Invitation, Shrek's Decision

Xie An's figure flickered, and in the blink of an eye, he had arrived at the perimeter of Sea God Island at Shrek Academy.

As if sensing Xie An's presence, the Golden Ancient Tree swayed gently, as if welcoming him.

Xie An glanced at the Golden Ancient Tree a few times; in the depths of his intuition, it felt as though the tree was beckoning him to come closer.

However, considering his current position, Xie An chose not to go.

After waiting for a few seconds, Yun Ming flashed into existence right in front of Xie An.

Yun Ming was extremely handsome, appearing to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with an elegant temperament and a gentle gaze.

Seeing Yun Ming's arrival, a warm smile appeared on Xie An's face.

"The Sea God Pavilion Master is as impressive as ever!"

Hearing Xie An say this, Yun Ming understood immediately.

"I wonder what brings the War God Temple Master to my doorstep."

"Is the Sea God Pavilion Master going to leave me standing here?"

A slightly apologetic smile appeared on Yun Ming's face.

"War God Temple Master, please, this way to Sea God Island."

As he spoke, he gestured for him to enter.

Xie An shook his head and followed Yun Ming to a guest room on Sea God Island.

A long time ago, there was only the solitary Sea God Pavilion on Sea God Island.

Outsiders were not permitted to enter the Sea God Pavilion.

But with the expansion of Shrek Academy, the scope of the outer and inner courts continued to grow.

First, the inner court moved to Sea God Island, and later, because the reputation of Shrek Academy continued to rise.

All sorts of figures would come to visit Shrek.

Therefore, guest rooms, living quarters, entertainment facilities, and the like were subsequently built on Sea God Island.

After arriving at the guest room, Yun Ming smiled and said, "I wonder what brings the War God Temple Master here, or if the Douluo Federation has some new policy."

Xie An shook his head upon hearing this.

"It's nothing major; are you aware of the Skysea Alliance Grand Competition?"

Yun Ming was slightly stunned after hearing this, but he reacted quickly.

"An alliance composed of five cities, including Skysea City and Eastsea City, which holds a competition every five years."

"If I recall correctly, every time this Skysea Alliance competition is held, they invite Shrek Academy to perform an exhibition match."

"I wonder why the War God Temple Master mentions this."

Xie An nodded after hearing him.

"The Sea God Pavilion Master certainly has a good memory."

"I came here this time to clarify something."

"The next Skysea Grand Competition will be held in my hometown."

"And I, in my capacity as the War God Temple Master, would like to invite Shrek Academy to participate in the competition."

Yun Ming's eyes showed some confusion after hearing this.

"Participate in the competition? Not an exhibition match?"

"Yes, participate in the competition; the age limit can be restricted to first-year or second-year students from Shrek Academy."

"Of course, Shrek Academy can also send a few upperclassmen as a safety net, if you are worried."

Yun Ming thought for a moment and said in a deep voice, "This matter cannot be decided by me alone; why doesn't the War God Temple Master head back for now?"

"I will give you an answer in two days."

In all fairness, given Yun Ming's status and strength, it was not that he lacked the ability to make a unilateral decision.

The issue was that for small-scale events like this—competitions hosted by a single large city or a few cities—Shrek Academy had not participated in a long time.

Even if they did participate, it would be to represent the Douluo Federation in competitions against other nations, such as the Star Luo Empire.

Yun Ming felt it was still necessary to discuss it with the members of the Sea God Pavilion.

Xie An nodded with a smile, indicating his understanding.

"Very well, I shall return first and await the Pavilion Master's good news."

Having said that, he did not linger at all and vanished instantly.

What surprised Yun Ming slightly was that as Xie An left, the Golden Ancient Tree seemed to wave its branches toward him.

Yun Ming shook his head, not thinking too much about it, and prepared to convene a meeting of the Sea God Pavilion.

A while later.

Figures appeared one after another inside the Sea God Pavilion.

Seated below Yun Ming was Ya Li, dressed in a green robe.

A middle-aged woman with silver hair, though her features had aged, one could still tell she must have been a beauty in her youth.

It was none other than the Outer Court Dean, Cai Yue'er.

Two or three more figures appeared in succession.

Finally, there was an old woman in plain clothes with a slightly hunched figure.

Although she looked frail enough to be blown over by the wind, the moment she appeared, even Yun Ming stood up, and only after the old woman sat down did the others follow suit.

This person was none other than the Light and Dark Douluo, Long Yeyue.

"I have summoned everyone here today because the War God Temple Master, or rather, the Federation, has issued a challenge to us."

Yun Ming spoke, passing the invitation letter given by Xie An for everyone to examine.

Once everyone had finished reading it, Yun Ming continued: "What are your thoughts on this? Let's hear them."

Just as Yun Ming finished speaking, a cold snort rang out directly.

"Hmph! The world is truly going to the dogs; any Tom, Dick, or Harry dares to come and provoke my Shrek Academy now."

"If you ask me, Yun Ming, you are being too spineless as the Sea God Pavilion Master."

"If it were me, I would have directly challenged that War God Temple Master and the current Federation Council Chairman."

Long Yeyue spoke with unyielding toughness.

Yun Ming frowned slightly, wanting to say something.

"Elder Long still loves to joke as much as ever."

Ya Li, sitting in the lower seat, noticed the displeasure of her husband, Yun Ming, and spoke up early to smooth things over.

"Elder Long, this meeting is not the time for getting angry; the point is to think of some solutions."

Outer Court Dean Cai Yue'er also spoke up to mediate.

"However, our Shrek Academy has indeed been quiet for too long, letting the Federation dare to pull these kinds of petty tricks."

"Since the Federation wants to test us, we naturally cannot back down."

Cai Yue'er added.

Long Yeyue nodded after hearing this, acknowledging her point.

"Cai Yue'er, what ideas do you have?"

Yun Ming's brow relaxed as he spoke to Cai Yue'er.

"Pavilion Master, in recent years, hasn't the Spirit Pagoda been running that Youth Genius Ranking?"

Yun Ming nodded to indicate he was aware of this.

Seeing Yun Ming's agreement, Cai Yue'er felt even more pleased.

"And the top ten on this list, without exception, have all entered my Shrek Academy."

"Didn't the War God Temple Master say three years from now?"

"If you ask me, we should take the most recent batch of people from the Youth Genius Ranking."

"Especially those who have a good relationship with our academy and have already been earmarked as Inner Court members; we should recruit them early."

"We will train them, and when the time comes to win the competition, we will promise them the status of Inner Court members."

"This way, it not only demonstrates the strength of my Shrek Academy but also trains the new generation."

"In this way, my Shrek Academy will surely flourish like the sun at high noon!"

By the end, Cai Yue'er's voice had risen sharply.

Everyone nodded in agreement after hearing this.

A smile also appeared on Yun Ming's face.

"I would like to add one more point. Didn't the Federation say they would allow one or two people to anchor the team?"

"Let Tang Yinmeng from my Outer Court anchor the team."

"She is currently at the four-ring level, and in three years, she will likely reach five-ring cultivation."

"If the Federation doesn't use any underhanded tactics, Tang Yinmeng won't need to step onto the field."

"If they use something shady, Tang Yinmeng will be our ballast."

"This way, it won't look like Shrek is bullying others with our power, and it will also prevent any unexpected situations."

Yun Ming nodded in agreement.

"Then it is settled. I assume no one has any objections?"

Seeing no response from the group, Yun Ming said to Cai Yue'er: "Yue'er, I will have to trouble you; please take personal charge of this matter."

"I will follow the Pavilion Master's instructions."