Chapter 4: Absolute Loyalty
Huo Yuhao left behind a long trail of mystery and sorrow.
It was not merely a passing impression.
It was something that could be seen clearly in their eyes, in their silence, in the way they spoke of him, as though everything bent slightly whenever his name passed between them.
Qiu'er, Wu Jiuzi, and the others…
Every one of them acted as though Huo Yuhao was the one who had suffered the most.
As though his pain alone was heavier than everyone else's pain.
As though what he had gone through was enough to swallow everything the others had gone through, and erase their suffering from the picture.
That alone was enough to stir discomfort in my chest.
That heavy, cold feeling, gathering slowly inside me whenever I thought about it.
But as though that were not enough…
he even cheated in the tournaments.
And he did not merely do it in secret. He acted as though it were something that could be justified easily, claiming that he was doing it to preserve Shrek Academy's honor.
What a joke.
Since when is a spirit master allowed to ask for secret help in competitions?
Since when did cheating become just another way to win, and then everyone is expected to respect it and applaud for it?
Would it be fair, then, for the Sun Moon Royal Academy to send out a ninth-rank soul tool?
Would that not also be merely "help"?
Where does this logic even end?
Perhaps Tang San was strict at times when it came to standards.
Perhaps he sometimes went too far.
But Huo Yuhao…
Huo Yuhao crossed every line.
There was not even that slight hesitation in his actions, the kind that reveals a person still knows where they stand.
There was no struggle.
No sense of shame.
Not even that small tightening in the eyes when someone knows they are doing something they should not be doing.
Nothing.
He treated cheating in competitions as though it were something completely natural.
As though it were part of the game.
As though victory alone were enough to justify everything.
Without the slightest true competitive spirit.
Without any real respect for the meaning of a confrontation.
What is the difference between this and doping in the Olympics?
What difference is there between them, really?
The same idea.
The same evasion.
And the same emptiness inside.
And naturally, Tang San approved of it.
How could he not?
Only a despicable person like Huo Yuhao could earn Tang San's approval.
When that thought passed through my mind, I felt my lips press together slowly.
My fingers curled slightly without my noticing.
Even my brows lowered as I stared ahead in silence, as though I were seeing the whole scene all over again, piece by piece.
It was not explosive anger.
But something colder.
Something quieter.
That kind of resentment that does not flare up quickly, but settles deep inside and remains there.
Anyway…
As for me, in this timeline, I have no intention of getting involved with Tang Ya.
From this timeline.
The same applies to Jiang Nannan and the others.
Not because they have no value.
And not because their existence means nothing to me.
But because the matter had already been settled within me.
I had already worked hard for their original selves.
For the versions I knew.
For those with whom I had gone through enough to understand them, grow attached to them, leave something of myself with them, and have them leave something of themselves inside me.
And because of that…
I will not leave them.
No matter how the timeline changes.
And no matter how the faces before me change.
And no matter how identical the world may seem from the outside.
I know the difference.
I know it well.
There are things no one sees.
But they remain clearer in the heart than anything else.
I will meet them again soon.
That thought alone eased the weight in my chest a little.
Not by much.
But enough to keep going.
But now…
In this current line…
it is time to claim Tang San's girl.
And merely thinking of that made my gaze settle, grow colder, and become sharper.
According to the plot, the Tang Sect had a yearly quota of students who could be accepted without taking the entrance examination.
But with two new students already accepted, only one seat remained in Shrek Academy.
Only one seat.
A simple number.
But behind it stood countless calculations, countless relationships, and arrangements that were never spoken aloud.
Although Tang Ya and Bei Bei did not state it openly, I knew things were not that simple.
Their gazes were not empty.
And their actions were not random.
There was something unspoken moving beneath the surface.
Something understood more through hints than through words.
And I was not naive enough to ignore it.
Bei Bei, as a member of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family, was not an ordinary man.
Simply pausing at that fact was enough to understand half the picture.
The background behind him.
The name he carried.
And the status that needed no explanation.
All of that was clear enough.
The reserved admission seat in Shrek Academy was meant for Huo Yuhao…
And that was a fact that could not be changed.
A fixed fact.
Cold.
Placed there in advance, as though everything had been arranged from the very beginning.
I closed my eyes for a brief moment.
Then opened them slowly.
There was no confusion inside me.
No hesitation.
Only that sharp clarity that comes when a person knows exactly what they are going to do.
And yet…
with the Gate of Worlds and Time, I can travel to any world or timeline I desire.
