Douluo: The Peerless King of Beast Tamers

Chapter 362 Mu En's words, Dragon Pill! (5.5k)

The footsteps inside the Sea God Pavilion gradually faded away. The elders' discussions, Zhang Lexuan's instructions, and Xu Jiujiu's farewell to He Caitou all eventually disappeared behind the heavy wooden door.

As the last wisp of clothing disappeared at the end of the corridor, only Zhou Sichen and Old Master Mu remained in the vast attic, the air filled with the tranquil scent of old pine wood and old books.

Zhou Sichen walked quietly behind Old Mu, and deliberately slowed down his movements when he placed his hands on the armrests of the wheelchair.

The wheels of the wheelchair rolled over the smooth mahogany floor, making a soft, even sound, as if afraid of disturbing the tranquility of the afternoon.

He pushed Elder Mu through the corridor adorned with portraits of Shrek Academy heroes from past generations. Sunlight streamed through the carved wooden windows, casting diamond-shaped patches of light on the floor, which flowed slowly as the wheelchair moved.

"Go outside for some fresh air." Old Mu's voice was somewhat hoarse with age, yet it revealed his familiarity with the environment.

Zhou Sichen responded with an "okay," pushed open the wooden door carved with lotus patterns, and parked the wheelchair in the shade of the ancient locust tree under the corridor, which required three people to encircle it.

The dense foliage spread out like an umbrella, filtering through the sunlight and casting soft dappled patterns on Old Master Mu's silvery-white hair.

Old Mu turned his head slightly, his cloudy yet sharp gaze passing over the layers of buildings and landing in the direction of the inner courtyard training hall in the distance.

The faint sounds of metal clashing and soul power erupting could be heard from there, indicating that the students were training diligently.

He paused for a moment before slowly asking, "Have you seen her?"

Zhou Sichen was brushing a fallen leaf off the armrest of his wheelchair when he heard this. He paused for a moment, then realized what was going on and a helpless smile appeared on his lips: "Teacher is talking about Di Xi?"

With Elder Mu's cultivation and experience, the divine aura that Di Xi possessed could not be concealed from this old monster who had lived for nearly three hundred years.

Old Mu nodded slowly, his fingertips tapping lightly on the armrest of his wheelchair: "That girl has a very special aura. It is as pure as the rising sun, yet it also contains a kind of pressure that makes the heavens and earth tremble."

"I sent people to investigate her background, but they didn't find a single clue. However, if I'm not mistaken, she should be the legendary Emperor Beast from the Star Dou Great Forest, right?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhou Sichen's eyes, but he quickly understood.

With Elder Mu's experience, even if Di Xi had the power of destiny to conceal it, he could still guess some things.

He decided to stop hiding it and laughed, "Teacher, you are indeed insightful. She is indeed an imperial auspicious beast, but... she ran away secretly."

"She snuck out?" Old Mu raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement on his aged face. "The Star Dou Great Forest cherishes that little one more than its own life. She actually managed to slip out right under Di Tian's nose. She does have some skill."

He didn't need Zhou Sichen to explain in detail; he could guess the crux of the matter.

The fact that the imperial mythical beast transformed and escaped is most likely related to this closed-door disciple.

Thinking of this, Old Mu couldn't help but shake his head, looking at Zhou Sichen with a hint of teasing: "You really are a femme fatale."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Sichen immediately pouted and straightened his clothes: "Teacher, 'femme fatale' is used to describe women. I am at most... a handsome young man of unparalleled charm."

"You, you," Old Mu chuckled, coughing twice before continuing, "Your temperament is somewhat like mine when I was young."

He looked at Zhou Sichen's face, a face that could make countless girls swoon, and his eyes were filled with satisfaction.

This disciple not only possesses exceptional talent, but his calm and confident demeanor is also an essential quality for those who aspire to great things.

After laughing, Old Mu's expression gradually became serious, his gaze returned to the distance, and his voice deepened:
"Although Di Xi has feelings for you, and the transformation of a mythical beast into human form is rare throughout history, and you possess the destiny ordained by the spirit of the plane, there may already be a thread of fate connecting you two..."

He paused, a hint of worry in his voice: "But you must remember, the Emperor Beast is the root of the Star Dou Great Forest, the source of the fortune of all soul beasts. If Di Tian finds out she's at Shrek Academy, given his personality, he might not let her stay here."

As the guardian of the Star Dou Great Forest, Di Tian values ​​the Imperial Beast far more than anything else.

Back then, in order to protect Di Xi, who had not yet taken human form, he was even willing to break ties with the Body Sect and Shrek Academy, which shows his determination.

If Di Tian were to discover that Di Xi was at Shrek Academy, he would likely disregard the Alliance and immediately lead his beast legion to attack.

