Chapter 81 Huo Yuhao, Tang Ya, and Bei Bei are shocked! No wonder Liu Yuan didn't come to Shrek Academy back then!
After hearing Xuanzi's extremely difficult yet incredibly clear response, Mu En's tense, frost-like expression finally eased slightly.
He suppressed the suffocating fluctuations of his soul power and glanced at Xuanzi, who lay paralyzed in a pool of blood, his face filled with dejection.
"In that case, let's rest today and take care of those injuries."
Mu En turned around, his gaunt figure appearing particularly heavy in the afterglow of the setting sun. Without turning his head, he added, "We'll set off for the Body Sect first thing tomorrow morning!"
After saying this, Moon walked with faltering steps and slowly disappeared into the depths of the Sea God Pavilion.
The group of elders in the room looked at each other, and each of them let out a sigh with a complicated expression.
Looking at Xuanzi's back, now covered in blood and gore, and thinking about the media storm Shrek Academy would face the next day, they felt utterly confused.
As for Xuanzi, he knelt there blankly, feeling no relief from the end of the punishment, but rather an endless fear.
This fear does not stem from death, but from the dignity that is about to collapse.
"From tomorrow onwards... how will the people of Douluo Continent view me, Xuanzi?"
Xuanzi muttered to himself, his voice hoarse like dried-out wood.
He knew very well that once the news of him apologizing with a bundle of thorns on his back spread, he, the Gluttonous Douluo, would become a laughing stock across the entire continent.
He stood up unsteadily, his back injury too severe, and he could only limp toward his dwelling, leaving dark red bloodstains on the grass with each step.
The next morning, as the sun broke through the clouds, a scene unfolded at Shrek Academy that would go down in history.
Xuanzi removed his signature cloak, revealing his bare upper body, with rough, thorny thorns wrapped around his back.
The sharp spikes pierced deep into the wounds that had been torn open by Moon's whipping just yesterday, and blood flowed continuously down his back.
Mu En did not allow Xuanzi to hide, nor did he allow him to leave secretly through the teleportation array.
Holding a cane, Moon walked at the front and coldly ordered Xuanzi to walk out directly through the main gate of Shrek Academy.
This move naturally caused a great shock to all the students of Shrek Academy at the first moment.
"Isn't that Elder Xuan? Good heavens, what's going on with him?"
"Bearing thorns to apologize? Is what Elder Xuan is carrying on his back thorns? What did he do wrong that he needs to go to such lengths?"
"He's a level 98 Super Douluo! He's the number two in our academy. What kind of mistake could he have made that even a Super Douluo couldn't forgive, and that he had to be publicly humiliated?"
Countless students from both the inner and outer academies stopped in their tracks and gathered on both sides of the road, whispering among themselves.
Soon, some well-informed students whispered the truth.
"I heard that Elder Xuan expelled a martyr's orphan back then, and that student's name was Liu Yuan, I think."
"It is said that Liu Yuan has become an extremely abnormal genius in the Body Sect. He has even killed a Soul Saint and become the prospective son-in-law of the Heavenly Soul Empire. Elder Mu is going to take Elder Xuan to beg him to come back."
In a corner of the crowd, Huo Yuhao, Bei Bei, and Tang Ya witnessed Xuan Zi walking out of the school gate shirtless and carrying thorns on his back.
The three exchanged glances, all filled with emotion.
"So, Elder Xuan actually did such a thing?" Huo Yuhao looked at Xuanzi's hunched and disheveled back, his heart filled with mixed feelings.
He recalled the cold yet resolute look in Liu Yuan's eyes when he first met him in the Star Dou Great Forest.
"No wonder Liu Yuan refused to come to Shrek Academy no matter how much we tried to persuade him when he was in Xingluo." Tang Ya sighed and said with a complicated expression, "If it were me, I wouldn't come back if the academy expelled me during its most difficult time."
Beibei gave a wry smile, her tone tinged with self-deprecation: "So, back when we were at the border, we kept inviting him to Shrek Academy, even trying to use the academy's reputation to influence him..."
"Looking back now, that behavior was incredibly embarrassing. We were inviting him back to the place that had driven him away; he must have thought we were ridiculous."
Tang Ya nodded, her gaze lingering on the departing delegation: "However, besides the ostensible apology, Elder Xuan's actions were probably more about cooperating with Elder Mu to find a way to bring Liu Yuan back to Shrek Academy, right?"
"If we can't bring them back, then all this kneeling and kneeling will be meaningless."
Huo Yuhao was silent for a moment, then gently shook his head and said, "That's hard to say."
"I've seen Liu Yuan's personality before. There's no confusion in his eyes, only extreme rationality. I don't know if he's willing to come back, or even if he can forgive Elder Xuan."
Xuanzi and Mu En's group moved extremely fast. After leaving Shrek City, they transformed into several streaks of light and headed straight for the Heavenly Soul Empire.
Meanwhile, the news of "Taotie Douluo apologizing with thorns on his back and Mu En personally going to the Body Sect" spread like wildfire, quickly reaching the ears of the major powers on the continent.
Upon learning of this, the vast majority of forces were immediately struck by absurdity and shock. But beyond the shock, they were also eager to see how this Shrek farce would end.
However, the Heavenly Soul Emperor's reaction upon receiving the secret report was completely different.
He suddenly stood up in the imperial study, his face terribly grim.
"Those old foxes from Shrek Academy, they've really got a good plan! They drove them away, and now they've realized they're a treasure, so they're trying to gain sympathy by kneeling down and forcibly take them back?"
Emperor Tianhun saw through Mu En's intentions at a glance.
He knew all too well that someone like Mu En, who had lived for a hundred years, would never have allowed Xuanzi to suffer such a humiliating disgrace if it weren't for Liu Yuan's unparalleled talent.
"Giant Hammer Douluo!" Emperor Tianhun shouted in a low voice towards the screen.
A middle-aged man dressed in a plain-colored robe appeared silently and bowed slightly to the emperor.
"Go to the Body Sect and make sure to inform the Poison Sect Master of the Shrek Academy delegation's movements. Tell him that no matter what conditions Shrek Academy offers, no matter how long Xuanzi kneels, they must keep Liu Yuan here! Liu Yuan is not only the heir of the Body Sect, but also my prospective son-in-law!"
The Heavenly Soul Emperor was well aware that the Body Sect and the Heavenly Soul Empire were a highly intertwined community of interests.
Liu Yuan's presence in the Body Sect is tantamount to making him the pillar of the Heavenly Soul Empire.
As for letting Liu Yuan return to Shrek?
The Heavenly Soul Emperor would absolutely not agree.
Although Shrek Academy is not hostile to the Heavenly Soul Empire, it has always considered itself neutral. No matter how strong it is, it will not completely obey the royal family, and it is far from being as close as the Body Sect.
Giant Hammer Douluo nodded slightly, his figure flickered, and he instantly disappeared from the spot, rushing to the Body Sect at full speed to report the news.
In the blink of an eye, Xuanzi and his group had crossed the border and arrived at the mountain gate of the Body Sect.
Moon stopped ten meters from the stone steps, leaning on his cane.
Then, Mu En's aged yet awe-inspiring voice, enveloped in soul power, resounded throughout the entire valley:
"Xuanzi! Kneel down!"
Xuanzi's body trembled. He closed his eyes, clenched his fists tightly, and slammed his knees heavily onto the bluestone slab in front of the Body Sect's mountain gate, making a dull thud.
At this moment, the dignity of Shrek Academy's second-in-command shattered before the gates of the Body Sect.
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