Chapter 128 Mirror of the Mortal World.
The sun hung high in the sky; it was nearing noon.
Another guest arrived outside Shrek City. The man was short but quite obese, wearing a magnificent black robe embroidered with gold patterns. His hands were behind his back, hovering in the air, his aura undisguised.
Elder Xuan narrowed his eyes, sensing the aura of a Title Douluo emanating from outside Shrek City. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and he was about to take action.
Mu En raised a hand to stop him, saying, "A guest is a guest; invite him in. Besides, he sent a visiting card beforehand."
Mu En took out a visiting card from his robes, bearing the emblem of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.
Elder Xuan exclaimed in surprise, "A person from the Sun Moon Empire!"
Mu En said, "The Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy has invited our Shrek Academy for exchange studies several times. I suppose this is for the same reason. Go and invite him in."
Elder Xuan asked in surprise, "Into the Sea God Pavilion?"
Elder Mu smiled calmly and said, "Yes, enter the Sea God Pavilion." Although Elder Xuan was surprised, he wouldn't disobey Elder Mu's wishes. With a flash of light, Elder Xuan disappeared from his spot, and the next moment, he arrived outside Shrek City.
When Elder Xuan saw the figure in the air, he exclaimed in surprise, "It's actually you! Jing Hongchen!"
Although he could sense that the newcomer possessed at least the strength of a Title Douluo, he hadn't expected it to be the Hall Master of Mingde.
Jing Hongchen smiled slightly and said, "Elder Xuan, I have long admired Shrek Academy. Taking advantage of this opportunity to discuss the exchange and learning between the two academies, I've come to pay a visit to your esteemed academy." Elder Xuan said calmly, "Since that's the case, the guest is a guest. Let's enter the Sea God Pavilion to discuss this." "As he spoke, he turned and headed into the city.
Jing Hongchen hesitated upon hearing this. He had heard of the Sea God Pavilion's reputation, but he had never heard of any outsiders ever entering it. Although he had enough trump cards, Shrek Academy had been famous for ten thousand years, acting as a pillar of strength among the three kingdoms of the former Douluo Continent. It was precisely because of Shrek that the Sun Moon Empire was hesitant to act, despite having sufficient resources.
Elder Xuan turned around and said mockingly, "What? The dignified Master of Mingde Hall doesn't dare to enter the gates of our Sea God Pavilion? If that's the case, then what are you doing here?"
"Haha, the Sea God Pavilion isn't some hellish prison, of course I dare to enter." Jing Hongchen raised an eyebrow, not wanting to diminish his reputation. He laughed and stepped into Shrek City.
A smile played on Xuan Lao's lips, inwardly praising Mu Lao's grasp of human nature! Simply inviting Jing Hongchen into the Sea God Pavilion had already significantly dampened his aura.
Entering Shrek City for the first time, this Mingde Hall Master was also intrigued by the ancient city.
Entering the first floor of the Sea God Pavilion, Jing Hongchen's gaze constantly swept around, his eyes occasionally flashing with surprise. Clearly, he had already recognized the extraordinary nature of the Sea God Pavilion.
Xuan Lao walked to a golden tree chair on one side of the first floor and gestured for Jing Hongchen to sit down.
Jing Hongchen didn't stand on ceremony and sat down opposite Xuan Lao with a smile.
Neither of them spoke first, they just sat there staring at each other, but the air instantly felt as if it were about to freeze.
Elder Xuan and Jing Hongchen possessed somewhat similar auras, both extremely profound. However, their auras differed. Elder Xuan's profoundness was like the earth, its foundation solid and stable. Jing Hongchen's, on the other hand, stemmed from a suppressed tension, as if on the verge of exploding.
"It seems that soul tools can indeed help soul masters to some extent. You're only around level ninety-three, yet you can sit so steadily before me," Elder Xuan said calmly.
Jing Hongchen smiled slightly and said, "I've always believed that the research on soul tools has only just entered its initial stage. The future world will inevitably belong to soul tools. When soul tools no longer rely on the soul power of soul masters as their power source, then the profession of soul master will inevitably be eliminated. I wonder if Elder Xuan believes this?"
Elder Xuan coldly said, "Whether I believe it or not, you won't see that day."
