The atmosphere of the entire Shrek Academy team changed.
When Elder Mu died, he had stirred the life force of the Golden Ancient Tree, leaving behind gifts for everyone present, bestowing favors upon all the members there.
"Big Senior Brother."
Huo Yuhao spoke up, trying to calm Bei Bei.
The situation back then was complicated; it couldn't be generalized.
But Bei Bei was not calm.
He didn't think he was wrong.
Even Mu En, on his deathbed, had repeatedly told him it wasn't his fault, that he didn't need to feel guilty, and that Huo Yuhao joining Shrek was of great significance to the academy.
It was absolutely not about blaming him.
Especially after Huo Yuhao revealed his second Martial Spirit, Bei Bei found a reason to stop blaming himself.
Huo Yuhao had two Martial Spirits, only one of which was a Body Martial Spirit. How could he belong to the Body Sect?
A Martial Spirit with an Ultimate Attribute could only receive the best cultivation at Shrek Academy; even the Body Sect couldn't manage that.
"Right. I originally thought he was just a disciple of the Body Sect. I didn't expect him to also be part of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy."
At this point, Bei Bei's eyes turned red as he stared fixedly at Su Ming.
"The Body Sect, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy..."
Wang Yan's expression turned grim.
"The Body Sect and the Sun Moon Empire really are colluding!"
Huo Yuhao looked at Su Ming with complex emotions.
Why was he with the Sun Moon Imperial team?
On the other side, after exchanging a few words with Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, Su Ming also turned his attention to the Shrek Academy team.
"They're actually all in perfect condition."
He was slightly startled.
The script was wrong!
"Wait, some people are missing. Counting Wang Yan, there are thirteen in total. Two don't look fully intact, so only three were injured facing the Death God's Emissary?"
Su Ming was inwardly shocked.
When he encountered the Death God's Emissary and Yan Shaozhe, he had already sensed something was off.
But at that time, he only inferred that either Yan Shaozhe was leading the Shrek team this time, or the team led by Xuan Zi hadn't received the Death God's Emissary mission.
Between these two possibilities, Su Ming believed both should have resulted in heavy losses.
The meme about Xuan Zi being the Holy Spirit Cult's Elder was just a meme; Corpse Explosion was truly fierce.
Su Ming thought that even if Yan Shaozhe was leading, the losses wouldn't be small.
"Was Yan Shaozhe that diligent?"
No.
Su Ming knew Yan Shaozhe wasn't a good leader.
For him to be cautious while leading the team could only mean he valued these students highly.
And valued them beyond the ordinary meaning.
"Could it be that Mu En is already dead?"
Su Ming ran through various possibilities in his mind and thought of Mu En.
Mu En didn't have long to live; that was the significance of Su Ming having Du Busi visit back then.
But he truly didn't know when Mu En would die.
Although he had analyzed some things, he couldn't verify them. Su Ming could only bring his thoughts back to the present.
"If they are almost at full strength, it adds a bit of unexpected challenge."
He wasn't disappointed that the Shrek team hadn't suffered losses.
On the contrary, he thought it was good.
Crushing Shrek head-on would deal the greatest blow to them, not winning by picking up the pieces.
"Let's go."
Elder Ma led the team away.
There was no actual exchange or confrontation between the two sides.
As there was truly no common topic, they just faced off for a moment before leaving via staircases on opposite sides.
Su Ming couldn't be bothered to make small talk with Huo Yuhao.
Once Huo Yuhao entered Shrek, there was basically no need to try to save him.
Even adhering to the Body Sect's principles, he wouldn't continue to shamelessly invite Huo Yuhao to join the Body Sect.
The two of them had been on opposing sides ever since Huo Yuhao chose the Tang Sect.
"If the Ice Empress has still become his Martial Spirit, then the Snow Empress can no longer be left for him."
Shrek Academy Team.
Wang Yan restrained Bei Bei, preventing him from causing a scene.
"Bei Bei, calm down."
Wang Yan was, after all, a Spirit Emperor and could suppress Bei Bei, a Spirit Ancestor.
"Teacher Wang Yan, if Su Ming takes the field during the competition, I must take the field too!" Bei Bei said through gritted teeth.
Wang Yan agreed immediately.
By then, it would probably be the finals. Gongyang Mo, Chen Zifeng, and the others would have recovered from their injuries. Bei Bei himself wasn't weak, so letting him substitute for someone wouldn't have much impact.
Of course, this was assuming the Sun Moon Imperial team didn't show excessively exaggerated performance in the earlier matches.
The collusion between the Body Sect and the Sun Moon Empire cast a shadow over his heart.
"Given the Sun Moon Empire's spirit tool level, their utilization of Spirit Metal will only be more exaggerated. I hope Su Ming doesn't take the field. Only by going all out can Shrek ensure victory."
"Su Ming, how are you so sure that Wang Dong is a girl?"
Meng Hongchen still seemed somewhat attached, unwilling to accept this fact.
"Ask your brother whether Wang Dong is male or female."
Meng Hongchen looked at Xiao Hongchen.
"Female."
Xiao Hongchen was concise.
The others also chimed in agreement.
Wang Dong's disguise was, of course, flawless, but his facial features were too soft. Once one accepted the fact that he was a girl, accepted the premise that he was a girl disguised as a boy, then everyone would agree.
"That's really perverted of them. I saw him holding hands with another boy."
When Huo Yuhao was emotionally agitated, Wang Dong did indeed hold his hand for a while.
"Do you think they have some special... preference?"
As Meng Hongchen spoke, she seemed to grow more and more interested.
From initially being infatuated with Wang Dong, it now seemed to have turned into a different kind of interest.
Gossip.
"By the way, it was that boy who called out to you. What's his story?"
"Huo Yuhao. Martial Spirit is Spirit Eyes, eye body part plus mental attribute. I invited him to join the Body Sect back then, but the Tang Sect and Shrek snatched him away."
"Then why didn't you just destroy the Tang Sect?"
Xiao Hongchen blurted out.
Su Ming looked at him with a displeased expression.
"Why are you looking at me? Isn't that your Body Sect's style?"
"Slander! That's slander!" Su Ming snorted coldly. "The Tang Sect was destroyed long ago; there are just a few remnants left."
Xiao Hongchen showed an understanding expression.
So that's how it is.
It was destroyed long ago, so the Body Sect didn't destroy it.
"That Huo Yuhao must be regretting it to death. I suggest you find a way to fight for him, to get him back. If nothing else, his Martial Spirit is eyes; he's definitely suited to be a Spirit Engineer. If your Body Sect provides Spirit Metal, his future would certainly be brighter than at Shrek."
Su Ming didn't respond.
Xiao Hongchen realized that Su Ming seemed to have given up on Huo Yuhao.
This was beyond his expectations.
In his opinion, the Body Sect was the kind of sect that would insist on getting a disciple they wanted.
"Instead of discussing this, let's analyze the Shrek team's composition and think about how to win this year," Elder Ma interjected. "This year, the Blacksmith Association will cooperate with the organizers. The champion team gets the qualification to custom-order ten pieces of Spirit Metal."
"Custom-order Spirit Metal?" Xiao Hongchen's eyes lit up. "Elder Ma, we absolutely must win the championship this time."
***
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(Chapter End)