And that is where the real difference lies.
The difference that makes that supposedly unchangeable fact less solid than they believe.
I slowly raised my hand, then let it fall.
My breathing was steady.
And my gaze was still.
Even the slight angle of my brows held no hesitation, only pure certainty.
If this world has been arranged this way…
that does not mean I will walk through it as they wish.
And if that seat had been written for Huo Yuhao…
that does not mean things will end as they did in the story.
Not anymore.
Not while I am here.
But at the moment, I did not need the special share from the Tang Sect.
I possess Absolute Loyalty Cards… and although these cards were not all of the same type, some of them lasted for only one hour, while the effects of others could continue indefinitely… or forever.
After careful thought, I realized that I needed to use one of them now.
Without hesitation, I set my target…
I chose the one-year Absolute Loyalty Card.
And I chose my target:
Elder Mu En.
And the moment that decision settled in my mind, my thoughts reached beyond the card itself.
To this world.
To the rules upon which it stands.
And to those who think they alone have the right to decide what is right and what is wrong.
There is nothing wrong with Spirit Hall's ambitions…
For everyone has their own desires.
But viewpoints differ, and no one has the right to judge others as right or wrong.
At that time, Spirit Hall was providing salaries to spirit masters, making their lives somewhat easier, and ordinary people were even able to receive a free spirit awakening.
But in today's world—
the world of the peerless Tang Sect—
who cares if you have no money?
From Spirit Hall's point of view, they were seeking to serve the public good.
As for Tang San and his companions, they cared only about the interests of the nobles.
And after Spirit Hall was completely destroyed, the Slaughter City did not escape destruction.
It fell under the control of Tang San, who claimed righteousness.
And from that point onward, evil spirit masters spread chaos, the nobles competed for power, and the Heaven Dou Empire, which had once flourished, was split into the Sky Spirit Empire and the Douling Empire.
As for me…
all I could do was complain.
Under the reign of the peerless Tang Sect, everything seemed like some strange game.
Especially after I entered the Great Star Dou Forest.
The admission requirements for Shrek Academy were strict:
a recommendation letter at the city lord level.
No older than twelve years of age.
And spirit power of at least rank fifteen.
As for the protagonist, Huo Yuhao lacked talent.
And he did not meet the admission requirements.
He did not even have a recommendation letter.
And yet…
he obtained a place in the Tang Sect.
Everything seemed as though it had been arranged in advance…
And that was exactly why I did not need to rely on that share.
I did not need to wait for anyone's favor.
Nor did I need to follow the path that had been prepared in advance for Huo Yuhao.
I possess enough to go beyond all of that.
And I possess my own way of opening closed doors.
That is why I chose the Absolute Loyalty Card.
And that is why I chose Elder Mu En.
My choice was not random.
And it was not merely a temporary step I was forced to take.
Rather, it was a calculated decision.
A calm decision.
And a precise one.
A decision enough to change the direction of things from their very roots.
I raised my hand slightly, then slowly let it fall.
My mind was astonishingly clear.
No confusion.
No hesitation.
Only that cold sensation that appears when I know exactly what I must do.
I looked ahead in silence.
And my breathing settled.
If the Tang Sect and the Sea God Pavilion had arranged everything in advance,
that did not mean I would accept that arrangement.
And if this world had been arranged to serve certain people…
that did not mean I would allow it to bind me with those same rules.
From this moment on, I will use what I possess.
And I will seize what I want with my own hands.
Without thinking, I headed toward Shrek Academy.
With every step, my mind grew calmer.
That kind of calm that does not come from comfort, but from certainty.
My fingers loosened at my sides, then curled slightly before becoming still again.
I raised my eyes toward the gate, and felt something cold settle in my chest.
I had arrived.
And there was no longer any reason for hesitation.
I stepped inside.
The moment I entered Shrek Academy, my eyes fell upon ten statues.
The first three were the Master, Flender, and Liu Erlong.
As for the remaining seven, they were Dai Mubai, Oscar, Tang San, Ma Hongjun, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing.
I could not hold myself back when my gaze fell on Oscar's appearance, and I burst out laughing.
Good grief, poor Ao…
Even after all these years, he still could not change his name.
After thousands of years, Old Douluo's wish had come true…
And Douluo had become…
a sausage.
As for Ma Hongjun…
the one with the title Phoenix Douluo,
he had, in the end, become the Evil Phoenix Douluo.
And it was truly unfortunate that Tang San could be this ugly.
Even though he was his brother, neither he nor the rest of his brothers made any real effort to help him.
