Chapter 189: Elder Xuan, Don't Go; You Can't Beat Him
Shrek Academy, nestled by the tranquil shores of the Sea God Lake.
In eras past, this pristine shoreline served as a holy land where students gathered to exchange cultivation insights, their eyes reflecting the sacred, golden radiance of the Sea God Pavilion. But today, an unmatched, suffocating weight pressed down upon the lakeside. The usual vibrant energy had vanished, replaced by a restless, oppressive dread.
Whether it was the young novices sparring in the Outer Court or the elite prodigies cultivating in the Inner Court, only a single, hushed topic dominated their conversations—the crushing, humiliating defeat in the Heavenly Soul Imperial City.
"Have you heard? Dean Yan and the others finally returned, but the situation is an absolute nightmare," an older Outer Court student whispered, his eyes darting around as if afraid of being overheard.
"Three Super Douluos... and they were pinned to the dirt and mercilessly beaten by Du Busi alone. In the end, they had to cough up precious Spirit Bones just to buy their own lives. Shrek's invincible reputation, forged over ten thousand years of blood and sweat, has been dragged through the mud."
"It's far worse than just losing face." Another student, the green embroidery on his collar marking his Inner Court status, shook his head. His gaze, usually filled with unwavering pride, now held a deep, unsettling confusion. "During the last All-Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, the Heavenly Soul Royal Team took the championship right out from under us."
He clenched his fists. "Now, three of our highest-ranking elders suffered a catastrophic loss in their capital. Tell me... is Shrek actually failing?"
"We bled and sweat to earn our place here. Was it all a mistake?"
This toxic seed of doubt spread through the student body like a virulent plague. These were the chosen children of heaven. They had fought tooth and nail to enter Shrek because the name itself represented absolute strength and unyielding justice. But now, that flawless filter had been brutally ripped away by Du Busi's overwhelming, barbaric strength.
The academy had not only failed to retrieve the Vice Dean who had resigned, but their highest authorities had been publicly humiliated. They were treated like common street thugs, forced to cede territory and pay exorbitant reparations.
"If even the Deans can't protect the academy's dignity, then what's the point of us staying here?" a younger student muttered, kicking a pebble into the lake.
No one answered him. The flickering gazes and bowed heads of the surrounding students were answer enough. The ten-thousand-year foundation of Shrek Academy was fracturing.
Beneath the sprawling canopy of an ancient tree not far from the Sea God Pavilion, Bei Bei stood in absolute silence. His deep, dark eyes remained fixed on the towering structure that symbolized the continent's highest authority. As Elder Mu's most valued great-great-grandson, Bei Bei held a unique, privileged status within Shrek.
He already knew the full, unvarnished truth of the incident. Yet, unlike the indignant students whispering by the lake, his handsome face showed no anger. Instead, a deep weariness—a disappointment that seeped straight into his marrow—weighed down his shoulders.
"Shrek has ultimately been consumed by its own arrogance," Bei Bei murmured, his voice barely carrying over the wind.
The ugly farce of the Dragon Pill surfaced in his mind like a festering wound. To him, that single event marked the beginning of Shrek's freefall into the abyss. Elder Xuan had forcibly claimed the Dragon Pill for himself, selfishly severing their last, fragile chance of making peace with the Body Sect.
Though he lacked physical evidence to prove Elder Xuan had tampered with Elder Mu's dying instructions, a quiet voice in Bei Bei's heart screamed the truth: Elder Xuan's actions were fundamentally, catastrophically wrong.
Had Elder Xuan restrained his greed, perhaps their fractured relationship with Liu Yuan could have been mended. Today's humiliating outcome might never have come to pass.
But now, looking at the towering pavilion, Bei Bei saw only a suffocating darkness looming over their future.
"The glory built by our ancestors' blood is collapsing, piece by piece, right through Elder Xuan's fingers." Bei Bei closed his eyes, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. He could sense the storm was only just beginning. With Liu Yuan's meteoric rise in the Heavenly Soul Empire, Shrek was no longer just facing a powerful Body Sect. They were facing a brand-new era—one that was rapidly leaving Shrek in the dust.
On the top floor of the Sea God Pavilion, deafening roars rattled the ancient timber.
Elder Xuan was hoarse from screaming. He gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently. Thick, suffocating yellow spirit power cascaded from his body in erratic waves, the sheer pressure of his fury carving deep, jagged fissures into the priceless wooden floorboards beneath his feet.
He glared at the three figures standing before him. Yan Shaozhe and the others kept their heads bowed, their clothes stained and their auras wretchedly weak. The sight of their defeat did not cool Elder Xuan's rage; rather, it twisted his features into a grotesque mask of absolute powerlessness.
"I can't take it anymore! Shrek will not wait until tomorrow to avenge such a humiliation!"
Elder Xuan's head snapped up. A frenzied, bloodthirsty killing intent erupted within his bloodshot eyes. He spun on his heel, a violent gust of wind tearing through the room as he charged straight for the heavy wooden doors.
"Elder Xuan! Where are you going?!" Yan Shaozhe cried out, coughing as the sudden shout aggravated his internal injuries.
