Douluo Continent: Huo Yuhao obtains the Flame Emperor template

Chapter 157 I have also made amends for my mistakes.

"Shrek was really blown up?" Xu Jiawei was stunned. He had just guessed casually, but he didn't expect it to be true. Xu Jiawei had never heard of any titled evil soul master who would dare to do such a "heinous" thing to the elders of the Sea God Pavilion!

After the minister's brief explanation, Xu Jiawei, knowing that three members of the Shrek Inspection Team had died in battle, naturally could not gloat.

"Sigh, I never thought Shrek would actually get blown up. Their fate is truly unfortunate! So, what about what I said earlier…?"

Xu Jiawei paused for two seconds, sighed slowly, and uttered a few words.

"Pretend I didn't say anything."

Just then, in the main hall of the palace, the space behind Xu Jiawei rippled, and the aura unique to the Taotie Divine Ox Martial Soul emanated from it.

"Hehe, Jiawei, what did you say? It got bombed?"

Xuanzi's ghostly voice reached Xu Jiawei's ears: "The emperor of Xingluo is quite imposing."

"Who!" Several Star Crown Guards immediately appeared, looking around warily, their nerves on edge, ready to draw their swords and fight at any moment.

They are all Soul Douluo with considerable strength in their families. The leader of the personal guard, as an elder of the Star Crown Sect, even has the cultivation of a quasi-titled Douluo, and is specifically responsible for protecting His Majesty and Princess Xu Jiujiu's safety.

Now, the defenses have been easily breached by outsiders who have entered the palace without anyone noticing, as if they were in an empty place. This situation is quite dire!

If war breaks out, it means that the other side has already acquired the capability to carry out a decapitation strike.

The leader of the Star Crown Guard held a star-patterned jade stone in his hand, already considering whether to crush it and quickly summon their Star Crown Sect's patriarch for protection.

"The Sea God Pavilion?!"

Xu Jiawei was shocked, but he quickly composed himself and waved to the Star Crown Guards who rushed into the hall to protect him, telling them to step back and that the person who came was an elder of the Sea God Pavilion and there was no need to worry.

Xuanzi appeared disheveled, holding a wine gourd in one hand and a chicken leg in the other, and said in a gruff voice, "Jiawei, you must have received my message by now, and you can probably guess that my inspection team was bombed..."

Xu Jiawei, having studied at Shrek Academy for a period of time as an outstanding member of his family, naturally respected every elder of the Sea God Pavilion.

"Elder Xuan, I am deeply saddened by the sudden and severe misfortune that has befallen the inspection team you led!" Xu Jiawei said with great emotion and a sorrowful expression, as if he had encountered the most unfortunate event of his life.

Xu Jiawei gritted his teeth, filled with hatred, and said, "That wicked titled evil spirit master deserves to die!"

Sure enough, everyone who learned that Xuanzi's team had encountered such a tragedy immediately thought of a Title Douluo-level evil soul master.

Xuanzi nodded in satisfaction after hearing the first half of Xu Jiawei's sentence, thinking to himself that Xu Jiawei was quite sensible.

However, Xu Jiawei's next words made Xuanzi's lips twitch.

Whenever he thought of the Grim Reaper, Xuanzi couldn't help but exude a murderous aura. However, he had come with a matter to attend to, so he could only take out the war merit register used by the inspection team and toss it to the minister next to him to let him speak.

The minister quickly took the register, looked at it carefully, and explained to His Majesty the whole story of "the Shrek Academy's regular team being blown up by the Five Rings Evil Soul Master".

Xuanzi's forehead turned black as he listened, and he glared at the minister who had spoken too bluntly and Xu Jiawei who was listening more and more attentively, his eyes full of fierceness.

"Jiawei, keep the news under wraps. Then, arrange the matchups for the Soul Master Competition as I request. That way, everyone can live in peace. But if the news leaks out..."

At this point, Xuanzi revealed a cold smile, the consequences of messing things up were self-evident.

The ministers immediately fell silent, terrified. Who would want to die and dare to leak such a thing?

Shrek Academy is the spiritual pillar of the people of Douluo Three Kingdoms. If this kind of thing gets out, it will be as if the spiritual pillar is no longer indestructible. It can be blown apart, and the terrifying harm it will bring to the people is unpredictable.

Xu Jiawei straightened up, took a deep breath, adjusted his mindset, and solemnly assured Xuanzi, "Elder Xuan, you can rest assured that everyone in the hall is my trusted confidant and will not divulge a single word."

"I thought he was a titled evil soul master, but I never expected him to be a five-ring soul king..." Xu Jiawei couldn't help but shudder in disbelief.

Xuanzi coughed. "That's not important, Jiawei. I've come to see you today about something far more important... It's a matter of great importance whether Shrek Academy can maintain its position among the four major powers of the continent after this Soul Master Competition!"