If Tang San had possessed even a trace of loyalty, he would have properly arranged Bai Chenxiang's affairs.
But Ma Hongjun, who once knocked on the doors of brothels, was destined in the end to remain alone…
And when my eyes fell on Zhu Zhuqing, I understood why the royal family had specifically married into the Zhu family for so many generations…
But I also knew that the future would make these statues here represent the Tang family.
I was fully familiar with the story of Douluo.
I cast a quick glance at the map, then headed toward the new students' teaching building to begin the registration process.
But that was only a facade.
I actually knew very well where I had to go first.
So I headed directly to Mu En's location.
I arrived at the entrance of the dormitory building, where a man marked by time sat before me.
An old man wearing a gray robe.
The deep wrinkles were piled clearly across his face, to the point that it looked as though they could crush twenty flies at once.
His eyes were nearly hollow, and his eyelids drooped, giving him the appearance of a man who had lived a long life all the way to its end.
Sunlight slipped between the buildings, and slowly spilled across his body.
As for the reclining chair he leaned against, it looked strangely comfortable.
I fixed my gaze on him for a moment.
I did not need long to recognize him.
He was Mu En.
The dean of Shrek Academy.
The master of Sea God Pavilion.
And the owner of the ninety-ninth rank of Ultimate Douluo.
There is a difference in level between Douluo 1
and Peerless Tang Sect Douluo, where the Douluo categories had been clearly divided.
Those who surpassed level ninety-five were called Super Douluo.
As for those who reached level ninety-nine, they were called Ultimate Douluo.
I walked toward him, my voice calm:
Hello, old man…
The moment Mu En sensed my presence, he rose at once, as though his body had moved before his mind could even catch up to what was happening.
His head lowered immediately.
Then he approached me with careful steps, while his hands remained folded before him in complete respect.
Even his facial expression was drawn tight with clear discipline, like a servant standing before his young master.
Greetings, Young Master… do you need my assistance with something?
I looked at him, and believed it at once…
The Absolute Loyalty Card was truly extraordinary.
And strange in a way that was difficult to describe.
I stepped closer to him.
Very well, Mu En…
In front of everyone, do not address me as Young Master anymore.
From now on, I will be your disciple.
And you will publicly handle my admission into Shrek Academy…
And you will be my teacher.
Also, I want Room 108.
And my roommate must be the person sent by the Houtian Sect…
Understood?
Mu En did not raise his head immediately.
He remained slightly bowed.
Then he answered in a low, controlled voice:
Understood.
I will carry out everything as you wish.
And the moment he finished speaking, he moved without the slightest hesitation.
He turned around at once.
His steps were not fast in a chaotic way, but they were decisive.
Straight.
And free of any hesitation.
It was clear that he had not treated my orders as something that could be postponed.
Nor as a request that needed review.
But as a command that had to be carried out at that very moment.
I watched him as he walked away, while a cold calm settled within me.
But having Mu En by my side in this way made many things easier than they should have been in this timeline.
And it was not long before the arrangements began moving exactly as I wanted.
The admission.
The public identity.
The room.
And even the matter of my roommate.
Everything began to fall into place quietly, as though an invisible hand were clearing the road before me.
And thanks to Mu En, everything proceeded smoothly.
I let out a sigh.
Well… you really are a capable person.
Anyway, Mu En, prepare yourself.
After I finish some work, we will begin training.
Understood.
His reply came at once, low and steady.
His head remained bowed, as though the matter had already been settled for him from the moment I spoke.
There was not the slightest objection in his tone.
Not even that brief pause that comes before hesitation.
Only complete acceptance.
And immediate obedience.
I watched him for a moment.
Then I turned my back on him calmly.
My steps were steady as I left, but my mind was far from still.
Having Mu En by my side was not just some small gain.
It was a heavy card.
One capable of making many doors open before I even knocked on them.
And yet, that was not all.
There were still things I needed to arrange.
And things I had to put in place before events truly began to move.
I left that place slowly, while my thoughts moved step by step toward the new students' dormitory.
Admission into Shrek Academy was no longer a problem.
The identity of the disciple had already been settled.
And Mu En himself would take care of presenting everything in exactly the way I wanted.
With that, my movements within the academy became far smoother.
And far more comfortable.
But more important than all of that…
I was no longer forced to follow the same path that had been imposed on others.
From this moment on, I will pave my own path.
I lifted my gaze forward.
Then I let out a faint breath.
It was time to meet Tang San's daughter.