Chapter 316: Fading Glory, Distant Hope
Xiao Qiang turned his gaze toward Mu Qingxue, a trace of thoughtfulness in his eyes as he asked about the Angel God's divine position.
Although his cultivation had reached level 99—already threatening the threshold of godhood—he was well aware that Tang San was not alone. If Xiao Qiang entered the God Realm to confront him directly, even if he could overpower Tang San one-on-one, he would still have to contend with the Shrek Seven Devils.
While the original Shrek Seven Devils were perhaps the weakest of all generations, they had been born into the most fortunate era. Despite their mediocre talents, all of them had ascended to godhood before the God Realm could industrialize mass deification. Worse still, thanks to Tang San's inability to tolerate weakness, the Seven Devils had been strengthened beyond reason. Xiao Wu could even temporarily assume the Sea God's mantle, and their combat coordination—augmented by the Nether White Tiger and the Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda—was formidable. Even Ma Hongjun, once a lecherous glutton, had become absurdly righteous.
It would be a suicide mission to face them all without backup.
Mu Qingxue shook her head.
"No. I haven't sensed any power of faith yet. But that's expected. Even though we've rapidly recruited soul masters with the help of soul spirits, and used the wealth from soul spirit sales to expand martial soul awakenings continent-wide, it's still too early."
"Besides, if we want to restore the Angel God's position, I'm worried the faith from the Douluo Continent alone may not be enough. We still know next to nothing about the requirements for divine restoration—how much faith is needed, how strong it must be. We'll have to feel it out over time."
Xiao Qiang murmured to himself.
"The Douluo Continent might not be sufficient…"
A decision swiftly followed.
"Then we'll need to expedite our expansion into the other two continents. But who… will I send to lead the exploration?"
Shrek Academy: The Ashes of a Legend
Despite his preparations, Xiao Qiang had yet to erase Shrek Academy from the map—only because he feared Tang San had mechanical contingency plans tied to the Golden Tree. But even without a decisive blow, Shrek's downfall was already in motion.
Since failing to reach even the top eight in the last All-Continent Senior Soul Master Competition—and having their cheating and corrupt teaching practices exposed—Shrek's days of dominance were over.
Once, talents from all over the world would fight for a spot at Shrek Academy. In those golden years, Shrek could pick and choose its students, even rejecting elites on a whim. Now, those glory days were gone.
In the past two years, Shrek's enrollment has plummeted—worse even than the era when Flender was the Dean, 10,000 years ago.
Back then, Shrek might have failed to recruit more than two students in some years, but they still had a lineup of Soul Emperors and Soul Saints to intimidate and lure curious families.
Now? No one came.
In the first year after the academy's scandals leaked, a few hopefuls still enrolled—lured by tradition and prestige. But by the second year, with the truth fully exposed, not a single applicant arrived.
Shrek still tried to poach students from the Three Kingdoms' Royal Academies—an old trick from their darker history—but as those kingdoms fell under Soul Palace control, the tables turned.
Where once Shrek snatched from the Soul Spirit Academy, they now faced Soul Hall Academies—with real power, real doctrine, and Titled Douluo-level enforcers.
The days of bullying weak nobles were over.
Shrek's motto had always been, "To not cause trouble is mediocrity." But they were careful who they picked fights with. Like how Flender and Zhao Wuji would go silent in front of Poison Douluo, Shrek knew better than to test the Soul Hall.
And so—cut off from talent, starved of enrollment—Shrek began its final spiral.
Desperation and Denial
In the now-deserted enrollment plaza, once bustling with hopefuls, Xuan Zi sat with a wine gourd in hand.
"Dean Mu… I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault, Mr. Xuan," replied Zhou Yi, wife of Fan Yu. "Blame those idiots who led spirit ring hunting expeditions. If they hadn't gotten so many students killed, Shrek wouldn't have ended up like this."
Her words made Xuan Zi's expression freeze awkwardly—caught between anger and shame.
"You can't blame it all on the teachers…"
"Why not? It was their fault!"
Xuan Zi wanted to throw Zhou Yi out then and there, but remembering Shrek's current manpower crisis, he swallowed his pride. Besides, she wasn't wrong—her outburst, however inappropriate, came from loyalty.
In the end, he even promised to help her obtain a soul ring once she reached level 80.
Yes, Xuan Zi was open-minded. But Shrek's decline was undeniable.
A New Hope?
Just as Xuan Zi took another drink, Yan Shaozhe burst into view, face glowing with excitement.
"Elder Xuan! Great news! We've found a new continent! A place where Shrek can be rebuilt—hidden from the reach of the Soul Palace!"
Xuan Zi let out a wine-soaked belch.
"At this point, what good news could possibly matter? Shrek's reputation is dead. No one on the continent would dare join us…"
But Yan Shaozhe nodded vigorously.
"That's just it, Elder Xuan! There's more than just one continent! After two years of searching, we've confirmed it—an undiscovered landmass, untouched by the Soul Palace or the Spirit Pagoda!"
"We can rebuild Shrek there!"
The haze of alcohol vanished in an instant. Xuan Zi's eyes lit up.
"Another continent… so the gods truly haven't abandoned Shrek."
He stood up with purpose.
"Gather a team. Pick the best students we have left. I will personally lead the expedition. We'll plant Shrek's flag in the new world!"