Ma Hongjun is Crippled, Shrek is in an Uproar!

Ning Fengzhi pondered for a moment before offering a measured assessment.

"This youth possesses an extraordinary bearing. Facing the entire court of civil and military officials, he was not only unfazed but responded with complete ease."

"He is certainly no creature of a mere pond."

Emperor Xue Ye turned around, his deep eyes flashing with a sharp light.

"You are correct, and that is precisely what makes me feel uneasy."

"For years, according to the intelligence reports continuously sent back by the Empire's spies, this Holy Son has always lived in seclusion."

"He has been extremely low-key within Martial Soul Hall, and we have been unable to uncover any specific information regarding his true strength."

"Now, he has suddenly emerged with such high profile, even publicly announcing his upcoming grand wedding with Qian Renxue."

Emperor Xue Ye walked up to Ning Fengzhi and lowered his voice.

"Martial Soul Hall must be hiding a massive scheme behind this move."

"Sect Master Ning, I need you to mobilize the power of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

"You must find a way to test and uncover the true background of this Gu Qing in the shortest time possible."

Ning Fengzhi's expression turned solemn as he immediately cupped his hands in acceptance.

"Fengzhi understands. I shall arrange for personnel to make contact starting tomorrow."

The first rays of the morning sun had just spilled over the outskirts of Suotuo City.

Outside the gates of Shrek Academy, a truly miserable figure appeared.

Ma Hongjun was covered in dirt and dark red bloodstains, inching his way forward along the dirt road.

One of his legs was twisted at an unnatural angle, clearly broken beyond repair.

He left a shocking, long trail of blood in his wake.

The Evil Fire Phoenix, who once ran rampant in Suotuo City, had been reduced to a cripple who could not even stand.

Crawling all the way back to Shrek Academy had exhausted the very last ounce of his strength.

As soon as he crawled through the gates, the students and teachers of the academy immediately swarmed around him.

Seeing Ma Hongjun in such a horrific state, the entire academy was instantly filled with righteous indignation.

For a time, curses and gasps of shock rose and fell across the training grounds.

Everyone began to condemn Gu Qing, the one who had dealt such a ruthless hand, calling him truly detestable.

They clamored that they must seek justice for Ma Hongjun.

Tang San and Dai Mubai quickly pushed their way through the crowd.

The two knelt on either side of him, helping the blood-soaked Ma Hongjun up.

Tang San's face was full of concern as he checked the injuries and offered words of comfort.

"Fatty, don't speak for now; save your strength."

Dai Mubai clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles cracked, putting on a display of uncontrollable rage.

"Good brother, rest assured!"

"We of Shrek have noted this grudge, and we will definitely avenge you in the future!"

Hearing these righteous words from his two good brothers, tears welled up in Ma Hongjun's swollen eyes.

His heart was suddenly filled with the moving sentiment of having survived a catastrophe.

Just then, Dean Flender rushed to the scene.

When he channeled his soul power into Ma Hongjun's body to investigate, his face turned deathly pale.

Flender withdrew his hand, trembling, his tone filled with unconcealable despair.

"There is no saving him..."

"Hongjun's meridians are shattered, and not only is his cultivation completely destroyed."

"Even the Evil Fire Phoenix bloodline within him has been thoroughly stripped away by an incredibly tyrannical force."

Flender's words were like a basin of ice water, instantly extinguishing the clamor of the crowd.

This meant that Ma Hongjun had not only been defeated but had been reduced to a completely useless commoner.

He no longer had the qualifications to be called a monster of Shrek Academy.

Upon learning this cruel truth, the expressions of Tang San and Dai Mubai, who had just been patting their chests with promises, changed subtly.

Tang San silently withdrew his hand from supporting Ma Hongjun and stepped back half a pace.

Dai Mubai also let go, his eyes drifting elsewhere with a shifty gaze.

The two tried their best to hide their true thoughts, but deep in their eyes, a trace of disdain leaked out uncontrollably.

In their view, a piece of trash who had lost his mutated martial soul was no longer worth any further investment of brotherly affection.

The weak, by nature, deserved to be abandoned.

Just then, Ning Rongrong walked in from outside the academy.

She stood on the periphery of the crowd, her gaze calm as she watched Ma Hongjun wailing on the ground.

This little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect did not show a shred of pity on her face.

On the contrary, seeing Ma Hongjun in such a miserable state, worse than death, she felt extremely gratified in her heart.

A hooligan who relied on his mutated Martial Soul to bully commoners every day deserved exactly this fate.

Ning Rongrong even silently praised the act in her heart.

Beautifully done.

This made her feel an even stronger curiosity toward the mysterious person who had personally crippled Ma Hongjun.

Just what kind of sacred being could strike with such clean and swift precision?

Heaven Dou City, inside the Crown Prince Mansion.

Sunlight shone into the room through the carved window lattices.

Gu Qing had settled into this luxurious residence as a matter of course.

As the master of the mansion, no matter how displeased Qian Renxue felt, she had nowhere to hide at this moment.

Just as he sat up from the soft bed, a familiar notification sound rang in Gu Qing's mind.

"Check-in successful."
"Reward obtained: Angel Protection."

As this special energy merged into his body, Gu Qing immediately understood the function of this reward.

It was an extremely unique passive aura.

As long as he was near someone possessing an Angel Martial Soul, he would invisibly generate a natural affinity with them.

After receiving the reward information, the corners of Gu Qing's mouth curled up slightly.

He changed into a clean robe, pushed open the door, and walked toward the dining hall.

A sumptuous breakfast had already been neatly arranged on the long dining table.

As soon as Gu Qing walked into the hall, he happened to see Qian Renxue sitting at the head of the table.

The other party was still maintaining the gentle and refined skin of Xue Qinghe.

In order to deal with this troublesome fiancé, Qian Renxue had spent the entire night thinking of countermeasures.

She finally realized that to deal with a guy like Gu Qing who was impervious to both soft and hard tactics, she absolutely could not use forceful means to hit a hard nail again.

Instead, she had to do the opposite, using a weak posture to cast out enough bait.

As long as she offered enough benefits that were impossible to refuse, she didn't believe he wouldn't obediently submit.

Seeing Gu Qing pull out a chair and sit down, Qian Renxue immediately put on an extremely sincere expression.

"Gu Qing, I was too impulsive about what happened last night."

"How about we sit down and talk calmly?"

Gu Qing ignored her and picked up the jade bowl in front of him.

Qian Renxue took a deep breath and began to cast the chips she had carefully prepared.

"I know that Martial Soul Hall cannot give you the freedom you want."

"As long as you are willing to take the initiative to propose the annulment of our engagement to the Pope."

"I can guarantee that the treasury of the Heaven Dou Empire will be open to you; no matter what level of cultivation resources you need, I can provide them to you unconditionally."

Seeing Gu Qing drinking porridge, Qian Renxue assumed he was tempted and continued to increase the stakes.

"Not only that, I can directly confer upon you the title of a prince of a different surname of the empire."

"As long as I ascend to the throne smoothly, the power of being above all others and below only one will be within your reach!"