Chapter 189 Elder Xuan, don't go, you can't beat him.
Shrek Academy, by Poseidon Lake.
In the past, this place was a sacred site where students exchanged their cultivation experiences and looked up at the holy glory of the Sea God Pavilion.
But today, an unprecedented sense of oppression and restlessness permeates the lakeside.
Whether they were young people sparring in the outer courtyard or elites in seclusion in the inner courtyard, they were all talking about the same thing—the crushing defeat of the Heavenly Soul Imperial City.
"Have you heard? Dean Yan and the others are back, but the situation is very bad."
A senior student from the School of Foreign Languages lowered his voice, his tone filled with disbelief.
"Those were three Super Douluo! They were actually poisoned to death and beaten to the ground by one person. In the end, they had to compensate with soul bones to save their lives. Shrek Academy has truly lost all face this time."
"It's more than just embarrassing." Another student, whose inner school uniform collar was embroidered with green patterns, shook his head and sighed, a look of confusion in his eyes.
"The champion of the previous All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament was the Heavenly Soul Royal Team."
"Now, three of our academy's elders have suffered such a great loss in the Heavenly Soul Imperial City. Do you think Shrek Academy is really finished?"
"Did we make a mistake by going through all that trouble to stay at Shrek Academy and continue our studies?"
This suspicion spread like a plague among the student population.
For these chosen ones, Shrek Academy was chosen because it represented absolute power and justice.
But now, this filter has been forcibly torn apart by Poison Undying with brute force.
Not only did they fail to bring back the resigning vice president, but they were also publicly humiliated like a notorious infiltrator, and even had to cede territory and pay reparations.
"If even the deans can't protect the dignity of the academy, then what's the point of us staying here?"
A young trainee muttered to himself.
Although the people around did not respond, their shifty eyes and lowered heads indicated that this questioning had shaken the foundation of Shrek Academy's millennia-old existence.
...
Beneath an ancient tree not far from the Sea God Pavilion, Beibei stood quietly, his gaze fixed intently on the pavilion that symbolized supreme power.
As Moon's most valued great-grandson, Bebe holds a special position within Shrek Academy.
He already knew the whole story, but his expression wasn't one of indignation like the other trainees; instead, it was one of deep-seated exhaustion and disappointment.
"Shrek, in the end, was consumed by his own arrogance," Bebe murmured softly.
The farce involving Long Dan resurfaced in his mind.
In his view, that incident was the beginning of Shrek's slide into the abyss.
Xuanzi forcibly seized the Dragon Pill for himself, thus destroying the last chance to make peace with the Body Sect.
Although he had no substantial evidence to prove that Xuanzi had tampered with Mu En's instructions, a voice in Beibei's heart kept telling him: Xuanzi's actions were completely wrong.
If Xuanzi hadn't done what he did, their relationship with Liu Yuan might have improved, and the outcome might have been different.
But now, all Beibei can see is an even darker future.
"The glory established by our ancestors is crumbling little by little in Xuanzi's hands." Beibei shook his head and sighed. He could sense that there would be even more troubles in the future.
With Liu Yuan's rise in the Heavenly Soul Empire, Shrek Academy will no longer face just a powerful Body Sect, but a brand new era that is surpassing Shrek Academy in every aspect.
...
The roaring continued unabated from the top floor of the Sea God Pavilion.
Xuanzi was exhausted from cursing. He was panting heavily, and the yellow soul power emanating from his body due to his anger caused countless cracks to appear on the precious wooden floor around him.
Looking at the three men, Yan Shaozhe, who were bowing their heads and looking disheveled, his anger did not subside; instead, it became even more distorted due to his sense of powerlessness.
"I can't take this anymore! Shrek Academy won't wait until tomorrow to report this humiliation!"
Xuanzi suddenly raised his head, and a frenzied killing intent erupted from his blood-red eyes.
He turned around abruptly, creating a gust of wind, and rushed directly towards the gate of the Sea God Pavilion.
