Yan Shaozhe's Resolve

The Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament six months ago was filled with far too many changes.

First, the Shrek Academy's regular team suffered heavy losses while carrying out Inspection Corps mission.

In addition to the casualties and some long-standing problems within Shrek, Mu En had already told them to treat this competition as a learning experience and not to be obsessed with that illusory honor.

But those reserve team kids, one by one, carried that honor on their shoulders, giving their all on the field, even risking their future to fight for it.

The final result was that the competition went all the way to the finals.

However, when facing the Sun Moon Team, one died, one was seriously injured, and one was captured.

Ma Xiaotao has fallen and become Black Phoenix, while Shrek is deeply embroiled in a media storm over allegations of "taking in the orphans of a foreign royal family and attempting to interfere in the internal affairs of another country"...

Mu En was at a loss for words when it came to commenting on this farce.

Especially that useless piece of trash Xuan Zi!

Xuan Zi, that shameless old man, has truly disappointed him.

Not only did they fail to learn from this crushing defeat, but they also repeated the same mistake.

In crucial moments, he always thinks like an appendix filled with fermented grains and chicken legs, always believing he can control everything and always thinking he can turn the tide.

And the result? It slapped his old face repeatedly.

The things Xuan Zi did—even if Xuan Zi dared to do them, Mu En wouldn't dare to hear about them or even think about them!

The Shrek kids were the biggest victims of this defeat.

As soon as the competition ended, Xu Sanshi died, and Jiang Nannan's injuries did not receive timely treatment. Her heart meridian and Martial Soul were both damaged, and whether she could advance any further in this life became unknown.

He Caitou was captured by Jing Hongchen and taken back to the Sun Moon Empire, his fate unknown.

Although the others did not drop out of school and did not suffer any fatal injuries, their morale was severely damaged after that crushing defeat.

Even now, there are still one or two people who have remained silent for a long time, and their personalities have undergone subtle changes.

Especially his great-great-grandson, Bei Bei...

First, his best friend died, his teammates were seriously injured and one was captured, then he suffered a defeat in the major competition and was crushed by the Sun Moon Team.

Finally, when he returned to Shrek, even his girlfriend Shrek without a word...

Although Bei Bei hasn't yet fallen to the level of Xuan Zi, who drinks heavily and lives a life of debauchery, she has become decadent and depressed, spending her nights in a state of emo, and hasn't shown a genuine smile for several months.

As for the culprit who dragged Shrek into this quagmire— Xuan Zi?

Since returning to the academy after the competition, Mu En had been completely disappointed in him.

Is it really necessary to abandon all academic affairs and just want to be a leisurely person and drift through life here?

OK.

I will grant your wish.

Anyway, you old good-for-nothing can't do anything worthwhile, so just keep drinking in the academy and wait to die!

When you become the last mascot of your life, passing down the Godly Taotie Bull Martial Soul will be your final act of value.

Mu En scoffed inwardly, his gaze sweeping over Yan Shaozhe's pale profile, but ultimately he didn't voice his thoughts.

He simply sighed softly, pushed his wheelchair to the side of the cold jade bed, looked down at Ma Xiaotao's pale and quiet face, his eyes filled with compassion and helplessness.

"Let's wait, Yan Shaozhe..." Mu En whispered, "Perhaps, fate won't really extinguish our last glimmer of Shrek."

Night finally enveloped the entire Shrek Inner Court.

The candles on the top floor of the Sea God Pavilion had long since gone out, leaving only a faint golden light shield that still flickered weakly, guarding the last line of defense for the sleeping Ma Xiaotao.

Yan Shaozhe, however, never left.

He stood there motionless in front of the cold jade bed for the entire night.

Only when the first hint of dawn appeared on the horizon did he finally let out a long sigh, turn around, and slowly leave the Sea God Pavilion.

He didn't know where to go.

He originally thought that as the dean of the Shrek's Martial Soul Department, he should protect every child belonging to Shrek.

But this time, he was completely powerless.

He couldn't even find a way to make a living for his apprentice.

Yan Shaozhe walked along the empty academy path, his steps unsteady. The morning breeze carried away his weariness, but it could not take away the heaviness in his heart.

