FE—Chapter 156: I Have Also Made Up for My Mistakes
"Shrek was really blown up?" Xu Jiawei was stunned. He had only guessed casually, but he didn't expect it to be true. Xu Jiawei had never heard of any Title Douluo evil soul master daring enough to commit such a "harmful" act against the old man of the Sea God Pavilion!
After the minister's brief narration, Xu Jiawei realized that three members of the Shrek Supervisory Group had died in battle, so he naturally couldn't gloat over the disaster.
"Alas, I didn't expect the Shrek Team to really be blown up. It's bad luck! So, what I said before..."
Xu Jiawei paused for two seconds, sighed slowly, and uttered a few words.
"Just pretend I didn't say anything."
At this moment, above the palace hall, space behind Xu Jiawei fluctuated, and the aura of the Taotie Divine Bull Martial Soul emanated from it.
"Hehe, Jiawei, what did you say was blown up?"
Xuan Zi's ghostly voice reached Xu Jiawei's ears: "The emperor of Star Luo Empire is so majestic."
"Who!" Several royal guards immediately appeared, looking around vigilantly, their nerves tense, ready to draw their swords and fight at any moment.
They were all powerful Soul Douluos in the family. The leader of the guards, an elder of the Star Crown Sect, possessed the cultivation of a quasi-titled Douluo and was dedicated to protecting His Majesty and Princess Xu Jiujiu.
Now, an outsider had easily broken through the defenses and entered the palace hall unnoticed. This situation was quite serious!
If a war broke out, it would mean the other party had the capability to carry out a decapitation operation.
The leader of the Royal Guards held a star-patterned jade in his hand, contemplating whether to crush it and summon the ancestors of the Star Crown Sect immediately for protection.
"Elder of Sea God Pavilion?!"
Xu Jiawei was shocked but quickly restrained his emotions. He waved to the guards rushing into the hall to protect him, signaling them to retreat, and explained that the visitor was an elder from the Sea God Pavilion and there was no need for alarm.
Xuan Zi appeared with a messy image—one hand holding a wine gourd, the other clutching a chicken leg—and said in a muffled voice: "Jiawei, I suppose you've also received my message. You can probably guess that our supervisory group has been bombed..."
Xu Jiawei, an outstanding talent of the family, had studied at Shrek Academy for a period. Naturally, he respected every elder of the Sea God Pavilion.
"Elder Xuan, the supervisory group you lead, has encountered such a major incident. I am also very saddened!" Xu Jiawei said emotionally, looking genuinely distressed as if he had faced the greatest misfortune in his life.
He gritted his teeth and said with hatred: "That Title Douluo evil soul master who committed all these atrocities deserves death!"
Indeed, everyone aware that Xuan Zi led the team to such a tragedy immediately thought of the evil soul master at the Titled Douluo level.
Xuan Zi listened to the first half of Xu Jiawei's words and nodded appreciatively, thinking that Xu Jiawei was quite perceptive.
However, his next words made Xuan Zi's mouth twitch again.
Every time he thought of the Death God Envoy, Xuan Zi couldn't help exuding a murderous aura. Yet, since he also carried official duties, he could only produce the special war merit registration book of the supervisory group and toss it to the minister beside him to explain.
The minister quickly took the registration book, examined it carefully, and recounted the entire story: "The Shrek selection team was blown up by a five-ring evil soul master."
Xuan Zi's forehead darkened upon hearing this. He glared at the blunt-speaking minister and at Xu Jiawei, whose expression grew more serious, with fierce eyes.
"Jiawei, keep the news secret. Arrange the matchups for the upcoming Soul Master Competition according to my instructions so everyone stays safe. If this information leaks..."
Xuan Zi sneered, and the consequences of a leak were self-evident.
The minister immediately fell silent—no one dared to leak such sensitive information unless they wanted to die.
Shrek Academy was the spiritual pillar of the people of the Douluo Three Kingdoms. If this kind of incident spread, it would be as if the pillar was shattered—an unpredictable act of terror that could shake the very foundations of the people.
Xu Jiawei took a deep breath, steadied himself, and vowed to Xuan Zi: "Don't worry, Elder Xuan. Everyone in this hall is my confidant. They will never leak a word."