Zhou Sichen, however, seemed confident. He walked up to Elder Mu, bowed slightly, and said in a calm and firm tone, "Don't worry, teacher."

"When Di Xi transformed, she used a secret technique to conceal her aura. Di Tian and the others will definitely not be able to detect her in a short time. Moreover, even if they are discovered in the future, I have a way to deal with it."

Looking at the confidence in his eyes, Old Master Mu nodded in satisfaction.

What he admired most about Zhou Sichen was that no matter how big the trouble was, he could always remain calm and have the confidence to solve the problem.

"I'm glad you can handle it." He softened his tone, his voice carrying a touch of elder's gentleness.
"Teachers will not interfere too much with your young people's relationships. After all, feelings should be left to your own discretion."

At this point, he changed the subject, his eyes becoming serious: "But I must remind you, having many female confidantes around you means you are excellent enough, and that's not a bad thing."

"But it would be foolish to mishandle their relationship and let feelings become a burden. You have a long road ahead of you, and you can't let romantic feelings hold you back."

Zhou Sichen felt a chill run down his spine and bowed respectfully: "Disciple understands. Emotions are a driving force, not a shackle. I will handle everything well and will never let them affect my cultivation."

He recalled his sister's gentleness, Dugu Xianmeng's capriciousness, Ma Xiaotao's fiery temper, Ling Luochen's cold exterior but warm heart, Xu Jiujiu's lively spirit, even Zhang Lexuan's gentleness, and Di Xi's pure passion yesterday...

He is confident that he can keep everyone around him safe and well; this is both a promise and a responsibility he must bear.

Seeing his serious expression, Old Mu finally felt completely relieved and waved his hand: "Alright, push me in."

Zhou Sichen responded and pushed the wheelchair back into the Sea God Pavilion, descending the spiral staircase to the tree-bottom world shrouded in a rich aura of life.

This is the core of the Sea God Pavilion and the location of the Golden Tree's roots. Fluorescent lights float in the air, and you can feel your soul power slightly boiling when you take a breath.

A woman dressed in red was standing beside the largest root system of the golden tree, gently touching the golden bark with her fair fingers. Sensing the movement, she turned around, revealing herself to be Honghong.

When she saw Zhou Sichen and Elder Mu, a gentle smile immediately bloomed on her beautiful face, and her voice was as melodious as a clear spring: "Teacher, Sichen."

Elder Mu looked at her with a gentle smile in his eyes: "Teacher Honghong, you've worked so hard. You have to take care of the Golden Tree and teach the inner disciples. You've really gone through a lot."

Honghong is now not only the guardian of the Golden Tree, but also a visiting professor at Shrek Academy, and she has a heavy responsibility on her shoulders.

Honghong gently shook her head. When her gaze fell on Zhou Sichen, the tenderness in her eyes almost overflowed, and even the imperial majesty on her body was completely suppressed: "For Sichen, this is what I should do."

Zhou Sichen stepped forward and gently took her slightly cool, jade-like hand in his, feeling the delicate touch on her fingertips.

He looked at Honghong and felt a little guilty: "You've worked so hard. I promised to take you to see all the wonders of the world, but now I've left you trapped here, working day and night."

Honghong blushed slightly at his words, gently pulled her hand back, gave him a reproachful glare, but her eyes were full of laughter:
"Then you should work hard and achieve your goal as soon as possible, so that I can also unload my burden and travel with you to see all the mountains and rivers."

"Definitely." Zhou Sichen nodded earnestly.

Watching the two interact, Old Mu smiled with satisfaction on his aged face, then coughed twice to interrupt them:
"Alright, alright, you can talk about your privates later. First, take me to see the core of the Golden Tree."

Zhou Sichen smiled and agreed, then pushed Old Mu toward the deepest part of the world beneath the tree.

The door to the secret chamber was slowly pushed open, and a surge of life energy, so dense it was almost tangible, rushed towards them. The two entered, and the door to the secret chamber at the base of the tree slowly closed behind them.

Feeling the rich power of light and the aura of life, Elder Mu turned his gaze to Zhou Sichen beside him, his tone more solemn than when they were outside: "Sichen, how do you feel now that you have condensed your first soul core?"

Zhou Sichen replied frankly, "It feels great. The first soul core is very stable, and the soul power flows smoothly without any obstacles. Moreover, I have already condensed the prototype of the second soul core. According to the current progress, there shouldn't be too much pressure when I break through to level 90 and condense the second soul core in the future."

Old Mu nodded slowly, his fingertips tapping lightly on the armrest of his wheelchair, making a rhythmic sound: "The power of the contract between the two ferocious beasts, the Snow Empress and the Sea Princess, has indeed paved a lot of way for you."

