After bidding Elder Xuan farewell, Huo Yuhao wandered aimlessly around the academy.
As he strolled through campus, the once bustling Outer Court now seemed somewhat deserted, with the drop in student numbers plainly visible.
Aside from Shrek Academy being united in actively preparing for the Beast Tide, the loss of students was fundamentally still a consequence of the war.
This war, which had swept across the entire continent, had led many Inner Court and Outer Court students to resolutely abandon their precious enrollment and return to their hometowns without hesitation, throwing themselves into the war.
Especially those born in the Heaven Dou Empire.
Shrek was, after all, only a school. With their families and nation in trouble, Shrek could not possibly stop them.
If their families died and their homeland fell,
then what meaning would there be in graduating from Shrek Inner Court?
Fortunately, the plan he had begun preparing when he participated in the second All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Tournament had gradually taken shape after nearly a year of preparation.
The Shrek Elders would all head to Heaven Dou City to oversee matters. As Shrek's representative, Elder Xuan had originally been meant to attend the Spirit Pagoda's ribbon-cutting ceremony, but he would instead be dragged into the quagmire of the Beast Tide, unable to move. With only the younger generation left at the Spirit Pagoda, it would become a tempting prize in the eyes of the Holy Spirit Cult and the Sun Moon Empire.
With Ma Xiao Tao, who had entered the Holy Spirit Cult years ago, serving as an undercover Holy Maiden, this plan should proceed quite smoothly, shouldn't it?
He turned to look toward the distant Star Dou Forest. The Star Dou Forest remained as quiet as ever, just as it had been for countless years.
"Lord."