This question appeared, and the first person it affected was Yu Xiaogang himself.
Outside Spirit City.
Yu Xiaogang rubbed his chin, looking quite curious. "Oh?"
"Sect Master Ning actually spoke well of me in front of Emperor Xue Ye. No wonder Emperor Xue Ye thinks so highly of me!"
"This... What could Sect Master Ning have said? He must have praised me. Otherwise, Emperor Xue Ye wouldn't think so highly of me."
"Good! This time, I'll be more confident. I can't get this question wrong!"
On the arena.
When Ning Fengzhi himself saw the question, the corner of his eye twitched. He felt utterly embarrassed.
Nobody else knew, but he was the one who had praised the Grandmaster back then. How could he not know?
What he'd said was simple: "He who gains the Grandmaster gains the world!"
But he'd said it because he genuinely thought Yu Xiaogang was capable!
Who could have known Yu Xiaogang was actually a beast who did nothing but plagiarize, steal, and pass off others' work as his own!
"Damn it!"
"This looks like an insult to Yu Xiaogang, but it's really an insult to my judgment!"
"Ugh!"
Ning Fengzhi's face darkened as he abruptly planted his cane into the ground.
Beside him, Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong couldn't help asking,
"Fengzhi, what did you say to Emperor Xue Ye back then?"
"To make him think so highly of Yu Xiaogang?"
"I... Ugh... This is humiliating!" Ning Fengzhi was so embarrassed that he could barely bring himself to say it.
But Ning Rongrong and the Shrek Seven Devils beside him couldn't help asking, either.
Ning Rongrong asked directly, "Dad, what did you say back then?"
"Did you praise Yu Xiaogang? How could you bring yourself to praise that guy?"
Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and Zhu Zhuqing all stared at Ning Fengzhi.
Ning Fengzhi said awkwardly, "I was fooled by him back then, too."
"Who could have known that he'd plagiarized all his theories and had such a vile character?"
"Ugh, looking back, I was far too hasty in my judgment."
"But what exactly did you say?" Ning Rongrong pressed. "Never mind that—just tell us."
"It was only a bit of praise. It won't stop us from getting the reward!"
Ning Fengzhi nodded and told them the answer. Even Dugu Bo beside him heard it.
Everyone's faces instantly turned awkward when they heard.
They knew Ning Fengzhi had praised Gangzi, but they hadn't expected the praise to be so ridiculous...
As they shared the answer, the people from the other teams behind them noticed.
"Hey, it looks like Sect Master Ning is sharing the answer with the people from Shrek Academy."
"Of course. Ning Fengzhi said that line himself. He definitely knows the answer."
"I wonder what Sect Master Ning praised Gangzi for to get such a big reaction from Emperor Xue Ye."
"Whatever. We'll just put down random answers, too. We're only here as background characters to make them look good."
"Gangzi's con was impressive. He even fooled the head of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect back then. Tsk, tsk..."
Pope Palace.
Hu Liena wanted to ask Song Ye, but she knew he wouldn't answer, so she could only keep guessing on her own.
At least she'd figured out the principle: the more exaggerated the praise, the more it made Yu Xiaogang seem like a blowhard, and the more likely it was to be right!
As for Bibi Dong, she furrowed her brows in thought.
"Ning Fengzhi is the head of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. They have a special way of finding treasures, and their discernment is far beyond that of ordinary people."
"He probably wouldn't have praised Xiaogang too extravagantly. It was likely just simple praise."
"I can't make my guess too exaggerated. I should be more restrained!"
"After all, he's the head of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Surely he couldn't have completely failed to see Xiaogang's problems back then?"
After thinking it over, Bibi Dong decided to submit a cautious answer.
Ning Fengzhi wouldn't have praised someone in such extreme terms, either.
After that, the others gradually submitted their answers, all of them guesses.
A moment later, the Light Screen in the sky responded:
On the Light Screen.
[Correct answer: "He who gains the Grandmaster gains the world!"]
[Reward recipients: Song Ye, Ning Fengzhi, Ning Rongrong, Dai Mubai, Chen Xin...]
[Reward: Soul Power increased by 2 levels!]
[Because of his daughter, Ning Rongrong, Ning Fengzhi learned about Shrek Academy. He discovered that it was full of talented individuals, and came to understand and admire Yu Xiaogang!]
[At a crucial moment, Ning Fengzhi told Emperor Xue Ye, "He who gains the Grandmaster gains the world!" This made Emperor Xue Ye take Yu Xiaogang seriously and laid the groundwork for Yu Xiaogang's later entry into the court!]
The scene began playing one of the famous moments from back then.
Ning Fengzhi whispered to Emperor Xue Ye,
"Your Majesty, he who gains the Grandmaster gains the world!"
As soon as Emperor Xue Ye heard this, his eyes widened. He immediately began to take Yu Xiaogang seriously and said he would keep an eye on Shrek Academy and Yu Xiaogang, the Grandmaster.
On the arena.
Ning Fengzhi, a full-grown middle-aged man, felt mortified seeing the way he'd praised Gangzi back then.
"Ugh, what a disaster!"
"I... Why did I say something like that back then? Now the whole world's going to laugh at me for being a blind sect master!"
"Yu Xiaogang, you bastard!!"
Sure enough, as soon as he said this, countless voices rose around him.
"Holy crap, that's how Sect Master Ning described Yu Xiaogang?"
"No way. Gangzi plagiarized his theories, has terrible character, and is weak as hell!"
"He who gains him gains the world? Was Sect Master Ning blind?"
"Damn, Gangzi! They say the head of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has a keen eye for talent and has recruited plenty of gifted youngsters into the sect!"
"I can't believe he said gaining a useless guy like Gangzi would let you gain the world!"
"Ugh, I'd better stay away from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect from now on. With their judgment, would they even take us seriously?"
"Good grief, Ning Fengzhi, huh? I thought important people like him all had excellent judgment!"
The voices around them were all questioning the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Ning Fengzhi.
Ning Fengzhi found it deeply upsetting.
Chen Xin's face darkened. He tried to comfort Ning Fengzhi. "Fengzhi, don't dwell on it. This isn't your fault."
"Yu Xiaogang was simply too good at pretending. He even dared to call himself the Theory Master!"
"He's the one who made you lose face in front of the whole world."
"That's right, Dad. Don't overthink it. This isn't your fault!" Ning Rongrong chimed in.
After hearing them, Ning Fengzhi felt a little better, but he was still furious.
Now, because of this, everyone thought he was blind.
Damn Yu Xiaogang!
Ning Fengzhi immediately shouted,
"Yu Xiaogang, you insolent fool! How dare you deceive me and make me lose credibility in front of His Majesty!"
"That wretch deserves to die!"
"Yu Xiaogang, you only got away today because you ran fast!"
"When I find you someday, I'll cut you into a thousand pieces and rid the Soul Master World of you!!"
Ning Rongrong nodded as well.
Gangzi had made her father lose face in front of the whole world. When the time came, she wouldn't let him off, either!
Before you continue