Bonus Chapter. Enjoy!
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"Knock, knock, knock!"
A dull knocking sound came, interrupting Huo Yuhao's cultivation.
His spiritual ripples had already spread out quietly, instantly identifying the person outside the door.
Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes, a trace of contemplation flashing through them.
After a moment of silence, he stood up and walked toward the door.
After opening the door, Ye Xinglan was standing there.
She looked like a completely different person from the proud girl he had first met, who was as dazzling as the sun with her chin slightly raised.
Now, she was dressed in a plain white tracksuit, and the innate pride and confidence that once sat between her brows had completely vanished.
In its place was a clear look of apprehension on her face, with panic and unease hidden deep within her eyes.
Huo Yuhao watched her quietly, his face devoid of any expression.
He wasn't cold-hearted, but he was certainly no pushover either.
Some prices must be borne by oneself.
"Is there something you need from me?"
He spoke with a steady voice, devoid of emotion.
Before his voice had even faded... Ye Xinglan had already bent at the waist in a standard ninety-degree bow, her golden hair falling with the movement.
"I'm sorry."
The three words were squeezed out of her throat, sounding noticeably hoarse.
"About what happened before... I was wrong."
"I shouldn't have been so arrogant, nor should I have... maliciously judged others."
There wasn't the slightest ripple in Huo Yuhao's gaze; he naturally understood what had made this proud Shrek Inner Court Disciple act so submissively.
"The person you should be apologizing to isn't me, but Sister Mu Xi."
Ye Xinglan's body stiffened slightly as she slowly straightened up, the image of the girl with brilliant golden hair just like hers flashing through her mind.
Huo Yuhao's gaze swept over her still-reddened eyes, and he said indifferently, "This matter is no longer something you or I can decide. Even if you apologize, it won't be of much use."
Having grown up in the Spirit Pagoda, Huo Yuhao had a certain level of judgment regarding the situation on the continent.
A failure that had been infinitely magnified involved far more than just personal honor or disgrace.
"I know..." She lowered her head, her voice as soft as a sigh. "It's too late to say anything now."
Then she looked up, giving Huo Yuhao a complicated look. "But I truly came... to apologize."
After saying that, she bowed deeply to Huo Yuhao once more, performing a second bow.
Then, without waiting for any response from Huo Yuhao, she turned and walked away with heavy footsteps.
The lights stretched her shadow long, casting it onto the empty corridor walls.
Her figure was no longer as upright as a sword, appearing somewhat hunched. Every step exuded a lingering sense of bleakness and loneliness until she finally vanished into the dim halo at the corner.
Huo Yuhao silently watched the direction she vanished, thinking to himself, "If you knew it would come to this, why did you act that way in the first place!"
...
Shrek Academy, Sea Gods Pavilion.
Light filtered through the ancient stained-glass windows, casting mottled shadows onto the dark wooden long table.
Seated in rows of high-backed chairs around the long table were the Elders of Shrek Academy, powerhouses at or above the level of Titled Douluo!
The Sea God Pavilion Meeting was the supreme decision-making core of Shrek Academy.
Aside from the scheduled meetings held every five years, only major events that shook the academy's Foundation or had far-reaching impacts could convene the academy's Elders here.
Today, the Sea Gods Pavilion Meeting was convened for one reason: the unexpected defeat in Tianhai City.
A loss in a youth-level Exhibition Match should have been like a tiny ripple in the ocean, not worth mentioning.
However, this failure was magnified and interpreted online. It was no longer just a win or loss for a few students but was instead given sensational titles like "The Collapse of the Shrek Myth" and "The Fall of the Golden Generation."
The clamor of public opinion could no longer be ignored.
Outer Court Dean Cai Yue'er sat in her seat, her face now covered in a layer of frost.
"If this matter is not handled strictly to set the record straight, the prestige the academy has built over a thousand years will suffer a heavy blow!"
"The teachers and students involved must be severely punished to serve as a warning to others!"
"Bang."
A dull thud, neither light nor heavy, rang out.
