Chapter 9 Moon's Lament in the White World: Shrek in the Dark World is a Pile of Dog Shit.
The Dark World, Douluo Continent.
As the content regarding the first phase of the "Original World Shrek Academy" concluded on the left side of the screen...
The previously noisy, angry, and even somewhat out-of-control public opinion field has now become strangely calm.
But this was not the calm before the storm, but rather the calm before the storm, and more importantly—everyone's attention was drawn to the large golden characters that were slowly lighting up on the right side of the sky.
[Comparison Object: Shrek Academy of the New Order (Shrek Academy under the modification of Xuanzi, a God-King Realm expert)]
These large characters were like a bright light suddenly shining in the darkness, instantly arousing the curiosity of everyone in the underworld.
"The New Order...God King Xuanzi..."
In a tavern in Tiandou City, a Soul Master who had just been cursing Zhou Yi froze in mid-air, his hand holding a wine glass, his eyes flashing with a complex light.
"That disgusting Shrek just now almost gave me a phobia of the name 'Shrek.' Can this so-called 'New Order' really be any different?"
"It's hard to say..."
A companion beside him shook his head, his tone tinged with doubt. "After all, they're all from Shrek Academy; their roots are there. And we've heard of that Xuanzi; he's an elder of the Sea God Pavilion at Shrek Academy, notoriously gluttonous and protective of his own. What kind of new order could he possibly create?"
"But it says 'God King' on it!"
Another young man, however, held a different view, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "God, that's a legendary realm! If Xuanzi from that world really became a god, then his vision and his perspective would definitely be different from our old Xuan who only knows how to eat chicken legs, right?"
Such discussions are happening in every corner of mainland China.
What Zhou Yi did just now was truly heartbreaking.
The "devilish behavior" of treating students like trash, hard work like a joke, and corporal punishment like education has made the public utterly disappointed with Shrek Academy, a school in the dark world.
When people fall into despair, they will subconsciously seek hope.
Even if this hope comes from a parallel world, even if this hope seems somewhat illusory.
"It has to be different..."
A mother held her young child, looked at the sky, and prayed silently, "If even Shrek in a parallel world is like this, then the children in parallel worlds will also suffer."
"Let's see what an academy established by a true powerhouse looks like."
"Yes, if it didn't resort to those perverse corporal punishments and those unreasonable expulsions, wouldn't it deserve to be called the First Academy?"
At this moment, the billions of people in the underworld are like those who have just swallowed a fly, desperately needing a mouthful of clean water to rinse their mouths.
They desperately wanted to see a normal, reasonable, and truly educational Shrek Academy to heal the wounds in their hearts.
...
The Black World, located inside a restaurant outside Shrek Academy.
Contrary to the expectations of the public, the atmosphere here was unusually oppressive and cold.
Xuanzi still looked disheveled. He was holding a greasy chicken leg and tearing into it, as if he wanted to vent all the negative emotions he had just heard from other passersby on the food.
"Hmph! A bunch of frogs in a well!"
Xuanzi took a big gulp of strong liquor, still eavesdropping on the others' comments about Shrek Academy, his eyes full of disdain: "What do they know about 'monsters'? What do they know about 'elites'? What did Zhou Yi do wrong?"
"How can you see a rainbow without experiencing wind and rain? How can you unleash their potential without pushing them to their limits?"
"Those discharged good-for-nothings can't even run a hundred laps. Keeping them around is just a waste of food! On the battlefield, do you expect the enemy to give them a chance to catch their breath?"
In Xuanzi's view, Zhou Yi's approach was not only correct, but also deeply embodied the essence of Shrek's "monster" spirit.
Survival of the fittest is the law of nature and the fundamental reason why Shrek has stood strong for thousands of years!
As for the public's insults?
In Xuanzi's eyes, it was nothing more than the impotent rage of the weak.
"I want to see what tricks this so-called 'New Order Shrek' can pull."
Xuanzi pointed to the right side of the sky with his greasy finger, a mocking sneer curling at the corner of his mouth. "God King Realm? Hmph, what arrogance! Even a God King can't violate basic laws when running a school, can he?"
"If Shrek Academy in that world, in order to cater to these ignorant masses, implemented some kind of 'happy education,' not punishing students for this or that, and raising a pack of wolf cubs into little lambs..."
At this point, Xuanzi's sarcasm deepened. "Then let's see how they handle this! They might not even make it past the preliminary rounds of the All-Continent Soul Fighting Tournament!"
Xuanzi was actually holding back a lot of energy.
Right now, the whole continent is criticizing the Shrek of the dark world and praising the Shrek of the white world that hasn't even appeared yet.
This kind of "dual criticism" made him very unhappy.
He desperately wanted the Shrek from the white world to act weak and pathetic, so as to prove that their "iron-blooded education" in the dark world was the right way!
"Just wait and see, truth always lies in the hands of a minority."
Xuanzi snorted coldly and continued gnawing on his chicken leg, his eyes filled with provocation and a mocking anticipation of a good show.
...
Meanwhile, in the white world.
Shrek Academy, The Sea God's Pavilion, in the New Order.
The environment here is completely different from the dark and oppressive atmosphere of the underworld.
Sunlight streamed through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows onto the round conference table, while outside, birds sang and flowers bloomed, a scene full of vitality.
At this moment, the faces of the elders around the round table, including Moon, who was sitting at the head of the table, were extremely grim.
They had just finished watching what was happening on the left side of the sky—the Shrek Academy in the dark world.
"This...this is simply..."
Yan Shaozhe, the usually gentle and refined dean, was so angry that he could barely speak. He took a deep breath and managed to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth, "This is nothing but a pile of dog shit!"
Although as the dean he shouldn't swear, Yan Shaozhe couldn't find a more fitting word to describe that disgusting feeling.
"Was Zhou Yi from that world insane?"
Xian Lin'er was also incredulous. "Suppressing students with spirit rings without even asking questions? Expelling support-type students just because they can't finish running due to differences in physique? Is this a teacher? What kind of teacher is this?!"
"The scariest thing is..."
Cai Meier added, her face pale, "It seems that we in that world...didn't stop her? We even tacitly approved of this behavior?"
These words sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.
They couldn't imagine how terrible it would be if they became like that.
"Thank goodness...it really is a stroke of luck."
Seated at the head of the table, Moon, though still appearing aged, possessed an unprecedented clarity and depth in his eyes. Gazing out the window at the vibrant academy, he exclaimed from the bottom of his heart:
"If it weren't for Xuanzi's sweeping reforms of the academy's outdated rules and practices back then, establishing this 'new order'..."
"I'm afraid that we, now, will be like Shrek in that dark world, rotten to the core, becoming objects of contempt for the entire continent without even realizing it."
Moon's words resonated with all the elders.
They know it all too well.
Shrek Academy once had a tendency to "only look at talent and not character" and "only value results and not process".
It was Xuanzi who, with his unparalleled power and wisdom, pulled Shrek back from the brink of disaster, redefining what a "monster" and "education" truly meant.
"Looking at that Shrek from the dark world is like looking into a mirror that reveals all."
Yan Shaozhe sighed, "It shows what we would become if there were no new order. That arrogance, that cold-bloodedness, that self-righteousness... it's truly terrifying."
"yes."
Xianlin'er nodded, her gaze fixed on the sky. "Now, it's time to show our world. I'm confident that our academy will not disappoint you."
"Because this is the real ivory tower, the real home for the children."
...
And at this moment,
Just as countless people from both the underworld and the legitimate world were exchanging ideas with drastically different feelings.
The image on the sky moved again!
(End of chapter)