Until now, Wang Dong had been leaning against a tree with his thighs acting as Huo Yuhao's comfortable pillow. Now, without even giving Huo Yuhao a chance to speak, Wang Dong hugged him fiercely and said, "Yuhao, do you know that you scared me to death? I thought that you would become like those corpses…" A sobbing tone crept into his voice as he said these words.
Xu Sanshi, who was standing next to Bei Bei, chuckled and said, "Look, their brotherly feelings really run deep."
Bei Bei's lips twitched, and he retorted, "In any case, they're much stronger than a naturally cold-hearted guy like you."
Xu Sanshi immediately flared up in anger, "Bullshit! How can you claim that I am naturally cold-hearted?! I just don't want to be too compassionate towards others! Humph!"
Jiang Nannan furrowed her brows slightly, "How old are you two to still be arguing like children?"
After hearing her comment, Xu Shanshi immediately began to behave. That comment was far more effective than even consuming medicine would have been. With a righteous look on his face, he didn't bother Bei Bei anymore.
Huo Yuhao patted Wang Dong's back as he spoke, "It's alright. I'm alright now. After all, one who survives a great disaster is destined to have good fortune forever after."
Wang Yan also walked over to Huo Yuhao's side. "All's well if you're alright. You better rest up too, then we can get back on track and return to the northwestern army barracks. After we rest up a bit and get ourselves reorganised, we'll immediately head straight for Star Luo City."
He Caitou couldn't help but ask, "Teacher Wang, you're not really going to deploy us this time around, are you?" This question was one that the seven students from the outer courtyard were most concerned about. Wang Dong let go of Huo Yuhao, and they both looked at Wang Yan together.
Wang Yan smiled bitterly and said, "I'm afraid there is no other choice. The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Grand Tournament will go on for a month, which is a very long time. Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng and Ling Luochen will need at least half a month to recover completely. All we can do now is entrust you guys to represent the academy in battle."
"Teacher Wang, are we up for it?" Huo Yuhao asked.
Representing Shrek Academy in battle wasn't something to be taken lightly! It meant that they were representing the academy's honor!
Shrek Academy was known as the number one academy in the continent because it nurtured numerous outstanding people of talent and skill. How did it display this strength? The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Grand Tournament was the best stage to do so.
Shrek Academy had already monopolised the position of champion for who-knows-how many years continuously. As for the other academies, they could only vie for the position of runner-up. Before the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy from the Sun Moon Empire had appeared, there hadn't been an opponent that could compete with Shrek Academy.
However, this was directed at the main team members! They had had a peak powerhouse like Elder Xuan as their commanding officer, and their opponents had only been Soul Kings. Yet, who would've thought that they would have sustained such heavy losses during their operation this time around? As if one death wasn't enough, three others were so heavily injured that they couldn't participate in battle. The remaining three had also sustained significant injuries. In just a short moment, all seven main team members had lost their fighting strength.
The team had originally consisted of two Soul Emperors and five Soul Kings. Now, it was made up of four Soul Ancestors, one Soul Elder and two Soul Masters.
This was a large difference in terms of strength.
All this pressure fell on the seven reserve students from the outer courtyard. The eldest was just fifteen years old, and the youngest was only twelve years old. It was obvious what they must be going through at that moment.
Wang Yan was slightly at a loss as to how he should respond to Huo Yuhao. He sighed and replied, "The responsibility for the setbacks during this mission rests on my shoulders. I failed to command the team properly and when we return to the academy, I will definitely beg the school's highest officials for forgiveness. As for the Grand Tournament, you guys shouldn't hold back at all. I believe that the preliminary rounds shouldn't be hard with your abilities. If Elder Xuan can rush back in time, the academy might be able to send another team of inner courtyard disciples as reinforcements before the Grand Tournament starts. With Elder Xuan's flying speed, I believe there's a possibility that he'll be able to make it in time."
Upon remembering Elder Xuan's terrifyingly quick manner of flying, everyone immediately became much more relaxed.
Bei Bei stood up and, just as before, spoke with a smile on his face. "Teacher Wang is right. At the end of the day, we are just reserves. Moreover, the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Grand Tournament doesn't have a knockout system Elder Xuan originally mentioned that we were meant to take the stage regardless, to polish our abilities and to serve as a shield for the main team members. We can still proceed according to that plan. Regardless of the outcome, everything will work out if we try our best. Besides, we can still trick our opponents. I reckon reinforcements will arrive before we have take on more than a few matches. Our academy isn't that far from Star Luo City. The most it'll take the academy to select people and deploy them is around three to five days. So, in reality, we only need to hold up for a few days."
