Shrek Academy's Handling

"Teacher Leng actually won?!"

Watching the live broadcast, Xie Xie jumped up from the sofa in excitement the moment he saw Yun Ming voluntarily concede.

He swung his arm through the air with a fierce, triumphant motion.

Teacher Leng had defeated Yun Ming—he had defeated the Sky-Propping Douluo, the man universally acknowledged as the number one on the continent!

What did this mean?

It meant that the number one person on the continent was now Teacher Leng!

The number one person on the continent was his teacher?

Although the relationship between Leng Hanyuan and them was merely that of a standard teacher and student, rather than the master-disciple bond Gu Yue shared with him, it was still enough to make Xie Xie quite thrilled.

After all, having the number one person on the continent as his teacher was something that would be incredibly impressive to brag about!

Xie Xie was still young, after all, and possessed the temperament of a child.

In contrast, although Tang Wulin's expression was also quite excited, he was not as agitated as Xie Xie.

This was because, from the very beginning, he had never believed Teacher Leng would lose.

Was that Teacher Leng's true strength...

Tang Wulin recalled the images from the broadcast.

That golden stream of light, which seemed capable of destroying the heavens and extinguishing the earth, had been effortlessly neutralized by Teacher Leng simply raising his hand to manifest an ice mirror.

Such a scene brought a tremendous psychological shock to Tang Wulin, who was still just a lowly one-ring Spirit Master.

A sense of yearning rose involuntarily in his heart—a craving for that level of power.

Yet, unlike the reactions of the two little ones, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie, Wu Zhangkong's mood at this moment was extremely complex.

Tang Wulin and Xie Xie had no connection to Shrek Academy.

To them, the Sky-Propping Douluo, Yun Ming, was merely a big shot they had heard of in rumors, so they naturally felt nothing regarding his defeat.

But Wu Zhangkong was different.

He hailed from Shrek Academy.

Although he had already left the academy, he had never truly let go of it in his heart.

Wu Zhangkong understood what the Sky-Propping Douluo's defeat signified.

It was a massive blow to the prestige of the entire Shrek Academy.

As someone who still cared deeply for the academy, Wu Zhangkong naturally could not be as excited as Tang Wulin and the others.

However, it was impossible for him to harbor any resentment toward Leng Hanyuan because of it.

Wu Zhangkong knew clearly that this sparring match had been initiated by Shrek Academy itself to probe Leng Hanyuan.

They had to bear the consequences of their crushing defeat.

From start to finish, Leng Hanyuan had done nothing wrong; it was simply that his strength had far exceeded everyone at Shrek Academy's expectations.

"Sigh."

Wu Zhangkong let out a soft sigh in his heart, suppressing those complicated thoughts.

He was no longer a member of the academy, so why bother worrying about so much?

Shrek Academy, Sea God Pavilion.

At the very core of Shrek Academy's power, the atmosphere was currently heavy and dreadfully solemn.

"The recent public opinion has become increasingly unfavorable for the academy."

An elder spoke in a deep voice, his aged face, covered in wrinkles like tree bark, filled with gravity; his expression was so gloomy it seemed as if water could drip from it.

"Some of the smaller factions that originally leaned toward us are now showing a tendency to favor the Spirit Transmission Pagoda—or, to be precise, to favor the Phoenix Family."

"If this continues, it will likely affect the academy's upcoming recruitment of students."

This statement touched upon the point that concerned the many elders present the most.

As the number one Spirit Master academy on the continent, what was the most important thing for Shrek Academy?

Without a doubt, it was the quality of their students.

Only a high-quality intake could cultivate more outstanding students.

Once there was a problem with the source of students, the quality of the pupils Shrek Academy cultivated in the future would inevitably be affected.

Once the quality of the students cultivated here falls below previous standards, the prestige of Shrek Academy as a whole will undoubtedly suffer a further blow.

This will inevitably lead to a further deterioration in the quality of incoming students.

And thus, a vicious cycle will begin.

They have no choice but to take this seriously.

"..."

Silence.

Everyone knows that this must be taken seriously.

Yet, for the moment, there is no solution.

After all, that battle was broadcast live across the entire Federation, taking place under the eyes of the public.

The room they have to offer any sort of defense is minimal.

Ultimately, the vast majority of people only believe the facts placed right before their eyes.

"It's all that damned Spirit Transmission Pagoda's fault!"

Zhuo Shi slammed his fist onto the table, producing a dull, heavy thud.

He gritted his teeth, his words filled with nothing but fury toward the Spirit Transmission Pagoda.

Ever since Yun Ming conceded, they had already anticipated this situation occurring.

Consequently, they had specifically mobilized all of Shrek Academy's media resources, aiming to contain the public opinion within the smallest possible scope at the earliest opportunity.

Logically speaking, under such maneuvers, the public impact resulting from this win or loss should not have reached its current extent.

However, a far more powerful force of public opinion had forcibly expanded the scale of the impact.

As for who that force of public opinion came from, all the major powers knew it clearly in their hearts.

Who else could it be but the Spirit Transmission Pagoda?

They were the only ones who would be most delighted to see the influence of this matter grow, and only the Spirit Transmission Pagoda possessed such power over public opinion.

As the wealthiest organization on the entire continent.

The Spirit Transmission Pagoda controlled numerous media outlets.

The influence they wielded over public opinion was even more powerful than that of Shrek Academy.

This was the reason why public opinion was increasingly trending in a direction unfavorable to Shrek Academy.

"It's eighty percent likely that old bastard, Qiangu Dongfeng!"

Zhuo Shi gritted his teeth.

"Enough."

Yun Ming waved his hand.

"This matter is my fault."

"It is because my strength was insufficient that I have brought the academy into its current predicament."

"Boss, how is this your fault?" Zhuo Shi grew somewhat anxious.

Especially when he saw some of the Sea God Pavilion elders nodding in agreement.

The decision to agree to the Phoenix Family's request for a continent-wide broadcast had been a result passed by the entire Sea God Pavilion.

From beginning to end, Yun Ming had never claimed to have absolute certainty.

He had only said he would do his best.

Yet now, it was one thing for Yun Ming to take the responsibility upon himself, but for these old fogies to actually have the gall to think it was all Yun Ming's fault was another.

Zhuo Shi's explosive temper could not stand for it.

"It's fine."

Yun Ming waved his hand, cutting off Zhuo Shi's attempt to speak for him.

"Things have reached this point; what we can do is compensate for the failure that has already occurred as much as possible."

"Therefore, in my capacity as the Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion, I issue the following orders."

"Continue to use the media resources controlled by the academy to contain the fermentation of public opinion."

"The academy will also keep a slightly lower profile during this period; do not attract major attention, and let this matter gradually fade from memory."

"Secondly, for all upcoming competitions involving the academy, tell the students to perform to the best of their abilities."

"Use facts to tell everyone on the continent that although I, Yun Ming, lost to the Mystic Phoenix Douluo, that does not mean there is any problem with the educational standards of Shrek Academy."