Douluo Continent: Starting with a Heavenly Fire Judgment

Chapter 183 Bitter resentment year after year pressing gold thread, making wedding clothes for others.

The morning after winning the championship, Ji Lin and the others changed out of Shrek Academy's uniforms and into their usual clothes. Without alerting the Star Luo Empire's officials, they quietly left Star Luo City and flew straight to Shrek Academy.

Shrek Academy, main gate.

It was nearly noon, still during class time. The entrance to Shrek Academy was unusually quiet. The vendors who usually gathered there were nowhere to be seen. Four people stood before the massive gatehouse.

Standing at the very front were none other than Yan Shaozhe, the dean of the Martial Soul Department of Shrek Academy, and Xian Lin'er, the dean of the Soul Guidance Department.

The two people behind them are Cai Meier, the vice dean of the Martial Soul Department, and Qian Duoduo, the vice dean of the Soul Guidance Department.

The four deans arrived together, but no other teachers accompanied them.

They all tilted their heads slightly, looking at the distant sky, waiting quietly.

Finally, gradually, the tiny, black-dot-like figures in the distant sky became clearer, slowly descending under their watchful eyes.

"They're back." A smile immediately appeared on Yan Shaozhe's face.

"Finally back." Xian Lin'er's eyes also showed surprise, and surprisingly she did not confront Yan Shaozhe.

The four of them appeared at the same time, waiting for Ji Lin and the others who would bring glory to Shrek Academy and win the championship of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament.

Ji Lin and his group descended from the sky, led by Elder Xuan.

Just as Wang Yan had feared, they clearly sensed someone watching them on their way back, but they all retreated in panic after discovering Elder Xuan. If it weren't for Xuanzi's deterrence, their journey back would certainly have been far from peaceful.

Ji Lin wasn't too worried about their safety. Not to mention Xuan Zi on the surface, there was also Chi Yuan and Mu En secretly following and protecting them. He couldn't think of any other force on the continent that could field a stronger force to attack them.

When they saw the five characters "Shrek Academy" on the huge gate, Bei Bei, Jiang Nannan and the others were very excited. Two months had passed since they left Shrek Academy to go to Star Luo City to participate in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament. They had experienced a lot in these two months.

Unlike Ji Lin and the other second-year students, Bei Bei and the others considered Shrek Academy their home. It's understandable that they were excited to return home after being away for two months.

"Children, welcome home." Yan Shaozhe took a few steps forward to greet them, saying this as he and the other three bowed to Xuanzi.

Then they arrived in front of the Shrek team members who had returned in triumph.

Yan Shaozhe and Cai Meier looked at Ma Xiaotao, feeling a little excited.

Ma Xiaotao put her hands on her hips, raised her head, and said to Yan Shaozhe, "Teacher, I didn't let you down. I brought the championship back for you."

Cai Meier came to Ma Xiaotao, took her hand, and hugged her gently, saying, "Xiaotao, thank you for your hard work. I'm so glad you're back safe and sound."

Not only Yan Shaozhe, but Cai Meier also treated Ma Xiaotao like her own daughter, raising her from childhood. When Ma Xiaotao led the team to the competition, she was always worried, after all, Ma Xiaotao's evil temper was more likely to erupt in battle.

If it weren't for Ji Lin, a Soul Master of Extreme Ice, accompanying her, she wouldn't have agreed to let Ma Xiaotao participate in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Battle Tournament.

Yan Shaozhe chimed in, "Silly child, how could your teacher be afraid of you embarrassing yourself? Your safe return is the best thing."

Ever since the main team members returned seriously injured, Yan Shaozhe had been filled with anxiety, especially since Elder Mu refused to let him send reinforcements. He worried that Shrek Academy's eternal glory would be extinguished, and he was also concerned about the safety of Ma Xiaotao and the others. In his heart, although Shrek's glory was important, Ma Xiaotao was also very important. The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament was not an absolutely safe competition; injuries and fatalities had occurred in almost every edition.

He was overjoyed that all the trainees had returned safely and won the championship, upholding Shrek's honor.

The four deans shook hands with everyone and then personally led them back to the academy. A small boat was already waiting on the shore of Poseidon Lake.

The group exchanged bewildered glances, looking at the deans with some surprise.

