Ning Rongrong didn't dare slack off. The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda blazed with light, and two divine lights instantly fell upon Dugu Yan.
Dugu Yan's aura shifted as well. A resolute glint flashed in her emerald-green, serpentine eyes.
"Fourth Soul Skill, Jade Phosphorus Divine Light!"
The atmosphere in the courtyard instantly tightened to its breaking point!
A great battle was on the verge of erupting!
But at that critical moment.
A calm voice rang out beside everyone, without warning.
"Have you had enough?"
The voice wasn't loud, yet it held a strange magic.
The instant the words fell, Tang San's overwhelmingly powerful Blue Silver Domain, along with the Blue Silver Grass vines filling the sky,
actually fell silent at once, as if they'd met their natural enemy, and obediently withdrew underground.
Like a child throwing a tantrum who had just seen the strictest of parents.
Tang San was struck as if by a heavy blow. He grunted, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.
He felt his connection with the Blue Silver Grass forcibly severed by a will far more supreme and ancient!
It was absolute suppression, rising from the depths of his bloodline!
The suppression of a sovereign over a subject!
Everyone turned toward the direction of the voice, almost involuntarily.
Two figures stood at the courtyard entrance. No one knew when they'd arrived.
At the head was a young man in black, handsome and elegant, with eyes as deep as the starry sky, as if he could see through everything in the world.
It was Chen Xuan, the dean of Blue Silver Academy.
Beside him stood a woman in a blue dress.
The instant they saw her, the entire world fell silent.
Oscar murmured instinctively, "This..."
Even Zhu Zhuqing, usually so cool and aloof, showed a flicker of admiration and self-consciousness in her eyes.
The woman was too beautiful.
She was so beautiful she seemed otherworldly. Every frown and smile carried an innate nobility and gentleness.
Her aura was ethereal and transcendent, like a fairy beneath the moon, untouched by the mundane world.
Tang San's reaction, however, was completely different from everyone else's.
He felt no admiration, no infatuation.
Instead, a stirring of familiarity and kinship welled up from the depths of his soul.
The first moment he saw the woman in blue, the Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline within him began to boil uncontrollably!
It was the instinctive reaction of a wanderer seeing his mother, a subject seeing his sovereign!
He even felt an urge to prostrate himself before her!
"Mother..."
The indistinct word escaped his lips against his will.
Though his voice was faint, everyone present was a Soul Master. How could they not have heard him?
Everyone froze, then looked at Tang San as if he were an idiot.
"Teacher!"
Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan were delighted. They hurried forward and respectfully saluted Chen Xuan.
"Greetings, Teacher."
Chen Xuan gave a slight nod. His gaze swept over the two sides, poised for battle, before finally settling on Tang San.
"If you want to join the academy, line up at the entrance and register."
"If you want to fight, get out and do it."
His voice remained calm, yet carried an authority no one could resist.
Dai Mubai and the others were cowed by his presence and couldn't find a word to say.
Tang San also came back to himself. He stared at Chen Xuan, brow furrowed.
This was the dean of Blue Silver Academy?
Was he the one who'd made Ning Rongrong betray Shrek?
And who was the woman beside him? Why did she make him feel so strange?
Countless questions churned in his mind.
Chen Xuan paid them no further attention.
He turned to Ah Yin beside him, his voice unconsciously softening.
"This is Blue Silver Academy. From now on, it'll be your home too."
Ah Yin looked around curiously, her eyes full of wonder.
She could sense that every inch of the academy was brimming with the breath of life, a hundred times purer than the outside world.
She felt completely at ease here, as if she belonged.
"It's beautiful, Teacher."
Ah Yin praised it sincerely, a pure smile appearing on her face.
"I'll take you to see your room."
With that, Chen Xuan didn't linger. He led Ah Yin deeper into the courtyard.
From beginning to end, he didn't spare the five members of Shrek another glance.
It was as if they were nothing more than a few insignificant ants.
That utter disregard was more humiliating to Dai Mubai and the others than any insult!
"Damn it!"
Dai Mubai punched the stone pillar beside him, cracking the solid stone in several places.
"This is outrageous!"
Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan walked over to them and looked down at them.
"So, are you still going to continue?"
Dugu Yan asked with a cold laugh.
The five members of Shrek fell silent.
Fight?
How could they fight?
Their opponent's dean hadn't even lifted a finger. A single sentence from him had nullified Tang San's strongest domain.
A gap in strength like this couldn't be bridged with willpower and passion.
Tang San's fists clenched until his knuckles cracked, his nails digging deep into his palms.
He stared fixedly at the spot where Chen Xuan and Ah Yin had disappeared, his eyes filled with frustration and confusion.
That woman...
Who was she?
That blue figure was branded into Tang San's mind.
"Let's go!"
Dai Mubai gritted his teeth and forced the words out.
Staying any longer would only bring them more humiliation.
"What? Leaving already?"
Dugu Yan's voice held a trace of mockery as she blocked their way.
"Weren't you just swaggering around, saying you'd make us come to our senses?"
"You!"
Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire flared up again, but Dai Mubai grabbed him and held him back.
"What do you want?"
Dai Mubai forced himself to calm down, his sinister eyes fixed on Dugu Yan.
He knew they'd kicked an unshakable iron plate today.
But Shrek's dignity would not be trampled.
"I admit your dean is strong."
Dai Mubai took a deep breath, his voice heavy.
"But that doesn't mean Blue Silver Academy's students can lord it over us!"
"Shrek only accepts monsters, not ordinary people!"
His words rang out with conviction.
"So, here and now, as a student of Shrek Academy, I formally challenge Blue Silver Academy!"
At his words, fighting spirit blazed anew in Oscar's and Ma Hongjun's eyes.
Even Zhu Zhuqing, who'd been silent all this time, radiated a fearsome aura.
This was the last of their pride.
Ning Rongrong merely smiled. There was a trace of pity in her smile.
"Dai Mubai, still haven't figured out the situation?"
"Challenge us?"
She shook her head, her tone calm.
"What makes you think you can?"
"Because we're the Shrek Seven Devils!"
Dai Mubai roared.
"We demand a team battle! Our Shrek Five Monsters against the students of Blue Silver Academy!"
"Let's see whether Blue Silver Academy trains monsters—or a pack of useless bullies who hide behind their backing!"
Before you continue