The Truth Behind the Expulsion, Xiao Xiao's Tears

"You lost."

A crystal-blue longsword rested against a girl's snow-white neck. The razor-sharp aura radiating from it made the already powerless girl even less capable of resisting Chen Junting's imposing presence.

Her two teammates had also been knocked out of the arena.

The match had barely lasted any time at all. In just one minute, he had taken the victory with ease.

Even though this team also had three Soul Grandmasters.

"This match is won by Freshman Class Nine."

After the Referee Teacher announced the result, the three of them turned and left, intending to head to the nearby Spectator Stand to watch Ning Tian and the others fight. But before they could leave the competition area...

"Please wait."

Hearing the voice, Chen Junting stopped. He turned and saw that the three members of Freshman Class One had called out to him. Since he had no connection with them, his tone carried a hint of confusion.

"What do you want?"

"Big brother, you're from the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, right?"

The instant the girl met Chen Junting's eyes, her gaze stiffened. She subconsciously touched her neck as though still shaken, but in the end, she asked what she had come to ask.

"Are you trying to join the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect?"

Hearing this, Chen Junting instinctively guessed at their purpose.

"Not exactly. We have our own families."

The three members of the girl's team waved their hands repeatedly. They then told Chen Junting and the others what had happened that morning after Xiao Xiao's team had stopped at the Top Sixty-Four.

Apparently, Zhou Yi had flown into a rage and intended to expel Xiao Xiao's team from Shrek Academy. Moreover, this matter seemed to be real.

Although the remaining students of Class One were all indignant, they did not dare oppose Zhou Yi at all, terrified that they would become one of those expelled. After all, they had only managed to stay after finally passing the Freshman Assessment.

But Xiao Xiao was their class monitor, and she had taken good care of them over the past three months. Thus, faced with this situation, everyone in Class One wanted to help her.

And so, the scene before them had come about: students seeking out a powerful faction to plead Xiao Xiao's case.

After listening to the three explain the situation, Chen Junting did not rush to respond. Instead, he asked them a few questions, such as where Xiao Xiao liked to go most, before finally letting them leave.

After accomplishing what they had come to do, the three girls did not dare linger. Afraid that Class Teacher Zhou Yi might discover them, they hurriedly left the scene.

"This matter... sounds a little dubious."

After the three left, Qin Lan slightly furrowed her brows beneath her mask, thinking that the rumor had been exaggerated as it spread.

After all, what normal class teacher would expel a student who had passed the Freshman Assessment, entered the Top Sixty-Four, and possessed Twin Martial Souls? Even Shrek Academy would never agree to that.

"Whether the expulsion is real or not is another matter."

Chen Junting looked toward the highest Spectator Stand in the distance. After obtaining the information he wanted, his gaze sharpened slightly, and he spoke thoughtfully. "I only know that Zhou Yi absolutely doesn't do things according to ordinary rules."

"Let's go. I'll discuss it with Xiao Tian."

He withdrew his gaze and headed toward Ning Tian's area to meet up with her.

"Class One came looking for you too."

As soon as he arrived outside Ning Tian's competition area, Ning Tian came out with Wu Feng and Nanmen Yuner. After hearing Chen Junting explain what had happened, she did not show much surprise.

"You don't think they'll stop at our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, do you?"

"They definitely won't."

Ning Tian toyed with the gem in her hand, a thoughtful light in her eyes. She then raised her hand and pointed into the distance. "I just saw some people from Class One heading that way. If I remember correctly, Dai Huabin from Class Five is over there."

"The White Tiger Duke's Mansion."

Chen Junting's expression remained calm as his fingers tapped against his forearm.

"They won't help."

"I know."

Ning Tian smiled, her eyes curved like crescent moons and sparkling with intelligence, while a trace of cunning hid between her brows.

"Actually, it would be even better if it were confirmed."

As the Young Sect Master, she naturally had to consider the Sect's interests. The Soul Masters they were recruiting now could not compare to a genius with two top-level martial souls. Since Shrek Academy had opened such a gap itself, she did not mind giving it a push. Before Shrek Academy personally stepped in, she would take advantage of Xiao Xiao, who had been thrown into confusion by the rumors and was gradually losing her judgment.

As for Shrek Academy's reaction...

They were the ones who had mishandled the matter in the first place. If a genius ended up flowing into the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, what could they possibly say?

"You want to take advantage of the situation."

Ning Tian could not deny the phrase "take advantage of the situation." After all, this opportunity had been delivered by Shrek Academy itself. However, she felt there was a more pleasant way to phrase it.

"I think it should be called offering Xiao Xiao timely help."

"There's actually no need to scheme deliberately."

Chen Junting shook his head, indicating that he did not agree with Ning Tian's plan. There was a more reliable way to handle the matter, after all. Why resort to such methods? "You should know that this matter didn't come from nowhere. But you should also know that the people from Class One may not be exaggerating. At the very least, there must be some intention to suppress her."

"What do you mean!?"

A trace of astonishment appeared in Ning Tian's beautiful eyes!

It was precisely because she understood Chen Junting's words that she could not believe them.

"Is that Zhou Yi from Class One crazy?"

"She actually dares to do this?"

In Ning Tian's eyes, Class One had clearly allowed their concern to cloud their judgment. Zhou Yi's harsh personality had caused them to make a mistake in judgment, which was why they had taken her earlier "joke" seriously.

Expulsion... No, even suppressing a genius with Twin Martial Souls for this reason was something Shrek Academy would never do. They were not idiots!

But Shrek Academy's intelligence did not prevent certain class teachers from acting recklessly. After all, it was not as though formally enrolled students had never been expelled from Shrek Academy, only for the Dean of Instruction to clean up the mess by transferring the "expelled" students to other classes.

"That teacher really is... bizarre."

After hearing the introduction to Zhou Yi, Ning Tian pondered for quite some time before finally choosing a relatively pleasant word. Then, as though she had remembered something, she could not help sighing. "I wonder what kind of sin Teacher Fan Yu committed in his previous life."

"So what do you plan to do?"

Chen Junting looked at Ning Tian's strange expression and asked.

"Of course I'm going to comfort little sister Xiao Xiao."

Ning Tian released the arm she had been holding onto her Brother Junting's arm. She first called Wu Feng over and had her tell Teacher Stone about the news Class One had just passed on to them. However, she was not to embellish it or reveal that it had come from Class One. In addition, she had to make clear that the purpose of passing on the message was to let the academy decide.

As for her and Chen Junting...

"Brother Junting."

Ning Tian looked toward Chen Junting, her eyes filled with inquiry.

"I've asked around. She should most likely be by Sea God Lake."

The water of Sea God Lake was crystal clear. When still, it resembled a mirror, reflecting the color of the sky and the clouds above. When a breeze passed over it, layer upon layer of ripples spread out, and the blue-satin-like surface seemed to whisper nature's music softly into their ears.

However, today, that music was interrupted by a fit of sobbing.

"Wuwuwu—"

Xiao Xiao sat beside the lake, her tears silently sliding into the clear water and stirring up circles of ripples. Her shoulders trembled faintly, as though she were suppressing the sorrow in her heart. The breeze tousled her hair, but it could not scatter the gloom within her.

"What did I do wrong!?"