Xian Lin'er could tell that Xuan Zi didn't have any physical injuries; his current state seemed to be more of a mental issue.
She was naturally aware of the drawbacks of the Godly Taotie Bull Martial Soul, after all, many of the academy's genius students had lost their lives because of his gluttony.
Three days without food or water might be nothing to other Titled Douluo, but for Xuan Zi, it was a form of torture.
Moreover, this arrogant and domineering Super Douluo was subdued in one move by the Sun Moon Soul Engineer, whom he had always looked down upon, and was imprisoned for three days without any recourse.
His dejection stemmed from the complete breakdown of his mental defenses, echoing Kong Deming's words—he was torturing himself.
" Xuan Zi!"
Xian Lin'er called out. Although she was still dissatisfied with his reckless behavior and the mess he had made, seeing his disheveled appearance made her feel extremely heavy-hearted. After all, this was a disgrace to Shrek Academy.
Xuan Zi was brought back to his senses by her voice. His unfocused gaze gradually sharpened, and he saw Xian Lin'er in front of him, as well as Kong Deming on the other side.
All the anger, frustration, and overwhelming hatred that had accumulated during the three days of imprisonment and suppression found an outlet, like magma beneath a dormant volcano.
"Kong... De... Ming..."
A hoarse roar, like that of a wounded beast, escaped from Xuan Zi's throat.
He suddenly straightened his hunched back. Although he looked disheveled and his face was sallow, a terrifying fierce light burst forth from his bloodshot eyes.
Even though he was imprisoned for three days, he was still a Level 98 Super Douluo.
The terrifying aura erupted like a bursting dam.
The Soul Guidance Lamp in the conference room shook violently, the walls hummed, and the air instantly became incredibly heavy, as if it had materialized, making it hard to breathe.
A violent, earthy-yellow Soul Power surged wildly around him, and the phantom of the Godly Taotie Bull appeared and disappeared intermittently.
He stared intently at Kong Deming, his eyes filled with a hatred that seemed to want to devour him alive.
" Xuan Zi! No!"
Xian Lin'er was extremely anxious and suddenly stood up, exclaiming in alarm.
Xuan Zi makes a move now, all her previous efforts may very well be in vain.
Moreover, even in his prime, Xuan Zi was no match for Kong Deming. Now, his condition is extremely poor, and his Soul Power is weak. He is clearly all bark and no bite. If he were to make a move, wouldn't that be courting death?
However, just as Xuan Zi's ferocious aura was about to reach its peak, and he was about to unleash his attack without regard for anything else...
Kong Deming finally spoke again.
His voice remained calm, without even raising its volume, as if stating a perfectly simple fact, yet carrying a chilling coldness that could freeze the soul. "It seems... you still want to be locked up again!"
It was a casual remark, without even a hint of threat.
But for Xuan Zi, who had just escaped from the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield, this sentence was like a hammer blow to his mind.
The violent aura surrounding Xuan Zi suddenly froze, and his vast Soul Power dissipated like a punctured balloon.
In his bloodshot eyes, anger and murderous intent receded like a tide, replaced by an undisguised fear and lingering dread.
That fierce, desperate aura vanished instantly, Xuan Zi's tall body trembled visibly, as if he had only just truly come to his senses.
Xian Lin'er quickly stepped forward and helped Xuan Zi, who looked like he was about to fall.
Having regained his senses, Xuan Zi looked at Xian Lin'er and asked, " Lin'er, why are you here?"
Xian Lin'er was speechless. She wondered how she'd even gotten here. Wasn't it all for you?
Although Xuan Zi is often impulsive and reckless like a brute, he is able to cultivate to Level 98, and his thinking is sometimes quite quick.
"You've come to save me?" Xuan Zi, having figured out the reason, quickly asked, "What conditions did you agree to?"
Xian Lin'er didn't want to cause any more trouble in this matter, so she said in a deep voice, " Xuan Zi, the matter has been settled, so you don't need to worry about it anymore."
Xuan Zi was displeased upon hearing this and immediately said, "What do you mean I don't need to care? This matter started because of me, and I can't let the academy suffer losses because of me..."
Xuan Zi was only halfway through his sentence when Xian Lin'er interrupted him.
" Xuan Zi!"
Xian Lin'er's tone was much stronger, Xuan Zi could hear the obvious anger and even resentment in her words.
"For the academy, you are the most important person right now. We will bring you back to the academy no matter the cost!"
Seeing that Xuan Zi seemed about to speak again, her expression darkened, and she no longer gave this senior academy a friendly look.
"This is Mu En's instruction!"
That one sentence was the decisive blow!
