Douluo Continent: The Legend of the Gods

The surface of Poseidon Lake rippled with tiny golden waves in the morning light, while Poseidon Island in the distance was shrouded in a thin layer of mist, appearing and disappearing like a fairy mountain floating in the air.

The weeping willows by the lake dip their branches into the water, swaying gently in the breeze.

Deep in the heart of the lake, a colossal ancient tree rises from the island, its trunk so thick that it would take dozens of people to encircle it. Its golden canopy, like a giant umbrella, shelters most of the sky above Poseidon Island.

Sunlight filters through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the lake's surface. Each leaf appears as if cast in gold, radiating a soft and warm glow.

Golden ancient tree.

The Sea God Pavilion is situated beneath the golden ancient tree, with the entire building integrated with the tree. The tree roots rise from the ground, forming the natural foundation of the Sea God Pavilion, and the branches pass through the roof, enveloping the entire building in golden shade.

The attic was now full of people.

Sitting in the main seat was an elderly man with white hair, a withered face, and deep-set eyes, but his eyes were exceptionally bright.

He was wearing a gray robe, the collar and cuffs worn white. He leaned back in his chair, looking somewhat weak, but the authority emanating from his very bones made everyone present afraid to speak loudly.

He is Mu En, the Sea God Pavilion Master of Shrek Academy, the Dragon God Douluo, a level 99 Limit Douluo, and one of the most powerful beings in the Douluo Continent today.

His health had deteriorated significantly. The malevolent energy of the Dragon Pill tormented him constantly, turning his body into a sieve riddled with holes, from which his life force slowly drained away, and no treatment could make up for it.

But the fact that he's still sitting here is enough to put everyone's mind at ease.

To Moon's right sat a handsome middle-aged man, who looked to be in his early forties. He wore a moon-white robe, his black hair was neatly combed, and he had a gentle face with a faint smile always on his lips.

But those who know him well know that this Phoenix Douluo Yan Shaozhe is not as easy to talk to as he seems on the surface. As the dean of the Martial Soul Department of Shrek Academy, he holds the most core power in the entire academy and has extremely high prestige within the academy.

Across from Yan Shaozhe sat a burly old man with messy white hair draped over his shoulders. He wore a gray cloth robe stained with oil and tattered cloth shoes. He was holding a roast chicken and taking big bites of it, his mouth dripping with oil.

He ate extremely fast; a roast chicken was gone in less than half a cup of tea's time, leaving only bones. He didn't spit out the bones, but chewed them up with a crunching sound and swallowed them. Then he took out another one from his pocket and continued gnawing on it.

It was none other than Taotie Douluo Xuanzi.

Sitting next to Xuanzi was a thin old man wearing a dark green robe. His hair and beard were white, but his complexion was ruddy and he was in good spirits.

Zhuang Yusen, whose martial soul is the Tree of Life, is a level 96 Super Douluo and the only healing-type Title Douluo in Shrek Academy.

His healing abilities are among the best on the entire continent. Moon's health has been prevented from deteriorating over the years thanks to his treatment.

Beside Elder Zhuang were several serious-looking middle-aged men, all members of the Sea God Pavilion, each radiating unfathomable soul power.

Further down were several core teachers from the Martial Soul Department and the Soul Guidance Department. Among them, a tall, burly man with a head of white hair like steel needles stood out. He was Qian Duoduo, the vice dean of the Soul Guidance Department.

His expression was not good, and the corners of his mouth were turned down, as if he had something to say but was holding back.

Yan Shaozhe cleared his throat, looked around, and said, "Everyone knows today's topic. The next Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament is less than two years away. As the number one academy on the continent, Shrek Academy must field its best lineup."

After repeated discussions within the Martial Soul Department, a preliminary list of candidates for the regular team members has been drafted. We've invited everyone here today to discuss it further.

He took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and read aloud: "Seven main team members. Captain Han Ruoruo, Level 63 Soul Emperor, team members Wu Ming, Zhang Lexuan..."

When the last name was called, Qian Duoduo's expression turned even uglier: "Dean Yan, seven people, not a single Soul Master?"

Yan Shaozhe glanced at him, his tone calm: "Dean Qian, this is the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament, not a Soul Tool Tournament. The participants are Soul Masters, not Soul Instructors. Our team members are all top-tier Martial Soul users. Soul Tools can be used as auxiliary tools, but not as primary weapons."

Qian Duoduo stood up, placed her hands on the table, and raised her voice by half an octave: "Apart from losing to us, when has the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy ever not crushed any other team? Isn't that enough to make you value soul tools?"