"That's right, we're not weaker than the others. I've heard that the contestants from the participating academies normally have the strength of three or four ringed Soul Masters; we're Shrek Academy's elite students! What do we have to fear?! The main force might not even need to make a move, because we would've already advanced courageously and stormed straight to the finals!" Xu Sanshi exclaimed, filled with fighting spirit.
Jiang Nannan rolled her eyes at him, "Such developed limbs, and yet such a simple mind."
Xiao Xiao was sitting right beside Jiang Nannan and couldn't help but stifle a chuckle upon seeing the deflated look on Xu Sanshi's face.
A hint of a smile found its way onto Wang Yan's face too. He nodded and replied, "Bei Bei is right. We should do our best." As he spoke, his gaze subconsciously fell on Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng and Ling Luochen.
The three of them didn't utter a word. Wang Yan sighed in his heart and thought to himself, Do your best, and everything will go according to the will of the heavens.
However, Huo Yuhao still held suspicion in his heart, because he could clearly remembered what Elder Xuan had said before he left. The academy's reputation can only rest on your shoulders now. This clearly wasn't something that he had said without thinking! Moreover, Huo Yuhao also believed that his mentally dexterous senior brother could not have failed to notice those words. But then, why was he talking like this now? Could it be to bolster everyone's hearts?
With these thoughts running through his mind, Huo Yuhao naturally couldn't expose his senior brother. All he could do was do his best to go along with Bei Bei. It wasn't easy to raise everyone's morale, so how could he say something against him?
Only Wang Yan and the three remaining inner courtyard students knew that there weren't many students in the inner courtyard. There were extremely few students under twenty who were sufficiently capable. On top of that, most of the inner courtyard disciples conducted missions outside as Shrek Guardians. Thus, it was practically impossible for the academy to gather another group of Shrek's Seven Devils from the inner courtyard. Sadly, there wasn't much hope for those in the outer courtyard either. Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan were outstanding individuals from the outer courtyard, but even if they could gather a few more students with four soul rings, would they really be stronger than Huo Yuhao, Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong?
As a result of that, they could only count on themselves during this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Grand Tournament.
The next day in Shrek Academy.
Elder Xuan was sitting on a flight of stairs with a bed of messy hair as he poured alcohol into his mouth. The sound of footsteps rang out from behind him, and an old man clad in white walked over to him.
"What's the situation?"
The old man clad in white stood respectfully behind Elder Xuan and said, "The situation has already stabilized. It's corpse poison. Thankfully, this is only a simple kind of poison and you brought them back just in time. Their lives are out of harm's way now. The Soul Tool Department has already taken a look at Chen Zifeng's leg, and deduced that it's not going to be problem to make a prosthetic for him. Even though his movements will be affected a little, it shouldn't affect his strength too much."
Elder Xuan spat out a breath full of the smell of alcohol and sighed, "That's good."
At this moment, someone walked in from outside the courtyard. That person was the dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department – Yan Shaozhe.
"Elder Xuan, the Sea God's Pavilion conference that you proposed to hold has been prepared. You…"
"Let's go." Elder Xuan stood up and walked out. His silhouette clearly seemed a little lonely.
Yan Shaozhe followed behind Elder Xuan, sighing in his heart. It had been many years since the Sea God's Pavilion conference had been held so frequently.
"Elder Xuan, this matter isn't your fault. You shouldn't blame yourself too much." Yan Shaozhe advised in a low voice.
Elder Xuan didn't speak, and only responded by shaking his head.
Sea God's Pavilion.
Things weren't so different from the last Sea God's Pavilion conference held here, but the atmosphere surrounding the whole place was somewhat heavier than before. Elder Mu, who was seated at the head of the table, was still lying on his recliner, the shadows obscuring his body.
The ones seated beside him were Elder Lin and Elder Xuan. The four deans and vice-deans from the Martial Soul Department and the Soul Tool Department were still respectfully seated at both ends of the table.
Elder Mu's gentle voice rang out. "Speak, dear Xuan. Why have you proposed this Sea God's Pavilion conference?"
