Xu Tianxi: Aunt Xuan, what Yan Shaozhe lost today was only his dignity, but what my mother lost was her life!

"When I brought Yue'er into Shrek City back then, I deliberately spoke with your teacher. He readily promised that he would take good care of this disciple of mine. Yet today, you sent me nothing but a cold corpse!"

"Today, a junior like you actually dared to shift the blame onto my pitiful disciple right in front of me, and even bully her orphaned son! Yan Shaozhe, you have gone far too far!"

Xu Xiaoyun, holding the Dark Gold Black Tortoise Shield, was like a terrifying, peerless Ferocious Beast. Soul Rings that seemed to burn with fury rose one after another under Yan Shaozhe's astonished and somewhat fearful gaze.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, red! Red!

Nine Soul Rings appeared, surpassing the generally accepted optimal Soul Ring configuration of the soul master world. Xu Xiaoyun's gaze was as cold as a blade. His body grew an entire circle larger, while his aged face became youthful, as though he had returned to his younger years. His eyes shone like shooting stars, and his enormous Dark Gold Black Tortoise Shield firmly protected Xu Tianxi behind him.

The air in the enormous room solidified. The Water Element fluctuated violently, and the Xu Tianxi Trio could almost hear the roar of crashing waves beside their ears.

"Senior, Senior Xu, you are a renowned master of the soul master world. Please don't stoop to quarreling with juniors like us..."

Xu Xiaoyun's powerful aura enveloped Yan Shaozhe head-on, giving him the terrifying sensation of suffocating underwater. He was drenched in sweat, and for a moment, he could barely speak coherently.

At that moment, he was stunned to discover that his opponent's aura was actually even stronger than Xuan Zi's. The pressure it brought him was second only to his teacher's.

This meant that his opponent was a Level Ninety-Eight Super Douluo! Moreover, his strength was likely no weaker than Xuan Zi's!

But how was that possible? Although the other man was a peer of his teacher's, none of the prodigies who had once shaken the world alongside his teacher had included him!

Although Xuan Zi was a generation junior to his teacher, he was only a little over ten years younger. Furthermore, he came from Shrek, and his profound cultivation was absolutely at the peak of Level Ninety-Eight. This Old Monster Xu was neither from the Body Sect nor the Dark Sacred Dragon, who was as famous as his teacher, so how could he possess strength no weaker than Xuan Zi's?

One had to know that the Dark Sacred Dragon had once entered Shrek for a period of advanced study and had even received guidance from his own grandmaster. This man should never have entered the academy!

Zhang Lexuan opened her mouth in astonishment. Xu Xiaoyun's aura gave her an illusory, indistinct feeling. He was definitely a Super Douluo of profound cultivation, far beyond her understanding.

Xu Xiaoyun had deliberately restrained his Soul Power pressure, so she did not feel any danger. However, the strength he revealed seemed no weaker than Xuan Zi's. Even Dean Yan, whose cultivation had reached Level Ninety-Five, was being pressed until he could barely breathe.

At the Super Douluo level, every single level represented an immense difference. Yet even a Level Ninety-Seven expert could not use aura alone to leave Dean Yan, a Level Ninety-Five Super Douluo from Shrek, completely powerless. One had to reach a realm like Xuan Zi's to accomplish that.

"Xiyue had long since fulfilled the graduation requirements for an Inner Courtyard disciple. With a teacher like this, she wouldn't have needed to worry about cultivation even after leaving the academy. If she hadn't gone to hunt a Soul Ring for me, how could she have died at the hands of that Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?"

Looking at Xu Xiaoyun's Hundred-Thousand-Year Eighth Soul Ring, Zhang Lexuan recalled the nightmare that had taken place in the Star Dou Great Forest.

At the critical moment, Kong Xiyue, who had been the strongest person present, had stepped forward without hesitation and shielded them all behind her.

That Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was a Dark Hunter with terrifying speed. If Xiyue had not fought desperately, not one of their group of twelve might have survived.

After seven companions had died tragically, they finally saw the light of victory. But the Soul Beast launched one last counterattack, targeting her and another Inner Courtyard disciple.

Xiyue had saved them by detonating her Martial Soul, but she herself...

Thinking about it now, if Xiyue had left the Inner Courtyard earlier, with this Old Senior present, how could she have ended up in her current state?

Surely not every top-tier expert is like Xuan Zi, right? Heh...

Xu Tianxi was also filled with astonishment, somewhat surprised by the strength of this nominal grandmaster of his.

No wonder he had dared to let him speak his mind. He possessed absolute strength—and it was extremely powerful.

But then again, the Black Tortoise Shield Martial Soul in the original story could rival a pinnacle Martial Soul, and Xu Sanshi's performance had also been astonishingly powerful. The Xuanming Sect was a major pill seller as well, so it was not strange for them to have such an old ancestor holding down the fort.