Xu Jiawei beckoned to the ministers and the Star Crown Guards hidden in the shadows, and said softly, "You may all leave. I need to speak with Elder Xuan."

The Star-Crowned Guards knew that with the power of the elders of the Sea God Pavilion, they would never harm His Majesty. If they wanted to, they would have done so long ago and they wouldn't be able to stop them. With a flash of starlight, the ministers and the Star-Crowned Guards left the main hall.

Xuanzi squinted and glanced at the purple-haired girl wearing a long dress with gold star patterns to Xu Jiawei's right.

Xu Jiawei smiled and said, "Elder Xuan, she is my younger sister, Xu Jiujiu. She will be involved in the competition's arrangements and will also lead my Star Luo Royal Academy team to participate in the competition."

"Jiu Jiu was already planning the competition, so hearing about the competition arrangements didn't affect her."

Xuanzi nodded slightly. He knew that Xu Jiawei had a younger sister who was a princess of the Star Luo Empire, but he had no impression of what Xu Jiujiu was like.

He hadn't forgotten that he needed the Healer Douluo to treat Dai Yueheng: "During this mission, Dai Yueheng lost his left arm and suffered a serious injury. Elder Zhuang of our school's Sea God Pavilion has already treated him. We hope the Healer Douluo can lend a hand again."

"Dai Yueheng is one of this year's Shrek Seven Devils, which can somewhat make up for the loss in his talent and aptitude. Hopefully, this kid still has a chance to become a Title Douluo."

Although Xuanzi often caused trouble while leading the team, as an elder of the Sea God Pavilion and the deputy head of the inspection team, he sincerely hoped that his disciple's injuries would improve, and he had to give Duke Baihu an explanation.

Xu Jiawei would naturally not refuse this matter. Although there were two members of the Shrek Seven Devils from the Dai family, the eldest son had encountered such a thing, and even if Dai Huabin grew up, the two brothers would hardly pose a threat to his Xu family's royal family.

Moreover, he still needs the White Tiger Duke's Mansion to guard the border, so under the current circumstances, Xu Jiawei should, both morally and logically, preserve the younger generation of the Dai family as much as possible.

Xu Jiawei nodded and said, "Elder Xuan need not worry about this. Duke Baihu has fought for the country all his life and is loyal to the royal family. He has guarded the border for more than ten years. After we finish discussing the competition, I will have the Immortal Physician Douluo hurry up and treat Dai Yueheng."

Xuanzi hummed in agreement. With Xu Jiawei's words and his personal visit, it wouldn't be difficult to get the Immortal Doctor Douluo to take action.

The important matter he and Xu Jiawei needed to discuss was how to make reasonable use of the competition rules so that the Shrek team could win a respectable ranking fairly and justly.

Xu Jiawei, of course, wouldn't act like a pure and upright gentleman, feigning righteousness and saying, "Ah, wouldn't that break the rules? As the organizers, how can we operate behind the scenes..."

The original plan was to have the Shrek team and the Sun and Moon team meet in the finals, which was actually a subtle manipulation of the match.

Xu Jiawei isn't stupid. Would he really organize a major competition just to make friends? Obviously not. His purpose in organizing this Soul Master Competition is very clear: to improve the country's economy and the influence of the Star Luo Empire.

Naturally, it should be done in a way that benefits the country.

The other three countries are well aware of this, but they won't say it aloud. There will always be a time when their own country hosts the Soul Master Competition.

Xu Jiawei pondered for a moment and asked, "Elder Xuan, your Shrek team is currently facing such a major upheaval, but the Sun and Moon team remains strong."

"The Sun and Moon Team's lineup of one Soul Emperor and six Soul Kings in this year's Soul Master Competition is no worse than any previous competition. Their reserve team roster even includes three Soul Kings."

Xu Jiawei was also very pleased and directly took out the list of students submitted by the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.

The list contains only basic information and does not reveal any secrets. After all, the main teams in this year's competition are usually the reserve teams from the previous year, which is information that other teams already have.

Moreover, most teams will go to great lengths to learn more detailed information about their opponents, such as what kind of martial spirit and soul skills they possess...

Who knows how much preparation each college's participating teams have made behind the scenes?

Xu Jiawei pointed to the roster of the Sun and Moon Team's reserve team and pointed to a few people: "Elder Xuan, look at these three, Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, and Di Ruiqiu. They are only fifteen years old, but they have all reached the cultivation level of a five-ring Soul King."

He then produced the latest Shrek Academy participant list that the minister had given him earlier, which included the presence of a Soul Master in the main team, creating a stark contrast.

Xu Jiawei frowned and asked, "You Shrek team really don't plan to provide support? Are you going to stick to this roster?"

