While Yan Shaozhe faced darkness and despair alone in his office, light and shadow also flickered within another core location of Shrek Academy—the Sea Gods Pavilion.
Because of the pavilion's unique structure, the air was always suffused with a faint woody fragrance. Yet at this moment, even that subtle scent could not dispel the oppressive heaviness weighing down the room.
Seated in the primary position was the pillar of Shrek Academy, the Dragon God Douluo, Mu En.
He sat in a specially crafted wooden chair, an image projected by a Soul Tool hovering silently before him. The scene replaying on the projection was the moment Liu Yuan crippled Long Aotian with a single punch at Mingdu Plaza.
Mu En's gaze remained deep and steady, but compared to five years ago, his appearance had visibly aged.
According to the original course of fate, Mu En should have exhausted himself years earlier during a confrontation with the Body Sect's Sect Master, Poison Undying, accelerating the decline of his life force. However, because the Shrek Team had been eliminated early in the previous Soul Master Tournament in this timeline, Huo Yuhao had not gained many opportunities to display his abilities. As a result, Poison Undying never noticed him and did not come seeking trouble with Shrek Academy.
Mu En's spirit power consumption was indeed slightly less than in the original trajectory.
Yet the grievous injuries he had sustained in his youth during his battle with Du Bisi were far too deeply rooted. The destructive force that had damaged his Origin had not vanished, despite changes in external circumstances.
Now, Mu En's life was truly nearing its end. He could clearly feel the vitality within his body slipping away like fine sand through an hourglass—slow, but utterly irreversible.
Even so, he could not stop worrying about Shrek Academy.
He knew better than anyone that as long as Liu Yuan existed, Shrek's foundation would never truly be secure.
Thus, he forced his ailing body to continue watching the recording transmitted from Bright Capital.
By the time the footage ended, even Mu En—who had witnessed countless storms across the continent—felt a shock unlike any he had experienced before.
His gaze lingered on the faintly flickering Soul Core halo on Liu Yuan's chest. That qualitative transformation was something even a Limit Douluo like himself had to treat with absolute seriousness.
"A Soul Core… and he completed it at the Soul Sage level."
Mu En's voice was low and hoarse. He slowly closed his eyes, concealing the profound regret that surged within them.
That regret was not for Shrek's impending defeat.
It was regret for a lost genius.
He could not help but think that if the suppression incident against Liu Yuan had never occurred—if the upper echelons of Shrek had shown even the slightest measure of tolerance—then the current Liu Yuan should have been the most perfect successor to the Sea Gods Pavilion, and the ideal helmsman to guide Shrek Academy for the next several millennia.
But history had no "ifs."
The Liu Yuan of today was Shrek's most terrifying enemy.
Mu En let out a long sigh, heavy with exhaustion and helplessness.
He reached out and gently rang the bell beside him, summoning the staff member responsible for relaying intelligence.
His way of thinking was fundamentally different from Yan Shaozhe's.
As dean, Yan Shaozhe bore the crushing burden of reputation, and thus fixated obsessively on winning the championship to preserve Shrek's so-called dominance.
But Mu En had lived too long. He had already seen through the essence of the matter.
In his eyes, all the tactical research Yan Shaozhe was conducting now amounted to nothing more than wishful thinking.
As long as Liu Yuan remained at the Sun Moon Royal Academy—even for a single day—as long as that young man who wielded the power of a Titled Douluo stood on the arena, Shrek Academy would never regain its former brilliance in this generation, or even the next.
Continuing to fight to the bitter end would achieve nothing except the complete collapse of the confidence of even more genius students.
And so, Mu En chose to stop making futile struggles.
He quietly instructed the staff member, "Immediately use the secret channel to contact Bei Bei in Bright Capital again. Deliver my exact words."
The staff member bowed respectfully.
"Tell Bei Bei: competition is second, friendship is first."
Mu En's gaze sharpened.
"Remind him not to forget what I have instructed him repeatedly in the past."
"After tomorrow's match—regardless of victory or defeat, even if it is a complete and utter failure—he must find a way to ease relations with Liu Yuan."
"Make him understand this clearly: Shrek's future does not hinge on a single championship title, but on whether a powerhouse like Liu Yuan can cease harboring lethal hostility toward Shrek."
The staff member departed to carry out the order, and the secret chamber fell back into silence.
Mu En sat alone in the darkness. His body could no longer endure prolonged thought, and he could only wait quietly for the end to come.
—
On the other side, within Mingdu City of the Sun Moon Empire.
Late at night, inside the hotel where the Shrek Team was staying, Bei Bei sat at his desk, staring at the top-secret message he had just received on his Soul Tool Communicator.
When his eyes clearly took in the words "competition is second, friendship is first," the tension that had been coiled tight along his spine finally snapped. He let out a long breath, feeling the immense pressure that had weighed on him for days noticeably ease.
As captain, Bei Bei understood his teammates' mental states better than anyone.
After witnessing Long Aotian's fate firsthand, the entire team had been plunged into extreme anxiety.
Mu En's instruction was effectively a legitimized "permission to lose," freeing him from the crushing burden of having to secure the championship at all costs.
Yet Bei Bei was still Bei Bei.
The bloodline of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon flowed within him, and the pride etched into his bones would never allow him to accept a meaningless surrender.
"I understand Progenitor Xuan's intentions," Bei Bei murmured to himself. "Easing relations is a strategic necessity—but as a Spirit Master, I can't simply give up on the battlefield."
He turned off the communicator, his gaze firm once more.
Even if defeat at Liu Yuan's hands was inevitable, Shrek must fall standing—showing its dignity on the battlefield, not waiting helplessly to be cut down like stray dogs.
After collecting his thoughts, Bei Bei pushed open the door and walked toward the adjacent lounge.
Inside, Huo Yuhao, Wang Donger, Xu Sanshi, and the others were already gathered.
Their expressions differed, but anxiety was written plainly on every face.
Bei Bei stepped to the center of the group, glanced around at his teammates, and spoke in a steady voice.
"Everyone, I know what you're thinking. I know exactly what kind of opponent we're facing tomorrow."
"But the Sea Gods Pavilion has just issued new instructions. The academy no longer demands that we win the championship. Our only requirements are to protect ourselves—and to look for an opportunity to reconcile after the match."
Hearing this, Xu Sanshi and several others visibly relaxed, the tension easing from their shoulders.
Then Bei Bei's tone shifted, growing solemn.
"But this doesn't mean we're giving up. Since we're still standing under the banner of Shrek, and since we've come this far, we owe the entire continent an answer."
"Even if we lose, we must show everything we've cultivated over these past five years. So now, we'll begin formulating our tactics."
Huo Yuhao nodded firmly.
"That's right. No matter what, we can't give up. Regardless of the outcome, as long as we keep fighting, we still have our pride."
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