Yan Shaozhe smiled slightly and said, "You have sacrificed so much for the academy, participating in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament with a weakened formation and winning the final championship. This achievement will be forever recorded in the history of Shrek Academy. As decided by the Sea God Pavilion meeting, your rewards will be distributed at the Sea God Pavilion on Sea God Island."

Ling Luochen and Dai Yueheng, who were quite familiar with the Sea God Pavilion, were greatly surprised. What kind of place was the Sea God Pavilion?! The Sea God Pavilion was not only the highest council chamber of Shrek Academy, but also its true treasure trove, where all the academy's secrets were kept. Normally, apart from the elders of the Sea God Pavilion and the four deans, no one was allowed to enter. Being able to enter the Sea God Pavilion was an extraordinary honor.

Dai Yueheng and Ling Luochen had never heard of any inner court disciple being allowed to enter. Let alone outer court disciples like Ji Lin.

The group followed the four deans onto the small boat.

Although Xiao Xiao and the others had never heard of the Sea God Pavilion, they knew about Sea God Island! Sea God Island was home to Shrek Academy's inner courtyard, which was known as the cradle of the strongest soul masters on the entire continent!

At their age, just being able to set foot on Seagod Island is enough to excite them.

Ji Lin wasn't as excited as Xiao Xiao and the others. He was familiar with Poseidon Island.

Of course, he had never been inside the Sea God Pavilion, and he was also a little curious about it.

Poseidon Lake was vast, much larger than the rest of Shrek Academy combined. After sailing for more than fifteen minutes, passing through the mist, they gradually began to see the island clearly.

Poseidon Island appears to be only about two square kilometers in size. It is not flat, but rather resembles a small mountain, with various pavilions and towers built on it. When these buildings, which are usually hidden in the mist, finally appeared before Xiaoxiao and her companions, their excitement intensified.

Yan Shaozhe led them along a stone path deeper into Poseidon Island.

Poseidon Island is very quiet, as if no one lives there. Everything is so peaceful and tranquil, like a paradise. The pavilions and towers hidden among the tall vegetation are beautiful and elegant.

The vegetation here is almost all at least a thousand years old, and some trees are even hundreds of meters tall. Walking along the paths, not only is the air fresh, but the view is also blocked, giving one the feeling of not being able to see the true face of Mount Lu, only because one is in the mountain itself.

Before long, they followed the path to a point near the top of the mountain, where a pavilion came into view.

It was a three-story building, brown in color, entirely made of wood, with a rustic charm and a touch of age. Upon closer inspection, one could also see that the wood of the building had a luster similar to that of oil.

The three-story building is only about ten meters tall, lacking any sense of grandeur or magnificence. However, directly above the entrance on the first floor, a black plaque hangs, with three large gilded characters identifying it as the Sea God Pavilion.

Based on distance, the location of the Sea God Pavilion is not only close to the mountaintop, but also at the center of the entire Sea God Island.

Yan Shaozhe stopped in front of the Sea God Pavilion, bowed, and said, "Teacher, they've returned."

Upon hearing the word "teacher," everyone was taken aback, even Dai Yueheng and Ling Luochen, who were disciples of the inner court, showed expressions of shock.

Only Ma Xiaotao, Ji Lin, and Bei Bei remained unfazed; all three were in the know and therefore showed no surprise.

"Come in, everyone." An aged voice rang out, and then, a scene that shocked everyone appeared.

Right in front of them, the three-story Sea God Pavilion, which had been completely inconspicuous just moments before, suddenly lit up without warning. A brilliant golden light burst forth, turning the entire building completely golden, as if it were a pavilion built of pure gold.

A rich, soft golden light drifted down, enveloping everyone. The warm, intense light nourished their bodies, instantly sweeping away the fatigue from their journey.

Wang Dong'er, who also possessed the attribute of light, felt it the most. Her body emitted golden light, blending with this aura of light. Even her left arm, which had been fused with a soul bone, turned into a brilliant gold.

Bebe was also radiating golden light, and a faint dragon's roar could be heard, clearly indicating that the Holy Dragon bloodline of light within him had been activated by this light energy.

Bathed in this golden light, the members of the Shrek Academy team, including Wang Yan, unconsciously closed their eyes. Meanwhile, the four deans and Elder Xuan quietly entered the Sea God Pavilion, unaffected by the golden light emanating from it.

