Shrek Academy, Sea God Pavilion.
The heavy solid-wood doors were shut tight, separating the hall from the outside world, yet they could not contain the oppressive atmosphere within.
On either side of the long table, the elders of the Sea God Pavilion sat stiffly upright, their expressions as grim as frost. The atmosphere was so heavy one could have wrung water from it.
Yun Ming sat at the head of the table, tapping his fingertips lightly against its surface. The sound was particularly clear in the silent hall.
Shrek's crushing defeat had already spread throughout the Federation through the livestream.
Naturally, word had reached Shrek City as well.
The myth of ten thousand undefeated years had shattered, and a heavy shadow now fell over its former glory and prestige.
Most importantly, the media under the Spirit Transferring Pagoda's control were sparing no effort in spreading the news far and wide. Utterly despicable.
The Blacksmith Association was joining in the commotion, too. They could understand the Spirit Transferring Pagoda smearing Shrek Academy; after all, Elder Long's slap back then had been no small matter.
But they could not sit still when the Blacksmith Association joined in. This was a signal: the Blacksmith Association was falling into corruption. This neutral faction was actually showing faint signs of leaning toward the Spirit Transferring Pagoda.
After a long while, Yun Ming slowly spoke, breaking the deathly silence in the Sea God Pavilion:
"Everyone, tell me how we should handle this."
"The Spirit Transferring Pagoda's media have always excelled at chasing shadows and catching wind, exaggerating everything. They certainly won't pass up this opportunity presented by the academy's defeat."
"If we handle this poorly, Shrek's reputation will suffer an unprecedented blow. It could even affect our intake of students over the next few years."
After he finished speaking, the hall fell silent again. The elders exchanged glances, their faces full of difficulty.
This crushing defeat had truly been rather unexpected. Their opponents had been just three youngsters, yet they had utterly crushed the Shrek Team.
Who could have seen that coming?
Neither the course of the battle nor its final outcome left any room for excuses. For the moment, no one could come up with a workable countermeasure.
Just as everyone was at their wits' end, Cai Yue'er, who had just finished reprimanding Shen Yi, suddenly had a flash of inspiration and suggested:
"Brother Ming, I have an idea. It might resolve this crisis and even bring Shrek's glory out of the darkness and into the light again."
Hearing this, Yun Ming lowered his head without a word, silently considering it. Although Cai Yue'er had always been unreliable, surely someone could not be unreliable forever.
Seeing that Yun Ming had not interrupted her, Cai Yue'er continued:
"We can invite those three youngsters to enroll at Shrek three years from now."
"As long as they come to study at Shrek, the academy won't have lost. On the contrary, it will further demonstrate the academy's greatness."
"No matter how talented they are, they'll ultimately enter our academy and become part of it. Doesn't that prove Shrek Academy is a holy land for soul masters?"
In Cai Yue'er's eyes, her idea was simply brilliant.
As long as those three enrolled at Shrek, Shrek would not have been defeated. It would merely have been a belated internal battle. Losing to their own future members did not count as losing.
In fact, with a little publicity from the academy, this incident could instead highlight Shrek's reserves of talent and its appeal.
Her mind really did work fast. No one else had thought of it, but she had.
Beside her, Ya Li frowned slightly at this, a trace of worry appearing on her face as she spoke:
"Yue'er, aren't you taking too much for granted?"
"All three of those youngsters have close ties to Heavenly Phoenix and deep connections with the Spirit Transferring Pagoda. Would Heavenly Phoenix let them enroll at Shrek?"
Cai Yue'er waved a hand, her face brimming with confidence as she said with a smile:
"Don't worry, Sister Ya Li. I have a plan."
Hearing this, Yun Ming revealed a faint, gratified smile. Yue'er had grown up. At last, she was no longer causing trouble for the academy. He asked softly, "What plan?"
Cai Yue'er's gaze was firm, her tone brooking no doubt:
"I'll go in person. Would Leng Yaozhu really refuse to release them?"
Yun Ming: ...
Ya Li: ...
That had been spoken too soon. Cai Yue'er was still the same Cai Yue'er.
The Sea God Pavilion fell silent once more. Yun Ming looked at Cai Yue'er, his eyes filled with helplessness.
But there was no better option at present, so he could only tacitly accept her proposal. At the very least, the plan sounded feasible.
Seeing that Yun Ming did not object, Cai Yue'er was overjoyed.
After the meeting ended, she immediately arranged her itinerary, then took out her Soul Guidance Phone and called Shen Yi.
At that moment, Shen Yi was sitting blankly in the Shrek Team's lounge, his eyes lifeless, still sighing over their earlier crushing defeat and Cai Yue'er's reprimand.
Just then, her phone suddenly rang. Seeing the words "Silver Moon" on the caller display again, she stiffened all over. Not daring to delay in the slightest, she hurriedly answered and said respectfully, "Dean."
"Shen Yi, let me ask you: have you arranged the invitation for those three to enroll?"
Cai Yue'er's voice carried a hint of urgency as she went straight to the point.
Shen Yi was utterly bewildered, his face full of confusion. Unable to grasp Cai Yue'er's meaning for a moment, he stammered:
"D-Dean, I don't understand. What invitation to enroll?"
