"Is Chief Meng Shenji here?"
Prince Xue Xing spoke loudly. Without waiting for a response, he led Li Yu and the others into the hall in single file.
Everyone in the hall was slightly taken aback.
Yet Meng Shenji, the chief among Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Three Education Committee Members, was the first to react.
He hurriedly rose to greet them.
Upon seeing Prince Xue Xing, he bowed slightly. "Your Highness, what brings you here?"
At the same time, his gaze casually swept over Xue Beng, who stood arrogantly beside Prince Xue Xing, as well as Dugu Yan and Li Yu.
Meng Shenji frowned slightly, realizing that Prince Xue Xing had likely come looking for trouble.
One look at Xue Beng's haughty expression made it clear that this group had not come with good intentions.
There was no need to mention Dugu Yan's identity. Her grandfather was a Titled Douluo—who would dare provoke her?
As for Li Yu—
He did not know him, nor did he care.
Seeing Dugu Yan holding onto his arm, he assumed he was merely her friend.
Prince Xue Xing did not respond. Instead, his gaze fell upon everyone in the hall. "What, do you have guests? Aren't you going to introduce them to me?"
Meng Shenji froze. "My oversight."
He then led them inside, turned around, and began introducing everyone with a smile. "This is Flender, the dean of Shrek Academy..."
Li Yu followed alongside them, paying no attention to the exchange between Meng Shenji and Prince Xue Xing.
After consuming the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, his Spiritual Power had greatly increased, and his eyesight now far surpassed that of ordinary people.
At that moment, his gaze had already landed on Xiao Sanzi in the hall.
"Tang San, I've finally met you!"
Li Yu muttered inwardly, a faint smile curling across his lips.
If he wanted to help Qian Renxue ascend the throne, he naturally had to remove this greatest obstacle for her.
Besides, he found Xiao Sanzi rather unpleasant to look at himself.
As they drew closer—
Li Yu felt Dugu Yan's hand tighten around his arm. Clearly, she was not calm inside either.
After their defeat at the Soto Grand Soul Arena, Dugu Yan and the others had returned and continued intensive training within Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
This was also their first time returning to see Dugu Bo.
However, because of Li Yu "detoxifying" her, Dugu Yan had never thought to tell Dugu Bo that Tang San had broken her Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison.
Now that she saw Tang San again, her fighting spirit naturally surged.
Unfortunately, after their previous encounter, Dugu Yan also understood that she was currently no match for Tang San.
Thus, she had been bottling up her anger.
At this moment—
Prince Xue Xing had also finished listening to Meng Shenji's introductions.
He sneered mockingly and said coldly, "Shrek Academy? I've never heard of such an academy. It must be some second-rate institution!"
After a pause, he turned his gaze toward Meng Shenji and spoke sternly. "Chief Meng Shenji, you aren't planning to bring these people of unknown origins into our Heaven Dou Royal Academy, are you?"
Meng Shenji's expression changed slightly upon hearing that. "Your Highness, although Shrek Academy is not well-known, every one of them is an exceptionally rare talent..."
"Hehe, talents?"
Prince Xue Xing sneered. Then, his expression grew even more severe. "Heaven Dou Royal Academy is a pillar of the Heaven Dou Empire, and the Heaven Dou Imperial Family invests countless resources into it every year!
Talents?
This place lacks nothing but talents!
Chief Meng Shenji, according to academy rules, teachers must undergo assessment before being hired!
Not only their strength, but also their character must be subjected to strict scrutiny!
As far as I know, these people seem not to have gone through that process.
Are you trying to use your authority for personal gain?"
By the time he spoke that final sentence, Prince Xue Xing was already openly berating him.
Meng Shenji's heart sank.
"Your Highness, every teacher from Shrek Academy possesses the strength of a Heaven Dou-ranked teacher. There is no need for further assessment!"
Meng Shenji explained, then continued, "I know deeply how important Heaven Dou Royal Academy is to the Heaven Dou Empire. That is precisely why we should bring in talents such as Dean Flender!
This will strengthen Heaven Dou Royal Academy's foundation. It is not using authority for personal gain!
I ask Your Highness to judge fairly!"
"Oh! Heaven Dou-ranked?"
Prince Xue Xing's eyes flashed. He was about to suggest testing their strength, but then remembered that Dugu Bo was not present.
He immediately changed course. "I acknowledge their strength, but what about their conduct?
Xue Beng has already told me that when these distinguished guests arrived yesterday, they beat him up!
Hehe!
Do you need me to tell you what status Xue Beng holds?
Fine. Perhaps you have sat in your positions for too long and have become arrogant, forgetting that Heaven Dou Royal Academy belongs to the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. Today, I shall introduce him to you once again!
Xue Beng is the Fourth Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. Outside, he represents the majesty of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family!
And now, you intend to welcome into Heaven Dou Royal Academy a group of people who trampled the majesty of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family beneath their feet?"
