"Shaozhe, bring Ziyang and Lexuan down," Elder Mu instructed after finalizing the punishment for Xuanzi.
"Yes, Teacher," Yan Shaozhe responded, then went upstairs and brought Zhu Ziyang and the others down.
When everyone learned the Academy's verdict on Elder Xuan, they fell silent. Honestly, none of them were surprised.
After all, no major force would ever truly punish a Super Douluo just for the sake of a few disciples—especially a 98th rank Super Douluo with the potential to reach Ultimate Douluo. Even if those disciples were geniuses, their value lay in the future, while a powerhouse like Elder Xuan held real influence now. If the present interests couldn't be guaranteed, who would care about the future?
The Academy's willingness to issue any punishment at all, even if symbolic, was already a sign of their regard for the disciples. And truth be told, what they needed more than punishment for Xuanzi was compensation—for themselves and for their fallen comrades.
At the root of it, this incident came down to one principle: benefit. The punishment for Xuanzi couldn't be too harsh, lest it harm the interests of the Sea God Pavilion elders. But the compensation for the disciples couldn't be too little, or it would trigger dissatisfaction and fury from the students and the powers backing them.
Zhu Ziyang lowered his head, already anticipating what would come next.
"This accident is the fault of the Academy and the Sea God Pavilion," Elder Xian Lin announced on behalf of the elders. "After discussion, we've decided to compensate each of you with a soul bone of at least 30,000-year quality or equivalent resources. Each of you will also receive one referral quota for Academy admission. For Cheng Hui and Wanwan, in addition to Elder Xuan's share, the Academy will provide their families with equivalent resources and one free admission quota."
Everyone was stunned. They hadn't expected such generous compensation. A 30,000-year soul bone for each of them—eleven in total—and each person also got a direct referral quota, a privilege normally reserved for City Lords of the three great empires. That meant they could directly enroll their own family members into Shrek Academy.
Such decisive generosity surely came from Elder Mu himself—or perhaps it was Elder Xian Lin's proposal.
This matter seemed resolved. But near the end, something occurred that left all the disciples—and especially Zhu Ziyang—deeply uncomfortable.
Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan actually knelt down in tears to beg Elder Mu not to strip Elder Xuan of his Deputy Pavilion Master and Deputy Squad Leader titles. That gave the other elders a chance to join in, seemingly criticizing Elder Xuan but really speaking in his defense. Moved by Lexuan's tears, Elder Mu pretended to struggle with the decision, ultimately agreeing to keep Xuanzi's Deputy Squad Leader position and only suspending the Pavilion title.
In the end, everyone left satisfied.
—
"Heh, you must've thought that last scene was really fake, huh?" After everything was over, Elder Mu brought Zhu Ziyang to the third floor of the Sea God Pavilion. He reclined in a wooden chair, his expression unreadable, and chuckled as he asked the question.
"Yeah." Zhu Ziyang nodded bluntly. He was so disgusted by it that he didn't even bother pretending.
"Haha! That's politics and self-interest for you—full of hypocrisy. You'll have to get used to it," Elder Mu laughed, not offended at all. "Let me take this chance to give you a lesson."
"?..." Zhu Ziyang tilted his head in confusion.
"When you become Pavilion Master one day, the first thing you must do is clarify your own interest network," Elder Mu said with a slightly eerie smile. "The Sea God Pavilion isn't large, but its benefits are tangled and deep. As Pavilion Master, your job is to balance those interests—and clean out anyone who opposes you. Of course, the precondition is that your strength and influence are enough to fill any power vacuum and keep others from feeling threatened."
Zhu Ziyang fell silent, thinking it over.
"Take this incident as an example," Elder Mu continued. "Elder Xuan was wrong, but we couldn't really punish him. He represents the collective interests of the elders. If we punished him too harshly, resentment would brew. That touches on the pride and dignity of powerful individuals."
"Just like Lexuan. She clearly had resentment in her heart, yet she had no choice but to plead with me to show leniency. That child… she really suffered."
