Douluo Continent: I can nurture soul beasts and even perform super evolution.

Chapter 124 Su Wen: It's simple, I'll just take action!
Inside the cave.

The aftershocks of the corpse explosion washed over the entire cave, erasing all the cruel and bloody corpses. The severed limbs and fragments were buried by the dust and sand that fell from the cave ceiling. Evil spirit masters once lived here, and their stories were only passed down orally among the local people, becoming nighttime tales for mothers to frighten their children.

But Wang Yan stared intently at Xuanzi, his eyes bloodshot. The main team members were almost completely wiped out. Regardless of what would happen in the subsequent competitions, it was unknown whether they would suffer from hidden injuries that would affect their foundation.

Until a truly authoritative and powerful healer draws a conclusion, everyone else's words can only be considered as comfort...

"..."

Xuanzi looked around.

The ground was in mess.

The reserve team members frantically tended to the unconscious captain. Just half an hour ago, they were full of vigor and pride of the academy, but now…

"I'll take them back to the academy, and I'll take full responsibility for the outcome," Xuanzi said dejectedly. "You take Xiaotao and the others to the competition. Whatever ranking they achieve, they'll be a source of pride for the academy."

"Sigh..." Wang Yan clenched his fist, then relaxed it.

Head tilted.

Who would have thought that a team led by a top-tier expert could suffer such injuries?!

Even if he were a Title Douluo, his ending would be a hundred times better than what he is now!

What was once a sure thing for first place in the mainland competition has now been turned into a losing battle by Xuanzi, who has found a way to lose...

Before leaving, Xuanzi glanced at Su Wen.

His expression was complicated.

There was gratitude, frustration, and a touch of shame. The scene from several years ago, when he led the team and had them face a 100,000-year-old soul beast, was still vivid in his mind. But how long had it been since then, and now...

Both times, Su Wen turned the tide. If it weren't for Su Wen... sigh.

The slight annoyance he felt towards Su Wen earlier had long since vanished.

"Sigh, I'm leaving."

He waved his hand, his back bent under the weight of something unseen, making him look much older.

But Su Wen only sighed softly.

Will Xuanzi change?
Will not.

He readily admits his mistakes, but he just won't repent.

What's most infuriating is that it's not the bad guys who rack their brains that's scary, but the stupid ones who suddenly have a brilliant idea and want Elder Xuan to teach them a lesson... Heh, unless the entire Shrek Academy sends their own supplies, that's probably not possible.

However, compared to Elder Xuan, he might be more suited to be a pure brute, while more technically demanding tasks like leading a team should be left to younger, more capable individuals like Yan Shaozhe and Xian Lin'er.

Su Wen turned his gaze back to the team.

Ma Xiaotao was the strongest, so even though she was at the very core of the explosion, she managed to withstand it thanks to her Soul Emperor strength. Her injuries were much lighter than those of Yao Haoxuan and the others, so she chose to stay.

As for the inner courtyard disciples, only she and Ling Luochen remained.

The intoxication vanished instantly upon the explosion, but it was too late.

"I'm sorry, Xiao Wen..."

She avoided eye contact, lying in Ling Luochen's arms, not daring to look Su Wen in the eye.

Su Wen repeatedly reminded them not to underestimate their opponents and not to drink alcohol, but as the team leader, she had long since put everything out of her mind, resulting in this tragedy, which is entirely her responsibility.

"Sister Xiaotao, the best thing you did was hand the team over to me. You're not suited to be the captain," Su Wen sighed. "Of course, I didn't mean to praise Yao Haoxuan and the others. They're all useless, equally incompetent, there's no point in comparing them..."

Ma Xiaotao's face flushed red. She had initially felt ashamed, but upon hearing the word "good-for-nothing," she immediately became indignant.

Her crimson eyes glared angrily at Su Wen.

How dare you call me trash?! I'll teach you a lesson when we get to the hotel.

Su Wen's lips twitched.

"If you plan to spend your life as a mascot of Shrek Academy, join the Sea God Pavilion, and dutifully guard the academy, then that's fine. You don't need all these complicated details. Just focus on improving your strength."

"But if you intend to shoulder a heavy responsibility for Shrek Academy in the future and want to rely solely on strength, then you'll probably only end up imitating Elder Xuan today..."

"Responsibility is a very heavy thing," Su Wen said softly.

"So, Sister Tao, please don't blame me for being harsh, because a slight mistake could lead to someone's death. You've already seen and experienced firsthand the consequences of being unable to handle the situation."

Ma Xiaotao lowered her head.

Ling Luochen turned her head away guiltily; she had also taken a few sips earlier.

"Teacher Wang Yan."

Su Wen looked at Wang Yan, who was standing quietly to the side, and called out softly.