"Yan Shaozhe."

A deep voice pulled him back from his self-reproach.

Yan Shaozhe looked up and saw a figure standing at the end of the tree-lined path; it was Elder Zhuang.

"Elder Zhuang, you haven't rested yet?"

"I'm not in the mood to rest." Elder Zhuang shook his head and walked to his side. "I was just about to talk to you about something."

Yan Shaozhe's spirits lifted, and he quickly asked, "Elder Zhuang, do you have a solution?"

Elder Zhuang remained silent for a moment, then finally sighed and said, "It's not a solution, but... perhaps there's still a tiny glimmer of hope."

Yan Shaozhe's eyes immediately lit up. "Please tell me!"

"I went through the incomplete ' Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record ' several times last night," Elder Zhuang said in a low voice. "The record about the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower is extremely brief, only mentioning its ability to purify flames, but without specifying its exact location."

"But at the end of the fragment, there is a very obscure annotation."

Yan Shaozhe quickly pressed, "What annotation?"

Elder Zhuang's expression was solemn as he said, "'When ice and fire meet, the cycle of heaven turns, and the phoenix is reborn; this must be within that moment.'"

"The convergence of ice and fire..." Yan Shaozhe frowned, pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up, "The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?!"

Elder Zhuang nodded slightly. "I also suspect it refers to that place."

Yan Shaozhe's breathing quickened.

The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well is the place where rare and precious materials gather, as described by Tang San's ancestor.

Rumors say that it contains countless divine herbs, and there are even legends that it holds the key to becoming a god.

The Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower is a fire-attribute Immortal Herb named after the phoenix.

If one wants to find its whereabouts, perhaps there is a slight possibility of going to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

But...

"For ten thousand years, no one has ever found the location of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well... The only possible place is deep within the Star Dou Great Forest." Yan Shaozhe's expression darkened. "But the Star Dou Great Forest is the domain of Soul Beast, and even more so, the territory of those Ferocious Beast."

"Moreover, especially after the teacher heard that so-called heartbeat, the atmosphere in the Star Dou Great Forest became increasingly tense, and the Soul Beast Clan's vigilance towards humans reached an unprecedented level."

"Going deep into it rashly is too risky."

"Besides..." He paused, his voice turning bitter, "We at Shrek are barely able to protect ourselves, so who can possibly go on this trip?"

Elder Zhuang also fell silent.

yes.

Shrek is currently embroiled in a public opinion storm and has suffered a severe blow. Most of the children in the inner courtyard are still shaken and are simply unable to support another extremely dangerous expedition into the Star Dou Great Forest.

More importantly, they couldn't even confirm whether a single Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower truly existed, let alone whether the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well existed within the Star Dou Great Forest.

To send people deep into the heart of the Soul Beast territory at the risk of their lives based on just one incomplete line of annotations is already a gamble with one's life.

If you lose the bet, you get nothing.

If we win the gamble, there might be a glimmer of hope.

But this gamble is far too heavy.

The two stood there in the morning light, remaining silent for a long time.

Finally, Yan Shaozhe broke the silence. He took a deep breath, his gaze hardening. "No matter how great the risk, I have to try."

"Yan Shaozhe..." Elder Zhuang looked at him with some concern.

"If we give up even this last glimmer of hope, Xiaotao Tao will truly have no way to survive." Yan Shaozhe's voice was firm. "She is my disciple, she is Shrek's child."

"As her teacher, I absolutely cannot stand by and watch her head down a dead end."

After a moment of silence, Elder Zhuang finally nodded. "I understand."

"Then I'll go and organize this clue and give it to you."

Yan Shaozhe nodded, turned around and looked in the direction of the Sea God Pavilion again, a faint but never-extinguished light burning in his eyes.

Even in the most desperate situations, there may still be a glimmer of hope.

He didn't believe in the cruelty of fate, nor did he believe that Shrek's children were destined to perish in a tragedy that shouldn't have been theirs.

No matter the cost, he was determined to bring that Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower back.

For Xiaotao.

For Shrek, for the hope that has not yet been completely extinguished.

Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, Yan Shaozhe is determined to venture into the Star Dou Great Forest!