Sun... Tang San!?

The news of Shrek Academy's defeat spread across the Douluo Continent like a wildfire.

And it was a seven-on-two loss at that.

Beyond the explosive nature of the event itself, both the Tianhai Alliance and hostile factions like the Spirit Pagoda, who had no desire to see Shrek thrive, were busy spreading the word far and wide.

Under these circumstances, even if Shrek Academy had wanted to suppress the news, they were ultimately powerless to do so.

Likewise, the names of Gu Yue and Shen Nanxun spread throughout the continent's soul master circles in an instant. It was not difficult for high-ranking soul masters to inquire about them: one was the disciple of the long-renowned Heavenly Phoenix Douluo and Deputy Tower Master of the Spirit Pagoda, while the other was the eldest young master of the Shen Family, a prominent military clan in the Ming Capital.

In stark contrast to the bustle outside, a heavy, oppressive atmosphere hung over the Shrek Academy group inside the Tianhai Hotel.

Shen Yi stood before them, her hands clasped behind her back. She did not scold them harshly as she usually did, nor did she rush to review the tactical details; she simply watched the group of teenagers in silence.

Her gaze swept from Yu Chen to Xu Lizhi, from Ning Yu to Nan Muchen and Mo Li, and finally landed on Zhou Min, who was sitting in the corner receiving treatment. Everyone she looked at lowered their heads, faces filled with shame, no longer possessing the confidence and high spirits they had shown before the match.

"Why are you all hanging your heads? Look up." Shen Yi's voice finally rang out. "Shrek Academy is not a place that cannot afford to lose. On your first day of enrollment, your teachers taught you that while you may lose a match, you must never be afraid of losing. I am not here to discuss tactics with you today; we will review tactical issues back at the academy. I am here to talk to you about one thing: attitude."

"Zhou Min. I assigned you as the lead agility-type attacker, yet you used the Wind-Chasing Falcon to charge head-on into a power-attack soul master? What are the characteristics of the Wind-Chasing Falcon martial soul? Extreme speed, flanking, and retreating after a single strike. Where was your flank? Where was your retreat? Is Shrek's face more important than tactical discipline? When arrogance reaches the battlefield, Shen Nanxun doesn't even need to lift a finger; that fire is specifically meant to burn conceited geniuses like you."

Zhou Min's lips trembled, but he didn't dare utter a single word.

"Yu Chen, you are the captain. Yet I didn't see a shred of leadership or responsibility from you on the field; you were suppressed for the entire match."

Yu Chen lowered his head, his face as dark as water.

"Mo Li, Nan Muchen. The Nether Star Realm is your trump card, and I don't need to teach you how severe the backlash is when triggered before level fifty. If you chose this path, then endure it—don't go crying off the battlefield."

Shen Yi's voice lacked even a hint of warmth, yet every word cut like a blade. "All of you, your problems boil down to the same thing. You didn't just lose because of your strength; you lost because of your arrogance, your slackness, and your belief that because you are students of Shrek, every opponent under the heavens should fear you. Aside from Ye Xinglan, who among you was still diligently training and preparing for the match?"

No one. Of course, no one.

They had gone off to experience the local customs of Tianhai City; how could they possibly be training like Ye Xinglan?

Just then, Ye Xinglan, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly stood up. "Teacher Shen, I'm going to find him!"

With those words, she didn't hesitate, turning and walking straight out of the room.

"Sister Xinglan!" Xu Lizhi called out, but by the time he chased after her, she was already gone.

Shen Yi sighed, but she didn't stop her. She naturally knew what Ye Xinglan's goal was; she had harbored the same thought right after the match ended.

But after learning of Shen Nanxun's background, she knew it was impossible. This wasn't just a political issue; the interests involved were too vast and far too difficult to resolve.

Knock, knock, knock!

A series of knocks sounded at the door. Upon opening it, Shen Nanxun saw the golden-haired girl standing before him, her expression one of extreme exhaustion.

"What is it?"

Shen Nanxun raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat surprised to see her at this hour.

"Can you join Shrek Academy?" Ye Xinglan went straight to the point, offering no preamble as she stated her purpose.

Shen Nanxun leaned against the frame with his arms crossed, his expression indifferent. "Reason."

Ye Xinglan took a deep breath, laying out the arguments she had carefully weighed along the way, one by one.

