Qiangu Dongfeng: I've Come for Him
Although the academy teachers explained that the strange phenomenon the day before yesterday was caused to test the Golden Tree's new abilities, the students were not fools.
In the past two days, many students have been discussing what exactly happened.
Discussions could be heard everywhere— by the Sea God Lake, inside the dormitories, and on the Training Ground.
In the center of Sea God Island, Yun Ming's Small Courtyard seemed to exist outside the world.
The cobblestone path, the bamboo-shaded wall, and the quaint wooden house all exude tranquility and elegance.
The noise outside has nothing to do with this place.
The morning light shines down, birds sing, and a gentle breeze rustles the bamboo leaves.
Four people were seated around a square table. Yun Ming sat in the main seat, Ya Li sat to his right, and Huo Yuhao and Na'er sat on the other two sides.
Breakfast wasn't lavish; it consisted of four dishes and a soup, light yet refined.
The taste was really good, the ingredients were fresh, and the cooking time was just right; every bite was unforgettable.
Huo Yuhao looked like he was thoroughly enjoying the food, his Spirit Eyes filled with satisfaction.
He seemed completely unconcerned about his situation.
On the other side, after wolfing down her food, Na'er couldn't help but look at her teacher, Yun Ming.
A hint of worry crossed her delicate face as she asked, "Teacher, is the academy really going to keep Yuhao here?"
Upon hearing this, Yun Ming remained silent for a moment.
To be honest, he himself hasn't come up with a proper solution yet.
In Yun Ming's view, the Golden Tree is only one aspect of the academy's foundation. The academy's true strength lies in its teachers and students, in its millennia-old heritage, not in the defense provided by a single tree.
Therefore, his proposal was naturally to follow the previous agreement: Huo Yuhao would only be an Outer Court student and would later return to the Spirit Pagoda.
However, the Elder of the academy were mostly opposed to it.
Led by Long Yeyue, they insisted on keeping Huo Yuhao there.
So we discussed it all day yesterday, but it ended in a disagreement.
Yun Ming glanced at Na'er, then turned his gaze to Huo Yuhao: "The Spirit Pagoda will be sending people today; perhaps we can reach a result that satisfies everyone."
Yun Ming said this, but in his heart he felt that the chances were slim.
He could only hope that with the Spirit Pagoda exerting pressure from the outside, the hardliners among the Elder in the academy would compromise.
At 10:00 AM, the people from the Spirit Pagoda entered Shrek Academy.
Shrek Academy believes that these outsiders from the Spirit Pagoda should not enter the Sea God Pavilion.
Therefore, the meeting was not even held on Sea God Island, but in a conference room in an Outer Court.
Although the venue Outer Court, the scale of the meeting was by no means small, with almost all the Elder of the Shrek Academy in attendance.
The layout of the conference room is similar to that of the Sea God Pavilion, with a long table occupying most of the space, and a row of chairs on each side of the room, enough to accommodate fifty people.
At this moment, everyone from the Shrek Academy was already seated around the long table.
Huo Yuhao, as the "protagonist," was also included, but he naturally wasn't qualified to sit at the table; he was simply seated in the row of chairs against the wall.
He sat there quietly, his expression calm, revealing no emotion.
Holy Spirit Douluo Ya Li was in charge of receiving the group from the Spirit Pagoda. When she pushed open the conference room door, everyone's eyes were immediately focused on the entrance.
If it were anyone else, they would probably be terrified if they met the gaze of these Titled Douluo- level powerhouses.
However, Qian Gu Dongfeng, the master of the Spirit Pagoda, remained calm, with a faint smile on his lean face.
After the Shrek group's gaze passed over the Qiangu Dongfeng, they saw three more figures, and their eyes narrowed slightly.
As top powers on the continent, they generally know each other's strongest members.
So when the figures behind Qiangu Dongfeng came into view, the expressions on the faces of the Elder of the Shrek Academy became subtle.
The red figure behind Qiangu Dongfeng was none other than Leng Yao Zhu, the Vice Tower Master, the Sky Phoenix Douluo Leng Yaozhu, the Limit Douluo, and Four-Word Battle Armor Master.
The two figures behind Leng Yaozhu were equally formidable.
