Apprehension

Everyone present knew all too well what those three words represented.

Over two hundred years ago, Douluo Hall was merely a small faction in a northern border city of the Heaven Dou Empire. No one knew its origins or who stood behind it; all that was known was that upon its emergence, it established an ironclad rule: to awaken martial souls for all commoners across the continent free of charge.

Regardless of background or status, any child with innate soul power could receive funding from Douluo Hall.

It was this very rule that allowed Douluo Hall to spread like a wildfire, sweeping across the entire Douluo Continent in a mere two hundred years.

Initially, some factions attempted to suppress Douluo Hall for encroaching on their interests, with several even dispatching Title Douluo to hold them accountable. However, the strength displayed by Douluo Hall was terrifying; several Super Douluo directly forced the challengers to retreat.

At that time, Shrek Academy began investigating Douluo Hall and discovered an astonishing number of Title Douluo—seventeen in total, including five Super Douluo, with the possibility of two Limit Douluo holding the fort.

Such a massive emergence of Title Douluo, as common as cabbages, placed immense pressure on the Sea God Pavilion Master of that era. Coupled with the fact that Douluo Hall's actions were benevolent, a mutual agreement was reached to leave each other in peace.

For ten thousand years, commoner soul masters had remained at the bottom of the continent's hierarchy. Awakening a martial soul required exorbitant fees, and cultivation resources were firmly held by sects and nobles, leaving talented commoner children with little hope of rising. The appearance of Douluo Hall provided them with their only light.

Within fifty years, branches of Douluo Hall had spread to every city in the three great empires, with awakening masters stationed even in remote towns and villages.

One hundred years ago, the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect announced its affiliation with Douluo Hall. Other sects, previously shut out by Shrek Academy, flocked to join, leading to an explosive growth in Douluo Hall's influence.

Today, two hundred years later, Douluo Hall is no longer that small border faction; it has become a power standing equal to the empires and Shrek Academy, a continental titan whose reputation among the common people far exceeds both.

"According to our intelligence network, Douluo Hall has over a thousand branches across the continent, with over one hundred thousand registered soul masters. They have over thirty Title Douluo on the surface, and thousands of Soul Douluo and Soul Saint level powerhouses." Lin Huiqun's voice echoed slowly through the quiet conference room, each figure causing the hearts of the gathered elders to sink.

"Mingde Hall is in deep cooperation with Douluo Hall, and the royal families of the three great empires treat them with great courtesy. After all, over seventy percent of the commoner soul masters on the continent look to Douluo Hall as their leader."

"Two hundred years. It took them only two hundred years to achieve what the Martial Soul Hall took over a thousand years to do, and they have done it more thoroughly and with a firmer foundation."

Lin Huiqun's words struck the hearts of every elder like heavy hammers.

They all knew Douluo Hall was strong, but only when these cold figures were laid out did they truly realize the extent of the power this faction had amassed.

"More importantly, the path they are taking is far too similar to the Martial Soul Hall of ten thousand years ago." Song Yunzhi, her hair streaked with gray, spoke up suddenly, her voice laced with deep apprehension.

"The same free martial soul awakening for commoners, the same branch system spanning the entire continent, gathering the vast majority of commoner soul masters. Shrek has been at odds with Martial Soul Hall since our founding; the original Seven Devils destroyed the Spirit Hall Empire, yet now, a faction even more popular and terrifying than Martial Soul Hall has grown right under our noses for two hundred years."

As these words fell, the atmosphere in the conference room grew even heavier.

The Martial Soul Hall of ten thousand years ago was an imprint etched into the bloodline of Shrek. The original Shrek Seven Devils achieved their ten-thousand-year legend by opposing Martial Soul Hall, and Shrek Academy rose to its position as the continent's premier academy by stepping over the ruins of Martial Soul Hall.

They knew all too well how terrifying the commoner-focused strategy of Martial Soul Hall was. Back then, by offering free awakenings, they gathered over half the soul masters on the continent, eventually establishing the Spirit Hall Empire and nearly unifying the entire Douluo Continent.

And the current Douluo Hall is even more terrifying than the Martial Soul Hall of that era.

