CHAPTER 280: Crumbling Foundations

Chapter 280: Crumbling Foundations

Outside Mingdu City, Du Bu Si stared at Xuan Zi with an unpleasant expression.

  "In the end, does Shrek even have any proper teaching methods?" he snapped.

  "How can you say that?" Xuan Zi retorted. "I've improved quickly. So have Mu Lao and Shao Zhe. Isn't that a direct result of Shrek's education?"

  Du Bu Si's face twisted with rage. "Light Holy Dragon, Light Phoenix, Taotie Divine Bull—do any of them have a weak martial soul? And you, Taotie Divine Bull—your martial soul is clearly superior to mine, yet Shrek didn't even try to help you obtain a hundred-thousand-year soul ring when you reached your eighth ring. That ring could've made you eligible to challenge an Ultimate Douluo! What has Shrek even been doing all these years?!"

  "Talents with potential are overlooked. If I hadn't taken over the Sea God Pavilion temporarily, those hundred-thousand-year soul bones might have been ruined and rendered useless! Shrek could've offered so much more to its students—but the teaching quality? Absolutely pathetic!"

  Xuan Zi's voice was sharp with anger. "Those resources weren't pulled out of thin air—they were accumulated over ten thousand years. Even over a couple of centuries, we couldn't just casually hand out a hundred-thousand-year soul bone."

  "And now they're used as compensation?" Du Bu Si barked. "You think Shrek's legacy can be preserved by soul bones and herbs alone?"

  They hadn't even reached the quarterfinals. Worse, they'd been caught cheating—and the scandal had exposed Shrek's declining educational standards. Recruiting talented students in the future would be nearly impossible.

  Without its revered status, the Body Sect could no longer rely on Shrek to expand its influence.

  Xuan Zi fell silent, sipping his wine. He was no longer the head of the Sea God Pavilion—Shrek's future wasn't his burden anymore.

  "Master, we should leave at once. If the Sun and Moon Empire decides to strike, we won't be safe here," a Body Sect elder said, his voice low with urgency.

  Du Bu Si glanced toward Mingdu before shaking his head. "Be on guard, but don't panic. If they really intended to attack us, they would've already made their move. Since they haven't, they probably won't."

  "Huh? Why?" Xuan Zi looked at him, confused.

  Du Bu Si gave him a look like he was questioning his intelligence. "Why do you think? This is the Sun and Moon Empire's home turf, and Xiao Qiang hasn't made a move against us. Isn't it obvious?"

  He continued, his voice now grim with clarity. "How old are we? How much more room do we have to grow? And Xiao Qiang? Mu Qingxue? Jing Hongchen? They're younger—far younger. If they fought us now, we'd be cornered and desperate—we'd just drag someone down with us in a blaze of death. But ten, twenty years from now? We'll be old and weak. They'll be monsters."

  "If they wait, there's no risk. But if they fought us now, there's a chance we could take one of them down. That's why they're waiting. Logical, isn't it?"

  He looked at Xuan Zi. "If we were to strike down Xiao Qiang or Mu Qingxue right now, yes, we'd probably die. But we'd be remembered. In ten years, we won't even have that option."

  Xuan Zi was silent. Time and strength were no longer on their side. No one was chasing them—not because they feared retaliation, but because waiting would guarantee an easier victory. In a few decades, Xiao Qiang wouldn't even need to lift a finger. They'd already be dust.

  After witnessing the terrifying strength of the Sun and Moon Empire, even their so-called Soul Kings—likely force-fed elixirs—weren't as concerning as the fact that the empire could casually produce individuals with 100,000-year soul rings. And those soul rings cleansed their users' bodies, nullifying the drug drawbacks.

  This wasn't just a loss. It was a total collapse. No genius-level talent like Xiao Qiang. No high-end combat force. Not even a stalemate.

  "If I had known… I should've killed Xiao Qiang the first time I saw him, no matter the cost!" Xuan Zi muttered, eyes filled with regret. He had known the youth was dangerous—but never expected such terrifying growth.

  Du Bu Si sighed. "Too late. If we fight now, we lose. If we do nothing, we just wait for death. Even Xiao Qiang knew this two years ago. That's why he let us go back then."

  He turned to leave. "Let's go. Before all of Shrek's students flee, we should offer benefits to the remaining geniuses and salvage what resources we can. If we avoid Xiao Qiang's wrath and get our hands on the soul spirit technology, maybe—just maybe—Shrek will have a sliver of hope."

  But Xuan Zi didn't move. He blocked the others from leaving and stared at Du Bu Si.

  "Old Poison, this 'sliver of hope'—how much is it worth?"

  Du Bu Si didn't flinch. "Better than nothing."

  "In other words… close to zero."

  He didn't refute it.

  The Sun and Moon Empire could forge hundred-thousand-year soul rings at the fifth or sixth level. What did Shrek have to compete with that? Some soul bones collected over millennia?

  Xuan Zi, clad in powerful soul bones, still couldn't reach level 99. The core issue? His soul rings were trash. Their total age didn't even hit 300,000 years. His martial soul had no room to shine.

  "You agree with me, then," Xuan Zi said coldly. "So why won't you listen? Let's go all out!"