"Completely defeated…"
Those four words echoed through the vast Sea God's Pavilion like a curse.
What followed was a suffocating silence.
But it lasted less than three seconds before erupting into an explosive storm of shock and disbelief.
"This is impossible!"
A hot-tempered Sea God's Pavilion Elder slammed his palm onto the table and sprang to his feet. The solid goldenwood table let out a dull groan under the force.
"Lost? How could she lose?! And to be crushed head-on?!"
"That's Ma Xiaotao! A Spirit Saint not yet twenty, with the Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul! Forget her peers—even among middle-aged experts, how many would dare say they could definitely defeat her?!"
"That Liu Yuan is only a Spirit King! A full twenty Rank difference! Do you know what twenty Ranks mean? It's a chasm—an insurmountable gap! How could he possibly beat Ma Xiaotao?!"
"Is the intelligence wrong? Or did the Sun Moon team use some despicable, illegal method?!"
The Sea God's Pavilion Elders—figures who normally remained unmoved even if Mount Tai collapsed before them—had completely lost their composure.
Their pride, their common sense, and their understanding of the world had all been violently overturned.
Shrek Academy—the number one academy on the continent, a synonym for glory.
They were used to winning. Used to crushing others. Used to standing above all opponents.
Yet now, someone was telling them that their strongest student had been defeated—utterly—by someone twenty Ranks below her.
The sheer absurdity of it was impossible to accept.
Even the usually composed Yan Shaozhe had gone pale, his eyes filled with shock and confusion.
He looked at the trembling intelligence officer. His lips twitched as if he wanted to speak, but anything he could say felt hollow.
Just as the uproar was about to tear the Sea God's Pavilion apart, a gentle yet overwhelmingly majestic voice slowly rang out.
"Enough."
The voice wasn't loud, yet it carried an indescribable authority. In an instant, the turbulent fluctuations of spirit power in the hall calmed, and all the enraged Elders stiffened and fell silent.
At the head of the hall, the old man who had been reclining as if asleep—the Dragon God Douluo, Mu En—slowly opened his eyes.
Those eyes seemed to contain the vastness of the heavens and earth.
"Noise won't solve anything," Mu En said calmly. "Anger won't change the facts."
His gaze shifted to the intelligence officer still kneeling on the floor.
"Since Shaozhe arranged for a recording, then play it."
"Hearing is empty. Seeing is believing. Let us see for ourselves how Shrek suffered its first defeat in ten thousand years."
"Y-Yes, Elder Mu!"
The intelligence officer hurriedly pulled out a spirit tool with an extremely complex core array and tremblingly placed it in the center of the long table.
As spirit power flowed into it, a clear projection screen unfolded above the Sea God's Pavilion.
On it appeared the world-renowned battlefield of Star Luo Plaza.
The pavilion fell silent once more.
More than a dozen pairs of eyes—representing the pinnacle of combat power on today's Douluo Continent—stared unblinkingly at every detail on the screen.
Soon, the recording ended.
This time, the Sea God's Pavilion sank into an even deeper, deathly silence.
Everyone exchanged looks, their eyes filled with disbelief and shock.
After a long while, Xian Lin'er took a deep breath and finally broke the silence, her voice tinged with bitterness.
"This… wasn't Ma Xiaotao's fault."
"Indeed."
Another Elder sighed, his once-straight back seeming to slump slightly.
"That child performed extremely well."
"Facing such a powerful opponent, she didn't underestimate him or rush in recklessly. She went all out from the very beginning and made the correct judgments throughout the fight, even trying to break through with the explosive might of the Phoenix Evil Fire."
"But… who could have imagined Liu Yuan would be this Heaven-Defying?"
Yan Shaozhe stared at the frozen image of the youthful figure on the screen, his gaze filled with complicated emotions.
"Fire Immunity… I haven't heard of such a thing in many years."
"To him, Ma Xiaotao's Phoenix Evil Fire was practically nonexistent. How is anyone supposed to fight that?"
"But that's not even the most outrageous part."
Yan Shaozhe's voice grew hoarse as he swallowed.
"The most ridiculous thing is that Spirit Ability—Dragon Dance."
"It was that ability which directly bridged the entire spirit power gap between him and Ma Xiaotao!"
An Elder slumped back into his chair, muttering in a daze,
"Losing to a monster like that… Ma Xiaotao has nothing to be ashamed of."
As the words nothing to be ashamed of were spoken, the atmosphere grew even heavier.
Because they all realized a far more serious problem.
This was only the round-robin stage.
Ahead lay a long series of matches—and the crucial team battles.
"Trouble. We're in real trouble this time."
Xian Lin'er frowned deeply.