She spoke of how Shrek Academy possessed the top-tier faculty on the entire continent, capable of providing him with a tailor-made soul skill development plan. She spoke of Shrek's resources, including training programs specifically for twin martial soul masters and the full-element coverage of their simulated training environments, which were impossible to obtain anywhere else. She spoke of the Sea God Pavilion's library, which housed original copies of nearly every classic text from the past ten thousand years. She spoke of how, at Shrek, he could fight alongside the most outstanding peers on the continent, challenge the strong, hone one another, and break through limits that could not be surpassed elsewhere.

"You are strong, but you can be stronger. Shrek can let..." Ye Xinglan's words trailed off as she met Shen Nanxun's black eyes, which were so calm they were nearly cold. Her voice involuntarily stopped.

Shen Nanxun remained leaning against the doorframe, his posture unchanged, his tone light. "Are you finished?"

Ye Xinglan's fingers, hanging at her sides, tightened slightly.

"Then let me ask you," Shen Nanxun countered calmly. "You are in such a rush to find me and want me to join Shrek—is it because you truly believe I need Shrek, or is it because as long as I join, the fact that you lost seven-on-two can be transformed from 'Shrek's shame' into 'losing to one of our own'?"

"Am I right?"

"I..." Ye Xinglan instinctively wanted to refute him, but she had no reason to do so; after all, her true thoughts were exactly that.

"I'm sorry, but for the ten-thousand-year glory of Shrek, I have to..."

"What does Shrek's ten-thousand-year glory have to do with you?"

Ye Xinglan's words were cut off by that single sentence, severed clean.

Shen Nanxun asked with a hint of irritation, "How long have you been at Shrek?"

"Over three months." Ye Xinglan didn't know why he asked, but she answered truthfully.

"You've become like this in just over three months?"

Shen Nanxun was genuinely shocked. This was even more effective than a pyramid scheme; the brainwashing was incredible. He began to wonder if the very first lesson in the Shrek Academy curriculum was just reciting the history of Shrek.

"Do they have something on you?"

Ye Xinglan looked dazed, shaking her head blankly.

Shen Nanxun narrowed his eyes, as if he had realized something. He pulled Ye Xinglan to the end of the hallway and pointed through the window at the blazing sun outside.

"What is that?"

Ye Xinglan suddenly turned serious, saying with great earnestness, "That is the sun of our Shrek, Ancestor Tang San!"

Shen Nanxun: "..."

There was no saving them.

Shen Nanxun remained silent for a long moment before turning to leave.

"Wait a second!" Ye Xinglan chased after him, a hint of urgency in her tone. "You still haven't answered me. Are you willing to join Shrek Academy or not?"

Shen Nanxun did not stop his pace, throwing a sentence back over his shoulder without looking: "Ask me again when you stop calling the sun Tang San and start finding it blinding instead."

Ye Xinglan stood in the corridor as sunlight streamed in through the window, falling upon her face. She instinctively looked up at the glaring sun, two thoughts flashing through her mind almost simultaneously.

One was the concept repeatedly instilled in her at the academy—that the glory of Shrek was as eternal as the sun—and the other was the remark he had just tossed aside without a backward glance. She did not pursue him further, but both of her hands curled into tight fists.

Back in the room, the moment Shen Nanxun closed the door, Na'er poked half her head out from the bed, her silver cowlick standing high as she chewed on half a piece of toffee. "Did that Shrek person leave? What did she want with you?"

"Trying to recruit me. I chased her off with a few words." Shen Nanxun was concise, walking to the table to pour a glass of water and downing more than half of it in one go.

Na'er crunched loudly on her toffee, muttering vaguely, "What's so good about Shrek anyway? Their uniforms are so ugly."

Shen Nanxun nodded in deep agreement.

"You have taste!"

"Elder Cai! Why are you here?"

Shen Yi opened the door and was surprised to see an elderly woman standing there—none other than the Sea God Pavilion elder of Shrek Academy, the Silver Moon Douluo, Cai Yue'er.

"With something this major happening, how could I not come?" Cai Yue'er possessed an inherent authority, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop by several degrees the moment she spoke.

"It's my fault." Shen Yi stepped forward to take the blame. "Elder Cai, all of this was caused by my poor leadership. Please let the academy punish me."

Cai Yue'er waved her hand, her face etched with the marks of time showing little ripple of emotion.

"Your matters will be decided by the academy when you return. I will handle the situation here first."