As night fell, Sea God Lake glittered with brilliant lights.
"I'm so excited! Finally turning eighteen means I can attend the Sea God's Fate Blind Date Event in person. Before, I could only hear about it from seniors—it was never as thrilling. I wonder what fun things will happen this time!"
"It's definitely going to be spectacular! I heard all members of this generation's Shrek Seven Monsters are participating, including the Dragon Spear Goddess, Na'er. She's my idol! Part of me hopes she finds someone she likes, but another part doesn't want her to fall for anyone. So conflicted!"
"Not just the Dragon Spear Goddess—the entire Shrek Seven Monsters are joining! Wu Siduo, Xu Xiaoyan, Ye Xinglan, Mo Hentian, and even junior Lan Fozi—each one is a goddess-level figure with both looks and strength. Getting to see all of them at once? This is totally worth it!"
"Rumor has it there are two outsiders participating this time too."
"Outsiders? How could outsiders join?"
"They're exchange students from the Star Luo Continent, specially approved to enter the Inner Academy. Let's hope they don't steal the spotlight from our seniors!"
"That male student among them is incredibly strong—apparently, he's already a Soul Saint at twenty-three and a Two-Word Battle Armor Master."
"That strong?"
"And that's not all. I heard his Battle Armor is evolving toward Three-Word Battle Armor."
"Seriously? Someone that powerful comes to our academy for exchange? Feels more like he's here to challenge us!"
"Heh, you don't know the full story. Despite his strength, he was actually defeated by one of our Inner Academy seniors—and on his home turf in the Star Luo Continent, no less!"
"Who? Who's that impressive?"
"The leader of this generation's Shrek Seven Monsters—Jing Shaoyu! Word is he's also participating in this blind date event."
"No wonder! Losing to Senior Jing Shaoyu isn't shameful. He became a Soul King at fifteen and has Twin Martial Souls—his talent surpasses even Lan Fozi's!"
"Speaking of Lan Fozi, she got lucky. If Senior Gu Yue hadn't been a Spirit Transfer Pagoda Reserve Spirit Transfer Envoy and thus ineligible to be part of the Shrek Seven Monsters, how would the title have fallen to her? Hmph!"
"Sounds like you're bitter."
"Damn right!"
"But I heard Lan Fozi has an Ultimate Water Martial Soul."
"Uh… So what?"
The Outer Academy students whispered among themselves by the shore of Sea God Lake, discussing the upcoming Sea God's Fate Blind Date Event and the Inner Academy seniors—primarily Jing Shaoyu and the Shrek Seven Monsters, as well as the outsiders Long Yue and Dai Yuner.
This year's event promised to be especially captivating with their participation.
As night deepened and lanterns illuminated the scene, a grand pavilion boat slowly glided across Sea God Lake, its lights dazzling as it drew nearer to the gathered crowd.
At the sight of this vessel, both Inner and Outer Academy students instinctively bowed in respect. Everyone knew what this boat represented—those who boarded it were none other than the most elite figures of Shrek Academy and the Soul Master world.
It was common knowledge that only Sea God Pavilion Elders were permitted aboard. Yet this time, there seemed to be an exception.
On the deck of the grand ship, seated at the very center was naturally Yun Ming. Clad in white robes, his smile was serene, exuding an indescribable aura—powerful, confident, and glorious, yet none of these words fully captured his presence. It was as if his mere sitting there made him the focal point of heaven and earth.
By his side sat his wife, the dean of the Inner Academy, Holy Spirit Douluo Ya Li. Today, Ya Li's makeup remained simple and understated, yet it couldn't conceal her divine purity and benevolence. As the first-ever healing-type Limit Douluo in history, she naturally carried a soothing presence that put others at ease.
On Yun Ming's other side was the deputy master of the Sea God Pavilion, Light-Dark Douluo Long Yeyue. Together with Yun Ming and Ya Li, they formed the current triumvirate of Shrek Academy.
Next to Ya Li sat Silver Moon Douluo Cai Yue'er, and beside Cai Yue'er were Blazing Dragon Douluo Feng Wuyu and Crimson Dragon Douluo Zhuo Shi. Around them were several other Elders, such as Xu Xiaoyan's mentor, Celestial Star Douluo Mei Lao, and Xu Lizhi's teacher, Candy Bean Douluo He Lao, among others.
Almost everyone on the ship was a Titled Douluo, which made the two ordinary middle-aged women stand out awkwardly.
