[CHAPTER 26: Losing face, Defeated by God?]
"Zhongli, damn Zhongli!"
A roar echoed through the sky, filled with anger and frustration.
The Shrek Academy, which had endured for thousands of years, was destroyed in their generation!
"Xuan Zi, you shouldn't have come back to life."
The old man looked at the roaring man with an expressionless face, his tone indifferent.
Hearing this, Xuan Zi trembled and stared at the old man in shock, unable to comprehend why he would say such a thing.
Xuan Zi had faced life and death for Shrek Academy, never retreating even in his final moments.
Why, then, did he receive such an evaluation?
"Elder Mu, what do you mean by this?"
Seeing Xuan Zi's confusion, Mu En's right hand trembled slightly.
He struggled to control his emotions, temporarily suppressing his anger.
What did he mean?
Literally, Xuan Zi should not have been resurrected!
He was the greatest sinner in Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year history!
Not only did he destroy the previous generation of geniuses, but he also squandered the academy's accumulated resources over millennia, bringing it to the brink of ruin.
If not for the mercy of Lord Martial God and the intervention of Sea God Tang San, Shrek Academy might have been lost to history, reduced to dust.
Yet, after being resurrected by Sea God Tang San, Xuan Zi showed no remorse for his actions!
Even if he felt a hint of regret, why would Mu En be so enraged?
Before Mu En could speak, Xuan Zi seemed to sense something, frowning in confusion.
"Why am I only at level 96 now?"
"I can't feel the power of the earth at all?"
Xuan Zi clutched his head, his face filled with disbelief.
He had been at level 98 before, but now he had fallen to level 96!
Not only that, it seemed he was still under Zhongli's "seal"!
He had died once, yet the "seal" remained?
Xuan Zi's words prompted Yan Shaozhe, Xian Lin'er, and the others to frown as well.
"Teacher, my soul power has also dropped. I'm only at level 92 now."
"Teacher, my soul power is only at level 91..."
Except for Yan Shaozhe, who remained at level 92, the soul power levels of Xian Lin'er, Qian Duoduo, and Cai Meir had all fallen to level 91.
The three of them had been on the verge of reaching level 95.
Was the cost of resurrection so high?
Hearing this, Mu En waved his hand, as if he had anticipated this outcome.
"You can still regain your soul power through cultivation, but if you fail to learn from your mistakes and continue to act arrogantly, you can die once, and you can die twice."
"This..."
Yan Shaozhe, Xian Lin'er, and the others lowered their heads, their mouths slightly open as if they wanted to say something but hesitated.
"Alright, don't worry about those few levels of soul power. Right now, the entire Douluo Continent is mocking our Shrek Academy. You must make changes!"
"Shaozhe, go and assess the losses within the academy."
"Duoduo, you are responsible for purchasing construction materials and recruiting workers to rebuild Shrek Academy."
"Mei'er, you are in charge of counting the teachers, assessing the loss of students, and comforting those who remain."
"Lin'er, you will handle the repurchase of soul tools and soul tool materials."
After a brief pause, Mu En added, "As for the reconstruction of Shrek City, let's postpone it for now until the academy is rebuilt."
Hearing this, Yan Shaozhe and the others exchanged glances and quickly responded.
"Yes, Teacher (Elder Mu)!"
Mu En is the backbone of Shrek Academy.
Even if the academy has been destroyed, rebuilding it is not impossible!
As long as there are still students and people who believe in Shrek Academy, they can rise again.
They lost, yes, but they lost to a god!
Isn't it normal to lose to a god?
Is there anything wrong with that?
However, Yan Shaozhe and the others were unaware that the biggest obstacle to rebuilding Shrek Academy wasn't their defeat.
It was their attitude toward ordinary people!
If it weren't for Xuan Zi and their reckless actions, Shrek Academy's reputation wouldn't have been so severely damaged, even after its destruction.
The biggest obstacle now is reputation, not honor.
"Elder Mu, everyone has been assigned tasks. What about me?"
Seeing that Mu En remained silent, Xuan Zi tentatively asked.
His soul power had dropped to level 96, and he could no longer harness the power of the earth, leaving him significantly weakened!
"You?"
Mu En glanced at Xuan Zi, calming himself slightly before replying, "Go to the Sea God Pavilion and reflect on your actions. Come out only when you realize your mistakes."
"Huh?"
Xuan Zi was stunned and confused.
For such a monumental task as rebuilding Shrek Academy, Mu En was sending him to the Sea God Pavilion to reflect?
Zhongli's attack had nearly obliterated Shrek Academy, but the area around the Ancient Tree of Life remained untouched.
This was also where the Sea God Pavilion was located.
"What? I'm not punishing you right now, so get out of here!"
Mu En slammed his hand on the recliner, releasing the aura of a Limit Douluo.
He truly wanted to strike Xuan Zi down with a single punch!
But this guy was, after all, his nephew!
Seeing this, Xuan Zi didn't dare to linger and hurried off toward the Sea God Pavilion.
As Titled Douluo, Yan Shaozhe and the others were highly efficient.
Especially Yan Shaozhe, who was tasked with assessing the academy's losses...
Was there even a need to count?
Aside from the people who survived, nearly everything in Shrek Academy had been destroyed.
This Martial God had inflicted the greatest losses on Shrek Academy without taking a single life.
Only five people had been killed by the God of War, and even they had been resurrected by the Sea God.
In other words, aside from the destruction of buildings, facilities, and property in Shrek City and Shrek Academy, no one had died in this battle.
Cai Meir was counting the attrition of teachers and students.
It wouldn't have been a big deal if she hadn't, but once she did, Cai Meir felt as if the sky had fallen!
This year, about a thousand new students had enrolled, but only fifty-five remained in the ruins of Shrek Academy, less than a single class!
Eighty to ninety percent of the senior students from grades two to six had left, and only a fraction of the inner courtyard students remained, with less than 20 percent staying.
Nearly half of the teachers from Shrek outer courtyard had resigned, leaving only those who were staunch supporters of Shrek Academy.
Upon hearing the news, Mu En simply sighed and said nothing more.
The remaining teachers and students were almost all unwavering supporters of Shrek Academy, with personal or familial ties to the institution.
"Elder Mu, this is bad. The young master of the Clear Sky Sect has also withdrawn from the academy!"
Mu En: "..."
He had considered countless possibilities but never anticipated that Wang Dong would leave.
The relationship between the Clear Sky Sect and Shrek Academy had always been strong.
Sea God Tang San appeared this time. It would have been fine if the Clear Sky Sect hadn't supported the rebuilding of Shrek Academy, but for their young sect master to leave...
"Also, Elder Mu... Tang Ya, the leader of the Tang Sect, has taken Bei Bei and... well... withdrawn from the academy."
"What did you say?"
Mu En couldn't help but ask at this point.
Tang Ya had left with Bei Bei?
This was no joking matter!