Douluo Unrivaled: The Beginning Materializes the Black Abyss and White Flowers

Chapter 158 Punishment and Reward

Shrek Academy, Poseidon Island, Poseidon Pavilion.

Ancient trees reach for the sky, and amidst the lush vegetation, countless small wooden houses stand. But atop a towering golden tree, a solemn and oppressive atmosphere permeates an exquisite three-story wooden house.

Yan Shaozhe's expression was solemn, his eyes stern. He glanced at Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, Ling Luochen, and Xixi, and said in a deep voice, "Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, Ling Luochen, and Xixi, as official team members, you acted carelessly and impulsively this time, ultimately causing the entire team to suffer heavy losses. The academy has decided to give you a major demerit. I hope you will remember this painful lesson!"

Hearing Yan Shaozhe's reprimand, Ling Luochen and the others lowered their heads in shame, and Ma Xiaotao was no exception, obediently accepting the punishment.

They knew in their hearts that although Xuanzi's dereliction of duty was a factor, ultimately it was their own arrogance and underestimation of that evil soul master that led to this tragedy.

Yao Haoxuan tragically sacrificed his life, and Gongyang Mo and Chen Zifeng were left with disabilities; each of them bears some responsibility.

Huo Yuhao and the others stood aside trembling with fear. They knew that the mistakes of the main team members had brought serious consequences, but they did not dare to speak up to plead for them. They could only stand there silently, not daring to breathe.

Yan Shaozhe sighed softly, his gaze shifting to Gongyang Mo, who was sitting in a wheelchair, and Chen Zifeng, who had lost an arm. His tone softened slightly, and a hint of regret appeared in his eyes: "Gongyang Mo, Chen Zifeng, the academy will do its best to make replacement soul tools for you."

For Soul Masters, physical disability is almost equivalent to cutting off the path to becoming a Title Douluo.

Gongyang Mo's original martial soul had a flaw, so his situation was relatively better. However, Chen Zifeng, who was exceptionally talented, suffered such a misfortune, which is truly regrettable.

Although with the academy's abundant resources, it might be possible to cultivate him into a Title Douluo at all costs, not only would his combat power be difficult to guarantee, but the resource consumption would also be enormous, which would be a loss.

To put it bluntly, Chen Zifeng and Gongyang Mo's current talents are far from being worthy of Shrek Academy's high investment in their training.

If their talent were comparable to Huo Yuhao's, Shrek Academy might not hesitate to use the incomparably precious life essence of the Golden Tree to enable them to regenerate their severed limbs.

But the reality is cruel; this is clearly impossible.

It's important to know that even when Dragon God Douluo Mu En decided to use the life essence of the Golden Tree for Huo Yuhao, he had to convene a meeting of the Sea God Pavilion and obtain the consent of most of the Sea God Pavilion members.

After all, Huo Yuhao's outstanding talent certainly made the academy's decision for him worthwhile.

Compared to Huo Yuhao, Chen Zifeng and Gongyang Mo are far inferior, making it far from enough for the academy to easily use the life essence of the Golden Tree.

The importance of the Golden Tree to Shrek Academy is self-evident. It is the foundation and lifeblood of the academy, and the academy will never easily touch its life essence unless absolutely necessary.

Gongyang Mo and Chen Zifeng naturally understood the reasoning behind this, but when they heard Yan Shaozhe say these words with their own ears, their last glimmer of hope was completely shattered.

The two nodded sadly, their hearts filled with bitterness.

After all, even if the soul-guided prosthetics can restore their normal movement to a certain extent, how can they be compared to their original healthy limbs?
As inner court disciples, they had cultivated under the nourishment of the Golden Tree. The vast and powerful life energy filled them with anticipation, hoping that the academy could use the power of the Golden Tree to heal their physical disabilities.

But now, harsh reality has dealt them a heavy blow.

"Alright, you've all worked hard. Go back and rest now. Remember, what the Sea God Pavilion discussed today must not be divulged." Yan Shaozhe waved his hand, signaling everyone to leave.

"Yes!" Ma Xiaotao and the other selected team members responded in a low voice, and then walked out of the Sea God Pavilion one after another.

Representing the college in this competition, they not only failed to gain honors and awards, but also suffered severe punishments, leaving everyone feeling extremely heavy-hearted.

Seeing the regular team members being punished in this way, Huo Yuhao and the other reserve team members were so nervous that they didn't dare to breathe, and the atmosphere in the entire Sea God Pavilion became increasingly heavy and oppressive.

Seeing this, Yan Shaozhe suddenly broke the suffocating silence with a gentle smile: "Huo Yuhao, Bei Bei, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, He Caitou, Jiang Nannan, and Xu Sanshi, you seven were called upon at a critical moment to replace the regular team members in the competition. Although you ultimately failed to win the championship, the academy has seen your hard work and dedication on the field, and you deserve to be rewarded."

Hearing this, not only did Huo Yuhao and the others feel relieved and let out a long sigh of relief, but even Wang Yan, the teacher in charge of the team, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The scene of Ma Xiaotao and the others being punished really startled him. He was afraid that the academy would discourage the reserve team members and affect their sense of belonging to the academy.

Immediately afterwards, Yan Shaozhe announced the rewards for Huo Yuhao and his six companions, including not only precious soul bones but also other abundant resources.

Meanwhile, Wang Yan, who led the team successfully, also received a reward.

Just as Huo Yuhao and the others were still immersed in excitement and had not yet fully recovered, an old voice slowly rang out: "Shao Zhe, let Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao stay and study with me. Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi will study with Xuan Zi, Jiang Nannan will study with Cai Meier, and as for He Caitou, Xian Lin'er and Qian Duoduo will teach him."