Zhuo Shi, sitting opposite her, pressed his teacup onto the table. His brow was furrowed with impatience; after all, Shen Yi was his Disciple.
"Dean Cai, why make such a big fuss over nothing?"
"It was just a bunch of kids losing a fight. Is this really necessary?"
"A big fuss over nothing?"
Cai Yue'er immediately retorted, her finger tapping the tabletop. "Why don't you take a look at the current online comments about Shrek? Nine out of ten are anything but kind!"
"You call this a small matter? This concerns the academy's face and the world's respect for Shrek!"
She paused, her gaze becoming even sharper. "Furthermore, if I remember correctly, Wu Changkong—the Class Zero homeroom Shen Yi who defeated our Shrek Team—is your prized Disciple, isn't he?"
"A student taught by your Disciple has upstaged the academy. You, as his Shen Yi, cannot escape the responsibility of oversight!"
Zhuo Shi's face darkened, and his mustache twitched slightly.
He naturally knew about Wu Changkong's situation and was even more aware of Cai Yue'er's intention to use this as a pretext.
He gave a cold snort and glanced toward the far end of the long table.
Yun Ming's eyes were slightly closed, as if his mind were elsewhere, and he didn't say a word about the argument before him.
Seeing this, Zhuo Shi swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue and leaned back heavily into his chair, remaining silent, though his expression remained grim.
Seeing Zhuo Shi back down, a flash of triumph crossed Cai Yue'er's eyes, like a victorious rooster.
She cleared her throat and continued, "Besides punishing the teachers and students involved, the best solution is to directly recruit those students from East Sea Academy's Class Zero into our Shrek Academy through special admission!"
"This way, those who defeated Shrek will eventually become Shrek's own people."
"Since they'll be our own, the outside criticism and mockery will naturally crumble, and it might even become a celebrated tale of 'Geniuses returning to the fold.'"
Upon hearing this, the eyes of several Elders on both sides of the long table gleamed. They exchanged glances and nodded slowly.
This plan was indeed shrewd, as it both resolved the current public relations crisis and brought potential Genius candidates under their wing, killing two birds with one stone.
Sensing the supportive atmosphere, Cai Yue'er struck while the iron was hot and turned toward the head of the table.
"Pavilion Master, there's no time to lose."
"I request to personally go to Tianhai City to handle this matter and bring those students back to Shrek!"
Yun Ming's expression remained calm, as if the outside comments hadn't affected him in the least.
His fingertips rested lightly on the ancient wood grain of the chair's armrest, tapping rhythmically with low "tap, tap" sounds.
After a moment, those slightly closed eyes finally opened.
His gaze fell upon Cai Yue'er as he spoke slowly, "The others in Class Zero can still be discussed, but that Huo Yuhao..."
He paused slightly. "It is impossible for him to truly join Shrek Academy."
Cai Yue'er leaned forward slightly and said, "Pavilion Master, please trust my ability. As long as I explain the pros and cons and promise a bright future, could our Shrek possibly fail to..."
She was only halfway through her sentence when Yun Ming raised his hand and interrupted her.
"Huo Yuhao is Heavenly Phoenix Douluo's Disciple."
As soon as Yun Ming said this, everyone in the Sea Gods Pavilion was somewhat surprised.
A ten-year-old Spirit Elder with three shocking Ten Thousand Years Ago spirit rings—the Elders had also been paying close attention to this young Genius, Huo Yuhao, who shared the same name as the Spirit Ice Douluo from Ten Thousand Years Ago ago.
They just hadn't expected that he was actually the Disciple of the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo, Leng Yaozhu!
No wonder the Pavilion Master asserted that it was impossible for him to "truly" join Shrek.
As a core direct descendant of the Spirit Pagoda, he was naturally one of theirs.
"Hmph!"
A clear cold snort came from Yun Ming's left side.
"The Spirit Pagoda... so what?"
"Ten Thousand Years Ago ago, the founder of the Spirit Pagoda also came from this academy!"
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A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.