Chapter 167 Bei Bei requests an audience with Xuan Zi, where is the Dragon Pill?
The atmosphere inside the Poseidon Pavilion office had reached freezing point.
Huo Yuhao's secret letter was like an invisible hammer blow, slamming into the chests of every elder present.
Xuanzi stared intently at the soul-guided projection that was gradually dissipating in mid-air. His bloodshot eyes flashed with an extremely complex light—a mixture of jealousy, fear, and a kind of anger at being abandoned by the times.
"Red Fifth Ring... Fifth Ring Instant Kill of Level 8 Soul Master..."
Xian Lin'er murmured to herself. As the leading figure in the Soul Guidance Department, she understood better than anyone what this meant.
An eighth-level Soul Master, combined with a full set of Soul Guidance Armor, is enough to stand up to a Title Douluo on the front lines.
If Liu Yuan can truly achieve this, it means that the rise of the Body Sect is only a matter of time.
"Impossible! I absolutely refuse to believe it!"
Xuanzi suddenly turned around, his hoarse voice interrupting everyone's thoughts.
He forcefully waved his sleeve, trying to dispel the suffocating sense of oppression.
"Everyone, don't be frightened by Huo Yuhao's one-sided account. Although that child is quite talented, he is still young. In such a chaotic battlefield environment, it is common for him to mistake people or misjudge them."
"The Body Sect is most adept at using the Body Martial Soul to create illusions. Perhaps it was a smokescreen deliberately created by Du Busi to scare the Sun Moon Empire."
While panting heavily, Xuanzi tried his best to calm everyone down. Although his tone was tough, anyone could tell that he lacked confidence.
"As for the research data and blueprints that were taken away..." Xuanzi's lips curled into a cold smile, a smile that carried a deep-seated prejudice.
"Even if it really was the Body Sect that did it, so what? They can't poison those lunatics. They only believe in their own bodies their whole lives and they don't even look down on soul tools. Those complicated blueprints are nothing but a pile of waste paper in their hands."
"It's useless for them to take it; the Body Sect will never study these unorthodox methods."
After hearing Xuanzi's words, Yan Shaozhe and the others, though still looking grave, calmed down a little.
In their preconceived notion, the Body Sect was indeed a group of martial arts fanatics who were extremely averse to external technology. This cognitive bias provided them with a safe haven to temporarily escape reality.
"Elder Xuan is right. Those people from the Body Sect really don't have the brains to research soul tools." Qian Duoduo chuckled dryly, trying to ease the atmosphere.
"Alright, everyone disperse." Xuanzi waved his hand wearily.
"I have just recovered and need to rest. As for the matter of Mingde Hall, continue to have our spies keep an eye on it, and report back when there is further concrete information."
Seeing this, no one dared to say anything more.
Although everyone had a heavy burden on their hearts, seeing Xuanzi's gloomy face that seemed to drip water, they all bowed and took their leave, departing from the office one by one.
As the heavy wooden door creaked shut, the room fell silent once more.
Xuanzi's originally straight back collapsed in an instant.
He collapsed onto the soft couch, utterly exhausted, his earlier righteous demeanor gone. His hands trembled as he tried to grab the empty teacup from the table beside him, only to find his fingers shaking so badly he could barely hold it.
"Liu Yuan... Liu Yuan..."
Xuanzi muttered the two words in a low voice, each syllable seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth.
Now, the person he fears most on the entire Douluo Continent is no longer Jing Hongchen, or even Kong Deming, but the boy he once personally expelled from the academy.
Although he vehemently denied it in front of everyone, as a level 98 Super Douluo, he knew very well that a child with Huo Yuhao's personality would never tell such a baseless lie in a secret letter to the Sea God Pavilion.
If that person really is Liu Yuan, then it means that Liu Yuan has grown to a point where even he feels trembling.
"This kind of monster must not be allowed to live."
Xuanzi's eyes suddenly turned incredibly sinister, and an intense killing intent raged in the office, causing the surrounding temperature to drop several degrees.
"As long as he lives, it will be the greatest humiliation for me, Xuanzi, and a stain on Shrek Academy's reputation for ten thousand years. If he is allowed to grow up completely, the Body Sect will eventually trample the Sea God Pavilion on its head."
Xuanzi subconsciously rubbed his chest, where the hidden injury left by the backlash from the Dragon Pill still ached faintly.
He desperately wanted to eliminate Liu Yuan and the Body Sect, but he also understood that killing Liu Yuan meant he had to kill Du Busi first.
Poison couldn't kill that old monster; his strength surpassed his, and due to the unique nature of his martial soul, he was no match for him. Without absolute certainty, Shrek Academy simply couldn't afford the cost of a full-scale war.
"Breakthrough... I must hurry up and break through to level ninety-nine, the Limit Douluo!"
Xuanzi looked out the window toward the golden tree, his eyes revealing an almost pathological obsession.
"Mu En is dead, and now the Sea God Pavilion reigns supreme. Once I successfully reach that realm, the mere Body Sect will be nothing more than a flick of my wrist. At that time, Poison Undying won't be able to stop me, and that beast Liu Yuan, I will make sure he dies in his entirety before Shrek Academy, to comfort the spirit of our ancestor in heaven!"
This thirst for power and obsession with hatred sustained his broken body, allowing his already wavering heart to be filled with desire once more.
And under the golden tree outside the Sea God Pavilion.
Beibei stood quietly at the bottom of the steps. His white school uniform was faded from washing, and he looked much thinner, but his eyes were brighter and more determined than ever before.
He came this time for the Bright Dragon Pill.
When he came to inquire last time, Xuanzi was seriously injured and unconscious. The elders stopped him at the door, and he had no choice but to leave.
But over the past three months, he has gone through all of Elder Mu's last letters and recalled every detail.
Elder Mu clearly stated that the Dragon Pill, which embodied his life's work, was intended to ease his relationship with Liu Yuan and was a form of compensation for Liu Yuan.
However, Xuanzi has not taken any action yet, and instead suffered a serious injury due to a mysterious "failed breakthrough" during his seclusion.
"This is too much of a coincidence."
Beibei muttered to himself, his hands clenched into fists, his nails digging deep into his palms.
"Elder Xuan, where exactly did you send the Dragon Pill?"
"Did you really embezzle the Dragon Pill?"
"If you really do that, Ancestor Xuanzu will not forgive you..."
He took a deep breath to calm his agitated emotions, then looked up at the majestic Sea God Pavilion.
"Beibei requests an audience with Elder Xuan! I have important matters to inquire about, and I implore Elder Xuan to spare some time to see me!"
(End of chapter)