The sudden sound surprised Huo Yuhao and the others, while Yan Shaozhe immediately replied respectfully, "Yes, teacher!"

Subsequently, Xuanzi, Cai Meier, and Xianliner appeared and took away Beibei, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, and He Caitou.

In the blink of an eye, only Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao remained in the Sea God Pavilion.

"Come with me." Yan Shaozhe smiled and waved to the three of them, then led them slowly up to the top floor of the Sea God Pavilion.

"It's you?" When they stepped onto the top floor and saw the old man lying leisurely in the recliner, Huo Yuhao and the other two couldn't help but exclaim in surprise at the same time.

The seemingly ordinary old man in front of them was actually the gatekeeper who usually lay at the entrance of the freshmen dormitory! Huo Yuhao and the other two looked at each other in disbelief. They never imagined that this kind old man they saw every day was actually Dean Yan's teacher and the true ruler of the Sea God Pavilion—Dragon God Douluo Mu En.

"Ah, I'm getting old, and I just love seeing you young people so full of energy." Mu En opened his eyes slightly, looking at Huo Yuhao and the other two with a kind gaze and a faint smile on his face.

He then fixed his gaze on Huo Yuhao and said earnestly, "Huo Yuhao, your talent is obvious to all. I don't care how many secrets you are hiding. I only hope that your heart is with Shrek Academy. Would you be willing to become my disciple? As long as you agree, I will do my best to help you repair the damage to your body."

"Boom!" Mu En's words struck Huo Yuhao like a bolt from the blue.

He never expected that the master of the Sea God Pavilion would personally offer to take him as a disciple and even promise to help him repair his physical disability.

You should know that just now, even elite disciples of the inner court like Gongyang Mo and Chen Zifeng did not receive such a promise from the academy, but he was fortunate enough to have such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"Yuhao!" "Class monitor!" Wang Dong and Xiaoxiao looked at Huo Yuhao anxiously, their eyes full of urging, reminding him not to miss this opportunity.

"Teacher!" Huo Yuhao snapped back to reality, his eyes welling up with tears of excitement.

Without hesitation, he immediately knelt down and respectfully kowtowed three times to Mu En, formally becoming Mu En's disciple.

What a joke! Putting aside just how powerful Mu En really is, the fact that he can become Dean Yan's teacher is enough to prove his unfathomable strength.

Moreover, Moon could help him repair his physical disability; how could he possibly refuse such a good thing?
In fact, when Huo Yuhao learned that Gongyang Mo and Chen Zifeng had no hope of regenerating their limbs with the help of the academy, a sense of despair also welled up in his heart.

After all, he himself was disabled and had lost the most important thing a man could have. Fortunately, the academy did not disappoint him. At this moment, he was filled with gratitude and joy.

"Good!" Mu En smiled with satisfaction. He had sensed from the beginning that Huo Yuhao was hiding many secrets, but he didn't care.

In his view, as long as Huo Yuhao is wholeheartedly concerned for Shrek Academy, that's enough.

Taking Huo Yuhao as a disciple and helping him recover from his disability was intended to make Huo Yuhao feel a greater sense of belonging to Shrek Academy.

With Huo Yuhao, even if he dies and Xuanzi can't hold on, as long as Huo Yuhao lives, Shrek Academy still has hope.

Yan Shaozhe, standing to the side, frowned slightly. He actually opposed Mu En's decision.

After all, Huo Yuhao had too many secrets, which made him somewhat uneasy.

However, Moon held absolute authority in the Sea God Pavilion and even the entire Shrek Academy, and he could not influence Moon's decision, so he could only accept it silently.

Having successfully accepted Huo Yuhao as his disciple, Mu En had achieved his goal and was naturally in a very good mood.

With a smile, he slowly turned his gaze to Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, two children who were also rare talents.

Both of them possess twin martial souls and are exceptionally talented. Given time and proper nurturing, they will surely become pillars supporting Shrek Academy.

However, in this peaceful and pleasant atmosphere, Moon's brows suddenly furrowed, and his gaze went straight into the distance.

"Xuanzi, come out here for me!"

A powerful voice suddenly boomed out, like a thunderclap in a clear sky, resounding throughout the entire Shrek Academy.

The voice rang out almost perfectly clearly in the ears of every student and teacher, and its wide reach was enough to demonstrate the unfathomable cultivation of the speaker.

At the same time, an extremely terrifying pressure swept in, instantly enveloping the entire Shrek Academy.

The oppressive force was incredibly strong, making it difficult for the students with lower cultivation levels to breathe, and their faces showed expressions of fear.

Fortunately, Shrek Academy has a strong foundation, and its many experienced teachers reacted quickly, calming the panicked students and stabilizing the situation, thus preventing any chaos.

"What is this? Such a powerful aura! Teacher, I'll go take a look!" Yan Shaozhe's expression instantly turned serious, and a hint of vigilance flashed in his eyes.

He dared not delay for a moment. In a flash, he transformed into a dazzling golden light and rushed out of the Sea God Pavilion, heading towards the direction from which the aura came.

"Alas! These are turbulent times." Mu En lowered his eyes slightly and sighed softly.

With his extensive experience, he knew who the newcomer was simply by observing their aura.

Moreover, he also sensed that behind that powerful aura were more than a dozen other equally formidable auras of powerful individuals.

"Poisonous Old Monster? It's you! What are you doing here?" Just then, Xuanzi's voice came from afar.

A dazzling yellow light shot into the sky, instantly transforming into a protective shield that enveloped the entire Shrek Academy, successfully isolating it from the terrifyingly powerful aura.

(End of this chapter)