Na'er sat beside Ya Li, recounting her experiences with the Blood God Legion, carefully selecting only what she could share.
Even though she knew Ya Li must have some understanding of the Blood God Legion, Na'er deliberately avoided the overly bloody and dangerous details, keeping her tone light.
Ya Li listened while leaning back in her recliner, nodding occasionally and curling her lips, the vacant look in her eyes seeming to gather a glimmer of light from these fragmented stories.
But this warmth did not last long.
"Knock, knock, knock."
A knock came from outside the door. Na'er swept her mental force across the area, immediately knowing who it was, and called out, "Come in."
The door was pushed open, and Xie Xie's figure appeared at the entrance.
His gaze first fell on Ya Li, nodding slightly in greeting, before turning to Na'er and saying, "Elder Long is here."
He didn't say the full name, but both Ya Li and Gu Yue knew that the one Xie Xie called "Elder Long" was none other than Long Yeyue, a veteran elder of Shrek Academy and one of the few survivors of that great catastrophe.
The moment Na'er heard this name, her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
She had never held a high opinion of Long Yeyue; that veteran elder was decisive and iron-fisted, with almost paranoid persistence and opinions on many matters, making Na'er feel a certain uncomfortable tension whenever she was around her.
But now that Shrek Academy had been destroyed, as a "remnant" of Shrek Academy, she could not avoid meeting this Senior of the academy.
She was silent for a moment, nodded, and said nothing more.
Ya Li had also stood up from the recliner by now; she glanced at Na'er and said softly, "Let's go together."
Na'er acknowledged, took Ya Li's arm, and the two walked out of the room side by side.
Xie Xie led the way, passing through several corridors and a courtyard, finally stopping in front of a pair of wooden doors.
The reception room was not large and was simply furnished. Na'er stepped inside and quickly scanned the situation in the room.
Long Yeyue sat in the main seat, her back straight, her posture upright and solemn. Her aged face betrayed little emotion, though her eyes remained sharp.
Beside her sat Amorous Douluo Zang Xin; after all, this was the Tang Sect, and as the host, Amorous Douluo Zang Xin naturally had to sit in the main seat.
On the chairs on either side of the room, Tang Wulin and Xu Xiaoyan had already arrived. The two were sitting side by side, their gazes shifting over simultaneously as Na'er and Ya Li entered.
Na'er understood; everyone who had come was from Shrek Academy.
After Ya Li and Na'er took their seats, the atmosphere in the reception room remained quiet for a moment.
Amorous Douluo Zang Xin swept his gaze over everyone present and was the first to break the silence: "Elder Long has come this time to announce something."
Clearly, Long Yeyue had already had a discussion with Amorous Douluo Zang Xin before Na'er and the others arrived.
Everyone's gaze instantly focused on Long Yeyue. Her already aged face seemed even more weathered after not seeing her for a few years; her wrinkles were deeper, and her eye sockets were sunken.
She slowly looked around at the young people in the room—Tang Wulin, Xu Xiaoyan, Xie Xie, Na'er—each face was a spark of fire that Shrek had managed to preserve through this catastrophe.
Her gaze lingered on their faces one by one, as if she were counting treasures that had been lost and found again.
Then she spoke, her voice not loud but carrying the weight of one who had weathered much: "Although Shrek Academy in Shrek City has been destroyed, Shrek Academy still exists. It lives in the hearts of every graduate of Shrek, and in the hearts of everyone in the Federation."
After saying this, Long Yeyue seemed to undergo a change.
The sense of being weathered vanished for the most part, and an aura belonging to a Limit Douluo seemed to erupt uncontrollably around her for a brief moment, before she immediately reined it back in.
She then snorted coldly, her voice filled with a nearly stubborn anger: "Some people think that destroying the site of Shrek Academy means destroying Shrek Academy—what a delusional fantasy! Shrek Academy has never been destroyed!"
Na'er calmly glanced at Tang Wulin and the other two, noticing that they all had an indescribable, strange look in their eyes.
Na'er understood what was going on almost instantly.
As a Disciple of Yun Ming, she had previously interacted with many veteran elders and Students in the Inner Court of Shrek Academy.
She noticed that those people shared a very distinct commonality: they constantly talked about "Shrek's Glory," as if the three words "Shrek Academy" were no longer just the name of an academy, but had become a faith that stood above everything else.
They revered Shrek as something more important than their own lives or loved ones, holding a nearly religious devotion to that institution.
But they were different; although they had studied at Shrek Academy, they were only Outer Court Students.
Furthermore, having followed Huo Yuhao through a series of events like the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition and the first-year final exams, the Shrek Academy they encountered was more about rules and constraints, arrogance and unreasonableness.
With such experiences, they naturally could not develop that kind of near-fanatical devotion to Shrek Academy.
Therefore, as Long Yeyue spoke passionately about how Shrek was not dead and its glory was undying, they could not empathize with her at all.
After Long Yeyue finished her grand speech, her agitated emotions finally began to settle.
She straightened her posture slightly and finally moved on to the real topic of the day.
She looked at everyone in the room and said solemnly: "I intend to... rebuild Shrek Academy."
The moment these words fell, the entire meeting room went quiet for a moment.
Amorous Douluo Zang Xin, who had been silent until now, frowned.
After deliberating for a moment, he spoke slowly: "Elder Long, is it not too hasty to rebuild Shrek Academy now?"
"After all, not much time has passed since that disaster, and the relationships between the various factions have not yet fully stabilized."
"I think it would be best to wait a little longer; it wouldn't be too late to rebuild Shrek Academy when the timing is more mature!"
Long Yeyue turned her head to look at him, then shook her head slowly: "Others might be able to wait, but I cannot. I do not have much time left."
This statement made Amorous Douluo Zang Xin's pupils shrink slightly, and he hurriedly asked: "Elder Long! You..."
Long Yeyue raised her hand to interrupt him, stopping the second half of the sentence Zang Xin was about to utter.
"I know how many years I have left to live."
"My greatest wish in this life is to see Shrek Academy rebuilt with my own eyes while I am still alive."
"As long as that academy stands again, I will have no regrets in death."
After saying this, Long Yeyue's gaze slowly turned and landed on Na'er.
She had already heard the news of Na'er's Breakthrough to Spirit Saint, and Long Yeyue had also learned a thing or two about her actual combat performance with the Blood God Legion through various channels.
Although she and Yun Ming had had some disagreements and friction regarding their philosophies back when they were at the academy.
But now she felt that this Disciple Yun Ming had taken in was truly excellent, leaving hope for the future of Shrek Academy.
As the Personal Disciple of the Sea God Pavilion Master, at only seventeen years old, Na'er already possessed combat power at the Title Douluo level with her Spirit Saint cultivation.
In her heart, Na'er was simply the "Restorer" sent by heaven to Shrek Academy.
Long Yeyue looked at Na'er, her gaze filled with satisfaction after her assessment, and she had already made her decision in her heart.
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A/N:
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.