Chapter 248: Shrek Roused! We Must Reclaim Our Honor at the Soul Master Tournament
The ancient plaza before the Sea God Pavilion had been suffocatingly quiet. Then, Elder Xuan's gravelly voice echoed through the courtyard: "It is done."
For a fleeting second, the gathered elders held their breath. Then, the silence shattered. A thunderous roar of cheers erupted, shaking the golden leaves of the Golden Tree towering above them.
Yan Shaozhe did not join the raucous shouting. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, yet the corners of his mouth twitched, curling upward into an irrepressible grin. Beside him, Xian Lin'er let out a long, trembling breath. The heavy, suffocating weight that had pressed down on her shoulders for months seemed to finally dissipate, the relief written clearly across her features.
Near the front of the gathered crowd stood Elder Song. She neither cheered nor smiled. However, the usual dimness in her aged eyes had vanished, replaced by a sharp, gleaming light. Her left arm remained tightly bound in thick medical bandages, hanging limply at her side, entirely motionless amidst the celebration.
Elder Xuan stood beneath the grand archway of the Sea God Pavilion. His heavy gaze swept over the jubilant faces of the academy's upper echelon. A faint, rare smile lingered on his weathered lips. But as his eyes drifted across the crowd and locked onto the stark white bandages wrapping Elder Song's ruined hand, the warmth drained from his expression.
"Elder Song," he called out.
He did not shout, yet his deep voice carried a resonant weight that instantly suppressed the clamor. The plaza fell dead silent.
Elder Song raised her head, meeting his gaze. Elder Xuan's brows knitted together, forming deep crevices on his forehead. His eyes remained fixed on her immobilized limb.
"What happened to your hand?" he demanded, the gravel in his voice sharpening.
Elder Song's lips parted, trembling slightly, but no words came out. She shifted her gaze, glancing briefly at Yan Shaozhe, then toward Xian Lin'er, before bowing her head in absolute silence.
Yan Shaozhe's smile vanished. The reality of their recent humiliations crashed back down upon him. He knew this secret could not be kept from a newly ascended Limit Douluo, nor did he have any intention of burying it further. Stepping forward, he positioned himself directly in front of the old man. He drew a slow, deep breath, steadying his nerves.
"Elder Xuan," Yan Shaozhe began, his tone heavy. "This matter... is a long and bitter story."
Elder Xuan simply stared at him, his silence a clear command to continue.
Stripping away all pride, Yan Shaozhe laid bare the catastrophic events of the past months. He detailed how Fan Yu, a pillar of their Soul Tool Department, had been ruthlessly poached by the Heavenly Soul Empire. He recounted the humiliating journey he, Xian Lin'er, and Elder Song had taken to the Heavenly Soul Imperial City to demand his return.
"We were intercepted," Yan Shaozhe said, his jaw tightening. "By Du Busi. The three of us fought him together, but we were completely outmatched. He crushed Elder Song's hand with a single strike. We only managed to escape with our lives by surrendering three hundred-thousand-year soul bones as compensation."
He did not stop there. He brought up the name that still stung the hearts of the Martial Soul Department: Ma Xiaotao. He explained the tragedy of her martial soul mutation during a critical mission, how the dark flames had consumed her sanity, dragging her into the ranks of Evil Soul Masters.
"Liu Yuan of the Body Sect captured her," Yan Shaozhe continued, his voice dropping an octave. "He staged a public execution in the capital. We went to retrieve her, to save our own. But before we could intervene, the Holy Spirit Cult descended. Death God Douluo Ye Xishui and Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Xiaoyao appeared out of nowhere and snatched Xiaotao away."
The worst was yet to come. Because the Holy Spirit Cult's intervention had inadvertently allowed the Shrek elders to survive the clash, the academy had been branded with the ultimate taboo.
"The entire continent now accuses us of colluding with Evil Soul Masters," Yan Shaozhe stated, articulating every syllable with bitter clarity. "Our reputation is in ruins. Enrollment for the new term has plummeted to historic lows. Even the small and medium-sized sects that once relied on our protection have severed all ties, treating us like a plague."
