After a night passed.
At the Shrek Inner Courtyard Disciple's station, the glowing egg enveloping Zhu Ziyang and the Starry Unicorn gradually dimmed, began to disappear, and finally, Zhu Ziyang emerged from it.
He was in excellent condition, his eyes sharp, his breathing steady, and a smile on his face. Without a doubt, he had successfully absorbed a spirit ring of up to fifty thousand years.
"Ziyang, congratulations!" After a night of peaceful rest, the several Inner Courtyard Disciples also felt much better; at least they no longer had the desperate, precarious feeling from yesterday. Seeing Zhu Ziyang finish absorbing his spirit ring, they all smiled and offered their heartfelt congratulations.
"Mm, thank you," Zhu Ziyang replied with a smile.
"Child of Light!" The Little Starry Unicorn, Xingcai, walked up to Zhu Ziyang, extended her head, and rubbed affectionately against his body. Zhu Ziyang was surprised to find that Xingcai's horn had transformed into the same state as her mother's, pure and transparent like crystal, with patterns resembling a crown engraved at its base.
This was the symbol of the Starry Unicorn King. Before Luo Xingxiya's self-destruction, she passed it on to Xingcai. Xingcai, having received the King's inheritance, became the new King of the Starry Unicorn race, possessing the authority to command all Starry Unicorns on the entire Douluo Continent.
"Mm! Don't worry, since your mother entrusted you to me, I will not abandon you," Zhu Ziyang extended his hand, stroking Xingcai's forehead, and comforted her.
"Senior Sister, let's prepare to return to the Academy," Zhu Ziyang said, looking at Zhang Lexuan.
"Mm!" Zhang Lexuan's face was still pale, but her beautiful eyes no longer held a deathly stillness. She smiled and said, "Everyone, we're going home!"
"Yeah! Home!" Ma Xiaotao, Wu Ming, and Su Meng, being the most cheerful and lively, had regained their usual spirited demeanor after escaping danger, and they shouted excitedly.
Han Ruoruo and Zhang Weiwei, on the other hand, were both steady and mature older sisters, naturally not as boisterous as the others, but the joy on their faces was hard to conceal. As for Shen Xu, the only male in the group besides Zhu Ziyang, he was as silent as ever, only a slight flicker of unusual emotion in his eyes betraying that his mood was not calm.
The group immediately set off. Except for Zhang Weiwei, who was too weak and was carried by Xingcai, everyone else followed on foot. Their pace was very slow, and it took them an entire morning to barely exit the Star Dou Great Forest.
Looking at the road sign by the roadside, everyone felt as if they had lived a lifetime. No one had expected this trip to be so perilous and terrifying, resulting in the loss of two companions!
Thinking of Cheng Hui and Wan Wan, whose bodies were gone, everyone fell silent. The joy of escaping with their lives dissipated, replaced by sadness and grief. Even the tender-hearted Su Meng began to sob softly. An air of melancholy permeated the atmosphere.
"Everyone, let's return to the Academy first. Once we're back at the Academy, everything will be alright," Zhang Lexuan said, forcing a smile.
After a few steps, a golden meteor suddenly flew across the sky, but no one noticed it. The golden meteor streaked by instantly, disappearing into the horizon behind the forest, but moments later, the golden light returned.
"Ziyang, Le Xuan!"
Zhu Ziyang and Zhang Lexuan simultaneously heard an old but familiar voice and couldn't help but look in its direction. They saw a golden streak of light in the sky instantly descend before them, revealing a hunched old man.
Seeing the old man, Zhu Ziyang was astonished, and Zhang Lexuan's reaction was even more exaggerated. She covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes red. Zhang Lexuan, who hadn't shed a tear even in the face of despair, instantly burst into tears upon seeing the old man. She and Zhu Ziyang simultaneously cried out, "Teacher (Old Mu)!"
"Mm mm! It's good that you're alright! It's good that you're alright!" The old man was Mu En. After sensing Zhu Ziyang and Zhang Lexuan's auras, he immediately returned. Seeing that Zhu Ziyang was not only fine but had also grown in strength, Mu En's hanging heart finally settled, and he repeated himself.
Then, he noticed Zhang Lexuan, Han Ruoruo, Ma Xiaotao, and the other Inner Courtyard Disciples. He was shocked, and an unnamed anger rose in his heart, along with a sense of guilt. He said to the students, "Children, you have suffered!"
Upon hearing Mu En's words, even the usually cold Zhang Weiwei couldn't help but burst into tears. Their hearts, which had been tightly strung throughout the journey, were finally completely released. The moment Mu En appeared, they knew they were truly safe.
"Whoosh—" "Whoosh—"
Sounds of rushing air rang out one after another, and more than a dozen Sea God Pavilion Elders appeared consecutively. They were all shocked by the Inner Courtyard Disciples before them, who looked like war refugees. Were these the proud children of their Inner Courtyard? How had they fallen into such a tragic state? All the Elders were angry and confused.