Elder Xuan nodded, slowly got up and began to speak in a low tone, "Everyone already knows what happened this time. This isn't the first time a problem has arisen from my leadership. As the one who was leading the group, I am therefore bound by an unshirkable responsibility. Henceforth, I have decided to resign from my position as vice-commander of the Shrek Guardians. Moreover, I will leave Sea God's Pavilion and be an idler within the academy."
Once Elder Xuan spoke, everyone in the room was alarmed. One had to know that he held an extremely high post in the academy, second only to Elder Mu lying on the recliner. He was the academy's elder, and had an extremely strong cultivation, hardly all that different from Elder Mu's. Elder Mu was the commanding officer of the Shrek Guardians, and there was only one vice-commander – Elder Xuan. Over the course of nearly 50 years, all of the most outstanding inner courtyard disciples who had represented the school in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Grand Tournament had been led by Elder Xuan. For him to suddenly bring up the topic of his resignation from all of his duties, how could it not shock the Sea God's Pavilion's conference?
Yan Shaozhe was so shocked that his face turned pale. "Elder Xuan, how can this be? No one can guarantee that something won't go wrong. Besides, this responsibility cannot completely rest on your shoulders. Carelessness on the part of Xiaotao and the others also played a huge part in this matter, along with the unusual abilities of that evil soul master. He could actually unleash an all-out attack comparable to that of a Soul Sage. This can only illustrate the direct correlation between the destructive power of his skill and the number of corpses he rose. Elder Xuan, you are one of the main pillars of the academy. The academy cannot lose you!"
Elder Xuan sighed and said, "Shaozhe, don't say anything anymore. I had earlier wanted to take responsibility for my mistake in the Great Star Dou Forest that time and resign. But that girl, Le Xuan, stubbornly knelt in front of me and I didn't have the heart to hurt that child's heart, so I stayed on…"
"However, we have one dead and six heavily injured students this time. If I keep staying by their side, would another thing like this happen again? My martial soul has guaranteed that I'm not suited to be the vice-captain of the Shrek Guardians. I've already made my decision. Yao Haoxuan doesn't even have a corpse I can bury. I feel very pained, let alone the fact that they'll have to represent the school to take part in the Continental Advanced Soul Duelling Academy now. Now that a large mistake like this has occurred, the school's honor as the number one academy in the continent may be destroyed. This responsibility can only be taken on by me."
The Dean of the Soul Tool Department, Xian Lin'er, spoke up, "Elder Xua, please stay your mouth. Although your Godly Taotie Bull requires you to eat things for long periods of time, this doesn't affect your capabilities! Everyone can clearly see the contributions you've made to the academy during these years. We're all sad for the death of an inner courtyard disciple, but we can't stop eating for fear of choking. If you leave, that'll be the academy's greatest loss."
Elder Xuan shook his head bitterly. "Were it not for the fact that we were lucky this time, Huo Yuhao would've died there. Were it not for the fact that his Spiritual Shock coincided with the backlash of that evil soul master when he was captured, the hope of the academy would've been ruined in my hands. With a mistake like this on my hands, how would I have the face to continue staying in the Sea God's Pavilion? You don't have to try and persuade me; I've already made my decision. Yao Haoxuan's family has a relatively decent amount of influence, so I'm going to go take a trip to his clan and do my best to help dispel their sorrows. Everyone, I'm going to say goodbye here."
With that, he turned around and walked towards the door.
"Come back." A calm, yet imposing voice that contained a formless pressure rang out. These two words were spoken in a very calm manner, but they made Elder Xuan, who'd started walking, forcefully stop moving.
"Elder Mu, I truly do not have the face to remain anymore." Elder Xuan had his back towards the others, his body trembling slightly. Only he knew just how much pain he was enduring in his heart.
"I'm allowing you to come back. Do you not hear me?" Elder Mu's voice became serious.
Elder Xuan's body trembled. Just how many years had it been since he'd last heard Elder Mu get emotional while speaking? Eighty? Or was it a hundred years?
Although he was extremely unwilling, he still turned back and sat back in his seat. Even the other people had subconsciously straightened their backs after sensing the anger in Elder Mu's voice. They were all silent out of fear, not daring to utter a single word.
