Douluo Continent: I can overdraft the future in advance

Luo Yun followed several elders into the Sea God Pavilion.

The door to the third-floor conference room was pushed open, and several people were already seated on either side of the long table. Yan Shaozhe sat on the left, towards the back, looking down at some documents. Cai Meier sat next to him, her hands crossed on the table, her gaze calm. In the corner were three elders whom Luo Yun had never seen before—one man and two women—all quite old, with deep and restrained auras; presumably Elder Song, Elder Lin, and Elder Zhuang.

Seeing Luo Yun follow Elder Mu in, the elders all showed a hint of surprise on their faces.

Yan Shaozhe raised his head, his gaze lingering on Luo Yun for a moment, his eyebrows slightly raised, but he quickly lowered his head again to continue reading the documents. Xian Lin'er glanced at him a couple more times, her lips twitching slightly, but she didn't say anything. The few unfamiliar elders exchanged glances but remained silent.

Luo Yun sat down in the empty seat at the end of the long table.

Elder Mu took his seat at the head of the table, his gaze sweeping over the people on both sides of the long table, and remained silent for a few moments.

"Everyone's here, let's begin."

His voice wasn't loud, but the conference room fell silent instantly.

"I know you might be wondering why Luo Yun came." Old Master Mu leaned back in his chair, his tone as calm as if he were commenting on the weather. "I have something to tell you—just now, I officially accepted Luo Yun as my disciple. A formal master-disciple relationship."

There was a moment of silence in the conference room.

Yan Shaozhe's expression shifted to surprise, then quickly returned to calm. Xian Lin'er crossed her arms, tapping her fingers on the back of her hands, saying nothing. Elder Xuan put down the chicken leg in his hand, wiped his hands on his clothes, and glanced back and forth between Luo Yun and Elder Mu.

Old Master Mu didn't give them time to process what he was saying and continued.

"Having witnessed Luo Yun's talent and potential, I now propose that his inner court promotion assessment be cancelled, and he be promoted directly to the inner court at the appropriate time. Of course, this depends on Luo Yun's own opinion."

This time, the reaction in the meeting room wasn't as strong.

Yan Shaozhe simply raised his head. Cai Meier nodded slightly. Qian Duoduo glanced at Xian Lin'er, who shook her head slightly, signaling him not to speak.

"Finally," Elder Mu's voice deepened, "I hereby appoint Luo Yun as the successor to the next Sea God Pavilion Master."

The meeting room fell completely silent, then some noises returned.

The elders on both sides of the long table seemed to be frozen in place at first, their expressions frozen on their faces.

The chicken leg in Elder Xuan's hand fell onto the table, rolled twice, and came to rest on the edge. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but in the end, he only glanced at Elder Mu, his eyes slightly reddening.

Yan Shaozhe's expression changed from surprise to shock. He glanced at Luo Yun, then at Elder Mu, his lips pressed into a thin line, and he remained silent.

The other elders also reacted strongly, exchanging a few words in hushed tones. Their voices were so soft that the content was inaudible, but their expressions clearly showed that they were also shocked by the news.

Old Master Mu glanced at everyone's reactions and continued calmly, "I know you think this decision is too sudden. But I have my reasons for doing this."

He paused, then lowered his voice.

"I know my body best. I can only hold on for another five years at most."

Elder Xuan suddenly raised his head, his lips trembling: "Elder Mu, you—"

Old Master Mu raised his hand to stop him, not letting him continue.

"It's my own body, I don't need your advice. I called you here not to hear your comforting words." His gaze swept across the long table. "I just want to leave something for Shrek Academy in these last few years. You've all seen Luo Yun's talent, and I can tell you definitively that his future achievements will far surpass mine."

No one speaks.

Old Mu leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping across the long table.

"After my death, Xuanzi will succeed me as the Pavilion Master."

Elder Xuan's lips trembled slightly, but he ultimately said nothing.

