Dugu Bo stood to one side, stroking his chin as he schemed over how to put the two little girls through their paces.
Just then, a burst of hurried footsteps shattered the hall's silence.
Meng Shu strode into the hall, his face ashen. He dropped to one knee with a thud.
"Sect Master, something's happened!"
Huang Yan was leaning against the seat of honor, resting with his eyes closed. At the sound of that, he opened them slightly, his tone still languid.
"Elder Meng, what's got you so alarmed?"
Meng Shu gritted his teeth, fury filling his eyes.
"One of the talented students we just recruited has reached a bottleneck in Soul Power.
The academy sent two teachers, both Five-Ring Soul Kings at level fifty-three, to take him to the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt a Spirit Beast.
But... they ran into people from the Elephant Armor Sect!"
At the words "Elephant Armor Sect," Ning Rongrong's expression shifted.
"The Elephant Armor Sect, one of the Lower Four Sects?
They've always thrown their weight around."
Meng Shu nodded, his voice thick with indignation.
"Our people had already badly wounded that Spirit Beast, but the Elephant Armor Sect members forced their way in.
They had numbers on their side, and the two leaders were both Soul Emperors above level sixty!
They not only stole the Spirit Beast, but also beat our two teachers and the student until they were seriously injured, then humiliated them to the utmost!"
The air in the hall froze in an instant.
"Crack—"
A sharp snap rang out.
The white jade teacup Huang Yan had been playing with crumbled into fine powder, sifting through his fingers.
He slowly sat upright.
The languid calm had vanished from his face, replaced by a suffocating chill and