A tall, slender middle-aged man appeared harmless, with a faint smile on his face.
But the fact that he was brought here by the Qiangu Dongfeng is certainly no small feat.
His name is Ling Qingxiao, one of the Four Great Spirit Envoys of the Spirit Pagoda, with the title Yunmiao. He is Level 98 Agility Attack System Super Douluo and Four-Word Battle Armor Master.
Another burly middle-aged man exuded a powerful and fierce aura just by standing there.
His name is Da Mo, he is an enshrined figure in the Spirit Pagoda, titled Fist Emperor, a level 97 Super Douluo of the Power Attack System, Three-Word Battle Armor Master.
Although only four people came from the Spirit Pagoda, they were all quite powerful.
This lineup is enough to make any force wary, and the Elder of the Shrek Academy have no choice but to take it seriously.
Their gazes swept back and forth across the four faces, their aged eyes gleaming with a solemn light.
They knew that today's confrontation would not be easy.
After the four members of Qiangu Dongfeng took their seats, today's "meeting" officially began.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the long table, but it couldn't dispel the somber atmosphere in the air.
Both sides knew that the topic of discussion today was actually very simple, revolving only around Huo Yuhao's future.
The Spirit Pagoda wanted people, but Shrek refused to release them; that's all.
Qiangu Dongfeng looked at Yun Ming and spoke first, "Huo Yuhao is a member of my Spirit Pagoda. Shrek Academy's unwarranted detention of him is completely unreasonable."
"I'm here today for only one purpose: to take Huo Yuhao away."
Yun Ming's expression was complicated, and a hint of helplessness flashed in his deep eyes.
In the past, he would not have been so lenient with the Qiangu Dongfeng.
But he also felt guilty about today's situation and didn't know how to answer.
Fortunately, the Elder at the academy were "prepared" and were all eager to speak.
"Why does the Tower Master pretend not to know?" an Elder asked. "Heavenly Phoenix returned the day before yesterday and should have explained the reason. We didn't detain him without cause."
Leng Yaozhu snorted upon hearing this, "Yuhao resonates with the Golden Tree, does that mean he should stay at Shrek? What kind of logic is that?"
"Does this mean that everyone who can resonate with the Golden Tree must stay at Shrek?"
Another Elder spoke up with an unfriendly expression, "Don't try to argue. How many people can resonate with the Golden Tree? In twenty thousand years, there's only been one, Huo Yuhao."
Leng Yaozhu, "That's because Yuhao has amazing talent; it's his own ability. If Shrek Academy wants to poach him, they should just say so. Why bother with these high-sounding reasons?"
"Shrek Academy has countless geniuses; naturally, they wouldn't act like this for Huo Yuhao alone."
Even an Elder had to utter a statement against his will: Shrek Academy may have many geniuses, but none can compare to Huo Yuhao.
But for the sake of face and the reputation of the academy, she had no choice but to say it.
She continued, "Leaving Huo Yuhao behind is to protect the safety of the academy."
"The fact that someone capable of resonating with the Golden Tree is living in exile poses a threat to the Shrek Academy!"
Leng Yaozhu's phoenix eyes were filled with coldness. "What does the safety of the Shrek Academy have to do with my disciple?"
The Elder's aged face was full of stubbornness as he said, his neck stiff, "One can never be too careful. Who knows if Huo Yuhao will bypass the Golden Tree's defenses and do something harmful to the Shrek Academy!"
Leng Yaozhu's face was full of anger as she snorted, "That's just your imagination. Yuhao wouldn't and wouldn't stoop to doing such a thing."
Another Elder spoke up, "Anyone can say that, but we still prefer to nip risks in the bud."
Shrek and the Spirit Pagoda were locked in a stalemate, and the atmosphere in the conference room became extremely tense.
At this moment, the voice of Chilong Douluo Zhuo Shi rang out, breaking the heavy atmosphere in the conference room.
He said in a slightly relaxed tone, "Everything is negotiable. The Spirit Pagoda and Shrek Academy have a deep-rooted relationship; there's no need for such tension."
"We're not keeping Huo Yuhao here to detain him, but to make him a member of the Shrek Academy."
"If the Spirit Pagoda is willing to relinquish control, Shrek Academy is also willing to pay a price!"