Among everyone seated within the hall, the most senior of the elders were Elder Xuan and Elder Lin. However, even they were slightly junior to Elder Mu. Elder Mu was the last disciple of Elder Xuan's master, and also his youngest disciple. In other words, Elder Mu was actually Elder Xuan's junior uncle-master. In terms of age, Elder Mu was only ten years older than Elder Xuan. However, the contributions he'd made towards the academy and his strength placed him as the true number one figure in Shrek Academy.
Elder Mu, who'd been reclining on his seat, slowly rose to his feet. His appearance could finally be seen clearly.
Elder Mu had a very ordinary appearance, and he wasn't very tall either. He even gave off the feeling that he already had one foot in the grave. If Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were here, they would definitely be stunned. This elder, who was able to make the determined Elder Xuan turn back with a just slightly angry tone of voice, and silence the upper echelons of Shrek Academy, was actually the old man who they always saw lying down outside their dormitories.
Right, he was the Elder Mu who'd shaken the entire continent before. He was now over two hundred and fifty years old, and he was titled as the Dragon God Douluo, Mu En. Two hundred years ago, his name had been famous throughout the continent. Now, perhaps everyone might've forgotten about him. Many people assumed that Shrek Academy's strongest expert was the Taotie Douluo, Xuan Zi, but in reality, the Dragon God, Elder Mu, was undoubtedly the number one figure in the academy.
Who would've thought that the ordinary old man who looked like a security guard for the dormitories would actually be the true number one figure of Shrek Academy? Elder Mu stayed there every day, as he enjoyed watching the students from the outer courtyard, and the dynamism that they emanated.
Only this would help dilute the loneliness he felt in his heart.
Elder Mu revealed a rarely-seen chilliness in his gentle eyes and said in a low voice, "Why is a two hundred-year-old man like you still being so impatient? If everyone else had left the academy after making a mistake, our Shrek Academy would've closed down already. You're indeed no longer suitable to be the vice-captain of the Shrek Guardians, so stay behind in the academy and help me teach a few students."
Elder Xuan immediately became somewhat anxious, "Elder Mu, please let me go. I feel very pained, and I don't even know how I'll be able to face these kids anymore."
"If you want to leave, fine." Elder Mu said indifferently, "If you have the ability, go find a wife and marry her. Then, leave your bloodline of the Godly Taotie Bull behind. If you can do that, I'll let you go; if you can't, stop talking. If you continue spewing bullshit, I'll discipline you on behalf of my deceased senior brother."
"I…"
The other elders who were participating in the Sea God's Pavilion's conference revealed strange smiles as they listened to Elder Mu. Elder Lin, who sat opposite the two, directly laughed.
Humiliated, Elder Xuan said, "Lin Huiqun, what're you laughing at?"
Elder Lin didn't fear him in the least. She smiled slightly, "Naturally, I'm wondering whether you'll even have the chance to pass down your bloodline anymore."
"Hahahaha…" The other elders immediately laughed in unison. The four elders couldn't help but laugh, and Xian Lin'er even covered her face with her hand.
Elder Xuan's aged face immediately turned bright red, and his humiliation turned to anger as he slapped the table and yelled, "No laughing, no laughing!"
His outburst sounded serious, but the other elders seated around him laughed even louder than before; even Elder Mu revealed the trace of a smile on his face.
"Okay." Elder Mu gently tapped the table with his hand, silencing the other elders. However, the strange looks in their eyes didn't change in the least.
"Ever since the Guardians were established, every single student who joined was already prepared to make a sacrifice." Elder Mu said indifferently, "This situation was special. Not only were we facing an evil soul master, we were even facing one who had the very rare ability to control corpses. The large number of massacres he caused with the bandits were for the sake of obtaining more corpses so he could cultivate in the techniques belonging to his evil sect. The fact that you were able to eradicate him is already a good deed. I also feel very pained by Yao Haoxuan's sacrifice, but the dead are already dead. Our Shrek Guardians, however, have to continue on. Your Godly Taotie Bull makes you gluttonous, and you weren't wrong in trusting Xiaotao and the rest. This tragedy can be even more of a reminder for us to be careful in the future. You followed them this time, but what would've happened if you hadn't? Perhaps they would've suffered even greater losses. Also, will an elder always tag along in every mission the Guardians undertake? It'd be better for you to train even more and better Guardians rather than blame yourself. Lin'er."
"Present." Xian Lin'er hurriedly stood up and replied respectfully.
