Inside the Imperial Study, candlelight flickered softly.
Xu Jiawei took the thick dossier from the guard's hands, anticipation written all over his face.
"I want to see exactly where this Liu Yuan came from…"
He took a deep breath and opened the first page.
The contents were extremely detailed—Liu Yuan's birthplace, Spirit Awakening, his performance in elementary Spirit Master academies—everything was recorded clearly, with nothing omitted.
The opening sections were unremarkable, one could even say ordinary.
However, when Xu Jiawei flipped to the portion detailing Liu Yuan's time at Shrek Academy, his pupils suddenly shrank, and the expression on his face froze completely.
"This… how is this possible?!"
Xu Jiawei rubbed his eyes, thinking he had misread, and carefully read it again.
The dossier stated in unmistakable black-and-white text:
[Liu Yuan was once a student of Shrek Academy's Outer Court.]
[However, due to a dispute, he was expelled by Shrek Academy elder Xuan Zi.]
Slap!
Xu Jiawei snapped the dossier shut and slammed it heavily onto the table, disbelief written all over his face.
"Madness… this Xuan Zi is absolutely insane!"
He couldn't help but curse aloud, completely losing the composure expected of a ruler.
He stood up and paced back and forth, muttering to himself incessantly.
"A genius like Liu Yuan would be an unparalleled treasure anywhere!"
"And Xuan Zi actually expelled him?!"
"This is utterly absurd!"
Xu Jiawei was so angry he nearly laughed.
What was this?
It was like a beggar discovering a piece of divine jade, not even glancing at it before tossing it straight into a latrine while cursing it as a 'broken stone.'
"So now Xuan Zi and Shrek Academy must be regretting this to death."
Xu Jiawei shook his head, a strange smile appearing on his face.
No wonder Xuan Zi had behaved so abnormally last night.
"Come to think of it…"
Xu Jiawei stroked his chin as a sudden realization struck him.
"Xuan Zi sneaking off to find Liu Yuan in the middle of the night… could it be that he wasn't there to kill him at all, but to… apologize?"
Once this thought appeared, it spread uncontrollably.
The more Xu Jiawei thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.
"Xuan Zi isn't an idiot. Killing someone in a place like the Star Emperor Grand Hotel would make him an enemy of the entire continent and completely alienate the Star Luo Empire. He wouldn't do something so foolish."
"The only explanation is regret!"
"Seeing how dazzling Liu Yuan is now—completely eclipsing Ma Xiaotao and the others—Xuan Zi's intestines must be turning green with remorse!"
"That's why he wanted to sneak over under cover of night, apologize, and trick Liu Yuan into coming back!"
Xu Jiawei burst out laughing, so hard that tears nearly came out.
A dignified Level 98 Super Douluo and elder of Shrek's Sea Gods Pavilion, forced to humble himself before a junior he once treated like trash and cast aside like worn-out shoes?
And before he could even step inside, he was caught by Jing Hongchen, mistaken for an assassin, and slapped with a yellow card!
This was a hundred times more exciting than any novel.
"Xuan Zi, oh Xuan Zi—you really lost both the fish and the bait this time. You've thrown Shrek's face all the way back to their ancestral grave."
Xu Jiawei chuckled, shaking his head, and sat back down on his dragon throne, his eyes gleaming sharply.
"Still, for our Star Luo Empire, this is actually good news."
"After all, Liu Yuan is a native of the Douluo Continent. Even if he has joined the Sun Moon Royal Academy, joining an academy doesn't mean changing nationality."
"Once he graduates, he'll surely return to the Douluo Continent to develop."
"Hmm… do I have a chance to recruit him?"
…
The next morning.
Golden sunlight spilled over the roof of the Star Emperor Grand Hotel as a new day began.
But for Shrek Academy, this morning was anything but pleasant.
As soon as Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and the others left their rooms and entered the dining hall, they sensed that something was off.
Students from other academies were gathered in small groups, whispering and pointing toward them as they ate, occasionally letting out meaningful chuckles.
"Did you hear? That elder leading the Shrek team was caught last night!"
"Seriously? Who caught him?"
"The tournament organizing committee! I heard he wasn't sleeping and ran to the Sun Moon Team's side, apparently trying to ambush their captain, Liu Yuan!"
"What?! That's too low, isn't it? Shrek actually resorting to dirty tricks?"
"Exactly! And they even got a yellow card warning. One more incident and Shrek will be disqualified!"
Though the voices were deliberately lowered, every word reached Ma Xiaotao and the others clearly.
"What?!"
The fork in Ma Xiaotao's hand clattered onto her plate as she shot to her feet, her face turning deathly pale.
Dai Yueheng, Ling Luochen, and the others exchanged stunned looks.
Elder Xuan… caught last night? And given a yellow card?