"Xiaotao, how did you all end up like this?" Cai Meier stepped forward, embracing the sobbing Ma Xiaotao, and asked.
"Mistress, we… we encountered a 100,000-Year Soul Beast—" Ma Xiaotao buried her head in Cai Meier's chest, sobbing as she explained.
This answer shocked all the Elders, but they became even more perplexed. What happened after encountering a 100,000-Year Soul Beast? Shouldn't an Elder have been accompanying them?
Yan Shaozhe, however, immediately understood, and an expression of helplessness and regret instantly appeared on his face.
"Alright, stop asking questions for now. Let's take these children back to the Academy first." Mu En spoke, a trace of helplessness in his voice, as if he was resigned, but the Elders who knew him well understood that this was a sign of Mu En's extreme anger. It seemed someone was about to be in trouble.
Mu En personally led Zhu Ziyang, Old Lin led Zhang Lexuan, Old Song led Han Ruoruo, Yan Shaozhe led Zhang Weiwei, Xian Lin'er led Shen Xu, Cai Meier led Ma Xiaotao, and Wu Ming and Su Meng were led by two Elders Zhu Ziyang had never seen before. A group of Titled Douluo led a group of children back to Shrek Academy.
As for Xingcai, she was taken by Qian Duoduo. Xingcai shivered, feeling that the humans before her all possessed the strength of 100,000-Year Soul Beasts. She had no mischievous thoughts; the child was scared.
Qian Duoduo, however, was very curious about her. Or rather, the Elders were very interested in this unicorn that had carried an Inner Courtyard Disciple out.
Sea God Island, Sea God Pavilion.
The Sea God Pavilion Elders were all gathered together. Zhang Lexuan and her group were arranged to rest and heal on the second floor, with Life Douluo Old Zhuang personally treating them.
In the main hall on the first floor, Mu En lay on a wooden chair, eyes closed, his fingers tapping on the armrest, as if deep in thought.
The other Elders sat on either side of the long table, their expressions solemn, no one daring to speak. At the end of the long table was Gluttony Douluo Xuan Zi, kneeling on the ground, admitting his mistakes with a face full of regret and pain.
"Tell me, how should this matter be resolved?" Mu En said faintly, without opening his eyes.
The Elders already knew the whole story. Besides being shocked, they couldn't help but feel a headache, because this matter was truly difficult to handle. On one hand was Xuan Zi, a Level 98 Super Douluo, the second strongest in Shrek Academy. On the other hand were the two deceased and ten severely injured Inner Courtyard Disciples, their tragic state still replaying in their minds. If this matter wasn't handled properly, it could cause big trouble.
"Old Mu, it's all my fault! I am willing to resign from all my positions and leave the Sea God Pavilion," Xuan Zi said painfully.
"Hmph!" Mu En snorted upon hearing this, and the pressure in the hall instantly doubled. Everyone was silent as cicadas in winter. His voice carried the anger of disappointment, saying, "You want to just walk away? Coward!"
Xuan Zi bowed his head to the ground, unable to speak.
"Old Mu, how about Old Xuan compensates the families of the sacrificed students, gives compensation to the other students, and then allows him to make amends for his mistakes?" Old Lin suggested. Among the Elders present, only she was qualified to speak, because besides Old Mu, she had the highest seniority. Besides her, no one dared to condemn Xuan Zi.
"..." Mu En sighed slightly in his heart upon hearing this, his expression silent. After a moment, he slowly opened his mouth, pronouncing Xuan Zi's punishment, saying, "Xuan Zi is stripped of his position as Vice Head of the Shrek Supervision Group and demoted to a regular member. Xuan Zi is stripped of his position as Vice Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion and demoted to a regular member. He is ordered to kill ten Evil Soul Masters or teams of Spirit Douluo level within three years. If he fails to complete the objective, he is not allowed to return to the Academy. He is ordered to compensate the parents or families of students Cheng Hui and Wan Wan, with three Spirit Bones of ten thousand years or more quality for each family. Additionally, Yan Shaozhe's Academy salary and subsidies will be deducted for five years."
"We obey!" The Elders responded in unison. Although their expressions were serious, they all breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts.
How to describe this punishment? Two words: perfunctory. Except for the last item of compensation, which had some substantive meaning, the first three punishments were irrelevant.
However, this was already the limit of what Shrek Academy could do, because Xuan Zi's strength and status were there. If he were truly made to pay with his life, only Shrek's enemies would be happy. Mu En would not do something like destroying his own great wall.
After all, Zhu Ziyang had not suffered an accident. As for the two sacrificed students, Mu En could only apologize, in addition to trying his best to compensate their families.
As for why Yan Shaozhe was also punished? Besides Yan Shaozhe, everyone else was a bit confused but dared not question it. If Old Mu wanted to punish, then let him punish. Didn't Yan Shaozhe himself not raise any objections?