"Just this few?"
Before Mu En could even answer, Huo Yuhao, standing to the side, stepped forward with his own question.
Yan Shaozhe's expression stiffened slightly, but in the next instant, Mu En spoke.
"Shaozhe, is it truly only this few?"
The aura of a dying old man vanished entirely from Mu En, revealing the peerless sharp edge of a Limit Douluo. A pair of eyes, no longer cloudy, settled on Yan Shaozhe—calm, yet demanding an answer.
"Teacher, I..."
Enduring the pressure radiating from Mu En, Yan Shaozhe found it difficult to speak, but the hesitation in his voice betrayed the truth.
Mu En looked at Yan Shaozhe with a complex gaze, momentarily unsure of what expression to make.
This student of his... had actually chosen to deceive him.
As the child of his two old friends, Mu En viewed Yan Shaozhe as his own, raising him like a son. He thought he had educated him well, but now...
It seemed he had been wrong—drastically so.
Mu En sighed softly. A document suddenly appeared in his hand, which he tossed in front of Yan Shaozhe.
"See for yourself!"
His voice rang out like a great bell. Yan Shaozhe felt his spirit daze for a moment, but the pressure weighing on him vanished completely.
Slightly adjusting his ragged breathing, Yan Shaozhe hurriedly bowed to pick up the document and began to examine it meticulously. However, the more he read, the more frozen his expression became.
322 external members, 79 staff members, 18 Outer Court teachers, 8 Inner Court teachers, and... 9 elders of the Sea God Pavilion!
Even his own name was on there!
In this document, every person's specific violations—when, where, and what they did—were recorded with absolute clarity.
Some were habitual offenders, some were occasional participants, and some were those who knew of the deeds but chose to stand by and watch.
It was completely different from the file he had compiled himself!
"Dean Yan, I've seen the file you submitted earlier. To be honest, it was very thorough, but it had many omissions.
"True, the actions of the people you 'omitted' might have only been one or two instances of abusing power—such as secretly arranging for a relative's child to enroll, or pocketing a few academy resources for personal gain.
"To you, perhaps these things seem insignificant, minor matters to be brushed aside. But in my eyes, these are seeds—seeds of chaos.
"If we only strike at the severe crimes and fail to punish those who abuse their power, they will believe they have done nothing wrong; they will think such behavior is only natural.
"They will test the Academy's bottom line bit by bit, and then do whatever they please within that 'allowed' range!
"I believe none of us want to see such a scene. Therefore, those who repeatedly dance on the edge of the line should also be punished!
"Only in this way can Shrek truly be reborn!"
Huo Yuhao spoke with righteous conviction, while Mu En and Yan Shaozhe remained silent.
Seeing their silence, Huo Yuhao struck while the iron was hot: "If Elder Mu finds it troublesome, or worries about mutual protection within the ranks, my Spirit Transmission Pagoda can temporarily take the position of enforcer."
Mu En gave Huo Yuhao a long, deep look, trying to read something from his face... yet, there was nothing.
He could no longer see through this Spirit Transmission Pagoda Master, whom he had personally decided to recruit.
Especially after that day when, with the cultivation of a Soul Saint, Huo Yuhao had struck the Rank 98 Xuan Zi with a single palm, damaging his state of mind—Mu En found him even more inscrutable.
Previously, he felt Huo Yuhao was a promising young talent and that Shrek Academy had found a treasure. But now, after witnessing so much, Mu En wasn't so sure.
Silently, Mu En nodded, then looked toward Yan Shaozhe: "On the list, everyone who has crossed the 'dead line' has already been marked. Once the Freshman Assessment ends, go and handle all of them.
"As for the rest... leave them to Dean Skydream to handle."
"Rest assured, Elder Mu, I will have my people handle it properly. However, I have many experiments on my hands and may not be able to act personally. I will have the Vice Pagoda Master of my Spirit Transmission Pagoda lead the handling of this matter."
Upon hearing that Huo Yuhao planned to have Zhang Lexuan lead the process, Mu En's final lingering doubts vanished completely.
Naturally, he couldn't trust this "Dean Skydream" 100%. Although he agreed to let him handle it, he would inevitably send people to monitor the situation. But if Lexuan was the one handling it, he could feel a bit more at ease.
After all, she was a child he had taken in; Mu En naturally trusted her.
Nodding, Mu En withdrew his gaze. After dismissing Yan Shaozhe, he turned his attention back to the site of the Freshman Assessment. Watching the group of young, budding students, Mu En's eyes turned gentle.
Everything he did was to ensure Shrek could continue. These freshmen were the future hope of Shrek...
Pausing slightly, as if he had noticed something, Mu En suddenly remembered something and looked toward Huo Yuhao:
"If I recall correctly, in the reform proposal Dean Skydream gave me last time, one item was the expansion of recruitment and educational reform?"
"Yes, indeed."
Huo Yuhao allowed a smile to spread across his face. He knew Mu En had seen the team led by Ning Tian.
"Could you explain it to me once more?"
"Of course."
Huo Yuhao nodded and, after a brief pause, began:
"Expanding the recruitment range is actually quite simple. After this internal investigation, Shrek's prestige will undoubtedly drop.
"Under these circumstances, if we continue the previous recruitment method—requiring a letter of recommendation to enroll—next year's enrollment numbers might drop to freezing point.
"So, my suggestion is to scrap the recommendation system. Anyone should be able to apply to Shrek Academy; as long as they meet the criteria, they can enroll."
Mu En fell into deep thought, and Huo Yuhao smiled.
He was being truly "sincere" in his advice to Shrek. After all, the more students they recruited, the more talent there would be for his Spirit Transmission Pagoda in the future!
How could Shrek Academy—which had already become the talent cultivation base for the Spirit Transmission Pagoda in Huo Yuhao's plan—lack a source of students!
"As for educational reform... Elder Mu, you can take a look at these two sets of data."
Huo Yuhao pulled several documents from his storage ring.
"These two: one is for Freshman Class 2, and the other is for the students led by my pupil, Ning Tian. It tracks their average Soul Power increase over the past three months.
"In Freshman Class 2, which underwent traditional Shrek education, there are 96 students. Over the last three months, they increased their Soul Power by an average of 1.7 ranks per person.
"Meanwhile, the 69 students led by my pupil Ning Tian—undergoing education developed by my Spirit Transmission Pagoda using Soul Tools as aids—increased their Soul Power by an average of 2.3 ranks per person over the same period.
"I believe you understand what this implies, Elder Mu..."
Huo Yuhao... had laid down his bait.