Xuan Zi paused, his gaze settling on Yao Haoxuan's carefully gathered remains. Grief he could no longer suppress surged in his murky old eyes.
"I'll take Haoxuan's remains back, too. For now, don't go to the military camp and tell Duke White Tiger about Dai Yueheng. Wait until the Sea God Pavilion has finished discussing the matter."
"I'm not going back." Ma Xiaotao braced herself against the rock wall and stood. A trace of blood still clung to the corner of her mouth. Her Phoenix Flame flickered faintly around her, brightening and dimming, but her gaze was astonishingly resolute. "I'm the former captain. For the honor of Shrek Academy, I can't just go back like this."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Xuan Zi barked. "Your injuries—"
"I know my own injuries, and I wasn't poisoned." Ma Xiaotao cut him off, her voice hoarse but firm. "I won't die. Give me some time, and I can regain my ability to fight. If I leave too, there'll only be three of them left from the inner court."
Xuan Zi stared at her for a while. Complicated emotions flickered in his murky old eyes.
After a long while, he let out a heavy sigh, turned around, and said gravely to the group, "I'm responsible for this entire accident. There's no time left to send other students from the academy to compete in the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament. Lin Shuo, Ling Luochеn, Gongyang Mo, and the children from the reserve team." Xuan Zi's voice was heavier than ever. "I'm entrusting Shrek's honor to you this time. I know this burden is too heavy for you, especially for those of you on the reserve team. Remember this: victory and honor belong to you. Failure and disgrace belong only to me."
His gaze finally settled on Lin Shuo. He looked at him deeply, then said nothing more.
Xuan Zi beckoned to Dai Yueheng and Chen Zifeng with a sweep of his large hand. A dense white Soul Power enveloped them. Then he activated his Flying Soul Tool and headed for Shrek Academy.
Silence once again settled over the cave.
Wang Yan took a deep breath, forcing down his grief, then turned to face the remaining team members. His gaze swept across every face. "You all heard him." Wang Yan did his best to keep his voice steady. "We'll head straight for Star Luo City now. Do your best to recover from your injuries and get yourselves back into shape along the way. As for the competition, Lin Shuo will be the strongest there, even among all the competitors. With the other inner-court students alongside him, we still have a good chance of winning the championship."
The others nodded silently.
The group gathered their belongings and left the cave. The sunlight outside stung their eyes, and the mountain breeze carried the scent of plants and trees, a stark contrast to the nauseating stench of blood inside the cave. Just a short while ago, they had been the spirited Shrek Team; now, the group emerging from the cave was incomplete.
Shrek Academy, Sea God Pavilion.
Xuan Zi sat on the floor, pouring liquor into his mouth. Footsteps sounded behind him.
"How are things?"
Zhuang Yusen stood respectfully behind Xuan Zi. "They're stable now. Chen Zifeng just needs a period of recuperation. Dai Yueheng, however, lost both his legs and will have to use prosthetics from now on. Elder Xuan, preparations for the Sea God Pavilion Meeting you proposed are also complete."
Xuan Zi breathed out the smell of liquor and sighed. "That's good, then. Let's go."
Xuan Zi rose and headed out, his figure looking distinctly dejected.
The elders of the Sea God Pavilion had all gathered along both sides of the long table.
Mu En's gentle voice rang out. "Go ahead, Xuan Zi. What did you call the Sea God Pavilion Meeting for?"
Xuan Zi rose to his feet and said gravely, "I request to resign as deputy head of the Shrek Inspection Group and to withdraw from the Sea God Pavilion."
Standing before the long table, Xuan Zi's voice was hoarse and low, every word seemingly wrenched from his throat. Dust and bloodstains from the cave still marked his white robes. His disheveled hair obscured most of his face, making his expression hard to read, but his fingers trembled slightly around his wine gourd.
"I'm entirely responsible for this accident. I misjudged the situation and left a group of children to face the Evil Soul Master alone. Haoxuan is dead, and Dai Yueheng is crippled. If it weren't for Lin Shuo..." He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing. "If it weren't for Lin Shuo, I wouldn't even have caught that Evil Soul Master. I'm not fit to remain an elder of the Sea God Pavilion, much less to continue leading the Shrek Inspection Group."
Silence filled the Sea God Pavilion.
Yan Shaozhe was the first to stand. Looking at Xuan Zi, his usually gentle face was now stricken with alarm. "Elder Xuan, what are you saying? The Evil Soul Master's methods were strange and unpredictable. Who could have expected a Five-Ring Soul King to unleash such destructive power? And we all know your Martial Soul requires you to keep eating. How can you blame yourself for that?"
"Shaozhe is right." Xian Lin'er also stood and spoke. "Elder Xuan, everyone has seen how much you've done for these children. What happened this time was an accident, not your fault. If you resign over one accident, who in the Sea God Pavilion will dare take responsibility in the future?"
Xuan Zi shook his head, his voice growing even hoarser. "Don't say any more. I was too careless. I was outside drinking and eating meat while the children fought for their lives inside. I could have gone in with them. Besides, this isn't the first time. I should have resigned after that blunder in the Star Dou Great Forest. I only stayed because Lexuan knelt outside for a long time, and I couldn't bear to hurt her."
"Xuan Zi."
An aged, steady voice sounded from the far end of the long table, cutting him off.
Mu En slowly opened his eyes. He didn't lift his head and remained reclined in his chair, yet his cloudy eyes radiated an authority no one could resist. At his words, the entire Sea God Pavilion fell silent, and everyone turned to look at the old man.
"Have you finished?" Mu En asked in an even tone, as if it were the most ordinary question.
Xuan Zi lowered his head and said nothing.
"Since you've finished, then listen to me." Mu En slowly sat upright, revealing his face. "The academy did suffer heavy losses in this accident. But every inner-court disciple is prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice when they join the inner court. And this Evil Soul Master was a rare corpse controller. The fact that you managed to eliminate him was already a good deed."
Xuan Zi jerked his head up and opened his mouth to speak, but Mu En raised a hand to stop him.
"You're indeed no longer suited to serve as deputy head of the Shrek Inspection Group. From now on, stay in the inner court and teach the students. In addition, the children are still in Star Luo City. You need to go there and hold the fort for them, then bring them all back to me safe and sound. As for your punishment, we'll decide after the children return from the competition."
Mu En's gaze rested on Xuan Zi. His tone was mild, yet every word landed with the weight of a thousand catties.
Yan Shaozhe seized the opportunity to step forward and clasp his hands. "Elder Xuan, Teacher is right. The most important thing now isn't assigning blame, but the upcoming competition. With Lin Shuo, along with Ling Luochеn, Xi Xi, Gongyang Mo, and Xiaotao, we still have a chance at the championship. Your most urgent task is to go to Star Luo City in person and hold the fort."