"Registration's all taken care of. We have a few days until the competition, so everyone can relax," Lin Jiayi announced with a smile in the meeting room on the top floor of the Star Emperor Hotel, where the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy delegation was gathered.
Ma Rulong asked, "Director, any news from Shrek? I heard they arrived yesterday but have been keeping to themselves."
The Star Emperor Hotel had intentionally placed Shrek and the Sun Moon Battle Team, old rivals, as neighbors, ensuring they'd constantly run into each other. The Sun Moon Battle Team couldn't help but think of their neighbors whenever the competition came up – a point of pride for a team that had consistently been second for a millennium.
Lin Jiayi replied, "I used my contacts. A small Shrek team arrived early, but they're all quite young. Among them are the Young Masters of the Clear Sky Sect and the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile School."
"What's strange is that the new team that arrived yesterday also consists entirely of young people, all looking like they're reserve team age."
"They're just sending young people? It seems Shrek is really arrogant. I'm getting more and more interested," Xiao Hongchen said, raising an eyebrow, a look of eager anticipation on his face.
Xu Tianxi's expression was a bit odd. None of the main team came? Could they have been completely wiped out? Is the combination of Xuan Zi and Death God Envoy really that powerful?
Meng Hongchen asked, "What about the other academies, Director?"
Lin Jiayi crossed his arms and chuckled. "I've looked into some of them. This time, Star Luo Royal Academy is quite strong, but the others are not worth mentioning. The championship will definitely be ours."
Ma Rulong's combat prowess was among the best of all previous main team captains. Coupled with three new generation experts, their four Soul Emperor level fighters—two of whom even possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Technique—he simply couldn't imagine how they could lose. Would Shrek really send a Soul Sage to compete?
Old Ma, the other team leader and Ma Rulong's grandfather, added, "Also, Star Luo, whether intentionally or not, said they are very much looking forward to our clash with Shrek."
"Such platitudes aren't surprising, are they? Most spectators are looking forward to our decisive battle with Shrek. Ticket sales alone will be a very considerable income," Ma Rulong said.
Old Ma mused, "That's true, but when we registered, the staff were overly enthusiastic. I even had a strange feeling they wanted us to win."
As he spoke, Old Ma himself couldn't help but chuckle. The idea was too absurd.
*Ding~ling~ling~*
Just then, Lin Jiayi's Soul Guided Communicator rang from his pocket. He took it out and answered the call in front of everyone.
"Hello, Dean, this is Jiayi. What can I do for you—What?! Shrek is finished?! And it was Tianxi's—"
Lin Jiayi's voice suddenly rose an octave, his expression shifting from calm to shock, then to wild joy, finally settling into a smug, schadenfreude-filled smile.
"Good, good, good. I understand, I understand. I will make sure this news spreads throughout Star Luo City as quickly as possible. Shrek has committed such evil, no wonder righteous individuals from the original Three Great Empires have descended!"
Hanging up the phone, Lin Jiayi met everyone's inquisitive gazes, gripping the table as he spoke, word by word:
"Everyone, the Dean just delivered fantastic news! Just two hours ago, the Xuanming Sect, a Hidden Sect from the original Douluo Continent, emerged and attacked Shrek City, achieving a brilliantly glorious victory!"
"During the fierce battle, Profound Nether Supreme Elder, Eternal Your Majesty, and Elder Xu Xiaoyun made their move. Under the watchful eyes of all, they defeated Shrek's second strongest expert, the Level Ninety-Eight Gluttony Douluo Xuan Zi, completely crippling his cultivation..."
"Shortly after, Shrek's strongest expert, the Sea God Pavilion Master, Dragon God Douluo Mu En, returned and fought against Eternal Douluo and Elder Xu. He was still defeated, suffering a crushing loss at the hands of Eternal Douluo, almost dying on the spot."
The Star Luo Prime Minister colorfully reported to Xu Jiawei on his throne: "Just as Dragon God Douluo was about to be killed by Eternal Douluo, Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Xiaoyao, who was as renowned as Dragon God Douluo over a hundred years ago and known as the Light and Darkness Twin Sacred Dragon, appeared and saved his life."
"Dragon Emperor Douluo and Eternal Douluo were also old acquaintances. He stepped forward and persuaded Eternal Douluo to stop. All of Shrek's powerhouses swore an oath never to seek revenge against the Xuanming Sect in this lifetime, and only then did this disaster finally pass."