He did not embellish. He offered no dramatic flourishes. He merely laid out the cold, obvious facts.
As the tale unfolded, the faint warmth on Elder Xuan's face evaporated. His calm demeanor darkened into a somber mask, which quickly twisted into a livid, ashen grimace. His hand, previously resting casually against the wooden doorframe, dropped to his side. His fingers curled inward. Bone ground against bone, emitting a series of sharp, violent cracks that echoed across the silent plaza.
His chest heaved. The terrifying, suffocating pressure of a Limit Douluo—an aura he had just painstakingly restrained—began to bleed into the air, warping the space around him.
"Du Busi..." The name hissed through Elder Xuan's gritted teeth, dripping with absolute venom. "You have gone too far!"
He snapped his head up, his furious gaze piercing the horizon, locking onto the distant northern territories of the Heavenly Soul Empire. Thick, bloodshot veins spiderwebbed across the whites of his eyes—born not of fatigue, but of pure, unadulterated wrath.
"This old man will march upon the Body Sect this very instant!" Elder Xuan roared, the sheer force of his voice sending ripples through the air. "I will teach that arrogant bastard exactly what a Limit Douluo is!"
With a heavy stomp that cracked the paving stones beneath his feet, he surged forward.
Yan Shaozhe's face drained of color. Ignoring the oppressive pressure radiating from the elder, he lunged forward, throwing his arms wide to physically block the path.
"Elder Xuan, you mustn't!"
Elder Xuan halted. His terrifying momentum paused, his brows crashing together like thunderclouds as he glared down at the Dean of the Martial Soul Department.
"What?" he growled, the air around him vibrating with lethal intent. "You dare stop me?"
Yan Shaozhe's heart hammered against his ribs, but he forced his voice to remain steady. He met the Limit Douluo's furious gaze without flinching.
"Elder Xuan, if you strike now, you will do so without a shred of righteous cause."
He spoke rapidly, desperate to break through the old man's rage. "Every single move the Body Sect made was executed flawlessly under the banner of 'Righteousness.' Fan Yu defected of his own free will. During the clash in the capital, we were the aggressors who struck first to seize him. And Xiaotao... she truly did degenerate into an Evil Soul Master. When Liu Yuan captured her, the world saw him as a hero acting on behalf of the heavens."
Yan Shaozhe clenched his fists. "We know the truth of our intentions. But the rest of the continent does not. In their eyes, Shrek Academy is a tyrannical force abusing its legacy to shield a demonic cultivator."
Elder Xuan's forward momentum faltered. The suffocating pressure in the air wavered.
Sensing the hesitation, Yan Shaozhe lowered his voice, though the gravity of his words only intensified. "The academy's prestige is already hanging by a thread. If you march on the Body Sect today, unprovoked and driven only by vengeance, what will the world say?"
He stepped closer. "They will say Shrek Academy are sore losers. They will claim we are throwing a tantrum and bullying others simply because you finally achieved a breakthrough. If that narrative takes root, we won't just fail to reclaim our honor—we will permanently destroy the final shred of Shrek's ten-thousand-year credibility."
Silence reclaimed the plaza.
Elder Xuan stood frozen at the threshold of the Sea God Pavilion. His fists remained balled so tightly that his knuckles gleamed bone-white against his weathered skin, yet his feet remained planted. He stared down Yan Shaozhe, the raging storm in his eyes warring with the cold logic of the Dean's words.
Minutes dragged by like hours.
Slowly, agonizingly, the old man's fingers uncurled. He drew in a massive breath, holding it in his lungs before exhaling a long, ragged sigh. The terrifying, world-bending aura of a Limit Douluo receded, pulling back into his body until he looked like nothing more than a tired old man.
"Then what do you suggest?" Elder Xuan asked, his voice a low, dangerous rumble of suppressed fury. "We simply swallow this humiliation? We just endure it?"
