Within Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion, the usual solemnity had given way to a heavier, more oppressive atmosphere. Although the brutal battle at Sunset Gorge had ended in Shrek's complete victory, there was little joy at surviving the ordeal on the faces of those who returned in triumph.
That lingering sense of dejection weighed on everyone's heart like a boulder. The reason was none other than the Blood Emperor's final words, dripping with mockery and malice—they were merely the weakest batch of scouts from the Abyss Plane.
Those words haunted everyone's minds like a nightmare. Just three bottom-rung Abyss powerhouses had been enough to slaughter fifty thousand elite Federation troops, destroy two towns, and even force Shrek Academy to deploy its greatest fighters from across the ages, barely exterminating all three at a tremendous cost.
Then what of the terrifying beings who truly stood at the apex of the Abyss's pyramid? If the Abyss Plane launched a full-scale invasion of the Douluo Continent, what would their current so-called "strongest" amount to against those unknown, even more powerful Holy Sovereigns?
That sense of impending danger, rising from the depths of their souls, instantly set all of Shrek Academy ablaze. An unprecedented "storm of growth" swept wildly through the academy.
Whether white-haired elders or spirited youths, everyone plunged into an almost frenzied state of cultivation. The cultivation chambers of the Sea God Pavilion remained brightly lit throughout the night, while surging soul power never ceased at the Training Grounds on the Back Mountain. Everyone wished they could split each minute into two, desperately squeezing out every last drop of their potential, all to gain a little more confidence in protecting the continent during the apocalyptic catastrophe to come.
And Tang Wulin, at the heart of this storm, took that frenzy to its