Ma Hongjun Was Ruined, and Shrek Was in an Uproar!

Ning Fengzhi pondered briefly before offering a fair assessment.

"This young man has extraordinary bearing. He faced the entire court without the slightest hint of stage fright and handled himself with ease."

"He's no ordinary man."

Xue Ye turned around, a sharp glint flashing in his deep-set eyes.

"You're right. That's precisely what makes me uneasy."

"For years, according to the reports our imperial spies have continually sent back, this Holy Son has kept a very low profile and rarely appeared in public."

"He's been even more discreet within Spirit Hall. We haven't been able to uncover any concrete information about his strength."

"Now he's suddenly stepped into the limelight, even publicly announcing that he intends to marry Qian Renxue."

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

"Spirit Hall must be hiding some grand scheme behind this move."

"Sect Master Ning, I need you to call upon the strength of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

"You must find a way to probe Gu Qing's true background as quickly as possible."

Ning Fengzhi's expression turned grave. He immediately clasped his hands and accepted the order.

"Fengzhi understands. I'll arrange for people to make contact starting tomorrow."

The first rays of morning sunlight had just fallen outside Suotuo City.

A pitiful figure appeared at the gates of Shrek Academy.

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

One of his legs was twisted into a horribly unnatural shape. It had clearly been broken clean through.

A long, shocking trail of blood stretched behind him.

The Evil Fire Phoenix who had once run rampant through Suotuo City had now become a cripple, utterly incapable of even standing.

Crawling all the way back to Shrek Academy had nearly drained the last ounce of strength from his body.

The moment he crawled through the gates, the students and teachers on campus immediately gathered around him.

Seeing Ma Hongjun in such a ghastly state, everyone at the academy was instantly filled with righteous indignation.

For a while, curses and cries of shock rose and fell across the training grounds.

Everyone denounced Gu Qing, the man who had dealt him such a vicious blow, as utterly despicable.

They clamored that they had to go get justice for Ma Hongjun.

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

They crouched on either side of him and helped the bloodied Ma Hongjun sit up.

Tang San looked concerned as he examined the injuries and spoke words of comfort.

"Fatty, don't talk yet. Save your strength."

Dai Mubai clenched his fists until his knuckles cracked, putting on a show of fury.

"Brother, don't worry!"

"Shrek won't forget this grudge. We'll avenge you one day!"

Hearing his two good brothers speak with such loyalty, tears welled in Ma Hongjun's swollen eyes.

He was suddenly touched by the feeling of having survived a catastrophe.

Just then, Dean Flender hurried over.

But after he sent his Soul Power into Ma Hongjun's body to examine his condition, his face turned deathly pale.

Flender withdrew his hand with a tremor, despair unmistakable in his voice.

"There's no saving him..."

"Hongjun's meridians are shattered, and not only has he lost all his cultivation."

"The Evil Fire Phoenix bloodline inside him has been completely stripped away by an incredibly overbearing force."

Flender's words were like a bucket of ice water, dousing the commotion around them.

That meant Ma Hongjun hadn't merely been defeated; he had been reduced to a completely ordinary cripple.

He no longer deserved to be called one of the monsters of Shrek Academy.

After learning this brutal truth, Tang San and Dai Mubai, who had just been thumping their chests and making promises, suddenly wore subtly different expressions.

Tang San silently withdrew the hand supporting Ma Hongjun and stood, stepping half a pace back.

Dai Mubai also let go, his eyes wandering as he looked elsewhere.

They did their best to conceal what they truly felt, but a trace of disdain still slipped into their eyes.

In their view, a cripple who had lost his Mutated Martial Soul was no longer worth any brotherly devotion.

The weak deserved to be abandoned. It was only natural.

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

She stood at the edge of the crowd, calmly watching Ma Hongjun howl in pain on the ground.

The little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect showed no trace of pity.

On the contrary, seeing Ma Hongjun in such a miserable state made her feel immensely satisfied.

A hooligan who had used his Mutated Martial Soul to bully commoners was only getting what he deserved.

Ning Rongrong even praised the deed silently in her heart.

Beautifully done.

She was now even more curious about the mysterious person who had crippled Ma Hongjun with his own hands.

Who on earth was he, to act so swiftly and decisively?

In Crown Prince Mansion, Heaven Dou City.

Sunlight filtered through the carved window lattice and into the room.

Gu Qing had settled into the luxurious mansion as a matter of course.

As the owner of the mansion, Qian Renxue had nowhere to hide, no matter how displeased she felt.

The moment Gu Qing sat up in the soft bed, the familiar notification rang in his mind.

"Sign-in successful."

"Reward acquired: Angel Protection."

As the special energy flowed into his body, Gu Qing immediately understood what the reward did.

It was an incredibly special passive aura.

Anyone with an Angel Martial Soul would naturally feel a sense of affinity toward him, without even realizing it.

After absorbing the reward information, the corners of Gu Qing's mouth lifted slightly.

He changed into a clean robe, opened the door, and headed toward the dining hall.

A lavish breakfast had already been laid out on the long dining table.

The moment Gu Qing walked into the hall, he spotted Qian Renxue seated at the head of the table.

She was still wearing Xue Qinghe's refined and gentle appearance.

To deal with this difficult fiancé, Qian Renxue had spent the entire night thinking through her options.

She had finally realized that she couldn't use force against someone like Gu Qing, who wouldn't yield to either threats or enticements.

Instead, she needed to do the opposite: act weak and offer him enough bait.

As long as she offered enough benefits to make him an offer he couldn't refuse, surely he would fall into line.

When Gu Qing pulled out a chair and sat down, Qian Renxue immediately put on an expression of utmost sincerity.

"Gu Qing, I was too impulsive last night."

"Why don't we have a calm, reasonable talk?"

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

Qian Renxue took a deep breath and began laying out the incentives she had carefully prepared.

"I know Spirit Hall can't give you the freedom you want."

"If you're willing to take the initiative and ask the Supreme Pontiff to dissolve our engagement..."

"I can promise you that the treasury of the Heaven Dou Empire will be at your disposal. Whatever grade of cultivation resources you need, I can provide them unconditionally."

Seeing Gu Qing drinking his porridge, Qian Renxue thought he was tempted and continued to sweeten the deal.

"Not only that, I can directly ennoble you as an imperial prince with a different surname."

"Once I ascend the throne, you'll have power second only to mine and above everyone else. It'll be yours for the taking!"