"I'm going to end this now." Elder Mu said in a low voice, "After this conference ends, every single disciple from the inner courtyard will have to go over to you and have a set of custom-made flying-type and defense-type soul tools made. Anybody who dares to go against me will leave the college." Xian Lin'er immediately revealed a delighted look on her face, "Yes." However, Dean Yan Shaozhe furrowed his brows.
From the very beginning, the Martial Soul Department and the Soul Tool Department had been opposing parties, with the former possessing the absolute advantage. The inner courtyard disciples of the Martial Soul Department had also inherited its arrogance. Because of that, they had all chosen not to use soul tools; they believed that this would maintain the legacy of Shrek Academy. However, the decision Elder Mu made today would undoubtedly tell the Martial Soul Department that they would need the help of the Soul Tool Department.
"Teacher, don't you need to consider this a bit more?" Yan Shaozhe asked probingly.
Elder Mu glared at him and said solemnly, "Do you want a few more deaths to change your mind? Even if this hadn't happened, I would've organised a conference in Sea God's Pavilion to talk about these important matters. Our generation keeps advancing, and soul tools were originally a creation of society's advancement in the first place. An individual can be strong, but working with a soul tool can only improve one's strength even further. If you keep sticking to your old-fashioned ways, you don't have to be a Dean anymore. I've already made a decision. The inner courtyard of the Martial Soul Department will have to purchase the soul tools from the Soul Tool Department using its own funds, and you're not allowed to drop behind in your payments."
Seeing as Elder Mu was getting angry, Yan Shaozhe didn't dare to refute him even if he was inwardly dissatisfied. Thus, he assented respectfully. On the other hand, Xian Lin'er had a victorious smile on her face.
The vice-Dean, Cai Mei'er, hurriedly tried to mediate the situation with Yan Shaozhe, "Elder Mu, then what shall we do about the Continental Advanced Academy Soul Duelling Tournament? The inner courtyard only has ten or so disciples now, and only two of them can qualify for it. However, they're somewhat weaker. Shall we take the previously-eliminated student from the Soul Tool Department and send him along with those two students?"
Elder Xuan turned awkwardly and nodded, "If I fly them over, we should be able to make it in time."
Elder Mu shook his head. "No. We don't need to aid them any further. Let's let them show off their skills."
"Ah?" The various elders present were all astonished. Of which, one elder blurted out, "Elder Mu, this matter relates to the honor of the academy."
Elder Mu laughed calmly, "Right! Honor. Haven't you felt that we've been tied up by this 'honor' for the past few years? Losing isn't scary; the truly scary thing is complacency. A few people have already assumed that the Martial Soul Department is unparalleled under the heavens, and it's time for a wake-up call. During the past thirty years, we've been seeing new developments in the field of soul tools practically every day. However, what about the development of our Soul Tool Department? If we compare ourselves to the Sun Moon Empire, we're not lacking by just a tiny bit. As society progresses, we have to continually improve our way of thinking. Even if we send extra help, would they definitely be better than those kids?"
Yan Shaozhe naturally understood that his teacher was referring to him. He couldn't help but lower his head, and his aged face turned slightly red. If anybody else were to speak of the importance of soul tools, he could disapprove; however, the person speaking was the teacher who he respected most. He couldn't just not pay attention to his words.
"Although our official team can't participate this time, you shouldn't forget that our preparatory team this time is our academy's strongest-ever. Since the Heavens have decided to give them some early practice, why don't we help them succeed?"
"It's too soon to talk about defeat. And even if we lose, we can use this opportunity to temper the seven children of the preparatory team, and turn them into an outstanding generation of our Shrek Academy. In that case, even if we lose, it will be still worthwhile. For the time being, let them do as they wish. Lin'er, after the tournament ends, send a request to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy on behalf of our Soul Tool Department and apply for a student exchange program. Let's send the students of our Soul Tool Department to their empire to study."
Xian Lin'er was stunned. "Elder Mu, will they agree? And even if they agree, I'm afraid that our students…"
"The objective isn't to send them there to learn," Elder Mu said with a faint smile, "I want them to go there to gain experience. I want them to have a look at the number one soul engineering academy of the continent, and see what their soul tools look like for themselves. As for the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, they will agree. They've already sent a request to apply for a student exchange with our Martial Soul Department. So tell them that as long as they agree to accept our students first, they're allowed to send ten students of their own to study here."
"Yes." Xian Lin'er replied.
