Shrek Academy, Sea God Pavilion.
This supreme decision-making body, which carried ten thousand years of the academy's glory, now faced an unprecedented transformation. The era of Yun Ming's leadership had long since ended with that catastrophe, and afterward, a few words from Gu Yue had also turned the entire Douluo World's cultivation system upside down.
Ever since Gu Yue revealed the paths to godhood through "faith" or "strength and cultivation," the foremost experts of Shrek Academy—and even the entire Douluo Continent—had begun a frenzied push toward god level. Amid this surging tide, Yun Ming had relied on his astonishing talent and the power of the Heavenly God Spear to force his way past the shackles of mortality.
Yun Ming's strength had now reached the level of a Second-Level God. A faint golden divine radiance constantly wreathed his body, and every breath stirred a slight resonance in the laws of heaven and earth. Yet, despite standing at the pinnacle of mortal power, he still found himself unequal to that terrifying being from the Abyss Plane—the Mother of Crimson. As an existence at the quasi-God King level, the Mother of Crimson possessed overwhelming strength far beyond that of an ordinary Second-Level God. Yun Ming knew full well that, with his current cultivation, another head-on clash with her would likely end in yet another crushing defeat.
For the future of Shrek Academy, and to give himself more time to consolidate his cultivation and strive for a higher divine realm, Yun Ming made a momentous decision—to step down as Sea God Pavilion Master.
That day, a solemn atmosphere filled the Sea God Pavilion. Yun Ming stood beside the seat that symbolized supreme authority, his gaze sweeping over the elders present before finally settling on two figures.
"Everyone," Yun Ming said, his voice steady and