Chapter 248 Shrek Academy's Exhilarating Spirit! They Must Get Their Revenge in the Soul Master Tournament!
After Xuanzi uttered "It's done!" in the plaza of the Sea God Pavilion, the brief silence was broken by a cheer.
Yan Shaozhe didn't shout along, but the corners of his mouth kept turning up, he couldn't suppress it.
Xian Lin'er stood beside him, and the feeling of finally letting out a long-suppressed breath was clearly written on her face.
Old Song stood at the front of the crowd. She neither cheered nor laughed, but her eyes were much brighter than usual.
Her left hand was still wrapped in bandages and hung down at her side, not raised.
Xuanzi stood at the entrance of the Sea God Pavilion, his gaze sweeping over the cheering elders.
His expression didn't change much; the smile on his lips was still there. But when he saw the bandage on Old Song's left hand, his smile faded a bit.
"Elder Song," Xuanzi said, his voice not loud, but the cheers in the square immediately subsided.
Old Song raised his head and looked at him.
Xuanzi frowned, his gaze falling on the bandage on her left hand, and asked a question.
What happened to your hand?
Old Song's lips moved slightly, but he did not answer.
She glanced at Yan Shaozhe, then at Xian Lin'er, before lowering her head and remaining silent.
Yan Shaozhe's expression changed slightly.
He knew he couldn't hide it, and he had no intention of hiding it.
He stepped forward, stood in front of Xuanzi, took a deep breath, and then spoke.
"Elder Xuan, this matter... is a long story."
Xuanzi looked at him but did not urge him.
Yan Shaozhe recounted the recent events one by one.
He mentioned that Fan Yu had been poached by the Heavenly Soul Empire.
He recounted that he, Xian Lin'er, and Elder Song went to the Heavenly Soul Imperial City to demand the return of their loved ones, but they were blocked by Du Busi. The three of them together were no match for him, and Elder Song's left hand was broken by Du Busi. In the end, they had to pay three pieces of 100,000-year-old soul bones to escape.
He talked about Ma Xiaotao.
It is said that Ma Xiaotao's martial soul mutated during a mission, causing her to fall into evil ways. She was captured by Liu Yuan of the Body Sect and publicly executed in the Heavenly Soul Imperial City.
He said they went to the scene to bring the person back, but Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao from the Holy Spirit Cult suddenly appeared and snatched Ma Xiaotao away.
Because they were saved by the Holy Spirit Cult, Shrek Academy was branded as "colluding with evil spirit masters" in front of the entire continent.
He said that during this period, Shrek Academy's reputation on the mainland plummeted, its enrollment numbers decreased sharply, and even several small and medium-sized sects that were originally on good terms with it began to distance themselves.
He spoke slowly, and each word was pronounced very clearly.
There was no embellishment or exaggeration; the facts were simply stated.
As Xuanzi listened, the expression on his face changed from calm to gloomy, and from gloomy to ashen.
He lowered his hand from the door frame, letting it hang at his side, his fingers slowly clenching, his knuckles making a cracking sound.
His breathing became heavy, his chest heaving, and the breath he had just suppressed began to overflow again.
"Poison can't kill..." Xuanzi's voice was squeezed out from between his teeth, very low, but with an uncontrollable anger, "This is outrageous!"
He suddenly raised his head, his gaze passing through the square and looking in the direction of the Heavenly Soul Empire.
His eyes were bloodshot, not from fatigue, but from anger.
"I'll storm the Body Sect right now and show them what a Limit Douluo really is!"
After he finished speaking, he started to walk out.
Yan Shaozhe's expression changed.
He strode forward, stood in front of Xuanzi, and reached out to stop him.
"Elder Xuan, you mustn't!"
Xuanzi stopped and looked at Yan Shaozhe, her brows furrowed.
"What? You're stopping me?"
Yan Shaozhe's voice was a little urgent, but his tone was very steady.
He looked at Xuanzi and said, word by word.
