"Yes, Teacher." Yan Shaozhe rose, bowed to Mu En, then looked around at everyone and cleared his throat.
"The reason I've gathered you all for this Sea God Pavilion Meeting is an important matter concerning the academy's future for the next hundred years. This matter... concerns a boy."
He paused, his tone growing grave. "The boy is named Su Chen. He's a new student who enrolled this year, currently in Class Nine of the outer courtyard."
"Several days ago, Du Weilun submitted a report on the boy. At the time, though, he was only Level 27, so I didn't pay him much attention." Yan Shaozhe gave a bitter smile. "But it wasn't until his fight with Zhou Yi a few days ago that I truly realized how terrifying he was."
He swept his gaze over the others, enunciating each word. "His Martial Soul is the Six-Winged Angel. And... it isn't the two-winged angel we know. He was born with six wings!"
"Boom—"
His words struck the meeting hall like a thunderclap!
Even Mu En's half-closed eyes snapped open, a glint flashing in them.
The Six-Winged Angel! A Six-Winged Angel born with all six wings!
Which of the senior elders present wasn't widely traveled and well informed? Who didn't know that after the War of the Three Gods, Angel God Qian Renxue's divine position had shattered, leaving the Angel Inheritance all but severed? In this era, they had only seen two-winged angels, and even those were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.
The Six-Winged Angel was a legendary symbol of the Angel God's direct bloodline! Its bearer was destined to reach at least the rank of Super Douluo, with a chance of breaking through to Ultimate Douluo or even godhood!
Yan Shaozhe took in the senior elders' shocked expressions, unable to hide his delight. Then he dropped another bombshell.
"And yesterday, Su Chen did something even more astonishing—he suppressed Xiaotao's Evil Fire!"
"What?!" Even Xuan Zi cried out in surprise. "Xiaotao's Evil Fire? That boy can suppress it?"
Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire had long been a thorn in the side of Shrek's upper ranks. The child was exceptionally gifted, but because of the side effects of her Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul, she could lose control and go berserk at any moment.
Over the years, the academy had tried everything. Even Yan Shaozhe, a Super Douluo with a light attribute, could only ease the problem temporarily. He couldn't cure it.
And now Yan Shaozhe was saying that a new student at Level 27 had suppressed Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire?
"It's absolutely true," Yan Shaozhe said firmly. "Yesterday, Xiaotao's Evil Fire flared up, and she rushed off Lake Heart Island. By the time I arrived, Su Chen had already helped her suppress it. I could feel that the Evil Fire inside Xiaotao had been completely depleted. She won't have any trouble again for a while."
He took a deep breath, his voice growing even more animated. "Everyone, I suspect Su Chen's sacred attribute... may already have reached the Ultimate level!"
Ultimate Sacredness!
Those four words rang through the meeting hall like a second thunderclap.
If the Six-Winged Angel was a legendary Martial Soul, then an Ultimate Attribute was a legendary talent! Across the entire Douluo Continent, Soul Masters with Ultimate Attributes could be counted on one hand. Every one of them was an unparalleled genius capable of shaping the course of an era!
The meeting hall fell briefly silent. Everyone was so shaken by the news that they couldn't speak.
After a long while, Mu En slowly spoke, his voice tinged with emotion. "The Six-Winged Angel, Ultimate Sacredness... a rarity in a thousand ages."
He looked at Yan Shaozhe. "Shao Zhe, what do you think?"
Yan Shaozhe answered at once. "Teacher, I believe the academy should do everything in its power to bring Su Chen in and cultivate him into a pillar of Shrek's future!"
He paused, then laid out his reasons in detail.
"First, with Su Chen's talent, if he grows up without setbacks, our academy will usher in another century of prosperity. Just imagine: a Six-Winged Angel Titled Douluo with the Ultimate Sacred attribute, perhaps even someone who could become a god... What would that mean?"
"Second, Su Chen's sacred attribute can solve Xiaotao's Evil Fire problem. You all know Xiaotao's talent. Without the Evil Fire holding her back, she'd be no less accomplished than Zhang Lexuan. With two peerless geniuses, Shrek's future would have no limits!"
"Third," Yan Shaozhe continued, his tone turning serious, "Evil Soul Masters have grown increasingly rampant in recent years. Soul Masters with light attributes are already rare. If this child can be properly cultivated, he'll undoubtedly be our greatest trump card against the Evil Soul Masters!"
His reasoning was clear and well supported. The senior elders present nodded one after another, finding his points persuasive.
There were Soul Masters with light attributes in the inner courtyard, but most were support types, or had chosen the wrong path. The Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul possessed three attributes—light, fire, and sacredness—and was a natural nemesis of Evil Soul Masters. If its bearer truly matured, his combat strength would be terrifying.
Shrek's future did indeed need a genius like him.
As for the old grudge between the Spirit Hall and Shrek from ten thousand years ago... Mu En didn't think it mattered. That had happened ten thousand years ago, after all. By now, the old grievances had long since faded.
But just then—
"Hmph!"
A cold snort broke the harmonious atmosphere in the meeting hall.
Xuan Zi tossed aside a chicken bone, wiped his greasy mouth with his hand, and said sourly, "Yan Shaozhe, you make it sound wonderful. But have you considered whether Su Chen is worth cultivating?"
Everyone turned to look at him.
Xuan Zi stood up. Beneath his unkempt appearance, the aura of a Level 98 Super Douluo began to seep out. "Su Chen may be exceptionally gifted, but his Martial Soul is the Six-Winged Angel—the descendant of the Angel Clan!"
He deliberately emphasized the words "Angel Clan."
"With a Martial Soul like that, and such blatant disrespect for his elders, have you forgotten how he treated Zhou Yi?" Xuan Zi's voice rose sharply. "He made Zhou Yi kneel and kowtow in apology! That was a hard slap in Shrek's face!"
"Zhou Yi may be a teacher, but she still represents the academy's reputation! He's a new student, yet he dares to be so arrogant and domineering. If he grows up, he'll surely become a threat to Shrek Academy!"
Xuan Zi's words were clearly biased, but they weren't entirely unreasonable. Several senior elders nodded slightly, evidently sharing some of his concerns.
Yan Shaozhe frowned. "Elder Xuan, Zhou Yi was in the wrong. She abused her authority, broke the terms of the wager, and Su Chen was merely standing up for his rights..."
"His rights?" Xuan Zi sneered. "What rights does a new student have? At Shrek, a teacher's word is the rule! To defy one is to show disrespect to your elders! What does it matter how talented a student like that is? With a crooked heart, he'll become a menace sooner or later!"
His words grew harsher by the moment.
He paused, his tone turning even more heated. "If you ask me, a brat who disrespects his elders and acts so arrogant and domineering shouldn't be allowed to stay, no matter how talented he is! Who knows whether he'll turn against Shrek in the future?"
His argument had now risen to the level of historical grievances. The expressions of several senior elders grew complicated.
Yan Shaozhe grew anxious. "Elder Xuan, you're being prejudiced! How can you hold a twelve-year-old child responsible for something that happened ten thousand years ago? Su Chen has no hostility toward the academy. And from what I've observed, he isn't unreasonable."
"Not now, but what about the future?" Xuan Zi cut him off with a sneer. "Yan Shaozhe, don't think I don't know what you're plotting. You just want to use Su Chen to solve your disciple Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire problem, don't you? For your disciple's sake, you'd put the entire academy in danger?"
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