A Rift Had Formed

"It's not appropriate to ask for your services."

"I'm only here to ask about today's farce."

Ci Xie put down his teacup and looked at Salas.

"What are Bishop Salas's thoughts?"

"May I ask if Your Majesty has come representing the Main Hall, or..." Salas asked tentatively.

He wasn't sure if Ci Xie had been sent by the Main Hall to question him, so he needed to find out the situation first.

"You don't need to worry about that, just answer my question," Ci Xie said calmly.

The Spirit Hall's plans within the Heaven Dou Empire were a secret, known even to a select few among the elders. Although Salas was Platinum Bishop of the Spirit Hall, he was not qualified to know about this matter, so Ci Xie did not reveal a word about it.

Salas frowned slightly, then said casually:

"It's just that a few Academy have acted recklessly. Your Majesty, please rest assured, this matter will be resolved quickly."

"It'll be taken care of quickly." A strange smile appeared on Ci Xie's face.

He looked Salas up and down and said:

"You mean just dealing with those so-called audacious individual Academy is enough? If that doesn't solve the problem, then punish the people who caused it?"

Salas replied with a smile:

"What's wrong with that?"

"So, did you get permission from the Main Hall for your actions? I don't know if you're aware that a teacher at the Academy you're targeting has a background with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and Ning Fengzhi's daughter is among the students. Your methods have already been detected by them. If you continue to act recklessly, do you think the Pope will drag you out to quell public anger once things get out of hand?" Ci Xie leaned back in his sofa chair and asked seriously.

"Impossible! It was Her Holiness the Pope who ordered me to probe Nine-Headed Serpent Academy. I was merely following her orders," Salas argued.

"A test." Ci Xie chuckled softly. "What you've done far exceeds a test. Manipulating the draw in the competition is one thing, but you even sent people to assassinate students from that Academy. Was this also the Pope's intention? Unauthorized and excessive execution of orders from above is hardly an act of loyalty, especially considering that Grandmaster was an old friend of the Pope."

"Your Majesty, the assassination attempt was not carried out by me," Salas retorted.

Ci Xie sneered, "Let's talk internally, no need for all that nonsense. Whether the assassination was related to you or not, you know that in your heart, don't you?"

Salas's face flushed red and then turned pale. He thought he had done things discreetly, but now his secret had been exposed.

As I said before, some things don't need evidence at all.

Left with no other option, he had to make amends for his actions, not only to deal with the current offerings but also to prepare for potential future inquiries from the Main Hall.

Ultimately, Salas did indeed overdo it by carrying out the orders from the Main Hall.

"Your Majesty, I know the Grandmaster you mentioned. I've inquired about him. It's said that he has a very bad relationship with His Holiness the Pope, which is why I targeted the Nine-Headed Serpent Academy. As for Ning Fengzhi's daughter, that's nothing to worry about. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will be our enemy sooner or later."

Ci Xie looked him up and down and asked:

"How long has Bishop Salas been in Heaven Dou City?"

"It's been decades."

No wonder.

"Your Majesty, I don't quite understand."

Ci Xie smiled. "There are some things you might not be aware of, and I can't easily explain them to you. You just need to understand one thing: the relationship between that Grandmaster and the Pope is not as simple as you think."

Salas's expression changed.

"Therefore," Ci Xie stood up and walked outside, "Don't take any more actions against the Nine-Headed Serpent Academy without authorization."

He couldn't reveal the Scholar's affair to Salas, so he had to use the Grandmaster as a pretext. But he wasn't actually lying. Although he didn't know the specifics of what happened back then, there was definitely something between Pope Bibi Dong and the Grandmaster, and it wasn't something that could be easily severed.

Ci Xie left, leaving Salas alone in the Reception Room, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

This is partly due to Ci Xie's attitude towards him. Although Ci Xie is a respected figure in the Spirit Hall and holds a relatively high position, he is still Platinum Bishop, second only to the Pope.

When Ci Xie arrived, he treated Salas like a superior reprimanding a subordinate, which naturally angered Salas.

"You, a mere member of the Papal Worship Hall, dare to interfere in my Hall of the Pope?" This was the thought that arose in Salas's mind.

Of course, he wouldn't dare say that out loud. After all, Ci Xie was a Titled Douluo, not someone he could talk back to so easily.

But this matter was like a thorn stuck in Salas's heart.

