Douluo Continent: Starting with a Heavenly Fire Judgment

Chapter 184 The Gatekeeper

Yan Shaozhe's face darkened. "What? Do you have any objections? Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng are the main offensive-type Soul Masters in the team. What is the role of an offensive-type Soul Master? To face difficulties head-on and protect teammates. Did you do that? Ling Luochen, as the main control Soul Master, did you play a sufficient control role in that battle? If Ji Lin hadn't prepared an invincible shield for you beforehand and saved you in time, you probably wouldn't have returned unscathed. Judging from the situation at the time, the team's loss was due to your carelessness and underestimation of the enemy. As inner court disciples of Shrek Academy, is this the combat power you should have displayed? Even outer court students know the principle of using full strength even when hunting a rabbit, but what about you?"

Under Yan Shaozhe's reprimand, the three of them lowered their heads in shame. They had indeed been careless at the time, especially Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng, who were completely caught up in the battle and did not care about their teammates or observe their surroundings in time, which almost led to the team's complete annihilation. What Yan Shaozhe said was true.

Therefore, they dared not refute, and the outer disciples dared not speak up even more. Although they felt a little sorry for the senior students, they dared not step forward to speak up for them.

Yan Shaozhe's tone softened slightly. "Afterwards, you participated in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament with your team. You performed quite well in the competition, living up to your status as inner court disciples, and ultimately helping the team win the championship. The academy remembers this achievement. However, as inner court disciples and regular team members, your rewards will naturally be less. This will offset your previous merits and demerits. The major demerit will not be recorded in your files. I hope you can learn from this lesson. Remember, life is precious, and no one can have a second chance."

"Thank you, Dean." The three of them finally breathed a sigh of relief. If the punishment were recorded in their files at Shrek Academy, it would be a stain on their lives!

Inner Academy disciples receive preferential treatment in various resources from Shrek Academy, so the requirements are naturally much higher than those for outer Academy disciples.

This is also why Yan Shaozhe said that, as members of the championship team, their rewards are far less than those of the reserve team.

Yan Shaozhe nodded and said, "You've all worked hard this time. Go back and rest. Remember, everything you saw in the Sea God Pavilion must be kept secret. Yueheng, you've completed enough of your surveillance missions. You can start preparing for your inner court graduation exam now."

"Yes." Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and Ling Luochen bowed respectfully again before leaving the Sea God Pavilion.

Ma Xiaotao rarely goes out on missions because of the evil fire, and Ling Luochen is still far from completing the number of missions required for graduation. Therefore, among the three, only Dai Yueheng is about to graduate.

The three of them breathed a sigh of relief as they stepped out of the Sea God Pavilion. They had been incredibly tense inside, watching a group of elders criticize them. Even Ma Xiaotao felt immense pressure; they knew very well that all the elders present were Title Douluo-level powerhouses! And most of them were...

It's Super Douluo.

Although I didn't receive any rewards, I wasn't punished either, so this competition was a complete success.

Especially Dai Yueheng, who can now prepare for his graduation exam, which means he can return to the Star Luo Empire and follow in his father's footsteps to join the army for training. Thinking of this, he felt both nervous and excited.

Inside the Sea God Pavilion, only eight people remained: Wang Yan, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, Ji Lin, Wang Qiu'er, Wang Dong'er, and Xiao Xiao.

Everyone had just witnessed Yan Shaozhe reprimanding Ma Xiaotao and the other two, and now they were all a little nervous.

Yan Shaozhe turned to them, smiled slightly, and said, "What? Do you think the academy is too strict with them? What I want to tell you is that this is the academy's requirement for its inner court disciples. The academy uses all kinds of resources to cultivate inner court disciples, so naturally the requirements for them are also very high. And in the near future, you will also become a part of the inner court, and then you will understand. Alright, now it's your turn for a reward, Teacher Wang Yan."

"Dean Yan." Wang Yan stepped forward and bowed slightly.

Yan Shaozhe smiled and said, "You were able to lead the team to the final championship despite missing four regular players. We have all seen your ability. From now on, you are promoted to a special-grade teacher at Shrek Academy and will teach in the inner courtyard."

