"No, how long was I out?" Su Wen instinctively touched his hair—it was noticeably longer than before he fainted. At least a month must have passed!
Chirp chirp~
A nimble white baboon suddenly leapt in from the window, overjoyed to see Su Wen awake.
"Shh..."
Su Wen quickly signaled for quiet.
Judging by Ma Xiaotao's appearance, she hadn't slept well in ages and had been watching over him the whole time. He didn't want to wake her yet.
But things didn't go as planned.
Ma Xiaotao woke up, her red hair disheveled on her shoulders. Seeing Su Wen sitting up, she was stunned, then rubbed her eyes and exclaimed in joy.
"Xiao Wen, you're awake!"
She hugged Su Wen tightly.
"Um..."
Su Wen felt himself nearly smothered by her developed bosoms, struggling to breathe.
"Right, I'll go get Elder Mu!"
Ma Xiaotao released Su Wen and rushed out in a hurry.
"I didn't even get to ask how long I was asleep..." Su Wen muttered helplessly.
Chirp chirp~
Gale enthusiastically shared something with Su Wen using gestures.
"You're saying the environment outside is great, with ancient trees and rare herbs, and you feel really comfortable here?" Su Wen was stunned, walking to the window.
A wave of humidity greeted him, along with a bird's-eye view of the entire academy. From this high vantage point, he could see the whole massive campus—he was truly at the heart of it.
"Could this be..."
Su Wen was shocked.
The Sea God Pavilion!
"That's right, this is the core of Shrek Academy—the Sea God Pavilion. From now on, it will be your home."
A gentle voice came from behind.
Su Wen turned in surprise.
Ma Xiaotao was pushing a wheelchair, winking at him. The elderly man in the wheelchair was thin and hunched, but his eyes were deep and kind.
"Elder Mu."
Su Wen nodded slightly, calming down.
This was indeed the Sea God Pavilion—a highly secret place within the Academy. Even Huo Yuhao had only visited once before the tournament. The Golden Ancient Tree was one of Shrek's greatest secrets.
He was now inside this Golden Ancient Tree.
No wonder his soul power had risen so quickly.
The surrounding spiritual energy was unbelievably dense.
You could cultivate just by lying there.
"Child, since you've joined Shrek Academy, treat this as your home. The failure of this mission is entirely Xuan Zi's fault. I will punish him severely. I hope you won't lose faith in the Academy because of this..." Mu En said sincerely.
He looked as if, if he weren't so frail, he'd stand up and bow to Su Wen—his sincerity was overflowing.
After all, he had investigated Su Wen and found no clues—it was as if he had appeared out of nowhere in the Star Dou Forest. But that wasn't important. As long as he wasn't from the Sun Moon Empire, or even if he was, Mu En believed he could make Su Wen love Shrek...
What mattered now was not losing this child's trust.
Besides, Su Wen had risked his martial soul breaking to buy a precious minute for the trapped Inner Court disciples. He was kind-hearted, gifted, diligent, and courageous—a perfect Sea God Pavilion Master!
Ma Xiaotao had described the decisiveness in Su Wen's eyes at the last moment. He had held on until the Poké Ball broke, never giving up. Even adults might not have such willpower. (In reality, Su Wen had just passed out from the pain, not intentionally holding on.)
Mentioning Xuan Zi, Mu En's expression became serious.
"Xiaotao, inform Shaozhe to convene a Sea God Pavilion meeting..."
"Yes!"
Ma Xiaotao left.
"Is your martial soul alright..." The wheelchair rolled forward unassisted. Mu En kindly examined Su Wen, holding his arm, feeling his meridians and soul power, his expression growing gentler.
"I'm fine, Elder Mu."
Su Wen opened his palm.
The white Poké Ball disappeared from his spiritual sea and appeared in his hand.
"Good, good."
Mu En smiled, wrapping his dry hand around Su Wen's, squeezing the ball, and patting his shoulder.
"Good child, push me to the meeting room. I'll show you the way."
"Alright..."
Su Wen took a deep breath.
Things were finally back on track.
...
In the empty hallway.
Su Wen pushed Mu En along. The two chatted, the atmosphere light and relaxed.
However...
Su Wen knew that even if Xuan Zi was at fault, he would never be expelled or demoted. Mu En would play the bad cop, scolding Xuan Zi, while Yan Shaozhe and the others would hand him excuses and a way out. In the end, it would just be a minor slap on the wrist.
In the original, even when only four out of fifteen survived, Xuan Zi wasn't punished. With Su Wen around now and everyone surviving, there was even less chance of anything happening to Xuan Zi.
Su Wen knew this well.
If Xuan Zi were seriously punished, he'd be baffled and start to doubt the sanity of Shrek's higher-ups, and whether he should stay.
Their strongest, second only to the seriously injured Mu En, a level 98 super expert, Sea God Pavilion Vice Master, and future successor—could they really fire him for one mistake?
If Mu En were in good health, it might make sense.
But now, Mu En was frail and could die any time. Losing an arm now was just foolish.
Xuan Zi couldn't leave.
The unreliable little old man was still a real powerhouse.
What Su Wen valued was Shrek's overall strength and resources—a safe place to cultivate early on, which was rare in the Douluo world.
If Xuan Zi left, all of Shrek might become unstable. If the Holy Spirit Sect targeted Ma Xiaotao, attacked Shrek a few more times, Su Wen himself could end up abducted.
In no time—
They reached the end of the corridor, a grand old door barring their way.
"Push it open," Mu En said with a smile.
"Okay."
Su Wen stepped forward. Without much force, the door swung open. Inside was a meeting room filled with at least twenty or thirty elders, who turned their gazes on him—full of expectation, kindness, warmth, and... guilt.
Xuan Zi saw Su Wen, opened his mouth, then lowered his head.
Su Wen raised an eyebrow, signaling it didn't matter.
Scolding Elder Xuan right now would only make himself feel better and do no good. Instead, letting Yan Shaozhe and the others give Xuan Zi an out would maximize everyone's benefit.
Of course, the real problem was still being too weak, needing to be cautious. Once he was strong enough... he would make Shrek into his own shape.
In his view—
Shrek had been glorious for millennia, but hidden in the darkness, its roots had begun to rot...
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Advanced chapter here: p-atreon.com/Sajaboyzzz
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