Proposal Passed, Federation Shaken

It should be known that the Speaker had summoned all council members only a handful of times, and every time concerned a matter of the Federation's fate.

At that moment, Chen Yu stood on the dais, with the Federation's flag behind him.

He wore formal attire, the Speaker's emblem pinned to his chest, his expression solemn.

The eyes of every council member below were fixed on him.

Without any needless pleasantries, he spoke directly, his voice easily carrying throughout the entire hall.

"Shrek Academy prides itself on being the continent's foremost academy and claims to safeguard peace across the continent, receiving enormous resource support from the Federation every year."

"Yet the Holy Spirit Cult has existed for over ten thousand years and still has not been eradicated."

"The Federation has repeatedly suffered harassment, and the people have endured untold misery."

"This Speaker believes that since Shrek Academy cannot resolve the Holy Spirit Cult problem, the Federation has no reason to keep wasting taxpayers' money."

"Therefore, I announce that from today onward, the Federation will no longer provide Shrek Academy with resource support!"

The moment those words were spoken, the Federation Council was shaken.

The entire chamber erupted like a boiling cauldron.

The council members rose to their feet one after another. Some looked stunned, some slammed their palms on the tables in opposition, while others loudly demanded answers.

Countless voices tangled together in a din so loud it nearly blew the roof off.

"Speaker! Shrek Academy has stood for twenty thousand years! How can its support be cut off just like that?!"

"This violates protocol! There must be another vote!"

"The Shrek Inspectorate has rendered tremendous service to the Federation! You cannot treat them like this!"

Some objected, while others outright refused to accept it.

The council members who supported Shrek were so agitated that they nearly rushed up to the dais.

Yet Chen Yu merely stood there, his expression unchanged as his gaze swept across the room without the slightest wavering.

In the end...

The proposal was forcibly passed under Chen Yu's hard-line stance.

He invoked the Speaker's veto power and an emergency executive order, suppressing every opposing voice.

Among the three hundred and sixty-five council members, some stormed out in anger, some remained silent, and some quietly nodded.

After the meeting ended, the Federation was shaken!

The news seemed to grow wings...

In less than half a day, it spread across the entire continent.

Every major city and every major faction was discussing the matter.

Shrek Academy.

That Soul Master sanctuary that had stood for twenty thousand years.

The Federation had actually cut off its resource support.

What did that mean?

Everyone understood perfectly well.

At the same time, Shrek Academy was also thrown into turmoil.

Sea God Pavilion convened another emergency meeting.

The senior elders sat around the long table, their expressions darker than the last.

Zhuo Shi read aloud the message sent by the Federation Council. With every word he read, the air grew heavier.

When he finished, Zhuo Shi slammed the document onto the table and roared.

"Chen Yu is pointing at Shrek Academy's nose and cursing us!"

"He says we can't even deal with a single Holy Spirit Cult, that we're nothing but trash!"

At once, the senior elders flew into a rage!

Some slammed their hands on the table and rose, some glared with their eyes wide open, while Soul Power surged around others, making the tables and chairs hum.

"This is going too far!"

"Shrek's twenty thousand years of glory cannot be humiliated by some junior like him!"

"We must make him pay!"

Yun Ming sat in the seat of honor, his face as dark as water.

His hands gripped the armrests, his knuckles cracking, yet he did not say a word.

Long Yeyue, Shrek Academy's Supreme Elder, rose to her feet as well.

Her silver hair was full, her face imposing, and her voice loud and powerful.

"Yun Ming, what are you afraid of?"

"We are Shrek!"

"Shrek of ten thousand years!"

"Over these twenty thousand years..."

"We have countless allies!"

"Our foundations within the Federation run unfathomably deep!"

"How dare a Speaker without any backing provoke us?!"

Her voice echoed through Sea God Pavilion, every word striking with resounding force.

Hearing her words, the grim and despairing expressions of the senior elders eased somewhat, and light rekindled in their eyes.

But Yun Ming was not as optimistic as Long Yeyue.

He remained seated in the seat of honor, his expression still grim.

Ten years ago, after advancing into the Quasi-God Realm, he had fought Chen Yu, who had also been in the Quasi-God Realm at the time.

He still remembered that battle vividly.

Chen Yu, whose Martial Soul was his own body, possessed terrifying strength!

He had not even used Battle Armor...

Yet he had defeated him!

The reason Chen Yu had not used Battle Armor was because his physical body was already harder than Four-Word Battle Armor!

He was practically impervious to all techniques, blades and swords unable to harm him!

That kind of humanoid monster...

How the hell was he supposed to fight him?!

Even though he was now a Peak Quasi-God.

Chen Yu was also a Peak Quasi-God!

They were in the same realm...

Yet he could not even break through the other man's defenses.

That kind of gap...

Could not be bridged through connections and allies alone.

Yun Ming fell silent, and Sea God Pavilion quieted down.

However, when he thought of Chen Yu's repeated provocations...

First, he had demanded that astronomical sum of resources; then he had publicly rebuked Shrek for its incompetence; now, he had directly cut off the Federation's resource support...

A trace of ruthlessness rose in his eyes.

He was Shrek's Sea God Pavilion Master, the Sky-Propping Douluo, one of the only three Peak Quasi-Gods on the Douluo Continent.

He could not retreat!

If he retreated...

Shrek Academy's twenty thousand years of glory would be disgraced in his hands.

Thus, Yun Ming steeled himself. He raised his head, swept his gaze over every senior elder present, and said in a deep voice.

"Since that is the case..."

"Use all of our connections."

"Let Chen Yu learn what Shrek truly is!"

"What ten thousand years of glory truly means!"

The senior elders looked delighted. They all rose to their feet and respectfully lowered their heads.

"Yes!"

Very soon...

Waves of condemnation descended upon the Parliament Building.

Calls from the major clans and sects flooded into the Parliament Building one after another, their words growing harsher and their attitudes more forceful by the moment.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the Clear Sky Sect...

The factions tied to Shrek Academy by countless threads almost all spoke out at the same time, demanding that the Federation Council withdraw its decision.

At the same time, all manner of so-called "experts" appeared across the major Soul Guidance Network platforms.

Some were middle-aged men in suits, while others were elderly scholars with white hair. Claiming to be "rational moderates" and "observers," and under the banner of acting for the people's benefit, they launched attacks against the Federation Council.

Some said the Speaker was acting arbitrarily; some said Shrek Academy's merits would endure for ages; some said cutting off support was irresponsible toward the continent's future.

For a time, public opinion swept across the land, standing almost entirely on Shrek's side.

The Federation Council could barely withstand this terrifying pressure.

Quite a few council members began to waver. Some even contacted Shrek in private, claiming they had been forced to agree at the time.

On the square outside the Parliament Building...

Small-scale protest crowds even appeared, holding signs and chanting slogans.

Meanwhile...

At the top floor of the Parliament Building, in the Speaker's office.

"Speaker."