How was that possible?!
"Let's go! We need to find Elder Xuan and ask him directly!"
Ma Xiaotao didn't even bother eating, leading the group as they rushed toward Xuan Zi's room.
Inside the room.
Xuan Zi sat at the table, holding a roasted chicken leg in his hand, yet unable to take a single bite.
His face was full of sorrow, dark circles hanging under his eyes—he clearly hadn't slept all night.
Bang!
The door was pushed open, and Ma Xiaotao and the others rushed in.
"Elder Xuan! Is what they're saying outside true?"
Ma Xiaotao asked urgently. "Did you really go to the Sun Moon Team's quarters last night? And were you given a yellow card?"
Facing the students' questioning gazes, Xuan Zi wished he could dig a hole in the ground and crawl into it.
Humiliating—utterly humiliating!
Ahem… ahem…
Xuan Zi coughed dryly, trying to mask his predicament, his eyes darting about.
"That… such an incident did occur."
"But! This old man did it because… because…"
He stammered for a long time. Too ashamed to admit he had gone to beg, he could only grit his teeth and reuse the same miserable excuse from the night before.
"I had a bit too much to drink last night. My head wasn't clear, and I took the wrong path. I only ended up there by mistake…"
"Just the wrong path?"
Bei Bei frowned, clearly unconvinced.
"Elder Xuan, you're a Level 98 Super Douluo. Even drunk, you wouldn't lose your sense of direction, would you?"
"Yeah, Elder Xuan," Xu Sanshi added hesitantly. "And everyone outside is saying you wanted to… assassinate Liu Yuan?"
As soon as those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the room became heavy.
Everyone stared fixedly at Xuan Zi.
Ma Xiaotao took a deep breath and asked solemnly:
"Elder Xuan, tell us the truth. You didn't actually intend to make a lethal move against Liu Yuan, did you?"
"Shrek desires victory, and Liu Yuan is indeed a formidable opponent. But assassinating an enemy because we can't beat them—that's beneath us. That's not the Shrek way."
"If we win like that, what meaning does Shrek's glory even have?"
Seeing the suspicion—and faint disappointment—in the students' eyes, Xuan Zi felt utterly bitter.
Wronged! I was completely wronged!
I went there to apologize! To offer compensation! To beg that little ancestor to come back!
Who wanted to kill him?!
But he couldn't say it.
Saying it would be even more humiliating.
"Nonsense! Absolute nonsense!"
Xuan Zi slammed the table, roaring in shame-fueled anger.
"How could this old man do something so despicable?!"
"I told you—I just took the wrong path! Just the wrong path! If anyone dares spread more rumors, I'll tear their mouth apart!"
Seeing Xuan Zi so enraged and firmly denying any assassination attempt, Ma Xiaotao and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as it wasn't a dirty plot, that was enough.
As for the excuse of taking the wrong path…
Forget it. They would give the old man some face and leave it at that.
"Alright, stop asking."
Xuan Zi waved his hand irritably. "Go eat. After that, prepare for the match."
"Today we face Crimson Flame Academy. Victory is the only option—no defeat!"
"Yes!"
The group didn't dare press further and quickly filed out.
…
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away at Shrek Academy, within the Sea Gods Pavilion.
Beneath the massive golden tree, a stooped old man lay quietly on a lounge chair, resting with his eyes closed.
It was none other than Mu En.
Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound broke the stillness.
A guard rushed in, pale-faced and drenched in sweat, clutching an urgent report.
"Elder Mu! Something terrible has happened!"
Mu En slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing through his cloudy gaze.
"Why are you in such a panic? Where are your manners? Speak."
The guard swallowed hard and tremblingly handed over the report.
"This… this is the intelligence just sent back from Star Luo City…"
"Elder Xuan—after trespassing into the Sun Moon Team's residence last night—was issued a yellow card warning by the tournament organizing committee!"
"And he was nearly disqualified!"
"What?!"
Mu En shot upright, snatched the report, and scanned it rapidly.
When his eyes landed on the phrases 'late-night intrusion,' 'caught by Jing Hongchen,' and 'yellow card warning,' a surge of blood rushed straight to his head.
Crack!
The report turned to ash in his hand, and the lounge chair beneath him let out a strained creak as it shook violently.
"Bastard! Fool! Utterly muddled!"
Mu En was so furious his beard trembled, his chest heaving violently.
"I sent him to lead the team—not to act like a clown!"
"A dignified Sea Gods Pavilion elder, caught red-handed like a thief—and even given a yellow card?!"
"He has completely disgraced Shrek!"
Cough, cough, cough…
After being enraged by Xuan Zi again and again, Mu En felt as though his lifespan itself was being shortened.
At that moment, he truly wished he could rush to Star Luo City and beat Xuan Zi half to death with his own hands.