Mu En's voice shifted from calm to resonant: "First, starting from today, the Academy will increase its support for the Soul Tool Department!"
As his voice fell, the Sea Gods Pavilion instantly fell into silence, with only the faint sound of sandalwood burning.
Everyone's gaze subconsciously turned towards the two people in charge of the Soul Tool Department, Xian Lin'er and Qian Duoduo.
Xian Lin'er could hardly hide the astonishment in her eyes at this moment, and Qian Duoduo beside her suddenly straightened his back, his hands unconsciously gripping his robes tightly.
Mu En's gaze turned to the two, his tone softening slightly, yet still carrying an unquestionable decisiveness:
"Lin'er, Duoduo, if you have any difficulties, bring them up at any time. Whether it's resource allocation, funding support, or talent recruitment, the Academy will cooperate fully."
"We must use the fastest time possible to catch up with the Sun Moon Empire's soul tool technology!"
"Elder Mu!" Xian Lin'er was the first to react, her voice trembling slightly with excitement. She and Qian Duoduo exchanged a glance, both seeing an irrepressible ecstasy in the other's eyes.
Qian Duoduo followed closely, his tone rushed yet firm: "Elder Mu, as long as the Academy is willing to provide full support, our Soul Tool Department will definitely go all out to produce solid results as soon as possible, and we will never let down your trust!"
This golden duo of the Soul Tool Department had been committed to the research, development, and promotion of spirit tools for many years, yet they had always been constrained by the Academy's resource allocation.
Shrek Academy had always taken the cultivation of traditional Spirit Masters as its core, and although the Soul Tool Department had existed for many years, it had always remained on the periphery.
The dilemmas of funding shortages and talent loss were like two great mountains, pressing down on them until they could hardly breathe.
Now that Mu En had personally promised to increase support, it was no different from rain after a long drought, allowing them to see hope for the rise of the Soul Tool Department.
Regarding this sudden arrangement by Mu En, the other members of the Sea Gods Pavilion, although surprised in their hearts, did not show strong opposition.
In fact, everyone in their hearts knew just how significant the boost to a Spirit Master's strength from spirit tools was.
However, as the leaders of the Spirit Master's world in the Douluo Continent, the traditional Spirit Masters of Shrek all carried an innate arrogance in their bones.
They believed in the potential of their own Spirits, advocated for pure spirit power competitions, and considered relying on spirit tools to be opportunistic, lacking the dignity of a Spirit Master.
This concept was deeply rooted and had long since merged into the bloodline of Shrek.
For many years, the top Spirit Masters cultivated by the Academy had all relied on the power of their own Spirits, honing and growing through countless trials and battles, and they had proven the strength of traditional Spirit Masters with their abilities.
It was precisely because of this that the Soul Tool Department had always found it difficult to hold its head high at Shrek.
Even though Xian Lin'er and Qian Duoduo were talented and had poured their hearts and blood into it, it was difficult to change the prejudice against spirit tools throughout the Academy.
But this time, the message Xuan Zi sent back from the Sun Moon Empire was like a giant boulder, smashing heavily into everyone's hearts.
As a veteran of Shrek, Xuan Zi had unfathomable strength, and his knowledge and judgment had always been trusted by everyone.
According to the intelligence he sent back, the students of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, with the aid of spirit tools, displayed jaw-dropping combat power.
Especially that Crown Prince of the Sun Moon Empire, Xu Tianran, who had not released his Spirit once throughout the entire process, and relying solely on a set of exquisite spirit tools, easily crushed numerous top Spirit Masters from the original three Empires.
He fought his way through, leading the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy to easily enter the finals.
Xu Tianran's performance completely subverted everyone's perception of spirit tools.
A Spirit Master who had not released their Spirit could actually possess such terrifying strength by relying on spirit tools; this was something no one could have imagined before.
What was even more alarming was that the other students of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, with the assistance of spirit tools, had all seen a qualitative leap in their strength.
Spirit Masters with originally average strength, when equipped with suitable spirit tools, could actually contend with top genius Spirit Masters.
And those students who were already talented, with the addition of spirit tools, were like tigers with wings, displaying combat power far exceeding that of Spirit Masters of the same level.