At that, Prince Xue Xing paused, then fixed Meng Shenji with an icy stare. "Chief Meng Shenji, could it be that you already harbor rebellious intentions?"
Rebellious intentions!
Those four words struck everyone in the chest like a heavy hammer.
Li Yu even looked at Prince Xue Xing with a trace of admiration.
Who said this man had no brains? Step forward!
At the very least, Li Yu had to admit that he could not match this man's ability to slap labels on people.
Xue Beng also swept his gaze across the Shrek group with a smug expression.
Meng Shenji's heart jolted as well. He hurriedly said, "Young people are hot-blooded. A few disputes are normal. Your Highness need not elevate this matter to such a level!"
Flender had been observing coldly all along.
First, their academy had been mocked as second-rate, then they had been insinuated to have poor character.
Now, seeing Prince Xue Xing continually making things difficult for them, he could no longer endure it.
"Does Your Highness know what happened? Do you know why Xue Beng was beaten?"
Flender looked at Prince Xue Xing, doing his best to suppress his anger.
Unexpectedly—
Prince Xue Xing's expression became even more serious. "So you knew Xue Beng's identity before you beat him?"
His rage turned into laughter. "Hahaha, what arrogance! What audacity!"
Then, his gaze once again fell upon Meng Shenji. "My dear chief, do you still say there is no need to elevate this matter to such a level?"
Everyone was stunned again upon hearing that.
Li Yu had already secretly given a thumbs-up. This prince truly deserved to be one!
Flender also knew that his words had been seized upon, so he fell silent.
Meng Shenji was furious inside. He understood that Prince Xue Xing had come determined to cause trouble, yet despite his dissatisfaction, there was nothing he could do.
"You've gone too far!"
At that moment, Dai Mubai, who had been watching from the sidelines, could no longer hold back. His martial soul was suddenly unleashed, and he charged toward Prince Xue Xing.
Unlike the others, he was also a prince of the Star Dou Empire. Naturally, he did not fear this so-called Prince Xue Xing!
He was even confident that once he revealed his identity, he would not face any serious danger—at most, he would suffer some physical pain and pay a price through negotiations!
He could bear that!
But he could not swallow this anger at all!
More importantly, he had indeed been the one who attacked Xue Beng. A man should bear responsibility for his own actions!
Everyone was slightly stunned. None of them had expected Dai Mubai to suddenly attack, much less attack Prince Xue Xing.
How unwise!
Meng Shenji was the first to recover and was about to intervene.
But at that moment—
"You beat my younger brother and are still acting so recklessly. Do you really think the Heaven Dou Imperial Family has no one left?"
Li Yu's indifferent voice rang out as he stepped forward.
Soul Power surged from his body, and one Soul Ring after another rose from beneath his feet!
Purple! Purple! Purple! Black!
Four Soul Rings rose in succession, and an aura far surpassing that of an ordinary Four-Ring Soul Ancestor abruptly descended.
Everyone widened their eyes and stared at Li Yu in disbelief.
A Four-Ring Soul Ancestor was not surprising. After all, there were even several Soul Douluo-level experts present!
But for a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor to possess three purple Soul Rings and one black Soul Ring was shocking—no, terrifying!
This was absolutely unprecedented.
Among the crowd, if anyone had suffered the greatest blow—
It was undoubtedly Yu Xiaogang!
One had to know that according to his theory, the limit for a Soul Master's first Soul Ring was only a little over four hundred years!
Yet what he saw before him had directly overturned his theory!
He suddenly felt dizzy, as if he had suffered a tremendous mental blow.
"Teacher!"
Tang San hurriedly supported Yu Xiaogang. Concern showed on his face, but his emotions were inexplicably turbulent inside.
Didn't he say the first-ring limit was only around four hundred years?
How could someone else's First Soul Ring be a thousand-year ring!
Did he deceive me?
Tang San's heart darkened, but his expression did not reveal even the slightest hint of it.
Apart from him, everyone from Shrek Academy, along with Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin—the three Soul Douluo-level education committee members of Heaven Dou Royal Academy—were staring at Li Yu in shock.
Prince Xue Xing, who had not even bothered to give Li Yu a proper glance before, was now staring wide-eyed as well.
His originally pitifully small eyes no longer looked small in the slightest.
Xue Beng knew that just over half a month ago, Li Yu had only possessed the Soul Power of a two-ring Soul Master. How could he have known that in such a short time, Li Yu would grow so tremendously!
And his Soul Ring configuration was so terrifying.
However, before Xue Beng could think any further, he realized that Li Yu seemed to be standing up for him!
His heart immediately blossomed with joy. I knew Miss Li Yu cared about me!
Unlike the others—
Dugu Yan had long known Li Yu's strength and had personally watched him absorb his Fourth Soul Ring.
At that moment, Dugu Yan's face was filled with pride, as though Li Yu standing in the hall was herself.
