The Sky Screen had disappeared, but the shock it had brought was like a magnitude-twelve super-earthquake, and its aftershocks were still sweeping across the entire Douluo Continent.
Everyone was still immersed in the shocking, dramatic revelations they had just witnessed, wanting more.
This exposé was completely different from Qiangu Wangyan's previous one!
Yan Shaozhe, dean of the Martial Soul Department at the continent's greatest academy, a Level 95 Super Douluo!
Dai Hao, the pillar of the Star Luo Empire, the mighty Duke White Tiger whose name inspired fear across the land!
Either of them was a major figure standing at the very top of the world.
Yet in a single day, the Sky Screen had stripped away every disguise they wore and publicly put them on trial in the most humiliating fashion!
"That was incredible! More exciting than watching two wars that destroyed entire nations!"
"Shrek's Chicken Douluo, Star Luo's catgirl duke—hahahaha! The Sky Screen has given us all the year's biggest laughs!"
"Who do you think will be next? There are still seven spots left on the Hypocrite Ranking!"
The whole world was in an uproar! Countless people excitedly discussed what had happened, eagerly awaiting the next spectacle.
At the heart of the storm, the two great powers had already begun swift efforts to contain the damage and settle accounts.
[Douluo II Period]
Star Luo Empire.
The instant Emperor Xu Jiawei's order to "exterminate the entire clan" was issued, a royal guard unit shot toward the White Tiger Duke's Mansion in Star Luo City like a black bolt of lightning.
The once-bustling, imposing mansion was now gripped by panic.
When the royal guards kicked down the gates and read out the imperial decree, the Dai clan members, family dependents, and retainers left behind in the residence all collapsed to the ground, their faces ashen.
Even as they died, they couldn't understand how the pillar of their clan could become a traitor to the nation overnight.
Crying, begging, and cursing rang through the estate—but the only reply they received was the cold edge of a blade and merciless chains.
Confiscate the estate! Seal the mansion! Arrest them!
A bloody purge was unfolding among the upper echelons of Star Luo Empire society.
Shrek Academy, Sea God Pavilion.
The atmosphere was so oppressive it seemed almost frozen solid.
Just then, an old, weary sigh drifted out from the deepest part of Sea God Pavilion, reaching the ears of every Shrek teacher and student.
"Alas..."
It was Mu En!
"Shrek has suffered this disgrace because the Sea God Pavilion failed in its duty to supervise."
It was Mu En! Mu En, the master of Sea God Pavilion!
Everyone's spirits stirred, and they instinctively turned toward Sea God Pavilion.
"Yan Shaozhe is unworthy of his position. He has disgraced the academy and shamed Shrek's predecessors!"
"Effective immediately, he is stripped of all his posts as a Sea God Pavilion Elder and dean of the Martial Soul Department. He is to be imprisoned in the water dungeon and never allowed to leave!"
Mu En's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority.
Then he changed tack.
"I have little time left. Effective today, Xuanzi will take charge of all Sea God Pavilion affairs and all management of Shrek Academy on my behalf."
His words left everyone stunned!
On the high platform, a fleeting glimmer of joy flashed deep in Elder Xuan's eyes beneath his perpetually gloomy expression.
He had waited a long time for this day.
Though it had come in a way he had never imagined.
His eyes soon filled with even greater sorrow and a sense of responsibility.
He bowed deeply in the direction of Sea God Pavilion.
"Xuanzi accepts the order!"
The next moment, the new acting master's lazy, food-loving demeanor vanished completely.
The terrifying aura of a Level 98 Super Douluo surged into the sky!
He swept his gaze across the crowd, taking in the angry, confused, and disappointed students, then spoke in a low voice that carried throughout Shrek City.
"I, Xuanzi, hereby represent Shrek Academy in offering our deepest apologies to everyone harmed by Yan Shaozhe's actions!"
As he spoke, he bent deeply at the waist in front of everyone.
His bow left countless students, who had been burning with anger, momentarily stunned.
"I know that an apology cannot undo the harm already done. But Shrek will give you an answer!"
"As for Ma Xiaotao, from this moment on, I will personally keep her under watch and use the secret arts of Sea God Pavilion to suppress her Evil Fire."
"Until we find a cure, she will not be allowed to set foot outside Sea God Pavilion!"
"To all students and teachers who wish to leave Shrek, the academy will not stop you. We will also give you compensation equal to twice your tuition and wages, in gratitude for your contributions to the academy!"
His words were firm and precise, leaving no room for doubt.
Many students who had already lost heart and were preparing to leave hesitated as they listened.
But Elder Xuan still had more up his sleeve.
He changed tack again, his voice growing louder!
"However!"
"To all the students who still choose to trust Shrek in its darkest hour and are willing to weather this crisis with the academy!"
"I, Xuanzi, make this promise: all students who stay will receive promotions! Outer Court students may advance directly to the Inner Court, while Inner Court disciples may be promoted to Core Disciples!"
"All Inner Court students will have full access to Sea God Pavilion's resource storehouse! Cultivation techniques, Soul Bones, rare herbs—if you have the ability and make contributions, the academy will spare no expense in cultivating you!"
"I also announce that Shrek Academy will lift its enrollment restrictions and expand admissions across the entire continent!"
Boom!
If his earlier words had been meant to reassure, the ones that followed were a bombshell!
Everyone was stunned by these astonishing benefits that had come out of nowhere!
Special promotions! Full access to resources! Open admissions!
What an incredible temptation!
For a moment, the students who had been considering leaving found themselves torn.
Should they leave this disgraced place?
Or stay, seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and rise to the top?
"I—I'll stay! I trust Elder Xuan!"
"That's right! Yan Shaozhe is a scoundrel, but Shrek isn't! I'll stay and see the academy become better with my own eyes!"
"I'm staying too!"
"We must defend Shrek's glory ourselves!"
After a brief hesitation, most people made the most practical choice.
Yan Shaozhe's scandal had shaken people's faith and damaged the academy's reputation.
But Shrek's true foundation was its vast, deeply rooted web of interests that extended across the continent.
From senior officials and generals in the great empires to the pillars of sects and clans, countless powerful figures had graduated from Shrek.
This alliance of interests, made up of countless elite alumni, was the true reason Shrek had remained unshakable.
As long as that foundation stood, Shrek would always be the number one academy on the Douluo Continent!
Watching the commotion below gradually die down, Elder Xuan finally let a relieved smile touch his stern face.
He knew he had stabilized this unprecedented crisis.
And a new era of Shrek, led by Xuanzi, was about to begin.
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