Jing Ziyuan and Lin Xin sat restlessly behind Ya Li, their expressions uneasy. They had been specially invited by Ya Li, even though one was merely a Great Soul Master and the other wasn't even a Soul Master. Yet, the Elders present treated them with warmth and kindness.
After all, they had raised an exceptional son.
As the ship drew closer, the members of the Sea God Pavilion aboard became the new topic of discussion among the students. The most conspicuous figure, naturally, was Yun Ming.
"Hey, look! Who's that sitting right in the middle of the ship? How can someone so young be allowed up there?" asked a clueless newcomer.
"Oh heavens! Shut up!" A more experienced student glanced over and immediately panicked, covering the newcomer's mouth. "That's the master of the Sea God Pavilion, His Excellency Skycrosser Douluo Yun Ming!"
"You mean... that legendary figure who became a Titled Douluo at 23, a Limit Douluo at 31, and once single-handedly stormed the capital of the Sun Moon Empire? Skycrosser Douluo Yun Ming?!"
"Who else? He's the spiritual leader of our Shrek Academy! Honestly, none of the prodigies in the academy's history can compare to Skycrosser Douluo. If not for the disappearance of divine energy, he would've ascended to godhood a century ago!"
"I strongly disagree! While His Excellency Skycrosser is incredible, to say he surpasses all the prodigies in the academy's history—I, Poseidon, won't stand for it!"
"Same here! What about Spirit Ice Douluo? Where does he fit in your ranking?"
"Absolutely not! Neither Poseidon nor Spirit Ice Douluo can hold a candle to His Excellency Skycrosser. If not for their fortunate circumstances, they wouldn't even be worthy of polishing his shoes. Just consider this: becoming a Titled Douluo at 23—could Poseidon or Spirit Ice Douluo manage that?"
"Exactly! Without the Godhood Trials, could Poseidon have become a Soul Douluo by 23? And without the help of soul beasts like the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, Ice Empress, and Snow Empress, would Spirit Ice Douluo even be remembered? These facts are clearly recorded in history books. How can two figures who relied on external forces compare to His Excellency Skycrosser?"
"Slander! This is pure slander! Those history books you're quoting were compiled by the Federation. Everyone knows the Federation's predecessor was the Sun Moon Empire—who's to say they didn't deliberately smear Poseidon and Spirit Ice Douluo? And all that talk about Godhood Trials, Ice Empress and Snow Empress—how would they even know? Did they witness it themselves?"
"Exactly! A bunch of defeated cowards who didn't dare rebel openly, so they resort to underhanded slander against the sages of our Douluo Continent. Disgusting!"
"Fine, let's assume the Federation's history books are flawed. But what about the academy's records? The reliefs on Spirit Ice Plaza clearly document every detail of Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao's journey from enrollment to his disappearance—the million-year Soul Beast Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, Ice Sky Snow Woman Snow Empress, and Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion Ice Empress are all depicted there. Surely those can't be fabrications too?"
"Well... what about Poseidon then? You must realize that without Poseidon, Shrek Academy might not even exist!"
"Twisting logic! Get your facts straight—Shrek Academy was founded by Cat Owl Douluo Frank, long before Poseidon was even born!"
"How can you be sure the academy didn't revise history later to embellish its image?"
"You... fanatic! There's no reasoning with you!"
"Ha! Typical—when you run out of arguments, you resort to personal attacks. Who's the real fanatic here?"
Other students nearby listening to this heated debate quietly edged away. When encountering such extreme fanatics, it was wiser to keep one's distance.
Yet despite the extremity of their arguments, most students agreed on one point: Skybearing Douluo Yun Ming deserved to stand alongside Poseidon and Spirit Ice Douluo as one of the academy's greatest legends in history.
No one would dispute that Skybearing Douluo was the most revered Pavilion Master in Shrek Academy's history.
"Brother Ming, the students are all thrilled by your arrival," Ya Li whispered in Yun Ming's ear, her eyes brimming with pride. This was the man she loved most!
Yun Ming smiled faintly and squeezed her hand. "Young people naturally admire strength. I was the same when I first met my teacher—it's only natural. They idolize me now, but in a few decades, their descendants will idolize Wuyu. Only through this endless cycle can our academy remain eternally strong!"
"I give up, Oldest," Feng Wuyu rolled his eyes. "Shouldn't you be whispering sweet nothings right now? How did this turn into a lecture on academy development?"
"Tch, this is exactly why you'll never measure up to Oldest, you old madman—your mindset's too narrow!" Zhuo Shi scoffed.
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