Deep within Shrek Academy, at the heart of Sea God Island, stood the Sea God Pavilion, revered by the Soul Master World across the entire continent.
It was the highest seat of power in Shrek Academy, the stabilizing pillar that had stood firm on the continent for ten thousand years.
The heavy ebony doors stood shut. Carved into them were reliefs of the Original Shrek Seven Devils, still lifelike after enduring ten thousand years of wind and rain, radiating an inviolable majesty.
Soft light filled the pavilion. Twelve coiling-dragon pillars supported its soaring dome, each inscribed with the name of a legendary elder from Shrek's history. The air was heavy with faint sandalwood and rich Soul Power, so still that a pin could be heard dropping. The only sound came from the breathing of those seated around the long table.
At that moment, the Sea God Pavilion Meeting was underway.
In the seat of honor lay a white-haired old man. Stooped and frail, he reclined in a specially made chair, a soft blanket draped over him. His face was furrowed with the ravines of age, and his eyes were half-closed. He looked to be in his twilight years, as if his life might gutter out at any moment.
But anyone who looked closely would see that hidden behind those half-closed eyes was a light as profound as the sun, moon, and stars. Even a casual glance from him could inspire awe deep in one's soul.
Mu En, Sea God Pavilion Master of Shrek Academy, Dragon God Douluo, a level 99 Limit Douluo, and one of the foremost figures on the entire Douluo Continent.
The seats around the table were filled with Shrek Academy's core leadership. Every one of them was a renowned powerhouse on the continent.
Yan Shaozhe, dean of the Martial Soul Department; Xian Lin'er, dean of the Soul Guidance Department; the two vice deans, Qian Duoduo and Cai Mei'er; and several other elders at the Titled Douluo level were all present.
Titled Douluo, rare sights in ordinary times, were merely ordinary members of a Sea God Pavilion Meeting. That alone showed the terrifying influence the Sea God Pavilion wielded across the continent.
At that moment, however, the atmosphere in the meeting room was unusually tense.
The one who had called this meeting was Elder Zhuang, who had just returned from Sea God Lake. Holding a recording Soul Tool, he looked grave as he recounted everything that had just happened by the lakeside to everyone present.
From Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire spiraling out of control and breaking through the Inner Court barrier, to four freshmen happening to appear by Sea God Lake, and then the silver-haired girl named Gu Yuena, who hadn't even revealed her Soul Rings. With a casual wave, she had completely Ice Sealed the out-of-control level 62 Soul Emperor Ma Xiaotao, suppressing at its very source even the Evil Fire Phoenix that gave Titled Douluo headaches.
The little girl named Jin Ruiqiu had crunched up a fifth-grade Soul Ascension Pill as if it were a sugar bean. Not only had she suffered no backlash from its medicinal power, she had come away completely unharmed.
When he finished, a deathly silence fell over the entire Sea God Pavilion.
For a full half-minute, no one said a word.
Every elder present wore an expression of utter disbelief. Even they, Titled Douluo who had seen their share of storms, couldn't help but reel in shock.
"E-Elder Zhuang, are you sure you saw that right?" The first to break the silence was Yan Shaozhe, dean of the Martial Soul Department.
He sprang to his feet, sheer shock written across his handsome face.
"A twelve-year-old Soul Ancestor with level 45 Soul Power casually Ice Sealed an out-of-control level 62 Evil Fire Phoenix? And suppressed Xiaotao's Evil Fire at its source? How is that possible?!"
Yan Shaozhe himself was a level 95 Super Douluo, and he was Ma Xiaotao's teacher. He knew all too well how terrifying her Evil Fire was.
It came from her mutated Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul. When her Evil Fire erupted, even an ordinary Titled Douluo had to exert considerable effort to suppress it—let alone Ice Seal her with a casual gesture, leave her source unharmed, and even repair her damaged meridians.
This went far beyond exceptional talent. It overturned everything the Soul Master World knew! How could a level 45 Soul Ancestor accomplish what even Titled Douluo struggled to do?
"Every word I've said is true." Elder Zhuang gave a wry smile and shook his head.
"I've lived for over a hundred years. I'm not so old that my eyes deceive me. I know none of you believe it; even having seen it with my own eyes, I still find it unbelievable. Xiaotao was already completely Ice Sealed when I arrived."
After his brief astonishment, Yan Shaozhe was overcome with elation. There was only one explanation: the student named Gu Yuena might be an Ultimate Ice Soul Master. There was hope for Xiaotao's condition.
At that moment, Yan Shaozhe wished he could bring Gu Yuena over immediately. He would make her agree to treat Ma Xiaotao, whether through threats or inducements.
"What shocked me even more was the little girl named Jin Ruiqiu." Elder Zhuang paused, his wry smile deepening.
"Everyone here knows the grade of a Soul Ascension Pill. It's a fifth-grade pill. Even a Soul Ancestor has to carefully refine its medicinal power, lest it damage their meridians. But that little girl crunched it up like a sugar bean, then asked me if I had a few more to spare. I examined her body: she hadn't suffered the slightest injury, and the medicinal power had been absorbed perfectly, without a trace wasted."
His words set the meeting room abuzz once more.
Good heavens! She ate Soul Ascension Pills like sugar beans? What kind of monster was she?
The elders' discussion rose and fell, every face full of shock and unmistakable regret at the thought of such rare talent.
What Shrek Academy valued most was genius; what it yearned for most was promising talent. Any one of these four children was a once-in-ten-thousand-years prodigy. And there were four of them together, all enrolled in Shrek's Freshman Class One.
Qian Duoduo, the chubby dean of the Soul Guidance Department, seated beside Yan Shaozhe, couldn't sit still either.
He patted his round belly, his little eyes shining as he addressed the others. "I won't say much about the rest, but that child Huo Yuhao is a born genius of Soul Tools! Fan Yu keeps going on about him, saying that even among the Inner Court's core students, few can match the boy's control over his Mental Attribute. At ten years old, with an Ultimate Mental Attribute—if we train him well, he'll become a top-tier Soul Engineer who can surpass even Mingde Hall!"
Yan Shaozhe picked up the thread, his face alight with undisguised eagerness to nurture such talent. "Everyone, prodigies like these are rare even in ten thousand years! We have to keep them here. We have to win them over!"
"I propose that we immediately grant all four the status and benefits of Inner Court core students, and provide them with resources at the highest level! We have to bind them firmly to Shrek's chariot!"
Yan Shaozhe's words rang out like a hammer striking stone, his eyes brimming with certainty. His greatest wish in life was to cultivate top-tier geniuses for Shrek and restore the glory of the Original Shrek Seven Devils.
In these four children before him, he saw potential far beyond that of the original seven. How could he possibly let them go?
But as soon as he finished speaking, Lin Huiqun, seated opposite him, furrowed her brows and said gravely, "Dean Yan, don't rush to a decision. You've only seen their talent and forgotten where they come from."
Her gaze swept across everyone present, her tone heavy. "These four children aren't ordinary scions of powerful families. They entered without taking the entrance exam, carrying a recommendation letter from the Douluo Hall Master. They belong to Douluo Hall."
The moment the words "Douluo Hall" were spoken, the once-bustling meeting room fell silent.
The smile on Yan Shaozhe's face, still alight with excitement moments ago, stiffened. A complicated emotion flickered in his eyes.
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