Xie An looked at the Federation Council Chairman, who had gone out of his way to stop him, and felt a little curious.
"May I ask why you stopped me, Council Chairman?"
Xie An was genuinely a little puzzled. Why call him over instead of Hanhai Douluo?
He had always kept a very low profile, after all.
The only thing he had ever said publicly was that he was a Demigod. He had never shown off his strength.
"Temple Master Xie, I heard you brought back a Limit Douluo family a few days ago."
The Council Chairman gestured for Xie An to sit, then spoke with equal parts curiosity and respect.
"Ah, that. To be honest, Council Chairman, it was pure luck."
"The family is called the Yuanen Family. As long as we treat them sincerely, they'll surely become a great asset to the Federation."
The Federation Council Chairman handed Xie An a cup of fine tea and replied.
"When you handle something, I can rest easy."
"Why beat around the bush, Council Chairman? You stopped me, so I assume it wasn't just to talk about this."
The Federation Council Chairman's smile didn't change. He paid no mind to Xie An's words.
"You still like getting straight to the point."
"Fine. I'm just curious. Why did you put forward that proposal at this meeting? What made you so eager to do it?"
"In the past, you'd mostly kept a neutral stance toward Shrek."
Xie An naturally wasn't going to reveal how he had broken through among the Yuanen Clan. Instead, he gave a perfectly standard answer.
"I actually used to have a good impression of Shrek."
"When I was the Blood God Legion's commander, I had soldiers from Shrek serving under me."
"They were a little arrogant, but when facing the Abyss Plane, they still dared to fight hard."
"What commander doesn't like capable soldiers? Even if they have a bit of a personality, you just turn a blind eye."
Xie An paused. The Federation Council Chairman gestured for him to continue.
"But later, after I returned and took up the position of War God Temple Master, I saw just how bad Shrek could be."
"Most Shrek Academy graduates rely on their strength and their affiliation with Shrek Academy, treating the Federation's laws as if they don't apply to them."
"Shrek Academy's graduates are more like members of a massive aristocratic clan."
"Our Federation has a few prominent families too, like the Southern Yue Family and the Chen Family that Hanhai Douluo belongs to."
"And even the Xie Family of Eastsea, which rose to prominence because of me."
"Sure, there are some shady dealings, but they're still within tolerable limits."
"But Shrek is different. Its students protect one another. No matter who's right or wrong, Shrek's principle is to hit back first."
"If they can't hit back, then they're not worthy of the name 'monster.' Their seniors and even their teachers will step in themselves."
"Take Shrek's graduation exams, for example. They treat Ming City, which falls under my jurisdiction, like a joke."
"Worse still, because of my presence, some Shrek students who come to Ming City behave even more outrageously."
"Shrek Academy has contributed to the continent, but its contributions can't make up for its faults."
"Douluo Continent needs only one ruler: the Federation."
At this point, Xie An paused again before continuing.
"Under my name, the Skysea Alliance Grand Competition was set in Eastsea City."
"By defeating Shrek Academy and observing its response, we can further judge whether Shrek Academy needs to be destroyed."
"If it reacts strongly, I might even steer public opinion and damage Shrek's reputation."
"That way, the public will be more willing to accept the possibility that Shrek could be destroyed."
"After all, for now, we've only produced one Level 12 Fixed Soul Guidance Shell."
"With Yun Ming and the Golden Ancient Tree, there's a good chance they can withstand it."
At this, the Federation Council Chairman nodded, then let out a long sigh.
"Given your abilities, I believe you can defeat Shrek in a single competition."
"If Shrek Academy had been more restrained, I wouldn't have made this decision."
"You understand that I reached this position because of pressure from various sides."
"And those forces, including several people who attended today's meeting, are already losing patience with Shrek Academy."
"Once Shrek is destroyed, I'll retire. Then Qiangu Dongfeng can take this position."
"It's just a shame about the Tang Sect. They've worked closely with us these past few years."
Listening to the Council Chairman, Xie An nodded in agreement.
"Council Chairman, I have an idea. I'm not sure if I should bring it up."
The Federation Council Chairman perked up. "Oh? What idea do you have now?"
"I'd like to negotiate with the Tang Sect and have them make the Mysterious Heaven Skill publicly available, so everyone can improve their cultivation."
The Federation Council Chairman furrowed his brows at this, but eventually said, "This would benefit the Federation."
"Go ahead and do it. Don't hold back."
"The Tang Sect will probably agree, anyway. There are already plenty of copies of the Mysterious Heaven Skill for sale on the black market."
Xie An nodded, indicating that he would be careful not to overstep.
"Oh, right. There's actually one more reason I called you here."
"In a few months, a delegation from the Star Luo Empire may visit. They'll pay visits to Shrek Academy and the Federation, one by one."
"As War God Temple Master and the Federation's representative, I hope you won't let the Federation lose face."
Xie An asked in puzzlement, "The Star Luo Empire? We'd be doing well just to leave them alone. How could they make us lose face?"
"There's something you don't know. According to a report from our intelligence officers, a Limit Douluo will be leading the delegation this time."
"Divine Domain Douluo—or, as he's also known, Holy Dragon Douluo, En Ci."
"This man is extraordinary. He serves as the head of Monster Academy, which is similar to Shrek Academy, and it's already starting to show results."
"After he reached Limit Douluo, the emperor of the Star Luo Empire made him the empire's imperial tutor."
"Most remarkable of all, through the nurturing power of a Limit Douluo, he forged Four-Word Battle Armor by a special method."
"I expect this visit is also meant to test the strength of the Federation and Shrek."
Xie An nodded to show he understood. The only thing that surprised him was that Holy Dragon Douluo had chosen to visit now.
"Council Chairman, don't you know how strong I am?"
"I even stopped Yun Ming back then."
"It's just a shame about Ya Li. When she saw Yun Ming and me fight to a draw, she actually lost the will to live."
"All right, don't say any more."
Xie An was about to continue, but the Council Chairman cut him off.
"Ya Li's upbringing was a failure on the part of the entire Federation. You can't be blamed."
"If anyone's responsible, I have to take some of the blame too."
"I only wanted to remind you not to make a mistake and lose because of some overlooked detail."
Xie An nodded, indicating that he would be careful.
Seeing that the Council Chairman had nothing else to say, Xie An prepared to leave and return to the War God Temple.
As he flew back to the War God Temple, a mechanical voice rang out again.
[Ding! Detected that Tang Wulin has taken Na'er as his younger sister.] [The system task has changed. Host, become someone important to Tang Wulin.]
Only then did Xie An remember that after he completed Heavenly Forging among the Yuanen Clan, the system had assigned him a task.
He still owed himself a set of Four-Word Battle Armor.
Sigh, being the War God Temple Master really took a lot out of him.
Whatever. He really did need to meet Tang Wulin.
As the male lead with the best reputation in Douluo, Tang Wulin had always interested Xie An.
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