It's not that our Soul Guidance Department lacks talent; it's that your Martial Soul Department never gives us a chance. Which Soul Guidance Department students from the Inner Academy have ever been on your shortlist of candidates? It's not that we lack talent; it's that you don't even look at them.

"Alright, Duoduo, it's a fact that the quality of the martial souls of students in the Soul Guidance Department is generally not as good as those in the Martial Soul Department. If you put a Soul Guidance Department student on the field and face the top offensive Soul Masters from other academies, how many rounds can he last? Our Shrek Academy can't afford to lose face like that."

Xuanzi lazily chewed on his chicken leg, subtly giving Qian Duoduo a taste of his own medicine.

"..." Qian Duoduo took a deep breath. Did he not want outstanding students? It was because the Martial Soul Department simply didn't provide resources. The Soul Guidance Department's funding was only one-third of that of the Martial Soul Department every year. All the good talents were picked up by the Martial Soul Department, and only the rest were given to them.

Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice; how can he train people?

"Alright." Moon's voice wasn't loud, but everyone could hear it clearly.

He slowly raised his eyelids, glanced at Qian Duoduo, and then at Yan Shaozhe. "The academy has always supported the development of the Soul Guidance Department. However, the training cycle for Soul Guidance Masters is long and the results are slow. It is indeed difficult to make any progress in the Soul Master Competition in a short period of time. The Martial Soul Department must give the Soul Guidance Department one-fifth more of its research funding. We will discuss this matter later."

Qian Duoduo opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but when she met Mu En's deep eyes, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

Yan Shaozhe continued, "Le Xuan is thirteen years old this year and is already an advanced Soul Master. Breaking through to Soul King in two years is not a problem. Her Moon Martial Soul is of extremely high quality, and her control over moonlight has reached a level of perfection. No one in the same grade in the outer academy can surpass her."

Moreover, Zhang Lexuan has a close relationship with Elder Mu, so giving her a starting position is not unreasonable. After this Soul Master Competition, Zhang Lexuan can lead the team in the next one.

Mu En suddenly spoke up: "Wang Xian'er, the medical immortal Douluo of the Star Luo Empire, recently took in a disciple whose martial soul is the Emerald Swan."

Upon hearing this, the Sea God Pavilion fell silent for a moment, and everyone's gaze turned to Mu En.

Moon continued, "The news came from the Star Luo Royal Academy, so it should be reliable."

That child is six years old this year, with innate full soul power and an Emerald Swan martial soul. Wang Xian'er values ​​him highly and has already taken him in as her direct disciple. The Star Luo royal family has granted him a royal honorary title and has also enrolled him in the Soul Guidance Department of the Star Luo Royal Academy.

"Emerald Swan!" Xuanzi stopped eating the roasted chicken in his hand, his eyes widening. "Except for ancient times, no human has ever awakened this martial soul, right? But why did he join the Soul Guidance Department? Is he too young and wants to use a soul tool to gain offensive capabilities?"

Moon glanced at him but didn't say anything more.

Elder Zhuang's voice trembled with excitement: "The Emerald Swan, the strongest healing-type martial soul on the continent, without exception."

He sighed as he said this, "What a pity, he has already been accepted as a disciple by the Immortal Healer Douluo. If I had received the news earlier, I would have gone to Star Luo City no matter what."

Yan Shaozhe frowned slightly: "Teacher, is this child's martial soul definitely the Emerald Swan? Is it possible that it's a mutated swan martial soul, just similar?"

Mu En shook his head, his tone certain: "There's no mistake. The Emerald Swan's vitality is extremely rich, far surpassing that of a mutated swan spirit. Besides, even the Immortal Healer couldn't be wrong."

Xuanzi put the roast chicken on the table, wiped his greasy hands on his clothes, and chuckled, "What's the rush? Once that kid has cultivated for a while, he'll naturally come to Shrek Academy."

"The reputation of the continent's premier academy speaks for itself; which soul master wouldn't want to come? Besides, with his Emerald Swan martial soul, he's practically a guaranteed inner court prospect in our academy. Can Star Luo Royal Academy compare to the resources available to the inner court?"

He spoke with such confidence that the surrounding elders all nodded in agreement.

Shrek Academy's accumulated resources over millennia, including its faculty, cultivation resources, and network of connections, are unmatched by any royal academy in any empire.

Where else could a child with such outstanding talent go if not Shrek Academy?

"If he comes to Shrek Academy, I can teach him a thing or two." Zhuang Yusen was itching to get his hands on the Emerald Swan Martial Soul. His Tree of Life should be more similar to the Emerald Swan, both of which are known for their vitality.

