Douluo Dalu: Immortal Dragon Clan

Just a few days after Shrek Academy opened, the elders of the Sea God Pavilion received an urgent letter from the Star Luo Empire.

This was the first formal meeting held by Yan Shaozhe after he took over as the head of the Sea God Pavilion, and the core topic of the meeting was this unexpected letter.

Yan Shaozhe ran his fingertips over the gold-plated wax seal, his face filled with confusion.

He couldn't understand why Emperor Xu Jiawei of the Star Luo Empire would break the century-old tradition of the All-Continent Soul Master Competition and insist on holding the event ahead of schedule—what was the deeper meaning behind this move?
"Elder Xuan, has there been any news from Duke Baihu?" Yan Shaozhe turned to look at Xuanzi beside him, his tone tinged with urgency.

No one expected that the White Tiger Duke, who had fainted from anger over trivial matters of the sect a few days ago, would choose to compromise after waking up, as if he had come to a realization.

He patted Dai Huabin on the shoulder and encouraged him, "Huabin, if you really like it, then just do it."

Thus, Tang San and Dai Huabin's engagement was finalized, and Shrek Academy and the White Tiger Duke's Mansion completely resolved their past grievances and re-established a stable partnership.

Xuanzi was gnawing on a chicken leg with one hand and drinking from a wine jar with the other. Hearing this, he stopped, casually wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth, and replied with a slurred speech, "Even Duke Baihu can't say for sure."

In his letter, he said that even after returning to the Star Luo Empire, he rarely saw Emperor Xu Jiawei; the latter practically refused to see him.

"This..." Yan Shaozhe's face instantly darkened.

Even the White Tiger Duke couldn't get any definite information, so he had no way of judging the Star Luo Empire's true intentions. This passive situation made him feel extremely uneasy.

What's even more suspicious is that the letter explicitly mentions that both the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Fighting Spirit Empire have agreed to hold the competition ahead of schedule. Even the Sun Moon Empire, which has always been closed off from other empires, has unusually voted in favor—this abnormal consensus seems very strange.

Seeing Yan Shaozhe hesitate, Xuanzi took a big bite of chicken leg and said nonchalantly, "Shaozhe, what are you afraid of? Your disciple Ma Xiaotao has the Ultimate Fire Martial Soul! The power of the Ultimate Martial Soul has been fully demonstrated by Mo Yan, so Xiaotao is naturally no less powerful."

Now that she has reached the Soul Saint level, she is absolutely superior to Jin Tianming of the Sun Moon Empire!

Upon hearing this, Yan Shaozhe couldn't help but recall the scene from a month ago: Ma Xiaotao had successfully absorbed an 80,000-year soul ring, making it her seventh soul ring, and her strength had already entered the top ranks of the younger generation on the continent.

He was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: "You're right. If we back down because the competition is brought forward, wouldn't Shrek Academy lose all face?"

However, the other elders were not so optimistic.

Old Song hurriedly tried to dissuade them, saying, "You two should reconsider! I have a feeling this matter is very strange, and I'm afraid it's not that simple."

“What could be suspicious?” Xuanzi glared at Elder Song with displeasure. “Song Yunzhi, when did you become so timid and suspicious? We are Shrek Academy, the number one Soul Master Academy on the continent! Are we afraid of them? Shao Zhe, don’t you agree?”

“That’s right.” Yan Shaozhe’s eyes were firm. “Elder Song, Elder Mu has just passed away, and the academy is in a state of disarray. I must seize this opportunity to take Shrek Academy to the next level!”

He knew better than anyone that if he wanted these highly respected elders to truly believe in him, he had to achieve real merit—he couldn't rely on Elder Xuan's prestige and the legacy of his ancestors forever.

This all-continent Soul Master Tournament, held ahead of schedule, is the perfect opportunity for him to prove himself.

If Ma Xiaotao can win the championship, all the doubts will naturally disappear.

