"What kind of sick joke is this?!"
In the live stream, viewers were outraged as they watched Shrek Academy not only refuse to help Jiang Nannan but even encourage her to sell herself to the Xuanwu Sect in exchange for a Xuanwu Pill. This infuriated many of them.
From previous livestream episodes, it was clear that Shrek Academy's standing on the continent was comparable to the current position of the Spirit Hall. In theory, Shrek had more than enough power to simply request an Xuanwu Pill from the mysterious Xuanwu Sect on Jiang Nannan's behalf.
This would only put Shrek Academy in minor debt to Xuanwu Sect, requiring a favor or a few thousand gold soul coins. Given Jiang Nannan's potential, it's very likely she would be able to pay back Shrek Academy in the future. And, in return, she would undoubtedly be willing to pledge her loyalty and even dedicate her life to repaying Shrek's kindness.
Yet, instead of assisting her, they suggested she sell herself. This is outrageous!
With behavior like this, Shrek Academy hardly deserves the title of a soul master academy. At least from the perspective of Spirit Hall's people, in the live stream's alternate future, Shrek Academy had surpassed them in influence but lacked the nobility and responsibility Spirit Hall embodied. Laughable!
Watching this unfold, Lin Yu merely chuckled coldly, entirely unsurprised.
Across the Douluo series, Spirit Hall is practically the only soul master faction formed primarily by commoners, while the rest are, in essence, aristocratic factions. For the noble families, commoners are just there to be used; they have no inherent value.
This elitism is ingrained in the very logic of spirit inheritance. Since spirits are often passed down through bloodlines, in a few generations, even a highly skilled commoner soul master could find a soul master family, eventually becoming a new layer of soul master nobility.
The Spirit Hall has always recruited soul masters from all backgrounds across the continent. As a result, a large number of commoners consistently pour into Spirit Hall, preserving a faction led by individuals from humble origins.
However, in the Peerless Tang Sect, although Shrek Academy has essentially inherited Spirit Hall's continental dominance, they didn't inherit its responsibilities. They failed to establish a comprehensive recruitment of commoner soul masters across the continent. Over time, Shrek Academy naturally developed into a noble faction.
This elitist tendency may not be immediately obvious. Still, as Lin Yu saw in Peerless Tang Sect, the actions of one teacher, Zhou Yi, revealed the academy's true nature.
In the original Peerless Tang Sect story, from Huo Yuhao's perspective, Zhou Yi might seem like a good teacher because she treated him well. However, from a fair and objective viewpoint, it's clear she's an arrogant person who abuses her authority, looking down on commoner soul masters.
For instance, in Peerless Tang Sect, Zhou Yi begins her classes by making her students run one hundred laps around Shrek Academy's square!
One hundred laps!
While noble-born students might handle that, things are different for students from humble backgrounds. Peerless Tang Sect lacks any provision like Spirit Hall's soul master subsidies. For commoner soul masters who lack such support, even basic nutrition, like regular meat intake, can be a challenge. Without a robust body, running a hundred laps is nearly impossible!
Yet Zhou Yi, oblivious to the struggles of commoner soul masters, heartlessly dismisses any student who can't complete the run. This conveniently boosts her class's graduation rate, but that's hardly impressive when you've expelled the weaker students! The academy should be ashamed to consider her a "star teacher."
Lin Yu wondered how many promising commoner soul masters had been dismissed by this "old witch" over the years, without Shrek Academy intervening.
Lin Yu couldn't believe Shrek Academy was unaware of this. It only reinforced that, in the eyes of Shrek's management, commoner soul masters meant nothing compared to someone like Zhou Yi, who was married to the vice-dean of the Soul Engineering Department, Fan Yu.
And to add insult to injury, Huo Yuhao even admired Zhou Yi. Yet, if he hadn't been the story's "chosen one" and hadn't luckily consumed the Mysterious Water Pill, he'd probably have been thrown out of Shrek Academy thanks to Zhou Yi's ridiculous initiation challenge!
The fact that Shrek Academy not only allowed a teacher like Zhou Yi to thrive but also regarded her as a "model educator" reveals exactly what kind of institution it is. If Zhou Yi was willing to expel struggling commoners just to boost her statistics, then it's no surprise that Shrek Academy, in the livestream, disregarded core disciple Jiang Nannan's desperate pleas and urged her to sell herself to the Xuanwu Sect for their favor.
For Shrek Academy, commoners are simply nobodies!
After being denied help by Shrek Academy, Jiang Nannan, though disgusted at the idea of selling herself, felt she had no choice. Haunted by her mother's grave illness, she returned home, masking her sorrow with a forced smile as she assured her mother she'd found a cure but would need to be away for a while.
With a heavy heart, Jiang Nannan set off for the Xuanwu Sect.
The scene then shifted to the Xuanwu Sect, where a conversation between the sect leader and the elders revealed the sect's inner workings.
The Xuanwu Sect is an ancient, reclusive sect that possesses the powerful Xuanwu Tortoise Shell martial soul. Within the sect, there exists a secret ritual for the male direct descendants who inherit this martial soul. Before the age of fifteen, they must undergo a special awakening ceremony that has the potential to evolve their Xuanming Tortoise Shell into a Xuanwu Shield martial soul.
However, the method to awaken this power is despicable: it requires the purity of a young maiden.
The sect evaluates potential candidates based on their appearance, talent, and age, as the Xuanwu Sect's young heir, Xu Sanshi, was soon to turn fifteen and would need a suitable girl for the ritual.