Shrek Academy, after ten millennia, had only produced three Seagod Pavilion Masters with extreme attributes.
It was their immense power that had fostered the academy's current flourishing state. Ma Xiaotao, with her exceptional talent, had the potential to become the fourth Seagod Pavilion Master with an extreme attribute, provided her evil fire could be resolved.
This enticing prospect ensured that the other Seagod Pavilion members would not object to the exchange. After all, it was just two cultivation slots for the Golden Ancient Tree. In their eyes, two individuals could hardly drain the boundless mysteries and immense energy contained within the Golden Ancient Tree.
You see, successive Seagod Pavilion Masters, at the end of their lives, would integrate their lifelong cultivation and souls into the Golden Ancient Tree.
Coupled with the fact that the Golden Ancient Tree itself was a core of planetary life, its energy was as vast as the ocean.
Attempting to drain its energy would be akin to draining an entire planet, which was clearly impossible.
The second condition, for Shrek Academy, was not difficult to implement. It simply required allocating a piece of land in Shrek City for Haiyuan City to establish a Chamber of Commerce outpost.
Shrek City held a crucial position on the entire Douluo Continent; it would be extremely difficult for Haiyuan City to establish such a base on its own. But with Shrek Academy coordinating, the matter became much simpler.
As for the third condition, Yan Shaozhe accepted it almost immediately. This condition was for Shrek Academy to assist Haiyuan City in promoting the Simulated Universe, meticulously developed by Madam Herta.
The so-called Simulated Universe was a miraculous soul tool device that Herta had painstakingly researched. Through Herta's specially designed soul tool, a Soul Master only needed to inject soul power to activate it and instantly enter a wondrous virtual world. In this virtual world, the Simulated Universe would accurately match the Soul Master with appropriate opponents based on their soul power level.
These opponents would either be other Soul Masters who had also logged into the Simulated Universe for training, or highly realistic combat AIs generated by the Simulated Universe itself. Engaging in combat within the Simulated Universe allowed Soul Masters to effectively hone their practical combat skills and enhance their fighting ability without the worry of facing genuine mortal danger.
Each "death" in the Simulated Universe would only result in a small loss of spiritual power, which could be easily recovered after a few days of meditation.
Soul Masters who won battles in the Simulated Universe would receive a reward: a portion of the opponent's lost spiritual power, purified by the Simulated Universe.
This was undoubtedly an extremely effective method for improving spiritual power, provided, of course, that the Soul Master possessed sufficient strength to win in combat.
Yan Shaozhe, after personally experiencing the Simulated Universe, was profoundly shaken. For a moment, he couldn't describe his feelings. In his eyes, this Simulated Universe was simply a real existence, indistinguishable from the real world.
Here, the circulation of soul power, the deployment of soul skills, and the manifestation of martial souls were all identical to the real world, without any difference.
The Simulated Universe could not only perfectly replicate all of his own characteristics but also simulate any scenario at will and generate opponents of equal strength for him to battle. This magical function was truly astonishing.
Based on all these reasons, Yan Shaozhe unhesitatingly agreed to this condition proposed by Haiyuan City. He knew in his heart that with the Simulated Universe, Shrek Academy's students would have a training platform far superior to traditional Douluo arenas.
It could effectively enhance their strength while minimizing accidental casualties.
Regarding the exorbitant price of one hundred thousand gold soul coins per Simulated Universe login device, Yan Shaozhe didn't hesitate at all. With a grand gesture, he directly said, "I'll take a thousand units to start!" In the blink of an eye, over a hundred million gold soul coins were spent, as if this sum were an insignificant number.
Yan Shaozhe was well aware that this innovative soul tool device, the Simulated Universe, possessed extremely unique characteristics. Once it gained recognition and acceptance among Soul Masters, its unique functions and advantages would undoubtedly make it widely popular across the entire Douluo Continent in a very short time.
However, during its promotion, there was an unavoidable obstacle: the Douluo arenas scattered throughout the continent. This was precisely the key reason why Haiyuan City chose to leverage Shrek Academy's power to promote the Simulated Universe.
If Haiyuan City tried to promote it relying solely on its own strength, it would inevitably face strong resistance and targeting from the forces behind those arenas. It should be noted that Douluo arenas were ubiquitous across the Douluo Continent, and the forces behind them were complex, many being deeply established reclusive sects and families.
The emergence of the Simulated Universe, for these arenas, was akin to pulling the rug out from under them, directly shaking their foundations. Without Shrek Academy standing in front to absorb the pressure from all sides, Haiyuan City would be the first to bear a tremendous impact. With Haiyuan City's current relatively weaker strength, it simply could not withstand the forces that coveted its interests like hungry wolves.
Even with masters like Jingliu overseeing it, ensuring Lu Jingming's personal safety, the overall development of Haiyuan City would still be an uphill battle.
Under the combined suppression of numerous forces, it would be difficult for Haiyuan City to even barely protect itself, let alone achieve significant development. But Shrek Academy's situation was completely different.
As the continent's foremost academy, and one of the three giants of the Douluo Continent, Shrek Academy was teeming with powerful individuals and held terrifying influence across the entire continent.
Recalling how Shrek Academy could rally nearly a hundred Titled Douluo with a single call, their immense influence was the best proof. Facing such a powerful and highly prestigious Shrek Academy, those forces disgruntled by the Simulated Universe, no matter how many grievances they harbored, could only silently endure and count their losses.
After all, openly confronting Shrek Academy would undoubtedly be like throwing an egg at a rock, a futile effort.
Overall, the three conditions proposed by Haiyuan City were a great boon for Haiyuan City's own development. As for Shrek Academy, the cost incurred was not unbearable, and the forces behind those Douluo arenas would not dare to offend Shrek Academy.
Using these relatively small sacrifices to gain a potentially extreme-attribute Soul Master in Ma Xiaotao was undoubtedly a profitable deal for Shrek Academy.
It was precisely for these reasons that both parties quickly reached a consensus for cooperation. With the cooperation settled, Jingliu personally took action, using her mastery of Extreme Ice to dispel the evil fire from Ma Xiaotao's body.