"Your Excellency!"
Seeing that a Titled Douluo had blocked his full-power strike, Zhao Wuji hurriedly recalled his Martial Soul and backed away several steps. Then he bowed to Li Hao.
"Immovable Wisdom King, you still enjoy throwing your weight around and bullying the weak, just like you did back then."
Su Zhen stepped out from behind Li Hao. Because of the Thunder God's Second Trial, he couldn't use his Martial Soul or Soul Power. With the physical strength of a Titled Douluo, he could handle anyone below Soul Saint rank, but he'd struggle against a Soul Saint with a Martial Soul Avatar. Fortunately, he had two Titled Douluos accompanying him.
"Please don't say that, young master."
Zhao Wuji cupped his hands toward Su Zhen and smiled. He'd never expected the young man before him to have a Titled Douluo as a bodyguard. What powerful family had this young master come from?
"Where's your dean? Call him out."
"Young master, our dean is in Suotuo City. I'll go find him right away."
After speaking, Zhao Wuji turned and headed toward Suotuo City.
"Old Zhao, no need. I'm here."
A sharp male voice rang out from above. A man with a hooked nose folded away his Martial Soul wings and landed before Su Zhen and the others.
"Young master, I'm Flender, dean of Shrek Academy. Please forgive our poor hospitality. Whatever you require, just say the word, and I'll do my best to accommodate you."
"Disband the academy and refund everyone's enrollment fees."
As soon as Su Zhen made his demand, Flender bristled. This academy was the work of his entire life.
"Young master, don't push it. A little show of force is enough. Don't think that having a Titled Douluo to protect you means you can do whatever you want."
"If you want me to disband the academy, you'll have to ask my old friends whether they agree."
Flender finished speaking and summoned the Four-Eyed Owl. Seven Soul Rings appeared beneath his feet. At the same time, four figures appeared behind him and summoned their Martial Souls.
The terrifying power displayed by three Soul Saints and two Soul Emperors was enough to influence any sect. Now it stood before everyone, thirty-three Soul Rings gathered together. Their radiance sent the ordinary people present stumbling backward.
"What makes you think a bunch of Soul Saints and Soul Emperors can stand against my Titled Douluo?"
Su Zhen chuckled and waved to Li Hao behind him.
Roar!
A massive black tiger appeared behind Li Hao. Beneath his feet, nine Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black—circled silently.
The oppressive presence unique to a Titled Douluo engulfed the people of Shrek Academy, firmly suppressing the imposing aura they had just summoned.
"Now, do any of you still object?"
Su Zhen looked at the Shrek Academy group, who were struggling 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 boy walked over from behind them and spoke.
"Big brother, my name is Tang San. These teachers haven't done anything wrong. Please spare them."
Tang San stood ramrod straight as he spoke, radiating righteousness and a sense of justice.
"They've done nothing wrong, so does that mean I'm the one in the wrong?"
"This junior wouldn't dare."
Tang San's words were humble, but his expression and posture were unyielding.
"Do you know they charge ten Gold Soul Coins as an enrollment fee?"
"I know."
"Do you know that once you pay, the money is nonrefundable?"
"I know."
"Do you know that ten Gold Soul Coins could support an ordinary family for three years?"
"I know."
"Then why are you speaking up for them? They're sucking the blood of the common people, and you, one of the common people, are defending those bloodsuckers. What are you really after?"
"I..."
Tang San couldn't answer. He didn't know how to talk his way out of this.
"But, big brother, that money lets the students who successfully enroll live better. They're contributing to those students!"
"Heh, contributing? What about their own children? Who's contributing to them?"
"You're here to enroll, aren't you? How old are you, and what's your Soul Power Level?"
"Yes. I'm Tang San, twelve years old. My Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass, and I'm a level 26 Control System Soul Grandmaster."
Tang San gave his age and level. In fact, if his Soul Power cultivation hadn't gone awry a few years ago, his level should have been even higher. But when he'd asked his teacher how he had recovered, his teacher hadn't said a word.
"Oh, a little prodigy, are you?"
Hearing Su Zhen's praise, Tang San raised his head proudly.
"With your talent, you can enroll, and your ten Gold Soul Coins won't go to waste. So what you meant just now was that they should give you ten Gold Soul Coins' worth of contributions to support your cultivation?"
"You get to enjoy the benefits, but what about them? Who pays for their contributions? You, the prodigy, or this shabby academy, so poor it has to swindle its students out of their Gold Soul Coins?"
"We're not swindlers."
Flender raised his head and retorted.
