Under the referee's intervention, Ma Xiaotao was finally rescued after Feng Tianyu and Grey Wolf, one man and one wolf working together, beat her unconscious.
Feng Tianyu had gotten his fill of beating her, and Grey Wolf was grinning smugly. At last, they had vented the anger pent up in their chests.
As they dealt with the scarlet flames burning on them, Yan Shaozhe stepped onto a golden path of light and rushed into the arena. His expression grave, he helped the battered and bruised Ma Xiaotao to her feet.
She was his personal disciple, after all. Yan Shaozhe hurriedly took healing pills from his Storage Soul Tool and fed them to Ma Xiaotao.
Then he lifted his head and looked at Feng Tianyu again, a deep, chilling glint flashing in his eyes.
The air, which had just been seared by the scarlet flames until waves of heat rolled through it, seemed to freeze solid. It was so cold it could make your teeth chatter.
Feng Tianyu had injured his disciple. Though it pained him, that wasn't something he couldn't bear.
What mattered was what this meant!
Although Feng Tianyu's records were still under the Martial Soul Department, he was actually studying in the Soul Guidance Department, and had been for less than a year.
In less than a year of study, he had managed to craft all kinds of wondrous Soul Tools, allowing a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster like himself to defeat a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor.
The thought sent a chill down Yan Shaozhe's spine!
For ten thousand years, the Martial Soul Department had always been the orthodox heart of Shrek Academy. Yet now, under his leadership, students from the Martial Soul Department had lost to a student from the Soul Guidance Department. If this continued, Shrek Academy's orthodox standing might very well pass from the Martial Soul Department to the Soul Guidance Department.
Yan Shaozhe could never tolerate that. He was the dean of the Martial Soul Department, and he had to take responsibility for it.
Yan Shaozhe was shortsighted in the extreme. He could only see the Martial Soul Department, completely blind to the fact that the Soul Guidance Department was also part of Shrek Academy.
Just as the atmosphere grew tense!
Qian Duoduo laughed loudly as he stepped onto the arena and clapped Feng Tianyu on the shoulder. Then he moved in front of him, shielding Feng Tianyu from all the pressure coming from Yan Shaozhe:
"Great work, Tianyu! You've made our Soul Guidance Department proud!"
"Let those Martial Soul Department teachers and students who look down on everyone see the tremendous potential of our department!"
Yan Shaozhe stared straight at Qian Duoduo, his tone neither harsh nor mild:
"Vice Dean Qian, your Soul Guidance Department is certainly impressive. But our Martial Soul Department is the orthodox heart of Shrek Academy. It was in the past, it is now, and it will be in the future!"
Qian Duoduo heard the challenge in Yan Shaozhe's words. Remembering how the Martial Soul Department had always looked down on the Soul Guidance Department, he let his smile fade, his voice turning cold:
"Orthodox, huh? Heh. Our Soul Guidance Department is part of Shrek Academy too. Which department truly deserves to represent its orthodox standing depends on how each one develops."
The two deans faced off, and the air was suddenly thick with the smell of gunpowder.
Yan Shaozhe was about to say more when a voice reached his ears:
"Why haven't you taken Xiaotao back to the Inner Court for treatment? What kind of teacher are you?"
Yan Shaozhe recognized Mu En's warning. His expression shifted. Though he wanted to best Qian Duoduo, this wasn't the time.
He immediately scooped Ma Xiaotao into his arms. A golden road of light rose beneath his feet, and he sped off toward the Inner Court.
Meanwhile, Mu En was also feeling a terrible headache. His disciple kept his eyes fixed on the inner workings of Shrek Academy all day long, completely ignoring the rapid developments taking place beyond its walls.
Just how far had the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Guidance Technology advanced?!
Yan Shaozhe didn't know, nor did he care to find out. As one of the four deans of Shrek Academy, he should have been helping the Soul Guidance Department develop, so its Soul Guidance Technology could catch up with the Sun Moon Empire.
Instead, because the Soul Guidance Department had made some progress and might threaten the Martial Soul Department's standing, he was trying to suppress it.
The reason Mu En was so troubled was that he couldn't help wondering if the disciple he'd taken in had been sent by outsiders as a spy. Why did he spend every day trying to suppress anyone who disagreed with him, tying his own hands and feet?
The only thing that comforted Mu En now was that when Feng Tianyu had asked to join the Soul Guidance Department, he had agreed instead of flatly refusing.
He had given Feng Tianyu and Grey Wolf three years. Yet in less than a year, they had already handed him a satisfactory report.
Defeating a Soul Ancestor with a Soul Grandmaster—the Soul Guidance Department's development at Shrek Academy clearly had great promise.
Then his voice reached Qian Duoduo's ears:
"Duoduo, you've taught him well. Bring Tianyu and Grey Wolf to me."
Qian Duoduo's eyes widened, his heart surging with excitement. Mu En had praised him! His rugged face lit up, and delight shone all over it.
He turned to Feng Tianyu and Grey Wolf:
"Tianyu, you've just fought a match. Are you holding up? Mu En wants to see us, so let's head over right away."
Feng Tianyu switched off the Electric Charging Belt, and his body returned to its original size. Because the electrical currents had stimulated his body, he now felt completely drained, and most of his Soul Power was spent.
There was no way he could keep fighting. He would need at least a full night to recover, but he had no problem going to meet Mu En.
"Dean Qian, let's go, then."
With that, Qian Duoduo led Feng Tianyu and Grey Wolf away from the Great Soul Arena as well.
Yan Shaozhe had taken Ma Xiaotao away, and Qian Duoduo had taken Feng Tianyu away.
With the two people at the center of the affair gone, today's Soul Fighting came to an end, but its repercussions would continue to spread.
The Martial Soul Department's upper-year students—Dai Yaoheng, Chen Zifeng, Yao Haoxuan, Xixi, Gongyang Mo, and Ling Luochеn—were still reeling from the shock of seeing Ma Xiaotao, a Soul Ancestor, defeated by Feng Tianyu, a Soul Grandmaster.
They might not have liked Ma Xiaotao's fiery temper, but they had always acknowledged her strength.
Yet Ma Xiaotao had lost, defeated by a Soul Grandmaster using Soul Tools.
Dai Yaoheng clenched both fists. A look of unwillingness shone in his twin evil eyes as he voiced what the others were thinking:
"If even Ma Xiaotao lost, then that unremarkable Soul Engineer has an incredible amount of potential!"
"How are we Soul Masters supposed to compete with Soul Engineers in the future?!"
Chen Zifeng, Yao Haoxuan, and the others also looked grim and nodded in agreement.
Ma Xiaotao's defeat had hit them far too hard, shattering their pride as Soul Masters to pieces.
In truth, it might not be a bad thing for them. If they could gradually stop looking down on Soul Tools and learn to accept them, keeping one or two Soul Tools on hand at all times, they might have a chance to make it out alive during that Shrek Inspectorate mission led by Xuan Zi in the future, instead of ending up dead or crippled in the Death Messenger's Corpse Explosion.
In another part of the arena, Beibei took a deep breath, then slowly let it out:
"Tianyu really won!"
"Impressive. Truly impressive!"
"Soul Tools seem like a pretty good way to boost your strength. That Transformation Belt of Tianyu's looked interesting. It uses electric currents to stimulate the body and increase strength, speed, defense..."
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