Sea God's Pavilion's Helpless Fury

Shrek Academy, Sea God's Pavilion conference hall.

The entire building had been carved from the trunk of the Golden Tree. It usually radiated a gentle, rich vitality, but today, the smell of gunpowder in this room was so thick it nearly made people choke.

The long goldenwood table was surrounded by Shrek Academy's reclusive elders, figures rarely seen in ordinary times.

Yan Shaozhe stood at the head of the table, his eyes bloodshot and his chest heaving violently.

Bang!

He slammed his palm onto the hard goldenwood table, making it tremble. "Still no sign of her?! We mobilized three contact points along the northern border, sent out four Soul Douluo, and searched for five whole days, yet we cannot even find a trace of her? How could a living person simply vanish into thin air in the Far North?!"

Xian Lin'er sneered from across the table, twirling an exquisite Soul Tool engraving knife in her hand. "Yan Shaozhe, why are you taking your temper out on the table? The Far North is Soul Beast territory. Even a Titled Douluo would be lucky to come back with only a layer of skin peeled off. Your precious disciple always relied on her Evil Fire to charge around recklessly. Who knows? Maybe she went mad in that frozen wasteland and set herself ablaze."

"Xian Lin'er, stop making those snide remarks!"

Yan Shaozhe whirled around and pointed at Xian Lin'er's nose as he roared, "Xiaotao possesses Ultimate Fire! She is the future face of our Martial Soul Department! She carried a Class 9 fixed-installation Soul Tool talisman and the Inner Court's exclusive communication Soul Tool. If she had not encountered an exceptionally formidable enemy, how could she have failed to send even a signal? If your Soul Tool Department people cannot find her, then stop standing there and mocking us!"

Xian Lin'er slapped her engraving knife onto the table and shot to her feet. "I am mocking you? Yan Shaozhe, did a donkey kick your brain loose? Who was the one who swore that finding Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow in the Far North would suppress her Evil Fire? Who insisted on sending her there? Now that she is missing, you are taking it out on our Soul Tool Department? Your precious disciple was probably abducted by that fellow called Thunder Dragon long ago!"

"Bullshit!" Yan Shaozhe's beard trembled wildly with rage. "Xiaotao is utterly loyal to Shrek. She would never betray the academy!"

"Loyalty? Can loyalty withstand Evil Fire burning through her body? Can loyalty save her life?"

Xian Lin'er shot back without hesitation. "That Yu Chen, who used the alias Thunder Dragon at the Star Luo Great Soul Arena, suppressed her Evil Fire in one move. Who in the Inner Court did not see it? He has a method that can cure her completely. What do you have? All you have is, 'Endure it a little longer for Shrek's glory!' If I were a young woman in my twenties, suffering every day until life was worse than death, I would run off with him too!"

"Enough! Xian Lin'er, you are utterly unreasonable!" Yan Shaozhe trembled all over with fury.

"Both of you, say less. What kind of conduct is this, bickering like this?"

Qian Duoduo, seated farther down the table, hurriedly tugged at Xian Lin'er's sleeve. "The urgent matter is bringing her back. The tournament is about to begin, and both the preparatory team and the main team have lost their backbone. If word gets out, where will Shrek's reputation, accumulated over ten thousand years, go?"

"Reputation? Your Martial Soul Department only knows how to care about reputation!" Xian Lin'er flung Qian Duoduo's hand aside, her face filled with disgust.

An elderly man in Inner Court teacher's robes knelt in the center of the hall.

He was the eight-ring Soul Douluo elder responsible for receiving Ma Xiaotao at the outskirts of the Far North. At this moment, his forehead was pressed tightly to the floor, and his entire body shook. "Dean Yan, Dean Xian, this subordinate... this subordinate truly did his best!"

Yan Shaozhe abruptly turned around and glared down at him. "Your best? Tell me exactly how you lost her!"

The elder swallowed and said tremblingly, "Reporting to the dean, Miss Xiaotao had originally been searching the Far North's outer region for traces of a Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Silkworm. But five days ago, a destructive white light suddenly appeared in the Far North's core region, piercing through heaven and earth. The disturbance was terrifying. The entire frozen plain shook, and more than half the blizzard in the outer region was blown away!"

"And then?!" Yan Shaozhe pressed.

"And then... Miss Xiaotao's communication mark suddenly weakened before cutting off completely."

The elder wiped cold sweat from his forehead and added fearfully, "This subordinate gathered his courage and led two stewards thirty li toward the core region. Then, in the snow outside the frozen plain, we discovered the mark of the Heavenly Dragon Gate! And... and remnants of an incredibly terrifying dragon's might! From far away, just one glance made this subordinate's Martial Soul tremble uncontrollably. I did not dare go any farther!"

"Heavenly Dragon Gate..."