Wang Yan quickly said, "Dean, this championship victory has little to do with me. It's all thanks to the children's hard work. I didn't do much; I could only watch them fight from the sidelines."

Yan Shaozhe smiled slightly and said, "Teacher Wang Yan is too modest. As the team leader, your presence is indispensable. You are the one who analyzes the opponent's intelligence, arranges the tactics, and deserves the reward."

"What I just announced isn't really your reward, it's just a normal promotion. Your real reward is that the Sea God Pavilion's library will be open to you for a year. During that year, you can borrow anything you want. But you can only read and research within the library."

"What?" Upon hearing this reward, Wang Yan couldn't help but jump up excitedly in front of all the elders, his face flushed red with excitement.

For Wang Yan, he didn't care about any other rewards, but this was the one reward he couldn't refuse.

Wang Yan's greatest passion is the study of theoretical knowledge. The Sea God Pavilion's library boasts a vast collection of books, including countless rare and out-of-print classics and documents. The reward of a year's worth of reading and research rights is something that means almost nothing to Wang Yan.

Knowledge was his most precious treasure.

Seeing Wang Yan's excited expression, Yan Shaozhe smiled slightly and said, "Teacher Wang, this is a reward you deserve. We have all seen your contributions to the academy and your dedication and hard work in research. We hope that in the coming year, you will be able to learn what you want to learn in the Sea God Pavilion Library."

"Thank you, Dean, thank you, esteemed elders." Wang Yan bowed deeply in excitement. The Sea God Pavilion Library—this was something he had never dared to dream of before!

The elders all nodded and smiled at him. Shrek Academy values ​​not only martial prowess but also theoretical research. Wang Yan is a talent in theoretical research, and Shrek would not easily bury such a talent.

Yan Shaozhe turned his gaze to the seven members of the reserve team and said, "It's your turn."

"Children, you performed exceptionally well. With the regular team members absent, you were called upon to participate in this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament and even won the final championship. Your performance can only be described as breathtaking."

Yan Shaozhe continued, "The academy's higher-ups have seen everything you've done. You were originally just in the reserve team, yet you represented the main team and won the championship. Your excellence has amazed us. After deliberation at the Sea God Pavilion meeting, we have decided to award you the following rewards: As the champions of this competition, you have received three soul bones as a reward. The academy has decided to provide four more soul bones to each of you, based on your individual abilities and characteristics."

Xiao Xiao and her friends were overjoyed. They only received three soul bones after winning the championship of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament, but the academy directly offered four as a reward. It can only be said that Shrek Academy is indeed rich and powerful, and its ten thousand years of heritage is exceptionally profound.

Ji Lin raised an eyebrow. He had thought that Shrek Academy would grant the seven of them the title of Shrek Seven Devils for life again.

Although he wasn't interested in the title, and it was only sealed in Shrek Academy's historical archives and not allowed to be publicized, it was useless to Ji Lin. It would be better to reward him with some gold soul coins.

Only students who highly identify with Shrek Academy would be interested in this so-called lifetime Shrek Seven Devils title.

Moreover, Ji Lin didn't have as much difficulty fighting as Huo Yuhao and the others in the original story. There was also the issue of his and Wang Qiu'er's identities involved. It's normal that the Sea God Pavilion failed to pass the meeting to grant them the title of Shrek Seven Devils for life.

After Wang Yan gave them a meaningful look, Bei Bei and the others snapped out of their surprise and bowed deeply to the four deans and elders present.

Yan Shaozhe stepped aside and respectfully asked the person at the front of the long table, "Teacher, is there anything else you need to instruct them?"

At the other end of the long table, a person was half-lying down, but due to the angle of view, they couldn't see what that person looked like.

But Ji Lin knew that it was Dragon God Douluo Mu En.

"Children, your performance has exceeded my expectations. Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, Ji Lin, and Wang Qiu'er, all five of you have reached the Soul Master level. I hereby grant you special permission to directly take the Inner Academy assessment after the end of this academic year. After passing the assessment, you will be admitted to the Inner Academy. The difficulty of the Inner Academy assessment will remain unchanged."

Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with tension. The inner court assessment had eliminated countless outer court disciples; the number of people who could actually enter the inner court was far too small. It was impossible for them not to be anxious about the assessment being held ahead of schedule.

