Cai Meier noticed Yan Shaozhe's grim expression and quickly tried to smooth things over.
"Elder Mu, what should we do about this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament? The inner court only has a dozen disciples, and only two of them are age-eligible, but their abilities are a bit lacking.
"Should we bring back that soul tool department student who was eliminated last time and send him along with the other two?"
Xuanzi also nodded, patting his chest as he said confidently:
"If I fly them there, we should still make it in time. There won't be any accidents this time."
Mu En shook his head.
"No! No need to reinforce them. Just let them perform as they will."
"Huh?"
The elders were shocked. One of them couldn't help but speak up:
"Elder Mu, this concerns the academy's honor!"
Mu En smiled faintly.
"Yes, honor! But don't you think that over the years, we've been shackled by this so-called honor?"
"Losing isn't scary. What's scary is complacency. Some people already believe the martial soul department is unbeatable. It's time for a wake-up call."
"For the past thirty years, soul tools have developed rapidly, changing almost daily. But what about our soul tool department?"
"Compared to the Sun Moon Empire, we're far behind, aren't we? Times are advancing, and our thinking needs to advance too. Even if we send reinforcements, can we really guarantee they'll do better than those kids?"
After speaking at length, Mu En said no more. The Sea God Pavilion fell into a heavy silence.
The elders sat quietly.
Had Shrek Academy's millennia-old glory weighed too heavily upon them?
Seeing this, Mu En nodded in satisfaction. But when he turned his head, he saw that Xuanzi had somehow sneakily pulled out a giant chicken leg and was munching on it.
"Sigh, troubling indeed…"
Mu En's mouth twitched. He couldn't bear to look.
The great Xia is on the verge of collapse, and a single tree can't support the weight.
"Huo Yuhao… maybe the future of Shrek will depend on you."
…
"Wow!"
"Jiang Jue, look, is this Xingluo City? It looks so ancient!"
After nearly ten days of long travel, the group from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy finally arrived at the capital of the Xingluo Empire—Xingluo City.
Jiang Jue, holding Meng Hongchen's hand, also looked in awe.
Xingluo City's walls were 100 meters tall, and just as thick—constructed entirely from solid stone.
The city covered over 1,000 square kilometers. Its roads stretched in all directions, each spanning over 50 kilometers. The main avenues were wide enough to allow sixteen carriages to pass side by side in both directions.
Compared to the modern capital of the Sun Moon Empire, Mingdu, this city carried the feel of an ancient fortress.
As the capital of the Xingluo Empire, Xingluo City was undoubtedly the largest city of the empire and its political, cultural, and economic heart.
It was also known as the "Imperial City That Never Falls."
"Let's go in."
Elder Ma said calmly, leading the way to the city gates. Jiang Jue and the others followed close behind.
"Hold on tight. If you get lost in here, you might not be found again."
Jiang Jue tightened his grip on Meng Hongchen's hand and whispered in her ear.
Right now, this massive city was bustling with people, with a long line at the gate.
The reason? The once-every-five-years Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament was about to begin.
"Tch~ I won't get lost."
Meng Hongchen's ears turned red, and she gave a soft hum of protest—but obediently gripped Jiang Jue's hand even tighter.
"Damn it! Damn you, Jiang Jue!"
Behind the two, Xiao Hongchen's face darkened, full of resentment.
Not only did Jiang Jue steal his little sister, but he was flaunting affection right in front of him! It was pure psychological torment!
This year's tournament would be held at the Xingluo Plaza, located just in front of the imperial palace. The plaza was massive, able to accommodate the largest number of spectators.
Not far from the east side of Xingluo Plaza stood a seven-story hotel called the "Star Emperor." Owned by the royal family, it had been specially cleared out to host the competing teams from various academies.
When Jiang Jue's group arrived, Elder Ma reported their academy's name, and they were promptly led to their rooms.
Although the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy always ranked second, it still commanded respect. Each member had a private room and a dedicated meeting room for team use.
After resting, Elder Ma convened a meeting in the conference room.
"Ahem, listen up. We came to Xingluo Empire for only three things."
"First: beat Shrek Academy.Second: beat Shrek Academy.Third: still beat Shrek Academy!"
Elder Ma slammed the table and roared:
"This is not just your personal honor, but the honor of the Royal Soul Engineering Academy—of the entire Sun Moon Empire!"
"You are not allowed to lose! Only victory is acceptable!"
"Geniuses must act like geniuses—don't be cowards!"
Though his words were crude, Elder Ma's passion lit a fire in everyone's heart. Their faces flushed, as if they were ready to charge onto the battlefield against Shrek right then and there.
Seeing this, Elder Ma nodded with satisfaction.
Of course, he hadn't mentioned one other thing: this tournament could determine whether he got promoted...
"Alright, save your strength for the arena. Stop acting crazy here."
"There's still a day before the tournament. Prepare as you see fit!"
With that, Elder Ma left the meeting room.
He still needed to report some matters to the rank-9 soul engineer from the Mingde Hall who had accompanied them.
"Jiang Jue, come explore with me! I've never been to Xingluo City before."
Meng Hongchen wrapped her pink arms around Jiang Jue's arm and spoke sweetly.
"Sure, let's go."
Jiang Jue hesitated briefly but agreed.
With the tournament looming, a little relaxation and time with Meng Hongchen wouldn't hurt.
"Yay! Let's go! I wanna try the food here!"
Meng Hongchen cheered and pulled Jiang Jue out with her.
"Hey! Sis, take your big bro with you!"
Xiao Hongchen popped out and asked hopefully.
Meng Hongchen's face fell. She shot her brother a death glare. Xiao Hongchen chuckled awkwardly and slinked away.
After the two left, Xiao Hongchen jabbed his finger toward Jiang Jue's silhouette.
"Hmph! Chasing girls will only drain your body! Weak-willed fools like you aren't worthy of being my rival!"
"Senior Xiao, can you come explore the city with me?"
A soft, sweet voice came from beside him. A gentle-looking girl, one of the backup team members, looked up at him with hope.
"Ahem, sorry. I have to train."
Xiao Hongchen flicked his white hair and walked off in cool fashion.
He wasn't like Jiang Jue. He was going to train. He was going to climb to the very top, step by step.
The girl watched Xiao Hongchen's departing figure. Her face held no resentment—only admiration.
"Junior, how about I take you sightseeing?"
At that moment, Lin Xi appeared beside her, striking a cool pose and asking.
"Sorry, Senior, I have to go train."
The girl responded politely and walked off.
"…."
(End of Chapter)