Yan Shaozhe shook his head firmly.
"It is not about enduring, Elder Xuan. It is about biding our time for the perfect stage."
Elder Xuan narrowed his eyes, waiting.
Finding his footing, Yan Shaozhe straightened his posture. "The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament is fast approaching."
A muscle twitched in Elder Xuan's jaw.
Yan Shaozhe held his gaze, delivering his strategy with absolute conviction. "In the previous tournament, we suffered the ultimate disgrace. We lost our crown. In this upcoming tournament, we will seize that championship back on the grandest stage."
His eyes burned with a cold, calculating fire. "Under the watchful eyes of the entire continent, we will crush the Body Sect. We will dismantle Liu Yuan, fair and square, within the rules of the arena. When we stand victorious over their broken bodies, who will dare say Shrek is in decline? Who will care about the messy politics of the past months when absolute power is displayed for all to see?"
Elder Xuan absorbed the words. The deep furrows on his forehead gradually smoothed out, though his lips remained pressed into a grim, thoughtful line. He turned his gaze away, staring at the golden leaves of the ancient tree above them.
After a long, heavy pause, he finally spoke. "How much time do we have?"
"A few months," Yan Shaozhe replied instantly.
Elder Xuan gave a slow nod. While his outward expression remained stoic, the volatile, impulsive rage that had clouded his eyes completely vanished. In its place settled a chilling, absolute coldness—the methodical focus of a predator preparing for the kill.
"Then we wait," Elder Xuan declared, his tone leaving no room for argument. "We wait for the tournament. And on that arena floor, we will wash away our shame with their defeat."
He pivoted on his heel, stepping back over the threshold of the Sea God Pavilion. He did not retreat into the shadows, but stood firmly at the entrance, his imposing figure casting a long shadow over the gathered elders.
"Bring Huo Yuhao and the rest of the core disciples to me," he commanded, his voice returning to its familiar, gravelly baseline. "I want to see exactly how much progress those children have made."
Yan Shaozhe blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the sudden shift in focus, before bowing his head. He quickly turned and gestured to a senior disciple stationed at the edge of the plaza. Receiving the silent order, the disciple bowed deeply and sprinted off to relay the summons.
Elder Xuan's gaze swept over the remaining deans. "From this day forward, I will personally oversee their cultivation. Before the tournament begins, their strength must be forged into an unbreakable blade."
Xian Lin'er, who had been quietly listening, stepped forward, her eyes widening in surprise. "Elder Xuan... you intend to guide them personally?"
The old man shot her a sharp, sidelong glance. "What? Is this old man no longer qualified to teach a few brats?"
"No, no! Of course not!" Xian Lin'er waved her hands hurriedly, her tone apologetic. "I was merely concerned about your health. You just completed a massive breakthrough..."
"My body is perfectly fine," Elder Xuan interrupted, waving off her concern with a dismissive flick of his wrist. "Rank 99 is not just for show. I have more vitality now than I have had in decades."
Suitably chastised, Xian Lin'er bowed her head and stepped back.
Shifting his attention back to the Dean of the Martial Soul Department, Elder Xuan raised his voice, ensuring every elder present heard his next decree.
", open the academy's deepest vaults. Bring out every single elixir, pill, and soul bone capable of enhancing combat strength." His eyes hardened into chips of flint. "Use whatever needs to be used. Distribute whatever needs to be distributed. Do not hoard a single scrap of resource. In this tournament, failure is not an option. We must win."
Yan Shaozhe's brow creased. Shrek Academy's foundational reserves were legendary, built over ten thousand years of supremacy. However, after the recent string of disasters and the hefty compensations paid out to the Body Sect, their vaults were far from the bottomless oceans they once were. Elder Xuan's command essentially meant liquidating the academy's emergency war chest.
Yet, looking at the absolute resolve burning in the Limit Douluo's eyes, Yan Shaozhe did not utter a single word of protest.
He straightened his spine and nodded sharply. "Understood. I will authorize the vault's opening immediately."
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