"Yu Tianlong!"
A cool, calm voice rang out. It wasn't loud, but it instantly cut through the shouting on the arena stage. Yu Tianlong turned his head abruptly, meeting the calm eyes of the team teacher, Shen Yi, who had stepped onto the stage at some unknown point.
"The match is over," Shen Yi's voice spread clearly. "A loss is a loss. Shrek is not a sore loser."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the other four Shrek students, her tone becoming a bit heavier.
"Don't disgrace Shrek."
As her words fell, the shoulders of the five Shrek students all trembled. They gathered silently, following behind Shen Yi with their heads bowed low, like eggplants suddenly wilted by autumn frost, moving off the arena stage step by step. On the way back, they inevitably had to pass by where the teachers and students of Class Zero were located. On that side, there was naturally laughter and joy as they enjoyed the happiness of victory. The Shrek youths subconsciously buried their heads even lower, their footsteps hesitating, almost wanting to hug the wall to bypass this eye-piercing celebration.
Shen Yi did not avoid them; instead, she walked straight over and finally stopped in front of Wu Changkong. Her expression was somewhat complex. After a moment of preparation, she spoke.
"Senior Brother, it seems I really did misjudge before. These students of yours... are very formidable!"
Wu Changkong's expression didn't fluctuate in the slightest. He met Shen Yi's gaze, his thin lips parting slightly.
"I know."
Even though she was familiar with her Senior Brother's temperament, Shen Yi was still choked up by such a response, a helpless bitter smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"It's me, and these children, who were too proud." She shook her head. "This failure... might not necessarily be a bad thing."
Wu Changkong's ice-blue eyes looked at Shen Yi as he said with some hidden meaning: "It's not just you all who are too proud."
Just then, a louder cheer erupted in the distance. A large number of teachers and students from Donghai Academy could no longer contain their excitement and came surging toward them cheering. Since Class Zero had defeated the Shrek students, they also shared in the glory. Shen Yi's gaze once again swept over the youthful faces beside Wu Changkong, and finally, a sliver of a smile was forced onto her face.
"Enjoy the victory that belongs to you."
After saying that, she didn't stay any longer and turned around neatly. Behind her, the seven Shrek youths who once had arrogance in their eyes now followed her footsteps in silence, their figures gradually merging into the shadows of the exit in the dimming light of the passage.
Although the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition had concluded, the bustle of Tianhai City had not dissipated. Many contestants who had come from afar were in no hurry to leave. The nerves that had been tense during the tournament could finally relax slowly in the breeze of the Coastal City. People made plans to taste authentic seafood or take a walk in the renowned Starlight Bay. However, when the morning light of the second day spilled through the hotel windows, the sightseeing plans made last night were all set aside. Because almost everyone was now discussing last night's Exhibition Match.
In yesterday's Exhibition Match, Shrek Academy had actually lost! They lost to the unknown Class Zero of Donghai Academy! This duel was already highly anticipated because of Shrek's appearance, and the attention on this year's Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition had climbed to its historical peak because of it. Countless pairs of eyes had witnessed through the broadcast how the undefeated legend of Shrek Academy came crashing down before a group of unknown youths.
Although Shrek's defeat was shocking, if it had ended there, it might only have become a topic of conversation in the Spirit Master's world for a while. But who could have expected that overnight, the outcome of this match between youths would spread like wildfire, rising directly to the top of the Federation's trending list, with its popularity remaining high for a long time. Over the years, Shrek Academy's reputation had been too great, and its actions had become increasingly... eye-catching.
From Long Yeyue's world-shaking act of slapping the Spirit Pagoda's Pagoda Master, to Yun Ming's overbearing act of single-handedly breaking into the War God Temple to "take back" the Holy Spirit Douluo Yali. Case after case, incident after incident, had already exceeded the decorum and bottom line a normal academy should have. Under the influence of those above, some teachers and students inside and outside the academy inevitably picked up the habit of being supercilious and acting unscrupulously.
The Federation's high-level officials and giants like the Spirit Pagoda certainly maintained a surface-level restraint due to Shrek's unfathomable Foundation, but how could they not have resentment in their hearts? They were just suffering from a lack of a suitable opportunity and were unwilling to easily tear off the mask of civility. Now, this single defeat of Shrek's might not be enough to shake Shrek's Foundation, but it was indeed enough to tell the world that the seemingly invincible giant could also fall.
So now that there was this opportunity, forces like the Federation and Spirit Pagoda naturally didn't mind fanning the flames and kicking them while they were down! After all, the continent had indeed suffered under Shrek Academy for a long time! A victory or defeat between young Spirit Masters was thus pushed into the eye of the storm.
In a room in the Tianhai Hotel, the view outside the floor-to-ceiling window was of blue seas and clear skies, but the youths of Class Zero had no time to appreciate it. Several of them sat together, looking at the discussions on the internet about yesterday's duel between them and Shrek. On the light screen, text scrolled like a waterfall, and over ninety percent of the topics were Binding to the same name: Shrek.
"What exactly happened to Shrek Academy? The younger generation actually suffered a setback against a local academy?"
"The legend ends? Analyzing the fatal flaws in Shrek's tactical system..."
"Underestimating the enemy, or a gap in strength? An in-depth analysis of Shrek's defeat."
Amazement, questioning, gloating, and even using the topic to make a point... various comments emerged in an endless stream. As for Donghai Academy's Class Zero itself, they were more like a blurred background at the edge of this storm. Occasionally someone would ask about them, but they were quickly drowned out by more heated arguments about Shrek.
"Tsk, it's like we're just foils."
Xie Xie curled his lip, his fingertip unconsciously tapping the sofa's armrest.
"It's normal," Gu Yue said indifferently, her calm gaze sweeping over those boiling comments. "The reason dragon slayers are remembered is often because the dragon itself is sufficiently startling."
Just then... "Ah!"
Xu Xiaoyan's short and loud exclamation interrupted the low murmurs of the others in the room. Her delicate cheeks were slightly flushed with excitement, and her fingers trembled a bit as she pointed to the Soul Tool Screen in front of her. Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to her. Xu Xiaoyan looked up to meet everyone's gaze, then looked back at the screen in front of her, saying excitedly.
"Yuhao, Wulin... you, you've entered the young genius ranking list!"
The young genius ranking list was hailed as the reserve list for the Continental Storm Rankings, recording thirty young geniuses under the age of eighteen from across the continent. Its judgment was extremely strict, covering talent, actual combat, secondary profession achievements, and even potential assessment. Being able to rank among them was almost equivalent to having half a foot in the hall of the future top powerhouses of the continent.
"Let me see!"
Xie Xie was the first to jump up and lean over. The list on the light screen was clearly displayed, and the names of Huo Yuhao and Tang Wulin were prominently listed. Gu Yue's gaze lightly swept over the two of them, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"To make it onto the young genius ranking list, congratulations to both of you, Yuhao, Wulin."
Tang Wulin was scratching his head, looking a bit embarrassed at his name hanging at the bottom of the list in thirtieth place. Hearing Gu Yue's words, he quickly waved his hands.
"I... I just happened to get on there by chance. If we're talking about real strength, Gu Yue, you're much stronger than I am."
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