Xu Jiawei was utterly stunned. He had thought he would meet Shrek's saviors and use this unexpected force to keep the Fanrui Chamber of Commerce in check.
When he got a clear look at Shrek Academy's lineup, he was completely dumbfounded. The oldest of the bunch were only fourteen or fifteen, and the youngest might have been just eleven or twelve.
Even the teacher leading them was some fellow in black-rimmed glasses whom he did not recognize.
Where were my mighty Taotie Douluo and Elder Zhuang?
Seeing Xu Jiawei's bewilderment and confusion, Wang Yan stepped forward to introduce himself and explain. "Greetings, Your Majesty. I am Wang Yan, Taotie Douluo's granddisciple and the teacher leading this delegation."
Hearing that the man in black-rimmed glasses was Taotie Douluo's granddisciple, Xu Jiawei felt hope kindle in his heart. A glimmer suddenly lit his eyes. "Then where is His Excellency Taotie Douluo, Xuan Zi?"
"My grandmaster went back."
"..."
Xu Jiawei had never been so speechless. He had thought hope was kindling, only for the other man to mercilessly douse it with a bucket of cold water.
He had thought Xuan Zi returning was already the worst possible news, but what Wang Yan said next dumped an even bigger pile of shit on him.
"Your Majesty, you may not know this, but on our way to the Star Luo Empire, Shrek Academy suffered devastating losses. I'm afraid the championship this time..."
"What exactly happened?" Xu Jiawei was somewhat displeased when Wang Yan stopped halfway through, but a trace of unease also rose in his heart. What could have happened to make Xuan Zi and Elder Zhuang return to Shrek halfway through the journey?
Could that Evil Soul Master have severely injured the official members? Surely not!
He immediately rejected that answer. How could