The oppressive atmosphere eased slightly, and Bei Bei immediately said urgently, "Progenitor Xuan, I believe Liu Yuan was absolutely framed! I've known him for several years; I know his character and personality perfectly well. He is definitely not the kind of person who would take an Evil Path! Elder Xuan, he..."
"Sigh..." Mu En let out a long breath, interrupting Bei Bei, "I know."
Three simple words caused all of Bei Bei's subsequent words to get stuck in his throat.
Mu En's voice carried a hint of deep exhaustion and helplessness: "Your character is upright and hates evil. I believe your judgment."
"But... Bei Bei, the person is already gone. Speaking more now is useless."
"Moreover, you must also understand that Xuan Zi... is indeed the only pillar of our Shrek right now besides myself."
"For the sake of Shrek's overall situation, for this academy that has been passed down for ten thousand years, sometimes, I have no choice but to do this."
Bei Bei fell silent.
He understood his progenitor's difficulties, but he was still indignant in his heart.
He believed that Liu Yuan's weight in his progenitor's heart was not yet heavy enough.
What if... what if his progenitor knew that after Liu Yuan left the academy, instead of sinking into despair, he had obtained a massive Opportunity and his strength had undergone an earth-shaking change?
The value of a Genius with infinite potential was not necessarily lower than that of an overbearing veteran powerhouse!
Thinking of this, Bei Bei plucked up his courage again. He wanted to describe the shocking scene he had witnessed on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest—Liu Yuan's Spirit mutation, his explosive growth in strength, and the scene of him instantly killing a six-thousand-year Spirit Beast.
"Progenitor Xuan, actually there is one more thing regarding Liu Yuan's current strength..."
But this time, just as Bei Bei started to speak, Mu En waved his hand to interrupt him.
"Enough." Mu En's eyes looked even more tired; he seemingly did not want to dwell on this issue any longer. "Let the matter end here. You've just returned from Star Dou and are tired. Go and rest first."
Having said this, Bei Bei knew that saying anything more would be meaningless.
His progenitor had already made his decision—a decision made from the perspective of "Shrek's overall situation," incredibly rational yet incredibly cold.
"...Yes, Progenitor Xuan." Bei Bei's heart was filled with helplessness and disappointment. He silently bowed and turned to leave the quiet room.
...
Outside the corridor of the Sea Gods Pavilion, the daylight was somewhat piercing.
As soon as Bei Bei stepped out, he heard the sounds of conversation between Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe coming from a corner not far away.
He subconsciously stopped his pace, hiding behind a corridor pillar.
He heard Xuan Zi's voice, tinged with a bit of smugness: "Shaozhe, tell me, what did Elder Mu's words just now really mean? Does he really know I deliberately dealt with that Liu Yuan kid?"
Yan Shaozhe's voice followed immediately, carrying a hint of flattery: "What kind of insight does Teacher have? How could your little scheme possibly be hidden from him? He must have known instantly."
"However, you are, after all, the number two powerhouse of our Shrek Academy. And that Liu Yuan, in the end, is just an outer court student with decent talent."
"While it's a pity, it still can't compare to your importance. That's why Teacher didn't pursue it further and only gave you a subtle reminder to prevent you from going too far next time."
"Hahaha, that's true!" Xuan Zi's voice was full of self-satisfied laughter. "I am, after all, Elder Mu's junior nephew, Shrek's Gluttonous Douluo! As long as I don't commit a fundamental error that shakes the academy's Foundation, how could Elder Mu really fall out with me?"
Speaking to here, Xuan Zi's tone shifted, taking on a hint of disdain and mockery: "This time, that kid named Liu Yuan must have specifically asked Bei Bei to complain to Elder Mu, naively thinking he could use Elder Mu's hand to bring me down."
"What a pity, what a pity. He truly miscalculated my weight and also miscalculated his own weight in Elder Mu's heart."
I am already a Level 98 Super Douluo! And him? He's just a little nobody who isn't even a Soul Ancestor. He might not even have hope of breaking through to Titled Douluo in this lifetime!"
"What does he have to compare with me? It's simply an ant trying to shake a tree, laughable and overestimating himself!"
Behind the pillar, Bei Bei's fists were clenched tight, his nails digging deep into his palms.
Xuan Zi's piercing laughter, Yan Shaozhe's fawning agreement, and Progenitor Xuan's helpless yet cold "overall situation" pressed on his heart like three mountains, making him feel a suffocating sense of grievance.
Although he was also a person of Shrek and cared for Shrek, after witnessing these instances of injustice and unfairness, for the first time, he felt a deep sense of doubt toward this academy where he had lived since childhood and of which he was once proud.
Perhaps... Liu Yuan's choice to leave resolutely back then was right.
Within Shrek, there truly existed some unspeakable darkness.
...
At the same time, thousands of miles away within the borders of the Sun Moon Empire.
A young figure was speeding across the vast plains. He carried a simple knapsack, his signature short red hair fluttering in the wind, his gaze firm and sharp.
It was Liu Yuan, who had left Shrek and headed west all the way.
Since the day he parted with Bei Bei, Tang Ya, and Huo Yuhao on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, he had not stopped for a moment, heading all the way toward his set destination—the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
After dozens of days of long-distance trekking, Liu Yuan finally crossed the border between the two countries and stepped onto the soil of the Sun Moon Empire.
Now, he was passing through a vast and boundless primeval forest.
"Is this the Sunset Forest?"
Liu Yuan stopped his pace and looked around.
Compared to the vibrant Star Dou Great Forest with its towering ancient trees, the Sunset Forest appeared more primitive and also more dangerous.
A faint miasma permeated the air, the trees in the forest were of various shapes, having more of a cold and hard metallic texture. Sunlight filtered through the sparse branches and leaves, forming mottled and distorted shadows on the ground, exuding an indescribable eeriness and gloom.
He could clearly perceive that countless powerful Spirit Beast auras were hidden in this forest; its level of danger was probably not below that of the Star Dou Great Forest.
After reflecting on the differing styles of the famous forests of the two continents, Liu Yuan did not stay long. He intended to continue his journey and arrive at the Sun Moon Empire's capital, Capital City, as soon as possible.
However, just at this moment, that long-absent, cold, and mechanical System notification sound suddenly rang out in his mind without any warning.
[Ding! Detected Host has arrived at a special area—Sunset Forest. Triggering limited-time side mission!]
Liu Yuan's spirit was roused, and he immediately stopped his pace.
He could even trigger side missions?
Aside from checking in, his System actually had this kind of function?
A wave of anticipation surfaced within Liu Yuan.
At this moment, the System's voice rang out again.
[Mission Name: Sunset Hunt]
[Mission Type: Limited-time Mission]
[Mission Objective: Within three days, independently hunt and kill a "Black Gold Horned Bull Beast" with a cultivation level of no less than ten thousand years in the Sunset Forest.]
[Mission Reward: rare candy × 1]
"It's actually a rare candy?"
After hearing the System's voice, Liu Yuan's eyes lit up once more.