After all, aside from the Golden Tree, Shrek possessed no truly unique resources. Its successive generations of top-tier experts were the result of snowballing over time, while its pill-making standards might not even surpass those of the Xuanming Sect, which could mass-produce Mystic Water Pills and Black Tortoise Divine Pills.

That Taotie Xuan Zi, whose "achievements" were enough to make him a Supreme Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult, had been taught by Mu En. Yet without the Cosmos Creation Pill Huo Gua had given him, even a hundred years might not have been enough for him to break through the ultimate bottleneck.

While Xu Tianxi recalled the various details about Shrek in the original story, Xu Xiaoyun's pressure continued to increase. Yan Shaozhe suddenly felt as though an immense force had clamped around his throat. He seemed to be deep beneath heavy water, unable even to release his Martial Soul, and his face flushed crimson.

"Senior Xu, Senior Xu, Shao Zhe was wrong. Please forgive me, Elder... Shao Zhe apologizes to you here..."

Xu Xiaoyun cast Yan Shaozhe a sidelong glance with his cold eyes and said icily:

"An apology? What were you doing just now? Now that my anger has risen, you want to smooth things over? Too late!"

With that, he snorted coldly. Then his gaze shifted to Xu Tianxi, who was still somewhat dazed at the side, and his face broke into a kindly smile as he spoke gently:

"Child, what you said just now was excellent. These people from Shrek have gone too far. Their eyes contain only the glory they claim to uphold, with no regard whatsoever for the lives of your mother and the others.

"Since that's the case, you don't need to hold back. Get up first and give this old bastard a few slaps! Consider it venting your mother's anger for her!"

Xu Tianxi's eyes widened. He pointed at himself, then at Yan Shaozhe, whose face had turned the color of pig liver, and asked for confirmation:

"You mean I should slap him a few times, rather than doing it yourself?"

A child who had not even awakened his Martial Soul was supposed to hit the dean of Shrek Academy? Has Grandmaster gone too far this time?

Putting everything else aside, Yan Shaozhe was a Super Douluo. His skin was probably thicker than a city wall. If he hit him, Yan Shaozhe might not feel anything, while his own hand would probably ache for a long time.

The kindly smile on Xu Xiaoyun's face remained unchanged. He nodded firmly.

"That's right. You do it. Hit the dean of Shrek Academy. He insulted your mother, and a son taking revenge for his mother is only natural!"

"Senior, this is going too far! I am a Super Douluo, the dean of Shrek Academy! How can you have him..."

Yan Shaozhe shouted angrily, but Xu Xiaoyun gave him no chance to finish. His blood-red Eighth Soul Ring lit up, and the phantom of a gigantic beast abruptly rose behind him before plunging into his body. A mass of Six-Pointed Black Light immediately surged from the index finger of his right hand as he slowly pointed it toward Yan Shaozhe's dantian.

Fear filled Yan Shaozhe's eyes as they widened further and further. He summoned his Martial Soul with all his strength to protect himself.

With a crisp phoenix cry, the light and shadow of the Bright Phoenix appeared behind him, its wings spread as though it were about to take flight. The optimal Soul Ring configuration of two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red appeared alongside it, revealing his Level Ninety-Five cultivation in full.

But before a Level Ninety-Eight expert, it still had no power to resist. Yan Shaozhe could not move at all. He could only watch helplessly as the black-light finger grew larger and larger in his vision.

Finally, it touched his dantian!

"With this level of cultivation, you still dared to come so close to me. Junior, you think too highly of yourself! Even Mu En more than two hundred years ago would not have looked down on me so lightly!"

Xu Xiaoyun spoke contemptuously. The Hexagram Array on his fingertip suddenly released a terrifying wave of Soul Power. It surged through Yan Shaozhe's meridians like ten-thousand-year-old black ice, and like endless heavy water, crushing the Light Soul Power he was so proud of.

Finally, it sealed the Soul Core in his dantian!

Sensing the change in his Soul Power, Yan Shaozhe's pupils contracted violently. He felt his cultivation being sealed, and even his Soul Core was trapped beneath a mass of terrifying heavy water!

An unbelievable scene unfolded before Zhang Lexuan. She clearly sensed Yan Shaozhe's Super Douluo cultivation rapidly receding. Soon, he fell to the level of a Titled Douluo, then a Soul Douluo... and only slowed after dropping to the level of a Soul Elder.

"With a top-tier Martial Soul like the Bright Phoenix and a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring, you are nearly a hundred years old yet still failed to break through to Level Ninety-Six. It seems you have been quite lax. Go back and cultivate properly for a few decades before coming to find me again."

