Disbandment, Confronting the Mistress

"Your Excellency!"

Seeing that the one blocking his full-force strike was a Titled Douluo, Zhao Wuji hurriedly retracted his martial soul, took a few steps back, and bowed to Li Hao.

"The Immovable Bright King is still as fond of bullying the weak as he was back in the day."

Su Zhen stepped out from behind Li Hao. Because of the Thunder God's second trial, he could not currently use his martial soul or soul power. While his Titled Douluo-level physical constitution was enough to handle those below the Soul Saint realm, he would struggle against a Soul Saint using their Avatar, so it was fortunate he had two Titled Douluos by his side.

"Young master, please, you flatter this humble one."

Zhao Wuji cupped his hands and smiled at Su Zhen. He never expected that the youth before him would have a Titled Douluo as a bodyguard; he wondered which great power this young master hailed from.

"Where is your dean? Call him out."

"Young master, our dean is inside Suotuo City. I shall go find him at once."

After saying this, Zhao Wuji turned and headed toward Suotuo City.

"Old Zhao, no need. I am here."

A sharp male voice rang out from the air, and a man with a hooked nose retracted his martial soul wings, landing before Su Zhen and his group.

"Young master, I am Flender, dean of Shrek Academy. Please forgive our poor hospitality. If you have any requests, feel free to speak them; I will do my best to satisfy them."

"Dissolve the academy and refund the registration fees to everyone."

As soon as Su Zhen stated his demand, Flender became displeased; this academy was his life's work.

"Young master, enough is enough. Don't think that just because you have a Titled Douluo protecting you, you can do whatever you please."

"If you want me to dissolve the academy, you'll have to ask my old partners if they agree."

Flender finished speaking, the Four-Eyed Owl possessed him, and seven soul rings appeared beneath his feet. Simultaneously, four figures appeared behind him, all revealing their martial souls.

The terrifying strength displayed by three Soul Saints and two Soul Emperors was enough to influence any sect. Now, standing before everyone, thirty-three soul rings gathered together, their radiance forcing the ordinary people present to retreat.

"What makes you think a group of Soul Saints and Soul Emperors can resist my Titled Douluo?"

Su Zhen chuckled and waved his hand at Li Hao behind him.

Roar—

A massive black tiger appeared behind Li Hao, and nine soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black—swirled silently beneath his feet.

The pressure unique to a Titled Douluo enveloped the Shrek group, firmly suppressing the majestic momentum they had just unleashed.

"Now, do you still have any objections?"

Su Zhen looked at the Shrek members, who were struggling to hold their ground under Li Hao's pressure, and asked.

"We..."

"Your Excellency, please withdraw your pressure."

Just as Flender was about to beg for mercy, a blue-haired youth walked out from behind the group and spoke.

"Big brother, this one is named Tang San. These teachers have done nothing wrong, so please, let them go."

As Tang San spoke, he stood straight, radiating integrity and righteousness.

"They did nothing wrong? Does that mean I am the one in the wrong?"

"This one would not dare."

Though Tang San's words were humble, his expression and posture remained exceptionally firm.

"Do you know they charge a registration fee of ten Gold Soul Coins?"

"I know."

"Do you know that once this money is paid, it is never refunded?"

"I know."

"Do you know that ten Gold Soul Coins are enough for an ordinary family to live on for three years?"

"I know."

"Then why do you speak for them? They are sucking the blood of commoners, and you, a commoner yourself, are speaking for the vampires who drain them. What is your intention?"

"I..."

Tang San could not answer; he did not know how to justify this.

"But big brother, this money allows the students who successfully enroll to live better. They are making a contribution for those students."

"Heh, a contribution? Then what about their own children? Who makes a contribution for their children?"

"You are here to enroll, aren't you? What is your age and soul power level?"

"Yes, Tang San, twelve years old, martial soul Blue Silver Grass, level 26 Control-type Soul Grand Master."

Tang San stated his age and level. In truth, had his soul power cultivation not gone awry a few years ago, he should have been at a higher level, but whenever he asked his teacher how he had recovered, the teacher would say nothing at all.

"Oh? A little genius, are we?"

Hearing Su Zhen's praise, Tang San proudly lifted his head.

"With your aptitude, you can enroll, and the ten Gold Soul Coins won't be paid in vain. So, was your point just now that they should take that ten-coin contribution to subsidize your cultivation?"

"You have enjoyed yourself, but what about them? Who pays for their contributions? Is it you, this genius, or this bush-league academy right before our eyes that is so poor it has to swindle Gold Soul Coins from its students!"

"We are not swindlers."

Flender raised his head to refute Su Zhen.

"Not swindlers? As far as I know, you claim to the public that your most outstanding graduate is already an elder of Martial Soul Hall. Yet, the minimum requirement to become an elder in Martial Soul Hall is to be a level 91 Titled Douluo, and not a single Titled Douluo on the entire Douluo Continent claims to have graduated from your academy."