"I'm here!"

The latter hurriedly stepped forward.

Su Wen's performance naturally made him regard him as his backbone. Although this young man's strength was far inferior to that of Elder Xuan, and his age was among the lowest in the entire arena, his presence gave people a sense of stability as solid as a mountain.

"Let's prepare for the competition. This time, the academy will most likely not send a substitute," Su Wen said calmly.

In the original novel, even when Huo Gua and his group of unremarkable disciples faced a situation that others considered a sure loss, Elder Mu had the courage to let go. How much more so when he was in this competition?

"Oh... Ah?! The academy isn't sending anyone else?" Wang Yan's eyes widened.

“I know Elder Mu. Given his personality, it’s highly likely.” Su Wen straightened up, looked up at the dark sky, where the evening stars twinkled. Elder Mu must be gazing at the stars too…

"I'll talk about it in a bit," Su Wen said, patting Wang Yan on the shoulder.

Throughout the original story, this character was under the most pressure and did his best to save Shrek, so he deserved the respect he deserved.

Wang Yan paused for a moment, then nodded blankly.

Why do I always feel like... he's the one who seems like a student?

……

the other side.

The reserve team arrived late and was on the outskirts of the battlefield, so their injuries were the least severe. They could recover to their best condition after a few days of rest, but their morale was somewhat low at the moment.

The flickering campfire illuminated the bewildered faces of the crowd.

Originally, they were just enjoying hot pot and singing songs, coming to the competition to gain some prestige and make their presence known. After all, the main team members were too strong. Even in the history of Shrek Academy, they were among the strongest teams. They could easily win without even lifting a finger.

As a result, a winning hand was played terribly, and almost the entire starting lineup was wiped out.

What about the competition then?

A suffocating feeling pressed down on them, making it hard to breathe.

Regardless of whether others will regard them as sinners after a loss, the overwhelming pressure of bearing the honor of Shrek Academy and falling on the field is enough to soak one's clothes with sweat just thinking about it.

“The main team members, except for Sister Xiaotao and Sister Luochen, have all been wiped out. Shrek Academy is not close to the Star Luo Imperial Capital. I don’t know if Elder Xuan can make it back in time… Moreover, we need to summon the senior students of the inner academy back. Otherwise, it can only be the senior students who are currently staying in the inner academy.” Beibei said with a grim expression.

“Senior Beibei, so what do you mean…” Ning Tian’s face turned pale.

"Even if we can catch up, there are only two or three senior students at the Soul King level." Bei Bei shook her head and stared blankly at the campfire.

Why is this happening?
"Everyone."

Su Wen slowly approached.

"How is it, Xiao Wen? Has the academy replied?" Ma Xiaotao asked anxiously.

“…” Su Wen shook his head.

The hopeful eyes of the crowd dimmed again.

For a moment, even Mu Qiu'er was affected by the oppressive atmosphere, fiddling with the golden dragon spear in her hand, remaining silent.

"However, there's one more piece of news," Su Wen said softly. "The academy most likely won't send any more reinforcements, so we need to prepare to fight alone."

"What?!" Beibei exclaimed in shock.

"With us... we're finished." He slumped his head, looking dejected. "Sister Tao will need at least half a month to recover before she can go back to the battlefield. That means our team only has one Soul King right now. If we run into a strong team in the knockout stage..."

If a team member is eliminated in the knockout stage, they will be forever branded as a disgrace to the academy.

"call……"

Su Wen sighed softly.

"The academy's rules and regulations are problematic, seriously problematic. From the outer academy to the inner academy, and then to the Sea God Pavilion, they are rotten to the core. Elder Xuan and the inner academy disciples are examples of this. This problem should no longer be covered up... Never mind, I will explain it to Elder Mu when I get back."

"But right now... we need to win the tournament first."

"There's only one Soul King? Who said that?"

Su Wen smiled.

Hurricane, Ice Emperor, and Azure Phoenix appeared beside him, their auras originating from top-tier bloodline soul beasts clearly visible.

"No Soul Emperor? Who said that?"

"Roar!!!"

Xiao Jin looked up at the sky and roared.

The overwhelming power emanating from the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear instantly silenced the entire Mingdou Mountain Range. Birds and beasts scattered, and snakes and insects retreated. In terms of true strength, Xiao Jin, with his Soul Bone Skill, was comparable to a true Soul Saint.

"The starting players are gone? I'll just step in..." Su Wen smiled warmly.

"..."

Wang Yan's eyes shone brightly.

This is the confidence that comes with strength. No matter how eloquent you are, it's not as good as showing your real combat power. Everyone's confidence soared like a rocket.

"We should... be able to win, right?"

"It's a guaranteed win," Su Wen said instinctively.

