Chapter 180 Liu Yuan's Expectations: How Will Shrek Academy Respond?
And at this moment...
Upon receiving the imperial decree, the imperial guards dared not delay for a moment, immediately mounted their horses, and galloped towards the Qingfeng Garden, a detached palace.
Inside Qingfeng Garden, Liu Yuan was sitting on a stone bench, watching Vina trimming flowers and plants in the courtyard.
When the commander of the guards delivered the emperor's handwritten edict, panting heavily, Liu Yuan slowly stood up. He exchanged a glance with Du Busi behind him, and both of them saw a knowing smile in each other's eyes.
"Let's go and meet this 'former' vice dean of Shrek Academy."
Poison Undying let out a short laugh, like muffled thunder, which made the fallen leaves in the courtyard tremble slightly.
...
Inside the side hall of the Heavenly Soul Imperial Palace, the lights were on.
Fan Yu was sitting in the guest seat, with exquisite royal tea and snacks laid out in front of him, but he did not touch them.
His gaze kept sweeping towards the palace gate, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
When those two powerful auras appeared within his perception range, Fan Yu subconsciously stood up.
The door was pushed open, and Du Busi's imposing figure stepped in first, followed closely by Liu Yuan, whose expression was calm and whose eyes shone with a deep purple-gold divine light.
Fan Yu looked at Liu Yuan, and a flood of emotions welled up inside her.
He had heard of this boy back in Shrek Academy.
From being expelled by Xuanzi in an extremely absurd and tyrannical manner to his powerful rise after joining the Body Sect, every step Liu Yuan took was like slapping Shrek Academy's self-proclaimed righteous old face.
Who could have imagined that this boy, whom Xuanzi regarded as a "discarded pawn," would acquire the ability to shake up the entire continent's格局 (geju, a term referring to the overall situation or structure of the continent) in such a short period of time?
"Dean Fanyu, I've long admired your name." Liu Yuan spoke first, his tone neither humble nor arrogant, even carrying a hint of affability as if he were receiving an old friend.
Fan Yu looked at Liu Yuan, a bitter smile appearing on his lips. He shook his head and said in a complicated tone, "I'm afraid I can't call you 'Dean' anymore. I'm just a viscount in the Heavenly Soul Empire now... no, an earl."
He paused, his gaze lingering on Liu Yuan and Du Busi for a moment, before continuing, "I've heard about your experiences at Shrek Academy, and I felt indignant for you back then."
"But I really didn't expect that one day I would choose to leave Shrek Academy because of the 'thing' you gave me."
"I imagine the higher-ups at Shrek Academy must be feeling extremely upset when they learn that I, the vice dean of the Soul Guidance Department, have followed in your footsteps and even joined the Heavenly Soul Empire."
"They are upset because they are stuck in their ways." Liu Yuan walked up to Fan Yu, showing no emotional reaction to the other's sentiments, and went straight to the point.
"Count Fanyu, I, Liu Yuan, have always kept my word. Now that you have decided to return to the Empire, these things naturally belong to you."
Liu Yuan ran his finger across the ring, and a scroll of core metal, exuding an ancient aura and shimmering with subtle guiding energy, appeared in his palm. Without any hesitation, he handed it directly to Fan Yu.
"This is the complete topological diagram of the level nine soul-guiding core array, along with detailed annotations on the energy core compression technology."
The moment Fan Yu saw the scroll, her breathing became rapid again.
He took it with trembling hands, not even bothering with formalities, and spread it out directly on the table in the side hall.
As the scroll slowly unfurled, the perfect lines and intricate chains of logic that had appeared countless times in his dreams were clearly revealed before his eyes.
He was completely absorbed in watching it, as if he had instantly entered a world of only truth and algorithms.
The guilt that was originally hidden in their hearts towards Xianlin'er and Shrek is being devoured by an unprecedented research frenzy in the face of this pinnacle knowledge that is capable of changing the course of human civilization.
"This is what I'm looking for... Shrek Academy can't give it to me, but this is it."
Fan Yu murmured softly, her eyes gradually becoming fervent and resolute.
Liu Yuan watched this scene, a look of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
He turned to look at Poison Undying and whispered, "Master, you see, this is what they call 'those who walk different paths cannot make plans together.' Shrek Academy has always tried to use emotions and reputation to lock up these geniuses, but they have forgotten that what true geniuses crave most is the path to the peak."
Du Busi nodded and sneered, "Yan Shaozhe and Xuanzi's gang always think that all the good talents in the world should revolve around Shrek Academy. This time, I'd like to see how they'll get out of this mess."
Liu Yuan looked out at the dark night sky outside the hall, as if he had already pierced through the barrier of space and seen the towering Sea God Pavilion of Shrek Academy.
"I'm increasingly looking forward to seeing the expressions on the faces of the elders at Shrek Academy when Fan Yu officially announces his allegiance to the Heavenly Soul Empire and demonstrates these level-nine technologies."
"That would be amazing."
...
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away at Shrek Academy, at the Sea God Pavilion.
Yan Shaozhe had just finished reviewing the last stack of official documents. He straightened up, listened to the occasional chirping of insects outside the window, and let out a long sigh of relief.
He had never felt so relaxed since Xuanzi went into seclusion.
During this period, everything at Shrek Academy ran smoothly under his control.
Although the Soul Guidance Department's project is a bit slow, it is still progressing;
The cultivation of the martial spirit disciples has also gotten on track;
Although there were many rumors circulating about the Sun Moon Empire, in his view, as long as Xuanzi successfully broke through, all problems would be solved.
He picked up a cup of steaming ginseng tea, even pondering whether he should allocate more funds to Fan Yu after he finished dealing with his family affairs and returned, since the idea of the "Full-Form Cannon" was quite good.
"Shrek Academy is, after all, the only holy land on this continent." Yan Shaozhe took a sip of tea and muttered to himself with a cheerful expression.
However, in the quiet of the night, a series of hurried and frantic footsteps suddenly broke the silence of the Sea God Pavilion.
One of the staff members responsible for intelligence gathering was pale-faced. He even stumbled as he stepped into the side hall because he was running so fast, and almost bumped into a vase.
"Something terrible has happened! Dean Yan! A major incident has occurred!"
The staff's shrill screams sounded particularly jarring in the empty hall.
Yan Shaozhe was immersed in his beautiful thoughts when he was startled by the sudden sound, causing his hand to tremble and spill the scalding ginseng tea onto the expensive desk.
His brow furrowed instantly, a surge of displeasure rising within him. He slammed down his teacup and snapped at the staff member:
"What's the rush? This is the Sea God Pavilion! Is this a place for you to shout like that? Even if the sky falls, I'll hold it up. Where have you learned your manners?"
Yan Shaozhe's voice carried the majesty of a Super Douluo, attempting to forcefully suppress the other party's panic.
But at that moment, the staff member's eyes revealed a fear as if he had seen the end of the world.
Ignoring Yan Shaozhe's reprimand, he trembled as he handed over a top-level, urgent red secret report.
"Dean... Heaven... News came back from the Heavenly Soul Empire... Vice Dean Fan Yu, he..."
(End of chapter)