Chapter 126: Wails Everywhere
News of Shrek Academy's failure to win the championship spread like wildfire throughout the academy, as expected. The teachers were powerless to stop this phenomenon; they couldn't possibly enforce a ban on discussing the tournament. If they really did impose such a ban, that would truly cause a major issue and might even trigger a wave of withdrawals.
But it wasn't just about achieving second place that caused the downfall of Shrek Lake's status in the hearts of many students. In their eyes, Shrek Academy was supposed to be the top academy on the continent, the sole sanctuary for soul masters on Douluo Continent. Now, the 'sanctuary' had been defeated, not by their arch-rival, the Moonlight Royal Soul Master Academy, but by the Diao Academy. And considering that this tournament included a soul saint-level competitor who was exceptionally strong, their loss could be seen as reasonable.
However, many did not think so deeply. All they cared about was that Shrek had lost. Regardless of how many times Shrek had won in the past or how dominant it had been in previous tournaments, a single loss meant the mythologized Shrek was being pulled down from its pedestal. This was precisely why Yan Shaozhe had been so bothered by the arrangements Mu En had made.
During this period, countless followers of Shrek experienced a crisis of faith. With mounting dissatisfaction harbored by the three great empires, who almost celebrated Shrek Lake's defeat behind closed doors, the news of Shrek Lake's dismal performance in the tournament spread to almost every city, amplifying the academy's loss and even exaggerating that they had surrendered before the final battle commenced.
Where did Shrek Lake's students come from? They were recruited from these very empires, and Shrek Lake's 'unique' education made these graduates often more loyal to the academy than to their own countries. In other words, at a word from Shrek Lake, these graduates might even turn against their own homelands. This was tantamount to undermining the foundations of the three great empires!
Long-standing dissatisfaction from the empires, previously suppressed due to Shrek Lake's power and the presence of many powerful graduates within their own borders, had been largely dormant. But with Shrek now vulnerable, how could these empires miss such an opportunity to kick someone when they were down?
" Shrek likes to stand apart from continental powers, doesn't it? Likes to think it doesn't need to consort with empires like ours, enjoys pulling away our talents, and loves to act as the sanctified soul master sanctuary of the continent?" Well, they thought, let's see if Shrek still feels so proud after this tournament!
In terms of strength, the three empires of Douluo were hardly comparable to the Moonlight Empire; without Shrek Lake, they wouldn't stand a chance even if they ganged up. But when it came to scheming and plotting, they were professionals—true gods of internal strife!
With the empires secretly fueling the fire, Shrek Lake's loss in the tournament, through various true and false rumors, escalated into an apocalyptic scenario. Even the Moonlight Empire, which always considered Shrek the biggest obstacle to its rule over the continent, couldn't help but gloat. They had been plotting ways to undermine this thorn in their side and pave the way for their eventual unification of the continent.
Now their rival had imploded on its own. "Are you trying to liberate yourselves from us too quickly?" they chuckled as they joined the fray.
Consequently, Shrek gloriously became the common enemy of the continent, apart from those graduates who still spoke in its defense. Everywhere else, public sentiment, soul masters, wails of despair were heard—faith was shattered!
Mass withdrawals occurred at Shrek Lake; about seventy percent of the external students and forty percent of the internal students left. Many were persuaded by letters from home, but many others left out of disappointment. Even numerous teachers submitted their resignations, rushing to leave what they saw as a sinking ship.
As the saying goes, when the wall falls, everyone pushes. What had once been a flourishing academy now appeared desolate.
The vast Shrek campus, normally bustling with students and staff, now felt eerily quiet after the withdrawal frenzy. It was like watching a sunset on a declining dynasty.
Even those students who had not left wore expressions of grief, struggle, confusion, and self-doubt. Although many stayed, their faith in Shrek had been shaken, and they questioned whether staying was the right decision.
But in the end, they didn't leave. The loyalty built by Shrek over thousands of years wasn't so easily erased. Yet the anger, loss, and towering rage after their shattered faith were all directed at the participants of this tournament—both the main team of five from the inner court and the reserve team of five from the outer court.
"Trash," "garbage," "get out of Shrek Academy," were scrawled across Bei Bei's dorm door. Those who had once admired Jiang Nannan, the number one beauty of the outer court, now despised her. Wherever she went, she was met with disdainful stares. Once beloved and courted by many male students, she now found herself shunned as if she were a fearsome creature.
As for Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, they were practically ostracized by their entire grade.
The upper echelons of Shrek Academy had not anticipated the situation escalating to this extent. They had hesitated for just a few days on how to handle the situation, and the vast academy had nearly crumbled. The more it deteriorated, the less they dared to make any rash moves. Shrek truly couldn't withstand any more turmoil at this point.
As fragile as a tightrope walker on a cliff, careful and with no room for error, one misstep could lead to doom.
Under the freshman dormitory, Mu En still lay in his familiar spot, basking in the sun. His eyes, once full of wisdom and confidence that everything was under control, now only held deep pain and confusion.
Why had things come to this?
The author apologizes here for not writing the Soul Fighting Tournament very well! This tournament was supposed to be a prestige-building event for Huo Yuhao and his team, but apart from the auction, there wasn't much useful plot. I really didn't know how to make it more interesting, so I'm releasing these two chapters early. Please understand!
(End of Chapter)