"Enough, Yan Shaozhe."
Seeing his daughter's face flush red from the rebuke, Elder Song frowned.
"Shrek's dignity must not be trampled. Lin'er may have been a bit impulsive, but aren't you overreacting with those accusations?"
Yan Shaozhe shook his head helplessly.
Overreacting?
If he didn't put it that harshly, this woman might really get carried away and rush off to fight the Sun and Moon Empire to the death.
These old fools don't seem to have any brains either. From the look of things earlier, not only did they fail to refute Xian Lin'er, several of them were even fired up, ready to go to war with her!
But after all, Elder Song was once the third seat of the Sea God's Pavilion. Now that Mu En had passed away, she was effectively second-in-command. To her, he was just a junior and could only nod reluctantly.
"Hmph!" Xian Lin'er glared at Yan Shaozhe.
"Since we have the protection of Ancestor A-Yin and Shrek has chosen a path of stable development, I propose we reduce the funding for the Soul Engineering Department," Yan Shaozhe said calmly, ignoring Xian Lin'er's provocation and cutting straight to the point.
"Yan Shaozhe, have you gone mad?!" Xian Lin'er shouted, pointing at him in anger. "While the teacher was still alive, he fully supported the development of the Soul Engineering Department. Everyone can see the potential it has through the Sun and Moon Empire! Without the Soul Engineering Department, how is Shrek supposed to stand against them?!"
Qian Duoduo looked helpless, clutching his wife tightly, afraid the two would start fighting right inside the Sea God's Pavilion.
"With the Martial Soul Department," Yan Shaozhe replied flatly.
"You think they can win?" Xian Lin'er sneered. "In the last tournament, the Martial Soul Department was utterly crushed by the Sun and Moon Empire. So even if all funding is diverted to them, you think they can beat the Sun and Moon?"
"…"
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the elders turned strange. After all, they were traditional Martial Soul practitioners. But in recent years, with many changes across the continent, they'd witnessed the terrifying rise of the Soul Engineering Department. Coupled with Elder Mu's strong advocacy, their stance had gradually shifted.
So Xian Lin'er's words just now hit a wide area of targets.
"Ahem, Lin'er!" Elder Song coughed lightly to stop her.
Her cold gaze turned to Yan Shaozhe. "Enough. Let's end this here. Shrek Academy's resources for the Soul Engineering Department will remain as Elder Mu set them. Not a coin less!"
Because of her daughter, she had always been a firm supporter of the Soul Engineering Department.
"Elder Song! This concerns the Academy's future!" Yan Shaozhe took a deep breath, locking eyes with the bandaged Song Yunzhi, his expression firm and unyielding.
"This is like an arms race between nations. The gap between us and the Sun and Moon Empire is like a chasm. It would take centuries of chasing just to close it slightly. In an arms race, the Sun and Moon Empire can easily crush Shrek Academy. Their foundation is far too deep… and recently, they've also swindled a ton of gold soul coins from other forces. With their gain and our loss, what does Shrek have left to win with?"
Yan Shaozhe's voice was earnest and sincere.
"Hmph. Are you saying Elder Mu was wrong?" Elder Song sneered coldly.
"I…" Yan Shaozhe was at a loss for words.
Truthfully, this was now a time of crisis.
Shrek's Treasury had been tricked into selling valuable treasures to the Sun and Moon Empire. Worse, the money they "earned" from the empire was practically handed right back to them!
With all these events, even a behemoth like Shrek was starting to buckle. Their foundations had been shaken.
As the finances tightened, internal "conflicts" would only intensify.
After all, the cake is only so big—if someone gets more, someone else gets less.
If this were a few months ago, Shrek still had enough in reserve. Even if the Soul Engineering Department got over a hundred million gold soul coins, Yan Shaozhe would be unhappy but wouldn't go so far as to challenge Elder Song directly.
But now?
Shrek City's main profits came from being a trade hub at the junction of three nations, and its proximity to the Star Dou Forest—a treasure trove of resources.
With reserves running low and the Sun and Moon Empire pressing in, if anything happened to the Star Dou Forest too, Shrek's overall income would plummet.
Forget about the nearly 200 million gold soul coins of net annual profit they once had. Even 150 million might become a stretch. If the Soul Engineering Department takes the lion's share, what about the Martial Soul Department?!
The Martial Soul Department had massive operations, including a soul beast ranch and countless high-level soul masters. While they brought glory to Shrek, maintaining them required tremendous funding. Now with budget cuts, as head of the department, Yan Shaozhe couldn't even pay wages—wasn't this just pushing them into decline?