"..."
"I no longer have the energy to worry about these things," Elder Mu sighed. "If you aim to reform Shrek Academy, then your current task is cultivation. Only when you reach Title Douluo and become Pavilion Master can you take the first step. If you can gather like-minded comrades willing to follow your lead, that's step two. And if your strength is great enough to suppress all opposition—strong enough to dominate the world—then you'll achieve real reform!"
"Teacher, I…" Zhu Ziyang was stunned by his words.
"No need to explain," Elder Mu waved him off. "There are more people in the Pavilion unhappy with the Academy's current state and the continent's situation than you might think. Elder Song is just one example. You can believe her—but not completely. If you don't want to end up like Yun Tian Douluo, you must have your own judgment and convictions."
"I understand, Teacher," Zhu Ziyang said after a long silence.
"Haha! Good. Enough of that." Elder Mu smiled with satisfaction. "This old man still has a few years left to protect you. Now, tell me about your experience."
"Alright, Teacher." Zhu Ziyang nodded and began recounting everything that happened with the Star Radiance Unicorn and the acquisition of his fourth soul ring. He also mentioned the Three-Eyed Golden Lion—the auspicious beast of the Star Dou Forest.
"What? There was such a thing?" Elder Mu was stunned, his face showing surprise and excitement. "As expected of the Ultimate Light! To attract a soul beast willing to sacrifice itself to become your ring—this old man has truly learned something new today."
"As for that Three-Eyed Golden Lion… some elders at the Academy have seen it before. It's not as terrifying as you say, so don't worry," Elder Mu said lightly. That wasn't entirely his fault. The entire soul master world lacked research on auspicious beasts and fate energy, and few believed in the concept of "child of fate"—let alone among soul beasts.
Zhu Ziyang could only sigh and let the matter go.
"As for that little Star Radiance Unicorn, just raise her here on Sea God Island. With the Golden Ancient Tree present, it might be a great opportunity for her," Elder Mu said. "There are still a few soul beasts residing in Sea God Lake and Sea God Island, left by the elders of the past. One more won't matter."
"Mhm! Thank you, Teacher!" Zhu Ziyang was delighted. With Elder Mu's approval, no one would dare suggest sending Xingcai to the outer courtyard's soul beast arena anymore.
"Heh, go on. Get a good night's rest," Elder Mu smiled.
"Goodbye, Teacher." Zhu Ziyang turned and left the Pavilion.
—
Outside the Sea God Pavilion, Zhu Ziyang found Qian Duoduo and Elder Xian Lin observing the trembling Xingcai. As soon as the little one saw him, she bolted over and hid behind him like a scared kitten.
"Hehe, what a funny little thing!" Elder Xian Lin giggled, amused.
"Senior Sister, Third Senior Brother," Zhu Ziyang greeted them.
"Little Junior Brother, you've been through a lot," Elder Xian Lin said, patting Qian Duoduo beside her.
Qian Duoduo immediately understood. He took a wooden box from his storage soul tool and said, "Here's the Academy's compensation."
"Little Junior Brother, this box contains a 50,000-year-old torso bone. All the details are inside. Take it home and read it carefully," Qian Duoduo said with a grin, handing the box over.
Zhu Ziyang was stunned as he blankly accepted it. He hadn't expected the Academy to act so fast. "Thank you, Third Senior Brother."
"Haha, don't mention it. You earned it," Qian Duoduo laughed.
"Now that we've delivered the item, we've got other things to do. We'll head off first," Elder Xian Lin said. "Goodbye, Little Junior Brother."
"Goodbye, Senior Sister, Third Senior Brother!" Zhu Ziyang replied politely.
After they left, Zhu Ziyang didn't linger. He brought Xingcai along and returned to the inner courtyard dormitory.
"Sigh… No matter how powerful you become, you can't escape the filth of political schemes," Electrolux commented with deep emotion.
"..."
Zhu Ziyang said nothing. But now, he truly understood—wherever there are people, there will be struggle.
(End of Chapter)
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