"Elder Xuan! Where are you going?" Yan Shaozhe shouted in alarm, ignoring his injuries.
"What are you doing? I'm storming the Body Sect right now! I'm going to twist off that green-haired old devil's head and take back those three soul bones! He dared to humiliate Shrek Academy in the Imperial City, so I'll have the entire Body Sect wiped out!"
Xuanzi was now in a semi-mad state. He could not bear the fact that as the head of the academy he was bringing shame upon the school. Only blood could wash away the humiliation in his heart.
"stop!"
Xian Lin'er disregarded social hierarchy and suddenly stepped in front of Xuan Zi.
Her face was deathly pale, and due to the severe injury from the poison, her breathing was still fluctuating wildly.
"Elder Xuan, you can't go!" Xian Lin'er gritted her teeth and spread her arms to block Xuanzi's way.
"Get out of my way! Don't think that just because you're a junior I won't dare to touch you!" Xuanzi roared, his earth-elemental soul power surging around him, and he was about to make a move.
Yan Shaozhe also forced himself to step forward, grabbed Xuanzi's arm, and said in a sorrowful yet resolute tone, "Elder Xuan, calm down! Going to the Body Sect now will only lead to your death!"
"Sending yourself to your death?" Xuanzi suddenly turned his head, staring intently at Yan Shaozhe, his voice becoming extremely sharp.
"I am a level 98 Super Douluo! Even if he can't be poisoned to death, he is still level 98! Why can't I kill him?"
Yan Shaozhe looked at Xuanzi's distorted old face and revealed an extremely bitter smile. He slowly shook his head and uttered a fact that even he himself felt despair about:
"Elder Xuan, you can't beat him."
"The three of us witnessed it firsthand; the second awakening of the original martial soul was terrifyingly powerful."
"That kind of physical strength has already surpassed the realm of humanity."
"Although you and he are both level 98, within the same level... I'm afraid no one can beat the current Poison Undying."
Xuanzi's body suddenly stiffened.
His raised hand hung in mid-air, trembling violently.
Yan Shaozhe's words were like a bucket of cold snow water, poured directly onto his head, which was burning with anger.
So at this moment...
At that moment, the immense humiliation caused by his lack of strength felt like sharp blades stabbing into his heart.
A long, deathly silence fell over the Sea God Pavilion.
After a long while, Xuanzi's originally upright body collapsed as if his spine had been removed.
He didn't speak again, but stiffly turned around and walked back to the main seat step by step, his steps faltering.
He looked at his hands, calloused and worn, which couldn't even protect the dignity of his own academy. Due to excessive force, his nails dug deep into the flesh of his palms.
"It's because I'm not strong enough again... Damn it!"
Xuanzi suddenly lowered his head, his voice hoarse like a broken bellows, "If I were level ninety-nine... if I were a Limit Douluo... how dare Du Busi! How dare he!"
He suddenly raised his head and looked at the door on the top floor of the Sea God Pavilion that led to the secluded meditation room, his eyes revealing an unprecedented madness and determination.
"Shao Zhe, Lin'er. From today onwards, I will enter a period of intense seclusion. I will not emerge from seclusion until I break through to the level 99 Limit Douluo!"
Xuanzi gritted his teeth, each word dripping with the stench of blood.
"I will let everyone on this continent know that Shrek Academy is still Shrek Academy! If poison doesn't kill you, there's still Liu Yuan... The day I break through will be your doom!"
After saying that, Xuanzi didn't even give Yan Shaozhe and the others a chance to dissuade him. He transformed into a yellow streak of light and rushed directly into the secluded cultivation room. With the heavy sound of the stone door closing, the entire Sea God Pavilion was once again plunged into a suffocating shadow.
Yan Shaozhe and Xian Lin'er exchanged a glance, both seeing deep worry in each other's eyes.
Xuanzi's breakthrough was driven by too much eagerness for quick success and hatred.
With this mindset, can one really succeed in pushing their limits?
Outside the window, the setting sun sank completely below the horizon, and darkness enveloped Shrek.
(End of chapter)