Chapter 177: Astonishing Insider Information _1

"Beibei, please take care of Tang Ya, take her to the Sea God's Pavilion first."

Yan Shaozhe instructed.

"Alright."

Beibei nodded gravely and then tightened his grip on Tang Ya's hand, "Xiao Ya, you probably don't know, a lot has happened at Shrek Academy after you left. The Sea God's Pavilion has been reconstructed; it's no longer as it once was."

However.

Tang Ya shook her head weakly and said, "Beibei, have you forgotten? I never visited the Sea God's Pavilion before I left. In other words, I don't know what the Sea God's Pavilion used to look like either."

"Huh?"

Scratching his head awkwardly, Beibei said, "Look at my memory."

After Tang Ya and Beibei left, Yan Shaozhe slowly retracted his gaze.

He walked over to a chair and sat down, his face filled with exhaustion.

"Teacher, are you alright?" Ma Xiaotao hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "What's putting so much pressure on you?"

"Ah, it's a long story!"

Even though he had a thousand words in his heart, Yan Shaozhe only let out this sigh, his inner turmoil clearly overwhelming him.

"Teacher, you can talk to me, I'm not a child anymore. I've experienced so much and have grown from it. I believe I can share some of your burdens."

Ma Xiaotao walked behind Yan Shaozhe and gently massaged his shoulders.

This gesture allowed Yan Shaozhe to relax slightly.

"There's a lot to say about that," he said.

Yan Shaozhe closed his eyes and slowly began, "Currently, Shrek faces several dilemmas. The first, and most critical, is that Shrek Academy no longer has a Titled Douluo as its cornerstone.

"This situation, I don't know when it will change. I cannot rest easy until a Titled Douluo emerges who can stabilize the situation."

Upon hearing this, Ma Xiaotao showed a puzzled look, "But that's not right, the Holy Spirit Cult has many powerful figures, even Titled Douluos of level ninety-seven or ninety-eight. Feng Ling, who always led me and encouraged me to join the Holy Spirit Cult, seems to be of that rank. If our Shrek Academy lacks such powerful individuals, how did we manage to repel them?"

In fact, Ma Xiaotao's heart was already racing as she asked this question.

Because this topic was truly sensitive, touching upon the core secrets of the Shrek Academy.

She even prepared herself for Yan Shaozhe's suspicion.

However, to her surprise, Yan Shaozhe displayed unprecedented trust.

He sighed heavily and said, "Xiao Tao, this is the second matter I wanted to discuss with you. The reason Shrek Academy was able to survive this ordeal and repel all those formidable enemies from the Holy Spirit Cult wasn't because of our own strength.

"Or rather, when did our Shrek Academy have the strength to accomplish that?"

"What?" Ma Xiaotao was shocked, "You mean the powerful individuals who repelled the Holy Spirit Cult weren't from our Shrek Academy?"

"Hehe, I wish Shrek Academy still had that kind of power. Unfortunately, it's just wishful thinking."

Yan Shaozhe gave a wry smile and slowly shook his head, "I don't mind telling you; those people were from the Hao Tian Clan, which I turned to for help. The strongest among them, the former second strongest of Shrek Xuan Zi, would not possibly be their match. Besides him, there were several Titled Douluos who are Elders of the Hao Tian Clan that stood with us, and that's the secret of how we repelled the formidable enemies."

"Ah, this..."

Ma Xiaotao opened her mouth, but she didn't know what to say anymore.

She was too shocked.

This outcome was something she had never expected.

Shrek Academy had actually sought out the reclusive Hao Tian Clan.

No wonder the Holy Spirit Cult was defeated so thoroughly.

After all,

Hao Tian Clan was indeed one of Sea God Tang San's foundations.

It always existed above worldly concerns,

always maintaining its mystique.

"Xiao Tao, Xiao Tao, what's wrong with you?"

Because she was lost in wild thoughts, Ma Xiaotao's hands had unconsciously stopped, and Yan Shaozhe immediately sensed something was amiss and asked.

"Ah. I'm fine, I just feel too shocked..."

As she spoke, her small hands continued kneading, "Teacher, since our Shrek Academy already has such strong support, you shouldn't worry. Just calmly cultivate, I believe with your talent, you will become the Pillar of Heaven someday."

Her little mouth seemed as if it was smeared with honey, only picking the sweetest words to say.

"Haha, you learned to flatter after going out for a while?"

Yan Shaozhe laughed happily.

He couldn't remember the last time he laughed like this.

This moment was a rare relaxation.

"What are you talking about, what I'm saying is the truth,"

Ma Xiaotao replied as if she was very angry, pinching a bit harder.

Yan Shaozhe grimaced in pain, begging for mercy, "Please, be gentle, my old bones can't handle the rough treatment."

Hearing this, Ma Xiaotao stopped applying force.

"Actually, if things were as simple as you think, that would be great, and I wouldn't be worried."

"Is it not?" Ma Xiaotao asked innocently.

"Of course not." Yan Shaozhe shook his head and bitterly smiled, "Do you think the Hao Tian Clan would come out and help us out of the goodness of their hearts? If you really think that, I can only say you're too naive. There's no such thing as free help in this world.

Even the Hao Tian Clan is the same, they're just mosquitoes sucking blood from Shrek Academy. To have them lend a hand, our Shrek Academy paid a steep price. Remember, Xiao Tao, there's no affection between us and the Hao Tian Clan, only transactions. The day we can't pay the price, those guys will just walk away and won't care whether we live or die."

As Yan Shaozhe spoke, his expression grew more bitter, as if he had donned a painful mask.

Of course, he wasn't exaggerating.

He had seen Hao Tian Clan's true colors and was simply stating the facts.

"How could that be?" Ma Xiaotao asked, puzzled, "When you think about it, Hao Tian Clan, Shrek Academy, and Tang Sect all have deep connections. When Shrek Academy is in trouble, how can they do such a thing? Isn't that taking advantage of someone's misfortune?"

As she spoke, she seemed very angry, as if she truly felt indignant on behalf of Shrek Academy.

"Heh, what does it matter if we have deep connections?"

"It's all just superficial relationships,"

Yan Shaozhe scoffed, "Let me tell you a joke. Ten thousand years ago, Hao Tian Clan, Blue Electric Overlord Dragon Clan, and Seven Treasures Glaze Sect were known as the upper three families, and these three sects shared a common slogan: 'The upper three families branch from the same root.' During the time when Sea God Tang San overthrew the Martial Soul Hall, Seven Treasures Glaze Sect paid a terrible price, with even more casualties among their powerhouses than the Hao Tian Clan!

But what did they receive in return? Now, what do you think has become of those so-called upper three families?"

"Ah, this..."

Ma Xiaotao opened her mouth in astonishment.

Do we even need to talk about their downfall?

What level are the Blue Electric Overlord Dragon and Seven Treasures Glaze Sect at?

Do they have the right to be compared with the Hao Tian Clan?