Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Grand Square.
On the podium, Xuan Hao stood atop a temporarily raised wooden crate, his hands clasped behind his back. His youthful face was filled with grief and indignation, and his gaze was like that of an old father disappointed in his unfilial sons.
Behind and to one side of him, Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, and Yu Tianheng stood in a straight line, perfectly upright.
Dugu Yan looked as though life is meaningless, Ye Lingling lowered her head and counted ants, while Yu Tianheng was bruised and swollen, his eyes hollow as if his soul has left the body.
They had been forcibly conscripted by Xuan Hao.
In Xuan Hao's words, "With a scene this big, if I don't have a few decent subordinates to hold the fort, wouldn't I look completely unimpressive? The three of you have powerful identities. Just standing there makes you Living Billboards!"
The three of them represented the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Dugu Bo, and the Nine Heart Begonia Family.
That lineup was indeed impressive enough.
"Cough, cough."
Xuan Hao cleared his throat, and his voice, carrying a faint Dragon Might, echoed across the square:
"Classmates, I am very disappointed."
"Extremely disappointed!"
Nearly five hundred students below the stage all lowered their heads. Some were bruised and swollen, some were bandaged, and some leaned on crutches, yet none of them even dared to breathe too loudly.
Over the past three days, they had been beaten too badly. They had also been beaten into fear.
"To be honest, before coming here, I was full of expectations for Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
Xuan Hao sighed, his tone filled with grief and indignation. "I thought Heaven Dou Royal Academy was the Empire's finest institution, a gathering place for the Empire's most outstanding young