At this, Cai Yue'er's tone immediately darkened with displeasure:
"What are you doing? Obviously, I mean inviting those three to enroll at Shrek Academy three years from now!"
"This matter is of the utmost importance and concerns the academy. Handle it immediately. There must be no delay."
Shen Yi nearly exploded with anger at Cai Yue'er. What was this supposed to mean? How was she supposed to know Cai Yue'er wanted her to invite them to enroll? Seriously, folks, she was speechless.
But she soon understood Cai Yue'er's intention and could not help admiring the move:
What a clever move. As long as they enroll at Shrek, every defeat can be turned over like a finished page.
They might not belong to Shrek now, but all that matters is that they will in the future. No wonder she's the dean. Her skin really is thick... no, she's flexible and adaptable.
Most importantly, she could finally redeem herself through meritorious service.
But before Shen Yi could breathe a sigh of relief, Cai Yue'er's next words chilled her heart all over again, and the smile on her face froze instantly.
"Oh, right. Remember to prepare what you're going to say, and sound out Leng Yaoyu's attitude first. As long as she agrees, the matter will be halfway settled."
Cai Yue'er's tone was level, but her order allowed no refusal. "You must strike the right balance. You need to secure the invitation's acceptance while also preserving Shrek's dignity."
The smile instantly vanished from Shen Yi's face, replaced by utter bitterness. He nearly burst into tears on the spot.
Seriously, who did Cai Yue'er think she was?
Leng Yaoyu was Heavenly Phoenix Douluo, the deputy master of the Spirit Transferring Pagoda. How was a mere team instructor like her supposed to preserve Shrek's dignity?
Your esteemed dean, find someone else to torment...
Sending her to sound out Leng Yaoyu's attitude—was she sure she wasn't sending her to be cannon fodder?
Shen Yi was just about to refuse when the call abruptly ended on the other end.
The instant the call ended, Shen Yi wanted to cry but had no tears. He slumped in his chair. What else was there to say? It was time to show his emotional intelligence.
Meanwhile, in Leng Yaoyu's room in Skysea City.
Xiao Chen, Na'er, and Gu Yue stood before Leng Yaoyu, recounting every detail of the battle to her.
Na'er spoke animatedly, her tone brimming with excitement and her face filled with the satisfaction of avenging her humiliation. Even her eyes shone a little brighter.
Leng Yaoyu sat on the sofa, listening to Na'er's account with a gratified smile, her eyes filled with approval.
That approval was mainly for Xiao Chen. After all, taking on six by himself had been quite a feat.
"Little Chen did very well. You knew how far to go. I watched the match, too."
"If you'd used your first soul skill, Little Chen, things would have been difficult to handle."
Gu Yue looked at Leng Yaoyu and asked softly, "Teacher, will what we did this time cause trouble for you and the Spirit Transferring Pagoda?"
Leng Yaoyu waved a hand and said unconcernedly, "Don't worry. The Spirit Transferring Pagoda doesn't need to watch Shrek's expression before acting. You don't need to concern yourselves with this."
"No matter how arrogant Shrek is, it won't dare openly break with the Spirit Transferring Pagoda and the Blacksmith Association lightly. Just focus on cultivating and improving your strength. Don't worry about anything else."
Xiao Chen nodded slightly. He knew these matters had nothing to do with him yet, and there was little point in worrying about them as he was now.
After chatting for a while, the three rose to take their leave and returned to their respective rooms to rest.
Gu Yue had to compete in Class Zero's matches, and Xiao Chen had to prepare for the forging competition. Only Na'er was free of worries.
Late that night, in Xiao Chen's room.
Xiao Chen sat cross-legged on the bed, studying the Command Block within his Sea of Consciousness. He was increasingly beginning to doubt whether the Command Block was a martial soul at all.
He could not add soul spirits, and it did not want soul rings obtained by hunting soul beasts. The Command Block simply would not add a soul ring, and he was truly out of ideas.
Just as Xiao Chen was pondering this, the air in the room suddenly grew stagnant. It was as though someone had pressed pause on time, and a faint yet exceedingly ancient aura quietly spread.
This aura belonged neither to a human nor to a soul beast. It seemed more like something originating from the world itself, inspiring involuntary awe.
Xiao Chen's eyes snapped open, his gaze sharpening as he swept his surroundings warily and shouted in a low voice, "Who's there? Come out!"
He could clearly sense that this aura bore no malice, but it was far from ordinary, and certainly not something a soul master could possess. He immediately grew vigilant.
Yet even after scanning the entire room, he found no figure anywhere. The aura still lingered around him without dissipating, seemingly without form or substance, yet undeniably present.
Suddenly, he saw that the clock on the wall had stopped, and his gaze sharpened.
Time had been paused?
Xiao Chen's brows knitted tightly, his entire body tensing, ready at any moment to use the Command Block to blow the other party up along with himself.
The next second, an ethereal, aged voice, seemingly having traveled through time, rang out directly in Xiao Chen's mind without the slightest warning:
"Child..."
The voice was low and slow, carrying a complicated mix of emotions: apprehension, worry, and a barely perceptible heaviness.
Xiao Chen's heart jolted, his expression instantly turning grave as he asked again:
"You... who are you?"
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