Passionate Speech

"Mu En, what brings you here?" On an empty rooftop outside Star Luo Plaza, Xuan Zi looked somewhat awkwardly at the old man who had left Shrek Academy and arrived here at some unknown time.

Although he appears crippled, as Limit Douluo, Mu En can go anywhere on the Douluo Continent if he wants to, and even if he does, Star Luo City is definitely not among them.

At this moment, Ma Xiaotao had truly fallen into a coma, and her Soul Power had been sealed by Mu En, leaving her with no ability to move.

"Heh, why am I here? If I hadn't come, were you going to just walk onto the stage and overturn the entire Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament?"

Upon hearing Xuan Zi seemed to have been touched on something, but he still stubbornly said, "Mu En, but all of this is because of me. If it weren't for that damned Evil Soul Master, I believe that with the strength of our Shrek Academy..."

"There is absolutely no way we can lose to the mere Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. Moreover, if it weren't for their evil Soul Tool, Xiaotao wouldn't be in this predicament. With Xiaotao's strength, she is more than capable of leading the team to turn the tide!"

"I"

Xuan Zi looked at Mu En's old face, which appeared somewhat unpredictable, as it was obscured by clouds in the sunlight, and his voice grew softer and softer.

"Speak up? Why aren't you saying anything?" Mu En opened his eyes and looked at Xuan Zi, whose face was flushed red, and said, "Do you know why I didn't find any other disciples from the Inner Court to come to Star Luo City with you to participate in the competition?"

"Why should I let these young people go their own way and gain experience?"

"You, I am no longer the future of the Shrek Academy. I am about to become the past of the Shrek Academy, and you will eventually become just like me."

"Only they, only these children, are the hope for the Shrek Academy's future. If everything has to rely on the Shrek Academy's past glory and lingering brilliance to cover it up."

"When will the fledgling eagle be able to spread its wings and soar? Xuan Zi, have you never failed, never lost, never experienced setbacks?"

"Setbacks make people grow, and even if the price of this growth is a bit high, it is worth it. People cannot hold on to the past."

At this point, Mu En sighed and fell into a long silence.

That's what he says, but how can he let go? Shrek Academy is now out of his control. As the next leader, can Xuan Zi really keep the ship of the Shrek Academy sailing?

"I have already checked Xiaotao's problem, and it is not a problem with the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy."

"Don't tell me you didn't realize that you, Shaozhe, have failed in your duty."

"Glory and hope have caused Xiaotao great suffering. You and I both bear inescapable responsibility."

Xuan Zi lowered his head and remained silent. Then Mu En continued, "Victory or defeat, it's all just fleeting smoke."

"If these children can overcome this, their future will be bright; but if they become obsessed with it," Mu En shook his head.

"To reach the limit, one needs aptitude, talent, mindset, and luck. None of these can be lacking. If any one of these is lacking, then even if one wastes one's entire life, one will not make any progress."

"This might be the last time I call on you, Xuan Zi. Don't think I'm nagging." Mu En's gaze drifted into the distance as he watched the figure stagger out of the Shrek Academy's rest area.

After much effort, Wang Yan finally got the chance to speak on stage. He sighed inwardly, realizing that most people in the Shrek Academy had become rigid in their thinking.

He doesn't have much time left, and can only hope that these teenagers can learn from this experience and, with his help, avoid repeating the same mistakes in the future.

As Wang Yan rushed onto the stage wielding Amplifying Soul Tool, and looking towards the distant imperial city viewing area, the Star Luo Empire's emperor gave a barely perceptible nod, and the Heavenly Fiend Douluo stepped aside to move to the center of the arena.

Wang Yan's voice, accompanied by the Amplifying Soul Tool, resounded throughout the entire Star Luo Plaza.

Meanwhile, most viewers were still deeply affected by the Shrek Academy's defeat and were unable to shake it off for Jiujiu.

Even those gamblers who lost most or even all of their wealth due to gambling found it hard to believe and remained in a daze.

