Sea God Pavilion. The top floor.
Clouds surged beneath their feet. From here, the entire landscape of Shrek Academy was in full view, and one could even smell the moist water vapor wafting from Sea God Lake and the fragrance on the island.
But at this moment, Yan Shaozhe's face was unsightly and filled with shame as he pushed Mu En's wheelchair, his voice low: "I am sorry, Teacher. I have failed your expectations…"
Mu En shook his head: "It cannot be called a failure, but Shrek Academy must now face the threat posed by him.
After all, it was a dead end from the start. Your only point of breaking the deadlock was to forbid him from speaking on the competition field…not even a single word could be allowed out. But hindered by Du Busi's predatory gaze from the sidelines, you could never have achieved that…
We all underestimated him."
Mu En's eyes narrowed slightly as he tapped the armrest of his chair: "I did not expect him to be hiding so deeply."
Aside from Gongyang Mo, the entire team…including veteran Inner Academy Disciples like Ling Luochen and even Yan Shaozhe's own personal disciple Ma Xiaotao…had been poached. If that guy claimed his true form was a succubus, one might even be willing to believe it.
"I suspect that the matter regarding Zhang Lexuan has something to do with him as well," Mu En mused.
Yan Shaozhe was silent.
Zhang Lexuan's defection was a devastating blow to Shrek Academy. Her status in the inner court was unrivaled; even he could not compare to her. Now, she had defected openly and exposed past grievances…
This had caused undercurrents to surge within the inner court, and many Inner Academy disciples were clearly wavering, evidently influenced by Zhang Lexuan.
"Do not acknowledge this matter." Mu En glanced at his disciple with some helplessness.
How could someone who usually seemed quite clever and reliable, who could go back and forth in a battle of wits with Xian Lin'er within Shrek, turn into mush the moment he left Shrek?
There is no evidence for this!
He deliberately entrusted that matter to the Holy Spirit Cult back then precisely to ensure no one could find any handles or flaws. The people who committed those acts back then were all secretly dealt with by Xiaoyao. Most of the evidence that girl could gather is incomplete and fragmentary. At most, it only casts suspicion on him; it is far from being ironclad proof.
Therefore, if Yan Shaozhe had denied it on the competition field and used that to find flaws and launch a counterattack, he might have been able to regain some momentum.
Zhang Lexuan could not produce ironclad proof, and relying on the popularity and majestic image that he, Dragon God Mu En, had accumulated in the past, a large group of people would certainly have sided with him. Perhaps he could have truly turned the tables.
But Yan Shaozhe had clearly been stunned; he was overwhelmed by the successive blows on the competition field and had actually "defaulted" to accepting it without arguing.
Now that the best opportunity had passed, there was no better chance to clarify.
"I am sorry, Teacher…" Yan Shaozhe lowered his head in shame.
"Forget it, Shrek was destined to face this tribulation." Mu En shook his head, though his gaze remained calm, eerily as if none of this had ever happened.
The scene fell silent for a moment. Yan Shaozhe finally sensed that something was amiss and hesitated: "Teacher, do you still have a backup plan?"
"No." Mu En shook his head with a smile, "But Shrek does…"
Yan Shaozhe looked surprised and asked somewhat strangely: "Shrek? What do you mean?"
"Do you know about the seven ancestors of Shrek who became divinities at the time of its founding?" Mu En asked with a leisurely smile.
"Naturally!" Yan Shaozhe said without hesitation. He could recite their stories backwards; whether it was their life stories or their advanced martial soul abilities, they were the heroes of all Shrek people.
"Wait! You mean…" Yan Shaozhe's pupils suddenly constricted, his body stiffened in place, and a wave of wild joy surged into his heart.
"Correct." Mu En smiled: "That God has contacted me…"
"Which one? Is it that ancestor, Tang San?!!" Yan Shaozhe was so excited he couldn't even speak clearly.
"No, I do not know either." Mu En exhaled a breath of turbid air, his gaze leisurely: "But He contacted me through the golden ancient tree, indicating that the ancestor is already aware of the affairs in the Lower Realm. Shrek Academy is his life's work, and he will not leave it unattended.
However, due to the regulations of the God Realm, divinities cannot interfere in the affairs of the mortal world, so…He will not take action personally. But if we do well, He might consider personally taking action to extend my life."
The smile on Mu En's face could not be concealed. He was not afraid of death; he was simply doing it for Shrek Academy.
"Moreover, He will dispatch a God Child to come to Shrek Academy for advanced studies to walk the path He once walked.
And she will represent Shrek in the next Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament. It is said to be a princess named Tang Wutong. As for her martial soul and talent…we will know when the time comes."
"Hahahaha! Heaven protects my Shrek!!!"
Yan Shaozhe finally burst into loud laughter, laughing until tears came out. The bitterness and sourness of it all were truly indescribable; he had been miserably tricked by that little beast.
Now with the help of a god, the advantage is with me, with Shrek!
A dignified Godchild…could she not deal with a mere mortal like you?
On the other side. Admissions Office.
Du Weilun flipped through the blank documents in his hands. Aside from her age and name, even her martial soul was kept confidential. The beautiful young girl standing in front of him rolled her eyes, her tone impatient: "Are you done yet? Hurry up and let me in. A lousy school making such a big deal out of things… I don't know what Dad is thinking…"
"Tang Wutong, age fourteen years old, hiss…"
Du Weilun gasped, his throat bobbing. A list that could be kept confidential by the Sea God Pavilion was certainly not something he was qualified to inquire about. He hurriedly stamped it and then presented it with both hands.
"Hmph." Tang Wutong snorted coldly, snatched the paper with some disdain, and, escorted by a burly man behind her, walked straight into the academy.
"My Young Miss hates trouble the most. I hope Director Du will put in extra effort regarding her affairs in Shrek in the future."
Another middle-aged man with a robust build, draped in a black robe, spoke indifferently.
"Clear Sky Sect Master, please rest assured. We know our place." Du Weilun wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said subserviently.
"That would be best." The black-robed man glanced indifferently at Du Weilun, and his figure vanished from the spot.
"Eldest Uncle, Second Uncle, you don't need to see me off. It would be best if you could quickly catch that imposter and help me complete my soul. I don't want to let her off easy…" Tang Wutong blinked, looking at Da Ming and Er Ming following closely behind her, and nodded slightly, a look of satisfaction appearing in her eyes.
That imposter certainly didn't have this kind of treatment when she joined Shrek Academy back then.
"Little Seven…" Er Ming hesitated.
"Don't call me Little Seven!" Tang Wutong's willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed tightly. She cast a cold glance at Er Ming. The distinction between master and servant was clear; a mere servant of my Tang Clan, how dare he address me with the tone of an elder?
Does he really think of himself as a person?
"Yes, young miss," Er Ming's face was somewhat unsightly, but he still bowed and said respectfully.
"Alright, go." Tang Wutong waved her hand impatiently and walked straight into Shrek Academy.
Er Ming's expression was despondent. "Big Brother, I didn't expect this…"
Da Ming's expression remained calm: "Let's return to the Clear Sky Sect first."
"But…what Young Miss ordered…" Er Ming hesitated.
Da Ming glanced at him: "Don't you know how to play dumb? Just say the Body Sect is truly hard to find, hiding within the borders of the Heavenly Soul Empire, and that the Clear Sky Sect has searched several times without success. Drag it out…this is also the last time we, as her elders, will help her."
In fact, the Clear Sky Sect was also in the Heavenly Soul Empire, but the two sects were located in the north and south of the Empire, quite a distance apart.
In the eyes of the two of them, both were Xiao Wu's daughters, but clearly… Dong'er was much closer to them.