Xu Yanli gave the statements a cursory glance, then furrowed his brow in confusion.
"Have these confessions been verified repeatedly?" Xu Yanli asked Shadow Douluo.
"We questioned everyone separately and got consistent answers. Though we can't rule out the possibility that they coordinated their stories beforehand," Shadow Douluo replied respectfully.
Xu Yanli waved for him to leave, then tossed the statements to Kong Deming.
After reading them, Kong Deming looked utterly incredulous. He silently passed them to Long Xiaoyao beside him, whose eyes held a trace of curiosity.
After a moment of silence, Kong Deming asked Xu Yanli, who was busy dealing with other matters, "How do you plan to handle this?"
"How do I plan to handle it? I'll send a Titled Douluo to inspect the situation first." Xu Yanli let out a cold snort. "Speaking of which, what have we done to offend the Duchess of White Tiger?"
"Could it be because you took Huo Yuhao away?" Kong Deming hesitated, then asked slowly.
Xu Yanli rubbed his brow and shook his head. "I doubt it. If she really wanted to kill Huo Yuhao, or was seeking revenge over what happened to him, she wouldn't have waited so long."
"Then it must be something else, hmm?" Long Xiaoyao hummed, a knowing look in his eyes, but he didn't say a word.
Xu Yanli knew there was no way to make this Limit Douluo speak up, so he decided not to ask.
"Send Shadow Douluo. He's especially good at staying hidden, and can slip into the Duke of White Tiger Mansion without a sound." Kong Deming might have understood something, but he still said nothing. Instead, he ordered Shadow Douluo to get to work.
Xu Yanli clicked his tongue but made no further comment, returning to his other tasks.
Xu Yanli suddenly thought of something and paused, then smiled. "Teacher, get me a sheet of my personal stationery. I have something to write to the Crown Prince."
Xu Yanli took the paper Kong Deming handed him, picked up his pen, and began writing swiftly. It suddenly occurred to him that he couldn't just let ordinary people carry on as they pleased, could he?
Why not introduce compulsory education from his previous life, teaching ordinary people to read? That would also make it easier for them to serve his cause.
What Xiaoyao Pavilion needed most was laborers at the bottom and powerful fighters at the top. It had little need for anything else.
After all, now that Spirit Hall was gone, the Douluo Continent as a whole no longer paid much attention to commoner Soul Masters. Most wanted those commoner Soul Masters to serve the Soul Masters from the great clans like dogs.
At the same time, this had given rise to many Evil Soul Masters, born from resentment and the destruction of their families.
He always had the feeling that some Evil Soul Masters were born because of all the world's sins—a punishment inflicted upon this world.
Still, back when Spirit Hall was around, at least the Angel Legion could use Evil Soul Masters as Soul Ascension Pills. As a result, there hadn't been many Fallen Soul Masters at the time.
But Xu Yanli knew that the current Evil Soul Master problem was partly Tang San's fault, and partly the fault of the nobles, who had pressed ordinary people so hard they had no room to breathe.
And many Evil Soul Masters weren't Evil Soul Masters in the true sense of the word. Some had practically been "forced into prostitution."
Xu Yanli didn't mind bringing some of the old system into this world, but everything had to serve his own interests and power.
After all, he wasn't some great saint. He hadn't studied the teachings of sages back then, either. He'd paid tuition and miscellaneous fees, so naturally, he'd studied miscellaneous things.
When Xu Yanli finished the letter, he tossed his pen aside, carefully placed the letter in its envelope, and handed it to Kong Deming.
"I'll go cultivate for a while and shake off some of this fatigue. Teacher, I'll leave the rest to you." Xu Yanli yawned, feigning exhaustion, then left the study and returned to his bedroom.
Back in his bedroom, Xu Yanli flopped onto the bed and let out a breath.
He was dead tired.
So, who exactly had the Duchess of White Tiger sent to surround and kill him? Surely it couldn't be because of his late mother?
After all, they were both princesses and should have known each other. But he was clearly too weak right now. He would need greater strength if he wanted to investigate his mother's past.
Xu Yanli rubbed his face, sighed softly, then sat cross-legged and began cultivating.
He could feel his Soul Power coursing rapidly through him, nourishing every inch of his meridians. It was a warmth he couldn't quite put into words.
Xu Yanli cultivated like this for an entire day, until the next morning.
Only then did Xu Yanli quickly change into his school uniform. He didn't even have time to lament how ugly it was before rushing to the school cafeteria.
Originally, he'd only planned to defeat Dai Huabin and thoroughly knock down his arrogance. Now, he thought he ought to humiliate him properly.
Xu Yanli lowered his eyes, looking utterly gloomy.
But before he could brood for long, a voice calling from behind instantly brought back his refined, dignified expression.
In other words, he was putting on an act.
Xu Yanli coughed awkwardly twice, forced a smile, and turned around. "Senior Zhang Lexuan, what are you doing here?"
"Well, I've been hesitating for a long time, but I still wanted to come and try out a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with you. After all, our Martial Souls felt strange together last time," Zhang Lexuan said.
"Senior, I'm taking part in the freshman assessment these next two days, so I probably won't have a chance to try it. How about we give it a go after my assessment is over?" Xu Yanli smiled at her and said.
"Of course," Zhang Lexuan said with a smile.
"By the way, Senior." Xu Yanli took the Jade Fan from his Storage Soul Tool and slowly raised it in front of his face. Then he leaned close to Zhang Lexuan's ear and whispered, "When your entire family was wiped out, there must have been something amiss. There should be a real culprit behind it. You might want to investigate for yourself."
Zhang Lexuan clenched her fist a little tighter, then quickly relaxed it and nodded at Xu Yanli to show she understood.
After that, she said nothing and turned to leave.
Xu Yanli smiled. He hadn't actually said anything—he'd only hoped Zhang Lexuan would investigate the real culprit. After all, over all these years, she seemed never to have looked into the massacre of her family.
Xu Yanli put away his fan and headed straight for the cafeteria, where he happened to meet up with Xiao Xiao and Tang Ling.
"Good morning, Brother Yanli!" Xiao Xiao said with a bouncy smile.
"Morning." Xu Yanli nodded at Xiao Xiao, his smile a little more sincere.
"Are you nervous? No, wait—with Brother Yanli's strength, you definitely aren't nervous!" Xiao Xiao said with a grin.
Xu Yanli smiled at her. When Tang Ling arrived, the three of them headed together for the exam site, ready for the day's first match: the round of 64, with 32 advancing.
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