Bonus Chapter. Enjoy!
=============================
Beneath the Golden Ancient Tree, golden light gently swayed, enveloping the surrounding area in warmth.
The crowd from Shrek Academy sat or lay about, their injuries slowly recovering.
But everyone's face carried an indescribable heaviness.
Qian Duoduo spoke first; his voice was somewhat hoarse and carried a hint of exhaustion.
"I think we shouldn't go wading into the muddy waters ahead."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the people present.
"The people from the other Shrek Academy have enough strength to eliminate those Abyssal Creatures."
"And compared to that Shrek Academy, our strength is simply too weak."
"Even if we go over again, we would merely become a burden."
What Qian Duoduo was targeting was what Bei Bei had previously said to Ya Li and the others about going back to help, but what kind of help could they possibly offer?
At this moment, when Qian Duoduo directly uttered the word "burden", the people from Shrek Academy present couldn't help but feel a sharp pain in their hearts, as if a knife had stabbed into them.
The gazes of the Shrek Academy members inevitably dimmed. For them, how proud had the former Shrek Academy been?
The continent's number one academy, a gathering place for monsters, and a place countless Geniuses dreamed of.
But now… a burden.
These two words were actually used on themselves; such a statement was truly heartbreaking and quite absurd.
Yan Shaozhe stood to the side, fell silent for a moment, and then also spoke.
"Indeed, I agree with Old Qian; that is indeed the case."
His voice carried a hint of bitterness.
"After they resolve those Abyssal Creatures, we will rebuild Shrek Academy."
"As long as Shrek Academy's high-tier combat power is still here, Shrek Academy is still here."
When these words were spoken, everyone's moods improved slightly. Of course, some people felt that Yan Shaozhe's words sounded a bit off—what did it mean by "as long as the high-tier combat power is still here, Shrek Academy is still here"?
At this time, an oppressive feeling permeated everyone's hearts, and soon, an elder of the Sea God Pavilion also spoke in agreement.
"I don't want to go back and wade into those muddy waters either."
His face was full of exhaustion, and there was still a trace of post-disaster relief in his eyes.
"If not for the people from the other Shrek Academy coming over, I would have died at the hands of that Abyssal Evil Scythe."
"It's truly… too terrifying."
This elder's words resonated deeply with many people; those Abyssal Evil Scythes possessed strength comparable to a Super Douluo.
If the people from Sky Shrek Academy hadn't arrived in time, I'm afraid very few of these people would have survived.
Yan Shaozhe took a deep breath and spoke once more.
"Furthermore, the matter from just now hasn't been fully resolved. If the affairs of Dai Yueheng and Dai Huabin aren't handled well, we will have trouble rebuilding Shrek Academy in the future."
What Yan Shaozhe meant was naturally not just that White Tiger Duke's Mansion would cause trouble, but rather that forces led by White Tiger Duke's Mansion would think Shrek Academy was no good, and in that case, recruiting new students would become troublesome.
It could be said to be a huge obstacle to the reorganization of a new Shrek Academy.
Of course, Dai Yueheng's situation was still considered pretty good right now, but Dai Huabin's situation was much worse. Not only was one of his arms broken, but Evil Fire also lingered on his body.
Moreover, if he wanted to Cultivate again in the future, it could be said that his Spirit Power would find it very difficult to make any further progress. Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire could be said to have directly injured Dai Huabin's Foundation.
Zhu Lu stood beside Dai Huabin, looking at him with a face full of worry. Her eye sockets reddened slightly, thinking that if he were merely crippled, it would still be fine—after all, at least he was alive—but she always felt that it would be very difficult for Dai Huabin to wake up again.
Elder Song stood to the side, watching all this with a mix of myriad emotions in her heart. She took a deep breath, then turned her head and let her gaze fall upon Bei Bei.
"Bei Bei."
Her voice carried a hint of solemnity, and her gaze also carried a trace of certainty; after all, Bei Bei had managed to be decisive when needed.
"Now that you are the Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion, whatever you say is what we will do."