Wang Yan looked at Su Wen, who walked away nonchalantly, with a puzzled expression.

……

Poseidon Island.

Xuanzi sat on the steps, took another sip of wine, ate a chicken leg, and looked utterly dejected.

Yan Shaozhe arrived quietly and sighed softly.

"Elder Xuan, please don't blame yourself. This time it was purely... Dai Hao's fault. As the Duke of White Tiger, guarding the border, how could he possibly host a banquet for you? If you hadn't been under the influence of alcohol, you wouldn't have been so careless and fallen into the trap of those evil soul masters. Besides, with Xiao Wen there, there weren't many casualties. Elder Zhuang said that Qingluan's healing was very timely. Although Yueheng and the others were seriously injured, it wouldn't damage their innate talents. Once their injuries heal, they'll be fine..."

After he finished speaking, Xuanzi felt a little better and waved his hand, "Alright, I will give the elders an explanation for this matter."

His figure walked forlornly toward the Sea God Pavilion.

"Sigh, how could this happen..." Yan Shaozhe sighed softly as he looked at Xuanzi's retreating figure.

……

Inside the Neptune Pavilion conference hall.

The atmosphere is weird.

Over the past few years, Xuanzi has led the team three times, but each time a major accident occurred, and Su Wen was always present—the first time they encountered a 100,000-year-old soul beast, and the whole team was severely injured; the second time was a hunt by evil soul masters, and Su Wen went missing; the third time… he was tricked by a soul king?!
You are the strongest person in Shrek Academy on the surface!

What's even more touching is that Su Wen turned the tide every time. According to Yao Haoxuan's recollection after waking up, Su Wen was incredibly helpful – giving warnings beforehand and doing his best to salvage the situation after it happened. It's safe to say that without Su Wen, the team would not only be temporarily incapacitated as they are now, but they might even have suffered real injuries!
"Elder Mu... I would like to resign from my position as deputy head of the inspection team."

Xuanzi finally spoke.

"What! Absolutely not!" Yan Shaozhe gave Xian Lin'er a wink and quickly tried to dissuade her.

The elders watched this scene with a leisurely air.

The resignation of Elder Xuan has been a dramatic scene that has been staged several times at the Sea God Pavilion meetings.

But it's all just a show, and as for the outcome... everyone knows the truth.

"it is good!"

But what no one expected was.

Moon, who had been silent all along, nodded slightly and uttered the first word since the meeting began.

"..."

The entire conference room fell silent.

Everyone stared at Elder Mu in disbelief.

You agreed?!
Even Xuanzi looked surprised and suddenly raised his head, momentarily at a loss for what to do.

"Mr. Mu, I..."

“Didn’t you want to resign? I’ve given your permission. From now on, you can relinquish all your Shrek positions and just stay at the academy. No, if you want to travel to the continent, that’s fine too. I won’t stop you.” Moon’s voice was gentle, but it sent a shiver down Xuanzi’s spine.

"Teacher, Elder Xuan is also..." Yan Shaozhe was stunned for a moment, then quickly stepped forward to dissuade him.

"So this is your confidence?!" Moon's voice suddenly rose, and his tone turned cold.

"Does everyone forgive you and trust you again and again, making you feel that no matter how big a mistake you make, as long as you put on a sad and frustrated look here, they will definitely forgive you?"

Moon sighed.

"So this is ah……"

"No wonder you'll never change."

"No, Uncle-Master, I...I..." Xuanzi's expression showed obvious panic, and he was at a loss for what to do.

“You didn’t, but that’s what you did.” Moon slowly closed his eyes, concealing his unspeakable disappointment.

However, it's not all bad news.

Su Wen gave him an unimaginable surprise...

Faster, faster.

He only hoped that his body could endure a little longer so that he could safely hand over Shrek Academy to Su Wen.

"Shao Zhe," he said softly.

"Teacher, I'm here!" Yan Shaozhe quickly bent down.

"From now on, all inner court disciples must carry an invincible shield and a defensive soul tool when going on missions. Lin'er will discuss the specifics with you. The soul tool department can also make these things, so there is no need to purchase them from the Sun Moon Empire."

"Secondly, Shrek Academy... does need to make some changes."

he murmured.

“Teacher, the inner academy has done a count, and there are three Soul Kings staying at the school. It will take enough time for Elder Xuan to lead them there. Should we…” Yan Shaozhe did not dare to refute Mu En’s words, but instead inquired about another urgent matter.

"Do not."

Moon shook his head.

"This lesson has exposed too many shortcomings of Shrek Academy: arrogance, conceit, and conceit. Shrek's eternal honor has become a burden and a shackle, trapping us in it."

"Let them go this time."

"I also want to know, with this little guy Su Wen around, just how far can they go..."

(End of this chapter)