These messages were like an alarm bell, ringing in everyone's hearts.
Coupled with the existence of this genius Spirit Master Crown Prince Xu Tianran, as well as the sudden emergence of the siblings Xu Tianhao and Xu Tianzhen, and The Hongchen Siblings—The Four Little Ones—it made everyone feel unprecedented pressure.
The Sun Moon Empire had always been known for its spirit tools, but now it had begun to vigorously cultivate Spirit talents; its ambition was clear to see.
If Shrek still stuck to old ways, holding onto the arrogance of traditional Spirit Masters, and was unwilling to learn the Sun Moon Empire's soul tool technology.
Then it wouldn't be long before they would inevitably be left far behind by the Sun Moon Empire, and their future situation would only become more difficult.
"Learn from the enemy's strengths to defeat them"—Yan Shaozhe understood this principle better than anyone.
As the Dean of the Spirit Department of Shrek Academy, and also Mu En's direct disciple, he had always firmly supported the cultivation of traditional Spirit Masters.
But at this moment, he had to admit that the Sun Moon Empire's soul tool technology had formed a sufficiently powerful threat.
The talent of The Four Little Ones, including Xu Tianhao, was enough for each of them to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Shrek's geniuses.
Coupled with the Sun Moon Empire's powerful spirit tool support, the future Sun Moon Empire would inevitably become the most terrifying opponent.
Therefore, when Mu En proposed to make an effort to develop the Soul Tool Department, even if Yan Shaozhe still had a trace of obsession with traditional Spirit Masters in his heart, he could not find any reason to refute it.
He nodded slightly, indicating his agreement with this decision.
Seeing that no one objected, Mu En's gaze became even more determined. He spoke slowly, throwing out his second decision, his tone even more severe than before:
"Second, within five years, all Inner Court disciples must learn how to use spirit tools!"
This sentence was like a thunderclap on flat ground, causing the atmosphere in the Sea Gods Pavilion to instantly freeze.
The Inner Court disciples were the core strength of Shrek, the hope for the Academy's future, and each of them was a gifted and arrogant child of heaven.
Wanting to make them lower their status and learn to use spirit tools—the difficulty could be imagined.
Mu En seemed to have already anticipated everyone's reaction, and he continued: "By that time, every Inner Court disciple must be equipped with three basic spirit tools."
"One defensive spirit tool, one flight spirit tool, and one offensive or auxiliary spirit tool adapted to their own Spirit and Spirit Ability, to maximize their combat power."
Speaking up to this point, Mu En's gaze swept over the crowd, his tone carrying a bit of heaviness: "You must be the most aware of the strength of top Spirit Masters equipped with spirit tools."
"The message Xuan Zi sent back has already made it very clear; Xu Tianran can dominate the arena relying solely on spirit tools, and the students of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy have shone brilliantly by relying on spirit tools."
"We can no longer deceive ourselves, holding onto so-called 'purity' while giving up opportunities to improve our strength."
"No matter how many people object, no matter how many people are unwilling, you must push this matter forward!"
Mu En's voice suddenly rose, carrying an unquestionable majesty.
"We at Shrek are the benchmark of the Spirit Master's world in the Douluo Continent. If even we are unwilling to actively reform, then other forces in the original three Empires of the Douluo Continent will only be more conventional and self-limiting."
"Only by walking in front can we lead more people to jointly cope with the threat brought by the Sun Moon Empire!"
Finally, Mu En's tone became exceptionally resolute, each word like a heavy hammer, smashing into everyone's hearts:
"I hereby solemnly declare that any student unwilling to comply with this arrangement will be expelled from Shrek Academy and never hired again!"
This was the first time Mu En had proposed such a severe punitive measure in the Sea Gods Pavilion, which was enough to show his determination to promote the reform of spirit tools.
Everyone in the Sea Gods Pavilion understood that Mu En's words were definitely not a joke.
They looked at each other, and although they had concerns in their hearts, they felt more agreement and awe towards Mu En's decision.
A moment later, everyone stood up in unison, bowed to Mu En, and responded in unison: "Yes, we will strictly follow Elder Mu's instructions!"