"Elder Song! One hundred million gold soul coins is too much. The Martial Soul Department might only get 40 or 50 million. Are you trying to let it collapse?" Yan Shaozhe took a deep breath.
"If you told me that hundred million was going to top-tier soul engineers like those at Mingde Hall in the Sun and Moon Empire, I'd have no complaints! But with someone like Qian Duoduo—half-baked at best—what else can he do besides wasting money?!"
He was going all in now. It was the "life and death moment" for the Martial Soul Department. If he stayed silent, Shrek might be ruined by these people.
"We can learn! No one knows the limits of the Soul Engineering Department's future. Its ceiling is far higher than traditional Martial Souls. As long as we start now and move step by step, surpassing the Martial Soul Department won't take long," Xian Lin'er crossed her arms, her tone full of disdain.
"Learn… hah." Yan Shaozhe felt like he couldn't even breathe.
"So those students Elder Mu sent to the Sun and Moon Empire last time—did they learn anything useful?" He stared at Xian Lin'er and said sternly.
"Hah, what a coincidence. Ning Tian, Wang Dong, Twin Martial Soul Xiao Xiao, even Le Xuan—they were all turned by the Sun and Moon Empire! As for the others? Let's not even bring up the ones from the Martial Soul Department. Just talk about your Soul Engineering Department—after over half a year, what exactly have they learned?"
"How do you know they haven't learned anything? They'll contribute to the Soul Engineering Department in the future!" Xian Lin'er snapped back.
"…"
Yan Shaozhe fell silent.
Did the Sun and Moon Empire ever intend to teach them anything real?
A bunch of students with mediocre talent, learning scraps for a few months… and they were expected to become the backbone of the entire department? He suddenly felt despair.
In that moment, he lost even the will to argue with Xian Lin'er.
He glanced at the elders—all avoiding eye contact. At the front, Elder Xuan was off in his own world, eyes unfocused as he chugged wine.
"Elders, I'd like to use this meeting to announce something." Seeing Xian Lin'er's smug look, Yan Shaozhe spoke calmly: "I want to resign as Head of the Martial Soul Department."
Silence fell across the room.
All the elders turned to look at him.
Elder Song's brow furrowed deeply. She scolded, "Yan Shaozhe, this isn't something you can just take or give up as you please! Do you think us old fogeys are just decorations? If things don't go your way, you just throw in the towel?"
"You were appointed because the Academy valued you. Otherwise…"
"I cannot stand by and watch the Martial Soul Department collapse in my hands," Yan Shaozhe said quietly.
"Who says it's collapsing?!" Elder Song roared.
Yan Shaozhe's words were clearly blaming her decisions for the decline of the department.
The elders' expressions varied.
No one wanted to take the fall—this was a heavy responsibility.
"If there's no funding, the Martial Soul Department is doomed to fail. It'll just be a slow death. If you don't want to take responsibility, don't push it onto me…" Yan Shaozhe chuckled bitterly.
"You—!" Elder Song looked furious.
Though it was the truth, she couldn't bring herself to admit it.
"Yunzhi, what Shaozhe says isn't wrong. The Martial Soul Department's annual expenses are huge. If the Soul Engineering Department keeps getting 100 million every year, what's left for the Martial Soul side? Thirty or forty million? Even if Shaozhe dug into his own pocket, it wouldn't be enough," Elder Zhuang sighed and stepped in to mediate.
"What do you propose?" Elder Song stared coldly at Yan Shaozhe.
"Fifty percent." Yan Shaozhe didn't ask for more. Seventy or eighty million a year would barely suffice. They could tighten their belts and get by…
"Impossible!" Before Elder Song could respond, Xian Lin'er cried out.
"The Soul Engineering Department is the future! Especially in the early stages, it needs massive investment. A hundred million is already a drop from Elder Mu's previous standard. With enough early funding, it'll eventually bring returns beyond imagination. The Martial Soul path has already peaked—investing more just maintains the status quo."
"Well actually…" Qian Duoduo tried to speak, but Xian Lin'er silenced him with a glare.
"One hundred million. Not a coin less!" she added.
"Lin'er!" Elder Song coughed lightly.
The truth was, everyone knew this meeting marked the beginning of the Martial Soul Department's decline. But no one wanted to admit it. The weight of its thousand-year legacy was too heavy—no one could carry it.
So a scapegoat was needed.
That scapegoat was Yan Shaozhe, the current Head of the Martial Soul Department.
If he really throws in the towel, who's going to take over as the Head of the Martial Soul Department? Looking at the current situation, there really isn't anyone who can handle the role—and no one would be foolish enough to jump into it at this point.
