Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

His voice remained calm, yet it was like a stone thrown into a still lake, clearly breaking the stagnant air in the meeting room.

"I have no interest in the defending champion."

Meng Shenji grew anxious. He stepped forward, getting closer to Lin Wan, and said in a more forceful tone, "Lin Wan! This isn't about interest! It's about responsibility! Your responsibility to the academy, to the empire! The empire nurtured you, the academy gave you a platform, allowing you to stand on the continent's stage! Now is the time for you to repay them! How can you…"

"Rewards?"

Lin Wan repeated the word, a slight smile playing on his lips, carrying an indescribable meaning. He looked up and stared directly at Meng Shenji.

"Isn't this championship a reward for what I've won?"

Meng Shenji was momentarily speechless, choked by the remark. This championship was indeed significant, so significant that Emperor Xueye personally bestowed the title upon him.

But human nature is always greedy; once you have one, you want a second, especially when hope is right in front of you.

Bai Baoshan quickly tried to smooth things over, putting on a smile and attempting to ease the tension.

"Lin Wan, that's not what the Dream Education Committee meant. We hope you can go further and achieve greater things in the future. Staying in the academy and having the Empire's support will make your path much smoother. The honors of the competition are also a huge boost to you personally! Just think about it, a double champion, what an honor that is!"

"Smooth?"

Lin Wan turned her gaze to the window, looking at the meticulously trimmed flowers and trees and magnificent buildings of the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy, their outlines defined by the soul guide lamps in the night.

Chapter 215 Helplessness

“Staying in a greenhouse might make the road smoother, but the scenery you can see is limited to these.” Lin Wan turned back to look at the three education committee members.

"I don't want my path to be limited to the next competition, or the competition after that."

Zhilin said in a deep voice, his tone carrying the solemnity of a last attempt: "Then what do you want? A higher title? More resources? These are all negotiable! As long as you stay, the Empire will never treat you unfairly! It's not even impossible for you to become an Imperial Duke in the future!" He offered a very tempting prospect.

Lin Wan shook her head and answered without hesitation: "Not these."

"what is that?"

Meng Shenji couldn't help but raise his voice. He simply couldn't understand why this young man would refuse so decisively with such conditions and prospects.

"Lin Wan, what exactly do you want to do? Where can you go after leaving the academy? Are you going to join the Spirit Hall?"

That was a rather harsh question, carrying a hint of doubt and a subtle warning.

Even Bai Baoshan and Zhilin, who were standing to the side, frowned slightly, feeling that Meng Shenji's words might be too sharp.

Lin Wan, however, did not get angry; he did not even show any obvious emotional fluctuations.

He simply looked at Meng Shenji calmly, his gaze so serene that it inexplicably made Meng Shenji's heart tighten.

Where I go is my own business.

Lin Wan's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable resolve.

"I am grateful for the academy's training and for His Majesty's reward. But I want to walk my own path in the future."

He bowed slightly and gave a salute.

"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."

After saying that, without waiting for the three education committee members to speak again, he turned around, walked straight to the door of the conference room, reached out and pulled open the heavy wooden door, and his figure quickly disappeared into the shadows of the corridor outside the door.

In the meeting room, only the three education commissioners remained, looking at each other in bewilderment.

Meng Shenji stared at the door that had closed again, his expression shifting. Finally, he sighed heavily and slumped into his chair, looking somewhat dejected.

"What is he really thinking?"

Bai Baoshan's chubby face was also full of helplessness: "How could they refuse such good conditions? The Spirit Hall shouldn't be so unreasonable, right?"

Zhilin pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting the light, making it impossible to see his eyes. He spoke slowly.

"He has his own plans. Forcing him to stay won't work; it will only turn him into an enemy. It's just a pity."

A sigh of regret perfectly expressed the complex emotions in the hearts of the three.

They lost a guarantee that would ensure the academy's glory for the next five years, and the Empire, it seems, did not truly retain this suddenly rising star.

Lin Wan walked along the quiet, deserted academy path, the night breeze ruffling his silver hair.

Refusal is the only option.

The next Soul Master Competition?

He really wasn't interested.

Because by then, there will be many more interesting teams on the battlefield of this continent.

The fairy tale characters he personally summoned have grown over the years, and it's time for them to take the stage.

How could he possibly go down onto the field himself and compete with them for that so-called championship?

That's so boring.

……

Inside the wooden cabin that serves as a classroom at Shrek Academy.

Flander stood on the podium, pushed up his signature crystal glasses, and glanced at the empty seats below.

There were only two people in the classroom.

On the left is Oscar, sitting by the window, idly eating his sausage.

