A few days later, within the Inner Courtyard of Shrek Academy, a Sea God Pavilion meeting was about to commence inside the meeting room of the Golden Ancient Tree.
One by one, the Elders entered the room. Almost every one of them walked with extreme caution, finding their seats and sitting down with tentative care.
It couldn't be helped; anyone with even a slight channel for information knew what had happened.
Even those who were in the dark only had to look at Elder Xuan sitting nearby. He was gulping down wine mouth after mouth, wearing an expression of utter despair. Coupled with the fact that Elder Mu, sitting in the primary seat, had lost his usual serene composure in favor of stern solemnity, everyone knew: something big had happened!
Just then, Xian Lin'er and the others from the Soul Tool Department arrived. Xian Lin'er glanced at Elder Xuan, who was sitting on the steps not far away. Her face showed a hint of internal struggle and hesitation, but in the end, she said nothing and led the Soul Tool Department group straight to their seats.
Yan Shaozhe and the members of the Martial Soul Department were the last to arrive. The moment Yan Shaozhe entered, he began searching for Elder Xuan.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Elder Xuan was merely red-faced from drinking and looking disheveled like a beggar, but his cultivation and aura remained intact and unchanged.
However, this decadent drunkard's appearance made it impossible to see the former glory of the once famous and high-spirited Taotie Douluo.
Hesitating, Yan Shaozhe walked forward and whispered in a persuasive tone:
"Elder Xuan, you can't be blamed for what happened this time. Please don't be too hard on yourself."
(PS: This logic comes from Chapter 98 of the original novel; the following "audacious" remarks are similar—readers can verify for themselves.)
Elder Xuan remained silent. His drinking paused for a heartbeat, but ultimately, he said nothing and continued to take large gulps of wine.
Seeing this, Yan Shaozhe knew that nothing he said would get through to Elder Xuan right now. He could only return to his own seat.
However, as he reached the side of the Vice Dean of the Martial Soul Department, Cai Meier, Yan Shaozhe's eyes shifted slightly, as if asking a silent question.
Cai Meier nodded, wearing an expression that said, "Everything is handled, please rest assured." Yan Shaozhe relaxed once more, fell silent, and took his seat.
"Teacher... can the meeting begin?"
Yan Shaozhe looked toward Elder Mu, but Elder Mu shook his head and spoke softly:
"Although I initiated this meeting, I am merely a witness. The one who truly needs to speak is not me."
Just as Yan Shaozhe was about to respond, the doors of the meeting room were pushed open. A figure clad in a long black robe stepped slowly into the room.
He scanned the people in the room with a calm gaze. Almost everyone could feel the faint majesty... and disdain carried in the gaze of the black-robed figure.
It was the look of a superior intent on reform gazing down at the decay beneath his feet.
He made no effort to hide his emotions, which caused a few Elders to feel a spark of resentment in their hearts—but they didn't dare show it.
They knew that the reason the black-robed figure dared to be so reckless was because he had the backing—absolute backing.
Even if they showed their emotions, it would be nothing more than powerless rage.
The Elders remained silent. Some simply lowered their heads to avoid looking at Huo Yuhao, seemingly trying to keep their minds clear by avoiding the sight. Huo Yuhao ignored them all.
He looked toward Zhang Lexuan at the end of the table and the other five Inner Courtyard members behind her. His gaze softened slightly, and those few looked back at Huo Yuhao with gratitude—though one or two averted their eyes, not daring to meet his.
Huo Yuhao harbored a few suspicions but said nothing.
His gaze continued to move, landing on Elder Mu. He showed a hint of respect and gave a slight nod as a personal greeting. Then, his gaze moved further to the drunk-looking Elder Xuan, and then...
"Tsk."
The sound wasn't loud, but it was just enough for everyone in the room to hear clearly.
The disdain and contempt were not hidden. In the past, someone might have stood up to impeach Huo Yuhao, but this time, no one dared to speak. They didn't even dare to breathe too loudly, fearing they might offend him.
The body of Elder Xuan, who was still pouring wine into his mouth, paused. His clouded eyes seemed to clear slightly. He then rose unsteadily and sat in the seat closest to Elder Mu without a word.
Huo Yuhao took his seat, positioned opposite Elder Xuan. Although Huo Yuhao's public title at Shrek was Vice Dean of the Soul Tool Department, no one felt it was wrong for him to sit there now.
"Since everyone is here... let the meeting begin," Elder Mu said calmly.
He then looked toward Huo Yuhao. Understanding the cue, Huo Yuhao stood up and began:
"It has been a while, everyone. Before we begin discussing the events of a few days ago, I would like to take this opportunity to speak to you all about another matter."
Not far away, Yan Shaozhe frowned slightly, sensing trouble.
Huo Yuhao smiled. After a brief pause, he spoke softly:
"I believe that after the meeting several months ago, everyone here has a general understanding of my 'Artificial Soul Ring.'
"In the past month, the sales of Artificial Soul Rings by my Spirit Transmission Pagoda can be seen in the tax payments reported to Shrek Academy last week.
"Similarly, the fact that many Elders here have personally come to my door to inquire about them serves as proof of the superiority of my 'Artificial Soul Rings'..."
The various Elders looked at each other, each wearing an expression of disbelief that their colleagues had also secretly visited.
Elder A: You! I thought you said you weren't going! You said whoever went was a dog! Why did you go in secret?!
Elder B: As if you didn't go! Besides, can a Soul Master's business be called 'going in secret'? That's called going openly! Don't think I didn't see you bringing gifts!
Elder A: You old scoundrel! Why you...!
Elder B: Hmph! Same to you!
Ignoring the rich exchange of glares between the Elders below, Huo Yuhao paused and continued:
"To live up to everyone's expectations, while preparing the Artificial Soul Rings, I have also been researching some new branches of them.
"By a stroke of luck, I have achieved new results.
"For example, an Ice-attribute Soul Ring constructed from pure Ice-attribute Soul Power, or a Fire-attribute Soul Ring constructed from pure Fire-attribute Soul Power.
"The quality and age of such a Soul Ring depend on the quality and age of the Soul Power provided by the creator.
"Taking myself as an example: with the help of a special Soul Tool I developed, I can condense an Ultimate Ice Soul Ring of at least the 10,000-year level.
"By calculation, since the Elders seated here all have the cultivation of at least a Soul Douluo, basically all of you can achieve this level.
"I believe most of the Elders here have descendants, and those descendants' Martial Souls are highly likely to be the same as yours, meaning your Soul Power attributes are naturally similar.
"Consider this: if your Martial Soul undergoes a positive mutation or an ancestral awakening, and you use your Soul Power to construct a Soul Ring for your descendant to absorb... then, would that descendant's Martial Soul similarly undergo a positive mutation or ancestral awakening?"