The aged voice continued, "You will all stay on Seagod Island to cultivate for the time being. You may return to the outer academy only when I deem you ready to leave. Ji Lin, Wang Qiu'er, Wang Dong'er, and Xiao Xiao, the four of you will cultivate with me. Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi will follow Xuan Zi. Jiang Nannan, you will cultivate with Cai Mei'er. If they fail the inner academy assessment, you two will also be punished."

Although the old man's voice sounded gentle and kind, everything he said naturally carried a convincing and unquestionable quality. All the elders of the Sea God Pavilion and the four deans stood up and respectfully bowed to Elder Mu, who was reclining in the main seat.

"Meeting adjourned." Old Master Mu's voice seemed even more peaceful.

Apart from Xuanzi and Cai Meier, everyone else vanished instantly.

"You all go ahead, just Ji Lin and the other three stay here," Elder Mu said, waving to Xuanzi and Cai Meier.

"Yes." The two replied respectfully and left with Beibei, Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan.

The Sea God Pavilion fell silent. Ji Lin and the others exchanged glances and looked at Mu En, who was in the main seat.

"Children, come here." Old Mu beckoned to the four of them.

The four of them quickly walked around the long table to Elder Mu's side. Ji Lin already knew Elder Mu, so he wasn't too nervous, but Wang Dong'er, Wang Qiu'er, and Xiao Xiao were a little nervous. Wang Qiu'er sensed an aura on Elder Mu that was no less than that of Di Tian, ​​so she was also a little nervous.

"What? You weren't afraid of facing strong opponents in the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament, so what's there to be nervous about when facing an old codger like me? Raise your heads, we're old friends."

"It's you?" The three girls exclaimed almost in unison, dumbfounded.

Ji Lin found the expressions on the three girls' faces extremely amusing and almost burst out laughing.

Old Master Mu smiled and glanced at Ji Lin. He wasn't surprised by Ji Lin's calm demeanor. Given Ji Lin's relationship with Zhang Lexuan and the presence of Chi Yuan behind him, it wasn't surprising that Ji Lin knew his identity.

Xiao Xiao and the other two stared at the elderly, yet gentle, smiling face before them. Their eyes were filled with disbelief. Even if they had to guess a thousand times, they could never have imagined that the old man who usually lay leisurely in front of the freshman dormitory was actually the most revered Sea God Pavilion Master of Shrek Academy! For a moment, the three of them were speechless with astonishment.

Old Mu smiled slightly and said, "Isn't it strange? You haven't mistaken me for someone else, I am that old geezer! Although I'm in charge of the Sea God Pavilion, I don't like staying here. It's too stifling here. How can it compare to the liveliness of your freshman dormitories? There, I can feel your youthful energy, and even my heart becomes younger. Feeling your vibrant energy can make this old fellow live a few more years."

Xiao Xiao and the other two were speechless, finding it extremely difficult to connect the gatekeeper with the master of the Sea God Pavilion.

Old Mu raised a hand and said, "Help me up."

Ji Lin stepped forward and helped Mu En up. Xiao Xiao and the other two were still in shock.

Old Mu slowly stood up from the recliner, his back hunched over at almost a ninety-degree angle.

Old Mu chuckled and said, "I'm not lying here to show off. I was injured when I was young, and I've never fully recovered since, so I can only be bent over like this. They felt sorry for me, so they prepared a reclining chair for me."

Ji Lin knew that those were injuries sustained in the battle with the former sect leader of the Body Sect, Du Bisi; his spine was broken, and he would never be able to stand up again.

But the price of certain death from poisoning is one's own life.

Mu En directed Ji Lin to help him head in one direction, with Wang Qiu'er and the other two following behind them.

Ji Lin helped Elder Mu to a wall. Elder Mu raised his hand and pointed slightly. Instantly, a golden light shone, and everything around them became illusory. A dense golden halo instantly enveloped Ji Lin and the other three. They felt a bright flash before their eyes and quickly closed them. Their feet slipped, and the next moment, when they stepped onto solid ground, the golden light around them had quietly disappeared.

The original Sea God Pavilion was gone; they were now in a spacious hall.

(End of this chapter)