Jing Hongchen casually replied, "Whether I can see it or not is unimportant. As long as this inevitability ultimately appears in my Sun Moon Empire, that's enough. And it will definitely appear in my Sun Moon Empire. Xingluo, Tianhun, Douling, and even your Shrek Academy, are far behind in terms of soul tools."
Elder Xuan laughed, "Oh? Far behind? I don't think so. Let's talk about it when you can defeat our Shrek Academy based on the difference in soul tools. In the recently concluded All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament, we only fielded half of our main force, yet we still won the championship. This proves that, at least so far, your advantage in soul tools is not decisive."
To Elder Xuan's surprise, Jing Hongchen nodded in agreement after hearing his words, "You're absolutely right."
"I've heard about the process of this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament from our team leader. We do lag behind Shrek Academy in terms of Soul Master training, but undeniably, Soul Tools have gradually narrowed the gap. Therefore, we attach great importance to this exchange and learning opportunity. I came here personally to demonstrate the sincerity of our Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy," Jing Hongchen said earnestly.
Just then, Elder Mu's voice rang out, "Bring him to the second floor."
Hearing this voice, Jing Hongchen's expression changed.
He hadn't sensed anything before the voice came; if the owner of that voice wanted to ambush him, he wouldn't have been able to react at all. This was something even Elder Xuan couldn't do.
Although Jing Hongchen hadn't reached the level of a Super Douluo in terms of cultivation, he still had some experience. He immediately realized that the outside world's perception of Shrek Academy had been wrong. The strongest person at Shrek Academy wasn't the Gluttonous Douluo Elder Xuan, but someone else entirely.
Mingde Hall Master Jing Hongchen said in a deep voice, "Elder Xuan, and this unknown senior, possess at least three trigger-activated level nine soul tools on me. If I am attacked, the power of these three level nine soul tools is enough to raze the entire Shrek City to the ground. And no force can stop it."
In terms of age, he was about the same as Yan Shaozhe, so it was normal for him to address Elder Xuan and Elder Mu as seniors. His revealing his abilities at this moment was clearly a sign of weakness.
This was Shrek Academy, and as far as Jing Hongchen knew, there were probably more than five Super Douluo here. Even with his powerful soul tools, his cultivation was only level ninety-three. In close combat, he could never be a match for so many Super Douluo. However, he had indeed come prepared, and he believed that Shrek Academy wouldn't actually attack him. That wouldn't conform to Shrek Academy's consistent principles.
Elder Mu said calmly, "Entering my Sea God Pavilion makes you a guest. If I truly wanted to harm you, your so-called level nine soul tool might not even be able to unleash its power."
Jing Hongchen didn't refute, but instead showed a hint of relief, chuckling, and said, "It is an honor for me to be a guest of the Sea God Pavilion."
Led by Elder Xuan, he quickly arrived at the second floor.
Elder Mu leaned back in his recliner, with Wu Xuan and Xiao Xiao standing behind him.
Jing Hongchen's gaze was completely drawn to Elder Mu. Elder Mu's aged face looked frail and old, and he didn't exude any powerful aura.
"Hello, may I ask your honorable name, senior?" Jing Hongchen bowed slightly to Elder Mu.
Elder Mu smiled slightly and said, "My name is Mu En. I believe there aren't many people in this world who still remember my name."
Upon hearing Elder Mu's name, Jing Hongchen's face was indeed blank. In his memory, and in his investigation of Shrek Academy, there was indeed no such name. But the more this happened, the stronger his wariness of Elder Mu became.
Elder Mu said calmly, "Could you tell me, in your opinion, which is superior, Mingde Hall or Sea God Pavilion?"
Jing Hongchen was slightly taken aback. Elder Mu's question seemed vague, but he immediately understood Elder Mu's meaning. He was being asked about the merits of Soul Masters and Soul Instructors, and the comparison between Mingde Hall and Shrek Academy.
After a moment's thought, Jing Hongchen said, "Because I don't fully understand Sea God Pavilion, I dare not comment rashly. Let's take Elder Xuan and myself as an example. Within a hundred meters, Elder Xuan will definitely win. But I have the ability to perish together with Elder Xuan. If the distance increases to a thousand meters, I can protect myself and leave. If it's ten thousand meters, I'm confident I can win the contest provided Elder Xuan doesn't actively leave the battlefield. If it were a war, my side would definitely win."
Jing Hongchen's tone was firm and resolute, without hesitation, as he said the last sentence. Even Elder Mu couldn't help but be slightly moved.
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