"Where do you think?! I'm going to slaughter my way into the Body Sect right now!" Elder Xuan bellowed, spit flying from his lips. "I'll rip that green-haired old ghost Du Busi's head from his shoulders and take back those three Spirit Bones! Since he dared to humiliate Shrek in the Imperial City, I will execute his entire sect!"
He was completely unhinged. As the Pavilion Master, the shame of bringing such disgrace upon the academy burned like acid in his veins. Only a river of blood could wash away the humiliation searing his heart.
Ignoring the strict hierarchy, Xian Lin'er flashed forward, throwing herself into Elder Xuan's path. Her face was deathly pale. Having barely survived Du Busi's brutal assault, her spirit power still violently fluctuated, threatening to collapse at any moment.
"Elder Xuan, you cannot go!" Xian Lin'er gritted her teeth, spreading her arms wide to block the door.
"Move! Don't think I won't strike you down just because you're a junior!" Elder Xuan roared. Dense, earth-attribute spirit power surged around his fists, the air growing heavy enough to crush bone. He looked entirely ready to blast her aside.
Yan Shaozhe forced his battered body forward, his hands clamping down hard on Elder Xuan's trembling arm. His voice was sorrowful, yet laced with an unyielding resolve. "Elder Xuan, calm down! Going to the Body Sect now serves no purpose other than throwing your life away!"
"Throwing my life away?!" Elder Xuan whipped his head around, his bloodshot eyes locking onto Yan Shaozhe. His voice cracked, rising to a shrill, hysterical pitch. "I am a Level 98 Super Douluo! Du Busi is also Level 98! Why on earth can't I kill him?!"
Yan Shaozhe looked at Elder Xuan's distorted, aging face. A painfully bitter smile tugged at the corners of the Dean's mouth. He slowly shook his head, forcing out the agonizing truth that had already plunged his own heart into despair.
"Elder Xuan... you can't beat him."
The words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating.
"The three of us saw it with our own eyes," Yan Shaozhe continued, his voice trembling slightly at the memory. "The Body Martial Soul's Secondary Awakening is terrifyingly strong. That level of raw, physical might... it has already completely surpassed the scope of humanity."
He tightened his grip on the old man's arm. "Although you and he are both Level 98, within the same rank... I'm afraid no one in this world can beat the current Du Busi."
Elder Xuan's body went entirely rigid.
His raised fist hung suspended in mid-air, trembling violently as the fight drained from his muscles.
Yan Shaozhe's words were like a bucket of freezing water dumped directly over his burning rage, extinguishing the flames in an instant.
At this moment, the immense, suffocating humiliation born from sheer inadequacy pierced his chest. It felt as though a dozen jagged blades were twisting fiercely into his heart.
The top floor of the Sea God Pavilion fell into a long, deathly silence.
After what felt like an eternity, Elder Xuan's rigid posture broke. It was as if his very spine had been extracted. He slumped forward, the imposing aura of a Super Douluo vanishing into the shell of a defeated, broken old man.
He didn't speak. Moving with stiff, mechanical steps, he stumbled back to the main seat and collapsed into it. He stared down at his own hands—hands thick with callouses, hands that possessed devastating power, yet were utterly incapable of protecting his academy's dignity. His fingers curled inward, his nails digging so deeply into his palms that drops of blood welled up from the flesh.
"Insufficient strength again... Dammit!"
Elder Xuan's head dropped. When he finally spoke, his voice was as hoarse as a broken bellows. "If I were Level 99... if I were a Limit Douluo... how would Du Busi dare? How would he dare?!"
He snapped his head up, his bloodshot eyes locking onto the heavy stone door at the back of the pavilion—the entrance to the ultimate seclusion chamber. The despair in his gaze rapidly curdled into an unmatched, terrifying madness.
"Shaozhe. Lin'er." Elder Xuan ground his teeth together, every syllable dripping with a metallic scent of blood. "From today onward, I will enter a life-and-death seclusion. I will absolutely not emerge until I break through to become a Level 99 Limit Douluo!"
He stood up, his aura erratic and dangerous. "I will let everyone on this continent know that Shrek is still the same Shrek! Du Busi, and that brat Liu Yuan... wait for the day I break through. That will be your doomsday!"
Without giving Yan Shaozhe or Xian Lin'er a single second to dissuade him, Elder Xuan's body dissolved into a streak of yellow light. He charged straight into the dark depths of the seclusion chamber.
Boom!
The heavy stone door slammed shut, the resounding thud echoing through the room. The Sea God Pavilion was instantly plunged back into a suffocating, oppressive shadow.
Yan Shaozhe and Xian Lin'er stood in the silence, exchanging a long, heavy look. Beneath the lingering shock, a deep, unsettling concern mirrored in both their eyes.
Elder Xuan's attempt at a breakthrough was fueled by an agonizing desperation for quick success and a blinding, venomous hatred.
With a mindset so heavily clouded by inner demons, could he truly succeed in reaching the Limit?
Outside the window, the bleeding rays of the setting sun finally sank below the horizon, and a cold, absolute night thoroughly enveloped Shrek Academy.
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