In the entire Shrek Academy, only Mu En could keep Xuan Zi in check.
As expected, after hearing this, Xuan Zi fell silent and said nothing more.
At the same time, Xian Lin'er also noticed that Xuan Zi lowered his head dejectedly, as if he was deeply mired in self-reproach.
Seeing this, she breathed a sigh of relief. At least Xuan Zi didn't seem to be going to cause any more trouble.
Xian Lin'er looked at Kong Deming and said earnestly, " Silver Moon Majesty, I will have Shrek Academy prepare the Soul Bone and send it over as soon as possible. In the meantime, I hope Your Majesty will treat Xuan Zi well."
Upon hearing Xian Lin'er mention " Soul Bone," Xuan Zi couldn't help but tremble, finally understanding the price he had paid for being released.
Kong Deming's reply, however, was unexpected by both of them.
"Now that I've released Xuan Zi, I have no intention of letting him stay in Sun Moon."
Even Xuan Zi, who was bowing his head and filled with self-reproach, couldn't help but look up at Kong Deming.
Xian Lin'er had some guesses in her mind, but she wasn't sure, so she couldn't help but ask, "What does Your Majesty Silver Moon mean by this?"
Kong Deming said calmly, "You can take Xuan Zi back to Shrek directly, just don't forget the Soul Bone you promised to deliver."
The reason why Xuan Zi is in such a dejected state is because he spent most of the three days inside the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield attacking in an attempt to escape.
After removing his Battle Armor, Kong Deming's Soul Power dropped to Level 95. He kept Xuan Zi trapped inside the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield, which wasn't easy for him either.
Upon hearing Kong Deming's words, both Xuan Zi and Xian Lin'er couldn't help but show expressions of surprise. They hadn't expected Kong Deming to simply let Xian Lin'er take Xuan Zi away; wasn't that incredibly generous?!
Even Xian Lin'er suspected that some kind of method had been "planted" inside Xuan Zi's body.
She asked tentatively, "Your Majesty Silver Moon, aren't you worried that we won't send the Soul Bone over after we return to Shrek?"
"I'm still willing to believe Shrek's promises, but..."
Kong Deming suddenly smiled and waved his hand. A spatial rift suddenly opened above everyone's heads, and a crystal ball the size of a fist leaped out of the space and slowly fell into Kong Deming's hand.
Xian Lin'er, the dean of the Soul Tool Department, actually does not know how to make Soul Tool.
However, through years of exposure, his understanding of Soul Tool far surpasses that of many original Soul Master from Douluo Three Kingdoms.
She immediately recognized the crystal ball in Kong Deming's hand as a Soul Tool with unknown functions, and the answer she sought was likely related to it.
As Kong Deming poured his Soul Power into it, the crystal ball in his hand suddenly lit up with a bright light, and then projected a light screen into the sky.
"Dean Xian Lin'er has come from afar, so I won't waste time with pleasantries. I'm sure your academy's teacher Wang Yan, has already conveyed my message."
"Tell me, what price is Shrek Academy prepared to pay to redeem your Sea God Pavilion's Vice Pavilion Master?"
Kong Deming clearly didn't speak, but the voice that had once come from his mouth suddenly echoed in the conference room.
The light screen appearing on their crystal ball was playing a scene from when they first began negotiations.
Kong Deming stopped injecting Soul Power, the light screen above the crystal ball disappeared, and the echoing sound stopped abruptly.
He then spoke, "This is a recording and image-capturing Soul Tool. Everything that just happened here has been stored."
"If you don't deliver the Soul Bone as agreed, then I think many people would be happy to see this kind of footage."
This is a blatant threat. Spreading the story of the Shrek Academy paying with Soul Bone to redeem Xuan Zi would undoubtedly have a huge impact on Shrek's reputation!
Actually, this Soul Tool was a little gadget that Kong Deming cobbled together at Kong Xuan's suggestion, and it turns out it can actually be quite effective in certain situations.
Take now, for example.
Xian Lin'er's expression grew even more serious as she said, "We will send the Soul Bone, but how can Your Majesty Silver Moon guarantee that this image won't be leaked?"
Kong Deming, too lazy to waste words, said, "If I say I won't, then I won't. You have no right to negotiate now!"
Xian Lin'er suppressed the bitterness in her heart, only to feel a chill sweep over her entire body.
She took a deep breath and said, "I hope Her Majesty the Silver Moon will keep her promise."
Now that she had achieved her goal, she didn't want to stay here for another second.
However, just as she was about to leave with Xuan Zi, a sudden change occurred, causing everyone present to change their expressions instantly.