Ji Lin also felt that the spiritual energy around his body had become thicker. His soul power cultivation, which was already close to level 48, had advanced further, and he felt that he would be able to break through in a few days.

Ji Lin couldn't help but sigh inwardly. As expected of the Limit Douluo, the Holy Light Dragon Martial Soul, the mere aura of light he emitted was enough to bring him some benefits.

This luminous aura carried a rich life force, likely due to Mu En mobilizing the power of the Golden Ancient Tree. The Golden Ancient Tree is the life core of the Douluo Continent, and its immense life force is unimaginable. Fortunately, the Golden Ancient Tree is currently just a simple Golden Ancient Tree; the Douluo God Realm has not yet been swept away by the spacetime turbulence, Ah Yin has not yet fused with the Golden Ancient Tree with Tang San's help, and Tang Hao has not yet descended to the mortal realm to seize control of the Douluo Plane and devour its consciousness. Otherwise, Ji Lin would not dare to approach the Golden Ancient Tree so casually.

Ji Lin also knew that each successive Sea God Pavilion Master would infuse their power into the Golden Ancient Tree at the last moment of their lives, strengthening it. Their power would be stored within the Golden Ancient Tree. When Shrek Academy faced a crisis, this power would become a vital force protecting the academy.

However, Ji Lin was also a little curious: if the successive leaders of the Sea God Pavilion knew that all their efforts would ultimately benefit others, would they still choose to leave their power within the Golden Ancient Tree? (A lament: Year after year, I pressed golden threads, only to have them become someone else's wedding gown.)

However, this is something that will happen in the future. Even if Ji Lin tells Mu En, Mu En will not believe it. Instead, he will suspect that Ji Lin has ulterior motives and wants to shake the faith of the Sea God.

Time passed slowly, and as the light faded, everyone regained consciousness. Dai Yueheng and Ling Luochen both wore expressions of joy. At their level, the rate of soul power improvement was already very slow, and advancing even one level was extremely difficult. Yet, in just a short while, they not only felt their soul power had increased, but more importantly, their soul power seemed to have been cleansed, becoming even purer. This was even more important than directly increasing their cultivation level.

"Let's go in first and talk." Ma Xiaotao was the first to regain consciousness, and the others followed her into the Sea God Pavilion.

Having just experienced the baptism of light, everyone gained something. Stepping into the first floor of the Sea God Pavilion, everything was so ancient and rustic. It seemed that all the materials used for the furniture and decorations were the same as the unique wood of the Sea God Pavilion itself.

In the center of the spacious hall, there was a long table. The four deans and Elder Xuan were already seated around the table. In addition to them, there were also a number of elderly people sitting on both sides of the long table. Ji Lin and the other outer court disciples were unfamiliar with these elderly people, while only Ma Xiaotao and the other two inner court disciples recognized a few of them.

Ma Xiaotao led everyone to stand in front of the table, all feeling a mix of nervousness and excitement, since even the four deans could only sit at the bottom of the table.

Yan Shaozhe smiled and said, "Children, welcome back. Whether you've heard of it or not, I'll explain it to you. The Sea God Pavilion is the highest decision-making body of the academy, and the Sea God Pavilion meetings determine the future direction of the academy. Apart from the four of us deans, everyone here is a senior member of the academy, and they have all made tremendous contributions to the academy."

"This time, you won the championship of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament despite losing four of your main team members. We have brought you here today to express the academy's gratitude and to announce our reward to you. We hope that you will continue to work hard in the future and not become arrogant because of your current achievements."

Everyone quickly bowed to the venerable elders present.

Yan Shaozhe did not introduce the identities of these elders to Ji Lin and the others. The identities of the elders were also a core secret of the Sea God Pavilion, which was not something that Ji Lin and the others could know.

It was already an exception that Ji Lin and the others were allowed to enter the Sea God Pavilion.

"Now I will announce the awards," Yan Shaozhe said in a deep voice: "Dai Yueheng, Ling Luochen, and Ma Xiaotao."

"Disciples are here." Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and Ling Luochen bowed respectfully.

Yan Shaozhe said in a deep voice: "As inner court disciples, you failed to protect your teammates while carrying out the surveillance mission, resulting in serious injuries to your teammates and affecting your participation in the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament. You will receive a major demerit."

"Huh?" The three of them were shocked and surprised by the outcome.

(End of this chapter)