Na'er had just prepared to turn and return to her seat, and she had only taken half a step when the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud in her palm slipped out without warning.
The blue stream of light was shockingly fast, leaving a clear trail of light in the air as it swept precisely in one direction.
Everyone's gaze was drawn by the blue light that had suddenly streaked across, and they all followed its trajectory in unison.
Then they saw the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud fly toward where Tang Wulin was, firmly adhering to the very center of his forehead.
In that instant, blue light erupted from the crystal, spreading out before Tang Wulin's forehead like a miniature ocean.
The light was not blinding, and in the blink of an eye, the crystal silently merged into his body.
The reception hall went quiet for a moment.
Everyone's gaze remained fixed on Tang Wulin, their expressions varied.
Tang Wulin sat there stiffly, as if he had been immobilized by a binding spell; he knew clearly what had just happened.
It was Old Tang who had taken over his body in that instant. Throughout the process, his consciousness was clear, and he saw everything that happened, yet he was powerless to change a single thing.
Feeling that the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud had now completely merged with him, Tang Wulin finally regained control of his body.
He slowly exhaled, looked up, and met the gazes directed at him. He opened his mouth, but found as if something was blocking his throat, unable to speak a word.
How could he explain it?
Should he say that this was all "Old Tang's" doing, that the mysterious existence in his mind had forcibly controlled his body and snatched the crystal?
If he said that, he feared no one would believe him.
But if he didn't say that, everything that had just happened could only be interpreted as his own doing.
It was he who had actively reached out and snatched the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, the treasure of the academy that Long Yeyue had personally entrusted to Na'er.
Tang Wulin's fists, resting on his legs, slowly clenched and unclenched, unclenched and clenched again.
His lips moved slightly, but in the end, he did not make a sound.
"Tang Wulin, what have you done?!"
A cry of alarm pierced the brief silence in the reception hall; the person who spoke was naturally Long Yeyue.
Her voice was much higher than before, carrying a sharpness that had suddenly risen from shock.
At this moment, on her aged face, wrinkles were bunched together, her brows were furrowed into a deep knot, and a flash of undisguised anger was clearly visible in her eyes.
She had personally entrusted the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud to Na'er, which was meant to be the handing over of Shrek Academy's Ten Thousand Years of Legacy.
Yet in the blink of an eye, the crystal had flown from Na'er's hand and merged into Tang Wulin's body.
To Long Yeyue, this was no different from someone snatching away the hope she had entrusted to another right in front of her.
Although Tang Wulin was a Student of Shrek Academy and his talent and strength were considered quite good among his peers, in Long Yeyue's heart, his importance naturally could not compare to Na'er.
Na'er was Yun Ming's only Personal Disciple, while Tang Wulin was, after all, just a Disciple from the Outer Court.
Facing Long Yeyue's gaze that was almost spitting fire, Tang Wulin opened his mouth and stammered for quite a while, but couldn't say a word.
He didn't even dare to look Long Yeyue in the eye, and could only lower his gaze, looking at his fingertips resting on his knees; no matter how one looked at it, it seemed like he had a guilty conscience.
Seeing this, Long Yeyue's anger grew even more intense.
Her expression seemed to turn a bit ferocious, and she gritted her teeth, saying word by word, "The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud is the academy's treasure. If you dare to forcibly seize it, even if I were to kill you right here, no one would be able to say anything!"
The weight of these words was immense. When the word "kill" was squeezed out from between her teeth, it was clear she was truly enraged.
Tang Wulin felt bitter in his heart. Old Tang had helped him several times before, which had made him develop some closeness and trust toward this mysterious existence.
But this time, Old Tang's actions completely ignored his wishes and did not even consider the consequences he would have to face.
Just as the atmosphere was so tense it was about to explode, Amorous Douluo Zang Xin finally spoke.
"Elder Long, please don't be angry yet."
"Just now, there was no fluctuation of Spirit Power on Wulin. It seems more like the crystal flew over on its own. Perhaps Wulin is the person recognized by the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud?"
It was a fact that there was no Spirit Power fluctuation on Tang Wulin, and as a Limit Douluo, Long Yeyue could naturally perceive that.
But Tang Wulin's "guilty conscience" look in Long Yeyue's eyes made her feel that there must be something fishy about this.
If it really had nothing to do with him, why couldn't he even utter a single explanation?
It would have been better if Amorous Douluo Zang Xin hadn't spoken; his defense of Tang Wulin just now acted like a piece of firewood stoking the flames in this already tense atmosphere.
After experiencing the destruction of Shrek Academy, Long Yeyue, who was already sensitive, became even more unstable, perhaps even suffering from some persecution mania, always feeling that everyone was out to harm Shrek.
She snapped her head to glance at Amorous Douluo Zang Xin, her tone low and cold, "Don't think I don't know that Tang Wulin is now your Disciple!"
That's right, after Tang Wulin left Shrek Academy, he had stayed in the Tang Sect and had now officially been taken in as a Disciple by Amorous Douluo Zang Xin.
Long Yeyue snorted coldly again, "What? Is the Tang Sect now entering the fray to snatch Shrek's foundation?"
The moment these words fell, Amorous Douluo Zang Xin's expression changed abruptly.
He really hadn't expected that Long Yeyue would say something like that.
The Tang Sect and Shrek Academy had been connected like branches of the same tree for tens of thousands of years, supporting each other through countless storms. Even now, during Shrek Academy's most difficult period, the Tang Sect had never harbored any covetous intentions.
Amorous Douluo Zang Xin's expression darkened, and his tone became serious, "Elder Long, that is going too far. The Tang Sect and Shrek Academy have always supported each other."
But Long Yeyue was immovable, and a cold sneer appeared on her aged face, "Supported each other? Isn't strength the only thing that matters on this continent? Isn't it all about weighing the pros and cons?"
Her voice rose as she spoke, and her emotions poured out like a dam breaking, "When Yun Ming was here before, who dared to be disrespectful to Shrek Academy?"
"But what about now? Yun Ming is gone, and Shrek Academy is destroyed. All kinds of monsters and freaks have jumped out, and everyone wants to come and get a piece of the pie!"
She stopped here, her gaze falling heavily on Amorous Douluo Zang Xin, "Ten Thousand Years ago, when the Tang Sect was in decline, it was only with Shrek's support that it was able to be rebuilt."
"For so many years, the Tang Sect has appeared to develop independently, but don't you know how much it actually relies on Shrek? I think the Tang Sect has developed other intentions now, hasn't it?"
Although her words were sharp, they were not entirely without basis.
Between the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy, Shrek had indeed always occupied a more dominant position.
For example, Shrek Academy Students also had the qualifications to enter the Tang Sect's Secret Realm, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Therefore, in Long Yeyue's eyes, with Shrek destroyed and the Tang Sect remaining, the relationship of primary and secondary between them was like a balance scale about to be flipped over.
She felt that the Tang Sect wanted to take advantage of Shrek's weakest moment to turn the tables and become the boss.
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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.