Xie An's face was ashen as he looked at Zhen Hua and Mu Ye.
Zhen Hua was flustered, too. He had only just arrived for a visit when the Evil Soul Masters showed up right after him.
Anyone would have suspected them, given the circumstances.
Before long, Wu Zhangkong sensed the disturbance and arrived in a flash.
"Temple Master, what happened here?"
Xie An shook his head. Holding Tang Wulin, he used his Soul Power to pull all three of them into the air.
Wu Zhangkong was left behind.
Zhen Hua was a God Craftsman, after all, and quickly composed himself before speaking.
"Temple Master Xie, I guarantee in the name of the Blacksmith Association and as a God Craftsman that this has absolutely nothing to do with us."
"I have absolutely no dealings with any Evil Soul Masters, either."
At that, Xie An's expression softened a little.
Zhen Hua was the only God Craftsman on the continent, as well as a Super Douluo.
He had the bearing and perspective befitting a master blacksmith.
Oh, no. Xie An had also become a God Craftsman a few days ago, so he was one of only two now.
The Oath of the Luo River had yet to appear anywhere in the Douluo World, at least.
Most people of standing could be trusted to keep their word, except for Evil Soul Masters.
Xie An shifted his gaze from Zhen Hua to Mu Ye.
"What about him?"
"The Body Sect's master. From his aura, he still hasn't broken through Level 95."
"And the Body Sect is in decline. The strongest person in your sect even betrayed it and joined the Tang Sect."
"Who knows if he might take a desperate risk to break through—or to restore his sect's fortunes?"
Xie An's words had laid bare the Body Sect's shortcomings.
The Body Sect's strongest member was Hu Jie, the Smiling Douluo, known as the Golden Belly and Silver Buttocks Smiling Tiger.
A hundred years ago, after failing to win Mu Ye's mother's heart, he had defected from the sect.
Now Hu Jie was the Tang Sect Branch Master in the Star Luo Empire, and a Level 98 Super Douluo.
In other words, he was second only to one person and above countless others.
Hu Jie really had been born with extraordinary gifts, and the underlying logic of romance on the Douluo Continent was indeed powerful.
Sure enough, Mu Ye looked upset after hearing that.
"Temple Master Xie, I respect you because you're the Temple Master."
"But you can't slander me."
With that, Mu Ye summoned his red Mecha.
"Little Red, let's go."
The hatch opened, and Mu Ye stepped inside. He intended to cross through space and leave.
"Hmph. You think you can just leave? What do you take me for?"
"You can't just come and go as you please here."
Xie An gave a cold snort, unleashing his powerful Soul Power alongside his spiritual power.
He forcibly interrupted the spatial jump the red Mecha was attempting.
"What do you mean by this, War God Temple Master?"
The red Mecha formed armor around Mu Ye, merging with him until only his golden hands remained visible.
Mu Ye showed no sign of relaxing. If anything, he grew more tense.
The red Mecha's analysis showed that Mu Ye had almost no chance of defeating the War God Temple Master.
And escaping would cost him at least half his life. Little Red would most likely be wrecked, too.
A gold-rank awakening of the Body Martial Soul?
The Mecha had merged with its pilot.
And he had a Battle Armor of excellent quality, too.
Xie An watched as Mu Ye transformed.
He had to admit, the Second Awakening of the Body Martial Soul and the red Mecha were impressive.
Mu Ye's aura had reached a terrifying level. For a short time, he could even hold his own against an ordinary Limit Douluo.
"Th-this is going too far!"
Seeing things take a turn for the worse, Zhen Hua summoned his Four-Word Battle Armor and stepped between them.
"Listen, old friend. The Temple Master's suspicions are reasonable. Don't make things difficult for him."
As he spoke, Zhen Hua shot Mu Ye a meaningful look.
The message was clear: you can't beat him, so don't pick a fight.
After calming Mu Ye down, Zhen Hua turned to Xie An.
"Temple Master Xie, do me a favor. I'll vouch for my friend."
"This has absolutely nothing to do with him."
Thanks to Zhen Hua's intervention, the tension between Xie An and Mu Ye eased somewhat.
Seeing that his advice had worked, Zhen Hua immediately urged Mu Ye to stand down.
"Mu Ye, put Little Red away. Surely you're not actually planning to fight?"
"Little Red, go back for now."
Mu Ye's voice came through.
"Yes, Master."
A gentle female voice sounded again.
The red Mecha vanished, slipping into the void.
"Come on, you two. Do me a favor."
Zhen Hua led them back down to the ground.
"Zhangkong, keep order and protect the students."
Xie An gave Wu Zhangkong his instructions.
In truth, with Xie An's spiritual power spread across the area, nothing at Eastsea Academy could escape his notice.
Unless someone was truly God Rank, there was no way to evade his spiritual power.
Zhen Hua led Xie An and Mu Ye back into the conference room.
The three sat down again, and Zhen Hua was the first to speak.
"Temple Master, I'll say it again: this really was an accident."
Xie An said nothing, merely looking down at Tang Wulin in his arms.
"Temple Master, we're willing to compensate you. Just name your price."
Seeing what Xie An was doing, Zhen Hua hurried to offer.
"So you're saying I should trade an injured student for resources?"
Xie An's voice suddenly rose as he addressed Zhen Hua.
"Of course not. This is just medical compensation and damages for the child."
Xie An gave a cold snort.
"It's not impossible for me to forgive you."
"You both know that Eastsea Academy is about to compete against Shrek."
"Zhen Hua, I won't ask you to stay."
"Master Mu Ye, you'll stay at Eastsea Academy for three years."
"For those three years, you'll protect the students and train this group of children."
"That will prove you truly have nothing to do with the Evil Soul Masters."
"Of course, you'll still have to provide the appropriate compensation."
Xie An laid out his terms in one breath.
Fairly speaking, his reasoning was more than a little high-handed.
But Zhen Hua was a God Craftsman, and Mu Ye was the Body Sect's master. Neither of them was willing to let go of their pride.
After hearing the terms, Zhen Hua readily agreed.
He also urged Mu Ye, "Old friend, accept."
With Zhen Hua's help, Mu Ye eventually agreed to Xie An's demand.
"Good. Welcome to Eastsea Academy, Master of the Body Sect."
Xie An extended his right hand, and Mu Ye clasped it firmly.
"Temple Master, since everything's been settled, we'll take our leave."
"I'll go find Mu Ye somewhere to stay."
Xie An nodded. "Don't worry about lodging. I'll have someone arrange it."
Zhen Hua led Mu Ye out of the room.
Once outside, Mu Ye thought back over what had happened. A strange feeling came over him.
"Zhen Hua, something feels off to me."
"I get the sense that this War God Temple Master already knew I had nothing to do with the Evil Soul Masters."
Zhen Hua sighed and replied.
"Don't overthink it. Either way, the Evil Soul Master was most likely drawn here because of us."
"Besides, you're just being asked to teach the students. It's a perfect chance to take a closer look at that little Tang Wulin."
"I sensed his aura earlier. For a nine-year-old, his blood and qi are astonishingly vigorous."
Mu Ye's eyes lit up again. He nodded in agreement.
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