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Chapter 87: Awakening
After a brief hesitation, Yan Shaozhe, completely at a loss, gave a faint, bitter smile.
"Teacher… I don't really understand."
Mu En did not show the slightest irritation. He merely asked calmly in return, "You understand Evil Spirit Masters, don't you?"
Seeing Yan Shaozhe nod, Mu En continued.
"Whether it's for seizing treasures or whether it's out of hatred, ordinary people consider the cost and benefit before taking a life. Even an Evil Spirit Master will stop if the price of killing outweighs the gain."
Yan Shaozhe nodded again, showing his understanding.
But the words Mu En spoke next sent a chilling coldness up his spine, racing through every bone of his body.
"But he will."
Those three simple words struck like a hammer to the heart, causing an involuntary shiver.
Mu En spoke softly, "In that boy's eyes, I saw an obsession beyond imagination. On the surface, he appears docile, even friendly to everyone. But the emotions hidden within his eyes are entirely different."
"If someone sees death as trivial, and killing as light as cutting grass… then killing is just killing."
"But when a person who understands the meaning of death, who knows the preciousness of life, takes up the blade and begins slaughtering, the scale in their heart—what drives them to kill—will far outweigh their previous principles and innate nature."
"Even if facing millions, or even hundreds of millions, crying and pleading, even if he knows he might regret it later, he will not put down the blade, because he knows exactly what he wants, and he will pursue it without hesitation."
"He will not raise his sword for personal gain. This means that once someone crosses his bottom line, he will not stop for mere calculation of profit or loss. Once he decides something, even if it means slaughtering millions, he will never hold back."
Yan Shaozhe opened his mouth, but no words came out.
After a long pause, he carefully asked, "Teacher… then should we—"
"Carry on as usual."
"…Huh?"
Yan Shaozhe looked up, incredulous, staring at Mu En.
"So let me get this straight. You're telling me that there's a boy in the academy who might one day become a great demon, and you just… let it be?"
"Shouldn't Shrek Academy punish evil, uphold justice, and act as the nemesis of darkness?"
Seeing Yan Shaozhe dumbfounded, Mu En smiled faintly.
"What's the matter?"
"Are you saying that just because someone might bring destruction to this world in the future, we should kill a boy not even twelve years old yet? And who can say whether the world after such chaos would be better or worse?"
Mu En's murky eyes sharpened as he spoke, each word deliberate.
"Shaozhe, when did you become like this? And when did Shrek become like this?"
Hearing the slightly reproachful tone, Yan Shaozhe suddenly realized how warped his own thinking had become and broke out in a cold sweat.
"Shrek Academy is just an academy. It is a place to train Spirit Masters. Over the ten thousand years of its existence, the title of the number-one academy on the continent has filled everyone, myself included, with an arrogance that is truly dangerous."
"Do you know why Shrek helped the Three Empires against the Sun Moon Empire thousands of years ago? Was it for the people? To stop the war?"
"No."
"Not for so-called justice, not to resist invasion. It was simply that the current state of divided powers, just like the situation the Spirit Hall faced ten thousand years ago, allowed Shrek to remain independent. Nothing more."
Thousands of years ago, the military might of the Star Luo Empire could have crushed the Heaven Dou Empire, yet they never launched a war. Wasn't it precisely because the Spirit Hall interfered?
If the Star Luo Empire had unified the continent, where would the Spirit Hall have survived?
Now, Shrek's influence is comparable to the Spirit Hall of ten thousand years ago, facing a remarkably similar situation. Not only the Sun Moon Empire, but even the Douluo Continent's Three Empires have reservations about Shrek. If the continent were unified, who could guarantee Shrek wouldn't become the next Spirit Hall?
"Claiming to be the guardian of the continent, stopping wars, judging evildoers…"
Mu En paused, his voice calm yet heavy with complexity.
"But in the end, we are merely human."
"We have never truly done the right thing. We are selfish creatures, blindly clinging to this illusory honor, hoping to hold it for as long as possible."
His gaze swept over those present. With a soft sigh, he continued,
"I am already a man close to death, with at most a decade or so left. Yet both you and Xuan Zi possess fatal flaws in your character, incapable of bearing real responsibility."