While the old Martial Soul Hall offered free awakenings, it maintained a rigid hierarchy and eventually turned to extremism, pitting itself against all the sects and empires of the continent.

Douluo Hall is different. They only provide awakening services and cultivation funding; they never forcibly restrict the freedom of soul masters, nor do they engage in direct conflict with empires or sects. They simply root themselves in the grassroots, slowly winning over the hearts of the people.

Over two hundred years, Douluo Hall has become the guardian deity in the eyes of the common people, the only place that offers them hope. This level of public support is something Shrek could never hope to match.

"Elder Song is right; Douluo Hall is indeed too similar to the Martial Soul Hall of the past." Qian Duoduo wiped the smile from his face, his expression turning grave.

"And they are more dangerous than Martial Soul Hall. Back then, there were at least two great empires to keep Martial Soul Hall in check, but the current Douluo Hall's reputation among the people is so high that even we at Shrek cannot compare."

"What I find even more alarming is how mysterious this faction is. For two hundred years, we have known their public leaders, but we have never been able to uncover who truly controls them from behind the scenes. To develop a small faction into such a behemoth in two hundred years—the person behind it must be unfathomable." Xian Lin'er also frowned, her tone filled with vigilance.

"Now they have sent four such geniuses to our Shrek. What is their purpose? Is it truly just for schooling? Or do they have other designs?"

For a time, the conference room fell into debate once more.

The faction led by Yan Shaozhe insisted on winning over the four children, arguing that such talent was rare and that as long as they could be kept at Shrek and utilized for the academy's benefit, it was a good thing.

The conservative faction, led by several senior elders, argued that they must be vigilant; the intentions of those from Douluo Hall were unclear, and they could not be easily recruited, lest they invite a wolf into the house and bring catastrophe upon Shrek.

The two sides held their ground, arguing endlessly, neither able to convince the other.

Mu En, sitting at the head of the table, kept his eyes closed and remained silent, listening quietly to the debate as if he were asleep.

It was not until the arguments gradually subsided and all eyes turned to him, waiting for the Sea God Pavilion Master to make the final decision, that he moved.

Within the Sea God Pavilion, the Pavilion Master held absolute authority; Mu En was the only one who could truly make the final call.

Only then did Mu En slowly open his eyes.

His gaze was faint, yet it seemed to pierce through the hearts of men. As he scanned everyone present, the once-noisy conference room fell so silent that a pin drop could be heard.

"Are you all finished?" Mu En's voice was soft, carrying the hoarseness typical of an old man, yet also an unquestionable majesty that echoed slowly through the room.

"Pavilion Master." Everyone bowed in unison, responding respectfully.

Mu En nodded slightly, his gaze falling upon Elder Zhuang as he spoke slowly: "Old Zhuang, I ask you: when these four children intervened during Ma Xiaotao's loss of control, was it to harm or to save?"

Elder Zhuang was taken aback, then immediately replied: "To save, of course. If they hadn't intervened, Ma Xiaotao's evil fire would have erupted completely, and had it surged into the crowd, there is no telling how many students would have been killed or injured. In both reason and sentiment, they did Shrek a great favor."

"Mm." Mu En nodded and asked again.

"In the half-month since they enrolled, have they committed any acts violating academy rules? Have they done anything detrimental to Shrek?"

"No." This time it was Cai Mei'er who spoke. As the one responsible for the academy's teaching and discipline, she knew these matters best.

"Reporting to the Pavilion Master, since enrolling, the four children have followed all academy rules. They study diligently in class, never bully others during combat training, and despite having strength far exceeding their classmates, they have never shown a hint of arrogance. The boy named Huo Yuhao even runs between the Martial Soul Department and the Soul Guidance Department, working diligently without a single infraction."

"Good." Mu En nodded again, his gaze sweeping over the crowd as he spoke slowly.

"Then I ask you: because four children who have helped Shrek, follow the rules, understand propriety, and possess talent seen only once in ten thousand years happen to come from Douluo Hall, must we turn them away and turn this favor into a grudge?"

As these words were spoken, Yan Shaozhe's eyes lit up, while the conservative elders lowered their heads, expressions of shame appearing on their faces.

"I know what you are afraid of." Mu En's voice remained calm.