He shuddered involuntarily. "I thought it was a Title Douluo evil soul master, but I didn't expect it to be a five-ring Soul King..."
Xu Jiawei couldn't hide his shock.
Xuan Zi coughed. "That's not important, Jiawei. I came here today for something more urgent... After this Soul Master Competition, whether Shrek can stabilize the situation in the four countries on the continent will be of great importance!"
Xu Jiawei waved to the ministers and the hidden roayl guards, whispering: "Everyone, go out. I need to speak with Master Xuan alone."
The royal guards knew that with the strength of the elder from the Sea God Pavilion, he would never harm His Majesty, and if he truly intended to do so, they wouldn't be able to stop him. With a flash of starlight, the ministers and guards left the hall.
Xuan Zi narrowed his eyes and glanced at the purple-haired girl, who was wearing a long dress with golden star patterns, standing on the right side of Xu Jiawei.
Xu Jiawei smiled: "Elder Xuan, she is my sister, Xu Jiujiu. While she is helping arrange the competition, she will also lead the team from the Star Luo Royal Academy to participate."
"Jiujiu herself is responsible for planning the competition, so her role in listening and coordinating has no impact."
Xuan Zi nodded slightly. He knew Xu Jiawei had a sister who was the princess of the Star Luo Empire, but he had no impression of her personality.
He also remembered that he needed the Immortal Doctor Douluo to treat Dai Yuheng: "During this mission, Dai Yuheng lost his left arm and was seriously injured. Our Sea God Pavilion Elder Zhuang has treated him. I hope the Immortal Doctor Douluo can assist again."
"Dai Yuheng is one of the Shrek Seven Devils this year. We hope he can recover his talent and potential, and have a chance to become a Titled Douluo."
Although Xuan Zi often caused trouble when leading the team, as an elder of the Sea God Pavilion and deputy head of the Supervisory Group, he sincerely hoped his disciple's injuries would heal. He must give an explanation to the White Tiger Duke.
Xu Jiawei naturally wouldn't refuse this request. Even if the two Dai brothers grew stronger, they would hardly threaten his royal family.
He still relied on the strength of the White Tiger Duke's mansion to guard the border. In this situation, he preferred to keep the younger Dai family members as an insurance.
Xu Jiawei nodded. "There's no need to worry, Elder Xuan. White Tiger Duke has fought for his country all his life, is loyal to the royal family, and has been stationed at the border for over ten years. After discussing the competition, I'll arrange for the Immortal Doctor Douluo to treat Dai Yuheng as soon as possible."
Xuan Zi nodded deeply. With Xu Jiawei's support and his personal visit, it wouldn't be difficult to get the Immortal Doctor Douluo to act.
The main topic they wanted to discuss was how to manipulate the competition rules to ensure that Shrek could achieve a decent ranking.
Xu Jiawei certainly wouldn't pretend to be upright and honest. He thought, 'How could I operate in secret? The plan was to let Shrek meet the Sun Moon teams in the finals, controlling the outcome behind the scenes.'
He was not naive; he knew this competition was for more than just glory. It aimed to boost the country's economy and reputation. The ultimate goal was to serve the interests of the empire.
The other countries understood this well—they wouldn't openly say it, but they knew that at the right time, they would also manipulate the competition.
Xu Jiawei pondered deeply and asked: "Elder Xuan, your Shrek team is facing such a major upheaval, yet the Sun Moon team remains strong."
"The lineup for the Sun Moon team in this Soul Master Competition—one Soul Emperor and six Soul Kings—is not comparable to any previous team. They even have three Soul Kings in their reserve list."
Xu Jiawei also took out the list of students reported by the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.
The list contained only basic information, as is typical. The main team was usually the reserve team of the previous session, so the details were well-known to others.
Most teams also tried to learn more about their opponents—such as their martial souls and soul skills.
No one knew exactly how much secret preparation each team had made.
He pointed to a few names on the Sun Moon reserve list: Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, and Di Rachel—each only fifteen years old and all with five-ring Soul King cultivation.
He took out the latest Shrek entry list provided by the minister. The main team also had Soul Ancestors, forming a stark contrast.
Frowning, Xu Jiawei said, "Does Shrek really not plan to support? Do you want to stick with this list?"
