Bibi Dong did not speak at once.
Her gaze fell on Gu Sheng.
Complex emotions shimmered in her beautiful eyes.
This was no condescending look from a superior to a subordinate. It was more like a powerful figure standing at the peak, carefully sizing up another of her kind—someone who would soon stand beside her.
Gu Sheng did not look away.
He met Bibi Dong's gaze calmly, his expression composed and his back ramrod straight.
For a moment, the air in the room seemed to freeze.
A moment later, Bibi Dong's red lips parted.
"Spirit Hall needs you."
Her voice was soft, yet carried an unquestionable force.
Gu Sheng merely smiled faintly, offering no formulaic oath of loyalty.
But his attitude had already said everything.
Bibi Dong withdrew her gaze with satisfaction and turned around gracefully.
"The award ceremony is about to begin."
"Go and get ready."
With that, she left the backstage area with the two Douluo, Chrysanthemum and Ghost, as swiftly as a gust of wind.
The door to Shrek Academy's lounge was firmly shut.
No lights were on in the room, and the dimness made the atmosphere feel even more oppressive.
Not a single person spoke.
Even their breathing was deliberately kept low, as though they were afraid of breaking the deathly silence.
Tang San sat alone on a wooden chair.
He was sunk in shadow, head bowed deeply, his disheveled hair hiding his face.
His hands rested flat on his knees.
Those hands, which should have been steady as a rock, were now trembling at the slightest, almost imperceptible frequency.
Blood that had yet to dry clung beneath his fingernails—the marks left from clawing at the rubble earlier.
Dai Mubai leaned helplessly against the cold wall.
Thick bandages wound around both his arms, with faint traces of blood seeping through.
His eyes were squeezed shut. He did not move, wanting neither to look at anyone in the room nor to let anyone see the despair in his eyes.
As captain of the Shrek Team, he had lost this battle utterly.
Ma Hongjun lay sprawled on the cold floor, arms and legs spread wide.
His eyes, usually tinged with a lecherous gleam, were now vacant and utterly lifeless.
He simply stared blankly at the mottled ceiling above him.
"My fire..."
In a voice only he could hear, he murmured it over and over.
The silence of his Martial Soul made him feel as if he had become a cripple.
Zhu Zhuqing huddled on a chair in the farthest corner of the room.
She wrapped both arms tightly around her knees and buried her lovely face in them.
Her shoulders shook violently.
Her muffled sobs, held back with all her might, sounded especially jarring in the quiet room.
Xiao Wu sat in another corner.
Her once rosy face was now deathly pale, drained of all color.
She hugged herself and trembled uncontrollably.
The bloodline suppression that came from deep within her soul had still not fully faded, leaving her too weak even to stand.
Oscar and Ning Rongrong sat side by side on a long bench.
Oscar clutched at his hair with both hands, his head bowed as he stared at the floor.
Ning Rongrong silently shed tears.
Her Glazed Tile Pagoda had not lit up even once since the beginning.
Flender stood by the window.
He faced away from everyone, hands clasped behind his back.
But the shoulders of the usually shrewd, stubborn dean had slumped.
His back was no longer straight. He looked as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
Yu Xiaogang sat on a chair beside Tang San.
He folded his hands and pressed his thumbs against his forehead.
His breathing was labored, and his shoulders shook with every breath.
"How could this happen..."
He screamed the question in his heart, but reality was a heavy slap across his face.
Before the match, they had been so arrogant.
They had believed that with the Seven-in-One Fusion Skill and Tang San's Weapon Soul Avatar, they could sweep aside any opponent.
But now, they were like a pack of beaten dogs.
Their pride had been smashed to pieces before overwhelming strength.
The Shrek Seven Devils.
At this moment, they had become seven lifeless lumps of mud.
The venue for the award ceremony in Spirit City's grand plaza.
Representatives from all the various factions had already begun taking their seats.
The spectators in the stands chattered among themselves, but the moment the Martial Soul Hall Team entered, the noise abruptly fell silent.
Xie Yue led the team.
White bandages still circled his right arm.
But his strides were firm and his back straight, displaying the pride befitting a Soul Master of Spirit Hall.
Hu Liena walked beside him.
The bewitching beauty of her face had returned to its usual calm.
Yet whenever she looked at the figure bringing up the rear, a faint glimmer would pass through her eyes.
Yan walked toward the back of the team.
His arm was secured in a thick splint, held against his chest.
But his eyes shone brighter than ever, his earlier dejection swept away.
He had been injured in this battle, but Spirit Hall's victory filled him with genuine pride.
Gu Sheng walked at the very back of the team.
He had changed into a clean, fitted black outfit.
The collar hung slightly open, revealing the perfect lines of his collarbones.
The instant he entered the venue, the eyes of more than twenty thousand spectators converged on him.
Those gazes held fear of the unknown, reverence for the strong, and fervent adoration.
Gu Sheng's expression remained impassive.
He paid no heed to those complicated stares, simply walking calmly to his assigned place and standing there quietly.
In the royal viewing section.
Xue Qinghe sat in his chair, his gaze fixed firmly on Gu Sheng.
The corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly, almost without his noticing.
On the high platform, the once-bustling venue suddenly fell quiet.
Bibi Dong slowly rose from the Papal Throne and walked toward the award platform with graceful steps.
She did not walk quickly, but every step carried an air of nobility.
All the noise died away in that moment.
His Holiness the Pope was to personally award the champions of this tournament.
It was the highest honor in the entire Soul Master World.
At that moment, outside the door of Shrek Academy's lounge.
A Spirit Hall attendant raised his hand and gently knocked.
"Shrek Academy, the award ceremony has begun. Please have all team members enter the venue."
The attendant's voice was strictly formal, without a trace of emotion.
Flender did not move. He still stared out the window, saying nothing.
Yu Xiaogang slowly raised his head.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was terribly hoarse.
"Flender."
"Take the children out."
"Even though we lost the match, we can't lose what little backbone we have left."
Flender shut his eyes in pain, then took a deep breath and turned around.
He looked at the children, all of them utterly dejected, and did his best to make his voice sound gentle.
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