Bonus Chapter. Enjoy!
============================
Although the academy teachers explained that the anomaly from the day before yesterday was caused by testing the Golden Tree's new abilities, the Students were not fools.
Over the past two days, many Students were still discussing what had actually happened. By the Sea God Lake, in the dormitory buildings, and on the training grounds, discussions could be heard everywhere.
In the center of Sea God Island, Yun Ming's small courtyard seemed to exist independently from the rest of the World. With its bluestone-paved paths, walls shaded by green bamboo, and antique wooden house, everything appeared tranquil and elegant.
The clamor outside had nothing to do with this place.
Morning light filtered down, birds sang, and as a gentle breeze blew past, the bamboo leaves rustled softly.
Exactly four people were seated around a square table: Yun Ming sat at the head, Ya Li sat to his right, while Huo Yuhao and Na'er occupied the other two sides.
The breakfast was not particularly lavish, consisting of only four dishes and a soup, light yet exquisite. The taste was truly excellent; the ingredients were fresh, the cooking time was perfect, and every bite left a lingering aftertaste.
Huo Yuhao had a look of pure enjoyment on his Face, and his Spirit Eyes were filled with satisfaction. He didn't seem the least bit worried about his current situation.
On the other side, after wolfing down her food, Na'er couldn't help but look at her teacher, Yun Ming.
With a hint of worry on her exquisite little Face, she asked, "Teacher, is the academy really going to keep Yuhao here?"
Upon hearing this, Yun Ming fell silent for a moment. To be honest, he hadn't thought of a proper solution yet.
In Yun Ming's view, the Golden Tree was only part of the academy's foundation; the academy's true strength relied on its teachers and Students, and on its Ten Thousand Years of Legacy, rather than the defenses of a single tree.
Therefore, his position was naturally to follow the previous agreement: Huo Yuhao was merely an Outer Court Student and would return to the Spirit Pagoda afterward.
However, the Elders of the academy were almost all in opposition. Led by Long Yeyue, they insisted on keeping Huo Yuhao. They had deliberated all day yesterday, but in the end, they had parted on bad terms.
Yun Ming glanced at Na'er before turning his gaze to Huo Yuhao. "People from the Spirit Pagoda will arrive today. Perhaps we can negotiate a result that satisfies everyone."
Yun Ming said this, but in his heart, he felt there was little hope. He could only hope that with the Spirit Pagoda applying pressure from the outside, the hardline Elders within the academy might compromise.
At ten o'clock in the morning, the people from the Spirit Pagoda entered Shrek Academy.
In Shrek Academy's view, it was better for these outsiders from the Spirit Pagoda not to enter the Sea God Pavilion. Consequently, the location for this meeting was not even on Sea God Island, but in a meeting room in the Outer Court.
However, although the location was in the Outer Court, the scale of the meeting was not small at all; almost all the Elders of Shrek Academy were present.
The layout of the meeting room was much the same as the Sea God Pavilion, with a long table occupying most of the space and a row of chairs on either side of the room, enough to accommodate fifty people.
At this moment, the members of Shrek Academy were already seated around the long table.
As the "protagonist," Huo Yuhao had also been brought in, though he naturally didn't have the status to sit at the table and was instead seated in the row of chairs against the wall. He sat there quietly, his expression calm and devoid of any readable emotion.
Holy Spirit Douluo Ya Li was responsible for receiving the Spirit Pagoda's party. When she pushed open the meeting room doors, everyone's gaze instantly focused on the entrance.
Had it been anyone else, suddenly meeting the gazes of so many Titled Douluo level powerhouses would likely have left them trembling with fear.
However, Qiangu Dongfeng, the Tower Master of the Spirit Pagoda, remained perfectly calm, a faint smile even playing on his lean Face.
As the Shrek crowd looked past Qiangu Dongfeng, they saw three more figures, and their eyes narrowed slightly.
As fellow top-tier powers on the continent, they generally knew which powerhouses resided within each other's ranks.
Thus, when the figures behind Qiangu Dongfeng came into view, the expressions on the Faces of the Shrek Academy Elders became subtle.
The red-clad figure behind Qiangu Dongfeng was none other than Vice Tower Master Heavenly Phoenix Douluo Leng Yaozhu, a Limit Douluo and a Four-Word Battle Armor Master.
And the two figures behind Leng Yaozhu were likewise not to be underestimated.