He was dissatisfied. With the talents of Shrek's disciples, it wouldn't be difficult to gather three more Soul Kings to replace those who died. He was sure of that.
But Shrek's silence seemed like deliberate sabotage—like they wanted to embarrass him.
He was sure they were trying to set him up for manipulation.
"Elder Xuan, everyone knows that Shrek has a foundation of ten thousand years. It shouldn't be difficult to assemble three more Soul Kings."
Xuan Zi patted Xu Jiawei's shoulder with a deep look.
"Jiawei, don't ask questions that shouldn't be asked. This isn't my decision—this is the decision of the entire Sea God Pavilion."
He paused, then added in a more respectful tone: "Including our Pavilion Master. It's also his will—to let the children face the trial of heaven."
"Do you understand, Jiawei?"
Xuan Zi patted his shoulder more firmly.
The 'trial of heaven'…
Xu Jiawei's mouth twitched.
Wasn't this your fault that caused such a tragedy? Now you don't want to bolster the team but still want a good ranking? Isn't that a double-edged sword? If Shrek participated with such a weak lineup, their entire group wouldn't need to serve the Shrek team at all.
Originally, the goal was for Shrek to defeat the Sun Moon team in the finals and boost confidence. The official Star Luo team was willing to serve Shrek.
But if Shrek refused support, they would be no match for the Sun Moon Team.
Wouldn't it be better for the Star Luo Royal Academy team to get into the finals?
Since Shrek was both a leader and a loser, Xu Jiawei decided he didn't need to prioritize the Shrek team anymore.
Xuan Zi seemed to understand his thoughts and laughed: "We Shrek will not insist on winning the championship in this Soul Master Competition. We will win honorably and lose with dignity—just like your Star Luo Royal Team—and aim for a top-four finish."
Once in the top four, they would publicly announce the extermination of the evil soul master before the match.
As long as the fact that the evil soul master only had five rings wasn't spread, it could be slightly exaggerated to arouse public sympathy.
Even if they chose to withdraw halfway, the public could understand.
"And we're not without support. We've sent a level-5 soul engineers from the Soul Guide Department. It was used by a disciple of the main team before and is quite powerful. It will support the team."
"As long as we get through the first half of the competition, we'll decide whether to fight hard based on the recovery of the disciples."
Xuan Zi emphasized: even if the ten-thousand-year glory is lost this time, they could regroup and aim to win the next championship.
His goal was clear: to let Star Luo Team help the Shrek team, ensuring they reach the top four safely.
If Ma Xiaotao recovered well, she would aim for the championship; if not, she would withdraw with dignity.
Xu Jiawei narrowed his eyes. "Elder Xuan, how do you expect the Shrek team to be respected?"
Xuan Zi hung his wine gourd on his waist, stretched out four fingers, and said with a smiling face: "I don't insist on victory. The top four is enough."
"Of course, if Ma Xiaotao recovers well, it's not impossible for her to face the teams from Heavenly Soul Empire and Dou Spirit Empire in the top four and make it to the finals."
Xu Jiawei was furious. Sending a disciple from the Soul Guidance Department to face the Sun Moon Team—doesn't this support seem disgusting?
He took a deep breath, trying to calm his tone.
"Elder Xuan, is this what you call respectability?"
"Yes," Xuan Zi replied casually. "Jiawei, you have to think carefully. If Shrek refuses to challenge the finals, your Star Luo Team can still reach the top."
He continued: "Even if Sun Moon Team wins the championship, they'll only be runners-up, breaking the previous record."
If the Five Rings Evil Soul Master's involvement hadn't been exposed, the victory of Sun Moon Team wouldn't matter much—what value is there in a championship without Shrek?
"So, this decision benefits us more than it benefits Shrek."
Xu Jiawei looked at the list in his hand, hesitating for a moment. A flicker of realization appeared in his eyes:
"Elder Xuan, then I'll accept the top four. You'll have to rely on yourselves from now on."
Xuan Zi smiled proudly. He finally did something to atone for his sins.
{T/N: This Fanfics response is very low and It is removed from qidian so there will be no further updates. So, due to this I will stop updating this Fanfic instead of this I will pick another Fanfic}
(End of this chapter)