"In other words, the only clue we have right now lies with that kid named Caelus?"
Elder Lin asked, pressing for an answer.
"Yes."
Zhang Lexuan nodded.
"As for all the specific details and secrets, I'm afraid we can only get the complete answer from Caelus after the Ice Empress wakes up."
Inside the Sea Gods Pavilion, silence fell once again.
A monstrous wave rose in everyone's hearts.
A peerless Genius possessing Ultimate Ice and a Second Martial Soul.
A shocking incident that occurred in the Extreme North Land.
Between these two, there seemed to be an invisible thread connecting them together.
Everyone understood that the continent, which had been peaceful for so long, was likely... about to change.
The air inside the Sea Gods Pavilion seemed to have solidified into substance.
"Second Martial Soul," "Ultimate Ice," "Four-hundred thousand year spirit ring," "Vicious Beast Sacrifice"...
Each word was like a heavy hammer weighing ten thousand jun, striking hard at the hearts of every elder in the Sea Gods Pavilion, making these figures who had long been accustomed to great storms and stood at the pinnacle of the continent's power feel dizzy and disoriented.
Time seemed to stretch at this moment.
After an unknown amount of time, Dragon God Douluo Mu En, with his hunched body as if his life force could be extinguished at any moment, finally spoke slowly.
His voice was not loud, even a bit hoarse, yet it carried an unquestionable majesty, instantly pulling everyone's minds back from their extreme shock.
"Regarding the matter of Caelus, let it end here."
"From today on, this matter is classified as Shrek's highest level of confidentiality. All of you present are members of my Sea Gods Pavilion and should know the stakes involved. I do not wish for anyone other than us to know a single word about this."
Mu En's gaze slowly swept over everyone; his seemingly cloudy old eyes contained a sharp edge.
"Especially regarding the Ice Empress."
He emphasized his tone.
"Since it has chosen to undergo Fusion with Caelus and become his Martial Soul, then from now on, it is a part of Caelus, and no longer a Vicious Beast that needs to be guarded against or treated with hostility. Do you understand?"
These words were not only a gag order but also set the tone for the existence of Caelus and the Ice Empress.
This was to protect Caelus.
Which of the elders present wasn't a shrewd person? They instantly understood the deep meaning behind Mu En's words.
A Soul Master capable of using a Vicious Beast as a Martial Soul—once this news spread, it would inevitably cause a huge uproar across the entire continent.
Jealousy, greed, fear... countless troubles would swarm in like sharks smelling blood.
Even the Soul Beast clan—if they knew that the Ice Empress, one of the ten great Vicious Beasts, had become a human's Martial Soul, no one could predict how they would react.
Mu En was trying to nip all potential risks in the bud.
"We understand."
Led by Xuan Zi, all members of the Sea Gods Pavilion replied in unison with solemn expressions.
Xuan Zi silently picked up the chicken leg that had fallen on the ground and stuffed it back into his storage spirit tool. The cynical look on his face had long disappeared, replaced by unprecedented gravity.
However, after solving the issue of confidentiality, a more realistic and tricky problem immediately emerged in everyone's minds.
"Elder Mu."
Yan Shaozhe, who was still standing, had even forgotten to sit down due to his excitement and urgency.
He stepped forward, his voice sounding somewhat high-pitched due to irrepressible excitement.
"Then... what should we do next?"
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, but his speaking speed remained rapid:
"I have seen the file of this child, Caelus; he is an orphan of the Eighth Soul Master Legion of the Star Luo Empire, adopted by the Imperial Family. He has a close relationship with the current Star Luo Imperial Family, especially Princess Xu Jiujiu. If there are no accidents, after he graduates from the academy, there is a great possibility that he will return to the Star Luo Empire to serve the Star Luo Imperial Family."
"We must find a way to keep him at the academy."
Yan Shaozhe's words were filled with determination.
He thought of his Disciple Ma Xiaotao, who was tormented by evil fire, and thought of the countless efforts he had expended to find Ultimate Ice, only to be met with disappointment time and time again.
Now that hope was right before his eyes, he absolutely would not allow this hope to slip through his fingers.
"Elder Mu, colleagues."
Yan Shaozhe looked around at everyone, his voice earnest.
"I don't think I need to say much about what Ultimate attributes mean to us at Shrek."
His words touched the heartstrings of all the elders present.
The history of Shrek Academy was magnificent, having seen both glory and troughs.
And every time the academy was pushed to the Peak, creating a glorious era, without exception, it was the master of the sea gods pavilion who possessed Ultimate attributes.
Four thousand years ago, it was that master of the sea gods pavilion who possessed Ultimate Fire who led the powerful warriors of Shrek at that time, turning the tide when the continental coalition forces were on the verge of collapse, defeating the arrogant Sun Moon Empire army in one fell swoop, and even counterattacking into the Sun Moon Empire's homeland, forcing them to sign a humiliating treaty, cede territory, pay reparations, and forcibly changing the name of that continent from the Sun Moon Continent to the current Douluo Continent.
That was the most glorious era belonging to Shrek.
The power and rarity of Ultimate attributes could be seen from this.
And now, a living, breathing peerless Genius who possessed the Ultimate Ice attribute and was even more rare, having twin spirits, was placed right in front of them.
Shrek Academy absolutely could not miss this.
Moreover...
The elders present all tacitly thought of another deeper, more severe problem—the future of Shrek Academy.
They all turned their gazes towards Mu En at the head of the table.
Their pillar of support, Dragon God Douluo, was already old.
All members of the Sea Gods Pavilion knew that when Elder Mu had a Peak duel with the former Sect Master of the Body Sect, the equally brilliant and talented Du Bisi, they both suffered heavy injuries. Although he used this opportunity to break through the shackles and enter the threshold of the Rank 99 Limit Douluo, he also paid a painful price.
His spine was completely broken by Du Bisi of the Body Sect in that battle.
Even the incomparably vast life Origin of the Golden Ancient Tree on Sea God Island could only prolong his life, but could not repair that fundamental injury.
Today's Elder Mu no longer dared to easily use his full strength; every time he used the power of a Limit Douluo, he was overdrawing his already limited lifespan.
The sky of Shrek could collapse at any moment.
And who could replace him?
Xuan Zi? Although Gluttony Douluo was powerful, already at the Peak of Rank 98, his Gluttony Divine Ox Martial Soul had huge flaws, and his Mind and nature was too casual.
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