Chapter 87: The Mighty Shrek Team! Elder Xuan: I Don't Even Know How We Could Lose!
Inside the dimly lit room, the heavy wooden door clicked shut as the staff member hastily retreated. Elder Xuan sat alone, the intelligence report resting on the table before him. His expression, already darkened by weeks of foul moods, underwent a subtle, terrifying shift.
The muscles in his jaw locked, twitching violently under his unkempt beard. Slowly, a hideous, cold arc stretched across his mouth, twisting his weathered features into a mask of pure malice.
"So they really are going to participate? Hmph! Good. Very good!"
Elder Xuan muttered the words to the empty room. His calloused hand gripped his beloved wine flask so tightly that his knuckles turned an unnatural, bone-white hue. The aged metal of the flask groaned under the immense pressure.
Whenever he closed his eyes, the nightmare resurfaced. The memory of the Body Sect's mountain gate was a brand burned into his very soul—the absolute greatest humiliation he had ever suffered in his long life. The phantom sensation of heavy, jagged thorns digging into his back made his skin crawl. He could still feel the freezing chill of the bluestone slab against his knees. He could still hear the mocking whispers and see the pointed fingers of the Body Sect disciples looking down on him like a stray dog.
That suffocating feeling of having his dignity violently stripped away had not faded. Instead, over the past month, it had fermented into a thick, venomous resentment that poisoned his every waking thought.
Because of this, Elder Xuan's mindset sharply diverged from Elder Mu's. While the Master of the Sea God Pavilion sought peace, Elder Xuan hungered for Liu Yuan and his team to step onto the stage of the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Tournament.
In his stubborn, deeply arrogant logic, verbal arguments and kneeling apologies were utterly useless. The only way to wash away his shame was to use absolute, overwhelming strength to physically and mentally destroy the opponent.
"Now, the opportunity for this old man to get back at them has finally arrived." Elder Xuan leaned forward, his bloodshot eyes glaring at the intelligence documents as if the parchment itself were Liu Yuan's throat. He ground his teeth together, the sound echoing sharply in the quiet room.
He firmly believed that as long as the Shrek Team completely crushed Liu Yuan's faction in front of the entire continent, everything would be set right. He wanted Liu Yuan to fall miserably on the competition field, broken and bleeding for all to see. Then, the world would finally understand the truth: Shrek Academy was still that impossible Peak, the absolute ruler of the Spirit Master world.
And that ungrateful, foolish boy? After losing Shrek's supreme protection, Liu Yuan would ultimately be exposed as nothing more than a pathetic supporting character, destined to be trampled beneath the boots of the true champions, even within the ranks of the Body Sect.
Elder Xuan took a long, ragged breath, forcing the violent aura surging within his chest to settle. He narrowed his eyes at the flickering candlelight.
"Hmph, Liu Yuan... you little beast."
His voice dropped to a dangerous, raspy whisper. "Just wait for this old man. I will let you know in front of the entire continent just how foolish your initial choice was. By then, this old man will not only take back the championship trophy, but I will also personally tear away your ignorant arrogance."
In Elder Xuan's view, the foundation Shrek Academy had accumulated over ten thousand years was a towering monolith. It could by no means be shaken by a single emerging genius, no matter how talented. This deep-rooted, blinding arrogance caused his eyes to completely gloss over the most critical line in the intelligence report: Liu Yuan killing a Spirit Saint.
His mind simply refused to process the true significance of that feat, leaving his thoughts consumed entirely by the intoxicating fantasy of revenge.
Meanwhile, far away in the Heavenly Soul Empire, deep within the territory of the Body Sect.
Thick, milky clouds and freezing mist swirled endlessly around the jagged mountain peaks. Despite the rapidly approaching Continental Tournament, the daily cultivation life of Liu Yuan and his fellow disciples had not changed in the slightest.
Compared to the tense, utilitarian, and pressure-cooker atmosphere currently suffocating Shrek Academy, the pace here at the Body Sect remained composed, steady, and grounded in ancient martial tradition.
Liu Yuan sat in a lotus position, his breathing long and rhythmic. His mindset was perfectly calm, an unruffled lake reflecting the morning sky. To him, the so-called competition rankings, the fleeting fame of the continent, and Elder Xuan's desperate need to "get back at them" were merely trivial embellishments on the long, arduous path of cultivation.
His focus remained entirely on his own internal purification and his relentless march toward the next breakthrough.
Every morning, without fail, Liu Yuan appeared on the precipice of the cliff behind the mountain. As the horizon cracked open to reveal the dawn, he faced the first ray of morning light, drawing the pure purple qi into his eyes to polish the terrifying power of his Double Pupils.
Down below, the deafening crash of a massive waterfall echoed through the valley. Long Aotian stood directly beneath the crushing torrent of freezing water, continuing to temper his physical body. Every punch he threw shattered the cascading water, the strikes accompanied by the literal roar of his boiling blood and qi. Steam rose from his heated skin, mingling with the mountain mist.
For the disciples of the Body Sect, superficial things like tournament rankings were entirely irrelevant; becoming stronger was the only true goal. If they encountered a strong enemy on the competition field, that enemy would simply serve as a whetstone to sharpen their blades. If not, the tournament would just be an ordinary, forgettable journey.
