Shrek's Reputation Collapses!

Huo Yuhao's body was trembling slightly.

An uncontrollable chill surged from the soles of his feet straight to his crown.

"Then... what about me?"

This thought emerged in his mind like a nightmare.

He was the "mentor" in Huo Yuhao's heart.

How much "effort" had Qiangu Wangyan poured into him?

The Sky Screen seemed to hear his inner voice; the images shifted once more, finally revealing the figure of Huo Yuhao.

[Huo Yuhao... a very strange kid.]

[His Spirit Eyes martial soul is the most malleable specimen I have ever seen.]

[Of course, I prepared a "gift" for him as well: that soul imprint originating from the Holy Spirit Cult. As long as it is planted, he will surely be of use to me in the future.]

[However, something strange happened.]

For the first time, the voice of the monologue carried a hint of confusion.

[Taking the opportunity to guide his spiritual power cultivation, I tried three times to plant that imprint into his spiritual sea without a sound.]

[But every time, the imprint was like a clay ox entering the sea, disappearing without a trace, not even causing a ripple.]

[He must be hiding a great secret.]

[A secret that can even devour the secret techniques of the Holy Spirit Cult... it is too dangerous.]

[The risk of continuing to act is too high; I might expose myself.]

[Forget it. An uncontrollable pawn is better off being used as a pure tool.]

[As long as I keep showing him kindness and make him feel indebted to me, that will be enough.]

On Shrek Plaza, the way everyone looked at Huo Yuhao instantly became incredibly complex.

Shock, wariness, curiosity...

What kind of secret was this seemingly ordinary youth hiding that could make even Qiangu Wangyan feel troubled enough to give up on his schemes?

Yet at this moment, inside Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, it was a different scene entirely.

"What?! That bastard actually tried to strike at you three times!"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm shrieked, his massive body churning through the spiritual sea.

"I didn't even notice! What a disgrace!"

Just then, a calm and aged voice rang out.

"There is no need to panic."

The figure of Electrolux slowly emerged.

"Elder Yi, do you know what this is about?"

Huo Yuhao asked hurriedly.

Electrolux's voice was as calm as water:

"When I was in a deep slumber previously, I subconsciously devoured some soul energy."

"Now that I think about it, that soul energy must have been the imprint he planted."

Huo Yuhao was somewhat dumbfounded.

"Just... just like that, you devoured it?"

Electrolux's tone was as if he were speaking of a trivial matter:

"It was merely a bit of impure soul imprint. To me, it was no different from dust; it wasn't even enough to wake me from my slumber."

"However, even without me, this little worm's million-year spiritual origin would have eventually worn it away, though the process would have been more troublesome."

Hearing this, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm immediately puffed up his body and shouted:

"That goes without saying! A mere imprint? I could have purified it in minutes!"

Huo Yuhao's tense heart instantly relaxed, and a warm current surged through his entire body.

He bowed deeply toward the spiritual sea:

"Thank you, Elder Yi!"

Outside, seeing Huo Yuhao's expression of relief, everyone assumed he was just grateful to have escaped a disaster.

But the monologue on the Sky Screen had not yet ended.

The scene shifted to the preparation room of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament!

The official members and substitute members of the Shrek Seven Devils were all present!

Wang Yan stood before the tactical board, his expression more serious than ever before.

[The Sun Moon Empire is indeed powerful. In a direct confrontation, we have no guarantee of victory.]

[But in the dictionary of Shrek, there is no such word as "lose."]

[For the sake of victory, for that championship trophy representing the best on the continent, they can stop at nothing.]

[Thus, I proposed a brilliant tactic.]

[I suggested that Huo Yuhao use his Spiritual Detection from off the stage to assist the members on the stage.]

[I had assumed I would need to persuade them with nonsense about "academy honor" or something similar.]

[But I was wrong; I overestimated their bottom line, or rather, they have no bottom line at all.]

Before the words had even faded, Xuanzi's fan-like hand slammed heavily onto the table.

["Good! Let's do it!"]

