After a while, Yan Shaozhe recovered slightly and stood up, his face pale.
The "counterattack" just now must have been a warning from the heavens!
What troubled Yan Shaozhe was that everything he had said earlier was true, yet due to the power of the "Sovereign's Descent," his words had lost credibility.
It was like going to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice.
Now, how could he possibly "fool" these young people?
The students of Class Nine were no fools. At this moment, they scrutinized Yan Shaozhe with suspicion.
Could this Titled Douluo also be an evil soul master?
He had used sinister methods to "attack" their sea of consciousness. If he weren't an evil soul master, how could he have done such a thing?
Instinctively, everyone took a few steps back, their gazes filled with wariness.
The retreating footsteps and distrustful looks from the Class Nine students struck Yan Shaozhe like a bolt of lightning.
In all his years, this was the first time he had encountered such a situation.
The prestigious Bright Phoenix Douluo, the Dean of the Martial Soul Department at Shrek Academy, was actually being questioned by a group of eleven or twelve-year-old children.
With a helpless sigh, Yan Shaozhe bowed to them.
Only by enduring what others cannot endure can one achieve greatness!
So what if he had to bow to these kids? Losing a little face meant nothing.
"Sorry, students."
Seeing this, everyone took another few steps back, their expressions unchanged.
This man was definitely shady, so hypocritical!
If he truly wanted to apologize, what had he been doing earlier?
After a long pause, Yan Shaozhe finally straightened up and spoke calmly, "Students, I am Yan Shaozhe, Dean of the Martial Soul Department at Shrek Academy. You can verify my identity through any means, and there will be no mistake."
"Hiss, "
"Even the dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department has been infiltrated by an evil soul master?"
The students gasped, and some bold youths voiced their thoughts bluntly.
Hearing this, Yan Shaozhe's expression darkened, but he suppressed his anger and continued, "You've all seen my martial soul, the Light Phoenix. It's impossible for me to be an evil soul master."
The students studied Yan Shaozhe skeptically, then glanced at his martial soul before nodding thoughtfully.
The Light Phoenix, one of the world's top martial souls, was the polar opposite of the Dark Phoenix and had no potential to become an evil soul master.
"But that woman earlier, her martial soul radiated a dark aura! She was clearly an evil soul master!"
"You're just covering for her!"
Yan Shaozhe waved his hand and said solemnly, "Xiao Tao is not an evil soul master. She truly just had a mishap in her cultivation."
At this point, Yan Shaozhe seemed to recall something, his eyes lighting up as he added, "I believe everyone has heard of the statue in Shrek Square?"
To commemorate those who had contributed to the academy, Shrek Academy erected sculptures in their honor, ensuring future generations would remember and admire them.
In Shrek Square stood the figures of Flanders, Liu Erlong, Yu Xiaogang, and the original Shrek Seven Devils.
"Xiao Tao is a descendant of Ma Hongjun, one of the original Shrek Seven Devils. How could she possibly be an evil soul master?"
Yan Shaozhe knew he shouldn't have revealed this, but if he didn't use righteousness to "suppress" these students, Shrek Academy's reputation would be ruined!
Because Ma Xiaotao did have the potential to become an evil soul master.
If not for her lineage, she would have been branded an evil soul master within minutes.
By laying out this connection, he believed the students would understand.
They were the descendants of the original Shrek Seven Devils!
Ning Tian stroked her chin, she was deep in thought.
The original Shrek Seven Devils?
Their Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had two members among them, Ning Rongrong and Oscar.
If Ma Xiaotao truly was Ma Hongjun's descendant, then today's incident…
"Does this really make sense?"
At that moment, Hua Huo, who was supporting Huo Yuhao, spoke up.
Her words instantly drew everyone's attention.
"Whether someone is an evil soul master, is that determined by bloodline?"
"I'm sure you all know where my husband Yuhao comes from. If he became a villain, would his bloodline absolve him of guilt?"
The moment these words were spoken, everyone's pupils contracted as they fell into deep contemplation.
"The deputy monitor... actually has a background too?"
"And it sounds terrifying."
Hua Huo's words struck a chord. Just because someone's ancestor was great, did that mean their descendants were exempt from wrongdoing?
How could that possibly be true?
Yan Shaozhe's lips parted slightly, but no rebuttal came. He truly had no counterargument.
Indeed, if Huo Yuhao, as a descendant of the second-generation Shrek Seven Devils, committed evil, would his bloodline alone absolve him?
"No... I've been outplayed."
Realization dawned on Yan Shaozhe, his eyelids twitching imperceptibly.
This little princess wasn't so easily fooled!
Hua Huo continued, her tone measured, "As far as I know, Ma Hongjun's original wife was Bai Chenxiang of the Speed Clan. Bai Chenxiang's talent was mediocre, even with divine trials, she could never touch the threshold of godhood in her lifetime."
"After Ma Hongjun ascended as the Phoenix God, the God Realm decreed that level two gods couldn't bring mortals with them. Thus, gods and humans were forever separated..."
"Ma Hongjun and Bai Chenxiang had no children before her death. Consumed by guilt, he secluded himself in volcanic cultivation within the God Realm and never emerged. So how could he possibly have descendants roaming in the Douluo Continent?"
At this, Hua Huo tilted her head with "innocent curiosity."
The class collectively short-circuited.
Since when did the class monitor know these secrets?!
"As far as she knew"… Was this something she was supposed to know?!
Yan Shaozhe's mind blanked, his composure cracking.
Now, he was certain Hua Huo hailed from the Divine Realm.
Even Shrek Academy's archives barely mentioned these details. Yet she'd laid them bare effortlessly.
To casually name-drop a second-tier god… Just how high is her standing in the Divine Realm?!
"What now? What do I do?!"
Yan Shaozhe knew he could bluff others, but Hua Huo? Impossible.
Technically, Ma Xiaotao was Ma Hongjun's descendant. Every man had his... lapses.
Before meeting Bai Chenxiang, Ma Hongjun had been a brothel regular. An illegitimate child wasn't implausible.
Morally, though? Even Ma Hongjun wouldn't dare acknowledge such offspring. His love for Bai Chenxiang was absolute.
"Xiao Tao, you've truly thrown me into the fire!"
Shrek's policy of protecting its own was no secret.
Without her ties to Yan Shaozhe and Mu En, without that tenuous link to Ma Hongjun, Ma Xiaotao would've been branded an evil soul master the moment her martial soul's darkness surfaced.
After all, Scorpion Tiger Douluo had been labeled evil just for using beast blood in cultivation.
The injustice had driven him straight into the arms of the actual evil soul masters!