And at the same time—
Dai Mubai, who had charged forward in a single stride, had already come face-to-face with Li Yu.
Dai Mubai was startled when he saw Li Yu's Soul Ring configuration and became even more aware of the gap between himself and Li Yu.
But since he had already rushed out, he would not retreat, if only for the sake of his pride.
He took a deep breath, and three Soul Rings rose.
"White Tiger Vajra Transformation, White Tiger Barrier, White Tiger Light Wave!"
He unleashed three soul skills in succession, directly launching his full-force attack.
Li Yu's gaze remained calm. With a raised hand, he clenched his fingers, and the Water Elemental Cube appeared before instantly splitting into Ying Yu.
Facing Dai Mubai's all-out attack, Ying Yu merely spat out a bubble that shielded Li Yu within it.
Li Yu had already learned about this skill on the return journey. Its name was Pure Water Defense.
Its effects needed no explanation: complete protection from every direction without blind spots, along with a certain rebounding effect.
The reason it had not been particularly effective against that Ten Thousand Years Vine Soul Beast before was simply because the difference in strength had been too great!
But now, the situation had reversed.
In an instant—
The beam Dai Mubai spat out crashed into the bubble.
However, the bubble formed by Pure Water Defense only caved in slightly before violently rebounding!
Dai Mubai had never expected such a situation. Facing the rebounding White Tiger Light Wave, he only had time to raise his arms in front of himself.
Boom!
Dai Mubai was sent flying by the beam he had released himself, which had then been reflected back at him.
Flender hurriedly caught Dai Mubai and asked anxiously, "How are you, Mubai? Are you all right?"
"Mubai!"
"Big Brother!"
The Shrek group gathered around, all showing concern.
"I-I'm fine!"
After saying that, a trace of blood seeped from Dai Mubai's lips, and he promptly fainted.
"You've gone too far!"
Zhao Wuji had already been holding back his anger. Now that he saw Dai Mubai injured as well, his fury soared to the heavens, and his entire body suddenly erupted.
The Vajra Bear martial soul possessed him, and he was about to attack.
Just then—
Insolence!
Meng Shenji was the first to release his martial soul, bringing the situation under control.
He then ignored the Shrek group and looked at Li Yu with blazing eyes as he asked Prince Xue Xing, "Your Highness, who is this?"
In Meng Shenji's view,
Prince Xue Xing had indeed gone too far, and he was furious as well.
But Dai Mubai daring to make a move here was even more against the rules.
Though he was injured now, he had only himself to blame.
The woman before them, who had revealed such a terrifying Soul Ring configuration, was far more worthy of attention.
If this woman joined Heaven Dou Royal Academy and received proper training, why would Heaven Dou Royal Academy worry about failing to achieve good results in the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament?
Prince Xue Xing was equally shocked at this moment.
But before he could answer Meng Shenji's question, Li Yu spoke first.
"Who I am is not important. What matters is—"
Li Yu swept her cold gaze over the Shrek group. "What, one of your people hit my younger brother, and you wanted to brush it off just like that.
Now, I merely retaliated—if anything, I was only defending myself—and your student got hurt because of it. Yet you can't accept it?
What kind of logic is that?
Could it be that your academy's motto is actually 'double standards'?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Flender, Zhao Wuji, and the others felt their faces burn.
Under Meng Shenji's suppression, they had naturally calmed down as well.
As things stood, Dai Mubai was indeed in the wrong.
But how was this double standards?
They were merely worried about their own student!
Was that wrong?
If they could not even protect their own students, what kind of teachers would they be?
Though they thought so inwardly, since they had already caused trouble for Meng Shenji, the chief, they did not say anything further.
"Younger brother?"
Meng Shenji immediately caught the key word.
The younger brother she referred to could only be Xue Beng.
But when had the Heaven Dou Imperial Family produced such an extraordinary woman?
And judging by her age, she should already have been an adult. They were considered high-ranking figures of the Heaven Dou Empire, yet they had not received even the slightest news of her!
Did that make any sense?
Could she be Xue Ye's illegitimate daughter?
Countless thoughts raced through Meng Shenji's mind.
"Miss Li Yu is actually this powerful!"
Xue Beng stared at Li Yu's back and muttered to himself, yet he began to feel somewhat inferior.
With the talent and strength Miss Li Yu had displayed, was he truly worthy of her?
At that thought, even the joy brought by Li Yu standing up for him faded somewhat.
"Heh, not saying anything?"
Li Yu sneered. "Your academy thinks that having a little strength means you can do whatever you want. Now that you've kicked an iron plate, you've gone silent?"
After a pause, she seemed to come to a realization. "I heard that Yan Yan's team once lost to your team at the Soto Grand Soul Arena. Is that where your confidence comes from?
In that case, how about letting me see what your team is made of?
If you defeat me, I'll let you join Heaven Dou Royal Academy. What do you say?"
Before you continue