Ancestor's Wisdom? Bullshit!

Qian Duoduo flipped to the second page.

"Next is the second task Elder Mu entrusted to me."

As he spoke, he first handed a separately compiled agreement file to Mu En.

"This is the exchange student agreement reached after discussions with the Dean of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy and relevant high-level officials. Please take a look, Teacher."

Mu En took the file but did not flip through it immediately, listening quietly instead.

Seeing this, Qian Duoduo continued, "Driven by Xu Tianyao, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy has officially agreed to launch an exchange student program with Shrek Academy."

"Both sides have tentatively agreed that when new students enroll next spring, each will select about ten outstanding students to study and exchange at the other's academy."

"The study period is tentatively set for one year."

"During this time, students from both sides may be exposed to the other's teaching system, but matters involving core secrets and top-level research projects remain strictly confidential."

Hearing this, a flash of sharp light crossed Mu En's cloudy eyes.

Shrek's greatest weakness was Soul Tools.

If they could take this opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the Sun Moon Empire's teaching system, it would undoubtedly be of great help to the academy's future development.

However, the expressions of Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe shifted slightly.

Qian Duoduo, unaware of their thoughts, opened the final document, his expression turning serious.

"Finally, regarding the situation at Mingde Hall."

"Following Elder Mu's instructions, I have attempted to contact Jing Hongchen multiple times, proposing a request to visit Mingde Hall and initiate partial technical cooperation."

"But the result was as we expected."

"Whether it was the Master of Mingde Hall, Jing Hongchen, or the new Emperor, Xu Tianran, both explicitly rejected the proposal."

"Even when mentioning the core areas of Mingde Hall, their attitude was exceptionally cautious."

"From this, it can be confirmed that Mingde Hall remains the most core strategic institution of the Sun Moon Empire."

"Its security clearance is even higher than we originally anticipated."

Having said this, Qian Duoduo slowly closed the file, and the Sea God Pavilion fell into a brief silence.

The atmosphere within the Sea God Pavilion became somewhat oppressive.

Mu En sat at the head of the table with his eyes closed, his aged face revealing no emotion; it was impossible to tell what this elder, who never succumbed to pressure, was thinking at this moment.

However, amidst this awkward atmosphere, a dull thud rang out.

Everyone looked up to see a wine gourd slammed heavily onto the table.

Unexpectedly, it was the drunkard Xuan Zi who broke the silence.

With a red nose and breathing like an ox, he glared at everyone with a look of intense dissatisfaction before fixing his gaze on Qian Duoduo.

"I just don't understand!"

"Why must we engage in some exchange student program with the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy?"

Xuan Zi first stole a glance at Mu En, and seeing no reaction, he continued indignantly.

"Those brats from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy—which session of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament haven't they been crushed by our Shrek children?"

"The two sides aren't even on the same level!"

"What is there to exchange?"

He waved his hand dismissively, his face full of disdain. "To put it bluntly, they just want to come and steal Shrek's skills!"

"If we really let them learn what we've accumulated over ten thousand years, wouldn't that be a huge loss?"

Hearing Xuan Zi's words, many of the old masters exchanged glances.

Although everyone knew Xuan Zi had never been interested in Soul Tools, this statement seemed far too arbitrary and bizarre.

What on earth was this guy talking about?

Was he even human?

Yet, Xuan Zi remained completely oblivious.

Instead, the more he spoke, the more he felt he was in the right.

He even began to lecture Qian Duoduo.

"Duoduo, it's not that I'm criticizing you."

"Your negotiation this time was too soft!"

"You just agreed to whatever they said?"

"If it had been me, I wouldn't have been so passive!"

Xuan Zi slapped the table, looking as if he were disappointed that his expectations hadn't been met.

"They won't open up Mingde Hall?"

"Then tell them!"

"Mingde Hall is off-limits, and the exchange student program is out of the question!"

"Let's see who's the one panicking now!"

By the time he finished, Xuan Zi even looked a bit smug.

It was as if he had already secured a massive benefit for the academy.

However, Qian Duoduo was left completely bewildered.

He rubbed his temples, finally unable to hold back: "Elder Xuan."

"Have you had too much to drink?"

With that one sentence, the entire Sea God Pavilion fell silent, and the corners of many elders' mouths twitched.

This Xuan Zi—they were in the middle of a meeting, discussing major affairs; drinking was one thing, but turning the whole meeting into a chaotic mess was truly speechless.

Xuan Zi's expression stiffened instantly, as if he hadn't expected Qian Duoduo to dare question and refute him to his face.

Yet 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 himself was a Titled Douluo. He was in the right, so why would he be afraid of anything?

"This exchange student program was something we proposed ourselves in the first place."

"It was authorized by the teacher personally."

"How is it that, according to you, it's as if they are begging us? We've been meeting for so long, and I've said so much—have you actually been listening?"

As his voice fell, Xuan Zi was stunned for a moment. Then, he instinctively looked back, and upon seeing Yan Shaozhe's bitter expression, he suddenly realized what he had done.

Recalling what he had just said, he couldn't keep his old face straight.

Especially under the strange gazes of the surrounding elders, his complexion shifted between shades of green and white.

But admitting he was wrong was clearly impossible for him, so Xuan Zi gave a dry cough and, biting the bullet, continued: "So what?"

"It's just a pile of scrap metal!"

"No matter how powerful Soul Tools are, can they compare to the cultivation system Shrek has passed down for ten thousand years?"

"Can the wisdom left behind by our ancestors be compared to those external objects?"

"In my opinion..."

Just then, Mu En, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them.

In an instant, the entire Sea God Pavilion seemed to fall into a hush. Mu En's cloudy yet profound eyes swept calmly toward Xuan Zi.

There was no scolding, not even a single word—just a look.

It forced the rest of Xuan Zi's words to get stuck firmly in his throat.

The Taotie Douluo, who had been so aggressive just a moment ago, was now like a deflated balloon.

He shrank his neck and obediently shut his mouth. The alcohol-induced haze dissipated by more than half, and he became quite sober.

Seeing this, the elders wore various expressions, but no one spoke.

Mu En withdrew his gaze and looked at Qian Duoduo, a hint of gratification finally appearing on his aged face.

"Duoduo."

"You handled this matter very well."

Qian Duoduo stood up immediately.

"Teacher is too kind."

Mu En shook his head slightly, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone present.

His voice reached everyone's ears with perfect clarity.

"I said a long time ago."

"Soul Tools are the trend of the future; they are the direction of the era."

"The academy will not change its stance on developing Soul Tools because of anyone's will."

Having said this, Mu En paused slightly. His cloudy eyes seemed to pierce through time and space, looking toward the distant Sun Moon Empire.

"All these years."

"Shrek has always stood at the pinnacle of the continent."

"And precisely because of that, many of us have grown accustomed to looking down from above."

"Accustomed to victory."

"We have even begun to look down on Soul Tools."

"But the reality is so ironic."