The Spirit Pagoda's New Master

The top floor of the Spirit Pagoda was very quiet.

Gu Yuena stood in front of a huge soul-guided glass panel, looking at the city outside the tower.

It was completely dark.

She received the message.

Through that thin piece that had been hidden in the cuff.

A very slight tremor.

Yun Jingheng's signal.

Only she could understand a portion of the message: Shrek Revival Plan A is launched; everyone still lurking in the shadows, get moving.

She did not leave the tower.

For so long, except for a few short trips, she has stayed in the Spirit Pagoda.

Ostensibly, he was studying Soul Spirit research, but in reality, he was blocking the Spirit Pagoda connection for Shrek Academy.

Those inside the Spirit Pagoda speculated about her identity, but no one dared to directly harm her because she was Leng Yaozhu's disciple.

"Still not asleep?"

Footsteps sounded behind me.

Leng Yaozhu emerged from the shadows, holding a cup of hot tea in her hand; the tea steam dissipated very slowly under the lamplight.

She walked over to Gu Yuena and handed her the tea, which Gu Yuena took but didn't drink.

She was still looking out the window.

"What are you looking at?" Leng Yaozhu asked.

"Watching the city."

Gu Yuena said, "The Federation and Star Luo Empire are fighting so far apart, yet it's still so bright here in Ming Capital."

Leng Yaozhu smiled.

The smile was extremely faint, like a fine crack on the surface of ice. "Those in power always like to make their living places the brightest; the more chaotic things are, the less chaotic they want to appear."

Gu Yuena didn't respond, and Leng Yaozhu wasn't in a hurry to leave either.

The two stood side by side like that.

Leng Yaozhu won't just say this when she comes tonight.

"Nana," Leng Yaozhu suddenly called her.

Gu Yuena turned her head to look at her.

Leng Yaozhu, still gazing out the window, said, "The news from the Far North has reached the Spirit Pagoda. The Blood God Legion held out. Yun Ming's son displayed Divine Power in front of the Five Emperors of the Abyss in the Far North and even injured the Black Empress. Many people inside the tower are getting restless."

Gu Yuena's eyelashes twitched very slightly.

She asked, "What do they want to do?"

"Some people want to use the Federation to force the Blood God Legion to hand over Yun Jingheng, while others say that since Shrek has such a person, it should be brought back under the observation of the Spirit Pagoda."

"Some even suggested sending our people to the Far North to make contact with Yun Jingheng before the Federation could."

Leng Yaozhu said, slowly taking a sip of tea, "I didn't agree."

Gu Yuena looked at her.

Leng Yaozhu then turned her head and looked at Gu Yuena.

She asked, "You two are quite close, aren't you?"

Gu Yuena didn't dodge; she knew lying was useless now, so she simply nodded slightly.

Leng Yaozhu showed no surprise.

She remained silent for a few seconds, then whispered, "You know, by doing all this, he'll eventually drag the Spirit Pagoda into it too."

"The Spirit Pagoda was already involved."

Gu Yuena said in a calm tone, "The Qiangu Dongfeng colluded with the Holy Spirit Cult back then, and the Spirit Pagoda is still not clean. Now the Federation and Star Luo Empire are at war, and Shrek has made moves in the Far North. If the Spirit Pagoda still wants to pretend to be neutral, no one can believe it."

"So what do you think?" Leng Yaozhu asked.

Gu Yuena remained quiet for a while.

She looked out the window; the lights of Ming Capital were still shining without warmth.

She said, "The Spirit Pagoda needs to make a choice. While there's still time."

Leng Yaozhu stood for a while before slowly speaking, "There's a large meeting tomorrow, and the heads of all the branch towers will be there."

Gu Yuena turned her head to look at her; Leng Yaozhu's face appeared extremely white in the moonlight.

"The teacher doesn't want to be the tower master anymore," Gu Yuena said.

Leng Yaozhu did not answer immediately.

She raised her hand and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

After a long pause, she finally said, "I never intended to become one. I accepted the offer back then because if I hadn't, the Spirit Pagoda would have collapsed that very day."

"But I'm not the right person for this position. After dragging this out for so long, I've reached my limit."

"So you want me to sit," Gu Yuena said.

"Right."

Leng Yaozhu finally looked at her, her gaze extremely calm yet heavy, "Because only you can sit there now. The old followers left behind by Qiangu Dongfeng are still here, the people of the Federation are still here, and the Holy Spirit Cult's influence hasn't been completely severed yet."

"Spirit Pagoda no longer has anyone they can respect, the next crisis won't be internal strife, it will be complete collapse."

Gu Yuena said, "I come from Shrek."

Leng Yaozhu said, her tone cool and clear, "You improved the Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Spirit. Most of the Soul Master in the tower remember this favor."

"People outside know that the Spirit Pagoda has produced someone who understands Soul Spirit better than they do. You didn't get up there because of me; you got there on your own. You were just one meeting away from getting there."

Gu Yuena remained silent, gazing out the window.

"Are you thinking about how you'll face the Shrek people in the future?" Leng Yaozhu suddenly said.

Gu Yuena did not deny it.

