"Honestly, this guy..."
Wang Dong'er covered her face, looking helplessly at the spot where he had vanished.
Sometimes, she really had no idea what Huo Yuhao was thinking, and every time she tried to ask, he brushed her off.
She simply had no way of dealing with Huo Yuhao.
Xiao Xiao looked somewhat bewildered. Huo Yuhao had disappeared so suddenly that she had yet to react.
"All right, Xiao Xiao, stand properly. The teachers are here."
Wang Dong'er rolled her eyes, reached out to turn Xiao Xiao toward the front, and stood beside her, looking at the makeshift platform ahead.
Voices clamored around them. Wang Dong'er tilted her head to listen; everyone was discussing yesterday's events.
She was rather curious too, so she listened as the people around her talked.
"Yesterday scared me to death! What exactly happened? How did Sea God Lake suddenly disappear?"
"Don't even mention it. I had nightmares all night." The boy shuddered involuntarily, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"Yesterday, I heard from a senior sister who survived from the Inner Court that it was a group of ghosts in black hoods! And guess what?..." someone said mysteriously.
"What happened?" someone pressed.
"Those ghosts attacked Sea God Island directly. If a peerless expert hadn't intervened, I'm afraid none of us would be standing here today..."
"Ow! What was that for?"
"You're killing me! Why are you telling ghost stories first thing in the morning?!" His classmate reached out and hit him.
"Seriously! Thank goodness it's morning already. If you told me that at night, I'd pummel you to death!"
Wang Dong rolled her eyes helplessly. After all that talk, it turned out to be a ghost story. She was speechless.
"Wang Dong, what are they talking about?"
Xiao Xiao was very curious too. After struggling with herself for a while, she still broke the vow she had made in her heart.
Just this once. Once I'm done talking to Wang Dong this time, I'll never talk to her again!
Xiao Xiao made up her mind.
"They're telling ghost stories. If you're so curious, I can tell you a few too."
Wang Dong'er's eyes darted, and she began teasing Xiao Xiao again.
"Pfft! No way! You're really awful!"
Xiao Xiao's little face flushed, and she turned her head away haughtily.
I'm really, really never speaking to this Wang Dong again!
"Quiet! Everyone in the academy, keep quiet!"
On the platform, a female teacher transmitted her voice into everyone's ears with Soul Power.
In an instant, the grounds fell silent. All the students immediately stood properly in neat lines, countless pairs of eyes turning toward the platform.
More than ten meters away from the Outer Court students' ranks, seventy or eighty Inner Court students sat watching the direction of Sea God Island. They sighed before turning toward the platform, sorrow filling their faces.
"Students, I'm sure you're all very curious about what exactly happened yesterday." Yan Shaozhe slowly walked onto the platform, his expression grave.
"Dean Yan, what exactly happened yesterday?! Why did Sea God Island disappear?!" someone asked first.
"This has been an extremely heavy blow to Shrek. Just last night, we suffered an attack by an unknown organization. Under their premeditated assault, Sea God Island... was destroyed..."
Hatred filled Yan Shaozhe's eyes as he clenched his fists.
"Yesterday, your senior brothers and sisters from the Inner Court fought to the death, but still failed to protect Sea God Island. And right now, the only information we have is one name: Shadow Garden!"
"And the leader of Shadow Garden, Shadow!"
Yan Shaozhe gritted his teeth, practically shouting the last few words. His towering hatred surged into the minds of every student present through his spiritual power.
It was on this day that Shadow Garden and Shadow came into the view of that person on the Douluo Continent.
"Our classmates and teachers are here in Shrek. Shrek is our home, and so we are all one another's family!"
"Now, our home has been destroyed, and our family has been hurt. Students, what should we do? What ought we to do!"
"Defend Shrek to the death..."
Someone shouted it, immediately stirring every student's emotions. Everyone began shouting.
"Defend Shrek to the death!"
"Root out Shadow Garden!"
"Destroy Shadow!"
Once Yan Shaozhe saw that their emotions had reached the right pitch, he raised a hand to signal for silence.
The impassioned students actually fell silent at once, and he continued his speech.
"Students, fortunately, we are all still alive. As long as we're alive, there is a chance. We must become stronger!..."
Below the platform, Qian Duoduo watched Yan Shaozhe stir everyone's emotions with his words. For someone who had just suffered such a severe blow himself, this was truly no easy feat.
Qian Duoduo sighed helplessly. "Old Yan really has it too hard. The burden weighing on him now is far too heavy..."
Shrek's upper ranks had all fallen, leaving only the severely wounded Xuan Zi. As dean of the Martial Soul Department's Outer Court, he had to hold up his side of the sky.
Xian Lin'er patted Qian Duoduo on the shoulder. Even she had no way of dealing with the current situation. Cai Mei'er stood below the platform, her eyes swimming with tears, her gaze filled with heartache as she watched Yan Shaozhe.
Meanwhile, in a room in the Shrek Outer Court's teaching building.
"Lord Shadow! Please... please stop moving. I... I'm going to... be done."
Jiang Nannan panted heavily, her cheeks flushed and fine beads of sweat covering her forehead.
She held various makeup brushes between her ten fingers, continuously running them over Huo Yuhao's face.
Tang Ya stood to one side holding a tray, constantly handing over the cosmetics needed while observing Shadow's condition.
"Lord Shadow, there's only one set of these materials. They were all delivered here by urgent request. Please wait just a little longer. I'll be finished right away."
Jiang Nannan reminded him again. They had reached the crucial moment, and there was no room for the slightest carelessness.
"All right, all right, I know..."
Huo Yuhao sighed helplessly and could only let her do as she pleased.
Another two minutes passed before Jiang Nannan let out a long breath, wiped away her sweat with her sleeve, and tossed aside the makeup brushes in her hands.
Having finally completed her task, she flopped straight onto a nearby chair.
"Lord Shadow, Yuhao, take a look. There shouldn't be any flaws in the disguise now."
Tang Ya brought a mirror over to Huo Yuhao. He leaned closer, and the smooth surface immediately reflected his appearance.
Disheveled gray-white hair, wrinkles of varying depths etched across his face, and even the details of his unkempt beard had been done extremely well.
If Yan Shaozhe stood here now, he would immediately recognize Xuan Zi's appearance!
Huo Yuhao circulated his Soul Power, controlling his vocal cords and changing his voice.
"Ah..."
"Xiao Ya, Nannan, how is it?"
An aged voice emerged from Huo Yuhao's mouth, without the slightest sense of incongruity.
"Hmm... I think it'd be best to let 'Sorrow,' Sister Lexuan, listen. If she thinks it's fine, then we're good."
After speaking, Jiang Nannan looked toward Zhang Lexuan, who sat on a sofa not far away.
Zhang Lexuan sat quietly, her gaze cool yet captivating, and nodded approvingly.
"All right, all right, we should head over. I reckon Yan Shaozhe is almost done speaking."
Ma Xiaotao urged them on. She was impatient by nature and wanted to hurry up and finish their next task.
"'Nu,' you're really impatient. We can't afford to be careless about this!" Jiang Nannan reminded her.
Somewhat displeased, Ma Xiaotao waved a dismissive hand. "All right, all right, I know."
"All right, let's go, then."
Zhang Lexuan rose, walked over to Huo Yuhao, and helped 'Xuan Zi' up.
Huo Yuhao naturally reached out and rested his hand on her arm. After all, he was now the severely wounded Xuan Zi, and his conduct had to suit that identity.
After familiarizing himself with it a little more and confirming that nothing was wrong, Huo Yuhao finally walked out with Zhang Lexuan and Ma Xiaotao.