"Their power allows you to avoid many detours on the path to condensing your second soul core compared to ordinary people. With your talent, condensing your second soul core in the future may indeed be as you say, without any pressure."

At this point, he changed the subject, and a solemn expression appeared on his aged face: "But you must remember, for a Soul Master to improve, the difficulty increases exponentially with each additional Soul Core condensed."

"Given your current situation, even with your talent, it won't be easy for you to successfully condense your third soul core when you break through to the Limit Douluo level in the future." Zhou Sichen had already anticipated this.

The reason why the Limit Douluo is called "Limit" is because the condensation of the last soul core is extremely difficult, with only one in ten thousand being able to achieve it.

He simply smiled calmly upon hearing this: "Teacher, you have keen insight, I understand that. But things will work themselves out. I'm only at the seventh level now, so there's no need to think that far ahead for now."

"It's good that you have this composure, but everything depends on preparation. Without preparation, everything will fail." Old Mu smiled, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his cloudy eyes.

"With your current strength and talent, there's not much more I can teach you, but I might still be able to help you with the condensation of your third soul core."

Before he finished speaking, Old Mu slowly raised his withered right hand, palm facing upwards.

Under Zhou Sichen's puzzled gaze, a milky white bead, smooth and warm like jade, quietly appeared in his palm.

The bead was only the size of an egg, with a soft halo flowing across its surface. It seemed inconspicuous, yet it contained a terrifying energy that made one's heart tremble.

The pure power of light is like a dormant volcano. Although it conceals its sharpness, one can clearly feel the destructive energy hidden beneath it, which is even more concentrated than the power of light emitted by the golden tree.

The moment Zhou Sichen saw the bead, his pupils contracted slightly, and a name flashed through his mind—Dragon Pill!
He immediately recalled the record in the original work, which was the White Dragon Pill that Elder Mu had left for Huo Gua back then!

It was with the power of this Dragon Pill that Huo Yuhao was able to easily condense his second Soul Core when he broke through to level 90, laying the foundation for becoming a Limit Douluo in the future.

One of the biggest reasons Zhou Sichen chose to enter Shrek Academy was for this Dragon Pill!
Elder Mu slowly explained, "This is a dragon core. Years ago, when I was exploring an ancient ruin, I accidentally discovered the corpse of a giant dragon of the light element, and this dragon core was taken from its body."

"A dragon of the Light element?" Zhou Sichen asked softly, feigning confusion.

"Yes, it should be the White Dragon Clan." Elder Mu nodded, his tone tinged with reminiscence.

"The White Dragon and the Black Dragon Clan, to which the Beast God Di Tian belongs, have been enemies for generations. The two sides have fought countless battles in ancient times. Judging from its size, this White Dragon should be an adult giant dragon with at least hundreds of thousands of years of cultivation in its previous life, otherwise it would not be able to condense such a pure dragon core."

He paused, then emphasized, "But don't be fooled by its docile appearance now; when it was first born, the power within this dragon core was astonishingly domineering."

"The pure power of light is mixed with the resentment and violence of the dragon before its death. We human soul masters cannot absorb it directly. Even a titled Douluo would only have their meridians burst if they tried to absorb it by force."

"So after I got it, I kept it with me and nurtured it. Although I couldn't absorb it directly, the energy emanating from the dragon pill was very beneficial to my cultivation."

Elder Mu's gaze gradually drifted into the distance, as if he had returned to his youth: "As you know, I cultivate the Holy Dragon Martial Soul of Light, which is naturally compatible with the attributes of this White Dragon Pill."

"With its assistance, my cultivation speed was several times faster than my peers back then. Later, when I broke through to level 98, I was able to succeed by relying on its power."

"Speaking of which, the birth of every Limit Douluo is inseparable from great fortune. This is true for me, for Xiaoyao, and even for Ye Xishui. If she hadn't gone to that place back then, she might not have been able to reach the Limit Realm."

Old Master Mu sighed, "Back then, I was stuck at level 98 for decades, unable to condense a second soul core. It wasn't until I used the power of this Dragon Pill to trigger resonance that I finally broke through the bottleneck. Otherwise, the time I spent stuck at level 98 might not have been shorter than that stubborn old man Xuanzi."

Zhou Sichen sat down quietly next to the wheelchair, straightening her back like a student listening attentively.

He knew that every word Old Mu was saying was based on the other man's personal experience, and that these were things that only he could have said.

Elder Mu continued, "I also thought about using this Dragon Pill to help other geniuses in the academy, but I tried several times without success."

"Either the martial soul attributes are incompatible, or the soul power foundation is too weak to withstand the domineering aura of the dragon pill."