Because this is Shrek Academy! How could Shrek Academy possibly lose? Am I dreaming?

There were no angry shouts or yells, only a strange and eerie silence that suppressed the spirits of the spectators in Star Luo Plaza.

"Everyone, I am Wang Yan, the team leader from the Shrek Academy. I have a few words to say."

Upon hearing the sound and the keyword "Shrek Academy" that had aroused everyone's reaction, all eyes were now on Wang Yan.

Everyone's gaze seemed to carry a tangible force, pressing down on Wang Yan.

At this moment, Wang Yan couldn't care less about anything else. He only hoped to do everything he could to salvage the glory that originally belonged to Shrek Academy.

"Dear viewers and residents of the Star Luo Empire, we are sorry that Shrek Academy has disappointed you this time, but our children from the Shrek Academy have really done their best."

"The blame for the failure lies entirely with me, and has nothing to do with these children who fought to the last moment to uphold the honor of the academy."

At this point, Wang Yan's voice trembled slightly as he said, "Our Shrek Academy is revered as the Number One Academy on the Continent, and we have never let everyone down in any competition."

"We had made thorough preparations for this competition, but we can't decide whether tomorrow or an accident will come first."

"Most of the team members that Shrek Academy sent to participate in this competition are Reserve Team members who are under the age of fifteen."

"Originally, this competition was just a training ground for them. They were all young, with the oldest being fifteen and the youngest being twelve. Their strength ranged from Soul Ancestor to Soul Grandmaster."

"But the reason they took on the responsibility of facing strong teams was because of me, because of my negligence."

At this point, Wang Yan's voice was particularly somber. "Originally, this involves the secrets of the academy, and I shouldn't be revealing it here, but I want to clear the names of these children, and I want to clear the names of our Shrek Academy."

Wang Yan's voice echoed in Star Luo Plaza, reaching the ears of everyone present.

Some people were dismissive, some were doubtful, but most were curious. Indeed, as Wang Yan said, Shrek Academy's lineup was incomplete, and Ma Xiaotao was taken away due to unforeseen circumstances, making it even more incomplete.

"What are the Shrek Academy people doing? Can't they accept defeat?" Xiao Hongchen Wang Yan as he looked at the competition stage from the rest area of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.

Meanwhile, the instructors from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy shook their heads in confusion, but they could also sense the meaning behind Wang Yan's words.

"Hahaha, second brother, I'm dying of laughter." It wasn't in the stands, but in a house with a clear view of the stadium.

A tall, middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties, with an unusually thick right arm, laughed loudly. He kept slapping the table next to him with that strange right arm, and with each slap, the tabletop shattered into pieces.

Although the sound wasn't very clear after it reached Star Luo Plaza, it still wasn't a problem for high-level Soul Master to hear it clearly.

"Hmph, isn't that how Shrek Academy is? They like to stand on the moral high ground and look down on and suppress other forces."

"However, such shamelessness can be quite troublesome if you encounter it, after all, our sect has always had a bad reputation, or rather, it's mostly because of the Shrek Academy."

Another man, though small in stature, had an unusually large head and piercing eyes, answered.

"Observe and learn more. Even if our sect doesn't use it, we should at least understand what these hypocrites from Shrek are up to, so we don't fall into their trap in the future."

These two were naturally Lang Ya and Yu Tao from the Body Sect. Although they were not well-known, they were disciples of the Body Sect who traveled outside the mainland and learned about the situation on the continent.

Wang Yan continued to recount that disastrous day, triggered by the Death God's Emissary, that affected the Shrek Monitoring Group and the Inner Court Disciple.

Of course, in addition to the original experience, a lot of artistic embellishment has been added.

For example, it obscures the strength of the Death God's Emissary and exaggerates the various evil deeds committed by the Death God's Emissary Bandit Group.

It also highlights the selfless and fearless spirit of the Inner Court Disciple of Shrek Monitoring Group.

Because of the Shrek Academy's nearly 10,000-year-old reputation, most of the audience was deeply attracted by Wang Yan's narration and believed what he said.

