But They Came From Douluo Hall

Deep within Shrek Academy, at the heart of Sea God Island, sits the Sea God Pavilion, a place revered by the entire soul master world of the Douluo Continent.

This is the supreme seat of power for Shrek Academy, the anchor that has stood firm for ten thousand years.

The heavy black sandalwood doors are tightly shut, carved with reliefs of the Original Shrek Seven Devils. Despite ten thousand years of wind and rain, they remain lifelike, radiating an inviolable majesty.

Inside, the light is soft. Twelve dragon-coiled pillars support the soaring dome, each engraved with the name of a legendary elder from Shrek's history. The air is filled with a faint scent of sandalwood and the rich aura of soul power, so quiet that a falling needle could be heard, save for the sound of breathing from both sides of the long table.

At this moment, a round table meeting of the Sea God Pavilion is in session.

At the head of the table lies an elderly man with white hair. His frame is hunched, resting on a custom-made recliner covered by a soft blanket. His face is etched with the ravines of time, and his eyes are half-closed, making him appear as if he is in the twilight of his years, on the verge of flickering out.

Yet, if one were to look closely, they would find a depth in those half-closed eyes like the sun, moon, and stars. Even a casual glance from him would stir awe from the depths of one's soul.

Mu En, Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion at Shrek Academy, the 99th-rank Limit Douluo known as the Dragon God Douluo, a figure standing at the very pinnacle of the entire Douluo Continent.

The round table is filled with the core leadership of Shrek Academy, each one a renowned powerhouse on the continent.

Martial Soul Department Dean Yan Shaozhe, Soul Guidance Department Dean Xian Lin'er, the two vice deans Qian Duoduo and Cai Mei'er, and several other Titled Douluo-level elders are all in attendance.

Titled Douluos, rarely seen in the outside world, are merely ordinary members of the Sea God Pavilion meeting here, which speaks volumes about the terrifying weight the Sea God Pavilion holds on the continent.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the conference room is exceptionally heavy.

The one who initiated this meeting is Elder Zhuang, who just returned from Sea God Lake. Holding a Soul Tool recorder, he speaks with a grave expression, recounting everything that happened by the lake to everyone present.

From Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix losing control and breaking through the inner court barrier, to the four freshmen who happened to be by Sea God Lake, and finally the silver-haired girl named Gu Yuena—who, without even manifesting a soul ring, froze the out-of-control 62nd-rank Soul Ancestor Ma Xiaotao with a casual gesture, suppressing the Evil Fire Phoenix that even Titled Douluos find troublesome at its very source.

The little girl named Jin Ruiqiu chewed up a fifth-grade Soul Ascension Pill like a piece of candy; not only did she suffer no backlash, but she remained completely unscathed.

As his voice falls, the entire Sea God Pavilion falls into a deathly silence.

For a full half-minute, no one speaks.

The elders present are filled with incredulous shock; even as Titled Douluos who have seen great storms, they cannot help but be deeply shaken.

"Elder Zhuang, are... are you sure you didn't see wrong?" The first to break the silence is Martial Soul Department Dean Yan Shaozhe.

He stands up abruptly from his seat, his handsome face filled with horror.

"A twelve-year-old Soul Ancestor, 45th-rank soul power, casually freezing an out-of-control 62nd-rank Evil Fire Phoenix? And suppressing the evil fire at its source? How is that possible?!"

Yan Shaozhe is himself a 95th-rank Super Douluo and Ma Xiaotao's teacher. He knows better than anyone how terrifying Ma Xiaotao's evil fire is.

It is a mutated Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul. When the evil fire erupts, even ordinary Titled Douluos must exert great effort to suppress it, let alone freezing it casually without damaging her source, or even repairing her damaged meridians.

This can no longer be explained by mere talent; it completely overturns the common sense of the soul master world! How could a 45th-rank Soul Ancestor accomplish something that even Titled Douluos find difficult?

"Every word I said is true." Elder Zhuang shakes his head with a bitter smile.

"I have lived for over a hundred years; I am not so senile as to be mistaken. Don't say you don't believe it—even having seen it with my own eyes, I still find it incredible. By the time I arrived, Xiaotao was already completely frozen."

After a brief moment of shock, Yan Shaozhe falls into a state of ecstasy. There is only one possibility: the student named Gu Yuena might be an Ultimate Ice soul master, and Ma Xiaotao's problem has a solution.

At this moment, Yan Shaozhe can hardly wait to bring Gu Yuena here, whether by coercion or inducement, to make her agree to treat Ma Xiaotao.

"What shocked me even more is the little girl named Jin Ruiqiu." Elder Zhuang pauses, his bitter smile deepening.

"Everyone here knows the grade of a Soul Ascension Pill. A fifth-grade medicinal pill—even a Soul Ancestor-level soul master must carefully refine its power, fearing it might damage their meridians. Yet that little girl chewed it like candy, and after finishing, she even asked me if I had more to give her. I checked her body; not only was there no damage, but the medicinal power was perfectly absorbed, without a trace of waste."

Once these words are spoken, the conference room erupts again.

My god! Eating a Soul Ascension Pill like candy? What kind of monster is this?

The elders' discussions rise and fall, each face filled with shock and an undisguised desire to cherish such talent.

For Shrek Academy, nothing is valued more than genius, and nothing is craved more than good seedlings. These four children are each a peerless genius encountered once in ten thousand years, let alone all four gathered together and entering Shrek's Freshman Class One.

Sitting beside Yan Shaozhe, Qian Duoduo, the chubby Soul Guidance Department Dean, can no longer sit still.

He rubs his round belly, his small eyes shining as he says to the group: "I won't say much else, but that child named Huo Yuhao is definitely a natural-born genius in Soul Guidance! Fan Yu keeps whispering in my ear that this child's mental control is something even core students of the inner court can rarely match. At ten years old, with an Ultimate Spirit attribute—if cultivated properly, he will definitely become a top-tier soul engineer capable of surpassing Mingde Hall in the future!"

Yan Shaozhe takes over, his face full of fanatical appreciation for talent. "Everyone, such geniuses are encountered once in ten thousand years! We must keep them; we must win them over!"

"I propose we immediately grant all four of them the status of inner court core students, with all resources provided at the highest specification! We must bind these four tightly to Shrek's chariot!"

Yan Shaozhe's words are resonant, his eyes filled with determination. His greatest wish in this life is to cultivate top-tier geniuses for Shrek and recreate the glory of the Original Shrek Seven Devils.

With these four children before him showing potential far exceeding the original seven, how could he let them go?

But just as his voice falls, Lin Huiqun, sitting opposite him, frowns and speaks in a deep voice: "Dean Yan, don't be in such a hurry to decide. You only see their talent, but you have forgotten their origins."

Her gaze sweeps over everyone present, her tone grave: "These four children are not ordinary family descendants; they were admitted without examination using a recommendation letter from the head of the Douluo Hall. They are people from the Douluo Hall."

The moment the words "Douluo Hall" are uttered, the previously lively conference room falls instantly silent.

Yan Shaozhe, who was just full of fanaticism, has his smile freeze, and a flash of complex emotion crosses his eyes.