Elder Mu said, "Talk things over carefully. Within five years, I want the Martial Soul and Soul Tool Departments to undergo a partial fusion. Add a weekly course on soul engineering for the students of the Martial Soul Department. Even if they don't learn how to manufacture soul tools, they must know how to use them. Shaozhe, Mei'er, Lin'er and Duo Duo, you must remember this: the advent of soul tools cannot be stopped. We're unable to predict to what degree they will develop in the future. Therefore, we must gain an advantage while there is still time. Our Shrek Academy has never had a lack of talents, and in the future, soul masters will fight while combining both their martial souls and their soul tools."
Perplexed, Yan Shaozhe asked, "Teacher, aren't we rushing things? Even if soul tools are developing quickly, soul engineers aren't comparable to soul masters that have surpassed the Soul Sage rank."
"Aren't you neglecting the real problem and concentrating only on details?" Elder Mu said coldly, "Anyway, you're mistaken. Not too long ago, I personally went to the Sun Moon Empire, and the things I saw there were able to shock even me. The growth of soul tools in the Sun Moon Empire has already exceeded your imagination. I even saw a huge soul tool that needed many people to control it, and that soul tool was capable of threatening even my life. Something like that has the power to change the course of an entire war. Everything I said today wasn't without cause. If you keep on with this mentality and refuse to change, Shrek Academy won't last for long."
"What?" Yan Shaozhe was dumbfounded. He was aware of how strong his teacher was. Even if he was a powerful Titled Douluo that had reached Rank 95, in front of his Elder Mu, he was only a tiny existence. And now, his teacher said that there was a soul tool capable of threatening his life. Just how powerful was this soul tool?
"And if we look at things from the Sun Moon Empire's perspective, they should be unwilling to remain in the shadows anymore. If a war breaks out, you think our academy can shut itself up in an ivory tower? With things as they are now, we might even be the real objective of the Sun Moon Empire's attack."
After hearing these words, the expressions of the nearby elders turned solemn.
"It's been a long time since I have proposed something. "Elder Mu said in a grave tone, "Now, let's vote for what I've proposed today." After that, he raised his hand first.
Given his position as Master of the Sea God's Pavilion, no one had ever gone against Elder Mu's propositions in the past, let alone now that his words had moved the elders. Everyone voted in favor.
Elder Mu nodded and said, "The academy needs to support the development of soul tools. Huiqun, your department will receive a little more funding."
Elder Lin nodded.
Elder Mu said, "That Fan Yu from the Soul Tool Department isn't bad. What about making him the vice-dean?"
Once again, everyone voted in favor.
"He'll be in charge of researching and developing soul tools," Elder Mu said to Xian Lin'er, "he doesn't need to teach anyone else except his two inheriting disciples. Moreover, he'll be the one leading the students in the exchange with the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy."
"Yes."
...
Tang Ya was sitting in the dormitory and gazing out the window. Her pretty face was a bit pale.
"I wonder how Bei Bei and the others are doing. Elder sister Le Xuan said that the disciples of the inner courtyard were seriously injured during this mission. One of them died in battle, and the other six were wounded. Even if Bei Bei and the others are alright, I'm afraid they'll have to participate in the competition."
"Even Little Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao are there. On the other hand, I'm quite useless. Even if I'm the head of the Tang Sect, I don't seem to have a bright future. It's already been a year since I broke through the third ring bottleneck, and up til now, my soul power has only reached Rank 33; it's getting harder and harder to advance. As of now, even that Dai Huabin from the second year has surpassed me. I'm already in my fifth year, and I'm starting to wonder how I'll be able to graduate once I'm in the sixth grade! Breaking through the fourth ring seems so difficult."
The always-bright Tang Ya was talking to herself. Her beautiful face was quite gloomy right now.
"Father, mother, the both of you died in such a tragic way, and yet, there is no one that can really help us. Ten thousand years have passed, and all the friendships from back then have started to wane. In any case, Shrek Academy still remembers the contributions of Ancestor Tang San and gave me a place to stay. But the Clear Sky Clan? I went to look for them, but they said that they would help the starving but not the poor. The decline of the Tang Sect seems unavoidable. No, I refuse to believe it! I must rebuild the sect, and even if I have to pay a great price, I can't shrink back!"
Tears were streaming down Tang Ya's tender cheeks. After all, she was only a fifteen-year-old girl, but she had so many responsibilities already.
