A social gathering with thousands of attendees was truly lively.
From the banquet hall to the deck of the massive ship, it was packed with all sorts of people.
There were passionate couples lost in their romance, young men and women wildly dancing, singing at the top of their lungs, and indulging themselves without restraint.
There were also drunkards who had downed so much alcohol that they had to be carried away.
And, of course, there were the food lovers who buried themselves in eating, their eyes fixed solely on the feast before them.
Among them, Tang Wulin and Xu Lizhi of Shrek Academy were the most typical examples.
Especially Tang Wulin—so many men wished they could tear him apart.
Sitting beside him was the number one beauty, yet this guy only cared about eating.
Xu Lizhi was the same. Even though Ye Xinglan was easily among the top ten beauties present, he, just like Tang Wulin, was only focused on his food.
Heavens! Why did such people always have gorgeous women by their side?
Did beautiful women actually prefer food lovers?
Countless people watched these two, pounding their chests in frustration, their eyes blazing with jealousy.
Of course, Shrek Academy's oddballs weren't limited to just those two.
On the deck, Lin Pingzhi was practicing his sword dance alone. His delicate, handsome features, combined with the elegant and flowing movements of his Evil-Warding Sword Dance, made his performance even more graceful than that of a woman—he looked just like a female lead on an opera stage.
A large group of young women from the Star Luo Continent gathered around, mesmerized, many of them attempting to strike up a conversation.
Without exception, they were all rejected.
In fact, the moment any woman approached, he would loudly roar at them to get lost.
"This guy has issues! If you don't want to talk, fine, but why the huge tantrum?" The Star Luo Continent girls left, muttering in confusion and annoyance.
Seeing them leave in embarrassment, the girls from the Douluo Continent burst into unrestrained laughter.
The laughter only made Lin Pingzhi's veins bulge in frustration.
Before long, some of the Star Luo girls learned the reason behind it all.
"Ugh…" A few of them, particularly those with delicate sensibilities, immediately rushed to the deck railing and vomited.
The thought that they had just been flirting with a eunuch made them want to purge everything they had eaten the day before.
Meanwhile, Wu Jin stood in a quiet corner of the hall, sipping a glass of red wine.
He hadn't wanted to attend this event at all. In his eyes, it was completely meaningless.
But he was the captain of Shrek Academy's outer court team, and if not for Cai Yue'er's strict order that he must participate, he wouldn't have bothered showing up.
Indeed, for this exchange event with the Star Luo Continent, Wu Jin was the designated captain of the outer court team.
On paper, his position was equivalent to that of Lan Muzi, the inner court's team captain.
Both answered directly to Cai Yue'er.
As always, Wu Jin was dressed in white, his silver hair flowing. He hadn't made any special effort to dress up, yet his sharp brows, bright eyes, tall and imposing figure, and regal aura made him the center of attention regardless.
Women kept coming up to him, trying to start conversations.
And without exception, he rejected them all.
His expression remained as cold as eternal ice, without a hint of emotion.
Only when his gaze occasionally drifted toward the Demon Emperor did a flicker of curiosity flash in his eyes.
In the core of the Extreme North, he had seen her before.
He knew who she really was.
"These students are all such weirdos! They're ruining Shrek Academy's image." The inner court's senior sister, Tang Yinmeng, sighed helplessly.
If someone didn't know better, they might think all of Shrek Academy's students were like this.
"Don't worry. Once they gain more experience, they'll start acting normal." Lan Muzi chuckled, his tone calm and composed, as if nothing could stir his emotions.
"Normal? Do you really think he can ever be normal?" Tang Yinmeng smirked as she tilted her chin toward Lin Pingzhi.
Lan Muzi's mouth twitched slightly. After a pause, he said, "He's an exception."
"I really don't understand why the academy agreed to let him join this exchange event." Tang Yinmeng pouted.
Just earlier, she had overheard some rumors—claims that Lin Pingzhi had already been pre-selected as the next Pavilion Master of the Sea God's Pavilion.
Even if it was just gossip, it was hard for her to accept.
Clearly, her Lan Ge was the rightful next Pavilion Master!
"I've seen the sword technique he created—the Heartless Sword. It's very impressive, though it still needs refinement," Lan Muzi said, watching Lin Pingzhi's sword dance with a glint in his eyes. "He works hard, and his talent is exceptional. His only drawback was a lack of proper guidance and a weak foundation. Now that he's in the inner court, his future achievements will reach at least the level of a Super Douluo."
