"I'm back!"
An old woman with white hair stood in front of the Sea God Pavilion, calling out loudly to announce her return.
This person was none other than Long Yeyue, who had just returned to Shrek from the Spirit Transmission Tower. Early that morning, she had gone straight there and held a "friendly negotiation" with Leng Yaozhu, the Vice Tower Master of the Spirit Transmission Tower.
But let's be real—what negotiation?
Long Yeyue had gone there to snatch someone away, plain and simple. Friendly negotiation? What nonsense!
Well, they didn't end up fighting, so that counts as friendly, doesn't it?
Even Long Yeyue found it unbelievable. She had mentally prepared herself to be surrounded and killed by the Spirit Transmission Tower. She was even ready to lay down her life rather than give up Heita.
But the result? It shocked her. Leng Yaozhu… actually didn't say a word the entire time, and in the end, she even agreed?
This clearly showed she still had lingering feelings for Yun Ming. Could this be used to their advantage?
Long Yeyue still remembered Leng Yaozhu's expression when she read the letter—it clearly showed unresolved emotions. She hadn't expected Yun Ming to surprise her like this. If they ever decided to move against the Spirit Transmission Tower, Leng Yaozhu would clearly be the breakthrough point.
It might not be the most honorable thing to do, but if it was for the sake of Shrek Academy, Long Yeyue believed that Yun Ming wouldn't object.
"Huh? Weird. Did everyone leave again?"
She stood outside the Sea God Pavilion for a while. Even after calling out loudly, no one came out to greet her—not even a single response. That could only mean no one was inside.
When Heita first arrived at Shrek, all the elders inside had gone out too. Long Yeyue figured something major must've happened again.
"Well, whatever. If they went out, they went out. At least this old lady is here to watch over the Sea God Pavilion. Nothing will go wrong…"
With that mindset, Long Yeyue walked straight toward the Sea God Pavilion. But before she could take a few steps, she suddenly frowned, then flashed inside in an instant.
"Someone, just answer me! I thought—Yun Ming?!"
A little annoyed no one came out to greet her, she walked in—only to freeze in place the moment she saw the figure slumped in a chair.
It was a figure that radiated extreme loneliness. At a glance, it was hard to even recognize who he was. That familiar black hair was gone, replaced by an elderly man with a pale complexion.
Sitting in his lap was Yali, her eyes red from crying but now fast asleep.
Honestly, if not for Yali being there, Long Yeyue wouldn't have even recognized this was Yun Ming—the difference was that drastic!
"Yun Ming, what the hell happened to you?!"
Long Yeyue didn't even bother being gentle because Yali was asleep. She rushed up to Yun Ming's side to demand answers. She had only been gone a short while, and the issue at the Spirit Transmission Tower had already been handled—yet upon returning, Yun Ming had ended up like this?
Seeing her return, Yun Ming's previously empty eyes flickered with a hint of light. After gently settling Yali down, he returned to his seat.
"Yue-jie…" (Note: "Jie" = older sister; he's being respectful)
"What on earth happened to Shrek Academy? Why do you look like this?!"
Although Yun Ming was over a hundred years old, due to the nourishment of his soul power, he had always appeared to be in his late twenties. But now? He looked like a man in his forties or fifties…
This drastic change could only mean one thing—his mental state had shifted dramatically!
Even Long Yeyue found it unbelievable. What in the world could have affected Yun Ming's mindset like this?
She knew all too well that once someone reached Titled Douluo, their mental states were incredibly stable. Their life's achievements had already solidified over time. Changing such deep-rooted calm was nearly impossible.
Especially for someone like Yun Ming, a top-tier powerhouse. The only thing she could imagine breaking him like this… was if Yali had died. But Yali was clearly alive!
"It's because of Heita."
"I can't teach her at all… Even my Spear of Sky Ascension…"
His voice was filled with bitterness. It was hard to imagine that this normally elegant and proud man, Yun Ming, would say something like that—with his voice even trembling.
Not just his soul skills—even the self-created soul techniques he had developed over years of effort—meant nothing in Heita's hands, like toys. No difference at all.
So terrifying. Long Yeyue couldn't even imagine what Heita had done to make Yun Ming end up like this.
But before she could ask, the doors of the Sea God Pavilion opened and several figures walked in—unsurprisingly, the elders of the Pavilion.
But something was off—their expressions looked weird.
"Wait… Don't tell me—you all went to train Heita too?"
The elders exchanged glances and smiled bitterly.
"That's right," one of them said. "After the Pavilion Master left, it was up to us to guide her."
"And the result? How did that go?" Long Yeyue asked.
As one of the oldest figures on the continent, she had watched many of these elders grow up.
People like Cai Yue'er, Zhuo Shi, and Feng Wuyu—all of them had once been elites of Shrek Academy. They were considered among the continent's top powers. How could they fail to handle a little girl?
"Yue-jie, you know me," Cai Yue'er sighed. "Yesterday, Heita beat me up and left me lying on the floor. How the hell am I supposed to teach her? I'm lucky she didn't beat me again today."
"My Crimson Dragon Nine Styles—she learned it faster than the Pavilion Master's Sky Ascension Spear. How could I teach her?" said Zhuo Shi, turning to the side. "Madman, you spent the longest time with her. You must've taught her something useful, right?"
"Teach? TEACH?! I taught my ass!"
The one called the Madman, Feng Wuyu, burst out in anger.
"You call that me teaching her? She was clearly teaching me!"
"I originally wanted to share some forging knowledge with the girl—she's Mu Chen's daughter, after all. But who knew she'd point out all the flaws in my forging and lecture me about it on the spot…"
"Her forging skills are definitely above mine! Honestly, if there weren't any rumors about her yet, I'd think she was already a Divine Blacksmith!"
"..."
At those words, the entire room fell silent.
Only Long Yeyue, who had just returned, remained unconvinced.
"She's just a little girl. Is she really as amazing as you all say? Let this old lady go see for herself!"
With that, Long Yeyue flew straight out of the Sea God Pavilion, heading toward Heita's location.
The elders exchanged glances, then sat back down to wait quietly.
Half an hour later, Long Yeyue returned to the Sea God Pavilion. But this time, her expression was grave, and no one could tell what had happened.
"Yue-jie, how did the teaching go?"
Long Yeyue stood there for a moment… then exploded.
"Teach my ass!"