"After the great battle ceased, Eternal Douluo and Dragon Emperor Douluo had a brief skirmish, ending in a draw. It was then that Dragon God Douluo, after making his final arrangements, passed away. The battle between Eternal Douluo and Dragon Emperor Douluo thus ended."
"Are you saying that Shrek's two top powerhouses have both fallen at the hands of the Xuanming Sect's Eternal Douluo?" Xu Jiawei rose from his throne, his face filled with intense shock.
First, he defeated the Level Ninety-Eight Gluttony Douluo and crippled his cultivation, then he defeated the Level Ninety-Nine Dragon God Douluo, leading to his demise. Afterwards, he fought to a draw with the Level Ninety-Nine Dragon Emperor Douluo. Whose achievements in this era could be more terrifying than Eternal Douluo's?
The Prime Minister nodded gravely, bowing his hands. "Precisely! Your Majesty, I believe Eternal Douluo's strength far exceeds many people's imaginations. If he weren't from a Hidden Sect, his name would have already shaken the world."
"Some time ago, our country's Soul Masters hunting Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest remotely sensed a great tremor. According to them, on that day, they saw towering floods raging endlessly, and a terrifying Black Dragon roaring to the heavens, bearing a striking resemblance to today's events."
Xu Jiawei, understanding the unspoken meaning from the hint, quickly grasped the Prime Minister's intention, his pupils contracting sharply: "Are you saying that Eternal Douluo entered the Star Dou Great Forest some time ago to challenge Beast God Di Tian?"
"Exactly," the Prime Minister said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
There was only one Black Dragon Soul Beast with Limit Douluo combat power in the Star Dou Great Forest: the Golden Eyed Black Dragon King Di Tian, the most powerful being on the Douluo Continent, renowned throughout the world.
On the Douluo Continent, Di Tian was synonymous with invincibility. While Eternal Douluo might not be his match, he clearly didn't sustain severe injuries in that battle either.
In other words, he challenged Beast God Di Tian and emerged unscathed.
Judging by his achievements, he was very likely the strongest person in the current era, perhaps no less powerful than the Evil Emperor of the Evil Forest or the Snow Empress of the Far North Land.
The significance of such a powerhouse was self-evident. He was an invincible existence in the human world; a million-strong army would be like chickens and dogs before him. If they could recruit him...
Xu Jiawei would dare to send his armies west and north, unifying the entire continent! Just imagining such a scene made the emperor feel a surge of intense fervor, his body trembling beneath his dragon robe.
Calming down from his excitement, Xu Jiawei pondered for a moment, a bitter smile appearing on his face: "Prime Minister, he is an ancestor of a Hidden Sect, and he has always kept a low profile. If Shrek hadn't provoked him too much, perhaps the world would never have known he was already a Limit Douluo. We can't persuade him."
"Moreover, the Xuanming Sect is also in the Heavenly Soul Empire, so it's not our turn anyway. At most, we can try to recruit the young geniuses emerging from the Xuanming Sect. I only regret that the Xuanming Sect isn't in our Star Luo Empire, otherwise, I wouldn't hesitate to personally visit and invite such a master to emerge."
At this point, Xu Jiawei felt a wave of frustration. Why are powerful Hidden Sects like the Clear Sky Sect and Xuanming Sect all in the Heavenly Soul Empire? Our Star Luo Empire is vast and rich in resources, with strong national power, the greatest of the Three Great Empires.
Are there no other powerful Hidden Sects here besides our Star Crown Sect? It's so hard to find a helper.
What was most infuriating was that their Star Crown Sect's ancestor was only Level Ninety-Eight, and it was estimated he'd pass away with Dragon God Douluo in a few months. At that time, their Star Luo Empire's strongest fighting force would only be a Level Ninety-Seven grand-uncle.
They didn't even have a clear advantage when compared to the Dou Ling Empire.
Xu Jiawei sometimes even wondered if he should quickly groom a Crown Prince to inherit the throne, while he went into seclusion to break through to Super Douluo, becoming a new foundational powerhouse for the Xu Family.
"There's nothing we can do about it. Although our people are naturally martial, for some reason, our Soul Master resources have always been inferior to the Heavenly Soul Empire. Even that Dragon Emperor Douluo is from the Heavenly Soul Empire—"
The Prime Minister gave a wry smile and tentatively suggested, "Your Majesty, cultivating Soul Masters can't be rushed. How about we try promoting free Martial Soul awakening again? Our nation has the largest population; surely we can find some geniuses."
