Make Xuan Zi Cry

Collaborating with the White Tiger Duke Mansion to restore a regime? That is simply insane.

Not only is there no benefit to be gained, but it would also invite nothing but trouble.

Furthermore, the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect has already established ties with the Xu family of the Star Luo imperial house, and there is something within the royal family that he desires.

Setting everything else aside, just the existence of Huo Yuhao, that Son of Luck, is enough for Ning Que to refuse any alliance with the White Tiger Duke Mansion.

"Could it be that Uncle Dai still wishes to reclaim that throne?"

"Might I ask what percentage of the troops in your hands you can actually control, and how many Limit Douluo are backing you?"

Ning Que did not bother with pleasantries, choosing instead to lay the topic bare.

"You jest, nephew. How could your uncle harbor such thoughts of disrupting the imperial court?"

Dai Hao had never expected Ning Que to be so unrestrained, bringing the matter out into the open so directly.

At first, he had assumed Ning Que was a clever man; he had not expected him to be nothing more than a reckless youth.

After a few perfunctory exchanges, Dai Hao took his leave.

The moment he stepped out of the military tent, Dai Hao realized the impropriety of the situation. This brat was no reckless youth; he had clearly been blocking any chance for Dai Hao to speak from the very start.

He knew his own ambitions were incredibly difficult to achieve, but how could he simply abandon the legacy of his ancestors?

Relying on himself, there was no hope left in this lifetime; it seemed he would have to focus heavily on cultivating his son from now on.

It was only recently that Dai Hao discovered his eldest son, Dai Yueheng, was far from simple.

What he did not know was that Dai Yueheng had seen the situation clearly all along; it was not that he did not want to compete, but that he had never had the opportunity.

Now that the opportunity was laid out before him, he would naturally stop holding back.

While Ning Que and his party were resting and regrouping, Xuan Zi brought Dai Yueheng, Bei Bei, and Xu Sanshi back to Shrek Academy.

"Elder Xuan, why have you returned at this time..."

Xuan Zi did not restrain his aura in the slightest as he rushed toward Shrek Academy, and the many Title Douluo within the academy immediately sensed the anomaly.

Thinking a powerful enemy was attacking, they appeared one after another.

When they saw Xuan Zi's figure, they were stunned. Before they could even ask a question, they saw the three people he was dragging, all of whom were on the verge of death.

Judging by their condition, they were clearly breathing their last.

They were hanging by a thread.

"Elder Xuan, quickly, quickly... take them to the Inner Court!"

As a healing-type Soul Master, Elder Zhuang reacted instantly and rushed to treat them.

Among the three, Dai Yueheng should have had the lightest injuries, but because of Xuan Zi, he had suffered secondary trauma; his broken ribs had pierced his internal organs, and without proper care, it would likely prove fatal.

The problem was that Xuan Zi had not considered the condition of the injured during the return journey, causing their wounds to worsen significantly.

If not for Dai Yueheng's desperate efforts to circulate his soul power to remain conscious, he might have already died on the road.

Even so, his injuries had worsened; where a rib had only just pierced his viscera, now, a large portion of one had embedded itself directly into his lung.

Seeing Elder Zhuang appear in his line of sight, Dai Yueheng finally relaxed his mind and fell into a deep coma.

Before losing consciousness, two words echoed endlessly in his mind: Xuan Zi!

If resentment could kill, Xuan Zi would have been hacked to pieces by Dai Yueheng's hatred long ago.

"Elder Xuan, what exactly happened?"

"Who dared to lay hands on the children?"

"Was it a Level 9 Soul Engineer from the Sun Moon Empire, or an Evil Soul Master at the Title Douluo level? That shouldn't be possible; no matter how strong they are, they shouldn't have been able to harm the children under your protection, right?"

"Could it be that you encountered Di Tian?"

"..."

Facing the barrage of guesses from the Shrek Academy elders, Xuan Zi's expression turned ugly once more, and the guilt he had been suppressing in his heart erupted.

"It... it was me... it was this old fool who failed to protect the children, it was me..."

Then, he began to weep like a child.

Tears streamed down his aged face, and he was consumed by grief.

Just hearing his wails, everyone present could not help but feel a sense of sorrow.

This display left everyone else on the scene completely bewildered.

What is he doing?

What is he actually doing?

They had only asked what had happened.

And then Elder Xuan started crying.

It was as if they were the ones who had forced Elder Xuan to tears.

One by one, they were at a loss, having absolutely no idea what to do.

"Xuan Zi, what on earth happened?"

"Stop crying for a moment and tell us; we can still find a way to remedy this!"

Song Yunzhi, the eldest and relatively most composed among them, truly wanted to lash out upon seeing Xuan Zi in such a state, but since things had reached this point, it was better to clarify the sequence of events first.

Under the soothing words of Song Yunzhi and the encouragement of the other Title Douluo, Xuan Zi finally steadied his emotions and recounted everything that had transpired to the group.

"Xuan... Xuan Zi, you... you are muddled..."

After understanding the cause and effect, Song Yunzhi was so angry she nearly lost her breath.

A dignified level 98 Title Douluo had actually failed to protect the academy's disciples under the hands of a mere Soul King.

If this were told, no one would believe it.

Not even the stories and novels circulating among common folk would be so absurd.

The problem was that such a thing had truly and genuinely happened, right before their eyes.

"This..."

As the acting dean of the Martial Soul Department, Cai Mei'er felt her entire mind go blank upon receiving this news.

She had worked so hard; ever since Elder Mu appointed her, she had been diligent and conscientious, handling every matter perfectly. She had guarded against everything, yet she never anticipated that Elder Xuan would bring her such a massive "surprise."

"Of the three children, Bei Bei's injuries are the lightest, but the corpse poison has entered his body, which will likely affect his cultivation foundation. If not resolved quickly, his future path of cultivation is destined to be restricted."

"Dai Yueheng's injuries are next; I have stabilized his condition, but his internal organs are damaged and he has lost too much blood, harming his origin. If it cannot be replenished, he has no hope of reaching the Title Douluo realm in this lifetime!"

"As for Xu Sanshi... he may never be able to stand again..."

Only after Elder Zhuang helped stabilize the three men's injuries did he explain the specific situation.

Once these words were spoken, the scene instantly fell into a deathly silence.

This incident was truly too severe.

It was simply not something they could decide on their own.

Most crucially, this matter involved Bei Bei, the only blood relative of Elder Mu.

Bei Bei was different from Ma Xiaotao; in the hearts of many Shrek Academy elders, Ma Xiaotao was an existence that had been abandoned, unless her evil fire could be completely purged.

Otherwise, she was simply not worth the effort of intensive cultivation.

It was only because Yan Shaozhe had been cultivating her with all his might that the others couldn't be bothered to argue.

But Bei Bei, as the blood successor of Elder Mu, possessed extraordinary talent and was a direct descendant of their Shrek Academy.

Furthermore, both his temperament and his style of doing things were very popular; many elders even regarded him as the successor to be groomed as the next Elder Mu.

Now that Bei Bei had suffered such heavy injuries, how were they to answer to Elder Mu?

In the end, they unanimously decided to inform Elder Mu of the matter and let him make the final decision.