The Tang Sect had recruited Bei Bei, Huo Yuhao, Xiao Xiao, Wang Dong, and He Caitou. This had given the Tang Sect some hope. However, her talent was the worst among them. How was she supposed to lead them in the future?
After wiping her tears, Tang Ya stood up and clenched her delicate fists. "I want to become stronger. I'll do everything to make the Tang Sect great again. Father, mother, forgive me. I'm afraid that your Little Ya will have to go Star Luo City."
In regards to the Star Luo Empire, Star Luo City was worthy of being called the number one city. It was the Star Luo Empire's political, cultural, and economic center. It also had the title of 'The Undefeated Imperial Capital'.
Star Luo City's city walls reached a height of hundred meters, and unexpectedly, their width was also a hundred meters. These walls were made of a very durable stone. The area it encircled surpassed a thousand square kilometers; it surpassed fifty kilometers in both length and breadth.
The core of the city, the so-called inner city, was obviously situated in the center of Star Luo City. The inner city had a length of 960 meters and a width of 750 meters, and the inner city walls around it were 20 meters high—it was a city within a city. The Imperial Palace was already complete thanks to the White Tiger Duke's lineage and the Imperial Family. Every time it was rebuilt, it got bigger in scale and more magnificent.
Star Luo City's population exceeded 8 million inhabitants, and could hold up to 20 million people if one were to add the foreigners.
However, even such a big city had started to become crowded as of late. The number of visitors had rapidly increased in a short half-month, and all the hotels were full. Therefore, the officers had to take over the residences of a few commoners and open their houses up to the visitors. The number of troops inside the city had also increased quite a lot due to security reasons.
There was only one reason for such a huge change: the Continental Advanced Academy Soul Dueling Tournament that was held every five years. And now, the tournament was taking place in Star Luo City.
There were four great empires on the continent, and the various capitals of the empires would take turns to host the tournament. Therefore, Star Luo City would need to wait another twenty years to hold it again. How could such a grand occasion not attract all the residents of the Star Luo Empire?
The tournament was going to be held in Star Luo Plaza, in front of the inner city. Star Luo Plaza was very big, and could hold many spectators. There were thirty thousand soldiers tasked with keeping order in the city, and ten thousand of them were stationed at Star Luo Plaza.
Not far from the east side of the Star Luo Plaza was a big hotel with seven stories. This was the Imperial Star Grand Hotel, and it belonged to the royal family. Currently, it was being used to welcome the various high-ranked soul masters and soul engineers coming from the other countries to participate in the tournament.
Due to the fact that they were the reigning champions from the number one academy on the continent, the members of Shrek Academy were situated in the most luxurious room on the highest floor. Everyone had their own bedroom, and in addition, they also had a meeting room that they could use as they wished.
At this time, the ten members of the team and their leading teacher, Wang Yan, were in the middle of the meeting room, talking things over before the start of the match.
They had only arrived in Star Luo City yesterday. They were quite late compared to the other academies participating in the tournament. However, in their eyes, it was just Shrek Academy acting arrogantly because they were the defending champions and the number one academy on the continent.
Wang Yan sat in the place of honor. On his left were Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and Ling Luochen; all three of them had pale complexions. Their internal organs were still damaged. Even if they had received medical treatment and tried to recuperate their strength with their own methods, they had rushed here in great haste with the aid of a flying-type soul tool. This had taken quite a toll on them, and had actually aggravated the state of their injuries. The time they would need to recuperate was going to be higher than the previous estimates.
Given the situation, it would be strange if Wang Yan had a good complexion.
The registrations would end today. Wang Yang had already discussed things with the organizers of the tournament and signed up the current students, but the reinforcements from the academy were yet to be seen. The competition would start tomorrow, and at this point, they could only rely on themselves.
Wang Yan tried to calm down, and showed a slight smile on his face as he said, "Did you have a proper rest yesterday? The Star Luo Empire's hospitality isn't half bad."
Bei Bei, who was the first on his right, said, "We had a good rest. However, today is the last day for the registration, and those reinforcements from the academy…"
Wang Yan waved his hand and said, "Don't worry. I've already received a letter from the academy. It takes some time to gather students that were away. Moreover, our academy has a certain privilege… thus, we must fight for Shrek's glory! I really wonder how far the preparatory team can go."