The representatives sent by the Star Luo and Heavenly Soul teams to contact Shrek Academy were both highly unusual figures.
From the Star Luo team came Princess Xu Jiujing, who was serving as their team leader in Mingdu. The Heavenly Soul team sent someone of equal status—Princess Weina of the Heavenly Soul Empire.
Xu Jiujing was already an old acquaintance of Zhu Ziyang, having left Shrek Academy only a year earlier.
Princess Weina, on the other hand, was meeting Zhu Ziyang for the first time. As a princess of her empire, her beauty was in no way inferior to Xu Jiujing's. But where Xu Jiujing's temperament was lively and open, Weina exuded a gentler, softer grace.
"Ziyang, it's been so long!" Xu Jiujing's eyes lit up when she saw him, her smile warm and joyful.
"It truly has, Your Highness," Zhu Ziyang replied with a laugh.
"You're Zhu Ziyang, then? I've heard so much about you! I'm Weina. It's an honor," the girl walking beside Xu Jiujing said, her serene smile gentle and refined.
"The Pearl of the Heavenly Soul, Princess Weina. I've long admired your name as well," Zhu Ziyang answered with courtesy.
"Please, take a seat," Ma Xiaotao interjected, gesturing for the two princesses to sit.
Xu Jiujing and Weina each took a place at Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao's sides. A third young woman stood quietly behind Weina—clearly her attendant.
"So then, Your Highnesses, to what do we owe the pleasure?" Zhu Ziyang asked lightly, though he already guessed the answer.
At his words, both princesses' expressions stiffened briefly, but their training in courtly etiquette allowed them to recover almost instantly.
Weina cast a glance at Xu Jiujing. Seeing that she remained silent, she spoke with a polite smile. "There's no great matter, truly. We simply wished to meet you, prodigy of the continent. After all, we are fellow people of the Heavenly Soul Empire."
"Haha, then I'm truly honored!" Zhu Ziyang laughed.
"In that case, if there's nothing pressing, perhaps you three should leave now. Don't disturb our rest," Ma Xiaotao suddenly cut in coldly, her face dark as she bluntly issued a dismissal.
The two princesses froze. They exchanged helpless, frustrated glances. Though they were royalty, they had come with a request, and thus had no choice but to swallow their pride.
"Ahaha, Senior Sister Xiaotao is as forthright as ever," Xu Jiujing forced a smile. "Very well—we won't keep secrets. Ziyang, forgive me for being forward, but we hoped to speak with one of the elders traveling with you. The matter is of grave importance."
She was unaware that Zhu Ziyang himself had already advanced to Title Douluo and taken over as head of the Tianyuan Pavilion. Otherwise, she would never have made such a request.
In fact, very few across the continent knew this. Elder Xuan had only stepped down a few years ago, and no one could have guessed he would pass the position to a youth barely twenty.
"No need," Ma Xiaotao said icily. "If you have business, speak to us directly. We are fully empowered to represent Shrek Academy."
"This…" Both princesses hesitated, disbelief written on their faces. They found it hard to accept that Zhu Ziyang, despite his reputation, could truly hold authority. After all, they themselves were only messengers—their real decision-makers were the powers behind them.
Their skeptical looks made Ma Xiaotao bristle. "Hmph! If you've something to say, say it. If not, leave!" she snapped.
Her tone was sharp enough to make even Princess Weina flush in embarrassment, while her attendant glared openly in anger.
"Heh!"
A cold laugh suddenly rang out. Zhu Ziyang's expression barely shifted, but a figure materialized before Xu Jiujing—a woman in a red gown. Instantly, the room's temperature dropped as her oppressive aura pressed down on everyone present.
Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao remained unmoved. But Princess Weina and her attendant trembled slightly under the weight of the pressure. Weina sat up straighter in nervous focus, while her attendant involuntarily stepped back, both of their eyes filled with shock.
The red-clad woman was clearly aligned with Xu Jiujing, who opened her mouth to speak—only for an even colder aura to spread from behind Weina. The temperature plunged further as an opposing wave of pressure surged forth, clashing with the first.
A second figure appeared, cloaked head to toe in a deep blue robe. From her outline, it was clear she was a woman as well.
Two Title Douluo—one ordinary, one possibly a Super Douluo.
Their intent was obvious: to pressure Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao into revealing Shrek's true elders.
But they had gravely miscalculated.
"Hmph!"
Ma Xiaotao's face darkened. The very act of these two Douluo throwing their weight around in Shrek's presence was a provocation. She no longer felt any need for restraint.
A wave of scorching power erupted from her body, sweeping away both the red woman's fire and the blue woman's ice, restoring the room's temperature in an instant.
The two Title Douluo were taken aback, their eyes flashing with disbelief as Ma Xiaotao's aura surged higher—terrifying, oppressive, on par with a Super Douluo.
The red woman's face twisted in shock. Even the blue woman revealed her features, her eyes wide with suspicion and awe.
"Are you threatening us?" Ma Xiaotao's cold voice cut through the room. The sheer heat of her aura made the princesses shift uncomfortably in their seats, while the two Douluo looked more and more uneasy.
"Speak!"
With a flick of her will, nine soul rings flared to life around Ma Xiaotao—six black, three red. Their dazzling light illuminated the room, freezing all five visitors in stunned silence.
The red-clad woman trembled before forcing out bitter words: "Y-you… you're Shrek Academy's newly ascended Fire God Douluo?"
At that, the blue-robed woman's pupils contracted violently. She too had heard of this news, but neither had expected the Fire God Douluo to be a woman not yet thirty!
How were the old guard supposed to face such monstrous talent?
The air grew tense, the five representatives of the empires caught between fear and shock. To act rashly now would be disastrous, but to remain silent was equally unbearable.
At that moment, Zhu Ziyang finally spoke, his voice calm and gentle, like a spring breeze:
"Alright, Senior Sister Xiaotao. I don't believe our esteemed guests mean us harm. They're only… a bit anxious, isn't that so?"
His words dissolved the tension in an instant.
Ma Xiaotao dismissed her soul rings, and the five visitors breathed out in visible relief.
Now, at last, they began to truly reassess Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao. Clearly, the two of them truly had the authority to represent Shrek Academy.
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