"Are you trying to say that this small academy of yours—which lacks any Mimicry Training Ground, cannot guarantee the daily diet of its students, provides no soul beast meat for daily supplementation, and is run by a dean who is merely a Soul Saint—has produced a Titled Douluo powerhouse?"

"If this isn't a swindle, then what is?"

Su Zhen's words left everyone from Shrek Academy speechless.

"Even if what you say is true, Big Brother, Shrek Academy still possesses its reputation. The entire Suotuo City knows of Shrek Academy's fame, which proves that the quality of their teaching is very high."

Tang San spoke up from the side; he had to think of every possible way to turn around Shrek Academy's disadvantage, as this was an academy founded by his teacher's close friend.

"Honor? Is Shrek's so-called honor built upon the foundation of sacrificing the lives of its students? In twenty years of operation, you have enrolled forty-two people and graduated fourteen. The graduation requirement is to be a Soul Ancestor by the age of twenty. Aside from these fourteen graduates, everyone else died during the process of hunting for soul rings. As an academy that cannot even guarantee the safety of its students, how can you speak of honor?"

Su Zhen took a piece of paper from his Soul Guidance Ring, which clearly recorded the past enrollment and graduation records of Shrek Academy.

"The person behind me is a top student from the Heaven Dou Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy. Listen to the treatment and graduation requirements of her academy."

Facing Su Zhen's summons, Dugu Yan rolled her eyes helplessly and stepped forward.

"My name is Dugu Yan, my martial soul is the Jade Phosphorous Serpent, I am a level 35 control-system battle Soul Elder, a member of the Heaven Dou Royal Team, and a Heaven Dou Grade Student of the academy. The graduation requirements are the same as Shrek Academy's, but we have several Mimicry Training Grounds, we have high-level soul beast meat to supplement our nutrition at every meal, and we are protected by at least one teacher at the Soul Emperor level when hunting for soul rings."

As everyone present listened to the comparison between the two academies, the scales in their hearts had already tilted.

"Furthermore, our academy holds the qualification to participate in and be seeded for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament."

Dugu Yan's final sentence was the killing blow to this silent competition. How could an academy that didn't even have the qualifications to compete properly nurture its children? Moreover, Shrek Academy couldn't even protect the safety of its students.

"Everything you say is correct, but one of the enrollment requirements for the Heaven Dou Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy is that one must possess noble status; otherwise, one cannot enroll."

Tang San spoke up again at this moment. Under his teacher's tutelage, there were very few things in the entire continent that he did not know.

"Correct, but that was in the past."

Su Zhen's mouth curled up slightly upon hearing Tang San's words; this Tang San had successfully steered the conversation exactly where he wanted it to go.

"Three years from now, after the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament concludes, the two great empires and Martial Soul Hall will jointly sign an agreement regarding the enrollment of commoners into the Royal Soul Master Academies. By then, all qualified soul masters across the continent, regardless of whether they are nobles or commoners, will be able to join the Royal Soul Master Academies of the two empires and the advanced soul master academies of Martial Soul Hall."

Su Zhen spoke slowly, revealing a piece of information that shocked everyone present.

"What? Is what you say true?"

"That's right! How can you prove that what you say is true?"

Hearing the crowd's skepticism, Su Zhen calmly took a token from his storage ring. The token was gilded gold, engraved with a snow-white swan standing with its head held high.

"My name is Su Zhen, a guest advisor under Crown Prince Xue Qinghe of the Heaven Dou Empire. Everything I have said is the will of the Crown Prince."

The moment Su Zhen displayed the token, all the commoners knelt to pay their respects, and even the soul masters present had to bow; this was the absolute respect due to the Crown Prince of the Empire.

"So what? This is merely a unilateral announcement by the Heaven Dou Empire; Martial Soul Hall and the Star Luo Empire have yet to speak."

Seeing the situation leaning toward Su Zhen once again, Tang San could not help but refute him.

"Everything he said is true."

Not far away, two figures slowly approached.

"It is Lord Su Di, the Hall Master of the Suotuo City Spirit Hall Main Branch!"

Someone in the crowd recognized the identity of the newcomers.

"Young Master Su, I apologize for not welcoming you sooner."

Yang Fan brought Su Di before Su Zhen. Just as Su Di was about to salute Su Zhen, he was stopped by a look from him.

Su Di cleared his throat, took out a file, and spoke to the Shrek group.

"Following an investigation, the Shrek Academy operated by Flender lacks operational qualifications, has defrauded commoners of Gold Soul Coins, and has failed to fulfill its duty as an academy to protect the safety of its students. By the decision of the Suotuo City Spirit Hall Main Branch and the Crown Prince's Mansion of the Heaven Dou Empire, the Shrek Academy grounds are to be demolished, and it is permanently forbidden from ever operating as an academy again."

Su Di's words struck Flender's heart like a heavy hammer. He felt the world go black before his eyes and collapsed backward.