"Elder Xuan, if you take action now, you will be acting without a legitimate reason."
"Every single thing the Body Sect did before was justified under the guise of 'righteousness'."
"Fan Yu resigned and left on his own. We were the ones who went to snatch her from Tianhun Imperial City first. As for Ma Xiaotao, she did become an evil soul master. Liu Yuan arrested her on behalf of Heaven."
"Although we know what's going on, outsiders can't understand it."
"In their eyes, we Shrek are the ones who bully others and protect evil spirit masters."
Xuanzi paused for a moment.
Yan Shaozhe continued, his voice lower, but he emphasized each word.
"The academy's reputation is already quite bad. If you were to attack the Body Sect without any reason at this time, what would outsiders say?"
"They'll say we Shrek can't accept defeat, and that we're just looking for trouble because you've made a breakthrough."
"At that time, we will not only lose face, but also lose the last bit of credibility we have left."
Xuanzi fell silent.
His fists were still clenched, his knuckles white, but he didn't move forward.
He stood at the entrance of the Sea God Pavilion, looking at Yan Shaozhe for a long time.
Then his fist slowly loosened and hung at his side.
He took a deep breath and exhaled, the breath that had escaped was drawn back into his body.
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Xuanzi's voice lowered, but there was still anger burning within it. "Just endure it like this?"
Yan Shaozhe shook his head.
"It's not about enduring it. It's about waiting for the right opportunity."
Xuanzi looked at him without saying a word.
Yan Shaozhe continued, his voice much steadyer than before.
"The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament is about to begin."
Xuanzi's brow twitched slightly.
Yan Shaozhe looked at him and said, word by word.
"We lost the championship last time."
"This year, we brought the championship back to the field."
"Defeat the Body Sect and Liu Yuan honorably in front of the entire continent."
"Back then, who would say that Shrek Academy was no good? Who would remember all that messy stuff?"
Xuanzi remained silent for a moment.
His brows slowly relaxed, and the corners of his mouth turned down as he pondered.
After a long while, he spoke.
"How much longer?"
Yan Shaozhe replied, "A few months."
Xuanzi nodded. His expression didn't change much, but the impulsiveness in his eyes had subsided considerably, replaced by a more composed, calculating coldness.
"Then let's wait. We'll wait until the Soul Master Competition, and then we'll get our revenge on the field."
He turned around and walked back into the gate of the Sea God Pavilion. He didn't go in, but stood on the threshold, looking at the elders in the square.
"Call Huo Yuhao and the other kids over here," Xuanzi said, his voice regaining its usual gruffness. "I want to see for myself what level they've reached."
Yan Shaozhe paused for a moment, then nodded and turned to give a few instructions to a disciple responsible for relaying messages. The disciple accepted the order and quickly ran out of the square.
Xuanzi continued, his tone calm but with an undeniable firmness.
"From today onwards, I will personally guide their cultivation. Before the Soul Master Competition, their strength must reach another level."
Xian Lin'er, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but ask a question when she heard this.
"Elder Xuan, will you personally provide guidance?"
Xuanzi glanced at her.
"What? Am I not worthy?"
Xianlin'er quickly shook her head.
"No. I'm worried about your health..."
"My health is excellent," Xuanzi interrupted her. "Level ninety-nine is not just for show."
Xianlin'er didn't say anything more.
Xuanzi then turned to Yan Shaozhe, raising his voice slightly.
"Also, take out all the pills and soul bones in the academy's warehouse that can enhance strength."
"Use what you need, distribute what you should distribute. Don't be stingy with things; this time, we must win."
Yan Shaozhe frowned slightly. Although Shrek Academy's warehouse had a considerable amount of stock, it was no longer as plentiful as before after the previous rounds of depletion.
Xuanzi's opening remarks were clearly aimed at emptying his family's coffers.
But he did not hesitate.
He nodded, his voice crisp and decisive.
"Yes. I'll take care of it right away."
(End of chapter)