Salas was somewhat skeptical of Ci Xie's warning. He planned to probe the Grandmaster's situation further later to see if the master had any connection with the Pope.

Ci Xie was naturally unaware of Salas's thoughts. He had come here on the orders of the Young Lord Qian Renxue, to warn Salas to stop his reckless behavior.

Because he was speaking on behalf of Qian Renxue, his tone was naturally somewhat condescending, like a superior reprimanding a subordinate, which Ci Xie didn't find particularly significant.

However, Salas was unaware of Qian Renxue's situation. In his eyes, this incident was an utter humiliation for him, as a Platinum Bishop second only to the Hall of the Pope, to be Worship Hall of Worship.

And so, the rift between the two quietly began.

Upon returning to the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, Ci Xie went to report back to Qian Renxue.

"Your Highness, Salas has been warned and should not do anything further."

"Hmm, not bad." Qian Renxue smiled with satisfaction.

She was very unhappy about Chen Feng's Ambush, but since Salas didn't know Chen Feng's identity, she couldn't do much about it.

Ignorance is no excuse, so it's enough to just tell Salas to stop. Given her current status, it's not appropriate for her to do anything more.

"By the way, Your Highness, when I came here just now, I saw Sect Master Ning also enter the palace. He must be going to see the Emperor," Ci Xie said.

"Has the teacher entered the palace?" Qian Renxue pondered for a moment, then stood up.

"Then I should go and show my face too. Although what I asked you to do shouldn't be exposed, I still need to let the teacher know about my goodwill towards Chen Feng."

Qian Renxue really wanted to subdue Chen Feng and make him her own, so bestowing favors upon him was naturally essential.

But here's the awkward part: Qian Renxue did indeed help Chen Feng a lot, but this help couldn't be known to outsiders, because it would expose her true identity.

So now she has no choice but to go over and make her presence known, hoping that she can show some goodwill to Chen Feng again as the Crown Prince of Heaven Dou Crown Prince.

Before long, Qian Renxue arrived near the Imperial Palace Main Hall, where Ning Fengzhi and Xue Ye were strolling and talking.

"Greetings, Father Emperor; greetings, Teacher." Qian Renxue bowed to both of them.

"Qinghe, you're here. What's up?" Xue Ye said calmly.

"Father, it's nothing serious. I just wanted to ask about the Investigation Team," Qian Renxue said.

"Oh? You're interested in this?" Xue Ye asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty, since the Preliminaries the Advanced Spirit Master Tournament are being held in our Heaven Dou Heaven Dou, we must ensure that there are no problems. Now that such a major event has occurred, we certainly need to quell the situation as soon as possible. Therefore, Your Majesty is quite concerned about this matter," Qian Renxue nodded.

"You're very thoughtful." Xue Ye nodded slightly. "I was just discussing this matter with Sect Master Ning, and we've decided that Sect Master Ning will handle it."

"Father, I would like to go with my teacher to take a look; perhaps we can be of some help," Qian Renxue requested.

After a moment's thought, Xue Ye shook his head and said:

"Let Sect Master Ning handle this matter. You're still young, and I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it well."

Qian Renxue lowered her head and looked down, no longer insisting.

"Yes, Father."

After leaving Xue Ye, Ning Fengzhi smiled gently at Qian Renxue.

"Your His Highness the Crown Prince, rest assured, I will handle this matter well."

"I'm not worried about that, but I'm feeling a bit down," Qian Renxue sighed softly.

"Depression?"

Qian Renxue looked around; there was no one nearby. She approached and whispered:

"We all know about Xiao Feng's attack, but we can't use that to implicate Cang Hui. Just thinking about it makes me feel terrible."

Seeing Qian Renxue's worried expression, Ning Fengzhi comforted her, "I understand Your His Highness the Crown Prince's concern for Xiao Feng, but it's best not to escalate this matter. It would be best to resolve this issue as it is."

In fact, after Chen Feng's Ambush, Chen Xin wanted to settle accounts with the Canghui Academy, but Ning Fengzhi stopped him.

This would not only escalate the situation, but Chen Xin's furious revenge would also make those with ulterior motives realize that Shi Nian's attack was very likely successful, and that Chen Xin had probably failed to protect his disciple, otherwise Chen Xin wouldn't be in such a hurry.

However, the truth is that Shi Nian is dead, while Chen Feng is still alive. This would make some people with ulterior motives suspect that Chen Feng might have a way to deal with high-level Soul Master, which would expose Chen Feng's trump card.