Cai Meier looked nervously at Yan Shaozhe, her expression anxious but unable to speak. Although she was the Vice Dean of the Martial Soul Department, she wasn't even a Title Douluo, so she had no standing to speak in this situation.
She could only watch as her husband fought a war of words against the entire room alone.
"The Soul Tool Department gets 60%, the Martial Soul Department gets 40%. How about that, Yan Shaozhe? That should finally satisfy you, right?" Elder Song said in a deep voice.
Right now, their goal was to continue Elder Mu's vision: to fully support the development of the Soul Tool Department with the strength of the entire Shrek Academy. And the Martial Soul Department—well, it had to be sacrificed. There was no other choice. After all, Shrek Academy had to think about the future.
Xian Lin'er wasn't wrong. The Martial Soul path had already reached its peak. Even if more resources were poured in, it could only maintain the status quo. But the Soul Tool path was different. It still had a bright and limitless future.
"Forty percent... heh." Yan Shaozhe chuckled coldly.
"What, you're still not satisfied?!" Elder Song suddenly raised her voice. "Yan Shaozhe, don't push your luck!"
"Then go find someone else. I'm done being Head of the Martial Soul Department."
Yan Shaozhe shook his head in bitter disappointment. "If it were just taking the blame for the future, I wouldn't care. I could accept that, for the sake of the Academy. But if you can't even give us equal treatment with the Soul Tool Department... Well, with the teacher gone, I might as well travel the continent for a while."
"Shaozhe…" Elder Zhuang anxiously tried to stop him.
"Zhuang! Let him leave!" Elder Song was livid. "Consider all the Academy's nurturing wasted on an ingrate like you!"
"From now on, don't even say you're from Shrek! Shrek doesn't need cowards like you!"
"Yan Shaozhe, do you have any shame at all? Can't take the heat so you throw a tantrum? No wonder you're so shameless—now you won't even carry the responsibility of Shrek anymore!" Xian Lin'er also scolded him angrily.
For a moment, the Sea God Pavilion meeting descended into chaos.
Elder Zhuang and a few others tried to mediate, while Elder Song, Xian Lin'er, and several hot-tempered elders vented their fury at Yan Shaozhe.
Meanwhile, Elder Xuan sat at the head of the table, face flushed with drink, clearly a bit tipsy. He looked around at the disarray in the hall with a mixture of confusion and helplessness, muttering, "The higher you stand, the colder it gets…"
The Next Day.
Outside Shrek Academy.
Yan Shaozhe stood silently, gazing at the place where he had spent half his life.
To say he wasn't reluctant would be a lie. But having resigned from his position as Head of the Martial Soul Department, his attachment to power, his lifelong rivalry with Qian Duoduo and the others—it all seemed to fade away. What remained was a sense of peace, of release... As if the weight on his shoulders had suddenly lifted, making him feel strangely lighter.
"You're really leaving? You won't reconsider?" Qian Duoduo looked at him with complicated emotions.
Whether as a friend or from the perspective of Shrek Academy, he didn't want Yan Shaozhe to go.
"Heh, such a grand place as Shrek Academy, and only you came to see me off," Yan Shaozhe said with a faint smile.
"Well…" Qian Duoduo looked embarrassed.
News of Yan Shaozhe's departure hadn't been kept secret. Nearly all the faculty at the Academy knew. But just the night before, Elder Song had given an order: anyone who came to see him off would be expelled from Shrek and never taken back. So Qian Duoduo was the only one who braved the risk of being harshly scolded to come and say goodbye.
"It's fine, Duoduo. No need to say more." Yan Shaozhe nodded slightly, his expression calm.
He had thoroughly offended Elder Song, but he didn't regret it.
"If this were the past, I might've chewed you out, exposed your flaws—mercilessly. But now…" Yan Shaozhe smiled faintly. "I just don't have the energy anymore. We've known each other since childhood—same grade, same class. You know me inside and out. Before I go, I'll ask you just one question."
He stared intently into Qian Duoduo's eyes. "If I gave you 300 years, could you catch up to the current soul tool technology level of the Sun Moon Empire?"
"This…"Qian Duoduo opened his mouth but had no words.
"Five hundred years?" Yan Shaozhe pressed.
Qian Duoduo: "…"
"One thousand years!"
Seeing Qian Duoduo still silent, Yan Shaozhe let out a long sigh.
"Forget it, forget it. I'm leaving. You all take care of yourselves."
With that, his figure slowly disappeared.
Only Qian Duoduo remained behind, looking lost.
But he, too, was being swept forward by the tide. As the so-called "victor," he felt a trace of envy toward Yan Shaozhe, who had cast off the future of Shrek and its heavy expectations. Now that he bore the hopes of victory, his burden was even heavier…
(End of chapter)