"You fear Douluo Hall, you fear it threatens the status of Shrek Academy, and you fear these four children are pawns planted by Douluo Hall."

The group remained silent, clearly struck by the truth in Mu En's words.

"But have you considered this? Douluo Hall has developed for two hundred years. If they truly wanted to be our enemy and harm Shrek, would they need to use four children as pawns?" A faint smile curled at the corners of Mu En's mouth.

With one hundred thousand registered spirit masters, dozens of Titled Douluo, and branch halls spread across the entire continent, if such a power truly wanted to tear off the mask with Shrek, would they need to resort to such underhanded tactics?

"It has been two hundred years, and Douluo Hall has always kept to its own side of the river with us at Shrek. They have never initiated conflict, and in areas like hunting spirit beasts and protecting civilian spirit masters, our philosophies even overlap significantly. What reason do we have to push such a behemoth into becoming our adversary?"

"Ten thousand years ago, we were enemies with Martial Soul Hall because they turned to extremes, incited wars, and treated human life like grass. But look at Douluo Hall today: they provide free spirit awakening for civilians and offer a path of survival for low-level spirit masters. Is this right or wrong?"

Mu En's rhetorical questions left everyone present speechless.

It was true; what Douluo Hall was doing was fundamentally good. Even if they followed the same civilian-focused path as the Martial Soul Hall of the past, they had committed no evil. What reason did they have to be hostile toward such a force?

"As for these four children," Mu En's tone softened slightly.

"They are geniuses, rare talents that appear once in ten thousand years. What is the motto of Shrek Academy? We only accept monsters, not ordinary people. We look only at talent and character, never at one's background."

"Yan Shaozhe." Mu En looked toward Yan Shaozhe.

"Disciple is here," Yan Shaozhe immediately bowed and replied.

"They are students of Shrek now, so they should enjoy the treatment that Shrek students deserve. Children with talent should receive the best resources and the best guidance. There is no need to deliberately curry favor or treat them specially; treat them equally. Do you understand?" Mu En said slowly.

"Yes! This disciple understands!" Yan Shaozhe replied immediately, his face full of joy.

"Cai Mei'er."

"Present."

"Keep a close watch on the movements of these four children. If there is anything unusual, report it to me immediately. But remember, you are not allowed to do anything that would cause them resentment. Do you understand?"

"Yes! I understand!"

Mu En's gaze swept across the room once more, and he finally delivered his concluding order: "Regarding Douluo Hall and these four children, I have only four words—wait and see."

"We only need to do our own jobs well, teach our students, and guard the foundations of Shrek. If they are here to learn in earnest, we shall teach them everything we know. If they truly harbor ill intentions and have ulterior motives, I, Mu En, have lived for nearly two hundred years; I wouldn't mind meeting the person behind this Douluo Hall."

As Mu En's voice fell, an invisible pressure enveloped the entire Sea God Pavilion. It was the pressure of a Limit Douluo, the confidence of one standing at the pinnacle of the continent. Even though his frame was hunched and he was in his twilight years, he still possessed the strength to hold up the entirety of Shrek Academy.

"We obey the Pavilion Master's command!"

All the elder masters present stood up in unison and bowed, no longer harboring a shred of dissent.

The meeting dispersed, and the elders left the Sea God Pavilion one after another, leaving Mu En alone inside.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze piercing through the walls of the Sea God Pavilion to look toward the freshman dormitory area, a profound light flashing in his cloudy eyes.

He could feel that those four children harbored power that made even him feel a palpitation in his heart. Especially the boy named Gu Yuan and the girl named Gu Yue Na; they possessed something that made his Radiant Sacred Dragon martial soul tremble with awe from the depths of his bloodline.

"Douluo Hall... emerging two hundred years ago... dragon..." Mu En muttered to himself, a faint smile curling his lips.

"Interesting, truly interesting."

The setting sun shone through the windows of the Sea God Pavilion onto his aged face, and the winds and clouds of the entire Shrek Academy were quietly set in motion following this meeting.

Far away in the freshman dormitory area, Gu Yuan seemed to sense the fluctuation of spiritual consciousness coming from the direction of the Sea God Pavilion. He slowly raised his head, looked toward Sea God Island, and a faint smile curled at the corners of his mouth.