"This generation of students is truly outstanding—so many prodigies. Too bad the strongest one belongs to the Spirit Pagoda." Tang Yinmeng sighed.
"Xia Yi is indeed remarkable. At his age, I was nowhere near his level. But he shines too brightly. Now that we're far from the Douluo Continent, many people will be interested in him." Lan Muzi's tone was meaningful.
"Lan Ge, what do you mean?" A sharp glint flashed in Tang Yinmeng's eyes.
"The Heavenly Phoenix Douluo may believe that having a branch of the Spirit Pagoda on Douluo Continent means Xia Yi and Gu Yue are safe. But the Spirit Pagoda cannot compare to Shrek Academy or Tang Sect. The internal politics of the Spirit Pagoda are a mess, while Shrek Academy and Tang Sect are united in purpose. If given enough benefits, can we really be sure the Spirit Pagoda on the Star Luo Continent will protect Xia Yi and Gu Yue?" Lan Muzi explained.
"You mean the academy or Tang Sect might take action against Xia Yi?" Tang Yinmeng nearly gasped, her beautiful eyes widening in shock.
She didn't want to believe Shrek Academy or Tang Sect would do such a thing.
But when she thought about it carefully, it did make sense.
"Don't jump to conclusions. Before we left, the Holy Spirit Douluo and Skycovering Douluo both warned Silvermoon Douluo that Shrek Academy must not act against Xia Yi and Gu Yue without cause." Lan Muzi rolled his eyes at her.
What he didn't mention was that after parting with Yun Ming and Ya Li, he and Cai Yue'er had secretly met with Long Yeyue as well.
"I get it now." Tang Yinmeng nodded thoughtfully.
"What exactly do you understand?" Lan Muzi asked, curious.
Taking a deep breath, Tang Yinmeng looked into Lan Muzi's eyes and asked, "Lan Ge, tell me—do you think the Holy Spirit Douluo chose not to attend this exchange event, or was she prevented from coming?"
"Why do you ask?" Lan Muzi frowned.
"Nana is the Holy Spirit Douluo and the Skytower Douluo's most beloved treasure. If she was going on a long journey, the Holy Spirit Douluo should have personally come to protect her. But she didn't. Isn't that strange?" Tang Yinmeng said softly.
There was one person she could trust completely—Ya Li.
Ya Li was kind-hearted. As long as she was present, no one in Shrek Academy would be able to target Xia Yi.
Even if someone from another organization tried to harm Xia Yi or Gu Yue, Ya Li would intervene to protect them.
With her around, they would be safe.
But if Ya Li had deliberately stayed behind, then it meant she had already guessed what was happening and had chosen to turn a blind eye.
And if she had been restrained by someone, then Xia Yi and Gu Yue might never return to Douluo Continent alive.
Whoever had orchestrated this had planned everything meticulously.
With such a flawless scheme, taking down two mere Soul Ancestors would be effortless.
Tang Yinmeng no longer believed Xia Yi and Gu Yue had any chance of survival.
Watching her expression, Lan Muzi sighed. "Skycovering Douluo can't leave Shrek Academy for too long. Originally, the Holy Spirit Douluo was supposed to lead this exchange. You're right—Skytower Douluo and the Holy Spirit Douluo would never let Nana travel alone. But a village north of Star Luo City recently suffered a relapse of a plague that the Holy Spirit Douluo had cured years ago. Rumors spread that she had failed to eradicate the disease, so she had no choice but to go investigate."
"These people… they're insane." Tang Yinmeng gritted her teeth.
"Maybe it's just a coincidence," Lan Muzi murmured.
"Maybe it's just a coincidence," Lan Muzi said. After thinking for a moment, he added, "Before boarding the ship, I specifically contacted Holy Spirit Douluo via soul communicator. There have been no reported deaths among the villagers, but the plague is rather tricky. Even Holy Spirit Douluo is at a loss—she can only keep the villagers alive but is unable to completely cure them."
"It must have been done by someone who is very familiar with Holy Spirit Douluo's abilities," Tang Yinmeng said in a low voice. "They fear provoking Heavenly Phoenix Douluo, so they don't dare to target Xia Yi directly. That's why they're going to such great lengths."
With Yali's abilities, how could an ordinary plague possibly leave her powerless?
For something to render her helpless, it could only mean that those responsible are people who know her exceptionally well and are deliberately targeting her.
(End of Chapter)