In this peaceful, hyper-focused state, more than a month slipped by in the blink of an eye.
Through continuous, agonizing purification of his meridians, Liu Yuan's spirit power had steadily climbed to level 46. The daunting barrier of level 50—the world of a Spirit King—was drawing closer with every passing day.
This deep accumulation of strength, nurtured by his detached and pragmatic state of mind, caused a subtle change in his presence. Now, whenever his spirit power circulated through his body, he faintly exuded a natural, suffocating sense of oppression, a heavy gravity that demanded submission from the space around him.
Shrek Academy, Sea God Pavilion.
Today was the day of departure.
The atmosphere inside the grand, ancient hall was solemn and fiercely impassioned. The golden light of the ancient tree filtered through the windows, illuminating the two teams that represented Shrek's highest honor. They stood in perfect formation, ready to set out and conquer.
Elder Mu sat quietly on his wooden reclining chair. His ancient, clouded eyes slowly swept over the fourteen young men and women standing at attention before him.
Standing at the very front were the starting members of this session—the absolute elite.
Leading them was Ma Xiaotao. She stood tall, her crimson hair cascading down her back, radiating a hot, oppressive heat that felt like bubbling magma. As the possessor of the terrifying Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul, her aura, which was rapidly approaching the Spirit Emperor level, caused the very air around her to warp and distort in a hazy shimmer.
Beside her stood Dai Yueheng. His figure was sturdy and imposing, his posture rigid with military discipline. His dual-pupiled eyes were as sharp as executioner's knives, naturally exuding the heavy, commanding majesty of a direct descendant of the Star Luo Empire's White Tiger Duke.
The others flanking them—Chen Zifeng, Gongyang Mo, and the rest—were all outstanding, once-in-a-generation talents handpicked from the Inner Court.
Standing respectfully behind this wall of power was the reserve team, led by Huo Yuhao, Bei Bei, He Caitou, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan.
Although these younger children possessed decent potential, in Elder Xuan's eyes, they were merely there for the ride. As long as the starting team was present to hold the line and crush the opposition, the reserve team was just going to gain some superficial experience and go through the motions. The ones who would truly exert their dominant power and secure the championship were the Inner Court team.
Therefore, at this moment, Elder Xuan stood tall beside Elder Mu's chair. His gaze swept back and forth between Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng, his chest swelling with an unmatched, intoxicating sense of satisfaction.
'This lineup is simply one of the strongest in ten thousand years,' Elder Xuan calculated inwardly, a smug smirk tugging at his lips.
He looked at the deep, hyper-stable spirit power fluctuations radiating from each starting member. He felt the explosive, volatile power of Ma Xiaotao that far exceeded anyone in her generation. The familiar sense of absolute arrogance rose in his heart once again, washing away the lingering sting of his recent humiliations.
In his view, every single one of these Inner Court disciples was a hardened elite of the Shrek Guardians. They had been baptized by blood and fire during their brutal inspection missions, possessing rich, life-and-death combat experience and flawless, tacit cooperation.
'With this kind of overwhelming strength, this old man really doesn't know how we could possibly lose.' Elder Xuan stroked his messy beard. The gloomy dark clouds that had hung over his head for a month finally dissipated upon seeing this magnificent, powerful team.
He firmly believed that in the face of absolute, crushing hard strength, any other team participating in the tournament—whether it was the Star Luo National Academy Team, the Sun Moon Imperial Spirit Master Academy Team, or whatever pathetic group the Body Sect managed to scrape together—would all be left weeping in regret over their inevitable defeat.
By then, he, Elder Xuan, would render another massive service to the academy and fiercely, publicly get his revenge.
Elder Mu finally spoke. His voice was slow, low, and gentle, yet it carried a strange, penetrating weight that clearly reached the ears and hearts of everyone present.
"Children, this trip to Star Luo City is not just for that championship trophy."
The old man slowly sat up slightly, his gaze piercing. "It is even more for guarding the ten-thousand-year glory of Shrek Academy. On the competition field, you represent the absolute will of the Academy."
He paused, letting the heavy silence stretch. "Do not be careless. Do not underestimate the enemy. Use your strength to tell the world: Shrek is forever the legend of the Spirit Master's world."
"We will definitely not disgrace our mission! We will guard Shrek's glory!"
The fourteen team members shouted in perfect unison. The sheer force of their combined voices created a shockwave that rattled the ancient windows and shook the glowing leaves of the Golden Tree. Everyone's eyes burned with a high-spirited, unyielding fighting spirit.
Elder Xuan turned and bowed respectfully to Elder Mu. Then, straightening his spine, he waved his large, tattered sleeve and pointed a cold, decisive finger toward the horizon.
"Set off! Target: Star Luo Empire!"
"Yes, Elder Xuan!"
Led by the Taotie Douluo himself, fourteen streaks of brilliant, multicolored light rose from the ground. They shot into the sky, quickly rushing out of the academy gates and tearing through the clouds at full speed toward Star Luo City.
The high-altitude wind whistled violently in his ears. Elder Xuan flew near the front, his eyes locked onto Ma Xiaotao's blazing crimson trail leading the formation. The dark, venomous desire for revenge that had been suppressed for so long in his heart had finally been fully ignited, burning brighter than ever as he stared in the direction of Star Luo City.
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