"With Liu Yuan on the Sun Moon Royal team, we might not even stand a chance in the upcoming team matches."
"Even if our average spirit power Rank is still higher overall, don't forget—in today's one-on-one, our advantage was even greater. And we still lost."
"As long as Liu Yuan takes the field, he can hold Ma Xiaotao down—or even defeat her again."
"Once Ma Xiaotao, our strongest point, collapses, it's over."
"Even if the rest of us are stronger than their other members, what about Liu Yuan? Who can deal with him?"
An unprecedented sense of crisis weighed heavily on every Elder's heart.
Was Shrek Academy's invincible streak really going to end in this tournament?
"Teacher!"
Yan Shaozhe suddenly turned toward Mu En, determination flashing in his eyes.
"The situation is extremely unfavorable. The upcoming matches are full of variables."
"Since conventional methods are no longer reliable, should we… send some 'reinforcements'?"
Mu En glanced sideways. "Reinforcements?"
"Yes!"
Yan Shaozhe spoke urgently.
"The academy's inner treasury still contains many valuable resources—medicinal pills that can rapidly increase cultivation, and several high-quality spirit bones suitable for Dai Yueheng, Ling Luochen, and the others."
"If we send them immediately and have them absorb and refine everything overnight, even a one or two Rank increase would greatly improve our odds!"
"For Shrek's glory, we cannot afford to lose! Even if it costs us dearly, it would be worth it!"
Several Elders wavered upon hearing this.
After all, Shrek's glory stood above everything else. If they truly lost this tournament, the blow to the academy's reputation would be devastating.
However, Mu En gently shook his head.
"No need."
"Teacher?!"
Yan Shaozhe grew anxious. "But—"
"Shaozhe, you're too obsessed with appearances."
Mu En's voice was calm yet profound, like a morning bell or an evening drum, striking every heart present.
"Glory is important. But if we become so afraid of losing it that we resort to forcing growth—pulling seedlings to make them grow faster—then that glory becomes a chain."
"Losing this time may not be a bad thing for those children."
"And for Shrek Academy, it may not be a bad thing either."
Mu En looked around the hall and spoke solemnly.
"For ten thousand years, we have won for far too long."
"So long that we take victory for granted."
"So long that we've forgotten the taste of failure—and forgotten to stay vigilant in times of peace."
"This arrogance has seeped into every corner of the academy… and into the hearts of every one of us sitting here."
"This defeat is a wake-up call."
"Let the children fight with their own strength."
"If they win, it's their own ability. If they lose, it becomes a lesson that will follow them for life."
"Only by knowing shame can one find the resolve to improve and go further."
With that, Mu En waved his hand wearily.
"That's enough. Everyone, you may leave. Let me think in peace."
"…Yes, Elder Mu."
Though Yan Shaozhe was still unwilling, he did not dare defy Mu En's decision.
One by one, the Elders rose, bowed, and left the Sea God's Pavilion with heavy hearts.
Soon, only Mu En remained in the vast hall.
The lights dimmed, leaving only the suspended spirit tool screen emitting a faint glow.
With a flick of his finger, the recording replayed.
But Mu En didn't look at Ma Xiaotao, nor at anyone from Shrek.
His aged eyes were fixed on the high-spirited youth on the screen—Liu Yuan.
The longer he watched, the brighter the light in his eyes grew.
And the deeper the regret in his heart became.
"What an exceptional talent…"
Mu En sighed softly, his withered finger tracing Liu Yuan's figure in the air.
"If only he were still at Shrek… if only he had received my guidance…"
"In ten years, Shrek Academy would surely produce another Limit Douluo. The Sea God's Pavilion would have its successor…"
"A pity… such a pity…"
The admiration in his gaze gradually turned into deep helplessness and regret.
Such peerless jade, driven to the opposing side—now a sharp blade aimed straight at Shrek.
At that moment, the screen shifted.
The camera panned to the Shrek waiting area.
A familiar, chubby face appeared in the corner.
Xuan Zi.
He was lifting a wine gourd to his mouth. Though shock lingered on his face, his sloppy, careless demeanor looked especially jarring against the gravity of the defeat.
Mu En's expression darkened instantly.
A nameless fury surged within the refined old man.
If not for Xuan Zi's rashness and prejudice…
If not for his irresponsible handling of the matter…
How could Liu Yuan have left?
How could Shrek have suffered such humiliation today?
Mu En stared fixedly at Xuan Zi on the screen, teeth grinding as he spat out his words in fury.
"Xuan Zi… oh, Xuan Zi…"
"You're useless at everything—except making a mess of things!"
"Just wait until you get back…"
"Then we'll see how this old man deals with you!"