Before Yu Luomian could speak, Huyan Zhen, the old coot, slapped the table and barked, "Han Ningshuang, your Skywater Academy is quite arrogant! How dare you speak so rudely in front of us two senior elders?"
Han Ningshuang calmly looked at Huyan Zhen. "However arrogant we are, we can't match the arrogance of your two sects, can we? You've barged into someone else's academy in broad daylight and occupied the seat of authority inside. Is this how the continent's top sects conduct themselves?"
Shui Yue'er rolled her eyes from the side, thinking that the damn gorilla was disgusting.
Senior elder?
Heh!
She thought he was an old hooligan!
There were probably few on the entire continent who could act so shamelessly.
Shui Bing'er and Li Jiuxuan also scoffed inwardly. These people had taken the word "hypocrisy" to the absolute extreme!
"Hey, I think you're asking for—"
Huyan Zhen was instantly enraged and started to rise, ready to make trouble for Han Ningshuang.
But Yu Luomian waved a hand to stop him, then picked up where he'd left off. "Ah, Vice President Han, you're mistaken. We came today to have a friendly discussion with Skywater Academy. The students at our academy had heard that every student here has extraordinary talent, so they wanted to come and learn from you. That's why Sect Master Huyan and I led this ignorant bunch here to see the fine bearing of your students."
"If you want to test our students' strength, then do it as usual: pick three students of similar age and let them compete!"
"Of course. We certainly have to compete, but..."
"But what?"
"We need to make a wager. If Skywater Academy loses, you'll return the student from Thunder Academy!"
At those words, everyone from Skywater Academy present gritted their teeth in anger.
How could a hooligan make his words sound so righteous?
He made it seem as though Skywater had really imprisoned a student from Thunder Academy.
But... what could they do?
Those words had come from a Titled Douluo at level eighty-nine.
Along with their anger, they felt a deep sense of helplessness!
The kind-hearted got bullied, and the weak got ridden roughshod over!
That was the law of the world...
"I said it already. There are no students from Thunder Academy at Skywater Academy!" Han Ningshuang repeated firmly.
Yu Luomian raised a hand and cut her off with a smile. "Don't be so sure, Vice President Han. You wouldn't want to see our two academies come to blows, would you?"
He tilted his head and glanced sidelong at the Soul Saints beside Han Ningshuang. "After all, seven little Soul Saints can't even deal with one Soul Douluo, let alone two of them—and both of us are level eighty-nine..."
Han Ningshuang clenched her teeth at once, her chest heaving with fury!
What a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!
What an Elephant Armor Sect!
They looked bright and respectable on the surface, but in truth they were masters at bullying the weak!
"Vice President, then let's fight! I'll go!"
Shui Bing'er spoke up from the side. She knew they had no choice under the circumstances!
"You?"
Han Ningshuang looked at Shui Bing'er, hesitating.
Even if they fought and won, would these bandits really give up?
Impossible!
"Let's accept the challenge first. We can buy ourselves some time. At the very least, we can't just watch Xiao Jiuxuan get taken away!" Shui Bing'er's gaze was cold. Though she was furious, she remained clear-headed.
"I'll go too. For Xiao Jiuxuan, I'll definitely win!"
Shui Yue'er spoke up as well. She had been so angry she'd stamped her foot. How could they let these people bully them like this?
"Fine, then we'll fight. For the third participant..."
Han Ningshuang's eyes searched beyond the hall. She wanted to find Xue Wu, the vice-captain of Skywater's representative team!
They had no choice but to accept the challenge now. It wasn't only to protect Li Jiuxuan at all costs. The two sects had coveted Skywater for a long time; this was a shared trial that Li Jiuxuan and Skywater Academy had been facing all along!
"I'll go!"
Li Jiuxuan volunteered at that moment.
He'd been fed up with the two sects for a long time, and knew this was just a hypocritical excuse. But whether he ended up being taken away or staying behind, he'd give their students a beating first!
Besides, this had all started because of him. He ought to do his part!
"Good!"
Han Ningshuang no longer hesitated. She immediately named the three young students who would represent Skywater Academy to Yu Luomian.
When Yu Luomian heard that Li Jiuxuan would also compete, he raised an eyebrow. "You've got courage, but the students I brought from Thunder Academy aren't six years old. The weakest among them has a Soul Power Level of at least twenty-five."
The students he'd brought this time were the most talented ones, apart from the two direct-line geniuses of the sect. Though Li Jiuxuan had Innate Full Soul Power, the gap in Soul Power Level was simply too great.
Besides...
He had a top-grade Beast Martial Soul? Who didn't?
The Number One Beast Martial Soul in the world was still the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon!
"Then let that person compete!"
Li Jiuxuan wasn't afraid. A seven-level gap in Soul Power was nothing that could make him bow his head!
He held to the conviction that if he had to die, he'd die on his feet.
"Good, good, good. Fine. Since you insist on fighting, I'll grant your wish." Yu Luomian snapped his fingers, and three people stepped forward.
There was nothing unreasonable about Li Jiuxuan joining the competition.
First, they could see the might of the Ice Dragon King Martial Soul with their own eyes. Second, this was a victory they'd already booked in advance.
No matter how powerful his Martial Soul was, he was still just a child who'd only awakened it recently.
He hadn't had time to grow!
How could he possibly stand against a powerful Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster?
"Then I'll ask everyone to leave the main hall and proceed to the Grand Arena!"
The crowd poured out and gathered in the outer courtyard.
The people from Skywater Academy stood on one side of the arena, while the forces from Thunder Academy stood on the other.
"I'll take the first match!"
A student from Thunder Academy leaped onto the arena and said cockily, "My name is Yu Shengxiong. I'm twelve years old, a thirty-first-level Battle Soul Elder of the Power Attack System!"
Shui Bing'er leaped onto the arena with a detached expression. Unlike usual, she didn't respectfully salute her opponent. "Shui Bing'er of Skywater Academy, a thirty-third-level Battle Soul Elder of the Control System!"
"Rumble!"
Their Martial Souls appeared!
The battle began at once.
They called it a friendly match, but every move was deadly!
"Elder Luomian, don't you think your first student can't pose a threat to Shui Bing'er?"
Below the arena, Huyan Zhen watched Shui Bing'er suppress the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's genius from the moment the fight began.
"Yu Shengxiong is the most talented student in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan apart from Tianxin and Tianheng."
Yu Luomian sat beside him, unconcerned. "Shui Bing'er has the ultimate Beast Martial Soul, Ice Phoenix, and was born with level-nine Soul Power. Her talent is no weaker than Tianheng's or Tianxin's. She's among the most outstanding of the younger generation on the continent. It's normal for him to lose."
"Then this..."
"Don't worry. There's only one Shui Bing'er in Skywater Academy, and there's only one Shui Bing'er on the whole continent..." Yu Luomian sneered, utterly contemptuous.
Huyan Zhen understood. With Yu Tianxin and Yu Tianheng absent, Yu Luomian had never expected to win the first match.
Aside from Shui Bing'er, he didn't take any of Skywater's other students seriously.
And Li Jiuxuan was still too young.
"Still, Shui Bing'er really is as beautiful as ice and jade, a peerless talent. She'd be a perfect match for my grandson Huyan Li if she married him..."
Before you continue