Gu La shrugged nonchalantly, blatantly lying through his teeth: "If my identity gets exposed, so be it. Just recycle them and give them a new look—they'll become brand-new avatars."
Yun Ming's eyes narrowed, almost laughing in exasperation at the audacity of being lied to so brazenly right to their faces.
Long Yeyue's eyes flashed with icy fury, her aura surging menacingly: "Young man, are you threatening the Sea God Pavilion?"
"Not at all." Gu La gave a slight bow, his posture respectful yet unyielding. "It's just a fair trade. Four one-versus-six battles in exchange for four top-tier spirit souls—this deal is very much worth it for Shrek Academy."
Ya Li gently placed her hand on Long Yeyue's trembling arm and said softly, "Gu La, do you know what two-tenths of the Golden Tree's energy means? It's equivalent to..."
"Equivalent to the cultivation of several hundred-thousand-year soul beasts." Gu La cut her off, his eyes flickering with red light. "But Elder Tree said it was a personal reward for me. And didn't I already offer Bai Yuan to Shrek Academy?"
The Sea God Pavilion fell into an eerie silence. The elders had never encountered someone so shameless. Offering Bai Yuan to Shrek Academy? Was Bai Yuan no longer Gu La's avatar?
It was clear where Bai Yuan stood—he was standing nearby, not uttering a word in Shrek's defense.
"Enough," Yun Ming suddenly spoke, his voice carrying an undeniable authority. "Four top-tier spirit souls—it's agreed." He looked at Gu La. "But I want to see four flawless victories."
Gu La smiled confidently, as if victory was already assured. "As you wish."
"Pavilion Master!" Cai Yue'er turned in disbelief. "This…"
Even Long Yeyue seemed about to protest.
Yun Ming subtly shook his head, transmitting his thoughts secretly: "Mistress, this isn't the time to quibble. Among peers of the same age, Gu La is indisputably the strongest. Even I only managed to condense a soul core at the Soul Sage stage back then… Shrek's reputation takes precedence."
Cai Yue'er's chest heaved violently, but she eventually let out a cold snort and sat back down.
Long Yeyue cast a deep glance at Gu La, suppressing her anger for the sake of the academy's honor. She decided to settle the score later.
Not even the Spirit Pagoda's master dared to extort her like this!
"Tomorrow at noon, we meet at the Spirit Pagoda."
Yun Ming rose, his white robes fluttering without wind. "For now, everyone prepare. Na'er, Bai Yuan—stay behind."
Gu La bowed gracefully, a glint of triumph flashing in his golden eyes as he turned away.
The moment the Sea God Pavilion doors closed, the sound of Long Yeyue smashing a teacup echoed within.
"Gu La." Wu Sido's eyes sparkled with awe, amazed that Gu La dared to negotiate—and even threaten—the elders of the Sea God Pavilion. She whispered, "Can you really take on six opponents alone?"
Gu La didn't break stride, a confident smirk curling his lips: "You'll see tomorrow."
---
Mingdu, Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy Conference Hall
The crystal chandeliers illuminated the conference hall brilliantly. Twelve high-ranking members of the academy, clad in silver-white robes, sat around an oval table, the air thick with tension.
"How dare Shrek propose an exchange match after that humiliating defeat?" Vice Principal Xu Tianyuan slammed the table, the eight-ringed soul engineer badge on his sleeve gleaming under the lights. "Their so-called challenger was already crushed by us!"
Headmaster Ming Hongchen gently stroked his redwood cane, his eyes narrowing slightly behind his glasses. "Vice Principal Xu, please calm yourself."
He tapped his finger lightly on the table, and a gilded invitation materialized out of thin air. "The key point is the lineup they've sent this time—"
"Four first-year students?" A special envoy from the Federation sneered. "Is Shrek really that desperate for fighters?"
"Don't underestimate them." Minister of Intelligence Lin Jiayi projected a holographic screen. "This student, Gu La, is a direct disciple of the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo. If Shrek has sent him to represent them, they must be confident in victory."
In the corner of the conference room, a black-robed figure who had remained silent suddenly spoke: "His martial soul data is encrypted in the Spirit Pagoda. All we know is that it's an ultimate fire-type martial soul."
Ming Hongchen exchanged a knowing glance with the black-robed figure, nodding discreetly. A martial soul that required the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo's authority to lock down must indeed be extraordinary.
"Agree to their challenge."
An elderly man who had been sitting quietly in the corner with his eyes closed suddenly opened them. His bony fingers tapped out a peculiar rhythm on the table. "Shrek Academy won't be defeated in one blow. This is our best chance to surpass them—we have no other choice."
Xu Tianyuan protested anxiously, "But what if—"
"No 'what ifs.'" The elder's cloudy eyes flashed with sharpness. "With two Spirit Fusion Techniques, Shrek still hasn't found suitable candidates to counter us. Only by crushing Shrek in front of the entire continent can we truly shatter their legacy."
---
Central Avenue, Mingdu
As the hover train slowly descended onto the platform, Gu La glanced out the window and saw a flood of holographic projections.
Giant advertisement screens displayed the headline, "The End of Shrek's Myths," accompanied by close-up images of Tang Wulin and his teammates. The once-praised youths were now nailed to the pillar of shame, their faces fodder for the gossip of Mingdu's citizens.
"The atmosphere is lively, isn't it?" Gu La chuckled softly, his dark golden pupils reflecting the flickering neon lights.
Zhuo Shi's face turned ashen as he tore his gaze away from the images of his disciple. "The Sun Moon Academy is going all out to humiliate us…"
Stepping off the platform, a tidal wave of voices crashed over them.
"Look! It's people from Shrek!"
"So these are the new challengers? They don't look impressive."
"I heard there's someone on their team whose martial soul is…"
Cai Yue'er hadn't blocked out the outside world, and fragments of whispers drifted in. Bai Yuan clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking audibly.
"Don't pay attention to it."
Gu La casually bought a copy of the Mingdu Daily. On the front page was a photo of Long Chen with his arm around Tang Wulin's shoulders, captioned "Shrek Captain Admits Defeat." A flicker of flame ignited at his fingertips, reducing the newspaper to ashes. "Tomorrow, they'll change their tune."
Passing by a soul-guided screen shop, the display window replayed footage of the previous match. In the video, Tang Wulin was blasted off the arena by the Sun Moon team's Spirit Fusion Technique, while the commentator shouted excitedly, "Shrek's invincible legacy ends here!"
Wu Sido suddenly stopped in her tracks. "That badge…"
Gu La followed her gaze—to the most prominent spot on the counter lay a deformed Shrek Academy badge, labeled "Limited Edition Souvenir."
Gu La shook his head with a wry smile. To undermine Shrek Academy's prestige, they truly spared no effort.
"Let's go." Gu La held back Wu Sido, who wanted to storm into the store. "They'll have plenty to cry about tomorrow."
Under the brilliant lights of Mingdu's night, countless holograms illuminated the sky as if it were daytime. On the tallest tower, a blood-red countdown loomed prominently:
Time until Shrek's collapse: 11 hours 23 minutes
Gu La tilted his head to look at the numbers, a dangerous curve forming at the corner of his lips.
"The higher they climb, the harder they fall."
Here comes the Demon King!
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