Mu En's Surprise

Under the referee's intervention, Ma Xiaotao, who had been beaten unconscious by the combined efforts of Feng Tianyu and Grey Wolf, was finally rescued.

Feng Tianyu felt satisfied, and Grey Wolf wore a smug, triumphant grin; at last, they had vented the pent-up frustration in their chests.

As they dealt with the crimson flames still clinging to them, Yan Shaozhe stepped onto a path of golden light and surged into the arena, his expression grave as he lifted the bruised and battered Ma Xiaotao.

She was his own personal disciple, and Yan Shaozhe hurriedly retrieved a healing pill from his storage Soul Tool to feed her.

When he looked up and locked eyes with Feng Tianyu again, a chilling, profound depth flickered in his gaze.

The air, which had been rolling with heat waves from the crimson flames just moments ago, seemed to freeze solid, turning biting cold.

Feng Tianyu had injured his student; while he felt a pang of heartache, that alone was not something he couldn't endure.

What mattered was the implication behind it!

Although Feng Tianyu's file was still officially under the Martial Soul Department, he had actually been studying in the Soul Guidance Department for less than a year.

With less than a year of study, he could craft such miraculous Soul Tools, allowing him—a two-ring Soul Grand Master—to defeat a four-ring Soul Ancestor.

This sent a shiver down Yan Shaozhe's spine!

For ten thousand years, the Martial Soul Department had been the orthodox heart of Shrek Academy. Yet now, under his management, a Martial Soul student had lost to a Soul Guidance student. If this continued, the orthodox status of Shrek Academy might shift from the Martial Soul Department to the Soul Guidance Department.

This was something Yan Shaozhe could never tolerate. As the Dean of the Martial Soul Department, he had to be responsible for it.

Yan Shaozhe's vision was incredibly narrow; he could only see the Martial Soul Department, completely blind to the fact that the Soul Guidance Department was also a part of Shrek Academy.

Just as the atmosphere grew heavy!

Qian Duoduo laughed as he stepped onto the arena, patted Feng Tianyu on the shoulder, and moved to stand in front of him, shielding Feng Tianyu from all the pressure radiating from Yan Shaozhe:

"Well done, Tianyu! You've really brought glory to our Soul Guidance Department!"

"Let those arrogant teachers and students of the Martial Soul Department see the powerful potential for development in our Soul Guidance Department!"

Yan Shaozhe stared straight at Qian Duoduo, his tone neither light nor heavy, neither salty nor bland:

"Vice Dean Qian, your Soul Guidance Department is truly doing well. However, our Martial Soul Department is the orthodoxy of Shrek Academy—it was in the past, it is now, and it will be in the future!"

Qian Duoduo caught the sharp, confrontational edge in Yan Shaozhe's words. Recalling how the Soul Guidance Department had long been looked down upon by the Martial Soul Department, the smile on his face faded, and his voice turned cold:

"Orthodoxy? Heh. Our Soul Guidance Department is also a part of Shrek Academy. As for who truly represents the orthodox status, that will depend on our respective developments."

The two Deans stood toe-to-toe, and the air became thick with the scent of gunpowder.

Yan Shaozhe was about to say more when a voice reached his ears:

"Are you not going to take Xiaotao back to the Inner Court for treatment? What kind of teacher are you?"

Yan Shaozhe recognized this as a warning from Mu En. His expression shifted slightly; even if he wanted to clash with Qian Duoduo, now was not the time.

He immediately scooped up Ma Xiaotao, a golden path of light rising beneath his feet, and streaked away toward the Inner Court.

Meanwhile, Mu En felt a splitting headache. This disciple of his spent his days staring only at the internal affairs of Shrek Academy, completely ignoring the rapid, ever-changing developments outside.

To what extent had the soul guidance technology of the Sun Moon Empire developed?!

Yan Shaozhe didn't know, nor did he care to learn. As one of the four Deans of Shrek Academy, instead of helping the Soul Guidance Department grow so that their technology could catch up to the Sun Moon Empire, he only thought of suppressing it because its progress threatened the status of the Martial Soul Department.

The reason for Mu En's headache was the fear that this disciple he had taken in might as well be a spy sent from outside; why else would he spend every day thinking only of suppressing others and tying his own hands?

The only thing Mu En felt fortunate about now was that when Feng Tianyu had requested to join the Soul Guidance Department, he had agreed instead of forcibly refusing.

He had given Feng Tianyu and Grey Wolf three years, and yet, in less than one, they had already handed him a satisfactory answer.

Defeating a Soul Ancestor as a Soul Grand Master—it seemed the development of their Shrek Academy Soul Guidance Department still held great promise.

His voice then reached Qian Duoduo's ears:

"Duoduo, you have taught him well. Bring Tianyu and Grey Wolf to me now."

Qian Duoduo's eyes widened, a surge of excitement washing over him. Mu En had praised him! His rugged face immediately beamed with joy, revealing an expression of uncontrollable delight.

He turned to look at Feng Tianyu and Grey Wolf:

"Tianyu, you just finished a fight; can your body handle it? Elder Mu has summoned us, so we should head over immediately."

Feng Tianyu deactivated his Electric Charging Belt, and his body returned to its original size. Due to the stimulation of bio-electricity, he felt physically drained, his internal soul power nearly exhausted.

Continuing to fight was out of the question; he would need at least a full night to recover. But meeting Elder Mu was perfectly fine.

"Dean Qian, let's go then."

Qian Duoduo promptly led Feng Tianyu and Grey Wolf away from the Great Soul Arena.

Ma Xiaotao had been taken away by Yan Shaozhe, and Feng Tianyu had been taken away by Qian Duoduo.

With the departure of the two main participants, today's soul fight came to an end, but the impact it brought would continue to ferment.

The senior students of the Martial Soul Department, such as Dai Yaoheng, Chen Zifeng, Yao Haoxuan, Xixi, Gongyang Mo, and Ling Luochen, were still reeling from the shock of a Soul Ancestor like Ma Xiaotao being defeated by a Soul Grand Master like Feng Tianyu.

Although they didn't particularly like the hot-tempered Ma Xiaotao, they held her strength in high regard.

Yet, Ma Xiaotao had lost—lost to a Soul Grand Master using a Soul Tool.

Dai Yaoheng clenched his fists tightly, his evil eyes filled with unwillingness. His voice was low as he voiced the thoughts of the others:

"Even Ma Xiaotao lost. That unremarkable Soul Tool master actually possesses such immense potential for growth!"

"How are we Soul Masters supposed to compete with Soul Tool masters in the future?"

Chen Zifeng, Yao Haoxuan, and the others also wore grim expressions, nodding in deep agreement.

Ma Xiaotao's defeat dealt them such a massive shock that their pride as Soul Masters had been shattered completely.

In truth, this might not necessarily be a bad thing for them. If they could move past looking down on Soul Tools and gradually accept them, keeping one or two on their persons at all times, perhaps they would have a chance to escape unscathed during that future Shrek Inspectorate mission led by Xuan Zi, rather than ending up dead or crippled by the Death Messenger's corpse explosion.

In another direction, Beibei took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh:

"Tianyu really won!"

"Incredible, simply incredible!"

"Soul Tools seem to be a rather excellent means of enhancing one's strength. That Transformation Belt of Tianyu's looks quite interesting—using electrical currents to stimulate the body to boost power, speed, and defense..."