Upon hearing this, Elder Song slammed his fist on the table in anger and pointed at Yan Shaozhe, shouting, "Shaozhe! As Master Mu En's personal disciple, can't you make your own judgments? You believe whatever Xuanzi says. How can you be a good Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion with such blind obedience?"

In her view, Yan Shaozhe always sought advice from Xuanzi when faced with problems, and did whatever the other party said without any independent thought.

But Xuanzi, that old fellow, only knows brute force; he doesn't understand strategic planning at all.

"Song Yunzhi, what do you mean by that?" Xuanzi was also furious, slamming his hand on the table and standing up abruptly to confront Elder Song. "Don't you understand what I mean?" Elder Song retorted without backing down, his voice suddenly rising, "As the head of a pavilion, if you let others dictate everything, the academy will be ruined in your hands sooner or later! Shao Zhe, I hope you can wake up!"

If Yan Shaozhe continues to blindly follow Xuanzi's lead, then Xuanzi might as well take the position of the Sea God Pavilion Master.

Yan Shaozhe remained silent for a few seconds, then slowly raised his head to meet Song Lao's gaze. His tone was calm but carried an undeniable firmness: "I believe in Elder Xuan's judgment, and we can no longer sit idly by and wait for our doom."

"Yan Shaozhe..." Old Song felt a surge of anger rush to his head, his blood pressure was about to skyrocket, and he could only manage to utter one sentence, "You will regret this!"

"Elder Song, don't forget—I am the current head of the Sea God Pavilion!" Yan Shaozhe's voice turned cold.

"you……"

Unable to contain his anger any longer, Old Song turned around abruptly and left as swiftly as a shadow.

This was the worst meeting she had ever held, and the only one in which she walked out halfway through.

When Xianlin'er saw her mother leave angrily, she instinctively wanted to stop her, but the other party was too fast and she couldn't catch up at all.

She turned her head and glared at Yan Shaozhe with displeasure: "Shaozhe, you've just become the Pavilion Master, and you're already acting so imposing?"

"Lin'er, I am now the Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion. Please show me some respect." Yan Shaozhe's tone was calm, yet carried a hint of authority.

"You... fine!" Xian Lin'er trembled with anger, but finally gritted her teeth and shut her mouth.

Seeing this, Qian Duoduo wanted to get up and smooth things over, but was stopped by Xian Lin'er's cold glare and could only sit back down awkwardly.

The brief incident of Mr. Song leaving did not last long, and the meeting at the Sea God Pavilion continued.

Ultimately, Yan Shaozhe made the final decision, agreeing to the proposal from the major empires to hold the Continental Soul Master Competition ahead of schedule.

But none of them knew that this seemingly confidential meeting was being secretly monitored by a pair of eyes the entire time.

At this moment, in a dormitory at Shrek Academy, Mo Yan was lazily lying on her bed, watching the entire meeting through special means. When she saw Yan Shaozhe make his decision, a playful smile appeared on her lips.

"Interesting, really interesting. I didn't expect to see such a classic scene after coming to Douluo Continent. It seems that there are similar scenes in my original body's memories... What were they again?" Mo Yan frowned and tried to recall, but he was too lazy to rack his brains, so he simply gave up.

Standing to the side, Dugu Luo looked at Yan Shaozhe's figure in the picture and said with schadenfreude, "Lord Mo Yan, among this group of elders, I'm afraid only Elder Song is still rational and clear-headed. It's just a pity that Yan Shaozhe is too stubborn and will not listen to advice at all."

"The value of the Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix is ​​indeed still rising." Mo Yan stretched, his tone lazy but with a hint of cunning. "I just wonder how Black Feather and White Feather will react if they know I tricked them."

"Lord Mo Yan, your methods are truly insidious," Dugu Luo couldn't help but remark.

“Alo, remember this,” Mo Yan said slowly, “There’s never a free lunch in this world. I’m not being malicious; I’m just giving these juniors a proper ‘lesson’.”

"Ah, yes, yes, you're absolutely right." Dugu Luo nodded in agreement, but inwardly he thought to himself—only Lord Mo Yan could make being lazy sound so noble.

...(End of chapter)