Conversely, if they remain silent and everything continues as usual, then others will not know the details of Chen Feng's Ambush.

Even if Shi Nian's death is confirmed later, Chen Xin's calm attitude will lead outsiders to believe that he was responsible for Shi Nian's death. He believes that he protected his disciple and at most caused the disciple to suffer a minor injury, which is why he was neither anxious nor angry.

No one would doubt Chen Feng because of this, nor would they know that Shi Nian was killed by Chen Feng.

Therefore, Ning Fengzhi believed that it was better to remain still than to take any action, and that the aftermath of the matter should be quelled as soon as possible to prevent people from focusing their attention on Chen Feng.

"That's all we can do." Qian Renxue nodded. "I wonder when Xiao Feng will wake up."

"It shouldn't be too long, I believe in the children," Ning Fengzhi.

Inside the Nine-Headed Serpent Academy.

Flender was explaining to the children how to deal with the Joint Investigation Team.

"While what you did was very satisfying, there will definitely be trouble ahead. The Investigation Team should be here soon, so we need to be prepared. Those contestants from the Canghui Academy have all become idiots. If this isn't handled well, it will be very disadvantageous for us, especially since the Spirit Hall is already targeting us."

"Cang Hui made Bro Feng like this, and we turn Cang Hui's players into idiots, isn't that fair?" Ma Hongjun muttered under his breath.

"Actually, if those contestants were unaware of what Shi Nian did, and didn't intend to kill us during the competition, then I wouldn't have done anything to them," Tang San said at this moment.

Chen Feng had once taught him that every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt its debtor, and that it is right to Vengeance one's relatives and friends, but one should not implicate the innocent. Tang San always remembered these words.

But who could blame them when Cang Hui's contestants were filled with malice? They not only wanted to take back Shi Nian's Soul Bone from Ning Rongrong, but they also wanted Tang San and the others dead.

It can only be said that they brought this upon themselves.

"So how should we deal with the Investigation Team?" Dai Mubai brought the topic back.

A sly glint flashed in Flender's eyes as he said:

"Since you were 'seriously injured' on the Tournament Stage, you naturally need to recuperate properly. So, you will now go into Meditation, but one of you will have to stay behind for investigation."

"I appear to be the least injured, so I'll stay," Tang San said.

Flender nodded. "Okay, then the six of you go with Erlong. Find a secluded spot and have Zhao Wuji and Lu Qibin guard it. Make sure no one sees them. Oh, and by the way, Shao Xin's Sugar Beans Martial Soul has healing effects, so he can go and make an appearance too."

At this moment, he displayed the full authority of the dean. Liu Erlong stood up and gave Tang San an approving smile. She admired the boy's decisive and ruthless methods.

As Liu Erlong and her group left, only Flender, Grandmaster, Tang San, and a few nominal Substitute remained in the room.

"Dean, if this matter is difficult to resolve, I can ask my father and Grandpa Jian to intervene. Xiao San is trying to avenge Xiao Feng, so my father and the others should do their part," Ning Rongrong said.

"If the Heaven Dou faction is going to send Investigation Team, it should be Sect Master Ning and his group; the others can't handle the situation," the Grandmaster said.

"So, the matter is resolved?" Xiao Wu's face lit up with joy.

Flender hesitated for a moment, then said:

"Sword Douluo is Honorary Elder of Spirit Hall. If he were here, things would indeed be much easier for us, but there would definitely still be some wrangling."

"Honorary Elder?" Tang San asked, somewhat puzzled.

Flender nodded. "Yes, in order to win over the Upper Three Sects Upper Three Sects sects, the Spirit Hall issued a Pope's Token to each of them. It's the highest token the Spirit Hall gives to non- Spirit Hall members, and it has Six Designs on it. Anyone who holds this token possesses the prestige of the Spirit Hall Elder, and in front of the Spirit Hall members, it's as if the Pope himself is present. Sword Douluo holds one of them."

"Is this it?" Tang San suddenly pulled out a plaque and asked.

Flender's eyes widened. "This... was given by His Highness Clear Sky?"

"Yes, Dad told me to give it to the teachers." Tang San handed the Pope's Token to Flender.

Flender was about to reach out and take it when he suddenly looked at the Grandmaster beside him.

"I've got a better idea."