Hearing this, Xu Jiawei massaged his temples, a headache brewing. "This matter is too significant. Those nobles won't willingly spit out the meat from their mouths. While the Imperial Family's power can barely suppress most nobles, we cannot afford a large-scale internal conflict right now."
"Moreover, this is something the Martial Soul Hall did. Anyone who proposes it will become a target of public criticism. At most, it can only be implemented within Star Luo City."
The Prime Minister was instantly speechless.
On the Douluo Continent, opposing the Martial Soul Hall was absolutely correct. As for why, one only needed to look at the seven statues at Shrek Academy.
Free awakening was more beneficial than harmful to the nation, but not to the nobles. Ten thousand years ago, the noble lords followed the great Sea God Tang San in eradicating the continent's largest evil Soul Master organization, the Martial Soul Hall. This wasn't so that ten thousand years later, the common folk would have a chance to sit at the table and snatch meat from the noble lords.
Self-interest always moves people, and it's the same everywhere.
Far away at Shrek Academy, Yan Shaozhe, who had slowly awakened, plunged back into the fight for the Martial Soul Department's interests after his grief.
With Old Song taking over as the new Sea God Pavilion Master, Yan Shaozhe actively spoke up, stating that Shrek Academy now needed a major victory to wash away the somber sadness.
"I believe it's necessary for us to go all out in this competition. Not only should Xiao Tao go as reinforcement, but the other two eligible students from the Martial Soul Department should also go."
Yan Shaozhe passionately declared, "This disaster will surely make all forces in the Four Great Empires re-evaluate, or even look down on us. I can imagine the dark intentions with which those ambitious jackals are speculating about Shrek."
"We must do everything in our power to defend our championship title to deter those with wicked ambitions. Shrek is always Shrek, not something petty individuals can easily overcome!"
Old Song, sitting in the main seat, frowned. "But Shaozhe, Mu Lao had already decided this before his passing. It's enough for Xiao Tao to go alone."
"Times have changed. While Master's wisdom was profound, the current situation is different. How can we remain inflexible? Master's words aren't necessarily entirely correct, you know."
Yan Shaozhe spoke earnestly, "I know Master's painstaking efforts in training troops, but Old Song, the Outer Courtyard's troops are troops, but aren't the Inner Courtyard's troops also troops? The Inner Courtyard is Shrek's long-tested core; the Outer Courtyard is ultimately a bit distant."
"In this time of crisis, we must place even greater importance on cultivating true Shrek People."
As Yan Shaozhe's voice fell, it immediately caused a stir within the Sea God Pavilion. Most of the Elders showed approval, and even Xian Lin'er, who usually didn't get along with Yan Shaozhe, didn't object.
Seeing this, Old Song sighed softly. Although she had inherited the position of Sea God Pavilion Master, Yan Shaozhe, the highly trusted and cultivated disciple of Mu Lao, ultimately possessed a prestige not much inferior to her own.
With Mu Lao's passing and Old Xuan's departure, the Sea God Pavilion had two fewer seats. Yan Shaozhe, by uniting the three deans, could contend with the Elders, and he also had supporters among the Elders.
Somewhat ironically, Mu En was indispensable to Yan Shaozhe's current prestige. He was originally Mu En's hand-picked successor from the next generation. After Mu En and Xuan Zi were gone, some Elders inevitably transferred their feelings for the two onto Yan Shaozhe.
Old Song was well aware of this, but she couldn't refute the idea of "cultivating true Shrek People." She sighed and nodded, "Alright, let's vote."
Seven votes in favor, the proposal passed.
Yan Shaozhe smiled and continued, "To demonstrate our重视 for the competition, I propose that Mei'er and Le Xuan accompany the reinforcements and Bei Bei to Star Luo City to ensure the students' safety. What do you all think?"
Unanimous approval, passed.
Old Song watched the Elders, one by one swayed by Yan Shaozhe, and a strange sense of powerlessness welled up in her heart. Her position as Sea God Pavilion Master was more symbolic than practical.
"Never mind. I'm not as shrewd and capable as Shaozhe anyway. I hope you, Shaozhe, and Le Xuan can grow quickly and take over my shift—"
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