Although Wang Xian'er's healing angel also possesses strong vitality, it is more characterized by its divine and light attributes.

Moon leaned back in his chair, his aged fingers tapping lightly twice on the armrest.

"The Immortal Doctor Douluo and we have a pretty good relationship. His Emerald Swan Martial Soul is indeed rare. But a Martial Soul is just a talent; how the child walks his path depends on himself. If he wants to come, Shrek Academy's doors are always open to him."

If they don't want to come... the relationship between the royal families of the three great empires and Shrek Academy isn't very good.

Mu En changed the subject: "Shao Zhe, you need to take Xiao Tao's problem of 'evil fire' seriously."

Yan Shaozhe took on a new disciple last year named Ma Xiaotao, whose martial spirit is the Evil Fire Phoenix, and she is seven years old this year.

This child is exceptionally talented, possessing innate full soul power and an extremely high-quality martial soul. He is very likely a direct descendant of his ancestor Ma Hongjun.

Yan Shaozhe's expression darkened slightly. Of course, he knew about Ma Xiaotao's problem; he had considered it before accepting her as a disciple.

Almost without exception, the inheritors of the Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul are troubled by the evil fire. At best, they become irritable; at worst, they lose control and harm others.

Ma Xiaotao is now showing signs of losing control. A few days ago, she suddenly attacked while cultivating, injuring two students next to her. Fortunately, he intervened in time to prevent a major disaster.

"I've arranged for her to cultivate near the Sea God Lake," Yan Shaozhe said. "The water attribute of the Sea God Lake can suppress the evil fire, and with the nourishment of the golden ancient tree's life force, it should be able to stabilize for the time being. We can only try to find a way to cure it completely."

Xuanzi, munching on roasted chicken, mumbled, "The Evil Fire Phoenix is ​​a tough one. Even our ancestor Ma Hongjun only managed to defeat it with the help of our ancestor Tang San. Where are we going to find another Tang San now?"

Yan Shaozhe remained silent.

He had pondered this problem for a long time but hadn't found a good solution. Ma Xiaotao's talent was too exceptional, so exceptional that he couldn't bear to give her up. But if the problem of the evil fire wasn't resolved, this disciple would inevitably run into trouble sooner or later.

Shrek Academy didn't have any water or ice attribute martial souls of similar quality to the Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul, otherwise they could have been mediated between them, and he could have directly arranged a marriage between the two of them.

Mu En slowly spoke, "There's no rush regarding the Evil Fire Phoenix. She's still young; she has plenty of time. Let her cultivate near Sea God Lake first, minimizing her contact with other students. Shao Zhe, keep a close eye on her and make sure she doesn't hurt anyone again."

"Yes," Yan Shaozhe replied.

The meeting discussed a few more trivial matters, and the opinions of the participants gradually reached a consensus, and the list of selected team members was finalized.

Qian Duoduo didn't say another word from beginning to end.

Xian Lin'er had also had enough of the true colors of the Martial Soul faction.

When the meeting adjourned, the two of them were the first to stand up and stride out.

Yan Shaozhe watched Xian Lin'er's retreating figure, shook his head, and said nothing. Cai Meier narrowed her eyes.

As everyone gradually left, the Sea God Pavilion slowly quieted down.

Moon didn't leave. He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and looked as if he were asleep.

Sunlight filtered through the branches of the ancient golden tree, streaming through the window and falling on him, giving his withered face a touch of color.

He was thinking. He was thinking about Zhang Lexuan, Ma Xiaotao, the emerald swan boy he had never met, and this increasingly turbulent continent.

The Sun Moon Empire is stirring up trouble on the border, and the development of soul tools is progressing rapidly. Shrek Academy's hegemony is being eroded little by little.

Meanwhile, they were still embroiled in internal conflicts and attrition due to the contradictions between the Soul Guidance System and the Martial Soul System.

He had talked about Yan Shaozhe's character problem many times, but to little avail. Perhaps a drastic measure was needed to change him.

He's seen too many geniuses.

But recently, too many geniuses have emerged. Zhang Lexuan, Ma Xiaotao, and then a jade swan boy with innate full soul power appeared. The simultaneous appearance of these geniuses in the same era is both Shrek Academy's good fortune and its challenge.

Shrek Academy's records state that whenever the number of geniuses on the continent surges, a major event is bound to occur in that era.

"A time of great strife," he murmured, his voice as soft as the wind rippling across a lake.

The malevolent energy of the dragon pill was eroding his body every day, and he didn't know when he would be able to hold on any longer. Before he left, he had to find a way out for Shrek Academy.