"After Xuanzi, it's Yan Shaozhe." Elder Mu glanced at Yan Shaozhe, "but I won't let Yan Shaozhe directly succeed you. I will set a test for you, a test about your character. If you pass, you will succeed as the Pavilion Master. If you fail, you will become an ordinary Inner Court teacher."

Yan Shaozhe took a deep breath and nodded.

"If Luo Yun had fully matured by then, he would have succeeded her," Elder Mu said calmly. "If Luo Yun hadn't fully matured, Zhang Lexuan would have succeeded him as Pavilion Master. After her, Luo Yun would surely have matured as well."

He paused, his tone becoming serious.

"I don't know if you can sense it, but I can—the war clouds hanging over the continent. The invasion of the Sun Moon Empire four thousand years ago failed, and they certainly won't give up easily. Soul tools have developed to an unbelievable level. Some level nine soul tools even give me a slight sense of danger."

He glanced at everyone present, a glint of light flashing in his cloudy eyes.

"It's just that I probably won't see that war in my life. But I believe that Luo Yun will be the one to defeat Riyue once again."

The meeting room remained quiet for a long time.

Elder Xuan sat in his chair, no longer eating his chicken leg, his hands clasped in front of his stomach, his eyes red-rimmed. Yan Shaozhe lowered his head, staring at the table, his expression complex. Xian Lin'er leaned back in her chair, her gaze fixed on the Sea God Lake outside the window, lost in thought.

Old Master Mu remained silent for a moment, then turned to look at Luo Yun.

"Let me also answer a question," he said. "Luo Yun, what path do you choose for the future? At the last meeting, the Soul Guidance Department and the Martial Soul Department fiercely competed for you. Now you have the right to choose, and I'd like to hear your answer. Of course, if you're not sure yet, you can answer later."

All eyes were on Luo Yun.

Yan Shaozhe's eyes were filled with expectation, while Xian Lin'er's gaze was calm but focused.

Luo Yun remained silent for a few moments.

"Elder Mu, I actually still prefer the path of a Soul Master."

Yan Shaozhe's face lit up with joy, and he couldn't suppress the smile on his lips.

But Luo Yun changed the subject.

"However, I won't give up on the Soul Guidance system either. Soul tools have enormous future potential, and I believe that top-tier soul tools will eventually develop to a level no weaker than top-tier soul masters. So I've been consciously cultivating soul tools, all for the sake of the future."

Yan Shaozhe's smile froze on his face.

Xianlin'er's lips curled up slightly, but she didn't show it too obviously.

After listening, Old Mu nodded repeatedly, a hint of approval flashing in his cloudy eyes.

"For your age, you have quite a long-term vision." He paused. "Since you have such insight, let's settle on it then. We must do everything we can to promote the development of soul tools. From now on, 40% of Shrek Academy's assets will be used as funding for the soul tool department. We hope to cultivate our own level nine soul tool masters as soon as possible."

Yan Shaozhe opened his mouth as if to say something, but seeing Elder Mu's expression, he simply nodded in the end.

Meeting adjourned.

Several senior members stood up one after another, bowed slightly to Elder Mu, and turned to leave the conference room.

When Elder Xuan reached the door, he stopped, glanced back at Elder Mu, his lips moved slightly, but he ultimately said nothing and turned to leave.

Only Elder Mu and Luo Yun remained in the conference room.

Old Mu stood up from his chair, his body hunched over, and his movements were slower than usual.

"Come with me."

He walked out of the conference room and down the corridor into the depths of the Sea God Pavilion. Luo Yun followed behind him, passing through a long corridor with no windows on either side. Walking along this corridor, he felt a strange sensation, as if the corridor itself was fluctuating with space.

On both sides of the corridor were heavy wooden doors, each with dense, unidentified patterns carved on its surface.

Old Mu finally stopped in front of an inconspicuous wooden door.

"Go in," said Elder Mu. "Meditate. For whatever time, until you wake up."