Elder Song's meaning was very clear: how Shrek Academy's future path would go would be decided by Bei Bei.
Bei Bei fell silent for a moment, then raised his head and looked around. The expressions of the people around him were all taken in by his eyes.
Exhaustion, fear, helplessness, confusion…
Everyone no longer wanted to go back; everyone no longer wanted to face those terrifying Abyssal Creatures.
Bei Bei took a deep breath, then slowly spoke.
"I will go help. I'll trouble all the senior elders to guard the students here. If any problems arise, I hope you will protect them well."
Tang Ya stood to the side, and upon hearing these words, quickly spoke.
"Bei Bei, I am going with you!"
Her eyes were filled with worry. The only person she could rely on nowadays was Bei Bei. If something happened to Bei Bei again…
Bei Bei turned around to look at Tang Ya, revealing a gentle smile.
"Xiao Ya, stay here obediently."
"I'll be fine, rest assured."
Tang Ya opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but seeing Bei Bei's resolute eyes, she ultimately nodded.
"Then you must be careful…"
Bei Bei nodded, then turned around to prepare to leave, and right at this moment Elder Song spoke.
"I am going with you. That power on your body cannot be used arbitrarily, so if any problems arise, having me around will also make it easier to look after you."
Bei Bei was slightly startled, then nodded with considerable gratitude.
"Thank you, Elder Song."
And right at this moment, Xian Liner also stepped forward.
"I'm going too. This is our Shrek Academy, not that academy in the sky. We cannot expect others to do everything for us."
Several more senior elders stepped forward, their gazes equally resolute.
"Right, we're going too. This is our responsibility."
"We cannot let the people of that academy look down on us; we also have our own pride."
On their faces, although exhaustion and scars still remained, light re-ignited within their eyes.
Elder Song watched this scene and nodded slightly. Looking at Bei Bei, she couldn't help exclaiming with emotion that Bei Bei could actually win the trust of so many people nowadays; it was truly remarkable.
Although it was because she and her daughter had spoken out and expressed their stance first, Bei Bei's previous performance had still won the trust of quite a few people.
If given more time, Bei Bei might not necessarily fail to become the next Elder Mu.
Elder Song looked at the Sea God Pavilion senior elders who still remained here, and then spoke.
"Next, Elder Zhuang will take charge of affairs. You will follow Elder Zhuang's arrangements."
Elder Zhuang nodded.
"Rest assured, leave this place to me."
Bei Bei looked at the senior elders behind him who were preparing to go with him, and a wave of warmth welled up in his heart. Afterwards, the group left the Golden Ancient Tree together.
Beneath the Golden Ancient Tree, Yan Shaozhe stood in place, watching Bei Bei and the others leave. Then he slowly closed his eyes, sensing the surrounding life energy.
Suddenly, his brow furrowed slightly.
Something was wrong.
The life energy emitted by the Golden Ancient Tree seemed to have weakened quite a bit.
Yan Shaozhe abruptly opened his eyes and swept his gaze across the people present.
The people here… were a bit too many.
Originally, the life energy of the Golden Ancient Tree was only provided to the Sea God Pavilion senior elders, and then Inner Court Disciples had one chance every month. Non-Inner Court students had to obtain outstanding contributions before they could enter and absorb it.
Moreover, these people's Cultivation time was basically limited. But now, all the living people in the entire Shrek Academy were Cultivating here. Originally, the energy of the Golden Ancient Tree needed to be absorbed with restraint. If so many people absorbed it now, the energy of the Golden Ancient Tree would sooner or later be exhausted.
Yan Shaozhe's gaze at this moment fell upon Ma Xiaotao once again. It was truly a good thing that the crowd of Sea God Pavilion senior elders hadn't settled accounts with him over Ma Xiaotao's matter just now.
Subsequently, Yan Shaozhe's gaze fell once more upon Director Du Weilun, who was sitting cross-legged absorbing the Golden Ancient Tree's energy, as well as the group of students, a flash of light passing through his eyes.
----------------------------------------------
A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
1 Review = 1 Bonus Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.