That night, a grand victory banquet was held in the imperial palace to welcome the triumphant heroes back.
At the banquet, amidst music and dance, cups were raised and exchanged, and the monarch and his subjects celebrated together, with the atmosphere reaching a fever pitch.
As the guest of honor, Xu Tianran naturally became the center of attention, with many officials coming forward to offer toasts, expressing their admiration.
Xu Tianran responded with composure, his demeanor impeccable, and his conversation fully displaying the bearing of a Crown Prince.
Halfway through the banquet, Xu Tianran excused himself under the pretext of changing clothes and quietly slipped out of the banquet hall to the imperial garden.
The night air was slightly cool, and the moonlight, like water, spilled over the pavilions and towers of the garden, creating a serene and peaceful atmosphere.
Not long after, Xu Tianhao also quietly walked over, holding two drinks in his hands.
He was still a child and could not drink alcohol.
"Big Brother, why are you out here in the cold wind all by yourself?" Xu Tianhao handed a drink to Xu Tianran and asked with a smile.
Xu Tianran took the cup, took a sip, and gazed at the night sky in the distance, saying softly, "I just feel that Shrek doesn't seem to be as formidable as they say."
He paused, then turned to look at Xu Tianhao: "Tianhao, the tournament is already over, yet the people from the Body Sect still don't seem to have made a move."
Xu Tianhao raised his cup, took a gentle sip, and said in a calm tone:
"Don't be anxious, Big Brother. The Body Sect has always acted with caution; we must give them some time to confirm things."
He set down his cup and walked to Xu Tianran's side: "Although my Body Martial Soul is exceptionally gifted and can be considered one in ten thousand, I am, after all, the Sixth Prince of the Sun Moon Empire, and my status is special."
"Even if the Body Sect is interested in me, they must carefully deliberate, so they naturally won't declare their stance so quickly."
Xu Tianran frowned slightly: "If we can obtain the support of the Body Sect, the strength of our Sun Moon Empire will inevitably rise to another level, and we will have more certainty in dealing with future uncertainties."
"Rest assured, Big Brother, I have it all under control," Xu Tianhao said with a determined tone: "When we deliberately released the information about my Body Martial Soul, it was to lure the Body Sect into taking the bait."
"Now that the bait has been set, all that remains is to patiently wait for the fish to bite."
"The Body Sect highly values those with gifted Body Martial Souls; they will not miss this opportunity."
Xu Tianran fell silent for a moment before nodding: "Then let's wait for now. I hope they don't make us wait too long."
He raised his cup and clinked it gently against Xu Tianhao's: "Come, to our victory and to the future of the Sun Moon Empire, cheers!"
"Cheers!" Xu Tianhao also raised his cup, and the two brothers drank it all in one gulp.
Under the moonlight, the silhouettes of the two brothers were stretched long, and in their eyes, both flickered with longing and determination for the future.
This counterattack, which had been four thousand years in the making, was just the beginning.
The legend belonging to the Sun Moon Empire had only just begun to unfold.
...
Shrek Academy, Sea Gods Pavilion.
This was the second time a Sea Gods Pavilion meeting had been convened within the short span of a single month.
It must be known that in the history of Shrek Academy, the convening of a Sea Gods Pavilion meeting had always had strict standards.
Unless it was an extremely important matter, this hall, which symbolized the highest authority of the academy, would never be opened so frequently.
The light in the Sea Gods Pavilion hall was dimmer than usual, with only the faint glow emitted from the dome barely illuminating everyone's faces.
In addition to the various elders and academy executives who attended the last meeting, there were two more figures in the Sea Gods Pavilion this time.
They were the Gluttonous Douluo Xuan Zi and the Inner Court senior sister, Zhang Lexuan.
However, at this moment, this senior sister of the Shrek Academy Inner Court looked like a completely different person compared to her usual self.
Her soft, long hair was somewhat disheveled at the moment, with a few strands falling on both sides of her cheeks, obscuring most of her face.
Her eye sockets were slightly red, clearly having cried for a long time, and those eyes that were usually lively and full of confidence were now hollow and lifeless.
It was as if she had lost her soul, with nothing left but endless gloom and self-reproach.
There was no need for words; the results of the tournament had already spread throughout Shrek Academy as if they had grown wings.
For Shrek Academy, this defeat was a tremendous humiliation, the likes of which had not been seen in four thousand years!
Since the collision and fusion of the Sun Moon Continent and the Douluo Continent over four thousand years ago, Shrek Academy had always stood at the pinnacle of the Spirit Master's world.
Whether it was the Continental Spirit Fighting Tournament or various other Spirit Master exchange competitions, Shrek students had always crushed their opponents with absolute superiority.
The three words "Shrek" had long since become synonymous with being number one and synonymous with glory.
For many years, countless Spirit Masters had dreamed of stepping through the gates of Shrek, all to pursue this supreme glory.
And Shrek Academy had always taken the protection of this glory as its own responsibility.
But this time, on the stage of the All-Continent High-Level Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, their pride and joy, the Shrek team, had narrowly lost to the Sun Moon Empire team in the final, settling for second place.
This result was like a resounding slap in the face to everyone, shattering the pride that Shrek had passed down for ten thousand years.
And for Zhang Lexuan, this humiliation was a scar in her heart that could never heal, an obstacle she could never overcome.
She had grown up under the cultivation of Shrek Academy since she was a child; from an ignorant child to becoming the Inner Court senior sister, Shrek Academy had given her everything.
She had once sworn to spend her life guarding the glory of the academy, and to let the fame of Shrek spread to every corner of the continent.
Over the years, she had never been the least bit slack; whether in cultivation or in guiding her junior brothers and sisters, she had given her all.
All just to not live up to the academy's cultivation and not disappoint the expectations of the elders.
But now, it was precisely under her leadership that the Shrek team had suffered their first defeat in four thousand years, bringing shame to the academy's reputation.
Did this not mean that she, Zhang Lexuan, was simply incompetent?
If she couldn't even protect the most basic glory of the academy, what face did she have to face the elders who had cultivated her?
What face did she have to face the junior brothers and sisters of the academy?
What face did she have to face the ten-thousand-year legacy of glory of Shrek Academy?
During the days since returning to the academy, Zhang Lexuan had remained behind closed doors all day, with the scenes from the tournament constantly replaying in her mind.
Replaying the images of the opponents celebrating their victory, replaying the disappointed gazes from the audience.
That self-reproach and guilt, which went deep into her bones, almost completely crushed her.
She even wanted to apologize with her own death, using her own blood to wash away this humiliation and to make up for her mistakes.
To the people of Shrek Academy, they had been instilled since childhood with the philosophy that Shrek's glory was above all else.
This glory had long since merged into their bones and blood, becoming an inseparable part of their lives.
For this glory, they could give everything, including their own lives.
Zhang Lexuan's thoughts were undoubtedly caused by Shrek's cultivation philosophy, an obsession carved into her bones.
Fortunately, Mu En noticed her abnormality and personally admonished her.
He told Zhang Lexuan that failure was not terrible; what was terrible was being completely crushed by failure.
The academy's glory was certainly important, but her growth to this day was equally a precious asset to the academy.
Under Mu En's patient guidance, Zhang Lexuan finally abandoned the thought of suicide and stabilized.