Qian Duoduo turned to the second page.
"Next is the second task Mu En assigned to me."
As he spoke, he first handed Mu En a separately compiled agreement file.
"This is the student exchange agreement I reached after discussions with the dean of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy and its relevant senior officials. Please take a look, teacher."
Mu En accepted the file but did not open it right away. He simply listened in silence,
Seeing this, Qian Duoduo continued, "With Xu Tianyao's backing, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy has officially agreed to launch a student exchange program with Shrek Academy."
"The two sides have tentatively agreed to each select around ten outstanding students to study and exchange experiences at the other academy when the new students enroll next spring."
"The program will initially last one year."
"During that time, students from both sides may learn about the other's teaching system, but core secrets and top-level research projects will remain confidential."
At this, a glint flashed through Mu En's cloudy eyes.
Shrek's greatest weakness was Soul Tools.
The chance to gain an in-depth understanding of the Sun Moon Empire's teaching system would undoubtedly greatly benefit the academy's future development.
But Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe's expressions shifted slightly.
Qian Duoduo had no idea what they were thinking. He opened the last file, his expression turning serious as well.
"Lastly, there's the matter of Mingde Hall."
"Following Mu En's instructions, I tried several times to get in touch with Jing Hongchen and requested permission to visit Mingde Hall and pursue some technical cooperation."
"But the result was just as we expected."
"Both Jing Hongchen, the master of Mingde Hall, and the new emperor, Xu Tianran, explicitly rejected the proposal."
"They were even exceptionally cautious when Mingde Hall's core areas came up."
"From this, we can be certain that Mingde Hall remains the Sun Moon Empire's most important strategic institution."
"Its level of secrecy is even higher than we originally anticipated."
With that, Qian Duoduo slowly closed the file, and a brief silence fell over Sea God Pavilion.
The atmosphere in Sea God Pavilion grew somewhat oppressive.
Mu En sat with his eyes closed at the head of the table. His aged face revealed no emotion, and no one could tell what the old man, who seemed impervious to pressure, was thinking.
But just as the awkward atmosphere settled in, a dull thud rang out.
Everyone looked up to see a wine gourd landing heavily on the table.
Unexpectedly, the first to break the silence was Xuan Zi, the old drunk.
His nose was red, and he was breathing like a bull. He glared at everyone, his face full of displeasure, then fixed his gaze on Qian Duoduo.
"I just don't get it!"
"Why do we have to set up some student exchange program with the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy?"
Xuan Zi first stole a glance at Mu En. Seeing no reaction from him, he continued, still fuming.
"Those brats at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy get beaten by our Shrek kids every time at the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament, don't they?"
"We're not even on the same level!"
"What's there to exchange?"
He waved a hand, scorn written all over his face. "Let's call it what it is: they want to come and steal Shrek's skills!"
"If they really learn what we've spent ten thousand years accumulating, won't we be taking a huge loss?"
At Xuan Zi's words, many of the elders exchanged glances.
Everyone knew Xuan Zi had never been interested in Soul Tools, but his words were far too high-handed—and downright baffling.
What in the world was he talking about?
Was he even human?
Xuan Zi, however, didn't notice a thing.
Instead, the more he talked, the more convinced he became that he was right.
He even began lecturing Qian Duoduo.
"Duoduo, don't take this the wrong way."
"You were far too soft in those negotiations!"
"You just agreed to whatever they said?"
"If I'd gone, there's no way I'd have been so passive!"
Xuan Zi slapped the table, looking as if he couldn't bear to see Qian Duoduo go astray.
"They won't open Mingde Hall to us?"
"Then tell them!"
"If they won't open Mingde Hall, there'll be no student exchange program!"
"Let's see who gets desperate!"
By the end, Xuan Zi even looked rather pleased with himself.
It was as if he'd already secured enormous benefits for the academy.
Qian Duoduo, however, looked completely baffled.
He rubbed his brow, then finally couldn't hold back. "Elder Xuan."
"Have you had too much to drink?"
At that, Sea God Pavilion fell completely silent. Several elders' mouths twitched.
Xuan Zi, they were in the middle of an important meeting, and he'd been drinking. Fine. But now he'd turned the whole meeting into a mess. It was enough to make anyone speechless.
Xuan Zi's face stiffened. He evidently hadn't expected Qian Duoduo to challenge him to his face.
But Qian Duoduo didn't stop. He wasn't afraid of Xuan Zi. His teacher was Mu En, his mother-in-law was Elder Song, his wife was Xian Lin'er, and he was a Titled Douluo himself. He was in the right, so what the hell did he have to fear?
"We were the ones who proposed this student exchange program in the first place."
"It was at our teacher's personal direction."
"So how are you making it sound as if they're the ones begging us? I've been talking this whole time, and the meeting's gone on this long. Have you even been listening?"
At his words, Xuan Zi froze. Then he turned around instinctively. When he saw the pained look on Yan Shaozhe's face, he finally realized what he'd been saying.
Remembering his own words, he immediately felt his old face grow hot with embarrassment.
The strange looks from the elders around him made his face turn pale, then red.
But admitting he was wrong was clearly out of the question, so Xuan Zi cleared his throat and stubbornly pressed on. "So what?"
"It's all scrap metal!"
"No matter how powerful Soul Tools are, can they compare to the cultivation system Shrek has passed down for ten thousand years?"
"How could the wisdom left to us by our ancestors compare to mere external tools?"
"I say..."
Just then, Mu En, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them.
In an instant, Sea God Pavilion seemed to fall still. Mu En's cloudy yet deep-set eyes drifted over to Xuan Zi.
He didn't scold him. He didn't even say a word. Just one look—
and the words stuck in Xuan Zi's throat.
The Taotie Douluo, who had been so full of bluster just moments ago, was now like a deflated ball.
He hunched his shoulders and obediently shut his mouth. Most of the drunkenness instantly left him, and he sobered up considerably.
The elders wore various expressions at the sight, but not one of them spoke.
Mu En turned his gaze back to Qian Duoduo, and at last, a trace of approval appeared on his aged face.
"Duoduo."
"You've handled this very well."
Qian Duoduo immediately stood.
"You flatter me, teacher."
Mu En gently shook his head, then slowly swept his gaze across everyone present.
His voice rang clearly in every ear.
"I said this a long time ago."
"Soul Tools are the trend of the future. They are the direction of the times."
"The academy will not change its stance on developing Soul Tools to satisfy anyone's wishes."
He paused. His cloudy eyes seemed to pierce through time and space, gazing toward the distant Sun Moon Empire.
"All these years,"
"Shrek has always stood at the peak of the continent."
"And precisely because of that, many of us have grown accustomed to looking down on everyone else."
"Accustomed to victory."
"Some have even begun to look down on Soul Tools."
"But the truth is bitterly ironic,"
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