Chapter 52: A Welcome Sight

Although she was trying to comfort her teammates, Han Ruoruo knew very well that once a Soul Sage released their Martial Soul True Body, the sheer power was simply not something a Soul Emperor could withstand. She was just trying to raise the team's morale. Even Wu Ming, who was usually brash and carefree, felt uneasy at this moment.

She knew clearly that they were representing Shrek Academy in this tournament. As the current generation of the Shrek Seven Devils, if they lost, they would face tremendous pressure and endless blame.

Shrek Academy had won for a thousand years straight, taking over two thousand championships. If they lost the title in their generation, it was hard to imagine the storm of criticism they would face.

Just the fanatical fans at the scene could drown them in outrage. These spectators didn't care how powerful the opponents were; in their eyes, Shrek losing was simply unforgivable.

As everyone was feeling anxious and under crushing pressure, an old yet steady voice suddenly rang out: "It doesn't matter—do your best. Even if you lose, the academy will not blame you!"

The sudden voice shocked Han Ruoruo and the others, and Yan Shaozhe exclaimed in surprise, "Teacher!"

That single word, "Teacher," left the Shrek Academy reserve team, including Ling Luochen, stunned, and even the main team members were deeply shaken.

Yan Shaozhe, as Dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department and a level 95 Super Douluo, still had his teacher alive—just how terrifying was this teacher's strength?

"Shaozhe, no matter the result, you must ensure their safety. One failure is nothing—perhaps it might even be a good thing, do you understand?"

Mu En's tone was calm and composed, utterly unmoved by the imminent loss of the championship.

In his view, this defeat might serve as a wake-up call to those still intoxicated by Shrek Academy's ten thousand years of glory.

He had long noticed that the gap between the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy and Shrek Academy was shrinking. If Shrek kept indulging in past glories, they would suffer a major setback sooner or later.

Compared to losing to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, losing to St. Freya Academy—a fellow original Douluo Three Nations school—might even be a blessing.

"Yes, teacher." Yan Shaozhe replied gravely, full of reluctance, but since Mu En had spoken, he could only nod in agreement.

Han Ruoruo and the others exchanged glances, relief flickering in their eyes.

The crushing pressure from before had nearly driven them to the brink, even making them want to fight to the death just to defend Shrek's millennial honor.

Had Mu En not spoken up in time, this tournament might have turned into a tragedy.

—

St. Freya Academy's dual Soul Sages made a stunning debut, and instantly, all of Heaven Dou City was shaken by the spectacle.

The news spread like wildfire, igniting people's curiosity everywhere.

For a long time, Shrek Academy had dominated the soul master world, sweeping up the championship for ten thousand years. Their enduring rule had long stirred resentment among countless factions.

But because the gap in strength was so great, these powers could only bury their discontent, daring to feel anger but not voice it.

Now, St. Freya Academy had emerged like an unstoppable dark horse, letting them see the hope of breaking Shrek's monopoly.

On the surface, they maintained calm, but inwardly, excitement surged like an undercurrent.

In their eyes, as long as Shrek didn't lose to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, it didn't matter which of the original Douluo Three Nations' schools defeated them—any such loss was a cause for celebration.

After all, putting Shrek Academy, who had dominated for so long, in their place was something many had dreamed of. The emperor of the Heavenly Soul Empire was among them—he'd mentioned St. Freya Academy to Weina more times than he could count, each time with unreserved praise.

Although St. Freya Academy belonged to the Star Luo Empire and not the Heavenly Soul Empire—a slight regret for him—just thinking of Shrek's long-held championship throne about to be overturned made him uncontrollably excited, to the point that he felt he could eat a whole roasted soul beast.

Shrek City, nominally under Heaven Soul Empire, was in reality completely independent in taxation and management, with no subordination to the empire.

It was no exaggeration to say that Shrek City was like a "country within a country" inside the Heavenly Soul Empire, a situation that had long been a thorn in the side for generations of emperors.

But Shrek Academy's strength and influence left Heavenly Soul Empire only able to swallow their anger.

Moreover, Shrek City sat at the exit of the Star Dou Great Forest—a key location. The original Douluo Three Nations had to rely on Shrek to defend against possible soul beast tides.

Thus, even if deeply resentful, Heavenly Soul Empire had to tolerate Shrek's transcendent status.

Continental Overseer—what an imposing, lofty title, as if Shrek Academy was the real ruler of the continent, putting the original Douluo Three Nations in their place.

If not for the ever-present threat of the Sun Moon Empire, the Three Nations might have long since made Shrek their prime target for elimination.

Four thousand years ago, on the Sea God Pavilion Master's order, nearly a hundred Titled Douluo assembled in an instant—a force capable of overturning the world. Even the mighty Three Empires were as fragile as ants before it.

That event pushed the Three Nations' fear of Shrek to its peak.

Anyone with sense could see that all three empires were quietly restricting Shrek's development, just not openly.

For example, all three empires strictly forbade royal family members from joining Shrek Academy.

The reason was simple—they feared their children would be influenced by Shrek's unique and magnetic culture, and eventually turn away from their own empires.

This wasn't impossible.

Shrek really did have immense strength, top-tier teachers, countless treasures, and even the Golden Tree—an artifact of the plane itself.

But even so, the three empires still resolutely barred their royals from joining, out of long-standing fear and calculation. They worried that their heirs would be subtly swayed and their loyalty undermined, threatening their own rule—so they'd rather give up Shrek's superior resources.