["This isn't called cheating, this is tactics! It is a reasonable tactic utilizing our own students' abilities!"]

["The tournament rules don't say substitute members aren't allowed to assist from off the stage!"]

Captain Ma Xiaotao's eyes flashed with an excited light:

["That's right, victory is above all else! For the honor of Shrek, we must take this championship!"]

Dai Yaoheng, Xu Sanshi, and the other members showed not a shred of shame in their eyes; instead, their fighting spirit burned fiercely.

Every one of them accepted this plan with complete composure.

[As expected of Shrek, the shamelessness is truly inherited from one generation to the next.]

[But they have no idea that my goal was never victory!]

[What I wanted was for Shrek to be caught red-handed cheating in public!]

[Just imagine the scene! The Shrek Seven Devils, under the gaze of the masses, being pointed out by the referees for blatant cheating! Being disqualified! Being nailed to the pillar of shame in history!]

[The number one academy on the continent, using such despicable means to steal a victory!]

[Hahahaha! This would be a hundred times more painful for them than killing any one of their geniuses!]

[But... but why!]

The voice of the monologue showed strong emotional fluctuations for the first time, filled with unwillingness and anger!

[Are those trash referees all blind!]

[Such obvious spiritual fluctuations, and they actually couldn't detect them!]

[We... we actually just won like that?]

[I stood off the stage, watching them cheer, watching them lift that trophy, and my heart was filled with curses!]

[I had to force a gratified smile onto my face and accept everyone's praise.]

[But deep down, I had to admit that this was the greatest failure of my revenge plan!]

The monologue ended.

The entire Douluo Continent, across both timelines, exploded at this moment!

[Dou Er Era]

Shrek Plaza.

"How could... how could this be exposed!"

Dai Yaoheng's face turned deathly pale, and he blurted it out subconsciously.

Ma Xiaotao, Ling Luochen, Bei Bei... all the members who participated in that tournament lowered their heads.

There was no shame on their faces, only the rage of being exposed!

They could not refute it!

Because what was playing on the Sky Screen was the truth!

But they didn't think they had done anything wrong.

They only hated why this matter had been made public!

And outside of Shrek, the world was already in an uproar!

Sun Moon Empire, Mingde Hall.

"Cheating!! Collective cheating!!!"

Jing Hongchen violently crushed the armrest in his hand, trembling with rage, the terrifying soul power fluctuations making the entire Mingde Hall hum!

Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, the brother and sister, had eyes burning crimson.

"So that's how it is! We lost to a bunch of frauds!"

Xiao Hongchen roared:

"From the elders down to the students, not a single person in Shrek Academy is innocent!"

"Grandfather! I demand a rematch!"

"No! I demand they be stripped of their championship title immediately!"

"They don't deserve it!"

Jing Hongchen laughed in extreme fury:

"What a Shrek Academy! What a number one academy on the continent! Morally bankrupt! Every single one of them is shameless!"

"Someone come here!"

"Pass on my order: issue a notice to every power on the entire continent immediately!"

"Strongly condemn the shameless cheating behavior of the entire Shrek Academy team during the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament!"

"Demand that the tournament organizing committee strip them of their championship title immediately and issue a public apology to our Sun Moon Empire!"

"And another thing!"

"During the matches, they also murdered several of our team members!"

"Before, they were protected by the rules of the tournament, so we had nothing to say."

"Now it seems they are nothing but a group of butchers who cheat while ruthlessly slaughtering their opponents!"

"This matter must be settled as well!"

The Star Luo Empire, the Heaven Dou Empire, and every academy that had ever been defeated by Shrek erupted at this moment!

"Shameless! Shameless to the extreme!"

"We strongly demand the cancellation of all of Shrek's tournament results!"

"Shrek must give the entire continent an explanation!"

"They are no longer fit to run an academy! They are a disgrace to the continent!"

A wave of condemnation swept across the entire continent.

The reputation that Shrek Academy had built over ten thousand years was teetering on the brink, nearly collapsing at this very moment!