"It was precisely because of this vicious Death God's Emissary that one of the original Main Team died, one was seriously injured, and the other five suffered injuries of varying degrees."

"That's why, in the previous knockout and Round Robin, we mostly fielded Reserve Team members."

"It wasn't until some time into the Round Robin that our Shrek Academy's Main Team members recovered somewhat."

"But the Death God's Emissary's methods are insidious, and the Evil Soul Master's abilities are bizarre. In reality, these children are still fighting while injured."

"Even Ma Xiaotao, the strongest member of our Shrek Academy's Main Team, suffered from a lingering weakness due to her battle with that Death God's Emissary, coupled with the Soul Tool from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, which led to her..."

At this point, Wang Yan's words caught in his throat.

At this moment, most of the audience, like him, seemed to empathize and feel the tragic scene faced by the Shrek Monitoring Group.

"??? Am I that strong? How come I didn't know about this?" In a secluded corner, an inconspicuous, thin, middle-aged man muttered to himself.

This man was none other than the escaped Death God's Emissary. In reality, his reason for forming the bandit gang was largely due to the instructions of the Holy Spirit Cult.

Or rather, the reason he was able to obtain Soul Tool and fight the Star Luo Empire's border guards for so long was...

Aside from the fact that the Star Luo Empire's border guards were in a terrible state, the main reason was that he had the Sun Moon Empire and the Holy Spirit Cult behind him, which were transferring supplies to him.

As the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament is a grand event held every five years in the Soul Master World, after losing its foothold, the Death God's Emissary and some Evil Soul Master dispersed and infiltrated Star Luo City.

Find an opportunity to hunt down some low-level Soul Master from outside the region who have no background.

After all, the benefits that Soul Master's flesh, resentment, and soul can provide far exceed those of ordinary people.

Apart from the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament, most Soul Master generally have fixed areas of activity and spheres of influence. Unless they are all killed, Evil Soul Master cannot easily make a move.

The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament is a mixed bag, and if a few people go missing, it's difficult to track them down unless they are core members of major powers.

As for the patrols, protection, and order maintenance done by the civilian soldiers of the Star Luo Empire, it's really not a problem for these Evil Soul Masters, since what they are best at is fighting with people.

As long as they don't provoke those powerful forces, the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament is also a feast for Evil Soul Master.

"It was because I, the team leader, was not strong enough that this situation occurred. Even the son of the Duke White Tiger, Dai Yueheng, who was originally the captain of our Shrek Academy's Main Team, also died heroically."

Wang Yan bowed deeply and then said, "This is my dereliction of duty as a teacher. I am sorry to these children, sorry to the academy, and sorry to everyone. I have failed to live up to your expectations of the Shrek Academy. It is all my fault."

"These children have given their all and fought to the very end."

After listening to Wang Yan's words, most of the audience's opinions underwent a subtle change.

The initial shock of the Shrek Academy's fall from grace shifted to feelings towards Wang Yan personally. It was because of him that Shrek Academy's team failed, rather than the Shrek Academy having problems.

However, because Wang Yan was able to stand up and take responsibility for these consequences, the negative feelings towards Wang Yan as a person have also lessened considerably.

'Is this the spirit of craftsmanship?' Huo Yuhao muttered to himself. 'I wonder where Wang Yan learned this from.'

But now that he's ready to make some progress and the competition is over, what's the point of staying in Star Luo City?

Mu En, who was in the distance, shook his head and said to Xuan Zi, "Let's go back to the academy. Your grand-disciple is just like you."

From Wang Yan's perspective, it's hard to say whether it's right or wrong, but it's the best solution he could come up with.

Ultimately, this world is one where strength speaks.

He was able to win back the goodwill of the audience at Star Luo Plaza towards the Shrek Academy, but how could he win back the hearts of those more distant commoners and Soul Master who had not listened to his story?

They could uphold the honor of the Shrek Academy, but they couldn't let it go. This very honor of the Shrek Academy might actually be the culprit that led to the academy's demise.