"I once worried for the academy, but now I see… even what I care about is clouded by this hollow honor. If this continues, Shrek will inevitably meet disaster because of the arrogance accumulated over nearly ten thousand years." {T/N: Did Shrek Academy face destruction in the latter novels? I didn't read the original novel. Anyone know?}
"Compared to illusory honor, I don't want the academy to head towards its fate of destruction."
Yan Shaozhe and Xuan Zi lowered their heads in silence, unsure whether they had truly absorbed the words. After a long pause, Yan Shaozhe cautiously asked,
"Teacher… what should we do from now on?"
"What should you do?"
Mu En raised a brow. "Support neither, oppose neither. Fulfill your duties, nurture talent, and keep a low profile."
"Teach the students, guide their cultivation. That is enough."
"From now on, let the teachers and students of the Inner Academy set aside their arrogance. Especially in the upcoming Continental Elite Young Spirit Master Academy Tournament, tell those participating Inner Academy students that they may display their strength, but must not bully others just because they have Shrek Academy backing them."
"And Xuan Zi, that includes you, too. Understand?"
Xuan Zi stiffened at being addressed directly without warning, but nodded quietly.
"Yes, Elder Mu."
Mu En's gaze then returned to Yan Shaozhe. "As for your quarrels over the three genius slots, I will not interfere. Just as Xian Lin'er said, let your abilities speak for themselves. I will also take this opportunity to observe you both more closely."
Yan Shaozhe nodded awkwardly. "Yes, Teacher."
"Good. If there's nothing else, you may leave. Lexuan, stay behind."
"Yes."
After the two left, the meeting room fell silent once more. Zhang Lexuan, who had already guessed why Mu En wanted to see her, looked up and asked softly,
"Elder Mu, is there something else?"
"Don't be nervous, it's just about Huo Yuhao."
Mu En smiled. "After all, you were the one who specially recruited him. What do you think of this boy? Give me your opinion."
"I… don't know."
Zhang Lexuan fell silent, recalling her two encounters with the boy, and the events that followed after his arrival at Shrek Academy, finally pausing on the scene where Huo Yuhao shared his thoughts in class.
She could not evaluate him.
"I just… feel that he is special."
"…Yes."
Hearing her, Mu En did not scold her. Instead, he nodded thoughtfully, his voice filled with emotion.
"He is indeed special. From the very first time I saw him, I felt it."
A small smile crept into Mu En's voice. "Ever since you returned from your mission in Heaven Dou City, your attitude has improved considerably. I suppose that's thanks to him, isn't it?"
Zhang Lexuan was taken aback, about to speak, when Mu En playfully pressed a hand in the air, cutting her off.
"I mean no offense. Seeing your mindset improve makes me happy. Just listen to me first."
"…Yes."
"It's been over a decade since you joined Shrek Academy, Lexuan. All that you have contributed to the academy over this time, I, this old man, have seen. It has long exceeded what I ever did for you."
Mu En's calm gaze lingered on the silent girl, remembering when he first met her. Time had flown; the hollow-eyed little girl of years ago had grown into this young woman.
"You are a good child, and a clever one. But clever children are delicate in thought, prone to overthinking. I know you have kept the old promise in your heart, but that was just the whim of an old fool like me."
"If you focus solely on the end, you will miss much of the journey. You are young. Young people should have vigor, not sacrifice their lives for the academy."
Mu En paused, then spoke solemnly,
"So from this moment, you need not uphold that old promise any longer."
Zhang Lexuan's eyes widened, staring at the kindly smiling elder, her voice trembling.
"Elder Mu…"
"I hope that you always found the academy to be an opportunity for growth, rather than a limitation."
Mu En chuckled, the wrinkles of his face bunching together.
"If you long for a boring, repetitive life, wait until you're two or three hundred years old like me, too old to move."
"..., ..."
Zhang Lexuan remained silent.
It was only at this moment, awakened by Mu En, that she realized what she had done seemed to be more than simply repaying Huo Yuhao's life-saving grace.
Recalling her time with him, her face flushed slightly.
Could it be… that she really liked a boy much younger than herself?
Wouldn't that be… abnormal?
Feeling embarrassed, she said quietly,
"Elder Mu… I may need some time to think."
"That's fine."
Seeing her still confused, Mu En nodded and said with a soft laugh,
"I hope that the next time you come to see me, you will have found your answer."
(End of Chapter)