Outside Shrek City, the cold wind cut like a blade.
Withered leaves spiraled across the ground, rustling softly, the desolation in the air heavy and suffocating.
Xuan Zi stood before the massive stone engraved with the five gilded characters Shrek Academy, unmoving for a long time.
His usually wild, unkempt hair now carried far more gray than before, hanging loosely and without spirit. The wine gourd that never left his side was nowhere to be seen, likely stowed away. His back was hunched, his aura dull and lifeless, as if he had aged ten years overnight.
Behind him, Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, Ling Luochen, and the others stood with their heads lowered, faces pale and drained of blood.
Their bodies still bore unhealed injuries, but the deeper wounds lay in their hearts.
Ten thousand years of glory—shattered in a single day.
"Elder Xuan…"
Ma Xiaotao finally spoke, her voice hoarse and dry. She wanted to say something, anything, to break the suffocating silence—but no words came.
Xuan Zi drew in a deep breath. Pain and resolve flickered through his cloudy eyes.
"Let's go."
His voice was low, squeezed out from his chest.
"Whether you crane your neck or shrink it back, the blade still falls. Since it's come to this, there's no point hiding."
"When you're being beaten, you stand straight."
With heavy steps, he turned and walked toward the city gate—once a symbol of supreme glory, now an unbearable sight.
---
Inside Shrek City, life bustled as usual.
As the holy land of Spirit Masters on the Douluo Continent, merchants and cultivators from all corners of the world gathered here.
But the moment Xuan Zi led this defeated group through the streets, the atmosphere shifted.
The noisy street fell into an eerie silence.
Then came whispers—soft, fragmented, buzzing like flies. To ordinary people they might have been indistinct, but to Spirit Masters, every word pierced like needles.
"Look… isn't that the Shrek team? They're back?"
"They look miserable… Is that Ma Xiaotao? How did she get injured like that?"
"Sigh. I heard they didn't even make the top eight—eliminated in the round of sixteen. Absolute disgrace."
"Top sixteen? Shrek? Didn't they say Shrek was undefeated for ten thousand years?"
"It's true. News from Star Luo City has already spread. Someone named Liu Yuan wiped out the entire Shrek team by himself!"
"What?! Then doesn't that mean the Sun Moon Royal Academy—"
"Shh! Keep it down! Look at Elder Xuan's face—do you want trouble?"
Each whisper struck like a slap.
Ma Xiaotao clenched her teeth, nails digging into her palms until blood seeped out, unnoticed.
Once, walking these streets meant admiration, envy, and cheers.
Now, the gazes had changed—doubt, disappointment, even ridicule.
The contrast was enough to crush even the proudest genius.
Xuan Zi said nothing.
He neither rebuked the gossipers nor turned to console his students.
He simply walked, step by heavy step, passing through the Outer Court, then the Inner Court, like a walking corpse—until they reached the shore of Sea God Lake.
A small boat waited quietly at the pier.
---
Sea God Island. Sea Gods Pavilion.
The atmosphere inside the pavilion—Shrek's supreme seat of authority—was oppressive to the extreme.
In the dim hall, white-haired elders lined both sides of a long table. These were the true pillars of Shrek, and every one of them wore an expression as dark as thunderclouds.
At the head of the table stood a reclining chair.
Upon it lay a frail, thin old man, as if already half a foot into the grave.
The Pavilion Master of the Sea Gods Pavilion—Mu En.
"You're back?"
His voice was soft, flat, devoid of emotion.
Yet those three words alone caused Xuan Zi's entire body to tremble.
With a loud thud, he dropped to his knees.
"Pavilion Master…"
Xuan Zi's voice broke as he slammed his forehead into the floor.
"I have failed the academy. I have failed your trust, Elder Mu!"
Behind him, Ma Xiaotao and the others also knelt, not daring to even breathe loudly.
Mu En slowly opened his eyes.
Those eyes, cloudy on the surface, carried unfathomable depth as they fixed upon Xuan Zi.
"Xuan Zi," Mu En said calmly. "Regarding this tournament and your conduct as lead teacher—what is your view?"
The question cut straight into Xuan Zi's bloodiest wound.
His body stiffened.
He laughed bitterly and looked up, his face twisted with remorse.
"Terrible."
"Absolutely terrible."
Grinding his teeth, he spoke each word with effort.
"It was my stubbornness, my underestimation of the enemy, and my failure to protect the children. Worse, my poor command at the critical moment led to this unprecedented defeat."
"I am a sinner."
"A sinner of Shrek for all eternity!"
"All responsibility lies with me alone! Whether I am killed, crippled, or expelled, I, Xuan Zi, will not utter a word of complaint!"
He kowtowed again, the dull impact echoing through the hall.
Even the elders were moved.
They all knew—sloppy and gluttonous as Xuan Zi was, his loyalty to Shrek was unquestionable.
For a Rank 98 Super Douluo, this failure was devastating.
Silence filled the hall.
After a long while, Mu En sighed softly.
"It is good that you know."
"There is no greater virtue than acknowledging one's mistakes."
"But recognition is not absolution, nor an excuse to abandon yourself."
Mu En slowly sat up, his gaze sweeping across the kneeling students before returning to Xuan Zi.
"Failure is not frightening. What is frightening is losing the courage to stand back up."
"This lesson is heavy—not only for you, but for all of Shrek."
"We have been comfortable for too long. Proud for too long. So long that we forgot—there is always someone stronger, and always a higher heaven beyond this one."
His aged voice carried unquestionable authority.
"Xuan Zi."
"Since you admit your poor command, you must accept punishment."
"Effective immediately, you are removed from your position as lead teacher."
"Go to the Cliff of Reflection behind the Sea Gods Pavilion and remain in solitary confinement for one year. Reflect upon your mistakes—and your flaws."
Mu En paused, his tone sharpening.
"During this year—no alcohol."
"And one hundred lashes."