On the right is Ma Hongjun, sitting in the back row. His fiery red short hair looks like a tangled mess. He is lying on the table, fast asleep, drooling almost onto the table. He occasionally smacks his lips, probably dreaming about something delicious.

The student who was recently admitted has disappeared.

Flander's brow furrowed into a knot.

Of the three students, only two showed up.

"Where is Dai Mubai?" His voice, tinged with barely perceptible weariness and anger, sounded particularly clear in the empty classroom.

Oscar paused, scratching his slightly curly hair, and gave a somewhat ingratiating smile: "Dean, I don't know either. I didn't see him this morning."

He was telling the truth. Dai Mubai was elusive; he was relatively well-behaved on the first day, but in the following days he basically came and went as he pleased, and no one could figure out his whereabouts.

Flanders paused for a moment; he wasn't surprised by the answer.

Dai Mubai.

This student was one of the most talented students Shrek Academy had ever received since its founding, perhaps even the most talented.

At the age of twelve, he was a level twenty-nine powerful attack-type Soul Master, and his Martial Soul was the top-tier Evil-Eyed White Tiger.

This talent would be treasured and cherished in any advanced soul master academy.

Flanders should be laughing all the way to the bank to have such a student.

But the reality is that he only feels a headache and a deep sense of powerlessness.

Flanders was serious about teaching.

He may be stingy, or perhaps a bit vain, but when it comes to teaching students, he has poured his heart and soul into it, and has his own set of methods and principles.

Although Shrek Academy was dilapidated and lacked resources, he always believed that strict teachers produce outstanding students and that a harsh environment could forge a true monster.

However, this approach seems to be somewhat ineffective in the face of Dai Mubai.

Skipping classes was practically a daily occurrence for Dai Mubai.

At first, Flander would scold him with a stern face, trying to use his authority as a teacher to make him behave.

But what was Dai Mubai's reaction?

On the surface, he listened and nodded, but in his eyes was a kind of indifference that Flanders was very familiar with, belonging to a person in a superior position, and even carrying a hint of pity.

It was as if he was saying, "Old man, you have no idea what I'm facing, and you have no right to tell me what to do."

Later, Flanders even considered using harsher methods to punish this incorrigible student.

For example, punish him by making him do more intense physical training, or teach him a lesson.

But each time, as soon as the thought popped into his head, he forcibly suppressed it.

He dare not.

Yes, I wouldn't dare.

Flander knew very well Dai Mubai's identity: a prince of the Star Luo Empire.

Even if this prince seems to have fled to him now, he is still a prince!

The best proof is Huo An, the taciturn Soul Emperor guard who follows him and whose aura is like that of a lurking lion.

Punish a prince?

Flanders hasn't lived enough yet.

His small Shrek Academy couldn't withstand the wrath of the Star Luo Royal Family.

This feeling of wanting to intervene but not daring to, of watching a peerless gem tarnished before his eyes, yet being unable to carve it, made Flander's chest feel heavy.

He sighed again, waved his hand, and said to Oscar and Ma Hongjun, "Alright, forget about him. Today we're going to talk about soul power compression techniques, so pay attention!"

Chapter 216 Eligibility

Meanwhile, Dai Mubai, who was giving Dean Flander a terrible headache, was enjoying his happy time in Soto City, dozens of miles away.

Soto City, as the capital of the Barak Kingdom, is not as magnificent as Tiandou City and Xingluo City, but it is still a bustling and prosperous city.

The streets paved with bluestone are lined with shops, bustling with traffic and people, full of the lively atmosphere of a bustling city.

Dai Mubai has been a member of Shrek Academy for quite some time now.

That day, after successfully passing all the levels, he saw Oscar and Ma Hongjun in person in the dilapidated courtyard of Shrek Academy.

Oscar, a food-type Soul Master, possesses innate full Soul Power! This is an extremely rare existence in the entire Soul Master world. The role of food-type Soul Masters in a team is undeniable; a top-tier food-type Soul Master is enough to change the course of a battle.

Ma Hongjun possesses the mutated martial soul, the Evil Fire Phoenix. Although the problem of the evil fire is somewhat troublesome, the quality of the martial soul is undeniable, and its potential as a top-tier beast martial soul is beyond doubt, making its combat power absolutely formidable.

These two people are exactly the talents that Dai Mubai urgently needs to build his team and take revenge on Davis!

Therefore, after successfully passing all the entrance exams, Dai Mubai did not leave immediately. Instead, he found Dean Flander, who looked lean and had a somewhat shrewd businessman-like air, and asked a crucial question:

"Dean Flander, may I ask if Shrek Academy will be qualified to participate in the Continental Elite Tournament of Advanced Soul Master Academies five years from now?"