Cai Mei'er hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed Xuan Zi's strong arm.
Her Soul Power instinctively probed in, trying to sense the injury.
However, the next moment, her expression turned even more unpleasant, even showing a hint of horror!
Xuan Zi's internal condition was far worse than it appeared on the outside!
His meridians were damaged and blocked in many places, and his internal organs were subjected to varying degrees of shock and erosion. Moreover, there seemed to be a force constantly hindering the repair of his own Soul Power.
Even his once mighty life force appeared unusually weak, a severe blow that threatened his very essence!
She carefully helped Xuan Zi to the sofa and sat her down. Everyone else gathered around, their faces filled with shock and undisguised worry, their eyes fixed on Xuan Zi's pale face.
Suppressing the turmoil in her heart, Cai Mei'er asked with a barely perceptible tremor in her voice, " Xuan Zi, what exactly happened? Who injured you like this?!"
Her heart sank. Mu En had passed away, and Xuan Zi was now the undisputed strongest person in the Shrek Academy, the mainstay supporting the academy.
If he falls, Shrek Academy's overall strength will suffer an immeasurable blow, and it may even be unable to recover!
Xuan Zi did not answer Cai Mei'er's question directly. Instead, he slowly closed his eyes, trying his best to circulate the remaining Soul Power in his body, suppressing his severe injuries while pondering how to answer the question.
The room fell into a deathly silence, with only the heavy, suppressed breathing of the group and Xuan Zi's slightly disordered breathing remaining.
A moment later, Xuan Zi exhaled a long breath of foul air, tinged with the smell of blood. He slowly opened his eyes and said in a hoarse, low voice, "The news about Yan Shaozhe in West Mountain... was deliberately released by the Holy Spirit Cult."
Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed drastically once again!
They are no longer ignorant of the Holy Spirit Cult; they are well aware that this Evil Soul Master organization possesses two Limit Douluo who stand at the pinnacle of the continent!
If all of this was a carefully laid trap by the Holy Spirit Cult from the very beginning, with the aim of luring Xuan Zi there...
Then it makes perfect sense that Xuan Zi was ambushed and suffered such serious injuries!
In the past, given Xuan Zi's competitive and prideful nature, he would have readily attributed the serious injury entirely to the two Limit Douluo of the Holy Spirit Cult.
After all, being severely injured and defeated by two Limit Douluo isn't too shameful to admit.
However, having experienced the various shocks of his trip to West Mountain, and having already resolved to completely change the atmosphere of Shrek, he had no intention of covering up his mistakes at this moment.
Although Ning Rongrong, who appeared in West Mountain, was an ancestor of Shrek, neither her actions nor her eventual subjugation by Kong Xuan were anything to be proud of, so he did not intend to reveal it.
At this moment, Cai Mei'er's face turned deathly pale, and her voice trembled as she spoke, " Xuan Zi, since this is a trap set by the Holy Spirit Cult, then Yan Shaozhe's blood... Yan Shaozhe... he wouldn't have already fallen into the hands of these Evil Soul Master, would he?"
Xuan Zi glanced at Cai Mei'er, and seeing her worried expression, he sighed again, his feelings complex and indescribable.
His voice was heavy with sorrow as he spoke directly, "The one who injured me like this is none other than Yan Shaozhe!"
"What?!"
These words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, exploding throughout the entire conference room!
Everyone was horrified, they simply couldn't believe their ears!
They were shocked that Yan Shaozhe would actually attack Xuan Zi, which was tantamount to betraying his master and ancestors and the academy!
What's even more shocking is that, given Yan Shaozhe's original strength, how could he have so severely injured a Level 98 Taotie Douluo?!
Could it be... that some underhanded sneak attack was used?
As everyone's thoughts diverged, their faces a mixture of anger, confusion, and disbelief, Xuan Zi said again, " Yan Shaozhe... has completely fallen."
"His Martial Soul mutated into Evil Blood Phoenix! Furthermore, thanks to the evil magic of the Holy Spirit Cult, his cultivation level skyrocketed to Level 98!"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over each shocked face, and said, "I have personally taken action and killed him! For Shrek, I have cleansed its ranks and wiped away this utter disgrace!"
"..."
Dead silence.
Absolute silence enveloped the entire room.
When Yan Shaozhe disappeared and rumors spread throughout the mainland, a sliver of hope remained in everyone's hearts.
They refused to believe, and could not accept, that the dean of the Martial Soul Department of the Shrek Academy would collude with those filthy Evil Soul Master.
However, the truth they heard from Xuan Zi was like a cold, piercing blade, shattering their last shred of illusion and bringing a tremendous shock that felt like the world was spinning and their faith was collapsing.
Yan Shaozhe not only colluded with the Holy Spirit Cult, but he himself also degenerated into Evil Soul Master!
At this moment, the glory that Shrek had inherited for millennia was shrouded in a layer of filth and shame that could never be completely wiped away in the hearts of all the members present.
As Yan Shaozhe's wife, Cai Mei'er endured a far deeper and more cruel shock and pain than others.
She seemed to have lost her soul; her eyes instantly lost all their luster, staring blankly ahead.
A single, scalding tear uncontrollably slid down her cheek, leaving a clear trail.
Xuan Zi took in the mixture of shock, anger, confusion, and pain on everyone's faces, and felt as if a huge boulder was pressing on his heart.
He sighed deeply again, "Pack your bags. We'll set off immediately tomorrow morning and return to Shrek."
"After this incident, the academy... has indeed reached a point where it must make changes."
"The days of complacency and dwelling on past glories must end."
However, when Xuan Zi announced his decision to return to the academy immediately, the reactions of the crowd were somewhat beyond his expectations.
Instead of obeying orders as usual, the trainees instinctively and in unison turned their gazes to Cai Mei'er.
At this moment, Cai Mei'er was heartbroken and did not respond to the gazes around her or the stagnant atmosphere.
Xuan Zi frowned slightly, about to speak again, when another teacher in charge Wang Yan, suddenly said, " Xuan Zi, if we're going to make changes, then we really can't leave tomorrow."
"Um?"
Just as Xuan Zi was looking on with disapproval, Wang Yan didn't offer any further explanation. Instead, he handed Xuan Zi a beautifully crafted invitation with both hands.
Xuan Zi glanced at the invitation with a puzzled look in his eyes.
The invitation was made of special silver metallic foil, with mysterious patterns outlined along the edges. In the center of the cover was an emblem in the shape of a tall tower, and above the emblem were three powerful characters: " Spirit Pagoda "!
Xuan Zi frowned slightly; he had never heard of any Spirit Pagoda.
Wang Yan then explained, " Xuan Zi, this is an invitation from the Spirit Pagoda. They are formally inviting Shrek Academy to observe their Soul Spirit Fusion Ceremony in three days."
" Soul Spirit?" Xuan Zi muttered these two words, then asked, "Is this Spirit Pagoda related to Kong Xuan?"
Wang Yan shook his head. "We don't know yet, but the Soul Spirit abilities used by the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy team members in this morning's finals were indeed extraordinary."
Seemingly worried that Xuan Zi might disagree, Wang Yan added, " Xuan Zi, you know I research Martial Soul. This Soul Spirit System is definitely the future direction. If we don't learn and adapt to it as soon as possible, we'll be left behind by the times!"
Xuan Zi held the invitation in his hand, his eyes flickering as he pondered the future direction of Shrek.