaster."
"You are his former friend, and among the younger generation of Shrek, the only person who can still speak with him."
"I do not ask that he have any good feelings toward Shrek, I only ask to resolve some of the hostility in his heart. Tell him that the matter from back then was due to my, Mu En's, poor discipline; it was my fault. If he must hate, let him hate me, this old man, and do not vent his anger on the other innocent students of Shrek."
Listening to this almost humble request from Mu En, Bei Bei felt a complex mix of emotions.
Once upon a time, the high and mighty Shrek actually needed to bow its head and seek peace with an expelled student?
But this was reality. It was the reality brought by strength.
Bei Bei took a deep breath and nodded solemnly, "Progenitor Xuan, I understand. If I see Liu Yuan next time, I will do my best to resolve this grudge."
"Good, good child." Mu En nodded with relief, as if he had lifted a great weight off his heart.
Immediately, he changed the subject and asked, "Also, there is one more thing. Regarding this tournament, what do you think of those spirit tools from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy?"
Mentioning this topic, Bei Bei's expression immediately became solemn.
He recalled the artillery fire flying across the sky on the competition field, the endless defensive shields, and those strange attack methods that Spirit Masters could not guard against.
"Very strong."
Bei Bei answered truthfully, without any disdain, "Very strong. In the past, we always felt that spirit tools were just external objects, mere tricks, and that only the strength of one's own Spirit was the foundation. But this time... we suffered a great loss."
Mu En nodded slightly, a flash of light appearing in his eyes.
"You are right. To lag behind is to be beaten; this is an eternal truth."
"Shrek has been stagnant for too long. We have been guarding the glory of ten thousand years ago while ignoring the changes of the era. The rapid development of spirit tools has reached the point where it can threaten the status of traditional Spirit Masters."
"This failure, although painful, has allowed us to see the gap clearly."
Mu En's fingers tapped lightly on the armrest as he made a decision, "In a while, the two great Empires and Shrek Academy will conduct an exchange and learning activity with the Sun Moon Empire."
"According to past practice, we usually only send some ordinary Disciples from the Inner Court to deal with these exchange student quotas; after all, no one wants to go to the 'enemy camp' to suffer, and they look down on things from over there."
"But this time..."
Mu En looked at Bei Bei and said in a deep voice, "I intend to arrange for Core Disciples to go."
Bei Bei's pupils contracted slightly, "Progenitor Xuan, you mean..."
"Only by truly deeply understanding the opponent and learning their strengths can we defeat them." Mu En's tone was firm, "I want you to go to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, to see with your own eyes, and to learn with your own hands those spirit tools we once looked down upon."
"This will be very hard, and you will suffer many grievances. After all, over there, you are no longer the favored children of heaven, but seekers of knowledge in a foreign land. But for the future of Shrek, someone must take this step."
"Bei Bei, are you willing to take the lead?"
Bei Bei did not hesitate at all, straightened his back, and said loudly, "Bei Bei is willing! For the sake of Shrek, to win back our glory, let alone learning spirit tools, even if it meant climbing a mountain of blades or descending into a sea of fire, I would not frown even once!"
"Good!"
A trace of a smile finally appeared in Mu En's eyes.
"Go, go back and prepare well. When the exchange begins, I hope to see a more mature you."
"Yes! Take care, Progenitor Xuan!"
Bei Bei bowed deeply, then turned and left.
Watching the door slowly close, Mu En closed his eyes wearily and muttered to himself:
"Liu Yuan, oh Liu Yuan... I hope this move of mine can still remedy the situation before it is too late..."
...
Just as Shrek Academy was immersed in a heavy atmosphere of reflection and reform.
Far away, ten thousand miles away, in the Sun Moon Empire, the Bright Capital.
In a high-specification secret room at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.
The atmosphere here was completely different from the oppression at Shrek.
Bright spirit tool lights illuminated the room as if it were daytime, and various precise and expensive spirit tool instruments were placed all around, filled with the beauty of technology and power.
Liu Yuan sat cross-legged quietly on a meditation cushion made of ten-thousand-year cold jade.
And in front of him sat the Soul-Eating Fierce Blade.
That's right, after learning of Liu Yuan's request, Jing Hongchen immediately organized five Ninth-Rank Soul Engineers to work together, and they finally managed to disperse all the fierce, malevolent Qi on the Soul-Eating Fierce Blade.
Now, this was the purest gold of living beings.
Liu Yuan was already prepared.
Absorbing the gold of living beings would not only bring a huge improvement to his own Physical Body and spirit power, but more importantly, it would allow him to obtain the god-bestowed spirit ring of the Primal Kyogre.
It was a case of killing two birds with one stone...
So now, he was going to start absorbing this piece of gold of living beings.
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