Chapter 52: Du Busi Is Dumbfounded! You Mean, You Were Kicked Out By Shrek?
High above the earth, Du Busi's figure slammed to a dead halt in the empty void. Elder Chen's voice had barely reached him before the churning, emerald-green soul power erupting from his body whipped the surrounding clouds into a violent vortex.
He slowly turned around. Deep creases carved into his forehead, locking his brows together. His aggressive, predatory gaze locked onto Elder Chen, who had just managed to catch up to him in the sky.
"Elder Chen, you had better give me a reasonable explanation." Du Busi's voice dropped to a freezing register, each word carrying the crushing weight of a Super Douluo. "That bunch of decaying fossils from Shrek Academy have already bullied their way to my personal disciple's doorstep. And you actually expect me to just swallow this insult?"
The sheer atmospheric pressure radiating from the Sect Master forced Elder Chen to grit his teeth. His robes fluttered wildly in the emerald gale, his bones groaning under the oppressive aura. Yet, his expression remained solemn. He refused to retreat a single inch, forcing himself to speak with measured composure.
"Sect Master, I am not asking you to swallow your pride. Rather, I believe there are three critical points of impropriety in launching an assault on Shrek Academy right now."
Du Busi let out a harsh, mocking scoff that rippled through the air like thunder. "Speak, then! Let me hear exactly what these three points of impropriety are!"
Elder Chen drew a slow, steadying breath, organizing his thoughts before the volatile giant. "First, we both know your temper. If you descend upon Shrek Academy in this state of fury, the outcome will inevitably devolve into absolute chaos. You will not stop at a simple warning, and they will not bow their heads. It will not end easily."
He paused, letting the wind howl around them. "Once blood is drawn, it is highly likely to trigger an all-out war between our Body Sect and Shrek. But Sect Master, you must remember the reality of the situation. Deep within the Sea God Pavilion, the Dragon God Douluo, Elder Mu, still draws breath."
At the mention of that name, the emerald aura around Du Busi flickered.
Elder Chen pressed his advantage. "You are without a doubt one of the supreme experts of this era, a true titan. However, completely tearing away all pretense with Shrek while Elder Mu still presides over them will yield absolutely no practical benefits. It will only bleed our Sect dry, depleting the foundation we have spent centuries building."
Du Busi fell silent. The raging storm of soul power around him stagnated, hovering in the air like a held breath. He was known for his explosive impulsivity, but he had not lived this long nor become the Master of the Body Sect by being a fool. He knew exactly what the name Elder Mu signified in the Soul Master world. It represented an impossible mountain, a Limit Douluo whose very existence anchored Shrek's supremacy.
Seeing the Sect Master's silence, Elder Chen seized the opening. "Second, if you storm their gates right now, we will lack the moral high ground. We will have no solid footing in terms of reason."
He gestured downward, toward the distant earth. "As I reported, that inner court student, Ling Luochen, had absolutely no idea about Liu Yuan's true identity when she attempted to recruit him. The moment I revealed myself and explicitly stated that Liu Yuan is a core disciple of our Body Sect, she acted with perfect sense. She backed down and withdrew immediately."
Elder Chen shook his head slowly. "They have already conceded the field. If you force your way into their territory to cause a scene after they have yielded, it shifts the blame onto us. It will make the Body Sect appear petty, tyrannical, and entirely unreasonable in the eyes of the continent."
The emerald light blazing within Du Busi's eyes flickered, dimming by a fraction. The argument of reputation and reason was a bitter pill, but an effective one. While it could not entirely extinguish the blazing inferno of his protective fury, it forced his impulsive mind to cool, bringing a measure of calculating clarity back to his gaze.
"And then there is the third point," Elder Chen continued, his tone dropping into a heavy, serious register. "The most critical factor in this entire ordeal. The core of this matter is not Shrek Academy's audacity, but rather what Liu Yuan himself thinks."
Du Busi's jaw tightened, his attention fully captured.
"On the journey back, he already expressed his unwavering loyalty to me," Elder Chen explained, his voice steady. "However, I believe there are certain declarations that you, as his Master and Sect Master, must hear and confirm in person. Rather than wasting our strength and energy brawling with Shrek over a perceived slight, our time would be far better spent solidifying Liu Yuan's sense of belonging to our Sect."
Elder Chen met the towering man's gaze directly. "ultimately, this comes down to Liu Yuan's own choice. If his heart does not truly belong to the Body Sect, then slaughtering every last soul in Shrek Academy will accomplish nothing. But if he is willing to stay with us wholeheartedly... then it does not matter how massive an olive branch Shrek, or any other empire, attempts to hand him."
Clasping his hands behind his back, Elder Chen finished with deep earnestness. "A youth possessing such heaven-defying talent as Liu Yuan is destined to draw the eyes of the entire world. He will be courted by countless factions in the years to come. Sect Master, you cannot possibly hunt down and beat every single person who shows him favor from now until he reaches the pinnacle. Therefore, cultivating the emotional bond between Liu Yuan and our Sect is the only true, long-term strategy."
Du Busi hovered in the empty void, the silence stretching out for a long, heavy minute. His massive chest, which had been heaving like a bellows from his sheer outrage, gradually slowed to a steady, rhythmic rise and fall. The violent winds died down. With a heavy exhale, he retracted the terrifying soul power that had been suffocating the atmosphere.
"Return to the hall."
