This Is a Provocation Against My Spirit Hall!

"Lingling, step aside. This has nothing to do with you." Zhilin pushed Ye Lingling away again with Soul Power, then looked at Jin Yan. "Fine, I won't ask you to join Heaven Dou Royal Academy anymore. Bow three times toward His Majesty's chambers, and I won't hold this against a junior like you."

Seeing Zhilin's condescending gaze, Jin Yan sneered and looked up at him. "You just think I'm arrogant and not worth recruiting, don't you? Why bother making up an excuse?"

Jin Yan directly tore away Zhilin's veneer, looking at him with mockery written all over his face.

"Boy, didn't your elders teach you to respect the old and cherish the young?" Zhilin could no longer keep his face intact under Jin Yan's stare. The anger in his heart surged, nearly reaching the point where he could not control it.

Of the three education committee members, he had the hottest temper. Though age had mellowed him somewhat compared to his younger days, Jin Yan's provocation still stirred up a rage he could barely suppress.

The mockery on Jin Yan's face deepened. "My family taught me to respect senior figures worthy of respect, not hypocrites who rely on their age to throw their weight around!"

"Throwing my weight around? Hypocrite..." Zhilin trembled with rage, narrowing his eyes. "Fine, fine, fine! Since you don't know what it means to respect the old and cherish the young, this old man will personally teach you how to behave!"

As he spoke, Zhilin flicked his long sleeve. Several emerald-green vines brimming with vitality shot toward Jin Yan, reaching him in the blink of an eye.

Jin Yan's eyes narrowed. Just as he was about to move, a broad back appeared before him. Soul Power surged, instantly shattering the vines Zhilin had thrown out.

"Hmph. Attacking a child? I'd say you've gone senile."

Zhang Yan spoke in a magnetic voice.

Zhilin looked at the burly middle-aged man standing before Jin Yan. He was stunned for a moment before his expression turned grave.

He sensed an intense threat from Zhang Yan.

"Who are you, sir? Why have you come to cause trouble at Heaven Dou Academy?"

Zhang Yan snorted. "Cause trouble? If you hadn't attacked my young master, I couldn't be bothered with you!"

Zhilin furrowed his brow, while a storm raged in his heart.

A Spirit Douluo-level attendant accompanied him whenever he went out. Even Poison Douluo's granddaughter did not receive such treatment. In all the world, only Spirit Hall possessed such resources.

For Spirit Hall to send a Spirit Douluo to protect him, his status within Spirit Hall must have been extremely high. This was going to be difficult...

"This young friend insulted His Majesty, the Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire. Shouldn't Spirit Hall offer some compensation?"

Zhilin's form of address for Jin Yan changed back from "boy" to "young friend."

"What my young master said wasn't wrong. As the saying goes, if a child is not taught properly, the fault lies with the father. The Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire failed to educate his own son and allowed him to seize innocent women by force and act recklessly. My young master said he should beat up his father too. What's wrong with that?" Zhang Yan said with a half-smile, showing no more regard for the Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire than Jin Yan had.

Douluo Continent was ultimately a place where strength spoke. Spirit Hall's current power had already given Jin Yan the right to run rampant across the continent.

"Y-you... You are outrageous!" Zhilin flew into a rage, his face turning livid as he shouted at Zhang Yan.

"No matter what, the Fourth Prince is a matter of our Heaven Dou Empire and has nothing to do with Spirit Hall. Spirit Hall's hand is reaching far too wide!"

"Hehehe."

The abrupt laughter drew everyone's attention to Jin Yan.

"What is it that you find amusing, young friend?"

Jin Yan stopped laughing and looked at Zhilin. "How does Education Committee Member Zhilin know I'm not handling a matter concerning Spirit Hall?"

"Impossible! How could something that happened at Heaven Dou Royal Academy have anything to do with Spirit Hall? Young friend, don't make unreasonable arguments!"

Though Zhilin was still furious, he knew where to draw the line and did not dare speak too harshly to Jin Yan.

Spirit Hall now stood alone above all others. Even if the two great empires had reason on their side, they still had to negotiate politely, because Spirit Hall possessed the strength to disregard reason!

Jin Yan grabbed the still-dazed Ye Lingling and said, "Miss Ye joined Spirit Hall with her mother. Naturally, helping her resolve this trouble is a matter for Spirit Hall."

"But then again..." Jin Yan turned his gaze toward the Fourth Prince, Xue Beng. "The Fourth Prince of Heaven Dou publicly harassed a member of Spirit Hall at the academy and attempted to coerce a member of Spirit Hall through violence. Could I interpret this as a provocation by the Heaven Dou Empire against my Spirit Hall?"

As soon as Jin Yan finished speaking, Xue Beng's face visibly turned pale, and fear appeared in his eyes.

If Jin Yan had dropped such an enormous accusation on him in the past, he would not have cared. But in the last two years, he had truly become afraid.

Two princes had died without cause. Of Heaven Dou's four princes, only he and the Second Prince, Xue Qinghe, remained.

Half a year ago, Prince Xue Xing had found him and said he suspected there was another truth behind the deaths of the two princes. Though there was no concrete evidence, the one who had benefited most from their deaths was the First Prince, Xue Qinghe. That much was undeniable.

From then on, he began pretending to be foolish and dim-witted. Fortunately, he had still been young at the time, so his sudden madness did not arouse suspicion. People only assumed he was revealing his true nature.

Although he acted outrageously, he knew his limits. With Prince Xue Xing backing him, he never provoked people at the academy whom he could not afford to offend. For example, disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan—he not only did not dare provoke them, but if they came looking for him, he would avoid them whenever possible. If he could not avoid them, he would play the fool.

He did not want to become involved with the descendants of those great clans. Even if they had not been deliberately sent by his dear older brother to test him, they would still bring him trouble. Xue Qinghe would never allow him to associate with the descendants of other great clans.

This was the way of survival Prince Xue Xing had taught him. Though the Heaven Dou Empire's inherited martial souls were not particularly impressive, every emperor had quite a few descendants. Yet from the previous generation, only Xue Xing and Xue Ye had survived.

Xue Xing held an exceptional position within the Heaven Dou Empire, yet he never touched military power or formed factions for personal gain. He even helped Xue Ye balance the powerful ministers below him, and in the end, quietly recruited Poison Douluo as an enshrined expert.

All of this showed that while Xue Xing's political skills might not match Xue Ye's, he was still not someone to be underestimated.

Moreover, Xue Beng had been handed over to Xue Xing by Xue Ye for instruction since childhood. Otherwise, Xue Xing would not have reminded Xue Beng to watch out for Xue Qinghe.

After all, although he had taught Xue Beng the method of tarnishing his own reputation, the boy had mastered it to perfection over the past few years and had even begun to enjoy it.

It was precisely because the two of them had become bound together that Xue Xing had no choice but to advise Xue Beng. Otherwise, wouldn't it have been better for him, a fine prince, to pledge allegiance to the First Prince Xue Qinghe?