Spirit City, Spirit Hall Academy.
Yan suddenly rushed towards Xie Yue and Hu Liena inside, panting heavily as he ran, and his expression didn't look good.
Xie Yue was talking to Hu Liena when he heard footsteps and turned around. Seeing Yan's appearance, he couldn't help but frown.
"What's wrong? Why are you in such a panic?"
After their defeat at the Shrek Academy, Bibi Dong didn't personally punish them, but Bibi Dong cold attitude towards the three of them was enough to make them suffer. Could something worse have happened?
Hu Liena also looked up at Yan, her large, charming eyes filled with doubt.
Yan ran up to the two of them, bent over with his hands on his knees, and gasped for breath before straightening up.
"Something terrible has happened!"
"Your Holiness the Pope..."
He paused here, as if organizing his thoughts.
" His Holiness the Pope has relinquished control of the Spirit Hall."
Both Xie Yue and Hu Liena were stunned upon hearing this, completely unprepared for such news.
Bibi Dong is giving up her leadership of the Spirit Hall? It's been a long time since Pope Bibi Dong, so why is she giving it up so easily?
Xie Yue's brows furrowed even more. He was the first to come to his senses and stared at Yan, asking a question.
"Why? Do you know the reason?"
Yan shook his head, his expression somewhat blank.
"I don't know... I just heard it from someone else."
He paused, then added.
But I feel...
"Could it be because we lost to the Shrek Academy last time... and His Holiness the Pope suffered such a loss of face... so..."
He stopped there, but his meaning was clear: Bibi Dong had been slapped in public, causing the Pope to lose face.
Upon hearing this, Xie Yue shook his head, denying Yan's guess.
"Impossible."
"If that were truly the reason, then we would have done it long ago, instead of waiting until now."
That makes a lot of sense. Almost a month has passed since what happened at the Shrek Academy. Although Bibi Dong was angry at the time, she was just angry and did not show any intention of relinquishing power.
If he really had to give up taking charge of the Spirit Hall because of that incident, he should have done it long ago, instead of waiting until today.
So something else must have happened, but what could have made Bibi Dong make such a decision?
The three fell silent; the atmosphere on the training field was quite heavy.
Bibi Dong's decision to relinquish her leadership of the Spirit Hall is no small matter. It concerns the entire power structure of the Spirit Hall and may even affect the future of the three of them.
Hu Liena stood there, her hands unconsciously clenching the hem of her clothes. Her heart was pounding, and her mind was a jumbled mess.
What happened to my teacher?
She grew up with Bibi Dong since childhood. They were nominally master and disciple, but in reality, Bibi Dong was even closer to her than family.
She knew her teacher's temperament all too well: proud, assertive, and never backing down. If someone like that suddenly relinquished his power, something serious must have happened.
Hu Liena grew increasingly uneasy, gritted her teeth, and suddenly raised her head.
"No, I want to go and ask the teacher myself."
As she spoke, she took a step to walk out, but Xie Yue quickly called her back.
"I'll go with you."
Yan nodded.
"I'll go too."
The three had just set off and hadn't even taken a few steps when they encountered a figure right in front of them—it was Chrysanthemum Douluo.
He was dressed in white and walking over from the other side of the training field. When he saw the three people hurrying by, he stopped in front of them.
Where are you three headed?
Xie Yue was the first to speak.
"We've heard that His Holiness the Pope has relinquished control of the Spirit Hall, and we plan to go to His Holiness the Pope to get some answers."
After hearing this, Chrysanthemum Douluo remained silent for a while, then shook his head.
"No need to go."
" His Holiness the Pope is not seeing anyone right now."
Hearing this, Hu Liena became even more anxious and quickly pressed for an answer.
"Why? What happened to the teacher?"
Chrysanthemum Douluo glanced at her, his expression somewhat complicated, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only replied with one sentence.
"I'm not at liberty to answer that."
He paused for a moment, then continued.
"From today onwards, the Grand Elder regain power, and the affairs of the Spirit Hall will be handled by the Grand Elder."
"The three of you should focus on your cultivation and not overthink things."
After he finished speaking, he deliberately lingered his gaze on Hu Liena for a moment longer, and his tone softened somewhat.
"Although you lost to the Shrek Academy, His Holiness the Pope still values you highly. Rest assured, the Spirit Hall will continue to provide you with the resources you three need."
Upon hearing these words, Hu Liena fell silent, her heart heavy with sorrow.
Although Chrysanthemum Douluo said that, it was still quite distressing for the three of them not to know the specific reasons why Bibi Dong relinquished power.
After hearing Chrysanthemum Douluo's words, Xie Yue and Yan, who were standing to the side, couldn't help but let their imaginations run wild.
The Grand Elder has regained power... His Holiness the Pope refuses to see anyone...
This sounds like something major has happened inside the Spirit Hall.
If it really is an internal struggle within the Spirit Hall, then with their current strength and status, they can't do anything at all, they don't even have the right to interfere.
After saying those words Chrysanthemum Douluo turned and left without lingering.
After Chrysanthemum Douluo disappeared, Hu Liena stood there in silence for a long while, then took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind, and turned around to look at Xie Yue and Yan.
"We... must strive to become stronger."
"Next up is the Continental Elite Tournament of Advanced Soul Master Academy; we absolutely must win the championship."
Xie Yue and Yan looked at her at the same time, and both saw the seriousness in Hu Liena's eyes.
"That Shrek Academy might also participate."
"I know they are strong, and that Su Mu is very strong, but for my teacher, I have to go all out."
"My teacher has done so much for me, I can't just stand by and do nothing at this time."
After hearing these words, Xie Yue remained silent for a moment, then nodded.
"You're right."
"What we can do now is to do our best to prove that His Holiness the Pope did not train us in vain."
Yan nodded heavily, clenching his fist.
"I was unwilling to accept losing to Su Mu last time, but I won't lose again next time."
Their eyes met in the air, and they all saw the same determination in each other's eyes.
Although defeating Su Mu would be extremely difficult—his terrifying suppressive power still sends chills down their spines—they would not give up and were determined to win the championship back for their teacher.
Just then, a figure walked over from the other side of the training ground, holding a letter in his hand. This person was none other than Ghost Douluo.
He walked up to the three men and handed them the letter.
"This is an invitation from the Shrek Academy. The Shrek Academy Freshman Competition will be held in Suotuo City in three months, and we invite the younger generation of the continent to attend."
"Whether you go or not is up to you."
Looking at the invitation, Hu Liena and the other two exchanged glances and all chose to accept, intending to see what kind of freshmen Shrek Academy would produce.