One was a slender middle-aged man who looked harmless, with a faint smile on his Face. But if Qiangu Dongfeng had brought him here, he was naturally anything but simple.
His name was Ling Qingxiao, one of the four Spirit Messengers of the Spirit Pagoda, Titled Cloud Mist, a Level 98 Agility-Attack system Super Douluo and a Four-Word Battle Armor Master.
The other was a burly middle-aged man who exuded a powerful and fierce aura just by standing there. His name was Da Mo, an Enshrined Elder of the Spirit Pagoda, Titled Boxing King, a Level 97 Attack system Super Douluo and a Three-Word Battle Armor Master.
Though the Spirit Pagoda had only sent four people, their strength was formidable. This lineup was enough to make any power wary, and the Shrek Academy Elders had no choice but to take them seriously.
Their gazes swept back and forth across the Faces of the four, a solemn light flickering within their aging eyes. They knew that today's confrontation would likely not be easy.
Once Qiangu Dongfeng and his three companions were seated, today's "meeting" officially began.
Sunlight poured in through the windows, illuminating the long table, yet it could not dispel the heavy tension permeating the air.
Both sides knew that the content of today's discussion was actually very simple: it revolved solely around the issue of Huo Yuhao's departure or stay.
The Spirit Pagoda wanted their man, and Shrek would not release him; it was as simple as that.
Qiangu Dongfeng looked toward Yun Ming and was the first to speak: "Huo Yuhao is a member of my Spirit Pagoda. Shrek Academy detaining him without cause is completely unreasonable. I have come today for only one purpose, and that is to take Huo Yuhao with me."
Yun Ming's expression was complex, and a hint of helplessness flashed in his deep eyes. In the past, he would not have been so polite when facing Qiangu Dongfeng.
But regarding today's matter, even he felt they were in the wrong, making it difficult to respond.
Fortunately, the academy's Elders were "well-prepared" and were now scrambling to speak.
"Why does Tower Master Qiangu pretend to be ignorant?" a white-haired Elder spoke up. "Heavenly Phoenix should have explained the reasons when she returned the day before yesterday. We are not detaining him without cause."
Leng Yaozhu snorted upon hearing this. "Just because Yuhao resonated with the Golden Tree, he must be kept at Shrek? What kind of logic is that? Does that mean everyone who can resonate with the Golden Tree must stay at Shrek?"
Another Elder spoke with an unfriendly expression, "Don't quibble. How can there be so many people who can resonate with the Golden Tree? In twenty thousand years, there has only been one Huo Yuhao."
Leng Yaozhu said coldly, "That is because Yuhao's talent is astonishing; it is his own ability. If Shrek Academy wants to snatch people, then just say so. Why bother finding these high-sounding reasons?"
"Shrek has countless Geniuses; we naturally wouldn't go so far for a single Huo Yuhao." An Elder felt compelled to speak these words against her conscience; although Shrek had many Geniuses, not a single one could compare to Huo Yuhao.
But for the sake of Face and the academy's reputation, she had to say it.
She continued, "Keeping Huo Yuhao is for the sake of the academy's safety. Someone who can resonate with the Golden Tree being loose in the World is a hidden danger for Shrek Academy!"
Leng Yaozhu's Phoenix eyes were full of coldness. "What does Shrek Academy's safety have to do with my Disciple?"
The Elder's aging face was full of stubbornness as she stiffened her neck and said, "One must always be on guard against others. Who knows if Huo Yuhao will bypass the Golden Tree's defenses in the future and do something harmful to Shrek Academy!"
Leng Yaozhu's Face was full of anger as she huffed, "That is nothing more than your imagination. Yuhao would not, nor would he deign to, do such a thing."
Yet another Elder spoke up: "Anyone can say such things, but we prefer to nip risks in the bud."
Neither Shrek nor the Spirit Pagoda would yield to the other, and for a moment, the atmosphere in the meeting room became tense to the extreme.
At this moment, the voice of Scarlet Dragon Douluo Zhuo Shi rang out, breaking the heavy atmosphere in the meeting room.
He spoke with a slightly relaxed tone: "Everything can be negotiated. The Spirit Pagoda and Shrek Academy share deep roots; there's no need to be at each other's throats like this."
"Our keeping Huo Yuhao here is not to detain him, but to have him become a member of Shrek Academy."
"If the Spirit Pagoda is willing to let go, our Shrek Academy is also willing to pay a certain price!"
---------------------------------------------
A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
2 Reviews = 1 Extra Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.