"Later I gave up on that idea and just kept it by my side, using my own Holy Dragon Soul Power to nurture it little by little, wear away its ferocity, and make its energy gradually become gentle."

"This process lasted a full century." Elder Mu's voice carried a hint of weariness: "The resentment within the Dragon Core was like a bone-deep infection. Each nurturing was like confronting a living, breathing dragon, until fifty years ago, when I fought the Poisonous Death Sect's Poisonous Death Sect..."

When the battle was mentioned, his tone became a bit somber: "Although I won that battle, I was also severely injured."

"Originally, with my recovery ability, I could have fully recovered after ten years of rest. But at that time, Ye Xishui went missing, and I was eager to find her, so I thought of using the power of the Dragon Pill to speed up my recovery."

“At that time, I had nurtured the dragon pill for nearly a hundred years, and the fierceness on its surface had long since disappeared, so I thought the time was ripe.”

"Looking back now, I was really too impatient back then," Old Mu chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"I even fantasized that if I could fully absorb the power of the Dragon Pill, I might attract the attention of the God Realm and have the opportunity to ascend."

"But I still underestimated the dragon's strength. The malevolent energy in the dragon core hadn't disappeared at all; it was just temporarily suppressed by my soul power and hidden in the deepest part."

"I had only been absorbing it for less than fifteen minutes when I realized something was wrong." His fingers curled slightly, as if he was recalling the pain he had experienced.

"The originally docile energy suddenly went berserk. The dragon's resentment was like a ferocious beast awakening, frantically impacting my sea of ​​consciousness along my meridians. I might have been able to suppress it when I was at my peak, but at that time I had just been seriously injured and my soul power was already weak, so I couldn't stop this force at all."

"The original injury only damaged the skin and flesh, but the backlash from the Dragon Pill directly shattered my very essence."

"I risked burning ten years of my lifespan to barely suppress the Dragon Pill, but I ended up with half of my body paralyzed."

"For the next few decades, I struggled every day against the remnants of the Dragon Pill's malevolent energy. It seeped into my very bones, making it impossible for me to even stand up, until you brought back that drop of the Gold of Life..."

At this point, he looked at Zhou Sichen with a hint of warmth in his eyes: "That drop of life-giving gold not only extended my life, but also neutralized most of the malevolent energy. Although I still can't straighten my back, at least I no longer have to suffer the pain of being devoured day and night."

Zhou Sichen listened quietly, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

He had always known that Elder Mu's injuries were related to the Dragon Pill, but he never expected there to be so many twists and turns involved.

This seemingly smooth and warm bead actually holds such a thrilling story.

"However, it can also be considered a blessing in disguise." Old Mu's tone became calm again.

"After a hundred years of nurturing, and with all the malevolent energy absorbed by me, the energy in this dragon core is now extremely pure, and even soul masters with non-dragon-type martial souls can absorb it."

He looked down at the dragon pill in his palm and said softly, "Originally, I planned to leave it to Beibei."

"That child is calm and composed, and his martial soul is a mutated Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex, which has the highest compatibility with the Dragon Core. With its assistance, breaking through to the Limit Douluo level in the future should be a sure thing."

Changing the subject, he handed the Dragon Pill to Zhou Sichen: "But now it seems you need it more than he does, take it."

Zhou Sichen instinctively wanted to refuse, but Old Mu raised his hand to stop him: "Don't be in such a hurry to refuse."

“I know you are arrogant about your talent and think you don’t need external assistance, but the condensation of the third soul core tests not only your talent, but also your foundation and energy reserves.”

"The energy in this Dragon Pill is enough to make your flawless golden body perfect as soon as possible, and it can also stabilize your second soul core in advance. With it, you can reduce the risk by at least 30% when you condense your third soul core in the future."

His eyes were incredibly serious: "This is the last thing your teacher can do for you. You are Shrek, the hope for all of us in the future, and you must walk your path more steadily."

A brief silence fell over the secret chamber, as if only the pulsating sound of the golden tree's core echoed quietly.

Looking at the Dragon Pill flowing with a soft halo in Elder Mu's palm, and then at his teacher's aged yet resolute eyes, Zhou Sichen's last trace of hesitation vanished.

He stretched out his hands and solemnly accepted the dragon pill.

It feels warm and smooth to the touch, yet you can feel the immense energy it contains, and even more so, the heavy expectations it carries.

"Thank you, teacher." Zhou Sichen's voice was a little hoarse, but incredibly clear.

Looking at his hands gripping the Dragon Pill, Master Mu smiled with satisfaction: "Make good use of it. Your teacher is waiting to see you take that step."

"I hope that with the help of this Dragon Pill, you can surpass me soon, surpass all Limit Douluos, and truly touch the realm of gods."

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(End of this chapter)