Yan Shaozhe ground out the three words through clenched teeth, his fists cracking. "The Heavenly Dragon Gate again! That Yu Chen humiliated our Shrek Preparatory Team at the Great Soul Arena, and now he dared go to the Far North and forcibly take Shrek's foremost Inner Court disciple! They are declaring war on Shrek!"

"Declaring war? The Heavenly Dragon Gate is a secluded great sect with a legacy spanning over ten thousand years. Their foundation is not much weaker than ours."

Elder Lin, who had remained silent at the side, finally spoke slowly. "Shaozhe, calm down first. The Heavenly Dragon Gate has clearly emerged this time for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament. Holding Ma Xiaotao is nothing more than an attempt to cut down our strongest force before the tournament and blunt Shrek's edge."

"So what? Are we just supposed to swallow this humiliation?!"

Yan Shaozhe turned and bowed toward the wheelchair at the head of the long table, which had remained silent all along. "Elder Mu! Xiaotao is my personal disciple and a talent with the potential for Ultimate Fire Phoenix! If the Heavenly Dragon Gate takes her away like this, where will Shrek's dignity remain? Please permit me to lead a team to the Heavenly Dragon Gate and demand her return! If they refuse to hand her over, then Shrek cannot be blamed for showing no mercy!"

At the end of the table stood an ancient wooden wheelchair.

Seated in it was a white-haired old man at death's door. His eyes were half-open, his body stooped, and he looked like nothing more than an ordinary old man nearing the end of his life.

Hearing Yan Shaozhe's request, the old man slowly raised his head and coughed violently several times.

Cough, cough... Cough, cough, cough!

As the coughing subsided, a pure and gentle yet vast, ocean-like aura of light spread from the old man's body. The previously noisy hall instantly fell utterly silent. Even the sound of a needle dropping could have been heard clearly.

He was the master of Sea God's Pavilion, the Rank 99 Limit Douluo, Dragon God Douluo Mu En!

"Shaozhe, you are still as impatient as ever."

Mu En's voice was old and hoarse, without the slightest hint of anger. "Go to the Heavenly Dragon Gate and demand her return? Do you have proof that Xiaotao is inside their mountain gate? You go to demand her, and they send you back with a single, 'We have never seen her.' What will you do then? Attack their mountain-protecting formation directly? Let the entire continent laugh at Shrek for bullying others with strength?"

Yan Shaozhe's face reddened as he said unwillingly, "But Elder Mu, are we simply going to let this go? There is only one month left before the tournament. Without Xiaotao leading them, the main team's strength will be reduced by at least thirty percent! Dai Yueheng and the others are capable, but they have no certainty of victory against the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. And now, an unfathomable Heavenly Dragon Gate team has appeared as well!"

A strange gleam flashed through Mu En's clouded eyes as he slowly rotated the wooden beads in his hand. "Heavenly Dragon Gate... what a Heavenly Dragon Gate. After lying dormant for thousands of years, this generation has produced a young man capable of invoking transdimensional dragon might. I watched the recording of that child Yu Chen's match at the Great Soul Arena. His Martial Soul is absolutely not an ordinary Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. It even surpasses every known dragon-type Martial Soul on the continent."

At this point, Mu En paused slightly, and his tone became low and cold. "Since they want to play on the stage of the younger generation, then Shrek will accompany them to the end. Ten thousand years of glory were not boasted into existence. They were forged by generations of Shrek people with the blood of their enemies."

"Then Elder Mu means?" Yan Shaozhe quickly asked.

"The tournament will proceed as usual."

Mu En withdrew his aura of light, and his entire body sank back into the broad shadows. "The main team will prepare with all their strength. As for Ma Xiaotao... as long as she is not dead, the Heavenly Dragon Gate will naturally make her appear during the tournament. Then, before the eyes of every force on the continent, we will reclaim both Shrek's dignity and its person."

"Yes! We shall obey Elder Mu's decree!" Yan Shaozhe bowed to accept the order. Though he still held a bitter grudge in his heart, he could only suppress it.

Xian Lin'er snorted coldly and said nothing more. Pulling Qian Duoduo along, she turned and left the Sea God's Pavilion hall.

Seeing this, the elders also rose one after another, bowed, and withdrew.

Soon, only Mu En in his wheelchair and a black shadow standing in a dark corner remained in the vast, dim hall.

Mu En closed his eyes and lightly tapped his fingers against the wheelchair's armrest. He asked calmly, "How is the progress of that child, Huo Yuhao?"

The shadow in the corner shifted slightly, and Xuan Zi's dry, hoarse voice came from within it. "Reporting to Elder Mu, that child's foundation is far too poor. Though his Spiritual Eyes are a mutated spiritual attribute, his Innate Soul Power is only Rank 1. Even if suffering in the White Tiger Duke's Mansion tempered his character, it will be difficult for him to reach the tournament's threshold in a short time."