After cursing him with that sentence, Xu Xiaoyun struck him in the chest with one palm and pressed him down in front of Xu Tianxi.

"Insulting a daughter and cursing her mother—utterly rude! Insulting a master and humiliating his disciple—shameless beyond measure!

"Your teacher and I are of the same generation. It would indeed be inappropriate for me to bully someone younger. But my junior is present here. Since you made excuses for that old beast Xuan Zi, taking two slaps is only fair!"

After angrily spitting out those words, Xu Xiaoyun's gaze fell upon Xu Tianxi, becoming gentle and expectant.

"How is it, Xiao Tian? Your grandmaster has sealed his cultivation, and his physical strength has fallen greatly. Do you dare give him two slaps?"

The atmosphere had already reached this point. If Xu Tianxi still hesitated, he might as well stop trying to make a name for himself. Yan Shaozhe had thoroughly angered him earlier, too.

Xu Tianxi rose directly from the bed and broke free of Zhang Lexuan's embrace. He raised his fair right hand, aimed it at Yan Shaozhe's old face, which was filled with fury and terror, and was about to swing down hard.

At that moment, Zhang Lexuan, who had watched for a long time, finally came to her senses. Her face paled as she hurriedly tried to stop him.

"Don't, Tian Xi! He is the dean of Shrek Academy, after all. If you hit him, Shrek Academy will never let this go! And Senior Xu, you need to consider the Xuanming Sect as well!"

Having cultivated at Shrek Academy for many years, she knew its strength all too well. The Sea God Pavilion had more than a dozen Elders, all of whom outranked the four deans. There were also reserve Elders such as the Beast King Gong Changlong. Most were Titled Douluos, and Super Douluos were far from rare.

If Yan Shaozhe were humiliated today, Zhang Lexuan did not dare imagine what would happen.

"That's right, that's right. Boy, you can't..." Yan Shaozhe also remembered his status and shouted at Xu Tianxi with his eyes wide open.

"Smack—"

A crisp slap suddenly rang out in the room. Yan Shaozhe froze, and so did Zhang Lexuan.

"Smack, smack, smack—"

Xu Tianxi struck left and right, landing four slaps across Yan Shaozhe's face before finally stopping. Each slap rang louder than the last.

Xu Tianxi shook his aching little hand, which had been battered by Yan Shaozhe's thick skin, then turned toward Zhang Lexuan and gave her an innocent smile.

"Aunt Xuan, say things like that faster next time. Otherwise, my hand won't be able to stop."

Xu Xiaoyun nodded in satisfaction. Then he seized Yan Shaozhe by the front of his robe. Under the man's terrified gaze, he slammed him violently toward the floor.

"Boom—"

Amid the heavy crash, a human-shaped hole appeared in the ground. Yan Shaozhe had not bled, but he no longer looked anything like he had before. His crown had flown off, and his long hair covered his face, leaving him in an utterly wretched state.

Xu Xiaoyun said coldly, "I have lived for more than two hundred years. I have never liked flaunting myself, but neither will I let people bully me while I pretend to be a coward!"

"Keep your eyes open from now on. If you dare act recklessly in front of me again, I won't mind disciplining you properly in Mu En's place, you uncultured thing!"

"Now get out of the Xuanming Sect's territory. Don't let me see that hypocritical, shameless face of yours again!"

After saying that, the light of Xu Xiaoyun's Fourth Soul Ring blazed brightly. The Soul Skill Black Tortoise Displacement appeared once more. Black light from the Black Tortoise Shield enveloped Yan Shaozhe, and the completely powerless man was instantly teleported away.

As if he still felt unsatisfied, Xu Xiaoyun flew up and kicked Yan Shaozhe hard in the face just as the black light was about to vanish. Yan Shaozhe immediately let out a muffled groan, and a vivid spray of blood blossomed in the air.

Zhang Lexuan stared blankly at the ground where the huge pit had been smashed. She felt an absurdity as though she had passed through another lifetime. Only after several seconds did she recover and offer Xu Xiaoyun a bitter smile.

"Senior Xu, although Dean Yan's words were offensive, he is still Elder Mu's disciple, and his status is extraordinary. If you do this, Shrek Academy will likely..."

"Aunt Xuan!"

Xu Tianxi interrupted Zhang Lexuan. He waved his clenched fist and spoke indignantly.

"All Yan Shaozhe lost today was his dignity, while what my mother lost was her life! Isn't Shrek the one at fault here?

"They caused my mother to die, then slandered her. Why can't we hit him?"

The words Zhang Lexuan had been about to say caught in her throat. Her face went blank for a moment, and she was left speechless.

That's right. The academy was clearly at fault in this matter. But why had I...

Suddenly, the sacred hall in her heart seemed to develop several cracks, becoming covered in a layer of dust.