At the center of the public outcry, Shrek Academy swiftly launched an emergency public relations campaign to salvage its damaged reputation.
It issued a carefully worded official statement, claiming that Shrek and the Body Sect had reached a clear agreement ten thousand years ago. Shrek had kept the Secret of Inheritance for safekeeping, not deliberately hidden it or refused to return it. The statement stressed the academy's integrity and moral principles.
To lend the statement credibility, Shrek Academy invited several renowned Soul Masters who had graduated from the academy to speak on its behalf. Respected and influential across the continent, they voiced their support through various channels.
For instance, a graduate who had once won the Soul Master Tournament said publicly, "During my time at Shrek Academy, I saw firsthand how deeply it respected and protected knowledge and legacies. I believe the academy's statement. There must be a misunderstanding behind all this."
A well-known Soul Engineer also spoke out, praising Shrek Academy's outstanding contributions to nurturing talent and protecting legacies.
Thanks to the prestige and reputation it had built over tens of thousands of years in the Soul Master World, Shrek Academy's public relations campaign had some effect.
The academy's statement and its graduates' support caused some who had doubted its account to waver. Certain powers with close ties to Shrek Academy chose to believe its explanation and continued to support Shrek.
Under Shrek Academy's vigorous public relations campaign, the uproar gradually subsided, and some of the fiercest debates died down. The academy seemed to have contained the crisis for the moment, restoring an appearance of calm.
Meanwhile, inside the Spirit Pagoda...
A subordinate stood with his head lowered, his voice trembling as he gave Qian Gu Dongfeng a detailed report on the situation following Shrek Academy's crisis response. When