Chapter 50: The Losers

After chatting with Kong Deming for a while, Huo Yuhao returned to his hotel room to rest.

Meanwhile, chaos had completely engulfed Star Luo City.

Shrek Academy's crushing defeat and the disgraceful fallout from the deaths of Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu had shaken the city to its core. The heartbreaking scene of the once highly revered White Tiger Duke collapsing in sorrow on the tournament stage had left an indelible impact on the hearts of the citizens.

Now, every corner of Star Luo's streets was in utter disarray—a scene of madness. Nationalists gathered to denounce the Sun and Moon Empire, demanding that the royal family go to war and reclaim the nation's dignity. Opportunists took advantage of the chaos to loot in broad daylight. Fanatics of Shrek Academy, devastated by their idolized institution's defeat, were driven mad, with some even resorting to suicide.

Inside the royal palace, Emperor Xu Jiawei was overwhelmed. He had already deployed the army in a desperate effort to restore order, but the unrest showed no signs of stopping.

Even worse, the tournament had only just ended. Many participating teams were still in the city. If anything happened to them, the Star Luo Empire would become a global joke.

To add insult to injury, all of the Sun and Moon Empire's participating academies had vanished without a trace. No one even knew when they left.

Shrek Academy didn't stay either. They left in silence, without even attending the award ceremony to receive their runner-up prize.

Dai Yaoheng remained unconscious. Duke Dai Hao, upon waking, fainted again from the overwhelming grief and rage. The Duchess fell seriously ill due to the combined shock of her younger son's death and her eldest son's dire condition, and she was now in critical care.

At the heart of it all… was that child who had left for the Sun and Moon Empire due to Dai Hao's neglect and the cruelty of the White Tiger Duchess—Huo Yuhao.

Now, with the White Tiger Duke's household facing utter ruin, was this… karma?

A thousand messy, pressing thoughts swirled through Xu Jiawei's mind. Sitting at his desk, he buried his face in his hands in silent agony. He could only hope this retribution would end here, that the Star Luo Empire could somehow withstand the disastrous aftermath of the tournament.

But when you cross the chosen child of destiny, how could the consequences simply end there?

The one sent to escort Shrek Academy out of the now-dangerous Star Luo City wasn't Elder Xuan—but Yan Shaozhe.

The Shrek students were shocked.

"Where's Elder Xuan?"

Yan Shaozhe's expression was conflicted. News had already reached the Sea God Pavilion: Elder Xuan had been attacked by the Holy Spirit Sect's leader. His soul bone had been stolen, and his cultivation had drastically plummeted.

But of course, such news couldn't be made public.

"Star Luo is too dangerous right now. Don't stay here any longer. We have to go."

The students' morale was at rock bottom. Some had red, puffy eyes.

Especially Wang Dong, who looked like he'd just cried. He sniffled as he spoke.

"Teacher… Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu… are they just… gone, just like that?"

Yan Shaozhe sighed.

"You've all suffered... But there's nothing we can do. Kong Deming himself came—an Ultimate Douluo of the Sun and Moon Empire. There's no way we could demand justice in the face of that."

His words were vague.

In truth, the Star Luo Empire wasn't the only one in danger—Shrek Academy was too. Their strongest fighter, Elder Xuan, was now crippled. And there were countless powerful forces across the continent who harbored enmity toward Shrek. Who knew how much longer Mu En could continue to protect them?

"This tournament... you weren't even a complete team. To fight your way to second place is already incredible. Don't blame yourselves. Let's go."

And just like that, the team that had entered like a pack of beaten dogs now left with their tails between their legs, defeated and disgraced. As they departed Star Luo City, the skies rang with the furious voices of the crowd, denouncing Shrek Academy as incompetent, blaming them for the deaths of the Dai and Zhu heirs.

At Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion.

Mu En sat in the deepest chamber of the Pavilion, on a chair beneath the Golden Tree. With a heavy heart, he looked at Xuan Zi, who now knelt before him with two severed arms.

"Elder Mu… I was powerless. I couldn't do a thing against those evil soul masters from the Holy Spirit Sect."

Kong Deming's brainwashing worked instantly, leaving no trace. It subtly altered Xuan Zi's memories and perceptions.

Mu En sighed.

"You couldn't fight back at all, Xuan Zi?"

Xuan Zi gritted his teeth.

"There was a woman among them. An evil soul master… she was terrifying. Just using her soul tools alone, she locked me down completely. I couldn't move a muscle. Her soul power… it felt just like yours, Elder Mu."

Mu En's expression changed drastically. In that moment, he knew who she was.

But why would she target Shrek Academy? Why attack Xuan Zi, someone so close to him?

His instincts screamed that something was wrong. Yet even after carefully inspecting Xuan Zi's body, he found nothing amiss. And Xuan Zi would never lie to him.

Seeing Mu En's doubt, Xuan Zi hesitated, then added:

"Elder Mu... I have a theory. I believe the Holy Spirit Sect came… for Ma Xiaotao."

Mu En nodded. Xuan Zi's guess made sense. Ma Xiaotao's talent was exceptional—and the evil fire inside her gave her the potential to become an evil soul master.

Perhaps the Holy Spirit Sect had crippled Xuan Zi to prevent him from interfering, so they could one day claim Ma Xiaotao when she fully fell to darkness.

And maybe they spared his life out of lingering sentiment—Ye Xishui's old ties to Mu En.

The more Mu En thought about it, the more sense it made. He let out a bitter smile.

'A single glimpse, and I've become a love-struck fool,' he thought.

But that meant one thing: removing Ma Xiaotao's evil fire was now absolutely critical.

Xuan Zi, eager to prove he was still useful despite his injuries, said:

"Elder Mu, I have incredible news from the tournament. The Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy has a boy with the power of Ultimate Ice. Just twelve years old, but his icy aura was strong enough to suppress Ma Xiaotao's evil fire!"

Mu En's eyes widened. He sat up straighter, energy surging through his frail body.

"Xuan Zi… are you certain?"

With Xuan Zi crippled, and Mu En nearing the end of his life, Shrek Academy lacked a true powerhouse. Ma Xiaotao was their greatest hope—without question, the most promising talent they had.

Xuan Zi continued earnestly:

"It's true, Elder Mu. I wouldn't dare lie to you. It would be nearly impossible to bring the boy from the Sun and Moon Empire by force… but I heard there will soon be a student exchange program between us and their academy. If we offer them something they can't refuse, and he comes here as an exchange student… couldn't we ask him to purify Ma Xiaotao's evil fire? Wouldn't that be ideal?"

(End of Chapter)

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