Chapter 161: The Third Son

Previously, while Wang Rui was suffering from a headache conducting a meeting with the savage beasts, Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion was also holding a meeting.

This just goes to show—meetings are the lifelong enemy of all intelligent beings (cross that out).

At present, there was no Golden Tree on Sea God Island. Instead, on the southern side of the island stood a massive, golden, gleaming statue of the Sea God facing northward. This statue was now the tallest structure on the island.

Opposite the statue, at the very center of Sea God Island, were three towering, flat-topped buildings that far exceeded the height of any other structures. These were the offices and activity spaces of the elders of the Sea God Pavilion, and it was said that their design symbolized the Sea God's Trident.

The statue of Tang San gazed upon these three towers with a benevolent expression, as if blessing his descendants.

To the right of Tang San's statue stood a peculiar, towering stone pillar. This ancient, grayish pillar bore strange inscriptions and looked extremely worn. It was, in fact, one of the seven original Sea God Sacred Pillars from ten thousand years ago, which had been relocated to Shrek Academy by the power of a god.

This pillar was also said to be the medium through which Shrek Academy could communicate with the Divine Realm.

However, the atmosphere on the island was markedly different from the vitality described in historical records. Instead of being teeming with life, the entire island was enveloped in a stifling, tense aura.

Although mist veiled the island, vegetation flourished, and the sun shone brightly, there was a distinct lack of true vitality.

Aside from the lapping sounds of the Sea God Lake, the rustling of plants swayed by the wind, and the voices of Shrek students, no other sounds could be heard on the island.

There were no birds chirping, no insects buzzing, nor any signs of small creatures moving about.

From the island, the sun hanging in the sky appeared as nothing more than a golden-yellow ball of fluff, its warmth diluted by the mist.

If one were to ask the inner court students of Shrek Academy about this, they might attribute it to the overwhelming presence of powerful Soul Masters in the Sea God Pavilion. The formidable elders constantly exuded an invisible pressure, which even kept cockroaches from appearing in the dormitories.

Others might blame it on the academy's intensely competitive atmosphere, where students were too preoccupied with training to bring any lively energy to the island.

Those who knew more about Shrek's history might proudly claim that their ancestor, Tang San—whom they had somehow claimed as their forefather—held not only the Sea God's divine position but also that of the Asura God, the god of slaughter. The cold, killing intent lingering on the island was only natural.

But in reality… who could say for sure?

If Wang Rui had access to specific intelligence about Sea God Island, he might point out that the island's circular shape, along with the arrangement of the statue and the three flat-topped towers, resembled… an incense burner.

But where would you find incense-burning and deity-worshipping traditions on the Douluo Continent? Most likely, it was just one of those strange coincidences that surfaced throughout history.

After all, while no two leaves were exactly the same, neither were they entirely different.

In the largest of the three central towers, within its most spacious and well-lit conference room, over a dozen middle-aged men and women sat around a long, oval-shaped table, waiting for the three individuals who occupied the seats at the head of the table.

In reality, each of these handsome uncles and beautiful aunts was well over a hundred years old—some were even pushing past that—though their formidable strength had slowed their aging considerably.

These individuals stood at the pinnacle of both power and authority. Any one of them could wield immense influence across the three empires of the Douluo Continent. It was difficult to imagine what kind of person could command the presence of all these mighty figures at once.

At that moment, the door swung open, and a tall elder with a full head of white hair strode into the room. He glanced around dramatically before grinning and saying,

"Oh? So I'm not the last one here after all?"

With that, he flicked his robe, took the seat at the head of the table, and pulled a colorful magazine out of his soul tool, flipping through it beneath the table.

A crippled, decrepit Dragon God Douluo might have needed to present himself as calm, wise, and steadfast—a pillar of support for the Sea God Pavilion.

But an unharmed, peak-condition Mu En had no such obligations.

He did as he pleased.

Moments later, the door burst open again with a loud bang. Old Xuan entered with a chicken leg between his teeth, swaggering into the room. However, upon seeing Mu En at the head seat, he instantly tucked his tail between his legs and scurried to his own chair.

Now, only one person was missing.

A tense atmosphere began to build. A silent, unspoken dissatisfaction toward this last individual surged like an undercurrent among the elders of the Sea God Pavilion.

Mu En, however, continued reading his thin little magazine as if he hadn't noticed a thing. Beside him, Xuan Zi was too preoccupied with trying to swallow his chicken leg discreetly to pay attention.

Even more interestingly, despite the growing tension, none of the elders voiced their discontent.

The room remained silent, save for the crisp sound of Mu En flipping pages—until a young man in a red robe pushed open the door and entered.

The red-robed youth had long, sea-blue hair, and his eyes were the same clear shade of blue. A red, eight-pointed star was emblazoned on his forehead. His expression was impassive, his demeanor indifferent. He didn't so much as glance at the elders but merely nodded slightly toward Mu En before taking his seat and closing his eyes.

"Since everyone's here," Mu En finally spoke, turning another page with deliberate slowness, "let's begin."

This was a relatively routine meeting. The first to report was Yan Shaozhe, who summarized the previous semester's key students in the Martial Soul Department and outlined plans for the upcoming semester.

Next was Xian Lin'er, who covered the Soul Tool Department's progress, with an additional segment on research projects.

Each elder took turns reporting on their respective responsibilities—perhaps their assistants had written their speeches, but Sea God Pavilion meetings required them to personally deliver their reports.

The red-robed youth remained silent with his eyes closed. Xuan Zi managed to gulp down half a jug of liquor, barely suppressing a burp. Mu En continued flipping through his magazine, though his gaze now moved slightly slower than before.

Finally, when it was Old Lin's turn to report on the financial status of the Pavilion and the management of the Treasure Pavilion, she paused slightly before speaking.

"Old Mu, the two hidden experts from the Clear Sky Sect have contacted the Treasure Pavilion."

"They want us to ensure that a soul bone reaches the Clear Sky Sect's young master—that is, the second-year student named Wang Dong." She spoke solemnly.

"Just find a way to get it to him during the upcoming Treasure Appreciation Event, then. It's just a soul bone, why even bring this up in the meeting?" Xuan Lao snorted.

"Yes, given our relationship with the Clear Sky Sect, assisting in such a small matter is only natural," a white-haired, youthful-looking elder said kindly. "The key issue is… those two envoys specifically requested that this soul bone should help strengthen the bond between the Clear Sky Sect's young master and his martial soul fusion partner. Ideally, it should be personally gifted to him by his partner."

"That Wang Dong kid has a martial soul fusion partner?"