He was somewhat dissatisfied with this. With the talent of the Shrek Academy disciples, Xu Jiawei was certain that it would be no problem for Shrek to gather three more Soul Kings to replace the three who died in battle.

But Shrek Academy isn't offering any support, isn't that deliberately trying to embarrass him?

It's obvious they're trying to concede, yet they want him to manipulate the game and lift the Shrek team to a good ranking. Xu Jiawei definitely won't agree to that.

"Elder Xuan, who in the world doesn't know that Shrek Academy has a foundation spanning ten thousand years? It shouldn't be difficult to gather three more Soul Kings, right?"

Xuanzi patted Xu Jiawei on the shoulder, his gesture carrying a deeper meaning.

"Jiawei, don't ask what you shouldn't ask. This isn't just my decision, but the decision of the entire Sea God Pavilion..." Xuanzi paused, his tone becoming more respectful, "including our Pavilion Master, who also intends for the child to face the trials of heaven directly."

"Do you understand, Jiawei?" Xuanzi said, patting Xu Jiawei's shoulder a little harder.

The trials and tribulations of fate... Xu Jiawei's lips twitched.

Isn't this tragedy caused by your mistake? Now you neither send reinforcements nor want a good ranking, aren't you trying to have your cake and eat it too?

Since Shrek is going to use such a dilapidated lineup to participate, then their entire tournament organization doesn't need to serve Shrek team entirely.

The initial goal was to help the Shrek team defeat the Sun and Moon team in the finals and boost public confidence. That's why the entire Star Luo official tournament team was willing to serve Shrek.

However, in this generation, without Shrek's support, they are clearly no match for Sun and Moon.

Wouldn't it be great if our own Star Luo Royal Academy team made it to the finals?

Since Shrek has a double standard, Xu Jiawei no longer needs to prioritize the Shrek team.

Xuanzi seemed to know what Xu Jiawei was thinking and chuckled, "In this year's Shrek Academy Soul Master Competition, we don't force ourselves to win the championship. We want to win fair and square and lose honorably, just like your Star Luo Royal Team. Reaching the top four is enough."

Once they reach the semifinals, they will proactively announce their righteous act of eliminating the evil spirit masters before the competition.

As long as the fact that the evil spirit master only has five rings is not spread, and is appropriately exaggerated and slightly strengthened, people will empathize with him.

In this way, even if they choose to withdraw from the competition midway, the general public will understand.

"Moreover, we did provide support. We sent a level 5 Soul Guidance Master who was originally a member of the regular team and is quite strong. He came to support the team."

"Once we get through the first half of the competition, I will decide whether to go all out based on my disciples' recovery progress."

Xuanzi stated that even if the glory of ten thousand years is lost this time, they can still regroup and win the championship in the next Soul Master Competition to regain their glory.

His intention was clear: to get Xingluo to help the Shrek Academy team out of respect for being the number one academy on the continent, so that they could get through the first half of the competition smoothly.

If Ma Xiaotao recovers well from her injury, then she should aim for the championship; otherwise, she should choose to withdraw from the competition and leave gracefully.

Xu Jiawei narrowed his eyes: "Elder Xuan, how respectable do you want the Shrek team to be?"

Xuanzi hung the wine gourd on his waist, held up four fingers, and said with a gentle smile, "I won't force it, just the top four."

"Of course, if Ma Xiaotao recovers well from her injury, it is not impossible for her to make it to the finals if she encounters teams from Tianhun or Douling Royal Academy in the semifinals."

Xu Jiawei was furious upon hearing this. Sending a disciple from the Soul Guidance Department to fight against the Soul Guidance Master of the Sun Moon Team—wasn't this kind of support just disgusting?

He took a deep breath and used immense willpower to keep his tone as calm as possible.

"Elder Xuan, is this what you consider respectable?"

"Hmm." Xuanzi said matter-of-factly, "Jiawei, you have to think about it. If Shrek Academy doesn't aim for the finals, then your Star Luo Academy can naturally enter the finals."

He stated that even if Xingluo loses to Riyue in the finals, it will still be runner-up, breaking previous records.

If the story of the Five Rings Evil Soul Master doesn't get out, what does it matter if Sun Moon ultimately wins the championship? How much recognition and prestige can a championship have without Shrek Academy's participation?

"So, this decision doesn't benefit our Shrek team at all, but it does benefit your Star Luo team quite a bit."

Xu Jiawei stared at the list in his hand, pondered for a moment, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes: "Elder Xuan, then I'll accept this spot in the top four. From now on, it's up to you all to rely on yourselves."

"Haha, good! I saw it coming a long time ago, you're a smart man."

Xuanzi laughed heartily, quite proud, feeling that he had finally done something to make amends for his sins.

(End of this chapter)