Chapter 295: Wang Dong's Disappointment
Moments later, Xuan Zi emerged from his chamber, ending his seclusion. He looked at Mu En in surprise. "Mu Lao, was it the Sun Moon Empire that exposed this? They have no evidence. With Shrek Academy's impeccable reputation across the three Douluo nations, as long as we declare it false, no one will believe them."
Wang Dong, who had been standing nearby, widened her eyes in shock. "Xuan Lao, is it true that you attacked the Sun Moon exchange student team? How could you do such a thing?"
From her understanding of Shrek Academy, it had always maintained a neutral stance. Xuan Zi's actions clearly contradicted that position.
To her, Shrek Academy had always been a beacon of righteousness. But this revelation put a crack in that image.
Xuan Zi glanced at Wang Dong and sighed. "Wang Dong, no one understands the threat of the Sun Moon Empire better than I do. For the continued greatness of Shrek Academy and for the peace of the Douluo Continent, I had to take action against the exchange students and strike a blow to the Sun Moon Empire.
Perhaps you are too young to understand my decisions now, but one day, you will see how right I was."
Mu En, standing beside them, hesitated. He wanted to reprimand Xuan Zi after all, there were flaws in what he was telling Wang Dong.
But in the end, he remained silent.
Although he had already abandoned the idea of grooming Xuan Zi as the next Pavilion Master and was now focusing entirely on nurturing Yan Shaozhe, Xuan Zi, as a Rank 98 Super Douluo, was still an indispensable asset to Shrek Academy.
Moreover, given their relationship, Xuan Zi still had to call him "Martial Uncle." Under these circumstances, as long as Xuan Zi's actions weren't catastrophic, Mu En felt it necessary to shield him to some extent.
If he openly reprimanded Xuan Zi in front of a student, it would severely damage his authority.
Thus, he chose to remain quiet.
Wang Dong, however, didn't overthink it. She looked at Xuan Zi, disappointment evident in her eyes. "But this is an era of peace. The Sun Moon Empire hasn't engaged in large scale war with the three Douluo nations for over four thousand years. Did you really need to go this far?"
She didn't particularly like Xiao Hongchen and the others, but knowing that they had almost died at Xuan Zi's hands left her feeling uneasy.
After all, they were just students, while Xuan Zi was an immensely powerful Rank 98 Super Douluo. Was such an extreme response necessary?
"Just because the Sun Moon Empire hasn't started a war now doesn't mean they won't in the future. I am merely taking preemptive action." Xuan Zi responded coldly.
Wang Dong remained silent for a moment. Xuan Zi felt unfamiliar to her now. She no longer wanted to continue this conversation. She turned to Mu En and bowed slightly. "Mu Lao, Xuan Lao's words do not convince me. You both have things to discuss, so I will take my leave."
Without waiting for a response, she swiftly departed from Sea God's Pavilion.
Watching her leave, Mu En's expression darkened. He could no longer hold back his frustration. "Xuan Zi! What kind of nonsense were you just spouting? It was your poor decision making that indirectly led to the heavy casualties among our exchange students. And now? You still think your actions were justified?"
"Mu Lao!" Xuan Zi's face twisted with frustration. "I admit my decision was wrong, but my intentions were good. This was a case of good intentions gone wrong.
If not for bad luck, Bei Bei and the others would have returned safely, and the Sun Moon exchange team would have been completely wiped out.
It's not just my fault it's also the fault of those evil soul masters. Two Titled Douluo and a Super Douluo level evil soul master it was obviously a grand scheme by that evil soul master organization, the Holy Spirit Cult, to take revenge on us."
"By the way, Mu Lao, you mentioned that my actions were exposed. Did the Sun Moon Empire spread the news?"
As he spoke, he approached Mu En with a look of confusion.
Mu En said nothing and simply handed him the newspaper.
Xuan Zi took it and skimmed through the article. After a brief read, he scoffed. "It's nothing major just an article. We can dismiss it as a baseless rumor. Have Shaozhe arrange for people to refute it. Everyone trusts Shrek Academy, after all."
Mu En shook his head. "Xuan Zi, Shrek Academy does have a good reputation. But if we keep eroding that trust, one day, our prestige will collapse entirely."
Xuan Zi remained unconcerned.
To him, Shrek Academy was the undisputed sacred land of soul masters. A minor scandal like this could hardly shake its reputation. The only thing that could truly damage its prestige was losing in the upcoming Soul Dueling Tournament.
Still, he wasn't about to contradict Mu En directly.
"Mu Lao, you are right."
Mu En saw the lack of sincerity in Xuan Zi's response and sighed. "Three months from now, the Soul Dueling Tournament will take place in Mingdu. I need you to go there.
You'll accompany Lin'er, Mei'er, and Elder Song to ensure the safety of our students. However, all of you especially you must follow Elder Song's instructions. You are absolutely forbidden from acting on your own."
The Elder Song he referred to was an experienced and reliable individual. Since Mu En himself had to remain at Shrek Academy to protect the majority of the students and faculty, he needed others to safeguard the tournament participants.
Xuan Zi was the second strongest in the academy, but he had to be kept in check. If anyone could restrain him, it was Elder Song.
Xuan Zi's face lit up with joy. "Yes, Mu Lao!"
Originally, he had planned to have Yan Shaozhe secretly attack teams that could pose a threat to Shrek Academy's victory. However, without Mu En's approval, he hadn't been allowed to leave the academy.
But now, Mu En had just handed him the perfect opportunity.
Two Months Later – Mingdu
It was deep into the night, and the moonlight cascaded like flowing silver.
Huo Yuhao sat cross legged on the ground, practicing the Sun Moon Profound Art. The moonlight energy continuously poured into him, enhancing his spiritual power.
Absorbing lunar essence was a peaceful experience, but at this moment, Huo Yuhao's brows were furrowed.
He was attempting to break through a bottleneck not in soul power, but in spiritual power.
Currently, his spiritual strength was at the Tangible but Intangible level. If he could surpass this threshold, he would reach the Tangible and Substantial level. For a soul master specializing in spiritual attributes, achieving this level meant he could begin condensing a Spiritual Soul Core.
In the original timeline, Huo Yuhao only achieved this breakthrough after Qiu'er sacrificed herself. As the Emperor Auspicious Beast, Qiu'er's sacrifice granted him an immense boost in spiritual power.
But Huo Yuhao had no intention of following that same path.
With the Sun Moon Profound Art, he could continuously absorb the essence of the sun and moon, refining his physique and strengthening his spirit.
(End of chapter.)
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