"Not swindlers? As far as I know, you claim that your most outstanding graduate became an elder of Spirit Hall. But the minimum requirement to become an elder of Spirit Hall is to be a level 91 Titled Douluo. Yet across the whole Douluo Continent, not a single Titled Douluo claims to have graduated from your academy."
"Are you saying that this academy, with no proper training environment, unable to provide students with their daily meals or even Soul Beast meat for nourishment, and with a dean who's only a Soul Saint, has produced a Titled Douluo?"
"What else would you call that but a scam?"
Su Zhen's words left the Shrek Academy group speechless.
"Even if everything you say is true, Shrek Academy still has a reputation. Everyone in Suotuo City knows its name, which proves that its teaching is excellent."
Tang San spoke up again. He had to do everything he could to turn the argument back in Shrek Academy's favor. After all, it was founded by his teacher's friend.
"Reputation? Is Shrek's so-called reputation built on sacrificing its students' lives? In twenty years, it accepted forty-two students and graduated fourteen. Its graduation requirement is to become a Soul Ancestor by the age of twenty. All the others died while hunting for Soul Rings. An academy that can't even keep its students safe—what reputation can it claim?"
Su Zhen took a sheet of paper from his Soul Guidance Ring. It clearly recorded Shrek Academy's past admissions and graduation numbers.
"The young woman behind me is a top student at Heaven Dou Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy. Let's hear about her academy's treatment of its students and graduation requirements."
At Su Zhen's mention, Dugu Yan rolled her eyes helplessly and stepped forward.
"My name is Dugu Yan. My Martial Soul is the Jade Phosphorous Serpent. I'm a level 35 Control System Battle Soul Elder, a member of the Heaven Dou Royal Team, and a Heaven Dou Grade Student. Our academy's graduation requirements are the same as Shrek Academy's, but we have several Mimicry Training Grounds, high-grade Soul Beast meat at every meal, and at least one Soul Emperor teacher protecting us during Soul Hunting."
As the people present heard the comparison between the two academies, the scales in their hearts had already tipped.
"Besides, our academy has the right to compete in the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament and to recommend students for admission."
Dugu Yan's final sentence dealt the decisive blow in this silent contest. How could an academy with no right to compete raise its students well? And Shrek Academy couldn't even protect their safety.
"Everything you've said is true, but one of Heaven Dou Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy's enrollment requirements is that students must be nobles. Commoners can't enroll."
Tang San spoke up again. With his teacher's guidance, there were few things on the continent he didn't know.
"That's true, but that was in the past."
Su Zhen's lips curved slightly at Tang San's words. Tang San had managed to steer the conversation exactly where he wanted it to go.
"Three years from now, after the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, the two empires and Spirit Hall will jointly sign an agreement on commoners enrolling in royal Soul Master academies. Then, every Soul Master across the continent who meets the requirements, noble or commoner, will be able to join the royal Soul Master academies of either empire or Spirit Hall's advanced Soul Master academy."
Su Zhen slowly revealed a piece of news that left everyone present astonished.
"What? Is that true?"
"Exactly! How can you prove it?"
At their skeptical questions, Su Zhen calmly took a token from his storage ring. It was gilded, with a snow-white swan carved on it, head held high.
"My name is Su Zhen. I'm an honored retainer under Crown Prince Xue Qinghe of the Heaven Dou Empire. Everything I've said comes from the Crown Prince himself."
The moment Su Zhen showed the token, all the commoners fell to their knees to pay their respects. Even the Soul Masters present had to bow slightly. This was the absolute respect owed to the empire's Crown Prince.
"So what? That's just the Heaven Dou Empire announcing it on its own. Spirit Hall and the Star Luo Empire haven't said anything yet."
Seeing the situation tip toward Su Zhen again, Tang San couldn't help retorting.
"Everything he said is true."
Two figures slowly approached from a short distance away.
"That's Lord Su Di, the head of the Suotuo City Spirit Hall Main Branch!"
Someone in the crowd recognized the newcomers.
"Mr. Su, forgive me for not welcoming you sooner."
Yang Fan brought Su Di over to Su Zhen. Su Di had just started to bow to Su Zhen when Su Zhen stopped him with a glance.
Su Di cleared his throat and took out a file. Then he addressed the people of Shrek Academy.
"After investigation, Shrek Academy, founded by Flender, has no operating license, has defrauded commoners of their Gold Soul Coins, and has failed to fulfill its duty to protect its students. Accordingly, the Suotuo City Spirit Hall Main Branch and the Crown Prince's Mansion of the Heaven Dou Empire have decided to demolish Shrek Academy's grounds and permanently prohibit it from opening another academy."
Su Di's words struck Flender's heart like a heavy hammer. His vision went black, and he toppled backward.
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