"Then let me explain it more clearly."

Leng Yaozhu said, "I'm letting you succeed me, not turning the Spirit Pagoda into a vassal of Shrek. Remember, the Tower Master is the Tower Master."

"You must protect the Spirit Pagoda first. Only if the Spirit Pagoda is still in your hands will it matter whose side you choose to stand on in the future. If the Spirit Pagoda is destroyed, you will be unable to protect anything."

Gu Yuena turned to look at her, Leng Yaozhu was also looking at her.

"Tomorrow, I will propose at the meeting that you take over as the head of the Spirit Pagoda."

Leng Yaozhu said, "I won't explain too much for you. There will be people who disagree. You need to stand up for yourself. I won't intervene anymore."

"I understand," Gu Yuena said.

She paused, then said, "Master... Tower Master Leng."

Leng Yaozhu gave a soft "hmm".

"What if someone tries to use my relationship with Shrek to their advantage and kill me after tomorrow?" Gu Yuena asked.

"Then they'll have to ask the Spirit Pagoda first," Leng Yaozhu said.

She raised her hand and placed a tiny silver medal in Gu Yuena's hand.

Gu Yuena looked down. There was only one word engraved on it: Spirit.

"Take it," Leng Yaozhu said.

"Starting tomorrow, you will continue to burn the fire of the Spirit Pagoda."

After saying that, she turned and walked outside.

As she reached the door, she paused, not turning around, but whispering, "Nana."

Gu Yuena looked up.

"When you were modifying the Soul Spirit, you said something..."

Leng Yaozhu said, "Soul Spirit shouldn't just be tools for Soul Master. That's when I knew the Spirit Pagoda needed to change."

The door closed.

Gu Yuena remained standing by the window, slowly tightening her grip on the silver medal, clenching it in her palm.

Humans... you should understand the price you're paying.

The following day, a message spread Federation.

The people in charge of the Spirit Pagoda and the Tang Sect have all changed.

The Federation's response was remarkably swift.

On the day the announcement was made, the Federal Parliament of Ming Capital drafted a declaration as quickly as possible.

The wording was extremely polite, congratulating the new master of the Spirit Pagoda on his succession and also expressing goodwill towards the new master of the Tang Sect.

On the surface, it appears that the Federation is showing the two major powers a very high level of respect.

Privately, however, the people the Federation sent to the Spirit Pagoda didn't even get inside, and the envoys sent to the Tang Sect didn't even get to see them.

There was no response.

This silence was like a very light slap in the face, falling when the Federation most wanted to maintain its dignity.

Just then, news came from the Far North.

This time, it wasn't just a few secret reports.

The Blood God Legion's battle reports were transmitted back to the Federation through the old-style military lines.

Following closely behind, several northern border cities were all reporting the same thing: Far North.

The five emperors of the Abyss emerged together, Blood God Legion was once pushed back to the entrance of the main valley.

A young man manifested the form of the Yue Shen in the sky, Three Corpses emerged simultaneously, forcing the Five Emperors to retreat.

Deeper information was being suppressed by the military, but it could no longer be suppressed.

The garrison at the city gate said that the entire Far North sky turned white that night.

As soon as the news reached Ming Capital, teahouses, Soul Master Association, and mercenary markets were in an uproar.

The night before, people were still talking about the Spirit Pagoda and the change of leadership in the Tang Sect.

That night, everyone spoke of only one name: Yun Jingheng.

Son of the Sea God Pavilion of Shrek Academy.

The young man who had been on the Federation wanted list for months, some people even brought out the old wanted poster, and the more they looked at it, the more uneasy they felt.

The wanted poster said he was a "Shrek remnant," but the messages that came back described him as "the Abyss Suppressor of the Far North."

The two are compared, and it's like a joke.

The Federation government's response began to become erratic.

Parliament is now divided into two factions.

One faction believes that it is necessary to immediately sever ties with the old Shrek members and even put pressure on the Far North, so as not to let Yun Jingheng continue to become a legend.

The other side saw further ahead: Shrek could no longer be suppressed.

With the Tang Sect changing leaders, the Spirit Pagoda changing leaders, and Yun Jingheng making such a fuss in the Far North, continuing the hostility would be tantamount to pushing all three of them to the Star Luo Empire side.

Before the two factions could reach a conclusion, another message came: Shrek Academy members had been spotted openly engaging in activities in multiple locations within the Federation.

They neither rob nor steal, they only save lives.

Cleanse the Evil Soul Master, protect the caravan, and destroy the Holy Spirit Cult.

Those people, dressed in the old Shrek's dark green robes, emerged from the shadows, telling everyone that Shrek had never disbanded, they were just asleep.

The Federation is finally starting to get scared.

They started looking back to make up for it.

First, someone in the military spread the word that the merits of the battle in the Far North had been truthfully recorded.

Furthermore, rumors are circulating in the council that Shrek's status on the continent may be reassessed.

No one mentions the term "remnant" anymore, at least not openly.

But by the time these words were spoken, it was already too late.

The Spirit Pagoda did not respond to them, the Tang Sect did not respond to them, and even the Blood God Legion in the Far North did not respond.