As they watched Ma Xiaotao soaring through the skies with her wings spread wide, the elders in the Sea God's Pavilion couldn't help but smile with relief.
The overwhelming suppression of Ultimate Fire was something each of them could feel clearly.
Even Yan Shaozhe, deep within the lowest level of the Golden Tree, heard that piercing, resonant cry of a phoenix. Tears instantly welled up in his eyes. "Wonderful! Xiaotao has finally broken free from the fate of her Evil Fire and become a true Fire Phoenix!"
Without exception, all the elders of the Sea God's Pavilion had initially felt a pang of regret over sacrificing those six 100,000-year soul bones. But now, seeing Ma Xiaotao's complete evolution into Ultimate Fire, that regret had eased considerably.
With Ma Xiaotao here, Shrek Academy could remain secure for at least the next five hundred years.
Outside the freshman dormitory, Mu En opened his dim, aged eyes. The deep-seated worry hidden within them finally faded slightly. As long as Ma Xiaotao reached the nine-ring level, Shrek might not necessarily maintain its transcendent status as a sacred land for soul masters amid future turmoil, but at least it wouldn't face the threat of destruction.
A Title Douluo with an Ultimate attribute had that capability.
And with Shrek Academy's resources, it was only a matter of time before Ma Xiaotao broke through to the Limit level.
Another advantage of an Ultimate attribute was that there were almost no bottlenecks. As long as she didn't recklessly mess things up, reaching the Limit level was practically guaranteed.
However…
The greatest crisis always came from within.
Mu En wasn't oblivious to this fact, but his time was truly running out. All he could hope for was that after his passing, these stagnant old fools in Shrek would find a way to rejuvenate themselves.
He… couldn't control things beyond his reach.
Class 1, Second Grade
No one dared to comment on Lin Yun and Xiao Xiao skipping class the previous day—not even Mu Jin. No one brought it up to cause trouble for Lin Yun.
Even though Lin Yun hadn't made a move in a while, and no one knew exactly how strong he had become, everyone could guess that he had grown even more terrifying.
Back when he first enrolled, he had already been able to knock down Zhou Yi, a six-ringed Soul Emperor, with just two punches. A whole year had passed since then. While everyone else had made progress to varying degrees, did anyone really think Lin Yun would just stay stagnant?
Impossible.
Even Dai Huabin, that arrogant prick, kept his head down and silently lurked in the corner with Zhu Lu, avoiding any unnecessary conflict.
Naturally, Mu Jin didn't care about these minor issues either. Though Lin Yun hadn't told her his current cultivation level, she guessed he had at least reached the Soul Ancestor rank.
And once a student reached Soul Ancestor, they could already apply for early graduation from the outer academy. Whether he attended class or not truly didn't matter much.
Geniuses always deserved some privileges.
Just like the announcement she was about to make.
Mu Jin had stayed on as a teacher at Shrek Academy after graduating from the outer academy. She was well aware of the tradition of the Shrek Seven Monsters and the selection process for the reserve team.
In previous years, the selection for the reserve team had always been limited to third and fourth-year students. Never before had second-years been considered.
This exception was undoubtedly made for Lin Yun.
Glancing at Lin Yun, who was currently chatting and laughing with Xiao Xiao, Mu Jin sighed helplessly, her eyes filled with both amusement and a hint of warmth.
The amusement came from how, in her eyes, Lin Yun was either "lazing around sunbathing" or flirting with Xiao Xiao. Occasionally, he'd even indulge in the shiny trinkets brought over by Ning Tian, the little rich girl.
Yes, Ning Tian had somehow discovered Lin Yun's little-known fondness for glittering gemstones.
And since the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was never short on such luxuries, she had happily catered to his preferences.
But enough about that.
The morning passed quietly. When the bell rang for the end of class, Mu Jin clapped her hands to stop the students from leaving.
"Everyone, I have an announcement to make!"
"This afternoon's physical training class will proceed as usual—except for the core disciples! You all will need to head to the Fighting Arena. The academy has a task for you!"
The non-core disciples had barely perked up with interest before Mu Jin doused their enthusiasm like a bucket of cold water.
Mu Jin's unspoken words: "If you're weak, train harder. This has nothing to do with you!"
If you weren't even a core disciple, what right did you have to stick your nose in this?
Meanwhile, the core disciples exchanged glances, most of them looking utterly confused.
Only Ning Tian and Dai Huabin—both from influential backgrounds—wore thoughtful expressions. Though neither knew the exact nature of this "task," they had a vague sense that it was something significant.
Ning Tian instinctively glanced back at Lin Yun, only to find him sitting calmly with his arms crossed, looking completely unperturbed.
"Brother Yun, do you know what Teacher Mu is talking about?" Ning Tian asked softly, leaning closer.
Beside her, Wu Feng's expression didn't change, but she subtly edged nearer, her ears perked up attentively.
"Why would you assume I know about this?" Lin Yun smirked, looking at Ning Tian with amusement.
"Ah?" Ning Tian's face flushed slightly, her usual elegance faltering.
At some point, she had started relying on Lin Yun more and more. She had grown accustomed to deferring to him, asking for his opinions on all sorts of matters.
And after learning that Lin Yun had a way to help her evolve her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile into a Nine Treasure Glazed Tile, this dependence had only multiplied.
"I just… thought you'd know," she mumbled.
In her eyes, Lin Yun seemed practically omniscient.
Watching Ning Tian's shy, almost clingy demeanor, Wu Feng bit her lip hard, letting the metallic taste of blood spread in her mouth.
The pain… It's too much to bear!
"Brother Yun, just tell us! I wanna know too!" Xiao Xiao hugged Lin Yun's arm, pressing herself against him.
Ever since giving herself to Lin Yun, Xiao Xiao had become increasingly clingy.
"Alright, alright. It's really not that big of a secret," Lin Yun said, ruffling Xiao Xiao's hair. "It's just the selection tournament for the Shrek Seven Monsters reserve team."
"Gathering the core disciples at the Fighting Arena is to pick seven students who'll be groomed as the next generation of the Shrek Seven Monsters. The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament is coming up soon, and the academy is making preparations for it."
"So that's what this is about!" Ning Tian exclaimed in realization.
No wonder it had felt familiar—it was the reserve team selection!
She hadn't made the connection immediately because they were only second-years. But now?
One glance at Lin Yun, and the reason why the academy was considering second-years for the reserve team became perfectly clear.
(End of Chapter)
────────────────────────────────────
"If you're interested, please support me in my other novel [One Piece: General Blue]."
"If you're interested, please support me in my other novel [Naruto: Starting with Tsunade-san]."
"If you're interested, please support me in my other novel [Battle Through the Heavens: Heavenly comprehension]."
"If you want early access to nearly 35+ chapters, join my patreon:- patreon.com/BaDwYGaMeR"