Dropping those four cold words, Du Busi turned into a streak of green light, descending like a falling meteor back toward the Sect Master's main hall.
Within moments, the core members of the Body Sect had gathered once more within the grand architecture of the main hall.
Du Busi took his place upon the massive throne carved from black-gold stone. One of its armrests was already reduced to jagged rubble from his earlier outburst. He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, his deep, dark eyes locking onto Liu Yuan. The atmosphere inside the vast chamber plummeted into something suffocatingly oppressive. The very air felt as thick as mercury, heavy with the silent weight of a Super Douluo's scrutiny.
"Liu Yuan." Du Busi spoke slowly, drawing out the syllables. His deep voice echoed off the high stone pillars, vibrating through the floorboards. "Regarding this matter of Shrek Academy attempting to recruit you... I want to hear your true thoughts. Right now."
Liu Yuan stood perfectly straight in the dead center of the hall. Facing the intense, probing interrogation of the Sect Master, his handsome face remained a mask of absolute calm. There was not a single trace of panic in his posture, no nervous twitch in his fingers. When he spoke, his tone was dry, matter-of-fact, and completely unwavering.
"Master, I do not need to waste time thinking about this matter." He met the giant's gaze evenly. "I, Liu Yuan, am wholeheartedly loyal to the Body Sect. I harbor absolutely no divided loyalties."
Du Busi did not smile. The heavy lines on his face remained rigid. He simply stared deeper into Liu Yuan's eyes, searching for any flicker of hesitation or deceit. After a long, stretching silence, he leaned back against the stone throne, his voice taking on a low, highly tempting, and hypothetical cadence.
"Liu Yuan, if you are only staying because the resources and conditions offered by the Body Sect are favorable... then let me ask you this. What if the conditions offered by Shrek Academy were infinitely more generous?"
Du Busi raised a massive hand, ticking off his fingers. "For example, what if they offered you wealth so vast you could not spend it in ten lifetimes? What if they promised you countless beautiful women, or gifted you the absolute highest-tier Soul Bone to be found on the entire continent? What if they even promised to crown you as the future Master of the Sea God Pavilion?" The Sect Master's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "Tell me, boy. Would you be swayed by such supreme status and limitless resources?"
Upon hearing this overwhelming list of temptations, Liu Yuan did not so much as twitch an eyelash. His breathing remained perfectly even. Almost the exact instant Du Busi's heavy voice faded into the silence of the hall, the youth replied.
"Master, even if they laid all of that at my feet, I would not go."
He raised his chin slightly. Within his eyes, the deep, overlapping rings of his Double Pupils rotated slowly, meeting Du Busi's razor-sharp scrutiny without a single shred of fear.
"Perhaps you think I answered too quickly, Master," Liu Yuan continued, his voice echoing clearly across the stone floor. "You might suspect me of giving a perfunctory answer just to please you. But I have always regarded gratitude as a tangible debt. From the moment I had nowhere left to turn, to the day I stepped through the gates of the Body Sect, this faction has poured countless resources and effort into me. You, personally, have cultivated me with all your heart."
Liu Yuan took a slow step forward, his posture exuding a quiet, unyielding pride. "In my heart, a drop of kindness received in a time of need must be repaid with a gushing spring. If I were to turn my back on the Sect that sheltered and raised me simply because another faction dangled a larger piece of meat in front of my face... then I would no longer be Liu Yuan. I would be a dog."
His Double Pupils locked onto Du Busi. "If you truly believe I am that kind of person, Master, then you have severely underestimated me."
The youth's words were powerful and clear, striking the air like a ringing bell. The sheer force of his conviction washed over the hall. The dangerous, predatory glint in Du Busi's eyes visibly softened, replaced by a deep sense of gratification. Off to the side, Vina's eyes sparkled with deep appreciation, while Long Aotian and the other core disciples exchanged glances filled with absolute admiration.
To display such absolute composure and unwavering loyalty in the face of unimaginable temptation—wealth, beauties, top-tier Soul Bones, and the throne of the Sea God Pavilion—left everyone in the room genuinely shaken.
However, just as Du Busi opened his mouth, fully prepared to roar with laughter and praise his disciple, Liu Yuan raised a hand to gently interrupt him.
"also, Master," Liu Yuan added, his tone shifting into something distinctly colder, "there is actually one more, far more important reason why I will never go to Shrek Academy."
Du Busi paused, slightly taken aback. He leaned forward again, looking at the youth with genuine curiosity. Around the periphery of the hall, Vina, Elder Chen, Long Aotian, and the rest of the disciples instinctively pricked up their ears. Their faces mirrored the Sect Master's intrigue.
What could possibly be a more important reason than the absolute loyalty and gratitude he had just declared?
Liu Yuan swept his gaze over the gathered elites of the Body Sect. The corners of his mouth twitched upward into a faint, mocking smirk.
"Because..." he began, his voice dripping with dry amusement. "I was originally a student of Shrek Academy. I am simply an abandoned disciple. A piece of trash they deemed unworthy and kicked out the front gates."
He casually brushed a speck of dust from his sleeve. "A good horse never turns back to graze on old, trampled grass. Since they have already thrown me away, why on earth would I ever want to crawl back?"
Dead silence descended upon the main hall.
Upon hearing this casual revelation, Du Busi, Elder Chen, Vina, and every single person present were left utterly dumbfounded, staring at the youth as if he had just grown a second head.
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