Mu En's brows furrowed slightly. "What did the Tang Sect say? Tang Ya and Bei Bei gave him the Tang Sect's slot?"

"They did."

Xuan Zi stepped out of the shadows, holding a greasy wine gourd as he took a large gulp. "That girl Tang Ya is stubborn. She thinks she owes Huo Yuhao and insisted on bringing him into the Tang Sect. But the boy's second Martial Soul has yet to awaken. His spiritual power is somewhat unusual, but without outside intervention, he will be fortunate to reach Soul Ancestor in this lifetime."

Mu En fell silent for a long time as the light in the hall grew darker and darker.

"When necessary, activate that plan."

Mu En's voice echoed through the dim hall, carrying an unquestionable decisiveness. "Use the portion of Boiling Blood Powder in the academy treasury, along with that Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Crystal sealed within Sea God's Pavilion, all on him. The process will be painful, and it may even cost him some lifespan, but as long as his spiritual power can be forcibly raised to the Soul Emperor level before the tournament, it will all be worth it."

Xuan Zi's hand holding the wine gourd stiffened. He hesitated before saying, "Elder Mu, that Boiling Blood Powder is a remnant formula left behind by Du Busi. It is extremely overbearing. One misstep, and the child's meridians and spiritual sea will be completely ruined..."

"Shrek's glory must never be trampled beneath the feet of a secluded sect."

Mu En interrupted Xuan Zi and slowly opened his eyes. The previously clouded gaze was now full of coldness and calculation. "Go do it. He was sent here by the Tang Sect. If the Sea God watches over us from above, he will naturally protect him. For Shrek, an individual's sacrifice amounts to nothing."

Xuan Zi stood where he was for a moment, then finally sighed heavily. "I understand, Elder Mu. I will make the arrangements now."

The shadows closed around him once more. Mu En leaned back in his wheelchair, gazing at the towering Golden Tree canopy beyond the window. His withered hand unconsciously rubbed the wheelchair's edge, and for a long time, he made no further sound.

Shrek Academy Inner Court, a sealed chamber thirty meters underground.

The chamber's four walls were all built from heavy black ironstone, etched with dense isolation runes. The air was filled with a thick, pungent stench of blood and scorched herbs.

A massive iron testing rack stood in the center of the chamber.

Huo Yuhao was tightly bound to the rack by four thick refined-steel chains. His wrists, ankles, and shoulder blades were all locked in place by cold metal rings.

At this moment, transparent soul-conducting tubes as thick as fingers had been inserted all over his body. The other ends connected to more than a dozen glass medicine jars beside him, all boiling violently.

Dark-red viscous liquid flowed through the soul-conducting tubes, forcibly entering his meridians bit by bit.

"Aaaahhh—!"

Huo Yuhao threw back his head, forcing an inhuman, miserable scream from deep in his throat. The muscles across his body convulsed wildly, while the blood vessels beneath his skin bulged one by one like dark-red earthworms frantically burrowing beneath his flesh!

The medicine was far too overbearing.

The medicinal power coursed through his blood and spread across his entire body, as though countless red-hot blunt knives were scraping back and forth through his meridians, marrow, and internal organs!

Every second of torment felt like being thrown into a boiling vat of oil and fried over and over again.

"Endure it! If you do not want to be worthless for the rest of your life, then endure it with everything you have!"

Xuan Zi stood beside the testing rack, chewing large mouthfuls of greasy roast chicken leg as he coldly rebuked him. "This is Boiling Blood Powder concocted for you using Sea God's Pavilion's ten-thousand-year foundation! It contains the essence blood of a thirty-thousand-year Scarlet Blood Berserk Demon Ape, along with five whole Blazing Sun Heartburn Grass! If you cannot endure even this much pain, what will you use to bring glory to Shrek? What will you use to win the Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament?!"

Huo Yuhao's eyes were bloodshot from the pain, and tiny bloody cracks had even burst open at the corners of his eyes.

He panted heavily, sweat mixed with blood dripping from his chin onto the ground. It corroded shallow pits into the black iron floor.

Pain!

Pain so intense it was driving him mad!

Yet compared to the torment of his body, the scenes constantly flashing through Huo Yuhao's mind were like poisoned needles, piercing his heart full of holes!

That day at the Great Soul Arena...

That white-robed youth called Yu Chen had stood on the arena so casually. Without even releasing his Martial Soul, he had used nothing more than an aloof pressure to force the Shrek Preparatory Team they had been so proud of to collapse to the ground and cough blood!

And Wang Dong'er...

That pink-blue-haired girl who had once shared a dormitory with him, beautiful beyond compare and of noble status, had instead followed behind Yu Chen like a docile kitten, her eyes filled with worship and infatuation whenever she looked at him!

She had not even spared the fallen Huo Yuhao a second glance!

"Why... why?!"